While Rudger's mind was racing, the meeting proceeded at a steady pace.
Once Princess Eileen began to take an active role in the situation, the others naturally followed suit.
"So it's been decided, then, that we're going to clear out the underground."
Defense or offense. Of the two choices, they ultimately decided to attack.
They were fully aware that their opponent had dug a trap. But even with that in mind, they couldn't stand idly by.
Everyone in this room felt that the Liberation Army and the Warlocks were stalling for time. The chimera's army was a bluff and a stalling tactic. There was something else they were really after.
Something that would make them feel confident that they could win, even against all of the sixth-rank wizards and master knights gathered here so we had to move to stop them.
"The important thing is who we send here."
The room fell silent at that.
The most important aspect of this operation was choosing who to send into the underground facility that housed the Liberation Army and the Warlocks.
We couldn't just shove soldiers in there blindly. Even if ten Liberators were killed, one Imperial soldier was a loss to the Empire.
Added to that the fact that they were throwing themselves into the fray and committing suicide bombings, we had to be extra careful who we let in, if only to minimize the damage.
Veronica said.
"We need to go with people who are at least minimally skilled."
"No, not the minimum. The strongest ones should go."
Veronica's words were echoed by Caroline.
"If we're going down there, it's got to be someone who can take on a dozen of them single-handedly, because I'm sure they have elite troops, and anybody less than that would be a casualty."
"Then it'll be easy to pick, since they're all here."
Hwiron smirked.
More than half of the people currently in the barracks were skilled enough to make a name for themselves wherever they went.
From sixth-rank wizards to master knights, if they made a move, it would be a war in itself.
"Can't we just let everyone go?"
The lady next to Trina whispered.
Rudger knew who she was. It was Enya Joyce. She was Alex's comrade and the knight who had parted ways with him on bad terms.
Enya thought she was whispering too low for anyone else to hear, but it was so quiet around them, and everyone had good hearing so they all heard what she said.
Enya realized her mistake and covered her mouth with her hands, but it was too late. Beside her, Lloyd frowned as if he had a headache, and Trina sighed.
This was a subordinate's mistake, so she had to take care of it.
"It would be easier, of course, if everyone went down. But we can't overlook the fact that that's what they're after. We don't know what else they're going to do if our main force goes down there."
Half of the assembled force had to remain on the ground, just to guard against a possible attack.
"Plus, we're all pretty good, so it's best to have the right number of people. A group of two or three would be neat."
This also took into account the geography of the area they would be fighting in.
If they were fighting on an open plain, everyone would be most effective together. But they have to fight in a maze of underground facilities that's narrow, dark, and full of traps.
Gathering a group of people in such a place would likely result in a less-than-stellar performance.
"So, one melee and one ranged?"
"With the caliber of people gathered here, such a distinction would be irrelevant. Just because they're a wizard doesn't mean they're weak in melee."
"Even if they were, they'd still need power."
"Too much power is also a bad thing, especially since the underground is small and can't withstand large-scale magic."
"We're going to have to cap the power of the magic, which is not very good for us."
In the ensuing discussion, the contours of the operation slowly, but surely, took shape.
"I get the picture. Two people moving as a team, one knight and one wizard. My question is, how many teams do you need to go in?"
"Not just a combat team, but an analytical team. Now that we know they're using the World Tree, we need to be able to stop them."
"Maybe we can use the World Tree against them."
While a fighter group would be essential to this operation, they weren't just going to blindly fight the enemy head-on.
The enemy's biggest weapon right now is their numbers. So they needed someone to operate in that area.
"But it's hard to find someone who knows about the World Tree."
The biggest problem was finding an expert specialized in the ancient species of World Tree. Given its obscurity, it was naturally difficult to find someone with knowledge in the field but Rudger saw an opportunity there.
'Hmm. If this is the case, it might be useful to bring Belaruna along.'
Despite her strange behavior, Belaruna is a pure-blood elf. It was safe to say that she knew more about plants than anyone else.
'If she's an elf, she should have a good knowledge of the World Tree.'
