“Ahem,” Jacob clears his throat before speaking, “Four powerful demon kings have appeared. They popped up out of nowhere and have already taken full control of the southern continent of Yariah. Although they are currently projected to be heading toward the eastern continent of Naganta next, we are not safe.”
“What!” Everybody exclaims in unison. Everyone except me, who already knows who is behind this predicament.
Not changing the plot my ass, what in the hell would you call this?
I look around at the faces of the others. Faces of discomfort and anger, but none of fear. As one would expect from the most powerful generation.
“So, in collaboration with the other twenty-nine kingdoms on the continent, we have agreed to a training program.” He pauses for a moment, his face filled with dread, “Take ten of each kingdom's strongest and train them all to break past rank one and SSS rank. You ten will be going to a specialized training facility with over two hundred other kids about your age and will train for six years to reach rank zero as a magician and an X-rank swordsman.”
He sighs before continuing, “We plan to make this world's strongest individuals, in exchange, we ask for all of you to cooperate with us. If you find any of this to your distaste, feel free to leave, we will choose someone else.”
Nobody speaks a single word.
They’re probably thinking about the consequences of such a decision. They would essentially be signing themselves away as child soldiers if they accepted this offer, giving up both their lives and their titles.
From my right, I hear a sigh as Lyra stands up.
“Fine. I’ll join. Who are we to call ourselves nobility if we don’t answer the call of battle for our kingdom?”
Hmm? I look around the room again, this time, Sylvia stands up.
“She is correct; as nobles, we are obligated to defend our kingdom, even if it means sacrificing our lives..” Nerah and Nathan are the next to stand up, followed by Aaron, and then Tessa and Jackson.
Reginald rolls his eyes and scoffs as he stands up.
“I know this isn’t my home kingdom,” Nyx hesitantly speaks up, “b-but I’ll gladly fight for the sake of becoming strong enough to protect it.”
I am slightly surprised by the responses of everyone. I feel a small sense of admiration for these young nobles’ sense of duty and their bravery.
I smile and stand up, “Well, I do suppose it is a prince's duty to fight for his kingdom,” I pause for a moment before continuing, “but Jacob, brother, just how strong are these Demon Kings?”
“That…” Jacob hesitates before speaking, “Earlier this year, we sent an army of two hundred third-rank magicians led by one of this country's strongest first-rank mages, Arthur Crawford. They were sent to intercept one of the demon king’s advances on the Eastern Continent”
Jackson perks up as he says that name. At the same time, everyone else looks surprised.
“Unfortunately, we lost all contact with them about a month ago. And earlier this week, we received confirmation that each and every one of the members of the team had died.”
“What!?” The news startles everyone, especially Jackson, who takes a step back in shock having just heard that his father had been killed.
Now I feel terrible about calling him basic earlier.
I apologize in my mind as I quickly process the current situation. Even after hearing such terrible news, nobody's choice is changed. In actuality, it just strengthens our decision because, in order to simply survive, we have to become stronger.
“Thank you all for your cooperation.” Jacob bows, “We have already spoken to your families about this. You all have 24 hours to pack any belongings you may want or need, and a carriage will arrive at each of your homes in the morning to transport you to the facility. You have no need to pack food or consumables, for the facility will be equipped with areas where you can purchase those items.”
He looks at us for a second before saying one last thing, “If you manage to complete these eight years and save this kingdom, you will be acknowledged as heroes. If you die, you’ll die a legend. Best of luck to this year’s strongest, I hope you all survive.”
He waves his hand one last time, the lights come back on and the door flies open. The rest of the people in the room start making their way out the door.
I begin to make my way to the door when Lyra, looking apprehensive, stops me, "What's the matter, Lyra?"
"Well, it's just, this all seems a bit weird. That’s all…" She replied.
I can't blame her for having that feeling. Even I, as a former reader of this novel, was confused.
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“We should be fine. We’re pretty strong after all.” I nod and begin walking again with Lyra until I notice Sylvia, moving toward me.
I stop and politely greet her.
"Greetings, Raine. It’s good to see you again. Although I'm not required to do so by my house, I would love to get acquainted with you more, so please do not mind me if I approach you more from now on."
"I don’t mind at all," I nod, "and please, drop the formal speech when we’re in public, Sylvia."
"Certainly, Raine." She smiles.
I have been seeing Sylvia consistently since my tenth birthday. She’s been a comforting presence in my life ever since… Well, Esther left. I’m glad that we can talk to each other again.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aaron and the two siblings walking toward the door together.
It has been a hard day, and while I am tempted to strike up a discussion with them, I decide that I should get home and spend some time getting ready.
I walk out of the auditorium and begin to wait on the steps leading up to the building. I wave off Lyra and Sylvia as I wait.
The twins are nowhere to be seen despite my best efforts to find them.
After a short while of waiting on the building's steps, I notice a holographic note that is addressed to me.
I tap the icon, and the subsequent message appears.
[Dearest Raine, if you are now old enough to have your own geas, you are old enough to walk yourself back home. We already had our hands full with Alice, who wasn't even supposed to be there. Good luck little brother, love Cassie.]
Fucking motherfuckers!
They know a barrier prevents me from teleporting anywhere near the palace from here! Why do they still treat their loving little brother inhumanely? So cruel!
