That evening, I made my way to a specific chamber within the Royal Castle.
At the center of the room sat a large round table, surrounded by chairs occupied by familiar faces.
Grom sat with his arms folded. From within his eye sockets, flickering flames observed the other executives with a calculating gaze, as if he were silently establishing a hierarchy among them.
Luciana was busy touching up her makeup in a hand mirror. She moved with a composed elegance, utterly indifferent to the intimidating aura Grom radiated beside her.
Henry was already well into his cups. Several empty bottles were already rolling around his feet. While such behavior before a formal meeting was highly unprofessional, no one moved to reprimand him.
Logan sat perfectly still with his eyes closed. He looked as though he were sleeping, but in truth, he was likely just honing his senses. He was a man of silence; that state clearly brought him the most peace.
Dorda was gnawing on a piece of raw meat, occasionally letting out a low, guttural groan. Much like Henry, he was simply enjoying his meal.
Yura sat with impeccable posture. She was as motionless as a statue, the very picture of a model student.
Diera was slumped over the round table with a look of utter boredom, casting the occasional envious glance toward Henry’s liquor. I understood her desire for an evening drink, but I needed her to endure this for just a little longer.
At the edge of this table, amidst a gathering of such eccentric personalities, sat the Great Spirit.
I had invited her myself. While she was under no obligation to participate in our councils, she had accepted almost before I could finish the invitation. She clearly grasped the gravity of the situation. As a Defense Mechanism, she likely intended to monitor the direction of our discussion. I would have to be careful with my words.
Regardless, it was a rare thing for the executives to gather like this. It was a sight I had never seen before. After looking over the dependable faces of my subordinates, I finally spoke.
"I appreciate you all gathering here tonight. Thank you."
"Think nothing of it," Luciana replied with a casual wave of her hand. "This is about something important, I take it?"
The others showed no signs of dissatisfaction either. As if to represent them all, Grom stood up vigorously.
"Perish the thought! If the Demon King calls, I would come racing from the very ends of the earth!"
"I was planning to head into the capital to restock my supply anyway," Henry added with a smile as he poured more liquor into his glass. "The timing worked out just fine."
In his case, I suspected the alcohol restock was his primary objective. I didn't bother to confirm it, but I was fairly certain I wasn't wrong.
Logan, meanwhile, knit his brows at the smell of alcohol before speaking.
"A meeting at this hour... I assume this concerns those who have been attacking the Demon King’s Army?"
"It does. With the help of the Great Spirit, their true identity has been revealed."
The moment I answered, a wave of tension rippled through the room. As expected, the threat had been weighing on everyone’s minds. Sensing their focus, I explained the details provided by the Great Spirit.
"If left alone, the Imaginary Savior will eventually annihilate the Demon King’s Army. We must deal with this immediately."
"Do we... have... a plan?" Dorda asked, scratching his wolf-head. His speech was still halting, but his reason seemed firmly established.
"Of course. I intend to obtain approval for its execution during this meeting."
"Approval? I can't imagine anyone here would object," Luciana noted.
"I agree with Individual Name Luciana. Whatever the plan may be, I have no intention of going against Master's proposal," Yura added.
Their loyalty was absolute, as their responses demonstrated. I answered them solemnly.
"If it were merely a matter of destroying the Imaginary Savior, I could have acted on my own authority. However, my solution is not so simple."
"You have some other objective in mind as well, then," the Great Spirit interjected.
I nodded and raised my fist, drawing everyone’s concentrated gaze.
"With this plan, I intend to resolve three problems at once."
I raised my index finger, pausing for emphasis before continuing.
"First: the Annihilation of the Imaginary Savior."
Next, I raised my middle finger. Several of the executives seemed to hold their breath.
"Second: the Killing of the Will of the World."
Finally, I raised my ring finger. In that instant, a heavy, suffocating silence descended upon the chamber. I declared my final point without a shred of hesitation.
"And third—the Resurrection of the Previous Hero."