In the capital city of Biston, in the Lervand Kingdom, a meeting was being held inside King Veld's royal palace. King Veld himself sat at the head of the large table.
On the left sat Yen Kaguraza, and on the right sat Alice Musk. Alice had blonde hair, black eyes, and a face that could easily rival any beauty of the world. Both Alice and Yen were Summoned Heroes.
Next to Alice sat the Army Commander, Mr. Arnold. Beside Yen sat the Financial Minister, Mr. Sam Riot. Next to Sam sat the Military Chief, Mr. Kiora, and beside him sat the Foreign Minister, Mr. Falcon.
King Veld spoke.
"This meeting has been kept private. That is why I did not call most of the usual people."
Before he could finish, two figures suddenly teleported into the room. They both bowed respectfully toward the king. The man wore black clothes and had a horn on his forehead. The woman was an elf.
King Veld looked at them.
"Null and Ciel. What news have you brought at this hour?"
Null answered.
"Your Majesty, a corpse was found near the capital, inside Storm Jungle. After a thorough investigation, it was confirmed to be the work of a demon."
King Veld nodded.
"Very well. You may leave."
Just as they had appeared, Null and Ciel vanished.
Arnold spoke up.
"Your Majesty, if you give the order, I will search the jungle and bring that demon back. It cannot have gone far."
Sam Riot frowned.
"What is the demon's real target? Something must have drawn it here."
Kiora added,
"Whatever the reason, we must capture it as soon as possible for the safety of the kingdom. If word spreads, panic will spread with it."
Sam continued,
"We will need to contact the Temple and the Demon Hunters. We don't even know what rank this demon is."
King Veld nodded.
"You're right. We will discuss this with the Temple."
Yen spoke next.
"I will send a report to the Guild and secretly assign A-rank adventurers to the matter."
King Veld turned to the Foreign Minister.
"Mr. Falcon, go to the neighboring kingdoms and inform them of this. Tomorrow we will speak with the Temple. For today, this meeting is over."
As everyone began to leave, King Veld stopped Sam.
"Sam."
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"The ritual we performed for the sake of the kingdom… is it still secure?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Though… it is possible that the demon's target could be related to it."
King Veld placed a hand on Sam's shoulder.
"Then it is in your hands now. You must protect it."
"You can leave that responsibility to me, Your Majesty."
From behind, Yen spoke up.
"Your Majesty, why don't we use the new weapons? It could help us avoid future trouble."
King Veld's expression grew slightly troubled.
"Do you think those weapons will even work against a demon?"
Yen answered with confidence.
"If it has absorbed any life forms, the weapons should definitely affect it."
King Veld finally nodded.
"Very well. Do as you say."
The meeting ended. Everyone began to leave. Sam walked out of the room, descended the stairs, and stepped outside the palace. Null was waiting near the gate.
"Kondo has captured the members of the Red Group," Null said.
Sam stopped immediately, his voice turning urgent.
"What? Is my son all right? He isn't hurt, is he?"
Null gave him a light shove.
"No, he's completely fine. But it's possible the Red Group will now turn their attention toward Kondo. Be careful."
Sam looked both relieved and worried.
"Thank you for telling me."
Null vanished. Sam quickly boarded a carriage and headed home.
From a palace window, Alice and Yen watched him leave.
Yen muttered,
"So his name is Kondo…"
Alice smiled faintly and walked away. Yen's sharp gaze remained fixed on the carriage for a moment longer. Then he punched the wall and left.
**Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Kingdom to the North…**
A meeting of the Temple Administration was underway. The caretakers of the Seven Gods were present, along with six of the Thirteen Heavenly Knights.
Behind a curtain, a man quietly sat down so he could listen to everything.
At the large table sat the caretakers of the Seven Gods. Only two of them were present in physical form. The other five were represented by floating orbs above their empty chairs, from which their voices emerged.
One of the orbs spoke. Because of the simulation, all the voices sounded heavy and similar.
"Because the statue of the Healing God has been weeping, unrest is spreading among the Healing God's followers. We must resolve this crisis as soon as possible."
Another orb replied,
"We need to think carefully before making any decision. A wrong move could destroy our reputation."
Lady Shuna, the caretaker of the Light God, sat in a purple dress with a blindfold over her eyes. She spoke calmly.
"It is not yet time for us to step forward. If anything happens, the Heavenly Knights are there to handle it."
Beside her, Ms. Kin, the caretaker of the Dark God, nodded.
"I completely agree with Lady Shuna. There is no need to act hastily. Until something actually happens, we should remain quiet."
Another orb spoke sharply.
"We cannot just sit with our hands folded. We are becoming financially weak. We need to draw people back to us. For that, we should kill some monsters in the name of the Goddess. And you, Ms. Kin — I do not want you causing trouble like last time."
Yet another orb added,
"There is no need for us to fight among ourselves. We must calmly deal with the rumors spreading among the people. As for the monsters, the Guild has always remained connected to us."
Ms. Kin spoke again.
"By the way… a demon has already entered the Verland Kingdom. We could use that."
Lady Shuna nodded.
"I will leave that matter to the Heavenly Knights. I will speak with King Veld and summon the knights there."
With that, Lady Shuna vanished. Ms. Kin followed shortly after.
"Then today's meeting ends here."
The floating orbs disappeared one by one. The man who had been listening from behind the curtain also stood up and quietly left.
Among the Heavenly Commanders present, Ms. Ishita spoke.
"You all heard what was said. For this mission, I, Geld, Arvind, and Pail will go. Gin and Fens, you two will remain here to protect the Temple. If the remaining seven commanders return from the Polard Kingdom, give them this report."
Fens looked concerned.
"But Ms. Ishita… do you think four commanders will be enough?"
Gin cut in.
"Hey. Are you questioning Commander Ms. Ishita's strength? You know how powerful she is. She once fought a Demon Lord alone."
Geld spoke thoughtfully.
"The problem is, we don't know what kind of demon has entered human territory. Did it come from the Demon King… or from Demon Lord Roy of the Underworld?"
Pail added,
"That's the real issue. We don't even know what trait it has."
Arvind crossed his arms.
"Whatever trait it has, I'll handle it. Don't worry too much."
Ms. Ishita listened to all of them, then spoke with certainty.
"This demon is most likely connected to the Demon King. We have already spoken with Demon Lord Roy. He has no interest in such dirty methods. Most likely, this demon fled from the Demon Realm. Enough discussion. The moment we receive Lady Shuna's message, we leave."
All of them answered in the same tone.
"As you command."