By Zephyria 
No one present was flustered.
I had also read the document Rubel had distributed. The document, compiled with the help of several aides besides Rubel, detailed the names and movements of key figures, including myself and my companions, the missing knights, and several individuals presumed to be black magicians, all in a stiff, formal tone.
Because it was described alongside other events that occurred simultaneously, it was easy to grasp what had happened when I was doing what. For example, by the time I entered Owen, the black magicians were already creating special mutated monsters in the Yuil Mountains.
The document did not state the Ninth God’s objective. The reason given was that if apocalyptic prophecies spread through the unprepared Empire, strange things would happen.
However, it stated that since humans had suffered damage due to the Ninth God’s deviation, they would receive their due punishment, and that Rubel would be brought back by human hands.
These were individuals who had already read and confirmed the document multiple times. Among the dozens of people, whose every breath and movement was cautious, the silence was even clearer and more profound.
The first to press the button and gain the right to speak was the Duke of Valentia, my uncle.
“Is this matter of human concern, or a war between gods?”
“It is a matter of human concern,” Rubel replied immediately.
“Can you guarantee that this is not an order from the two gods behind you?”
Numerous gazes fixed on the faces of the gods.
Spiritus sat askew, twisting the corner of his mouth, while Gano Paquin sat upright, leafing through a familiar booklet. It was unclear what he was writing, as he was not a scribe. Rubel, right before the gods, spoke boldly once more.
“We humans cannot judge a war between gods. Therefore, the purpose of this meeting is to apprehend and punish the two suspects born and raised in the Sierran Empire. The war between gods will be recorded in theological texts, and the history of humanity in history books.”
Next, the Duke of Kiadris pressed the button.
“Can the Second Prince take responsibility for his statement that Rubel died over twenty years ago, and that the suspect usurped his identity and used it?”
“Of course. This has already been confirmed through cross-verification by Gano Paquin, the God of Records, and Spiritus, the God of Magic.”
“Those gods are sitting behind the Second Prince, how can I possibly believe that?”
The Sierran Empire was, overall, a group lacking in piety. This phenomenon was particularly pronounced among the intellectual class, who believed they understood the principles of the world to some extent. Spiritus snorted at the attitude, which showed no regard for the gods seated in the same room.
Golden mana rippled outwards like waves. A lukewarm breeze stirred around Spiritus.
Some who could not sense mana looked bewildered and clutched their desks, but the Duke of Kiadris remained in his upright posture, utterly unfazed.
Rubel responded without hesitation.
“I request witness Edwin Kiadris.”
“What?”
“Witness Edwin Kiadris, have you experienced seeing the suspect Rubel’s body tear apart and then regenerate through inexplicable means? Is this true?”
Edwin, with a calm expression, pressed the button in place of his mother and opened his mouth.
“It is true.”
“This phenomenon occurs when a human body cannot withstand a fragment of a god. That is all.”
Duke Kiadris, Delphinia Kiadris, did not continue.
It was no longer meaningful to question the Kiadris family’s responsibility here and now. Rubel was ‘suspect Rubel,’ and Edwin was ‘witness Edwin Kiadris.’
She must have known that Edwin had sided with Rubel early on. She likely just wanted to have it officially acknowledged here that Edwin would compensate for Rubel’s mistakes.
Duke Yeldidus added another point.
“I cannot comprehend the charge of regicide against 1st Prince Richard Flo Searon. The former Emperor departed to join the First Goddess by ingesting poison in a sealed room. At that time, the First Prince was confined to his own imperial palace, so this is unjust.”
His tone was sharp, which was rare.
He was always paying close attention to the Imperial Palace. He could not have been unaware of my comings and goings to the palace in the past few days since my return. Therefore, it was understandable that he, who wished to become related by marriage, could not yet let go of the First Prince.
In response, Rubel calmly stated, “The suspect Richard, swayed by suspect Rubel, embezzled and provided a significant portion of the national wealth and handed over his authority to command knights. As a result, many talented individuals suffered greatly. Even if not for the regicide charge, he must clearly pay for his crimes.”
Duke Yeldidus, who was about to say something more, fell silent.
His gaze briefly swept over the scribes behind them before falling away. He was intelligent enough not to want to narrow his own position by stubbornly defending Richard and uttering foolish words.
Rubel, having exchanged questions and answers sequentially from the three sides of the triangle, continued in a slightly softer voice.
“Now then, we shall plan the structure of the armed forces to be dispatched to Floyd and discuss the number of knights to be dispatched from each family. This is a glorious undertaking that will save not only the Empire but the continent, and there must be no hint of impropriety.”
Soon, the sound of buttons being pressed echoed from various places.
Each person added or removed names from the list of individuals who had volunteered from their respective families.
