Silence descended over the place and no one spoke anything for a while.
But soon, all of them eased their expressions a bit and started heading into the stronghold.
What's done is done. The now important thing is to think about their future courses of action. Brooding over unsolvable problems will only bring them more unease and anxiety which will in-turn lead to errors in judgement.
As they were about to move towards the entrance of the Central stronghold, Ron raised his hand, gesturing for them to stop.
All of them turned to look at Ron, awaiting and in anticipation for some answers.
"The Meeting will start roughly one hour from now. I will explain everything there. Also, organize your semi-annual reports about your stronghold and tasks."
When they heard his instructions, their mood once again soured for a bit. It was clear that they don't have many positive things to report.
"Also, where are the rest?"
This question came not from Ron, but from Connor. Time was of the essence and they couldn't afford to delay the meeting any further. It was imperative all of them arrive on time.
"Sir Orville is already inside the bunker, waiting for Marshall Ron's arrival."
The one to respond was Ria. Her tone was respectful, even more so when talking with Ron.
"General Orville was the first to arrive to the Central stronghold, and he went straight for the bunker. Nataya's stronghold, the Veye Bastion, is located the furthest from here, so it will still take her a bit more to arrive."
Sophie affirmed Ria's words. She has arrived almost at the same time as Sir Orville as her stronghold, The Anatomis, was located closest to the Central stronghold, as it was focused on research.
"About Kenny and Nash.... "
She hestitaed a bit, knowing the troublesome personality of the two.
"It's fine. Both of them will arrive on time. They are not dumb enough to not take the signal seriously."
Ryuto gave his own interpretation of the duo, but his tone was a bit annoyed. Nash aside, the laziness of his ally, General Kenny Wright, have always aggravated him. According to him, a General should act more mature and responsible and Kenny was, unfortunately, neither of them.
Ron saw the whole thing play out, but didn't say anything. He didn't have to worry about whether everyone would take the summons seriously and arrive on time, because he was sure everyone would.
He looked at them all once more, and unknowingly a very faint and subtle smile appeared on his face.
It had to be known that, currently, internal conflics within human society are non-existent.
At present, the human society has turned so scant in numbers that internal conflicts don't even have a meaning anymore, but that's not how human desires have been kept tamed for some time now.
And the reason for such in-house peace is none other than Ron.
No, it can't be said that it was Ron or his strength alone that keep the masses in-check, but rather, it's the relationship between him and the Generals that had made it possible.
The current system of stronghold was created while keeping two major factors in mind: defense and surveillance.
Surveillance not only of monsters, but humans too.
All the residents of strongholds, although they might not be aware of it, are always under the srutiny of their Generals.
And the Generals always make sure to nip any bud of revolt or rebellion or excessive greed before it grows.
There weren't many such cases in the first place because the higher ups, the Generals and Ron, have always been fair to the masses. Be it training or food supplies, or living quarters or any other form of necessity, they have never discriminated, whether it be race, gender, age, religion, status, appearance or any other bases.
Of course, whether a Soldier Rank was given the same treatment as a Commander Rank, be it status or supplies, is an whole other thing.
Anyway, this system of strongholds had proved to be very effective and it was made possible due to the unity of the Generals.
The unity wasn't achieved because of one's generosity, no, it was achieved through strength. The power of Ron's sword was what achieved it.
But it didn't matter currently. This system has already been in place for years now, and one's grievances can only be carried so far in such harsh times.
What's in the past is now in the past. All of them had taken their lessons and moved on. They hadn't forgotten about it, but will no longer obssess themselves over them.
The current relationship between Ron and generals is such that, all of them respect him, and put their trust in his strength and Ron reflect the sentiment.
Their relationship is so good to the point that, it won't be wrong to say that they are not humanity's Generals, but Ron's.
They are his Generals.
'I can rely on them.'
Ron thought with the same subtle smile.
Ria, who had a weird obsession of Ron, and is always giving him side glances, was taken aback a bit as she noticed the smile on Ron's face.
"What are you laughing for?"
The eyes of others present also widened a bit as they heard Ria's question. They weren't able to catch Ron's smile, only Ria was.
"Nothing."
Ron's face reverted back to the usual as he just brushed of the question. He was somewhat aware of Ria's furtive glances, but it didn't pay it any mind.
