In a large cavern that had newly been created right at the spot below the center of the continent of Angaria, mountains and mountains of gleaming red gems could be seen which were carefully being curated by a team of people that were zipping around with data trinkets in their hands.
They were verifying whether these were all of the resources that had been collected from all over the continent and had been placed here in quite a short period of time, and what they were checking and double-checking was whether anyone had been daring enough to take away any of these Ker Gems when they were being transported.
It was actually something that happened quite often, and right now, it was especially crucial that no one had been dumb enough to do so. The information regarding what they were going to do had only been proliferated in the High Council, and many plans had been implemented so that it would remain within the circle of those who could reasonably be trusted. They did not want to risk leaking the information to the Church, but still, they had been quite quick in accomplishing what they had been set out to.
All of the major reserves in the Big Four had been collected, and the even larger reserves of the Order were being taken care of in a different location. All in all, they were in the final stages of preparing to eliminate the bugs that had almost resulted in their defeat, and everything looked like it was going well.
Still, pained expressions could be seen on the faces of two figures who had appeared in the air about these mountains.
Their bodies were formless, but their voices were quite distinct and unique, just like their faces. One of them was a woman with striking features, and the other was a man with a broad jaw and electric blue eyes. Both the voices held a certain amount of confidence that could only be obtained by those who knew that they would be unrivaled no matter where they went, but at the moment, their tones were filled with sorrow.
"Half the resources! Half! Things are going to get so damn difficult!", said the man, to which the woman replied, "We have no choice. It's half, or all of them. Both of us know that it is futile to attack the Church- the moment they see us coming, they'll flip the switch. They would have detonated by now, too, but the only thing they're waiting for is the bugs to reach their maximum potential, which will apparently take another day. It is really fortunate that that kid managed to find out about this at such a perfect time."
"Pfft, you really believe that? I think it's that hidden organization at work. Of course, I don't have any memories about it, but my Path is all about knowing things that I should not. If I didn't have such a bad feeling about it… I might have joined. I still don't know what I must have felt, then, but I just couldn't trust it."
An alarmed expression came on the woman's face as she heard the man say this, and she even looked around to check whether there was anyone near them.
After that, she spoke in a berating tone.
"I told you not to talk about it! You only confided in me about it, but even then, the risk is very high that whoever they are will find out and try to purge those memories again. If they are really as powerful as you say, then they will have no trouble in subduing you and doing what they wish! Please be more tactful, Arthur. And please, please, don't tell anyone else. Yes, I got that thought, too, but I wasn't dumb enough to state it out loud here. Anyway, didn't you check those bugs out? Is there really no way? I thought you have been dabbling in biological stuff for quite some time…"
The man who had been called Arthur chuckled as he heard her, and answered, "Alright, alright, I'll keep that in mind. Yes, I have been dabbling in it, and I've discovered a few things, but that's it. From what I was able to gather, whoever made those things was actually not really refined in his skills, but he managed to find something which was so destructive. It is obvious from the way he cannot control it that he forcefully stopped himself from experimenting further, even though there was scope for improvement. Just like in most matters of evolution and creation where unknown things might occur if you dabble with the fabric of life, this guy stumbled upon this, and he was scared of messing things up even further if he proceeded. That means that its remedy is out there, and it might even be simple, but it will require another stroke of luck to obtain it. That is generally the way it goes with these things - even the Golden Mosquitoes that were banned were created by fluke. This is really a pickle that we've found ourselves in…"
With a sad nod, the woman was about to say something, but she stopped when she saw a large batch of Heroes teleport to the room.
"I guess its starting. Let's go."
With that, both of them disappeared, and the Heroes who had arrived looked around before landing at a spot that had been cleared for them.
It was smack dab in the middle of all the mountains, and after checking that they really were equidistant from the farthest points of the room, they started laying down a highly complex formation.
A similar scene could be seen in the other location on the continent, too, where there were many more Ker Gems and Ether blocks, but fewer Heroes. It seemed that these Heroes were more skilled, as they continued to lay the same formation at a much quicker pace.
Observing this, the Head sighed and remarked to himself regarding the incredible power difference between the true Heroes from the Order, and those from the Big Four who had had to use Willstones.
He constantly kept checking the time, and as he saw the minutes tick towards the time which had been decided on, he kept getting more and more tense.
He fought against the temptation to call the King and enquire about what the status was, as the man had assured him that he would be done. Soon, it would be too late to extend the time, too, so the Head really hoped that his blind trust would not be proven false.
