Reincarnated Hero System - Chapter 1214 - 1214: The Elusive Threat
Sandfire Palace
Capital City Saharion
Desert Country of Tarse
November 6th
Year 1055
The atmosphere in the meeting hall was tense, a heavy silence hanging over the large circular chamber.
At its centre sat a large round table, surrounded by some of the Alpha Continent’s most powerful men and women.
Presidents, Ministers, Dukes, and Marquesses, along with the Emperor and Empress of the host nation, occupied the seats.
The foreign dignitaries present should have been preparing for departure after the memorials and celebrations that ended the previous day, but that morning, they had all been summoned by Emperor Lloris, citing a matter of continental security.
Though surprised, all of them knew Lloris wasn’t the type to joke about such matters, especially when the messengers had informed them that the ‘Beast King’ and the Master of Dragondune would be attending.
Upon arriving at the hall, these figures noticed that not all those of their rank who had attended the previous night’s party were present, and it didn’t take long for them to discern the criteria for participation in this meeting.
The nations represented by those present had all played a part in the defence of the Alpha Continent a month ago, forming the Tarse Defence Coalition Force.
As such, they quickly understood that this meeting was related to that campaign, particularly given the presence of three of the four known Heroes.
As for the remaining three empty seats, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were reserved for the Two Transcendents who were expected to attend, and the young man whose fame and influence were on an all-time-rise.
Some of those present had begun to feel slightly threatened by the immense influence wielded by this young man, though none would dare admit it aloud.
Several others recognised that there was a significant reliance on him when it came to crucial information regarding the plans of those known as the number 1 ‘World Enemies’, the Demonic Hand.
Just as Antonio Olgr, the Utraria Republic’s President, had that thought, the door opened, and the last three expected attendees stepped in.
Immediately, all those present, except for the Heroes and one of their companions, rose in a show of respect for the ‘Beast King’.
Even though he was a national ruler like some of those present, it was clear to anyone, even a child, that Kolvar was several levels above, owing to his status as a Transcendent.
His recent increase in power following the battle a month ago had only widened that gap, so all of them greeted him in a manner akin to vassals before their lord.
Kolvar acknowledged them with a nod and gestured for them to take their seats, while the other two who entered after him continued speaking as they made their way to their places, unconcerned with the tension in the room.
“Please don’t forget to inform them. I don’t want to have to come to the moon myself just to deliver the message,” Evan said, pulling back his chair and lowering himself into it.
Rizass, the one he had addressed, nodded once and took the seat to Evan’s right, which was to Kolvar’s left.
Seeing her in her humanoid form, everyone present couldn’t help but notice once again the striking similarities in appearance between her and one of the others seated at the table.
Rizass had long, glossy black hair tied into a single braided bun, lightly tanned brown skin that would surely shine under sunlight, and obsidian-black jewelled eyes.
Her facial structure and features were a near-perfect match for Bianca’s, or rather, Bianca’s were a near-perfect match for hers, making it clear even to the least observant that they were mother and daughter.
However, the family connection between Dragondune’s Master and Emperor Lloris wasn’t the reason Lloris had summoned them today.
The moment Kolvar sat down, Lloris opened the meeting with a brief greeting, thanking everyone for attending, before immediately moving straight to the point.
“The purpose of this gathering is to inform, as well as to ask questions regarding a certain incident that took place during last night’s party.”
Inquisitive expressions spread across the faces of those present, with several brows raised slightly in question as they all waited silently for Lloris to continue, which he did without more than a brief pause.
“It is my understanding that among the executives of the Demonic Hand, the organisation that attempted to open a Dimensional Rift within my nation’s borders barely a month ago, the ‘Second’ Executive is regarded as the most dangerous, even more so than the First, their leader.”
All present had a basic understanding of the Demonic Hand’s command structure, information Evan had provided during the process of securing their cooperation to form the Tarse Defence Coalition Force, so they knew what he was referring to.
