Chapter 45

After a few moments of quiet, Adonis turned to Grandmaster Conrad and gave a nod.

It was time for the second grave announcement to be made.

“The Head Warrior Brutus has yet to return from his expedition.”

This announcement didn’t seem like much to the students, and to be honest, it wasn’t supposed to be.

“We gave him and his men three days to complete their investigation, and it’s only been two days. Normally, there would be no cause for concern, but a recent development has occurred.”

The expressions of the students shifted slowly, now showing worry. From Conrad’s tone alone, they could sense the seriousness of the situation.

“His Royal Badge has been destroyed, but more than that… his Life Force is barely detectable.”

Lucielle slowly nodded as Conrad spoke, her once-clear skin now showing wrinkles of worry from creased brows.

As the Grand Mage of the Alliance, Lucielle had a lot of Spells at her disposal.

One was a Spell to detect a person’s life force.

Of course, there were conditions to be met for this to work, such as Lucielle’s proximity and extensive knowledge of the person in question.

As such, while she could not detect the Life Force of the two Otherworlders who were missing, she could detect Brutus’ own.

… And it was waning.

“He’s dying. Or, at least, he’s in a very weakened state.”

Upon hearing this, the students were appalled.

They had been assured that the Dungeon, despite being dangerous, would be safe for them.

They were also promised protection by Brutus and Lucielle.

Yet…

“I was able to track his location, thankfully. He’s at the very bottom of the Dungeon—the Last Floor.”

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

The Royal Dungeon was rumored to have about 99 Floors. How could the Head Warrior have reached the bottom floor in such a short time?

“It’s not possible by natural means. That means something is definitely wrong—perhaps the Savage Monster he was investigating.” Lucielle muttered as she stroked her chin.

“S-savage Monster?!”

“You didn’t tell us about this!”

“What Monster? If it’s strong enough to put Brutus in that state, then…”

Lucielle instantly realized her mistake in voicing her thoughts aloud.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

The Otherworlders' voices filled the room with whines and complaints, echoing like tantrums of entitled children.

They were scared, yes, but more than anything, they were angry.

Angry at the Alliance for trying to make them explore the Dungeon despite how dangerous it was.

They argued that their current training method was safer and accused the Alliance of needlessly risking their lives.

None of the students—or at least, most of them—understood the rationale behind the Alliance’s decisions.

They only saw the danger associated with the Dungeon and began to spread their words of distrust.

And with that came chaos.

“This is… getting a little upsetting.”

~VWUUUUUUMMMM!~

A sudden pressure filled the room, silencing everyone.

Adonis stepped forward, his golden eyes flickering with intensity as he frowned deeply.

“Right now, two of our classmates are in trouble. The man who taught us how to fight, and went to ensure our safety is also missing… and all you can think to do is complain?”

Adonis' harsh tone shocked many who heard him, as he had never spoken so sharply before.

Adonis’s words had no filter as he spoke with anger, “Do you all realize what you sound like right now?”

“… Selfish scum.”

No one dared to utter a word of complaint or disagreement.

Instead, surprise and fear consumed the faces of the students watching.

It felt as if Adonis had finally snapped.

“I don’t even care anymore. The students who aren't interested in helping out, or being at all useful should just leave.”

Shock filled the faces of everyone in the room—even the members of the Royal Council.

“H-Hero, maybe that’s a little too—”

“Harsh? Inconsiderate? Unwise? No… I don’t think so.” Adonis sighed, exhaling deeply.

Though he was still annoyed, the intimidating pressure he exuded began to dissipate.

“What this world needs are saviors—soldiers who are willing to see the bigger picture and fight for the greater good.”

He wasn’t wrong. The threat of the Dragons loomed larger with each passing day, and the Alliance desperately needed capable warriors.

“But what I see before me are still immature children who think this is all a game and desire to be pampered.”

Given their age, their previous displays of immaturity were understandable.

However, the current situation demanded a shift in their mindset.

This wasn’t a time for murmurs, gossip, or complaints; it was a time for action.

Yet, the potential saviors of this world seemed uninterested in stepping up to the challenge.

“What is the point of wasting time and resources on you if you won’t do anything but complain at crucial moments like this?”

Adonis said it as it was.

“The Alliance doesn’t need Otherworlders who simply want to grow strong to avoid dangers. What they need are heroes who will face danger head-on and save the world from peril.”

It was a tough task, one that shouldn’t be thrust on mere teenagers.

But for the people of H’Trae, 16 Years was the legal age for humans.

That was why the Summoning Spell had been so specific to summon high-schoolers who were that age.

The younger a person was, the more malleable they were to training, and the higher their growth potential would be.

That was why the Alliance needed their saviors to be as young as possible, but also adults.

Hence, 16-year-old teenagers.

What they didn’t count on, however, was the kind of Otherworlders they ended up with.

Selfish, entitled, problematic, and self-preserving young brats who would rather ditch the world in times of trouble than save it.

“By dawn tomorrow, a team will be selected to descend to the depths of the Dungeon to rescue Head Warrior Brutus.”

Gasps echoed out as Adonis said this.

“I don’t expect any of you to tag along, but I am going. If I can not save just one person, or a group of people, from danger… how do I expect to save everyone?”

Right now, the urgent matter was Brutus’ condition, especially since he was in danger of dying. Alicia and Billy’s whereabouts were still unknown, but the focus had to be on saving Brutus.

While a thorough investigation into the missing Otherworlders would start that very night, immediate action was necessary in the Dungeon.

“Lucielle and I will lead the rescue team to save Brutus and his men.” Adonis declared, his gaze cold and his tone oozing resolve.

“You all can choose to remain here or enjoy your stay in the town for all I care. In fact, you can even leave the Estate if that’s what you really want.”

These were heavy words, but Adonis no longer held anything back.

All his diplomacy was gone.

“I will remain here, and I will do my best to save this world from the Dragons!” He roared.

Everyone was silent.

Everything was still.

All eyes remained fixed on Adonis as he walked out the door.

“… And I don’t care if I have to do it alone.”

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

What an intense chapter, right?

How do you see Adonis and his reaction towards everything?

Was he right? Or did he go too far?