Perhaps he should introduce her as an outside expert and say that he was taking her with him.
Rudger thought to himself.
"I'll go."
Chris Benimore, who had remained silent, raised his hand.
Rudger's eyes widened slightly, surprised that he had spoken at all, let alone volunteered for such a dangerous mission and his reaction echoed by the other Theon teachers.
"Mr. Chris?"
"We, House Benimore, have been apothecaries for a long time, and naturally, we pride ourselves on our knowledge of herbs and, beyond that, plants."
"A World Tree isn't an ordinary plant."
Someone else pointed that out, but Chris seemed to wait.
"That's fine, my family has obtained and studied samples of the World Tree in the past."
"Samples?"
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise since they couldn't believe he knew about the World Tree.
Rudger wanted to make sure Chris wasn't bluffing.
'He doesn't look like he's lying.'
The only thing Rudger knew about Chris was that he was usually brusque and short-tempered. And that he was proud of his nobility.
Rudger didn't know how knowledgeable and skilled Chris was as a teacher, or how deep his achievements in pharmacy were.
'But if he's that confident, he can't be lacking. If his family got a sample of the World Tree and he studied it, he has a good argument.'
Naturally, Chris was chosen to lead the analysis team.
The next thing that came up was who would go with Chris Benimore and the conversation turned to Rudger.
"…… Why are you looking at me like that?"
Did they mean to suggest that he, a teacher, should go with him?
As if to confirm Rudger's suspicions, Caroline stepped forward.
"Mr. Rudger Chelici, I'm sure you're up to the task."
Hwiron nodded in agreement.
"…… Shouldn't Caroline or Hwiron go, not me?"
"I don't know about the other people, but honestly, the two of us won't be able to."
Caroline's mouth curled into a wry smile.
"This big guy and I are, to be honest, the kind of people who fight with power. Once we get into a fight, it's hard to control our power."
Caroline Monarch's nickname is Tyrant and Hwiron's fighting style was to use his powerful muscles and immense mana to crush his opponents.
Both of their fighting styles were ill-suited to the narrow underground waterways. If they fought, they would control their power as best they could, but if they got it wrong, they risked collapsing the tunnels themselves.
With human lives at stake, we couldn't rule out that possibility. That's where Rudger came in.
He's an incredibly efficient combatant with a small amount of mana. Besides, he had already proven himself in bringing the survivors of the Crystal Palace to safety.
"Besides, aren't you coworkers? Wouldn't it be better if you at least knew each other?"
We're not that close.
The words rose to his throat, but he managed to swallow them down.
Surprisingly, Chris, the one who seemed to be the most likely to object, didn't say anything.
Did he eat something wrong? Why has he lost so much of his personality?
Sure, they'd talked at the end of the festival, making elixirs in the laboratory but he didn't think they reconciled.
"I'm just a teacher."
"That's what the First Princess said, a teacher with the prefix 'talented'. I honestly don't think there's anyone here who doesn't recognize your skill."
Caroline looked around, and no one stepped forward to refute her words. Not even those who didn't know Rudger well.
The fact that Caroline Monarch and Hwiron recognized him was a good reason.
Loina, who had witnessed Rudger's ability with her own two eyes, nodded in agreement.
With three wizards of Lexer rank vouching for him, there was virtually no room for doubt.
"Don't worry, you're not a combatant anyway. You'd probably rather analyze the World Tree than engage in dangerous combat."
"Well, we're not necessarily safe when we get to the enemy-infested underground waterways."
"At least there won't be too many enemies, compared to the others."
Rudger knew he couldn't refuse. And now that he thought about it, it was actually better for him to move.
Not that he was disrespecting the power assembled here, but one never knew what might happen.
"Well, then, the analysis group is set."
* * *
The sudden outbreak of attacks terrorized the citizens of the capital. But the Empire's organizational system remained strong, and the people did not panic en masse.
The people gathered in the central square bustled about. They built barricades, carried the wounded to hospitals, and searched for anyone who hadn't been evacuated.
