*****

Imperial Palace, nighttime.

In a secluded room, which is void of any window, a man sits quietly, appearing to be deep in thought.

''Whew...''

The decision has been passed.

Due to the extreme danger expressed by recent events, the capital's security needs to be reinforced, however expensive this might be.

Truly, there has never been an occasion where the man feels as though he is going to die more than the last one. Even to the outside, having the Imperial Palace—the very symbol of the monarchy—breached must be disheartening.

So, the highest level of national emergency has already been triggered.

Heeding the emperor's decree, all four grandmasters, who have been residing in locations of special interest, will be heading back to the capital, fulfilling their duty to tend to the nation's safety.

Of course, it is a big decision to make, involving not only filling the vacuums these people will inevitably leave behind but also making sure everything else works smoothly.

'It's time.'

The man, Kaiser Kassius Astra, diverts his gaze to the door. Soon enough, it clicks open, revealing a calm figure behind it.

''Good evening, Your Majesty.''

''Good evening. You can sit down comfortably, Duke Apollo.''

''Thank you.''

Long, smooth, pale blond hair, green eyes, and a distinct sword hanging on his waist. He is what every swordsman in the empire looks up to—the pinnacle of swordsmanship—the 'Sword Saint.'

The current head of the Apollo Duchy, Ivan Apollo, takes his seat solemnly.

''May I ask of Graham's whereabouts?''

Crossing his arms, the noble grandmaster inquires.

Normally, Ivan's attitude would be considered disrespectful to the crown, yet when one holds both the title of Duke and grandmaster, none of the etiquette matters anymore.

''He is on the lookout right now,'' Kaise replies. ''I will relay the information to him later.''

''Understood.''

After a brief silence, the room once again welcomes another guest.

The moment she steps in, the temperature drops severely. With light steps, she walks to an empty seat, nods to the emperor, and quietly sits down.

''Welcome, Duchess Cecil.''

''Yes, Your Majesty.''

Duchess Bianca Cecil of the cold North. A mature beauty bearing crystal-like icy blue eyes, finished with hair as white as snow. Although obscure to most, she is known throughout the battlefields as the absolute ruler of winter with 'beastly instinct' and a power to freeze even time.

Under the emperor's hopeful eyes, Bianca lightly yawns and attempts to close her eyes, but then, the door moves again. Yet another guest has arrived.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

This time, instead of an imposing man or a scary lady, it is a small, conventionally cute little girl with tanned skin.

''Heya, emperor! I've come here just as you requested!''

A big smile that can cure any sadness.

With that, Ulaika, the 'Invincible Shield,' promptly settles herself on her seat, legs swinging excitedly like a child waiting for her favorite dinner.

''...''

Seeing this sight, Bianca, whose seat neighbors that of Ulaika, reaches out to stroke the little girl's head.

''Hey.''

''Shh. Stay still.''

''Mghm... I'm only tolerating this because it's Bianca, alright?''

''Okay.''

Indeed. If it were anyone other than Bianca, their hand would have been blown away the moment it touched Ulaika's hair. Even the emperor is no exception. The last emperor nearly lost his arms in an attempt to hug the 'little girl.'

Such is the way of eccentric grandmasters, one might say.

Kaiser, upon witnessing this scene, feels a strange sense of relief. Although unorthodox, at least these ridiculously strong guys are willing to help protect the empire.

'Only one more, and we can begin the meeting... no, two more, huh.'

''That one is late.''

Ivan's comment interrupts Kaiser's train of thought. Still, knowing the last grandmaster's usual behavior, there isn't a need to be worried about them.

Around a few minutes later, the door bursts open.

''Awawawawawa...! I'm late, I'm late!''

[...]

''Hurry up and come in! Can't you see the meeting has begun?!''

A short, clumsy-looking young woman's voice fills the room. She musters the most of her strength, pushing the robot in front of her with little success. By the time both of them have settled, the clumsy woman's forehead is already damp with sweat.

''Whew... ah, I'm master's assistant, Becky!'' She lively exclaims, brown eyes fixed on the emperor.

''...No, I remember you from last time, Becky,'' Kaiser replies. ''And this is?''

Both of their attention is on the beautifully crafted robot, which is in the shape of a maiden. Lifting her round glasses, Becky proudly begins to talk,

''This is a new masterpiece that my master created not long ago. It's the first all-rounder prototype, can you believe it?!''

''Hoh... what should I call it?''

At this point, a monotone female voice sounds from the robot, which corresponds to its mouth movements.

[I am a part of the newly established department—Astra National Network of Automatons. Please call me ANNA-01.]

''I see, I see. Nice to meet you, Anna.''

The existence that Becky calls 'master' is none other than the hidden genius, who is said to be the second coming of Neveah, the grandmaster who is obsessed with machinery and science—Quantum.

This person hardly ever shows up by themselves, only sending their assistants and robots to meetings, hence the word 'hidden.'

''Now then, should we begin now?''

Once Ivan straightens up his posture, the other grandmasters also focus their attention. However, the emperor's mind seems to be somewhere else. On his face, a knowing grin presents as if telling them to wait for something.

''Your Majesty?''

''Ah... there's actually one more person who I've invited.''

*****

The moment I arrive in the designated meeting room, a rather stuffy atmosphere greets me—metaphorically and physically.

'''' ... ''''

All four of them emanate so much mana that the air feels considerably heavier. I'm surprised the emperor can still keep his calm. I guess their attention is all on me right now, so there's that.

Either way, I ignore their scrutinizing eyes and settle down beside the emperor.

On my left are Claire's father and the 'Neveah clone,' as Chloe would say. The Duchess of Cecil and that 'one little shield loli' are on my right. Once again, Chloe said that.

Although it might seem like I'm looking down on them, they are indeed extremely powerful. As it is right now, I'm not sure if I can match either one of them by myself. Probably not.

''We meet again, miss.''

''Mhm.''

Kaiser and I exchange a brief greeting. At first glance, only Ivan Apollo and the assistant woman remain relatively indifferent, while the other two look at me with interest.

''Ah, I know you!''

Suddenly, the shield lo—Ulaika speaks up.

''You're that one mysterious super master who can predict the future, right?''

''...''

The little girl's silver eyes seem to gauge my very being, creating a sense of irritation somewhere back in my head. It's the same as when Graham first saw me in person.

''Hm... your raw mana is not too impressive, though. What do you think, Bianca?''

This time, the icy beauty sitting beside her is included. Perhaps even more than before, I feel myself being exposed. Is it a perception skill? She has too many skills to skim through right now.

After a bit, Bianca coldly utters, ''She's pretty.''

'''' ... ''''

''Huh?''

No, I'm dumbfounded too, shield lo—Ulaika.

Bianca refuses to elaborate further, only sticking up a thumb at me with her blank face.

''Ahem. Let us begin right away.''

...I guess it's time to get back to the main business.