“Are you guys gonna hang around and wait out there all day?” Ace hollered, turning his head to the door.
Within seconds, Osiris led Kannal and the others in. No one said anything about what had just been said, but it was clear to everyone, even those who hadn’t sensed them outside, that they had overheard the conversation.
“I’m not gonna beat around the bush,” Ace asked as he scanned his classmates. “Like I said earlier, if you don’t feel up to the task, I won’t try and stop you, but I need to hear it from you. Are you guys willing to lead our army in this upcoming campaign?”
The silence after Ace posed his question was deafening. Still, no one hurried to answer.
At that moment, their anxiety levels had hit an all-time high. With everyone else in the room staring at them, patiently waiting for their answer, a part of them wished the floor would open up and swallow them whole.
It wasn’t that they were shy; after all, just one year ago, each of them had effectively stepped onto the world stage to suppress all the other young experts from their generation, but this was different. The emotional rollercoaster they had been put on had made them more fragile than ever before.
Just because they knew that Ace genuinely believed in them, it didn’t automatically mean they were able to believe in themselves just like that. In fact, it was partly because of Ace’s faith in them that they were struggling so much now.
They desperately wanted to say yes, but they were too scared about further disappointing him.
Even though, technically, he was a part of the group in question, Kannal knew that the question wasn’t aimed at him. As such, he silently waited beside Faye, silently praying that his family would find the strength to carry on moving forward.
Knowing it had nothing to do with them, Linley and his group also watched silently from the side. Though, they too believed that it was too much for them to bounce back from, especially at that speed, which was why, when they saw Osiris step forward, they couldn’t help being taken aback.
“I’m willing!” Osiris stated directly.
Like her son, Milianna’s [Observation] had progressed to the stage where she could feel the emotions of those around her. As such, she could clearly sense the chaotic mix of emotions the usually silent archer was feeling, but it was because of them that she was so impressed.
The fact that he was under so much stress and pressure, yet he was still willing to keep on moving forward, was what made him courageous.
Seeing one of his juniors step forward first, Joel took a deep breath to forcibly suppress his turbulent emotions before forcing himself to meet Ace’s gaze with his head high. “Me too!”
Like that, one by one, each of them agreed to take on this responsibility. Well, all except one…
“Alissa,” Ace voiced calmly. “What about you? Are you willing?”
Just like that, the pressure seemed to multiply for the young silver-haired assassin. Where before, they all shared the pressure together, now Alissa was forced to face the expectant gazes of everyone on her own, and as much as she wanted to agree, she couldn’t.
Whether it was her time before or after joining the Pavilion, she had always been hailed as a genius by her peers. And although she had faced more than her fair share of trials, none had ever been in relation to her talent and potential – it was the one thing she had always been confident about. Even after meeting the likes of Ace and Amira.
Like Ace said, she had just simply stopped comparing herself to them, being content with always being inferior to them. But hearing from Ace that whether it was Killian or Kannal, they both strived to chase and one day catch up with a freak like Ace, everything was put into perspective for her – for the first time in her life, she was forced to take a long hard look at herself, and she didn’t like what she saw.
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Her body trembled as she felt like she was being devoured by the darkness in her heart. If things continued, she really would break under the pressure. Ace and Milianna’s brows furrowed when they sensed how close she was to breaking.
Thankfully, before she crossed that line of no return, Killian stepped up.
Alissa’s eyes snapped open as she felt a large rough hand gently wrap itself around her dainty little palm.
He didn’t say anything, but his actions spoke over a thousand words in an instant. Looking at the side of his face, Alissa had never felt so safe.
Gradually, her heart began to slow back to its resting heart rate as the fog surrounding her began to slowly recede.
‘I really am inferior to you,’ Alissa thought to herself as she continued to stare at Kil’s side profile.
