Needless to say, the entire presentation went splendidly.
The Adventurers cheered on for the strong ones that would stand at the charge in the march for freedom and adventure.
Some were envious.
A lot were inspired.
Few were unbothered.
However, there seemed to be a general consensus among the ones who raised their heads to gaze upon the mighty ones.
Each of them… were worthy of their respect.
They were the strongest!
********
[Moments Later]
Richard rested his head on the back of his chair, inhaling deeply as he sat behind his desk and contemplated the events that would occur the next day.
After the announcement of the new Heroic Rank Adventurers, he also mentioned news about the Conquest.
As expected, the reaction was wild.
'I intentionally made sure rumors spread before today, but it seems like a lot of people were still pretty hyped up about it.' He smiled to himself.
'Well, it was an official announcement, after all.'
As he remained in his office, embracing the silence that surrounded him, a knock echoed from the door at the far front.
'Hm?' He wondered as he slightly opened his eyes.
Richard didn't have any other appointment that day—not officially, that is. As a result, he was able to quickly deduce the identities of the ones who stood in front of his door.
Straightening up his posture, he cleared his throat and parted his lips.
"Come in."
The door creaked as it slowly opened, revealing nine people who slowly trailed inside. To his surprise, a white creature with long ears also hopped in with them.
Any normal person would consider it cute, but Richard instantly recognized the creature's strength.
'It's strong!' Was all he thought about as he watched the creature hop forward.
As for the nine who walked in, Richard did not recognize any of them except one. He was the first to enter, and he seemed to be the leader of the bunch.
The moment Richard saw him, he smiled.
"So you were sent from the Capital, eh? That's actually a surprise…"
The man before him was Sebas, and the eight other individuals behind him had to be the backup that the Royal Council was providing the Adventurers.
'They said they were sending their elite team, but they didn't specify a number.' He thought, narrowing his gaze on them.
Nine wasn't a particularly high number, but he could tell that each of them was capable. So capable, in fact, that he couldn't estimate their level of power.
'They're all as strong as Sebas… no, is that even an appropriate way to gauge their abilities?'
Sebas the Adventurer just barely made the cut for Heroic Rank according to what Britta told him, but just from their short meeting, he was able to tell that the man was hiding his strength.
'I thought he had reasons, but to think he was from the Capital…'
Richard didn't think there would be any others from the Capital who were as skilled as Brutus and Lucielle.
'So they were hiding these cards, huh? Interesting…' He smiled internally.
Each of them was stronger than your average Heroic Rank Adventurer, and he still didn't know the true depths of their strength. That meant they potentially had fourteen 6 Star Adventurers in the raid.
'If I count that creature, the number jumps to fifteen.' Richard nearly beamed.
It was anumber that far exceeded his expectations.
'If only those stubborn fools could see this!' By fools, he meant the three Vice Guildmasters that were in the opposing faction.
'They're still clinging to their outdated ideology and swimming in animosity towards the Alliance because of the past… all while the people they reject are amassing more and more power.'
If the Adventurers City allied with the rest of the Alliance, Richard was sure they could achieve so much more.
Sadly, politics was a lot more complicated than that.
"May we have our seats?" Richard snapped out of his thoughts as he heard this question, to which he responded in the affirmative.
The Guildmaster's office was not lacking in sofas and chairs, so even nine people could get very comfortable.
The room was also considerably large, so it didn't seem too crowded.
"I really appreciate the Royal Council for responding to my request. I know things haven't been very smooth between the Adventurers City and the Alliance, but… well, thanks."
crowded.
"I really appreciate the Royal Council for responding to my Richard rose to his feet and approached the group that sat before him. Despite being the Guildmaster, he made an effort to shake every single one of them.
When he approached a certain lady in the group, he noticed how the long-eared creature was sticking close to her, and so chose to proceed with caution.
'She must be a tamer. Where on H'trae did she find such a beast?'
He did his best to conceal his shock and under an awkward smile as he made it past everyone in the group.
A few stood out to him instantly—like Sebas, the woman with the familiar, an ebony lady with well-defined muscles beneath her tight outfit, and the incredibly buff man that sat a little close to the woman with the white beast.
They seemed like the strongest, just going off physical appearance alone, but Richard was well aware that looks could be deceiving.
"We would like to officially introduce ourselves now, if you don't mind." Sebas said very cordially as the Guildmaster returned to his seat.
"Please do, please do."
It was really amazing how much Sebas' personality had shifted from the eager newbie to the more mature leader of an elite force.
'They look to be in their thirties, so I suppose they're in the prime of their lives.' Hesmiled, reminding himself of his own glorious days as well.
'But, that is all in the past.' Richard smiled wryly as he heard their introduction.
It turned out the lady with the white beast was called Sally. The buff guy's name was Byron, and the ebony woman was Tetra.
"Well, I look forward to working with you all."