Once Valtos had finally resigned himself to Millis’s torment, Alma began the meeting and shared her findings and suggestions.
“Recruiting help from the Second World, huh?” Raid folded his arms and sighed. “Honestly, I’m a bit reluctant to drag other people into our personal circumstances...but I guess beggars can’t be choosers.”
“Well, there’s always the option to spend a decade or two building up our resources and manpower here, but...” Alma shrugged.
“Eluria and I wouldn’t mind, but I doubt Ms. Alicia would be too happy with us... I mean, what kind of premarital vacation lasts two decades?”
Ariel squinted. “Our world was saved on a premarital vacation...?”
“I’m sure you feel conflicted about this, Ariel, but just ignore it,” said Millis. “Raid and Lady Eluria are in fact the types to save a world while they’re on vacation.”
“Really now...?”
“Yes. Even Mr. Dian reluctantly resigned himself to it by the time we left. Or rather, it looked more like he just gave up thinking altogether. You should do the same.”
“Oh, I see... I suppose I’ll take you up on that advice...” Ariel looked toward the ceiling, the light slowly leaving her eyes.
Meanwhile, Eluria—seated beside her—raised her hand. “So, are you returning to the Second World, Raid?”
“Yep. Not like anyone can travel between worlds without me.”
“But...” Eluria pouted. “I need to stay, otherwise there’ll be nobody left to fight the Calamities in case of an emergency.”
“Well, there’s no helping it this time around. I’ll need to do a bunch of negotiations and planning to recruit all the forces we need, so I doubt I can come back right away either.”
Raid thought back to the document Alma had prepared for them. The personnel they were in most dire need of were craftsmen and technicians to construct more ships. They would also need food and supplies for all these workers, as well as materials for construction. The scale of this operation was so huge, it would be unthinkable to recruit everything and everyone they needed without the cooperation of several countries.
Combat forces were another issue entirely. Offspring weren’t nearly as threatening as the Calamities, but nonetheless they were as formidable as large-sized—sometimes even ultra-sized—manabeasts of the Second World. This meant that they had to recruit first-class magicians at the very least, preferably special-classers. Either way, both classes were often utilized for national defense in their respective countries—not the type of personnel a nation would just lend out without extensive paperwork and rigorous negotiation.
All things considered, the best-case scenario would be for everything to be ready within a month’s time. Realistically, however, they were looking at more like three to six months, and at worst over a year.
“Looks like we’ll be apart for a while. Are you okay with that, Eluria?” Raid asked.
The girl pouted. “I’ll be a little lonely, but I’m okay.”
“Hey, cheer up. Tell you what—if things take longer than expected, I’ll make sure to drop by and show my face for a bit.”
“Mm... Okay. That’s fine, then.”
“Wow,” Ariel whispered. “She brightened up in an instant!”
Millis nodded. “Lady Eluria is very expressive when she’s with Raid. Raid also smiles at Lady Eluria in a special sort of way he never does with anyone else.”
“Fascinating... I’ve little personal interest in love and romance, but I’m starting to feel like I would enjoy just watching these two...”
“Oho, sounds to me like you’ve got potential, unlike Mr. Dian—he didn’t really like it.” Millis snickered. “There’s just a special type of joy that you can only get from watching them, isn’t there? I recommend you enjoy it while you can.”
“Hey, you two,” Raid called with a dry look. “We’re having a serious discussion here. No whispering, and pay attention.”
With the meeting back on track, Wisel raised his hand. “I’d like to stay here. Someone will need to teach the recruited craftsmen about this world’s magic and technology. I’ll work on preparing all the necessary documents.”
“Oh, that’d be a huge help.” Raid nodded before turning to the rest of the table. “So, does anyone else want to—”
“Ms. Alma will stay,” Eluria said, finger pointed decisively at the woman. “No buts. That’s final.”
“Well, I don’t mind,” Alma said, shrugging. “We’re done investigating the capital’s surroundings and sorting out internal affairs. I’ve got nothing left to do but to kick back and relax while—”
“I will need your and the brigade’s cooperation for a very important matter.”
“Oh, uh... Okay.” Alma slowly nodded, a little perplexed by the serious look in Eluria’s eyes. “Not sure what this is about, but it sounds like you’ve got a task for me?” As far as she knew, there shouldn’t have been any more urgent matters on their to-do list; perhaps Eluria had found a new issue that needed to be tackled.
Raid nodded. “Next, we need to decide who’s coming back with me. Norn and Ariel are coming for sure.”
“Wow!” Norn cheered. “So I get to explore outside of Paradise and our world? I can’t wait!”
“Er... Why am I coming along?” Ariel meekly asked.
“Roughly speaking, it’s a field trip,” he answered. “Ours is a world that evaded ruin. See it for yourself, so you can finally have an idea of what this world’s future is going to look like.”
To the people of the First World, “the future” had been synonymous with “the end.” Even the former residents of Paradise were no exception; in fact, stepping out of their homeland must have only solidified that feeling even further in their minds.
Raid continued, “Once everything is over and the world is saved, the First World will head toward a future of peace, not ruin—and witnessing that sight with your very own eyes will serve as good motivation to keep living and fighting for it...whether for you or for soldiers who are used to throwing their lives away for the greater good.”
“Oh...” Ariel hung her head. In a world where ruin drew ever nearer and Calamities loomed over the people’s everyday lives, Altanian soldiers had to put their lives on the line simply for a chance to resist. But now that salvation was within their reach, there was no longer any need to sacrifice themselves.
“You will lead the Altanian troops,” said Raid. “So go and see the Second World for yourself, and make sure that someday, they’ll get to see it too.”
Ariel’s lips slowly curled into a small smile before she bowed. “Thank you very much for your kind consideration, Lord Raid.”
Norn suddenly thrust her hand up. “Ooh, ooh! What about me? What will I do?”
“Your job is to enjoy the trip and bring home lots of stories for everyone here.”
The girl’s eyes sparkled brightly. “Leave it all to me! As one who’s lived all her life in an unchanging countryside village, I shall frolic around the city like a starved beast!”
Raid nodded. “Sure thing. As long as you’re careful.” Suddenly, he heard a weak groan from the floor and looked down.
“Freeden...” Valtos grunted. “If you’re going to the Second World, then take me with you...!”
“Nah, you can stay. We don’t really need you there.”
“Who better to witness our world’s future than I, the crown prince?!”
“Former crown prince,” Raid corrected. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter. You can tag along if you’d like.”
“Splendid! Then it’s decided! Finally, I am rid of this pesky little brat and her—”
“But,” Raid added, “if you’re coming, then so is Millis.”
“Oh my, Valtos! To think you wanted to get away from me so badly... Seems I haven’t shocked you enough, hmm?” Millis cooed.
“Eek! Wh-Why not just hand the scepter to the tinier brat?!”
Raid turned to Norn. “What do you think, Norn?”
The girl cocked her head. “Um, I don’t really understand what I should do... Do I just keep shocking him like my ancestor does?”
“Could you at least try to understand?!” Valtos cried.
Raid sighed. “Welp, no can do. We’ll lose a lot of trust if you start acting up over there, so we need someone who knows how to stand their ground against you. Norn is still a kid...so whether you stay or go, Millis is tagging along.”
“Curses! If it’s the same either way, then I suppose I might as well go with you to see someplace new!”
“I don’t mind either way.” Millis shrugged. “You know, Valtos, you’ve been looking a little glum lately. A change of pace would do you some good!”
“Says the root cause of my glum mood...” Valtos slumped over, feeling defeated once more.