That night, I proceeded to a room in the royal castle.
It was a room with a large round table at its center.
Seated in chairs arranged around it were familiar faces.
Grom sat with his arms crossed.
With flames flickering in his eye sockets, he observed the other executives.
His gaze carried an almost appraising quality.
Perhaps he was ranking them in his own way.
Luciana was applying makeup while gazing into a hand mirror.
Her expression was serene as her hands moved.
She paid no heed to Grom, who radiated an oppressive presence beside her.
Henry was drinking.
Empty bottles already lay scattered at his feet.
It was a serious breach of etiquette before a meeting, but no one challenged him on it.
Logan sat motionless with his eyes closed.
He appeared to be asleep, but he was surely keeping his senses honed.
He was a quiet man.
That state of his would settle eventually.
Dolda was gnawing on raw meat.
Occasionally, a groan escaped his lips.
Like Henry, he was enjoying his meal.
Yura sat with perfect posture.
She remained still as if she were an ornament.
She had the air of a model student.
Diera slumped over the round table, looking bored.
Every now and then she glanced longingly at Henry's wine.
I understood her desire for an evening drink, but I wished she could be a bit more patient.
At the end of the table sat the Great Spirit.
I had invited her as well.
The Great Spirit had no obligation to attend this meeting.
I had invited her fully expecting to be refused, only to have her agree almost too readily.
She must have understood the importance of this meeting.
I supposed she intended to observe the proceedings as a defensive measure.
I would have to be careful of her words and actions.
Even so, it was rare to gather all the executives like this.
It was a sight I had never seen before.
After looking over these dependable faces, I began the discussion.
"Thank you all for gathering here tonight. I appreciate it."
"Sure, sure. You have an important matter to discuss, right?"
Luciana replied, waving her hand.
None of the others seemed dissatisfied.
As if embodying the title, Grom rose to his feet with vigor.
"What are you saying! If the Demon Lord summons me, I would come running even to the far side of the world!"
"I was planning to procure liquor in the Royal Capital anyway. Convenient timing, really."
Henry smiled as he poured wine into his glass. In his case, I had a feeling the liquor procurement was the real purpose of the trip. I wouldn't bother confirming it, but I was probably right.
Meanwhile, Logan furrowed his brow against the smell of alcohol and spoke.
"A meeting at this time means it concerns whoever has been attacking the Demon Lord's army."
"That's right. With the aid of the Great Spirit, their identity has been revealed."
My answer set off a ripple of tension through the room. Just as I suspected, everyone had been worried about this. Sensing that, I relayed what the Great Spirit had conveyed.
"If left unchecked, the Illusory Savior will annihilate the Demon Lord's army. We must act swiftly."
"A countermeasure, hm... Arno... have one?"
Dolda asked, scratching at his wolf-like head. His way of speaking was clumsy, but his reason seemed fully intact.
"Naturally. I intend to seek approval to carry it out in this meeting."
"Approval? I don't think anyone would object, though."
"Following the opinion of the individual named Luciana—regardless of its content, I have no intention of opposing the Master's proposal."
Luciana and Yura each spoke in turn.
Her objections were perfectly reasonable.
I answered solemnly.
"If it were merely about destroying the Phantasmal Savior, I could act unilaterally. However, my strategy is not that simple."
"You have some other objective in mind as well."
Here, the Great Spirit interjected.
I nodded and raised my fist.
All eyes focused upon it.
"With this plan, I intend to resolve three troubles."
I held up my index finger.
After a suitable pause, I continued.
"The first is the elimination of the Phantasmal Savior."
Then I held up my middle finger.
Several people made motions as if swallowing hard.
"The second is the killing of the World's Will."
I raised my ring finger as well.
At that moment, a taut silence fell.
I declared without hesitation.
"And the third is—the resurrection of the previous Hero."