What they didn’t know was why he was mentioning it now.
That question was quickly answered as Lloris looked directly at Evan and asked,
“It has come to my attention that the so-called ‘Second Finger’ was present here in this palace during last night’s party. Am I correct?”
“Yeah, she was here,” Evan responded calmly.
His casual reply was the exact opposite of the reactions of everyone else present, save Kolvar and Rizass.
Even Eliza, Laurene, David, and Bianca, who had been informed beforehand, wore difficult expressions, Laurene’s tinged with disbelief as if she still couldn’t come to terms with the fact that an existence Evan had repeatedly referred to as the ‘Most Dangerous Entity’ within the Demonic Hand had been so close.
Those who had worked with Evan for years, dating back to the Dullahan Attack on Cheverton in Year 1052, like Duke Cheverton, present as the official representative of the GWE, Luke, attending in his own capacity, and the Paladin Sir Heinr, escorting the Pope of the Holy Kingdom, also remembered how Evan had since then already been harping about how dangerous the Second Finger was, never missing an opportunity to remind everyone of the threat they posed.
However, Evan had adamantly refused to provide anyone with any information about the Second Finger, not even something as basic as their gender.
Several times during the planning for the Tarse Defence Force, Evan had mentioned that the Second Finger was supposed to be sent to assassinate the Master of Dragondune, who was present with them, but due to the Demonic Hand being unable to locate them, the Second Finger had not come to the Alpha Continent.
He had also mentioned that the Second Finger’s existence was a double-edged sword for the World Formation the Demonic Hand was exploiting, and couldn’t come to the Alpha Continent without causing complications for it.
Which was exactly why none of them had been ready for the revelation that she had not only arrived on the Alpha Continent, but had even been in the same garden with them the previous night.
“She spent all her time here chatting with me, so she didn’t do anything else if that’s what you’re worried about,” Evan said, his words reminding him of a side project he planned to start involving Rosaline.
Upon hearing him, Antonio blinked in surprise like many others and then asked, “You…chatted with her?”
“What else was I supposed to do? Fight her?” Evan asked, then shook his head slightly and added, “I’ll have you know that if she so much as released a single attack, everyone in that garden besides Kolvar, Rizass, Liz, and me would already be in the afterlife by now.”
To put it bluntly, she could one-shot every single one of them.
A notable number of those present noticed that Evan had casually mentioned himself and Eliza in the same breath as the Transcendents, prompting questions about his true power level, which none of them had yet been able to deduce, though none asked those questions at this moment.
Even more so since the Transcendents in the room said nothing to contradict his words.
Seeing their silence, Evan raised an eyebrow and asked, “What? Don’t believe me? I believe I’ve mentioned to some of you here that when she was still Level 899, Rosaline fought the Level 930 Dragon Lord Altrishia to a standstill. You can have Kolvar confirm it with Altrishia if you want.
Last night, I confirmed she’s at least Level 950 now. Do I need to explain just how much of a qualitative and quantitative increase in power a leap from Level 899 to 950 represents?”
There was absolutely no need to explain, and it was precisely because of this that their fear grew even more pronounced.
Evan leaned forward, resting his hands on the table, and continued.
“At this point, withholding information about Rosaline is going to do more harm than good. Previously, I said nothing because if her identity were revealed, the Second Division Senior Members would ensure anyone who knew was removed from the planet’s surface, but it’s different now that she’s shown herself.”
A hologram appeared in the centre of the table as he spoke, displaying the command structure of the Demonic Hand.
“The higher the division number, the greater the number of members within that division.
That much could be seen by the forces required to handle the Eighth Division in Cheverton three years ago, compared to the scale we needed to handle the Fifth in September.
Though the difference isn’t large, the remaining Upper Divisions have more members and combatants than the Fifth, with the exception of the Second, which is composed solely of elites.”
The hologram zoomed in on the first two divisions, and words appeared beneath each of their names.
