The summit had ended, but its weight would change the history of the world on many levels.
Many decisions had been made. So political. So strategic.
The first decision ca from the King himself: Eldoria would reopen its frontiers.
For the first ti in decades, adventurers from foreign kingdoms would be allowed to freely enter, take quests, and contribute to Eldoria’s growing network.
Trade would expand. Dungeon access would be relaxed.
It was a bold move, and one that would surely ignite conflict within the nobility, who hadn’t even been consulted.
Many of them would see this as a betrayal of tradition, a dangerous gamble.
But the adventurers’ guild had its own share of change.
For the second decision, new divisions would be established across major cities, expanding reach and recruitnt.
The age of isolated guilds was over. Now, they would gather more people, more talents, from every corner of the continent.
But the third decision... that was the one no one saw coming.
The strongest adventurers, the most talented and elite mbers of every major party, were being asked to be released from their current parties.
To form new parties made of different talents from different parties.
It was a blow no one expected.
Letting go of the one person keeping your party afloat was like cutting your own leg before a race. Devastating.
But in truth, the decision had rit.
Face to the evolution of the Demons, they needed new thods.
Not just strong individuals, but combinations that worked.
Synergy between powerhouses. An early Hero party that would grow and learn to fight together.
Seeing it like that, it sounded logical. But of course, the backlash ca imdiately.
Leaders protested. Voices rose in frustration.
"You’re asking us to cripple our own teams," one shouted.
"Without them, we’ll lose half our raids. We won’t survive high-tier dungeons!"
Crest stood up, hands clenched, trying his best to remain respectful.
"Your Majesty, I understand the vision, but this is... it’s too much. So teams can’t operate without their strongest. I an, with all due respect, you’re cutting our wings mid-flight. Everyone can improve, so isn’t that better to have many party with one strong fighter?"
The hall fell quiet.
Then, Aurus, the First Hero, stepped forward.
"I understand," he said. "Truly, I do. Because I rember what it ant to fight without my brother-in-arms."
He looked toward the seats.
"Darwin, the man we lost, one ti , he stood in the middle of an explosion that could have erased a city. A fire that never extinguished. And he tanked it. He kept fighting for hours while burning."
The room was silent. Aurus’s eyes dimd.
"And the demon that killed him? Didn’t even break a house. And from the iron will to make him suffer in his last monts, I can tell you that it wasn’t a sneak attack. Darwin was aware. He fought, but it didn’t matter. He was dominated."
Aurus turned toward Crest.
"So tell , lad. You think you could defeat Darwin?"
Crest’s mouth opened slightly. But no words ca out.
Aurus smiled faintly.
"Didn’t think so. So if you’re telling you can fight a demon who could kill a man like that... then I’ll revoke the King’s decision right now."
Crest looked down. His fists tightened. But even he knew the truth.
He couldn’t.
The room slowly quieted again. The bitter reality had sunk in.
One by one, leaders sat down. Defeated. Bitter. But understanding.
For New Horizons, it ant losing Airi.
Ronan and Arkel looked visibly tense. Cassandra bit her lip. She had predicted sothing like this. She just hadn’t expected it so soon.
Then ca the final part.
A list.
Nas were called by the guards. Airi, Selith, Bel, and many more.
These were the chosen.
The ones ant to break from their parties and start sothing new.
It wasn’t imdiate, they would be given ti to make arrangents, to finish old missions. But the seed had been planted.
The future was moving.
And sowhere in the room, Elysia watched.
Sad, perhaps, for those who had to let go of soone important. But also thoughtful.
Because there was one possibility now.
The Hero. The true Hero of this generation...
Might be among them.
She studied the faces. The eyes. Trying to feel sothing. A hint. But it was nearly impossible.
Hero was a class. It could be appraised.
Whoever he was, if he was even here, the King would be already aware, and he would have hidden him.
Still, one thing made her smile.
If the Hero had to join a party, then he’d be with Airi, the first confird Sacred.
