30 minutes ago, Wandenreich, Silbern's Conference Hall
Inside a spacious conference hall, a massive table carved of gleaming white stone sits in the center of the room. The Wandenreich emblem, a five-pointed cross, is embedded in the table's core. It is also encircled by luxurious chairs that have been arranged in a circular pattern.
While seats are limited around the table, there are seats available on the sidelines where the Directors, Chiefs, and Corps Commander's subordinates sit to listen throughout the discussion.
Individuals are already seated on the sidelines, grouped with their coworkers, of course. Because most of them don't interact much except at a conference like this, they aren't intimate enough to chat with each other.
In one section of the hall, a group of people dressed in clothing that differed from the empire's uniforms, causing them to stand out in the crowd and making one wonder if they really were a part of the Empire.
Well in fact, they are directly under Firenda. They are a group of assassins that work for Firenda's Intelligence Bureau dubbed as 'The Order.' This Special Force group is in charge of conducting investigations, assassinations, and espionage for the Wandenreich.
It also said the anyone other than the Emperor and Firenda themselves, have no jurisdiction to interfere in operations that are conducted by the 'The Order.' They also to have the sanction to eliminate soldiers who become liabilities to their covert missions.
Anyways, despite the confusion of the crowd, they remained stoic and went about their business as if they were in their own world.
"Uh, what's the deal with those stares?" While balancing a hammer with his fingers, a young man with past shoulder length blonde hair remarked.
Looking around at his colleagues, they only shrugged their shoulders, as they, too, had no clue.
"Maybe they're looking at Osaragi? Whenever we go on assignments, her outfit attracts a lot of attention." The tall young man with short neck length black hair and a distinctive marking of the Fibonacci Spiral on the left side of his neck stated as he pointed his finger at the girl sitting right in front of him.
The young woman with long, straight black hair stared at him, perplexed, then at her outfit, a veil partnered black dress with the upper part made of fishnets with floral detailing, similar to her veil.
"You're right, this is meant to be a meeting, and your dress makes it appear as if you're in mourning."
"Then, should I kill them, Nagumo-san?"
Osaragi straightened her veil as she readied to rise from her seat.
"Yeah, it'll be a while until His Majesty comes, so you can ki— Wait no!" Nagumo sprang up from his seat and grabbed Osaragi's hand, forcing her to sit down again.
She squeezed her hips slightly after being forced to sit down before staring at Nagumo with a stoic expression.
"It's just a joke, Chameleon-san"
Nagumo's always-smiling face twitched in response to her words. He is even cheerful when standing in a room full of dead bodies, but being called a chameleon has made him somehow uneasy.
"What? Who are you calli—" Nagumo was about to express his displeasure to Osaragi when the door leading outside the conference hall opened with a loud creak.
*CREAK*
Nagumo and his colleagues turned their heads to see who was arriving.
The other attendees in the conference hall turned their heads in their seats in curiosity as well.
Each department in the Empire serves a different purposes. Firenda's Research Institute and Intelligence Bureau, for example. They are exclusively tasked with Experimenting, Developments, Intelligence Gathering, Assassinations, and other similar duties under her jurisdiction. Since such is the case, each department seldom communicates with one another unless there is an emergency or the Emperor holds a conference like this one.
It has been a while since that has took place, and it has piqued their attention as to who will enter beyond these doors.
Slowly, a silhouette of a shadow appeared in the huge door's gap. A man appeared, wearing a dark navy military uniform that had a beret hat with Wandenreich's insignia and a jacket with military ranks badges on each of his shoulders.
When the onlookers saw the badges on his shoulders, one thing sprang into their minds; 'Corps-Commander.'
A Corps-Commander is the third highest position in the Empire's military, achievable by accumulating enough merits for the seekers. Though it is not easy to get promoted to one, since the qualifications test for promotion are rigorous that it may even lead to one's death.
And because the Emperor believes in Quality rather than Quantity, every Corps-Commander who is promoted is unquestionably formidable, winning the admiration and awe of people.
When they got a good look at the Commander, they recognized a tall and muscular man with fair skin and blue eyes.
Regardless of the fact that they don't communicate much. They still know who the high profile individuals are in the empire, and the man in front of, is among them. He is the Commander of 2nd Army Corps, Kallavan the Sternritter V- Valor.
Kallavan, undeterred by the stares, proceeded forward towards the round table in the center of the hall. Accompanying him behind comes a young woman with fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, who is dressed in a crimson cloak over her white military uniform.
As they approached the round table, Kallavan turned to face his subordinate.
"I'm fine now, Sharon. So go get yourself a seat. You'll be alone there since the others aren't here. I already told you that, you didn't need to come here, but you still insisted on coming." Kallavan lectured her somewhat as he pointed to the seats vacant on the side.
"It's all right, Kallavan-sama. If I want to be strong this much can be tolerated, I'm not going to be lazy like that girl. In addition, I'd want to learn a thing or two from His Majesty during this once-in-a-while conference."
"Then, Please excuse me."
Sharon bowed slightly and walked over to the vacant seats once she finished speaking.