The formation was laid down, and the Heroes started to check everything. No one knew exactly what method they were going to use as it had been concealed thoroughly, so even the Head had only been told that half the resources would remain after they were done. It had not been in his place to question them, so all he could do was go along.
As the last ten minutes approached, the Head even started fidgeting where he stood within the cavern where the Big Four's reserves had been assembled, and he finally relented to the voice inside him which had kept insisting that he should contact the King.
Just as he was about to touch the communication trinket to do so, though…he received a message from the man, himself.
"When the Overseer calls you, accept."
Huh?
The Head didn't understand, but in the next moment, he received a message from the Overseer.
"You are needed. Do you accept to have your memories wiped of what you are going to see?"
The Head hesitated for the briefest of moments. This had been one of the main reasons why he had never even considered rising higher in the Order after being inducted into it: just the feeling of having his memories manipulated sickened him, as there was always a possibility that he might be made to forget something crucial.
Still, remembering his disciple brother's words, he decided to let his apprehensions go, for once.
As he sent the confirmation, he felt himself being teleported away.
The moment the Head's vision cleared, he obtained a glimpse of gems and Ether blocks piled so high that they seemed to reach the heavens.
Yet, just a second after that, that image blurred, and all he could make out was a vague space beyond the position where he was standing.
"Welcome, Head. You have been called to give your inputs to a negotiation that has begun between the Order and the individual known by the title 'Overlord'. Speak when you are asked to."
N-negotiation?
What the heck?!
Weren't they in a situation where it was do-or-die? Then how the hell had negotiation come into it?
With an extremely confused expression on his face, the Head looked around to see a man with a smirk on his face.
His features were different, but that smirk…oh, he could recognize it anywhere.
Even if he didn't spot it, though, it was obvious that this was the King.
He even winked at the Head who didn't respond, because in the next moment, the Overseer had resumed speaking.
"The negotiation at present is in regards to a deal where 'Overlord' will obtain two 5-star mission tier rewards in exchange for delivering an actionable solution to the crisis at hand. He will also obtain the record of having passed two 5-star missions. Are the terms of this deal acceptable to the proposer?"
"Perfect. Hey, if I knew that this was going to be so easy, I would have asked for three!"
Ignoring his jibe, the Overseer continued in that same tone.
"Head of the High Council, you will be in charge as the liaison between this member of the Order and the outside world. At no instance must his identity be put at risk. The Order understands that there are two individuals in the outside world who are supposed to have the skills to accomplish what the proposer is going to do. The Overseer understands that one of those identities is fake. It will be the duty of the Head to ensure that all suspicion regarding the identity of the proposer be pushed onto the fake identity. Does the Head accept? In return, the Head can negotiate for a price from the proposer."
W-what?!
Listening to this entire dialogue, the Head felt as if he was in a dream.
There was a way for the King to save the continent, but he was bargaining for it?
The first thing that came to the Head was disapproval, as anyone would say that in such times, one should put aside their personal agenda.
Yet…as he thought about it more, he didn't really find any reason for anyone not to use such an opportunity.
The Order awarded the rewards that were in its safekeeping for the betterment of the continent using arbitrary scoring on arbitrary missions that it decided, by itself. If so, why shouldn't one wish to obtain more rewards because they would be doing something to help the Order's original purpose, anyway?
In fact, after a moment, it even looked like one would be dumb not to use this opportunity!
The news of his and the King's relation had to be kept a secret, so the Head spoke in a stoic manner.
"For this, we can negotiate the price later. Time is of the essence."
As the Overlord smiled and nodded, the Overseer said, "The agreement has been approved. Now, you are requested to reveal your method."
In response, weirdly, the Overlord looked down, but what followed that made the Head directly drop his jaw.
At a speed that was hardly visible to the naked eye of a common man, many, many twinkling lights flew out of the many pockets of the man.
He slowly raised his head along with his hands that were held aloft, and behind him….a thousand, no, a hundred thousand golden stars were visible.
As he spoke, his voice echoed in the area, and his words would forever be remembered by the Head.
"Oh, its simple. My friends, here, will first initiate contact with those infernal things. Amidst the swirling mists of Energy, they will dance, sing, and fall in love with each other. It'll be very romantic, I promise you. They will even decide to take the final step, but during that act of Heaven…is when they will suck the life out of those damn things! Isn't it just a perfect marriage?"