And that ant the kingdom’s future might still have a chance.
And with this, the summit was over.
The sun had started to dip as the doors of the Royal Castle opened wide, releasing waves of adventurers from every corner of the continent.
At the castle gates, a few groups remained.
New Horizons stood together, silent and tense. Elysia was nearby, glancing between them.
Ilya and Lena were speaking in quiet tones behind to Bel and Selith who stood at the front, watching the crowd disperse.
Bel, arms crossed, narrowed his eyes. Selith, beside him, mirrored his posture but held her chin lightly, thinking.
"So this is what they’ve decided," Selith murmured.
Lena shifted on her feet, looking troubled. Ilya nodded quietly.
"It might be different for you and Bel," she said. "They want to form a party of Sacreds. So you won’t even be assigned to a real team yet. Maybe so temporary teams to help you get stronger. Until your ’real’ party shows up."
"This isn’t good," Selith said, tapping her chin. Her tone was more annoyed than concerned.
Airi groaned, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the stone path.
"Ugh. I get that they’re desperate," she muttered. "But this? Forcing us like this? It ruins everything. I had plans."
Bel sighed, shoulders tense. This couldn’t be worse. When did they even start caring about him this much?
"You should be happy," Crest said suddenly. "You wanted to raid stronger dungeons, right? Here you go. Served on a royal plate."
Airi didn’t skip a beat.
"I know I can do it," she snapped. "I could skip straight to the strongest dungeon and co out with the best skills. But I want to do it my way. Step by step. From zero to hero."
"Oh, but wait," Crest replied, voice bitter. "Didn’t soone say it’s not ti to play the adventurer anymore? That this was a war? That we should stop pretending?"
His glare was sharp. Cassandra bit her lip.
"You said we might live the sa story as with Bel if we kept pretending," he went on, his tone full of anger barely hidden beneath a sarcastic smile. "Well, you got your wish. Now you get to avoid it by losing Airi and being stuck with low-rank dungeons forever."
Ronan and Arkel flinched. He turned to them next.
"And you two? Wanting to grow stronger without relying on Airi? Congrats. You won. She’s gone. You got what you wanted."
"Crest, stop," Ronan said, trying to sound firm.
"No. Let him go on, he’s just mad he’s not good enough to be picked" Airi said, smiling. Her arms crossed tighter. "Put yourself in his shoes. You’re stuck, Crest. Stuck here, not even good enough to join a random party."
She leaned in, her voice low.
"But don’t worry. I’ll do my job, I’ll go save the world. You stay ho. Keep the house clean."
The sting in her voice was unmistakable. Ronan looked away. Cassandra bit her lip.
Elysia stepped forward. to calm the group.
"This is tough for everyone. We all have our feelings, but now’s not the ti."
"No," Crest snapped. "This isn’t tough. This is normal."
"Exactly," Airi agreed. "It’s just biology. The strong move on, the weak can go hang himself to save oxygen."
Crest let out a slow breath, then turned to Elysia.
"Let’s go."
Elysia blinked.
"What? Go where?"
He didn’t look at his teammates.
"Let’s go ho."
She hesitated.
"Don’t you want to go back to the carriage with them?"
Crest shook his head.
"No, they’re going to the capital. I an ho. Where my family is."
Tension spiked.
"Crest," Arkel asked, voice uneasy, "what do you an by that?"
"We need to regroup," Ronan said. "We need to regroup. Figure out what to do after Airi leaves."
"For what?" Crest snapped. "The kingdom doesn’t need another nobody to fight the demons. That’s what they made very clear today. So why bother?"
He looked again at Elysia.
"I’m going with you."
"What?!" Arkel, Ronan, and Cassandra all reacted at once. Cassandra’s eyes widened.
"You’re leaving the team?"
"You’re just giving up?" Arkel asked.
From the side, Bel, Selith, Ilya, and Lena watched in silence. Airi stayed quiet, staring. No one moved.