On one side of the plaza, a group of students from Theon sat quietly in a circle. Their faces were grim, as their planned field trip had been disrupted by the attack.
Some of them were still reeling from the shock of what had happened.
"Rene, are you okay?"
Erendir asked as she walked over and sat down next to Rene, who was still crouched to one side.
"Senior, have you seen your family?"
"Uh, yeah. They said they were glad I was okay."
"I saw them from distance."
"You saw them?"
"Yes. Not only the Emperor, but also your beautiful sister, who was with him. You seemed to be getting along well."
"We got along so well……."
Erendir's expression softened as he remembered her older sister.
"Isn't that right? I always thought you looked up to her."
"Are you sure you're not mistaken……? I don't think she sees me as anything more than a toy."
"Hmm. I don't have a family, so I don't know."
"Ah……."
The casual manner in which Rene spoke made Erendir feel uncomfortable but then a thought occurred to her.
Rene's mother must have existed. She had seen her past through the memory storming phenomenon.
'But she doesn't remember her. I wonder why.'
Erendir considered saying something about it, but shook her head. Now was not the time to raise the subject.
"Thank goodness none of the students died, though a few were injured."
"More than that, there are some people who aren't here. Do you know where the rest of them are?"
"They're probably in the castle. The plaza is a makeshift shelter for those who didn't make it out."
Erendir's expression turned stern as she suddenly remembered the events of the Crystal Palace.
"More than that, Rene, why did you do that earlier?"
"What? Earlier?"
"You ran out to block a chimera's spikes."
"Ah."
Renee realized what Erendir was talking about.
"I'm glad you managed to stop it, of course, but you could have been seriously hurt if you hadn't. Why on earth did you do that?"
"Well, my body moved without me realizing it……."
"Do you know how worried I was?"
"I'm sorry, senior."
Erendir pouted her lips as Rene bowed her head somberly.
With her junior and friend being so sincerely remorseful, there was no point in nagging her further so the subject naturally drifted in another direction.
"Flora Lumos was so ungrateful. I mean, you saved her life and she doesn't even say thank you. Don't you think so too, Rene?"
"Eh, ah, maybe she……was too embarrassed to do so?"
Rene said vaguely.
"And didn't Mr. Rudger come to the rescue right away?"
"Yeah. He did."
"It was pretty cool."
Rene murmured, as if recalling the event and Erendir couldn't argue with that, recalling the image of Rudger bathed in light and using all sorts of colorful magic to drive back the chimera army.
He was, quite frankly, the savior of the story but Erendir felt a strange unease.
The look on Rene's face whenever she thought of Rudger was unnerving.
'Could it be?'
Erendir imagined a disturbing scene, a scene where her innocent, good-natured junior had fallen for the wrong guy.
"Rene."
"Yes, senior, why are you looking so serious all of a sudden?"
"Renee, know this. People like Mr. Rudger are the most dangerous people in the world."
"What do you mean, Mr. Rudger is dangerous? He's a nice guy."
"People are not what they seem, and that's what makes them dangerous. Who knows, maybe Mr. Rudger is just wearing a mask, and there's actually a terrible criminal or murderer behind it?"
"Uh, isn't that a bit of a stretch?"
"It's an example. I mean, don't judge a person by their appearance."
But why is Erendir telling her that?
Rene also realized that Erendir was worried about something.
This wasn't the first time this had happened, and she knew just how to handle it.
"Okay. Okay."
Erendir nodded and said nothing more, as if she was relieved and Rene smiled bitterly to herself. Somehow, she couldn't help but feel like she'd lied to her best friend to make the situation go away.
'But I can't help it.'
For some reason, Erendir was wary of Mr. Rudger. He must be hiding something. Something no one else could see, but she could.
Even if that were true, she still trusted Rudger Chelici. Otherwise, he would not have called out to her with such a worried gaze when he saved her at the Crystal Palace.
At that moment, Rene's gaze fell to the ground or more accurately to something beyond it.
'What is this strange feeling?'
An inexplicable power began to gather in her eyes and she felt an immense sense of unease that she couldn't explain.