“Hmm. Is that how it was for you?” Shida sounded a bit disappointed by his answer.
“I’m stronger than I was two thousand years ago, so the surface area I’ll be able to destroy should be larger,” Renge said. “I do think I’ll be more thorough this time around, but I don’t think I’ll be able to destroy all of it. There’s still going to be Kaguya raining down.”
“Well, I’ll try to use my magic to burn down the bigger pieces as they fall,” Shida said. “But since they’ll be falling throughout the continent…”
“Yes, the Mythicals have the power to help, but there aren’t enough of us to cover every single country on the human continent,” Renge said.
Shida and Renge’s conversation felt much more constructive than the country representatives’, who simply insisted that someone shelter their people, the rest be damned.
Every single country… Oh, I know.
“Then how about people from countries like Fei Lu, Uru Ki, and De Lulua all evacuate to one spot, where you and the other Mythicals can protect them?” I suggested to Renge.
“Ah!” I heard a few people exclaim.
“…Wh-What? Did I say something strange?” I asked.
The whole room went quiet.
“Hm. It’s possible, but if that’s the case, I think Rofola might be the best option,” Shida said. “It has a monster-repelling barrier, and me and the olden king’s friend here could expand and reinforce it to a range that’s about as large as De Marl. The Kaguya shouldn’t be able to get in there. It’s a fine idea, if I do say so myself.”
Shida made it sound like it was his idea instead of mine.
“That works for the smaller countries, but what about Fei Lu?” I asked. “It’s close to Rofola, but it’s almost as big as De Marl. If we’re going to gather the small countries’ people in Rofola, where will Fei Lu’s people go…?”
“Hmm, well…” Renge said pensively. “As for Fei Lu, we can use the leyline in Mount Jiera to set up a monster-repelling barrier there, too. Me and the Elf of the Sun can expand that one, too, so its effective radius extends to Fei Lu itself. It should keep the Kaguya at bay.”
“O-Ooh!” the Fei Lu representative exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with hope. “Really?!”
“However,” Renge cut him off. “The Kaguya falling from the sky is another matter. I’ll have my hands full destroying the Sugula. The barriers in Rofola and Jiera will stave Kaguya off, but they don’t protect from physical impacts.”
“Yes, the barriers are only good for keeping Kaguya on the outside from getting in,” Shida said. “Anything that falls directly on you will have to be shot down with magic or by some other means…”
“Yes, the Sugula is currently sucking up Air from the world, even as we speak. Even with the leyline’s help, magic and alchemical weaponry won’t be as effective as they should be,” Renge appended.
Gasps filled the room.
“Correct…” Curalius said, opening her eyes. Her eyes were completely white. Even though she was doing better now, she could still hardly see. “Even so, it’s the method that will result in the fewest lives lost. We don’t have much time, and Renge will be busy destroying the Sugula. As such, I will dispatch the Elf of the Sun and my child, Revireus, to Rofola. As for Fei Lu, I ask that the demi-humans send magic users over to help safeguard the country. We must protect our own continents too.”
“Hmph…” the lizardmen representative harrumphed audibly.
“Are you mocking us?!” the ogre representative roared. “Why should we, the proud ogres, waste our precious resources protecting mere humans—”
Curalius cut him off with a silent stare, and then turned her eyes to me. Her expression softened; it was her usual, gentle gaze.
“This is a request from the King of the Mythicals, as well as the Holy Woman,” she said. “Will the ogres not be willing to listen?”
“Grr!” the ogre exclaimed.
“And what of you, lizardmen?” Curalius asked.
“Ah, w-well, the lizardmen will of course listen to you, King of the Mythicalsssss!” the lizardmen representative said meekly.
“Argh, I can’t believe you, lizardmen!” the ogre representative cried out. “Cowards!”
“H-Hmph!” the lizardmen representative huffed at him. “You get what you deserve! Acting ssssso prideful before both the ruler of the Mythicals and the Holy Woman!”
“Y-You’re right, we must consider the Holy Woman’s wishes, too,” the elven king said. “H-Hmm, very well, Forestria will dispatch skilled magic users for Fei Lu’s defense.”
“H-Hey, we won’t let you try to get away with making a show of your generosity in front of the Holy Woman,” the dwarf king said. “My kingdom of Segyadis will dispatch our engineers to show off our technological might!”
Is it just me, or are all the demi-human representatives shooting me looks like a child trying to impress their mother?
“Mwahaha, the ruler of the Mythicals is wise indeed!” Revireus boasted. “She used the demi-humans’ worship of the Holy Woman to convince them to do her bidding.”
“That’s King Curalius for you…” Renge said. “She’s the only one capable of manipulating people into doing what she wants them to do while making them think it’s actually what they want…”
“Ohoho, it’s just the wisdom that comes with age,” Curalius said with a modest laugh. “If anything, you should be the ones doing the convincing, boys.”
“Ah!” Renge and Revireus both went quiet.
Wait, Revireus was here?!
I turned to look at him, wondering why he was so quiet, only to find his right eye was swollen and purple. His jaw also looked slightly dislocated.
Wh-What happened to him?!
“O-Oh, that?” Renge responded to my questioning gaze. “King Curalius bashed him. Revi was your guard, so she said him being away is why you got abducted…”
“N-No, that was because I was careless!” I objected.
“Also because he snatched the elixir you made and brought it to her…” Renge added.
“Well, I can’t argue with that…”
I couldn’t say that I was all right with what he did, but I also couldn’t blame Revireus for acting like that given the situation he was in. He only did it because he cared for Curalius, so I couldn’t believe she got that mad at him. And the fact no one had healed Revireus’s injuries yet just went to show how much no one wanted to go against Curalius.
“Either way, the matter of the humans’ evacuation is decided. We haven’t much time, so we must act at once,” Curalius said. “Renge, you focus on preserving your strength. Revireus! Eure! Shinsen! You lead the other Mythicals and help them transport the humans. Representatives of the human countries, you must relay what we agreed on here to your people as soon as possible! We only have ten days, after all. Marcus, you must go among the countries and help them organize for the evacuation. Holy Woman, you stay here in Deshmel and continue purifying the monsters. Also, we need your approval to set up a transportation circle here. I’d like to hold any future meetings on our side.”
“Y-Yes! Understood!” I said.
“As you wish, King of the Mythicals.”
✦ ✦ ✦
♣♣♣
DESPITE the world being in a state of chaos, Deshmel was still peaceful. Even after hearing what we needed to do next, the people inside the fort seemed pretty laid back. They were mostly happy to have me nearby, though I personally didn’t think my presence called for that much relief.
The representatives returned to their countries and began preparing for the evacuation. For large countries like De Marl and Saikorea, just the sheer number of civilians was an imposing issue. An entire country moving away would be a huge mess.
…Maybe I should have given them some stomach medicine.
After all, how long would it be until the Kaguya falls and everything settles down enough for them to return to their homes? Just that thought was enough to make one’s stomach ache.
The Mythicals set up a transportation circle inside Deshmel, preparing for another meeting the next day. That meeting was for confirming the evacuation status and the situation in the countries preparing to accept the refugees. They would also discuss the state of food and supplies, and life after the Kaguya falls. There really was a lot to discuss.
Curalius spurred everyone on, telling them it was the last big push, and encouraged me by saying they’ll make Deshmel untouchable. But that meant I was left out of all that work. True, I knew nothing of politics, but surely there was something I could do, right?