Some of my companions could not be taken along. Benjamin lost his right to participate in the expedition due to the opposition of the Claudian Marquisate, and Marianne and Giselle stepped back, stating they lacked confidence. Still, it was fortunate that Hugh Benson and Elvin Brooks would accompany me.
Ten mages, including Mage Boulder, were included in the list. Most of them were 7th to 8th Circle Battle Mages from the 1st and 2nd Magic Towers. As soon as rumors of the expedition to stop the Ninth God spread, too many had volunteered, so the list was compiled considering their compatibility.
Frankly, the one least suited for combat among them was Mage Boulder. However, given our long association and the certainty that he would throw a tantrum and insist on coming even if it meant lying on the floor of the meeting hall, his name was also added to the list.
Including myself, who was listed under Valentia, a total of seventy knights would accompany us. Not many families could afford to send such high-caliber Sword Masters, and everyone felt the burden of sending a force of over a hundred into a foreign country.
The departure date was set for one week later, November 10th.
This was because there was a need to reconfirm the identities of the total eighty personnel—seventy knights and ten mages—and to practice coordinating with each other beforehand. The opinion that it would be best for all these forces to undergo a week of joint training at the Imperial Palace’s annex before departing was passed by a majority vote.
Subsequently, many other topics were raised, such as how to support the front lines if a full-scale war were to break out with Floyd, what to pay attention to when returning troops passed through the Kiadris Duchy after completing their mission, and how to deal with Owen’s forces or civilian militias if they joined the Sierran-Floyd conflict.
“…The agenda items compiled as such will be documented and distributed. With that, the 237th Imperial Summit Meeting is hereby concluded. Thank you.”
Even after the announcer’s declaration, the commotion did not subside.
It was already past eight in the evening. Since the meeting had started right after lunch, most of the attendees, excluding the knights, were thoroughly exhausted. The nobles, who had spent nearly seven hours consuming only tea and water without snacks, were now finding familiar faces to greet and making dinner plans.
Some of them cautiously approached Rubel and asked, “Your Highness, would it be alright if we paid our respects to the gods?”
“Well, would you be alright with that?”
“Of course. You must be Denton Alberg. I’ve read the paper you published.”
Spiritus, who had been half-asleep from the middle, quickly left the meeting hall, but Gano Paquin was different. He seemed genuinely delighted, reciting the names, birthdates, and brief biographies of the people flocking to him.
I went to greet my uncle and cousins.
Perhaps they had been waiting for me. My uncle, after briefly fending off the greetings of those around him, placed a heavy hand on my shoulder and patted me. He was a man I used to have to crane my neck to look up at, but now his purplish hair, occasionally streaked with white, caught my eye.
“It’s been a while. I should have visited you first, but my mind was preoccupied…”
“I know. You’ve been through a lot.”
Knowing my uncle was a man of few words, I was easily uplifted by his brief praise.
Seeing this, it seemed I had indeed been reborn. It was strange to see myself now, easily regarding this man as an elder and showing him respect. I bowed respectfully and shook hands with my cousins, who looked up at me.
“It’s been a long time, Mika. We were so surprised to hear you fixed Asdel and then left so suddenly. But I was worried about you all year, so it’s a relief.”
“Asdel and Michael are both in the Duchy of Valentia now, so you don’t need to worry. They have a lot to prepare before entering the Academy, so I thought the Duchy would be better than a rural place like Demon Port.”
“Yes. Thank you for taking care of the children.”
“Your family is my family, after all. By the way, why do you resemble our dad more and more each day, even more than your uncle?”
“Why are you cursing me when we meet after so long?”
“No, I mean it as a compliment. I said it because I like it. Because I like it.”
Their friendly demeanor, even after such a long time, was just as it had been before. I let out a short laugh. Aizen Valentia, who was feeling my arm to see how much it had thickened, invited me in a genial tone.
“Since we won’t be able to see each other for a while once the joint training begins, why don’t you have dinner with us today? We can catch up on old times and talk about the territories.”
I couldn’t answer immediately and looked back towards Rubel.
When had he started watching me? He looked this way with a calm gaze and gave a short nod of affirmation. After all, if we were having joint training at the Imperial Palace, there would still be plenty of time to spend with Rubel.
“Yes. Then I will do as you say.”
“Great. Do you still like cupcakes these days? I’ll have them prepare all sorts of desserts.”
“….”
Hendel Valentia glanced at Rubel over my shoulder and then pulled my wrist. Puzzled, I looked down, and the words he scribbled on my palm as if writing a letter were astonishing.
“Are you perhaps being monitored???”
“…No. That too….”
Looking at the question marks growing larger on my palm, I laughed again.
“I’ll tell you during dinner. It’s a bit noisy here.”