#136 Continental Summit (4)
The grand conference hall was alive with vigorous discussion as various agenda items came and went.
Perhaps because the atmosphere had been refreshed once, the meeting proceeded smoothly afterward.
The first thing decided was the establishment of a continental allied force.
Separate from each nation’s military, they would form an organization akin to a UN force, capable of responding immediately in the event of an emergency.
It was an organization with a long history that had already proven its usefulness since the incident with the previous Immortal King, so no particular objections were raised.
And naturally, the commander of the allied force would be a paladin of the Church of the Lord God, free from the political interests of the various powers.
“The situation is most serious in the Duchy of Rohan! Except for the south, which borders the Empire, three sides of our nation are battlefields. If we receive no aid, there’s no telling when the country will collapse!”
This impassioned plea came after the creation of the allied force had been decided, during the discussion on how it would be operated and supported.
Naturally, the one making it was Dennis Rohan, the Grand Duke’s heir of the Duchy of Rohan.
“Hmm—indeed, since the monsters’ madness incident is no different from an attack by the Immortal King, responding to it should also be carried out on the level of the allied force.”
And Crown Prince Simon of the Azerion Empire also agreed with his claim.
The Empire’s own situation was urgent enough that it had shown reluctance to dispatch its army directly, but if it could aid what was practically its vassal state through the allied force that had to be formed anyway, there was nothing better.
For a moment, the delegation from the Zefia Republic showed discomfort, but perhaps because of their external image, they did not strongly oppose it here.
In the end, after various discussions, support for the Duchy of Rohan was finalized.
Grand Duke’s heir Dennis let out a small sigh, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. ‘Good. This should let us breathe a little easier now. It’ll take some time for the allied force to be organized and dispatched, but we should be able to hold out somehow until then.’ Having achieved his intended objective, he was able to participate in the later discussions with a somewhat lighter heart.
And after several agenda items had passed, what finally began to be discussed was…
The formation of the “Special Mobile Strike Force Against the Immortal King,” otherwise known as the Hero’s party.
Their purpose was solely to confront the Immortal King directly.
Naturally, the one to lead them was the current Saint, “Heinrich Saint Landguard.”
In a sense, it could be called a unit with a long history and tradition, for its origins lay in the death squads that had defeated the previous Immortal Kings.
Heroes who passed through the path the continental allied force had opened at the cost of their lives, finally defeated the Immortal King, and brought peace to the continent twice.
As such a grave responsibility and such great glory went hand in hand, exceptional care had to be taken in selecting its members.
It was, in truth, a gathering to select the continent’s greatest talents, yet the expressions of those representing each faction were subtle beyond words…
“Hmm, a death squad…”
“…Ahem.”
Their reactions were because of the survival rate of the death squads of the previous generations.
There was no need to go into lengthy detail; after the Immortal King was subjugated, not a single person had gone on to end their life in one piece.
Most of them had died in battle, and even those who survived to the end suffered from severe aftereffects such as permanent disabilities and curses, dying young without living long.
The same had been true even of those who were Saints and Heroes.
The only difference was that they endured a few years longer; in the end, had they not departed for the embrace of the Lord God before long as well?
If even they, protected by all manner of divine blessings, ended up that way, there was no need to speak of the others.
The entire world was already in chaos as it was.
There was no way anyone would want to spend the finest talents who represented their factions and reliably protected them in such a manner.
But in that situation where everyone was gauging one another, there was once again someone who raised his hand boldly without paying attention to anyone else and opened his mouth…
“If that is the case, there is a talent our Empire would like to recommend.”
Crown Prince Simon of the Azerion Empire continued with a meaningful smile.
“Viscount Isea Pristine. Despite her young age, she is a genius mage who has already risen to the rank of archmage. One might call her a treasure our Empire is proud of.”
“Oh—if it is Viscount Pristine, she certainly has the qualifications. Her ‘Multifaceted Analysis of Ice-Type Magic Using the Crystal Structure of Ice,’ which she presented last year, offered a new perspective on ice-type magic…”
In response to his words, one of the executives seated at the Mage Tower Alliance’s table began chattering excitedly.
Though his fuss quickly died down when the alliance leader seated right beside him stared at him fixedly. ‘Isea Pristine… I feel like I’ve heard of her. If she’s recognized even by other factions, that must mean she truly is an outstanding talent.’ Since his position as Saint was what it was, being familiar with information on the strong individuals of each country was also part of the job.
She was an up-and-coming noble of the Empire whose name had only recently become known, someone so capable that she had earned her title solely through her own ability.
As a mage, she was said to rank among the top ten on the Ion Continent.
Her exact age had not been revealed, but as far as was known, she was not yet in her thirties, so her potential for growth had to be considered boundless as well.
Just as the crown prince had said, it was no exaggeration to call her a treasure of the Empire. ‘And yet he readily recommended such a talent of his own country for a position known to be a deathtrap?’ Judging by the flustered expressions of the Empire’s attendants, it did not seem to have been agreed upon in advance.
Then the reason was obvious. ‘She must be a political rival. Honestly, politicians never miss an opportunity.’ But once that opened the floodgates, those who had only been watching one another began to speak up one by one.
“We cannot be left out of such an honorable position either. As it happens, in our nation there is someone showing rapid growth…”
“Come to think of it, I heard Marquis Serrington of the Kingdom of Lesk has extraordinary martial prowess…”
“Now, now! What are you saying? That gentleman is already advanced in years…”
From political rivals within their own countries to talents from other nations.