She felt gazes focused at her while walking, but opted to ignore them because they may be staring at her because they had just arrived. However, even after taking a seat, she still felt the gazes in the back of her head, prompting her to confront them.
As Sharon approached the group of individuals who were suspected of staring at her, she asked,
"Do you need something?"
The assassins were the ones who were staring at her. Nagumo was perplexed as to why this girl had suddenly approached them. But as soon as he realized what they had been doing staring at her, he apologized.
"Eh? Oh, my apologies if we upset you in any way; we're just quite curious, why is a person of your caliber isn't a Commander?
When they were observing her, the manner she walked and sat down gave them an idea of her capability, which is that of an extremely skilled swordsman. Despite the fact that she does not appear to be wielding a sword. Rather, she carries a thin spiked weapon, a needle.
"Me? A Commander? I don't believe that's doable for now. I'm far too weak for it."
Weak? Nagumo stared at her again, and she did appear weak in comparison to his superior sitting there. However, from the standpoint of an assassin, this girl is far from weak. Nagumo is sure she has a weakness, but if they fight directly without him planning thoroughly, which is unlikely because he's an assassin.
He only has a 40% chance of winning.
Nagumo came to a halt when he realized he was being impolite by asking her these questions. He rose up and offered his hands to the young lady.
"Nagumo, from Intelligence Bureau."
She took a long look at his hands before speaking, "Sharon, Commander of the 2nd Army Corps' 1st Division."
After introducing herself, Sharon shook Nagumo's hand as they shook when suddenly they heard a voice behind them.
"Oh my~ Nagumo-chan, I thought I said no dating in my department?"
Nagumo, Sharon, and the member of 'The Order' who were watching both of them turned their heads to where the voice was coming from.
".. Hm?"
Except for Sharon, they all had beads of sweat on their brows as they recognized who it was.
Despite her young and stunning look, the assassins are well aware that this woman is a monster in disguise. Her mere presence alone, as the unofficial third most powerful individual in the Empire, can intimidate these apathetic assassins.
""CHIEF?!""
"Why are your reactions like that? Am I not welcome here?"
She asked, tilting her head to the side, with a pitiful expression on her face that caused their hair to stand up.
"N-no, of course not, Chief."
"Relax, I'm just playin' with you. Anyway, who is this lovely lady right here?"
She examined the lady in front of her, scrutinizing her clothing. When she realized who this lady belonged to, she didn't wait for her response and immediately vanished from where she was standing.
They glanced around, wondering where she had gone, and soon they spotted her figure walking towards the round table where Sharon's superior sat.
They sighed a sigh of relief when they finally saw where she was; being in her presence is extremely nerve-racking. "... scary."
Kallavan, who was sitting there unmoving and giving the impression of a strict militaristic man, sensed a presence appear a few meters away from him. He tilted his head to see who it was.
"Lady Firenda, Is there anything you require of me?"
Kallavan initiated the conversation politely. As the newest member of the Sternritters, he must, of course, address everyone with superiority. But it isn't like Kallavan has a choice since the remaining Sternritter who survived the war is hella strong.
"I haven't seen you in quite some time, Kallavan. I see you're still as stiff as ever; by the way, where is Satcha?"
"Vice-Commander Satcha?.. Oh, my apologies for her behaviour, but she claims she's too exhausted to attend the conference."
"Exhausted? PFFT! HAHAHA That kitty cat is just lazy. Seriously, she never change."
Satcha has always been smart and powerful, even as a child. She was even nominated for the position of Sternritter, but she rejected. 'What a bother,' she says.
She even developed her own technique and skill to augment her 'laziness.' One of Satcha's technique made her fashioned herself into a feline looking woman, sprouting pointy cat ears and a long brown tail. Though the reason she picked felines as her form is unknown, perhaps it was because felines sleep 13-16 hours a day, thus she chose it?
"Haaa- Anyway, how's your corps, Kallavan? You're the vanguard; is your army prepared?"
"Yes, Lady Firenda, everything is ready as per the instructions."
Because Kallavan's corps is the Empire's vanguard force, they are in the forefront, advancing at the head of the army. They are the ones that have the most work to complete, which means that there will be a lot of errors done, thus their corps need a lot of attention and supervision in this circumstances.
"If that's the case then, that's good."
The two of them continued to talk about what was going on in their respective departments. As time passes, a large number of individuals entered the conference hall. Hans von Zettour, the Commander of the newly established Aerial Mages, is one of them.
The Empire presently has two army corps available. The Vanguard force is the 2nd Army Corps, and the Aerial Mages/Aerial Quincy are the 3rd Army Corps. The position of Commander of the 1st Army Corps is currently vacant due to His Majesty Tracy's inability to identify someone suitable of commanding them. And, for the time being, the Empire does not require a defensive force.
The Aerial Corps is a force to be reckoned with due to its firepower and mobility in the air. They are regarded as the ideal sort of military force for close quarters warfare, urban guerrilla warfare, and special operations.
