Strategic Meeting!

In a bright lighted hall which had several wooden chairs placed around a big round table, seated around a dozen people wearing the same kind of uniforms. 

Despite being schoolmates, the groups were divided from the time these students of Eden Academy walked into the hall.

The first group consisted of six people, with four of them males, as they seated side by side while continuously glaring at the other two groups.

The person who was at the center of this group and relatively also the spokesperson of their party, was a sakura-haired warrior mage who had attained the level of Unique rank in recent days.

(A/N:-  A quick heads up:- Newbie rank> Warrior Rank> Unique Rank> Veteran Rank> Legendary Rank> Mythic rank> Hero.)

The boy was the first student, apart from Hero's party, to gain such a power level in so little amount of time since he joined the school,  and not only him, but the team he leads also has also gained a relatively good amount of boost due to the exploration they venture.

The second group consisted of four people who mainly had the spotlight in the room.

Sitting while chatting noiselessly was the Hero's party as they were also the ones who were invited just after the day of Kyouki's return. 

Since the call was from the central authority of the Gram, the hero's party gave the meeting their utmost attention and gathered, among others, without delaying an extra second, unlike the person himself who called them here.

The last group, or to be precise, the duo, who were chatting in a way that seemed they were ignoring the whole surrounding, consisted of Luna and Austin.

The couple was getting eyed by various among people who came here because of the same purpose as them, but nothing seemed to affect them at all.

Strangely, Kyouki was also completely unbothered by Luna's intimacy with Austin, like he had forgotten about her entirely or something.

Sicily had a close eye on Kyouki's behavior, and after sensing his aloofness toward the Saint, she became pretty perplexed, at the same time, elated.

Nothing she would wish more, than if Kyouki actually gets over Luna, but at the end of the day, that 'if' was everything to make her worried about the hero's future as well as herself's too. 

Suddenly amidst the chattering and gossip, the main entrance of the meeting hall slowly parted before the figure of a charismatic young man appeared on the other side.

The man, who visibly by facial aesthetic looked in his early twenties, had platinum blond hair with pair of blue orbs adorning his carved eyes. His chiseled physique was absolutely stunning with the height he walked on.

The man walked with his boots making a slight clanking sound on the ground, before he halted his feet right before the group of students. 

"Hello, dear students. Myself, Mikhail der Gramduör, the second prince of the empire and currently working as a militant organizer."

Suddenly the sound of chairs being pushed back resonated as the group of students stood up after they got out of their trance.

""We greet you, your highness.""

Apart from Luna and Austin, everyone stood up as they bowed simultaneously to the person who held the most authority after the Emperor, on the whole continent.

Mikhail glanced at the duo, who were staring at him indifferently as he had just interrupted their sweet times before he gestured for everyone to sit down.

"Please make yourself comfortable since we aren't here for any official ceremony or something."

Brushing off the etiquette, Mikhail took off his overcoat before draping it over one of the empty chairs. As his lean physique became more exposed, a sigh of awe left the lips of the two girls who belonged to the explorer group. (The group of six)

After taking the chair he used as a hanger, Mikhail sat straight back on it before he glanced over the group of students, and after halting on a particular entity just for a second, he continued.

"This matter which I am going to tell you, please try to keep it to yourself until it becomes pronounced to hide."

The expression of various became profound as they heard the remark of the second prince before several nods flowed in response.

Sighing, Mikhail finally gave out the piece of information, which made the almost audience shocked in a fret.

"A number of more than seven thousand cursed demons above the Unique Rank are approaching the Eden's Academy at an indefinite pace. The front line has been arranged around the academy, but still, I want you guys to perform as a backup if some mishappening occurs."

A gasp resonated in the hall as the group of teenagers, mainly from the explorer groups, heard the prince loud and clear.

Most of them had some kind of expression except for the blond youth and the Saint. 

Mikhail studied their reaction and concluded that, indeed, they were already informed about the terrifying news as a soft inward chuckle erupted inside of him.

'This court magician really does have a loose lip.....'

"Above Unique Rank, that means..."

It was Kyouki who asked the thing he feared the most to get affirmed. With his serious expression turning grave, he, as well as others, heard the terrifying part of the intel.

"Yeah, there are Terror ranked too, among the demon army."

This time the hall fell into silence as the piece of information was far from what they could digest so casually. 

A low-grade Terror Rank demon was far more potent than a horde of high-grade Unique ranked. Even if they could team up altogether, the group of the six wasn't sure whether they could even inflict damage on a Terror Rank. Not to talk about, there would be loads of those demons. 

Leaving them, even Kyouki wasn't sure whether he would be able to take more than one Terror ranked with his ultimate light spell. And thinking about the danger of being attacked by other demons when he would be at his vulnerable stage after the Spell, he and his party members felt cold shivers running down their spines.

"Your highness, how can we even face such numbers when we wouldn't be able to even handle their curse energy in the first place? Leaving the vanguard of school, we won't be able to save ourselves even if we all work together, which is most unlikely."

The sakura-haired boy, Riley, spoke in a heavy tone that most others agreed with too.

Leaving the working together part, there was no chance of them withstanding the heavy miasma of the curse energy. Even if they used buffs provided by top healers, it would not make any sense if they would just become fodder in front of the disaster-level beings.

Mikhail heard the words of the person who spoke for most of them before he opened his mouth to calm their anxiety.

"Don't worry. You will be provided with the support of the professors and the headmaster too. And along with them, you will be using the artifacts and weapons directly exported from the Capital's treasury. Now, how about it?"

The eyes of various, including the three women from Hero's party, sparkled as they heard about the privilege that very few people could enjoy in their lifetime.

A single piece of material belonging to a national treasure was equivalent to a person's whole life fortune. That kind of thing fills the treasury of the palace. And the thought of using the weapons which have been preserved since ancient times, made the young blood boil in excitement.

Amidst of the enthrallment and exhilaration, a deep voice reached up to everyone's senses as they turned their attention instantly toward it.

"Can I ask something related to the battlefield?"

Austin's first word in the matter wasn't related to reward or the treasures since he wasn't interested in them from the start, but something which would determine whether he would be cooperating with the others or not.

"Yes, Austin. Please ask freely."

Mikhail nodded non-hesitantly as a slight relief spread across his chest that the blonde youth was actually paying heed to the matters which, in actuality, required his utmost attention.

"On the battlefield, would others command me, or can I enjoy my freedom without restraints?"

The matter which concerned Austin was also felt by others since being ordered around at times when their life would be on line, didn't gave a good vibe.

On Austin's query, and knowing full well what depended on his responses, Mikhail's face soon got covered with a wide grin as he spoke without letting the listener wait more than necessary.

"It's the same as you wish, Austin. No one. I repeat, no one would have the authority to command you all when you will land your feet on the battlefield. So rein free and protect your school without holding back. "

____________________ 

A/N:- The interaction of Luna and Venessa before this meeting would be spicy, no?

Should I write a side story?