I stomp the ground with all my might unintentionally cracking the concrete. Passerbyers nearby hurry away from the incident as if I’m some troublemaker.
"When I get my hands on those two–"
"Raine? Do you perhaps need a ride?" The abrupt voice of Sylvia cuts me off. I turn my head to find her staring out the open door of a sizable red and gold carriage when .
"Yes, yes I do." I sigh.
"Please feel free to enter if you want."
Hearing her words, I nod before entering the carriage through the open door. The carriage begins to move after she closes it.
I take the seat across from hers. The matted red seats were so plush it was almost like a royal sofa.
I look up at Sylvia, who has been staring at me with a blank expression. Her cute face begins to slowly run red. I steal a glance at her ears to find she is still wearing the earrings I had bought for her.
A small smile appears on my face.
She quickly looks down and reaches into a bag that was on her lap and pulls out her geas.
It is a long thin black rod that was about one and a half feet.
"This is my geas, 'The Legendary Mage’s Shaft'."
What? Who the hell named her geas?
I watch her confidently speak about her geas with a slightly concerned expression.
"It's capable of storing an infinite supply of mana while releasing precise bursts of magic. It's able to cast spells without incantations and is indestructible, so it can be used as a melee weapon if need be."
"Mhmm..." I nod.
Overall, a fantastic weapon for someone of her stature. Only the name bothers me.
How exactly would I convey that to her? Would she view me as a strange pervert who is only able to identify that because of how I think? This is the ice princess though. To become the ideal wife, she undertook extensive research on the human body. She must be aware of this strange name, otherwise how could she not?
Goddamnit, this is another time where the issue of the novel's details comes into play. Like why the hell was this never mentioned?
Sylvia simply gives me a blank look in confusion and I sigh in defeat.
I guess I'll leave it for the time being. Besides, I really can't allow her to be the only one to flaunt her geas.
I remove the mask that is been stored in my coat. As soon as I removed it, it took its regular black and red appearance. She had seen me putting it on before , but I had never explained how it worked.
"This mask is known as the ‘Assassin's Face'. It's capable of filtering out toxic substances, viewing distances of up to five kilometers away, and as you saw…" I bring the mask up to my face and it changes to mimic Sylvia's, "it can be worn as the perfect disguise."
Not only does my face change completely, but my voice also changes to mimic Sylvia's. She opens her mouth in shock and giggles a bit.
I think that's the first time she has ever done that with me… it's kind of cute.
I change the mask's face back to its original form and slip it back into my coat. We then start talking about the events that happened after the ceremony.
"Do you not think it's hard to believe that four demon kings stronger than the first rank just appeared out of nowhere?"
"Of course I do," I nod at her question, "But, whether you like it or not, it is a reality that must be recognized. We must acknowledge this as reality because many people lost their lives trying to fight such guys. I'd prefer that no more people die as a result of our inability to accept the truth."
"I see," Sylvia nods and a small smile forms on her face, "I suppose now I have a reason to like you even more."
"Wha-?" I was caught off guard by her words.
"I mean, when I first met you, I was simply attracted to your face. For some reason, it subconsciously drew me in.” She continues, "But the more I’ve been getting to know you over the years, the more I realize that you're a good person. You, out of everyone I’ve ever met, are the only person who has ever managed to make me smile so effortlessly. That’s why I like you."
She extends her hand and touches mine. My face begins to burn hot, causing me to avert my gaze.
"Th-thank you, I… I like you too, Sylvia. I have for a while now." I decide to go with my gut feeling on this one.
She smiles again, "That's good to know, I hope to spend a lot more time with you during the six years."
I nod as she says that. Nearly a decade. It will take six years to become the strongest magician and swordsman in the world.
I don't mind missing the Knightford Academy arc for this, even though it's not what I had in mind. In any case, it was dull, with the only noteworthy events being Raine's death and Alice's confession to Aaron, which I'm very glad neither is taking place.
The carriage finally comes to a stop at the castle. The fact that the castle was close to the Duke's establishment was probably the main reason for Sylvia picking me up.
Sylvia waves me off as I exited the carriage and she continues traveling alone.
I walk to the palace entrance and ring the doorbell because, yes, we have a doorbell.
Considering the times, the world of “Rebirth” was actually pretty developed. While there were no cars or airplanes during this time, many of the carriages were powered by magic, allowing you to make a choice and have it drive itself.
Electronics were nonexistent, but this planet had a wide variety of magic instruments as substitutes, such as the "communication mirror," a pocket mirror that functioned as a phone. Speaking of phones, perhaps I should make one some day.
The door swings open to reveal Stella waiting at the front door accompanied by the twins and Alice, who leaps into my arms and buries her head into my chest.
"Raine! You took so long to finish, I was worried!” Alice cries out.
"Ah, I'm sorry," I pat her on the head, her soft white hair getting frizzy, "I probably shouldn't do things like that again, but that would be hard, considering our current situation."
I look up at Stella, who has been staring at me with a solemn expression. Cassie and Casey both have red rings around their eyes as if they had been crying.
"Ah, I see." I glance at Stella once more, "so you've already told them?"
She nods.
It seems that the only one who didn't know is Alice, who I really didn't want to have to tell. She looked up from my arms and back at everyone else's faces.
"Why is everyone sad?"