Each Aerial Corps member carries a Computation Jewel created by the Research Institute. It is a tool Quincy uses to manipulate reality with 'magic' at their disposal, a breakthrough in recreating miraculous phenomena by combining their Reiatsu/Mana with analogue computation.
As Commander Hans arrived, time passed once again as the seats at the side of the conference hall gradually filled up. Still, no sign of the Emperor or his advisor.
Firenda, annoyed by the present situation, couldn't keep her emotions in check any longer. She abruptly rose to her feet, as if she had made a decision.
"... I'm going to wake that jerk up."
She strode out of the hall, without looking back at the stunned expressions of the others.
Wake up, who?
Who was she referring to a jerk?
Is it His Majesty?
What?!
Shortly after Firenda left, the other door of the meeting hall opened. Surprisingly, whomever stepped inside just a few minutes earlier, the onlookers only gave it a glance or two, but this time almost all of them became silent.
A tall young man with a slim physique and long blonde hair enters the hall, wearing a Sternritter's standard white uniform with a thigh-length trench coat, as well as a dark green fur going down from his left collar to the front of the coat to commensurate with his rank.
Slowly approaching the circular table, he directed his gaze towards them, skimming over the onlookers. Before he sat, he lifted his head and spoke solemnly with his stoic face.
"Thank you; I appreciate the silence."
"..."
Jugram Haschwalth, Grandmaster of the Sternritter and Field Marshal of the Empire's combined forces. But that's not all; he's also His Majesty's counselor. With all of the authority he had, no one dared to make a sound, or even entertain the notion of making one.
Even if no one witnessed how powerful he really is, the fact that he earned his position through hard work is enough for them to earn their respect.
"..."
In the midst of the deathly silence within the Conference Hall, the assassins on the sidelines were whispering to one other in hushed tones that only those close to them could hear.
"I can't gauge his strength."
"Same here, I don't feel anything from him. It's as though his very existence is devoid of the concept of strong and weak."
Sharon, who decided to sit with them after what had happened earlier, was also intrigued by this man. As one of the person who held the highest authority within the empire, he seldom exposes himself in public; generally, only commanders will meet with him when orders are issued.
How strong is he? No one knows. 'Perhaps only his Majesty knows how strong he is.'
Weirdly, she felt a strong connection to him. Not romantically or in any way. It's more of a system of ethics or understanding. Since, Sharon and her family, who are among the 'Nobles' in Wadenreich, do not want conflicts or, at the very least, want them to cease.
But, because Wadenreich's 'Nobles' do not have the same authority as nobles in the human world, they cannot defy the His Majesty's Decree, no matter how much they dislike it. However, as a 'Noble,' they enjoy a special position that elevates them beyond ordinary Quincy.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand, Sharon feels weird, given that the man in front of them is the Field Marshal commanding the troops to war. Why does it gives her the impression that he dislikes war?
Sharon is confused, but this question will not be answered anytime soon. So all she could do was sigh.
Several more minutes passed, and no one spoke out; instead, they whispered to one other when they were discussing. Even those seated at the round table did not converse with one another. Looking at the oppressive atmosphere there, one may conclude these people are enemies.
This depressing atmosphere, however, was quickly shattered as one of the doors banged open unexpectedly.
*BANG*
Firenda walked in the door, a beaming smile on her face. She looked around, noticing the depressing atmosphere, after looking around for a bit, her attention was drawn to Jugram.
'So, that's why.'
She walked near Jugram, patting his shoulder and leaning slightly before whispering.
"Jugo, you should change the atmosphere around you. Just look at what you did. That's why you don't have 'friends' besides us."
Jugram gave her a brief glance before rolling his eyes.
"I don't need friends."
'Tch, what a grumpy jerk you are.' She thought.
"Anyway, when is His Majesty going to arrive? He's running a little late."
"Oh, him? He'll be here shortly; I just woke him up."
"Is that so—"
Before he could complete what he was saying, Jugram and the rest of the people in the room heard a knock. It is strange because they didn't knock when they came in.
'Is this his/her first time in the conference?' That's what they thought.
*CREAK*
Slowly opening the door, three people could be seen wearing hooded cloaks fastened at the front with three buttons and a large, black Hagal rune on their left side.
""... Huh?""
They couldn't tell who these three were since their faces were obscured by their hoods. However, when they recognized the Hagal rune on their cloak, confused gasps could be heard throughout the room.
To differentiate themselves from one another, each branch within the empire has their own distinctive symbol or logo. And right now, what they have in front of them is not a generally branch, but rather His Majesty's own Protective Echelon! These guys are the members of the Royal Guard!
Which means...
*TAP* *TAP* *TAP*
After hearing the tapping sounds of footsteps, the onlookers' perception of their surroundings suddenly dimmed, it was difficult to breathe, in addition to that, they felt like they were being watched. It was an unpleasant feeling that they couldn't even stand and greet the one who arrived. The only thing they could do is to watch.
His Majesty.
When he arrived to his reserved seat, without waiting for them to rise up and greet him, he remarked.
"Well then, let us begin this conference, FOR THE SAKE OF PEACE."
