Chapter 4: Never Say Die. ③
Of course, the problematic individuals were not limited to the Magic Nobility. Among them were those who hid behind the name of their Clan and many Seekers hailing from prestigious noble families. Such troublesome characters were handed over to the leaders of their respective organizations, and oversight was entrusted to them.
However, it was not the case that everyone would return to the front lines without complaint in such a short time. In particular, the Seekers from noble families were exceedingly complicated. The pure aristocrats of the Magic Nobility, led by Ambish, were already difficult to manage, but the Seekers from noble families were especially stubborn, clinging to their pride and refusing to change even when admonished.
Unfortunately, the total number of these difficult individuals exceeded one hundred.
Pulmy and the leaders of the Virtuous Front were at their wits’ end. As a result, they decided on the rather conventional policy of assigning a trustworthy supervisor to each of the troublemakers, hoping to continue the extermination of the Fog. There was simply no other way to proceed.
Even so, those who were left over were placed under Pulmy’s care, leading to the formation of a large-scale party that somehow gathered more than thirty problematic individuals.
A thirty-member party that lacked agility. In fact, with such a large scale, it was no longer a party but more accurately described as a small squad. While it was not impossible to lead them in the exploration and extermination of the Fog as before, it was exceedingly difficult and inefficient. Should they redistribute the thirty into smaller, more agile parties? No, that was precisely why they found themselves in this predicament.
Many understood this, but no one dared to ask Pulmy about it. She was the leader of the Green Eyes Guild, which had long protected the area around the Royal Capital from the threats of the Mirror Labyrinth. They understood that she must have some deep strategy in mind, even without her saying anything.
Pulmy realized that the balance was tipping significantly. The reports she received about the proliferation of the Fog far exceeded her expectations. Moreover, there had been two instances where the Fog had begun to multiply rapidly. If such sudden surges occurred once or twice more, she anticipated that the balance would collapse without warning.
Her deductions were not mistaken; they were quite on point.
The moments when the Fog began to proliferate rapidly coincided with the times when the Sealed Labyrinth manifested within Noble, transferring a significant amount of its power to the Virtuous Front. More precisely, the first instance occurred when Yamada defeated the Crystal Humanoid Kai, and the second instance was when Omi vanquished the Angel Alter.
Even without knowing these facts, Pulmy understood that the only thing the Virtuous Front could do was to endure until Omi and Ichiro, who had entered the Sealed Labyrinth, could destroy the Sealed Labyrinth—and by extension, the Sealed Domain.
That was why she resolved that the thirty individuals she had gathered must be utilized effectively against the large-scale assault of the Fog that would surely come soon, whether tomorrow or the day after.
As soon as Pulmy was entrusted with them, she called the troublemakers together and ordered them to gather in one place for a period of confinement. It was no easy task to get them to heed even one of her commands.
On the sixth day, early in the morning, she roused the troublemakers and dragged them to the Guild’s training grounds without allowing for any objections.
“Klein, you are indeed strong. However, there are always those above you. I am one of them, of course. So—”
Pulmy declared.
Before her piercing gaze lay Klein, who was sprawled out, having fallen into a humanoid-shaped hole.
“If you have any complaints, you should surpass me first.”
The troublemakers, who had been causing a ruckus just moments before, turned pale and lost their words in the face of Pulmy’s overwhelming power.
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It’s true that those who usually don’t get angry can be quite terrifying when they do…