Because the requirements for the Immortal King strike force were so high, there were not all that many suitable candidates, but as several people were brought up with enthusiasm, the heat in the conference hall gradually grew hotter.
And Heinrich, watching them, also began to feel hotter inside.
His stomach was starting to churn.
Because, after all, were those schemes of theirs not proceeding on the premise that the party he would lead would be annihilated?
The party of none other than this very body, Heinrich Saint Landguard! ‘…I’ll make every last one of them into heroes and send them back safe and sound.’ As he made that firm resolution and watched that farce, naturally, not everyone present was moving politically.
“If I can be of even slight help, I shall personally step forward…!”
“You must not! If you, Apostle, leave your post, our order will…”
There was the leader of a minor church, brimming with enthusiasm and trying to volunteer, only to be stopped by the attendant beside him.
“Hmm, I suppose my skills are still lacking for me to participate in the death squad?”
“At minimum, one would have to be master-class…”
“If only I could somehow enter as a squire…”
And there were even some members of the delegations filled with groundless confidence that they alone would be different from the others.
Among them was Shapiron, whose eyes sparkled continuously even as Harris looked at her as if she were pathetic.
Munch, munch—
“Hm? Harris, what are you eating?”
“Ah, this? It’s called popcorn… Would you like to try some?”
“…It looks unusual. Is it a specialty of the Ion Continent?”
Fortunately, her interest did not seem that great, and soon her gaze was drawn to the snack he was holding.
Thus Harris sat beside her, chewing popcorn procured from Earth through “Avatar Cloud” as he watched the conference hall. ‘Still, it seems to be calming down now. Well, even if someone is recommended here, it’s not as though it will be decided immediately.’ But only his appearance was carefree; he was observing the situation with a more serious mindset than ever.
“Harris, Harris. Is there any more of this? It’s soft and salty, so it’s delicious!”
Shapiron had been happily munching away and had already finished an entire bag, so as he refilled it with warm popcorn, he turned his gaze toward the central representatives’ seats, which had become even calmer.
However, even though quite some time had passed and the atmosphere had begun to wind down, there were not many agenda items that had been settled for certain. ‘Well, the international situation will change depending on the results here, so there’s no way everything could be decided in a single day. There are also plenty of people trying to secure their own interests even while the summit is being held.’ Seeing how poorly cooperation was going even in this situation, it seemed they still lacked a sense of crisis.
“Then today’s meeting shall end here. The second meeting is scheduled to be held at the same time tomorrow, so I ask that you attend without any confusion.”
Murmur, murmur—
Immediately after Archbishop Cordelia’s closing declaration, the representatives of each faction began to gather in small groups and converse among themselves.
To exchange opinions on the agenda items raised this time.
However, the other races of the Enamel Continent, who had quietly watched from beginning to end, were once again trying to leave without much interaction. ‘That won’t do. Isn’t it about time we all got friendly with one another?’ Yes, so…
This was merely a light recreation.
Wooooong—
Pajijijik—!
At that moment.
“Hm?”
“What is this all of a sudden?”
The sacred barrier radiating brilliant splendor began to blaze intensely inside the grand conference hall.
And along with the sound of sparks, as though something were being torn apart—
[My, it seems I am a little late.]
A low voice, like something echoing up from hell, shook the space.
It was only a single sentence, yet at the presence contained within it, as though even their souls were freezing, everyone’s bodies stiffened.
“……!”
“Th-this is…?”
The people were thrown into confusion by the sudden abnormality.
And when the evil energy flowing out together with that dreadful voice tried to seep into their minds…
“How dare you appear here of all places!”
As if he had been waiting, Saint Heinrich reacted swiftly, and his sacred aura warmly enveloped everyone in the conference hall.
[“Prepare for battle! All paladins and holy knight orders, assemble at once!”]
Immediately after, his resounding cry, carrying thick divine power, spread in all directions like a wave—
Clang, clang, clang—!
Clatter! Clatter!
The church troops guarding the surroundings instantly completed their preparations and rushed into the conference hall.
The anomaly occurred and the response followed in truly the blink of an eye.
Following the instructions Heinrich had given in advance, they moved the delegations to the rear and guided them toward a safe zone established using even holy relics in preparation for “just in case.”
Coincidentally, it was a prime location from which one could clearly see the surrounding situation, but since grasping the circumstances was important, it was not strange.
[Hmm… Indeed, it seems you have prepared quite thoroughly this time. A sacred barrier of this caliber. Kuhuhut—I suppose this body frightened you considerably. Hero, Heinrich!]
Pajijijik—!
Amid the white sparks that constantly scattered embers, a being wrapped from head to toe in dense dark energy slowly revealed itself.
A black robe that wavered as if the abyss itself had been gathered together, and beneath its hood, a bizarrely smiling mask just barely visible.
The overwhelming presence spreading in every direction was something no one who lived on this continent could fail to know.
Even if they had never seen him in person even once, anyone who stood before him would realize it.
Who he was.
His name was none other than…
“Hannibal Strauss! To think you would appear here despite knowing that. You must have looked down on us quite a bit!”
The Immortal King Hans… no, Hannibal Strauss, who had intruded into the conference hall where the Continental Summit was being held.
And the noble Hero, Heinrich Saint Landguard, who drew the holy sword from his palm and faced him proudly.
At last, the two archenemies faced each other once more.
Here, where the Continental Summit was being held.
Before the eyes of those who led this continent.