chapter 146

The venue where the meeting was being held was the large banquet hall on the first floor in the Jun family residence’s main building.

All the Jun family’s employees who were not affiliated with the Circle were either given a vacation or sent home. Therefore, the only ones in the manor at that time were the members of the Circle.

The banquet hall, which could accommodate hundreds of people, was practically filled to the brim, but despite this fact, it wasn’t’ noisy at all.

The only thing that could be heard on occasion was whispers. In fact, most of the people there had their heads bowed with sorrowful expressions on their faces.

A heavy atmosphere seemed to engulf the room.

However, this was natural when considering the situation they were currently facing.

“The atmosphere is heavier than I expected.”

“It can’t be helped. In just three days, Talhadun, the capital of Silkid, fell as well. The Great Chief and the other high ranking officials said that they managed to escape with their lives, but that’s still not very comforting.”

Beniang’s heart felt a bit heavy following Eizek’s words.

In a sense, the fall of Talhadun had a much larger impact than the destruction of Geotanbul.

Then an old man in a butler uniform walked up to them.

“Please tell me the name of your circle.”

“We’re from the Trowman Rings.”

The butler looked around and asked.

“A total of five?”

“Yes.”

“Your identity has been verified. Follow me.”

After saying that, he turned around and began walking away.

Eizek made a bitter expression upon seeing his attitude. It couldn’t be considered rude, but it also wasn’t very sincere.

He felt bitter because it was far from the respect their circle gained in the past.

‘Originally, our first priority was to change their attitude.’

Eizek shook his head.

But this wasn’t the time for that.

They had to prioritize devising a plan against the Demigods rather than showing off the new Trowman Rings.

The party silently followed the butler to the seats designated for the Trowman Rings. Which turned out to be a round table that wasn’t very large.

Beniang looked around.

Almost every circle had been assigned tables similar in size to the Trowman Rings’ but there were also some unusually large tables.

The size of these tables easily stood out because they made the other tables appear to be those of subordinates.

These were the tables belonging to the Strow Necklaces, Lucid Swords and Phisfounder Armlets.

The Three Great Circles.

“The Circle Masters and Rounders for all three of the top circles came.”

Beniang nodded at Gisellan’s words.

All the important members of the Three Great Circles, who were usually incredibly hard to meet, had gathered for this meeting.

That wasn’t all.

All the top personnel from the top medium and small sized circles were gathered as well.

‘…if we hadn’t increased our power, we wouldn’t have been invited.’

It was then.

The huge hall door opened and a man strode into the room.

It was Shepard Jun, the owner of the mansion.

He walked to the center of the hall slowly, and deliberately looking around the room, before realising that almost all the top personnel had arrived.

“It seems like almost everyone has gathered, so we’ll begin the meeting.”

Shepard politely bowed his head before continuing.

“I am Shepard Jun, a Force Honor of the Strow Necklaces. I am not much, but I will be taking the lead in this meeting. Please take care of me.”

Following his introduction, applause filled the room for a moment.

“First of all, although this is an emergency meeting, I’d like to thank every…”

“I don’t think this is the time for such rituals, Honor Shepard.”

It was a middle aged man with a strong aura who said those words with a heavy tone. He had a blunt expression, but his eyes seemed to be filled with wild energy that seemed ready to explode at any moment.

This was Jekid Deosis, the Circle Master of the Lucid Swords.

He was a swordsman capable of slicing through a wall with a simple, rusty sword, and Knights respectfully referred to him as ‘Sword Master’ Jekid.

Shepard bowed his head at Jekid’s words.

“…you are right. Then I will immediately move on to the main point… Imagine Mirror.”

Woowoong.

At that moment, a large-scale illusion spell was activated in the room.

Some of the Wizards were amazed by the quality of the spell as they were unable to distinguish real from fake, but their expressions soon hardened.

“Oh my God.”

“This is horrible…”

It was an extremely horrific sight, as if hell had descended on the continent.

There were collapsed walls and buildings so damaged that it was almost impossible to determine their original shape, and most importantly, bodies covered the ground to the point where it would have been impossible to find a place to step.

It was such a frightening scene, that many didn’t even want to look at it.

“This is Geotanbul.”

“Mm…!”

Those who knew the original appearance of Geotanbul couldn’t help but gulp at those words.

The Geotanbul City State. It was a maritime nation whose national defense was comparable to the top countries on the continent.

The Oscar Islands were filled with pirates 365 days a year, and there were many powerful countries who drooled over Geotanbul’s territory and resources.

