"Why are we still talking about that weakling?! Don't we have a more pressing matter to discuss?" Hatta, the Fire hero, slams the table as he voices out his anger, ignoring the fact that he was sitting with the noble families' members, the Pope and the King.

"I still don't get it on how the Crystal Ball deem worthy of him being a Hero." Princess Leya of the High Elf race, also the Ice hero, raises her doubt regarding the Crystal Ball reliability.

"Maybe he really has the potential, just that he is super weak too. Hehehe!" Mila Mila, the Lightning hero, also the daughter of the Chieftain of Half Beast race, laughs mischievous as she speaks of Xiao.

All heroes have voiced their opinion towards Xiao, except Adolf, Hero of Earth, also the prince of the Dwarf race.

Adolf was so anxious that he was surrounded by so many people from high places that he was trying not to have a nervous breakdown.

The one who started the topic of Xiao was Pope Baton. He was concerned with how Xiao was doing, so he raised the question to General Blake, who arranged for Xiao to join the army.

"Platoon 37th got wiped out from a mission. No survival has been found. We got careless with the information we had on the mission area." General Blake answered Pope Baton with a stoic expression.

And that gave rise to the commotion among the table. The nobles quietly sneered and mocked Xiao while the heroes voice out their own thoughts.

"That's a shame. Although his loss was regrettable to us, now is not the time to mourn. The Hero of Fire was right. We have a more pressing matter to discuss." The king of the Julian Empire, William IV, breaks the commotion with his deep voice.

The king nods to Pope Baton to carry on the session. Pope Baton bows to the king and resumes the meeting.

"First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the heroes who traveled far away from their country. It's been an honor for our country to have you all here. I hope you all enjoy our hospitality for these two months." Pope Baton bows towards the heroes.

The king then ordered general Blake to distribute a scroll to all the people across the table. The content of the scroll was about the preparation plan to face the Demon God and its army.

The news of Xiao's demise immediately got treated like some sort of coffee talk as everyone focused on the scroll they got on hand.

"Everyone, all the details and information regarding the preparation has been written in this scroll. I humbly ask that you all memorize and fully understand it. If there's anything you're not clear about, please feel free to voice out your concern," said Pope Baton as he stood up and pointed to the scroll.

Everyone was focused on the scroll while Pope Baton continued with the details of the plan.

From now until the next 2 years, all countries will focus on raising their military strength. On the other hand, the heroes will conquer as many dungeons as possible. By doing so, they will cut a portion of the forces of the Demon God army. The conquering of dungeons also helps them acquire powerful weapons and items.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"Do keep in mind that the Demon God will awaken anytime within these years, so please always be prepared to set off for battle." Pope Baton added.

"I'm ready anytime! My fist is always itching for action!" Hatta replied while showing his fist.

"I've been prepared ever since I got chosen as the Hero of Ice. The High Elf always stands ready." Leya announced proudly.

"Hehehehe! If the Demon God wants to play early, I don't mind either." Mila Mila giggles mischievously, showing no sign of fear even though she will be facing the almighty Demon God.

"...." Adolf remains silent in his full bronze armor suit. No one knows what he was thinking. Still, they got intimidated by his dead silence and fearsome aura.

"Such a blessing to see our heroes radiance with confidence," says Pope Baton as he claps for the heroes. Others on the table follow as well, and thunderous applause grace the heroes.

"Good, good, that's the sight I want to see from our new heroes. And with that, I'm relieved to bestow this simple quest for the heroes," says the king.

"Quest?" Hatta looks at the king curiously.

"General." The king signals general Blake to announce the details of the quest.

General Blake stood up, he opens a sealed scroll and read it out loud:

"We received a report that a large red Ogre has been spotted around the Yellow Leaf Forest. The monster has destroyed the villages near the area. Since it's a red type Ogre, our standard soldier doesn't stand a chance at all. We also had trouble tracking down the monster as it would go deeper into the forest, sometimes even into the Shadow forest."

General Blake closes the scroll and faces the heroes as he speaks.

"With the 7th Generation heroes band formed, we would like to see the heroes' joint effort against the red Ogre. The quest this time is to kill the monster and bring its head here."

Upon finishing listening to the quest's details, Hatta was the first one who burst out laughing. He thought the target would be at least a Dragon class monster. Never would he guess that it was only an Ogre he needed to slay.

The other heroes were always surprised by the difficulty of the quest. Pope Baton fully understood their confusion, and he speaks:

"I understand that a red Ogre means nothing to you all. The true purpose of this quest is to experience working together as a team. Use this opportunity to learn more about each other. I'm sure you all will travel together sooner or later, so why not use this opportunity to do it first."

Only Adolf nodded in agreement. The other heroes were reluctant to give feedback. The word "working together" seems to conflict with their strong personality.

After that, the session continued for another hour before it concluded, and everyone dismissed.

Each party was showing cooperation to defeat the Demon God on the surface while hiding their own agenda for personal gain.

"Umm...lady Mila Mila, do you think sir Xiao is...like what they said?" Adolf asked Mila Mila timidly while they were walking out the hall.

"Hmm..... I don't think so. He is such an interesting guy, no way he would just die that easily. I say he is hiding somewhere, ready to give us a bang!" Mila Mila replied, though she said that she believes Xiao was still alive, she says it with a half-joking attitude.

"Hey! Mila Mila, Adolf, What are you guys still standing around for? Let's go already!" Hatta was already waiting at the door with Leya, eager to depart for the quest right away. Leya was in a foul mood for having to travel with the others.

"Right, right. Coming!" Mila Mila replied joyfully as she hops towards the two.

"So-sorry!" Adolf followed behind.

As Adolf and Mila Mila joined Hatta and Leya, they began their first mission together as the 7th generation's Heroes Band.