The Kingdom's Plan of Action (2)

Arthur solemnly said, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Chakri, we will need some scouts for both missions, especially the northern expedition. If you have any trustworthy guild members, please send who you can. Combat specialists should support the battalion making its way to Clearpine City."

The Thieves Guild Leader pursed her lips slightly, "I can think of a few that fit the bill. I'll send my scouting specialists to the north while my combat specialists head to the city. Some of them are experts at trapmaking, so if they work with some of the assassin-types, they should be able to do take down some of the enemy assassins." Crossing her arms, fingers tapping on her forearm, she contemplated several potential offensive plans the Dark Elf royal family would use. "There are too many methods they can use to strike the city even with what we know. Some would take too long to respond to despite early warnings. I'll have to go there myself. Only with my speed will I be certain that we can react quickly enough."

"I'd prefer that you didn't have to, but, considering the risks, I'll consider it necessary. The army doesn't have any Space Mages strong enough to seal space. The ones that do exist probably will ignore any summons, regardless of who from..." The king briefly paused before continuing, "The mission of Clearpine City's defence is too severe to be ignored. Elizabeth, Styarne, Chakri, release an emergency quest, preferably anyone either C-rank or above for adventurers, Lv. 5 or above for mages, and those who have decided their specialist branch for thieves. Label the quest as of international severity."

Four pairs of eyes, Crescius's included, lightly shook as they once again understood the reality of the coming events. The three guildmasters quietly agreed as Arthur spoke once more to Crescius, "Send out a critical summons to my children, especially Samantha. If they refuse to return, you have my permission to bring them back forcefully."

Nathaniel interjected here, "I'll send some of our reserve of Return Scrolls as well. They're marked to the Mages Guild Headquarters, so it will be a quick return. Aside from the First Prince and First Princess, their guards should be enough to restrain them and bring them back. Those two, on the other hand, are smart enough to know how important a critical summons is. We don't have to worry about them ignoring it."

"Good, good. You don't need to send many scrolls, their guards should be able to bring them back in a timely manner. Samantha is the only one that requires one. Not only is she in Clearpine City, but she is also one of their targets. They will capture and corrupt her with demonic magic, turning her into a murderous puppet made to hunt down the Valar family... including myself. I'm told that her last kill was my future self, which she did by self-destructing." The information that the king himself would be killed in the future astounded those listening, followed by a moment of grim expressions as they took in the knowledge of a demon-controlled regicide by his own daughter. Nathaniel silently acquiesced, deciding that Samantha's return had to be immediate. "Elizabeth, I'd ask you to find out if one of the Archmages of Space, former or current, could be privately commissioned to assist in the defence of the city. As this is a request from the kingdom, I will use whatever the vault possesses to pay them."

"The current Archmage of Space, who is, if I remember correctly, the 15th incumbent, is attempting to research the Lv. 9 space-type spell [Dimension Break] and has more-or-less secluded himself for the foreseeable future. As for retired Archmages of Space, only numbers 11 and 14 are still alive. The 14th is travelling around recording locations of pocket worlds and she likely will be hard to find. As for the 11th, he currently lives in Cyelume as the Mages College Headmaster. Considering that he is over five hundred years old, it'd take a lot to convince him to come out of retirement." As a former Archmage herself, Elizabeth was familiar with those who both held and hold the positions.

Crescius spoke up once Elizabeth brought up the difficulty of hiring the 11th generation Archmage of Space, "We can offer two things that should perk his interest, considering he has stopped researching further into his specialty. The royal library holds numerous space-type tomes, many of which can assist him in protecting his students and the city. There is also the personal staff of one of my own predecessors, a Saint-grade artifact that can increase the range and magnitude of his magic by fivefold, boosts mana recovery tenfold, and has the non-elemental spell [Lightwave of Truth] built-in. Unlike the original version that can only expand to a maximum of 500m, it can be used once every five minutes and can expand as far as one's range can go, revealing any traps, illusions and would-be sneaks. Hopefully, that should be enough to convince him."

Arthur thought it over and came to the same conclusion, "I can't think of anything more sufficient to convince one of the most senior living mages to help. At least not off the top of my head."

The Head Guildmaster of the Mages Guild nodded, "I will see if that can move him. Don't expect too much, though. He's not exactly fond of the idea of returning to active duty."

Crescius just waved his hand dismissively, "We're not going to ask him to return to active duty. This is a one-time request. Hopefully, we don't have to call upon him again. Just tell him that this is urgent. If he agrees, we will do our best to, preferably, not bother him again." Though she wasn't happy at Crescius's attitude, she understood how serious this matter was and did not think too much on it.

Styarne spoke the first words he had since he had arrived, in a gravelly tone of voice, "Is there anything else? If not, let's get moving. The last thing we need right now is a sudden change in the movement of the enemies."