Crest looked down.
"I was never needed in the first place."
This was the last string breaking.
Airi stepped forward, her smirk wider.
"You’re so pathetic, Crest."
Crest stiffened, lifting his head.
"Oh? Did I hurt your little feelings? Poor Crest," she said in a mocking, high-pitched tone. "’I don’t wanna be left behind, waah! Everyone’s stronger than , waah!’"
Crest clenched his fists.
"I’m not—"
"You’re not what? Not a coward? Could’ve fooled . Look at you— crying in a corner like so kicked puppy." She laughed. "No spine, no bite, just bark."
"I’m doing what’s right for ! You don’t understand!" he snapped. "I gave everything to this team. I fought every battle! What did I get in return? Being ignored for so newbies? Being treated like an idiot? Like I should prove everyday why I’m here?"
"See? You can’t even hide it!" Airi rolled her eyes. "You’re mad that no one sees you as important. That you didn’t get picked. Look at you, poor baby Crest. Wah, wah, they didn’t say I was special."
Crest’s face turned red. His voice cracked.
"You think you’re better than everyone... You keep insulting , minimizing , criticizing , they all see that, they all know... But they will never stand up for , because they don’t give a fuck! All that matters is that you make them popular, and because you’re strong, they let you do what the fuck you want!"
"That’s because I am better than everyone, you idiot," Airi cut in, stepping closer. "I can take a boss alone, I can improve every battle, and I am an insurance of victory. I am special, and you, you’re weak. And you know it. That’s why you’re quitting. Because if you stay, you’ll have to watch people like , people who actually deserve to be here, rise above you. And you can’t handle that."
He snapped.
"I’m not weak! I worked just as hard as anyone else! From the start, I gave everything! I gave and gave and gave and gave, every mont, every bleeding, every chance to prove myself... I gave! And no one listened! I kept giving, even when I was ignored, even when I was passed over, even when I was treated like dead weight. I kept giving when it hurt! But it’s never enough, is it? Never enough for you. Because no matter what I do, soone stronger shows up, soone with more power, and suddenly, I don’t matter! And they will insult like they want, again and again and again and again and again! And when I finally say sothing, when I finally try to stand up, what happens? Those wannabe leaders will take their side. Not mine. So why should I stay? Why should I keep giving to people who’ll never care? I’m done."
"Then why are you still here?" she interrupted, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Why are you barking instead of running? Why are you telling your life story? Huh? Nobody cares about you! Fuck off to Daddy and Mommy!"
Crest only saw red. He raised his arm, shaking in pure rage. For a mont, it looked like he’d lash out.
But he stopped. His hand trembled, then dropped.
Airi laughed and leaned in.
"Go on. Do it. Hit . Finally grow a pair and strike back."
His fists shook. But he didn’t move.
She tilted her head mockingly.
"Yeah. That’s what I thought. No balls. Just hot air. You didn’t stop because it was wrong, you stopped because you knew I’d mop the floor with your sorry ass."
Crest’s jaw tightened. His breathing quickened.
She grinned wider.
"Go run ho, Crest. Hide in your warm little hug circle. Maybe they’ll pat your head and tell you you’re still special. Like a good little failure."
Silence.
Crest’s voice was low, almost broken.
"...Sorry."
Everyone was quiet.
All eyes flicked between Crest and Airi, not out of judgnt, but surprise. No one expected it to go that far.
Ronan shifted uncomfortably. Arkel lowered his head. Even Cassandra, usually composed, bit her lip and looked away.
Crest turned slowly, taking one last look at the others. His face was different now. Not angry. Not ashad.
Just... tired.
Without another word, he walked away.
Elysia’s gaze followed him, lips parted as if to speak, but she said nothing.
Her eyes t Bel’s for a mont. He gave a small nod.
"Later."
She nodded back, then turned, gently moving to follow after Crest.
Airi crossed her arms and scoffed, loud enough to be heard.
"Good riddance."
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