He knew it was not something like one's attraction to the opposite sex, but something different.
Even in the off chance that it was, he has no intention of catering it one bit.
Aside from the fact that he has no interest in such and have better things to do, all of the generals, except Nash and Sir Orville, were in their mid to late thirties, including Ria.
Though all of them had incredibly young appearances and didn't appear to be anything more than mid to late twenties, Ron still didn't entertain the thought of dating someone this old.
He has much more important things to do and the world currently isn't a place where you can go about happily falling in love and enjoying your love life.
Ryuto and Sophie were primary examples of this. Their feelings were out in the open for everyone to see. Yet, it was something that no matter what, can't come to fruition and blossom. They just couldn't afford to.
When Ron's thoughts reached that point, he started thinking of weird things.
'I wonder if I will ever experience love... '
He thought with a dreamy tone.
'Who am I kidding? I have no business falling in love.'
He berated himself before letting go of his thoughts.
Others were dazed for a bit as they saw Ron acting like this. Ron was showing this side of him to them for the first time. He has always been a stoic leader who hates bullshit more than anyone else.
'Maybe it has something do with the current 'threat'.'
The girl, Sophie, thought.
Suddenly, she felt intense saddness washing over her, as she realized that the current miniscule amount of peace that they have managed to obtain, will also, just like previous times, is once again on the verge of getting taken from them.
'Ryuto.... Everyone....'
Just by knowing her thoughts and hearing her polite voice, one can understand how kind of a soul she was.
But no matter how kind, she was still a responsible general of humanity. She quickly regained her calm and looked ahead once again where Ria, who was annoyed by Ron's answer, started speaking once again.
"Then what the heck you were doing, being absent for two weeks straight? What was it that took you so much time?"
Her tone was annoyed and playful at the same time but her question was serious.
The mood turned serious once again as they awaited Ron's reply.
Ron straightened his back and said with all seriousness.
"I have been searching for a suitable burying place for you."
He said with a deadpan look on his face.
The area fell silent for a moment, his words still sinking in.
And after a moment, as if on a cue, laughter erupted from every direction.
"Ha... Hahahahahaha...."
"Pfft... "
Both Connor and Ryuto started laughing loudly while Sophie did her best to hold back her laughter, trying not to laugh at her friend.
"Y-you... "
Ria's face was beet red as she stumbled on her words.
"If you have so much free time to crack jokes, why not just go around killing some stray 4-metre class? It will help everyone, DAMN IT!!"
She looked in another direction after shouting her comeback, her face still red. Everyone was still laughing.
Ron's hard expression loosened up significantly, and this time, he didn't try to hide the smile on his face.
He spoke once again, and this time his tone had a hint of sarcasm to it.
"Well, heaven itself would punish me If I don't comply with General Ria's wishes, won't it?"
Everyone's laughter died down eventually and this time, there was confusion on their faces.
"What do you mean?"
Ria asked, still annoyed.
"Connor."
"Understood."
Hearing Ron's words, Connor, who too have stopped laughing by this point of time, brought down the monster corpse he has been carrying all this while.
" " "A 4-metre class! " " "
All of them said at the same time.
"Where did you get it?"
Ryuto asked the question on everyone's behalf.
Ron just smiled but didn't gave the answer. Instead, he said, "All of you must be tired from the journey. You should rest a bit. The meeting will start one hour from now, and dont worry. I am positive both Nash and Kenny will arrive by that time."
He then looked at the corpse and said,
"The Generals are always working hard and risking their lives. Let's have a feast. All of us deserve it."
He said and started moving towards the stronghold.
"I am going to see Sir Orville. All of you should start before us. We will join you later."
After saying that, he didn't stop anymore and headed into the stronghold.
The remaining four generals just blankly looked at his departing back, which was moving further and further away.
Ryuto looked at the monster intently, then asked Connor.
"Where did you guys encounter it?"
His tone was serious.
"Ron encountered and killed it. I wasn't with him, but we both believe that it was chased out."
All of the people present who heard his words, their eyes widened in shock.
"A General class got chased out, huh."
Ryuto muttered under his breath, his tone abnormally serious.
They were once again reminded that the current peaceful times weren't going to last long.