If Geotanbul didn’t have powerful defensive capabilities, it would have long become a subordinate state for another country, if not completely destroyed.

Nevertheless, it was this very Geotanbul that had been unable to last even a single night. Some perceptive Wizards even realized that even the land of Geotanbul was dead, and that it would certainly take hundreds of years before this land was revived again.

That wasn’t all.

More than 90% of Geotanbul’s proud warships had sank, and its protective walls had collapsed.

According to the reports, half of Geotanbul’s population had been directly killed, and the other half wasn’t in good shape either.

Most of the leaders of Geotanbul were said to have died, so at this point, reconstruction was virtually impossible.

“The destruction of Geotanbul isn’t something we could change. Not only that. As most of you should have heard, Talhadun, the capital of Silkid, was also captured. This made it clear.”

Shepard continued in a heavy voice.

“The Demigods are definitely revealing themselves.”

“…”

The only sounds that could be heard in the quiet room was the heavy breathing by some of the members.

There wasn’t even a buzz of whispers, of the sounds of clothes rustling from their movements. Nevertheless, the hearts of every member gathered were shaking violently.

Shepard paused for a moment before saying.

“They no longer have any intentions of hiding themselves. In fact, Circle members around the continent are receiving reports of multiple Demigod sightings every day. This means they’re no longer a potential threat hidden in the dark.”

“That’s not all.”

Then a cold voice suddenly sounded out.

It was Rezil Wilsemann, the Circle Master of the Strow Necklaces, who spoke.

“You all know that there are many key figures from the various countries in quite a few circles. Many of these have now requested to withdraw as their positions in their countries are more important than here.”

Beniang nodded at those words.

This wasn’t the case for the Trowman Rings, but it was a situation that was quite common in other circles.

In fact, Shepard Jun, who was hosting this meeting, was an indispensable figure among the Wizards of the Kastkau Empire.

However, it was still a bit strange that they expressed willingness to leave the Circle.

Wasn’t it wiser to unite more firmly now that the Demigods had shown their fangs?

‘This means that the fence known as the Circle, is too weak.’

It wasn’t wrong to want to prioritize one’s family, town or country. However, it was clear that they didn’t feel the sense of belonging or responsibility that they should have as members of the Circle.

Leaving the Circle as soon as the Demigods surfaced basically meant that they didn’t believe the Circle had the power to prevent the disaster.

A red-haired man then lifted his hand and asked.

“Why have they suddenly begun acting in such a violent way?”

“I have a bit of information about the reason. But before that, there is something I’d like to ask…”

Shepard’s gaze turned to the Trowman Rings’ table.

“Is Rounder Frey attending this meeting?”

Beniang hesitated for a moment before sighing.

It seemed she could hide it no longer.

“…no.”

“Then who are those people with their faces covered?”

“Is that important?”

“Of course it is. Only those who are verified are allowed to participate in this emergency meeting.”

It was Rezil who turned to look at them with a sharp gaze.

Beniang spoke with a firm expression.

“We can guarantee their identities.”

“I’m sorry, but we have to confirm that for ourselves.”

“Are you saying you don’t trust us?”

“Maybe they could be insidious, and good enough at disguising that they deceive your eyes. I would like to judge it for myself.”

“…”

Although it was said in a roundabout manner, he still meant that he couldn’t trust their ability.

Just as Beniang bit her lip and was about to retort, the woman covered by a robe beside her opened her mouth.

“It seems you’re still suspicious of everything, Rezil Wilsemann.”

“Insolent…!”

When they heard their Circle Master called by his name in such a disrespectful manner, the aura around the members of the Strow Necklaces became violent, but Rezil and a few other Circle executives froze when they heard the woman’s voice.

“…that voice. You can’t be.”

“Long time no see.”

The woman pulled back her hood, revealing that it was Nora.

A few people who saw her face couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

“No-, Nora?”

“Why is that woman here?”

“Who is she?”

“…Th-, the former Magic Warrior King’s Successor. I heard she left the Circle a long time ago…”

“Why is she with the Trowman Rings?”

Rezil’s face was stiff as he said.

“How unexpected. I never expected you to return to the Circle.”

“I didn’t return to the Circle.”

“Then why are you with the Trowman Rings?”

Nora answered in her usual, light tone.

“Because I’m supporting Frey Blake, the Circle Rounder of the Trowman Rings.”

Woosh-

This remark stirred up the entire hall once again.

Most of the members there had never even seen Frey Blake, but the rumors about him were deafening.