She couldn’t help but think back to the day they first met. Back then, she had been substantially stronger than him, and yet he didn’t emit an ounce of fear as he recklessly swung his axe over and over again with absolutely no technique. She had been so impressed with his mental resilience and incredible willpower that she allowed herself to lose what should’ve been a sure win.
‘That was the day I fell in love with you, you brute.’ Alissa smiled sweetly as inner demons that, moments ago, had threatened to devour her began to dissipate. ‘With you by my side, there’s nothing I can’t do.’
Ace watched with a raised brow as he sensed Alissa’s mood completely stabilise. It had to be remembered that although Osiris had been the first to step forward and also the one who had made the most progress with his inner battle, he was far from out of the shadows, but merely because of Killian’s presence, Alissa seemed to have completely gotten over them.
“Sorry,” Alissa smiled calmly. “I showed you quite the disgusting sight, but my answer’s yes – I’m in too!”
“It’s alright,” Ace smiled dismissively. “We can’t all be the child of heaven!”
Ace’s comment generated frustrated and disdainful glares from several of the youngsters in the room, including Linley, but the silver-haired assassin was the first to respond.
“Arrogant bastard,” Alissa snorted. “Just wait a few years till I surpass you. We’ll see who the real child of heaven is!”
A genuinely happy grin suffused Ace’s face as he met Alissa’s glare. “I’m waiting!”
‘Ace was right,’ Cirulus smiled silently as he studied each of his Young Master’s classmates. He had already been beyond impressed with them before today, but he suddenly found himself reevaluating them, realising he had still been underestimating them. ‘They really are all freaks!’
Linley’s thoughts weren’t too dissimilar from Cirulus’s, the only difference being the fire in his eyes. Part of him was jealous of his rival for having such trustworthy companions standing beside him, but when he remembered the calibre of his new followers, the jealousy dissipated substantially, leaving an intense desire to have his group compete with Ace’s, and judging by the competitive fire radiating from each of them, it was clear they felt the same way.
Ace, though didn’t care for any of that. With that out the way, he looked to Cirulus with a grin filled with anticipation. “You mentioned that our first task was conquering enough cities to form a small duchy. How many is that exactly?”
“On average, a duchy in the Anarchic Lands is made up of ten-plus cities, depending on the size of the city,” Cirulus explained.
“I see,” Ace nodded. “And how many cities are surrounding us at the moment?”
“Not including the small, make-shift villages, there are four possible options for us to target,” Cirulus answered calmly. “But, if I had to choose one to start with, I’d choose Helmraven City, just north of us.
They’re the strongest of the four, with a ninth-rank warrior ruling over them and an army a little bigger than our own, but with the strength of Killian and the others, it shouldn’t pose too much of a threat.”
“Good, we’ll do it like this then. We’ll split into four divisions: Kannal and Osiris will head up division one. Division Two will be led by Killian and Alissa. Joel and Yulana will command the third division. Leaving Lance and Faye to be in charge of division four.”
Ace’s words came as a shock to everyone, including his mother, who hardly seemed shocked by anything anymore.
“Ace, that’s insane!” Milianna exclaimed. “Cirulus just said that they have a ninth-rank warrior leading them, and the size of their army is already slightly bigger than ours, and yet you want to send a force a quarter of the size to face them.
I won’t let you send those poor men and women to their deaths.”
“I’m not,” Ace sighed helplessly when he saw the adamant expression on his mother’s face. “I mean, yes, I do intend to go ahead with that plan, but I won’t be sending them to their deaths!”
“How is that plan anything but suicidal?” Amira asked, clearly siding with Milianna.
“Because we won’t be making our move for at least another six months,”
“I understand that for geniuses like you and your friends, six months is enough to see a qualitative increase in strength,” Cirulus sighed, having guessed Ace’s intentions. “But for regular people, six months is nothing. The changes to the overall strength of our army will be negligible at best.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Ace smiled mysteriously. “Six months is enough time to completely transform our army into a force that will inspire fear in our enemies…”