At an age that defied all logic, he’d managed to reach 7 stars, and although he received the attention from all three of the Three Great Circles, he refused. What’s more, he even went into the collapsing Trowman Rings and managed to revive them.

These feats alone had been enough to draw people’s attention and curiosity, but now he was receiving the support of the former Magic Warrior King’s Successor?

Rezil’s gaze turned to the other person.

“…then who is the other person.”

“Stop your sloppy scouting. All of the Circle’s strongest forces are currently in this room. Even if this guy was a Demigod, he wouldn’t be too much of a threat. You just don’t like the fact that you can’t identify someone from the Trowman Rings, don’t you?”

“…”

Rezil remained silent because she was right.

If someone else had said that then he would have found a different way to continue pressing them, but the opponent this time was Nora.

She was not someone that Rezil could take lightly.

“…”

Nora sighed when she saw Rezil’s attitude.

‘…some time has passed since I left the Circle, but they still haven’t changed.’

In truth, Nora had come to this meeting with high expectations. The Demigods had revealed themselves, and destroyed Geotanbul and Talhadun in the process.

It was a big enough event for even the Circle to feel a bit threatened. Therefore, she had the expectation that it would naturally cause the Circle to grow closer and more united.

But that wasn’t the case.

Even in a situation like this, Rezil seemed to be more concerned with keeping the others in check. And it was probably the same for the Lucid Swords, who were currently sitting quietly at their table.

“…ahem. Shall I continue?”

At Shepard’s words, Rezil hesitated for a moment before eventually nodding.

“Thank you… the Demigods have been appearing all over the continent. And even at this moment, they are repeating these acts of indiscriminate destruction. Now, we must figure out a way to deal with them.”

“…Isn’t it obvious that we just have to go and stop them?”

It was the red-haired man who spoke up once again.

Gomez.

He was the master of the ‘Dijellik Gauntlets’, which was said to be the most powerful among the medium and small sized circles.

Shepard was in a quandary.

He obviously knew the words that Master Rezil wanted him to say, but if he did say it, it was certain that he would receive backlash from Gomez.

Gomez wasn’t someone that Shepard, who was just a Force Honor of the Strow Necklaces, could easily handle.

“That’s not necessarily the answer, Master Gomez.”

It was Jekid who helped Shepard out this time.

Gomez’s gaze turned to him.

“What do you mean?”

“We do not know anything about them. How many of them they are, how strong they are, or how long they will keep acting in this way. Even if these are things that we can learn in time, shouldn’t we at least know why they are doing this first?”

Gomez’s expression became harder than stone as he figured out exactly what Jekid was trying to say.

“…so we should stay hidden until we figure that out. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“I believe your words are a bit harsh. I’m just saying we should watch how things progress.”

“Ha! Isn’t that the same thing? You’re really amazing! You saw what happened to Geotanbul and you can still spout this bullshit?”

“It’s best to make a long-term decision. If the Circle’s power is reduced any further then things will spiral out of our control.”

“But to just watch innocent people die like this…”

Jekid sighed deeply.

“Master Gomez. Don’t you understand? We, the Circle, are the only ones on the continent who can do anything against the Demigods. The Circle’s defeat means the defeat of all of mankind, and the subsequent destruction of the continent. How can we move recklessly when the fate of the entire continent rests on our shoulders?”

Rezil nodded at those words.

“That’s right. The Strow Necklaces agrees with the Lucid Swords’ opinion.”

Gomez’s expression became solemn.

“You guys… are you out of your minds?”

“We are being logical. Instead, I think you are the one who can’t make the right decision.”

“Two nations perished! Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives, and the damage is sure to expand, but you still won’t make a move?”

“Exactly.”

Boom!

Gomez was unable to contain himself and hit the table in front of him. The round table made of the finest wood in the empire was smashed to bits of pieces as though it was just rotten wood, and the drinks and snacks that had been on it flew in every direction.

Gomez, whose face was now red, then shouted.

“Bullshit! Wasn’t the Circle created to deal with situations like this? Every living being on the continent is waiting for our help, but you don’t want to move because you haven’t figured out their motive? What bullshit is that?”

“It’s heartbreaking. But we have to endure it. Patience is the most important thing in order to achieve our goal.”

“So even if hundreds of thousands of people die, you will still be patient?”

Rezil responded in a calm voice.

“Even if millions of people die, we won’t make a move.”

(TL:…disgusting. This marks the end of Book 6. Just four more to go before we end this season.)