Two days later, a meeting of the captains was called at the capital.
The Grandmaster, Asten Chron, said,
"Well everyone, it's good to see you all."
Lucifer responded, "Hello. How you doing?"
Asten replied, "I'm doing well."
He then continued,
"Before starting today's meeting, I'd like to mention Mrs. Alysa, Lucifer, and Licht—I hope you three had a wonderful yearly vacation."
Lucifer said, "It was... kinda nice."
Asten looked at Alysa.
"Alysa, you definitely seem cheerful today. Is there something you'd like to share?"
Alysa responded, "No sir. As of right now, I have nothing to share."
Asten then turned to Licht.
"Licht, you seem tired. Is there something you want to state?"
Licht replied, "I just want a quick 30-minute nap."
In his head, he thought, I think it's best if no one knows why I haven't slept for the past two days.
He added, "I prefer not to talk about it."
Asten asked, "Lucifer, please tell me what happened. Why exactly are these two like this after your vacation?"
Lucifer smirked. "Well, Asten... these two had a 48-hour competitive gaming session.
The smiling idiot over there is currently at 5434 to 0... and the sleepy idiot is trying to hide his face in shame."
Licht quietly kicked Lucifer on the foot.
Asten chuckled. "Well, that's certainly an interesting story. But how is that a vacation? Isn't that what you usually do in your free time?"
Lucifer replied, "We used to. Now it's just them."
Asten said, "Oh well... now getting to the matter at hand—
A Conqueror's Challenge has been issued against us.
And it's from Mutou."
He continued,
"They're sending their finest fire magic user—Draince.
Even though Mutou is a weak nation compared to us, they shouldn't be underestimated.
Over the past few years, they've been steadily building up their military strength.
They're fine with hosting the challenge here at the capital—or should I say, in our prestigious arena: The Gladiator's Finale."
Lucifer said, "That site has given birth to countless legends.
A victory there would make a great addition to our history."
The Captain of Valon, Lucious, said,
"Sir, is it okay if I fight Draince as our nation's representative?"
Asten shook his head.
"Sorry, Lucious. I can't agree to that.
Even though they're considerably weaker, we can't afford to take risks.
With you, there's still a real—albeit small—chance of losing, even if it's just 5%."
The Captain of Rising Sun, Elva, asked,
"Then who are we going to send? Lumos or Hedin? Both are strong choices.
They're not captains, but they've got more than enough power."
Asten replied, "I spoke with the King. We've already decided who it will be."
Licht asked, "And who might that be?"
Asten said,
"Well, His Majesty reminded me that during the attack on the capital, someone saved the royal family and preserved their dignity.
The King wants her to choose who will represent us."
He turned.
"Alysa Bouduin—who do you desire to fight for our nation?"
Alysa blinked. "W-Who, me?"
Licht said, "You were the one who protected the royal family. So yeah, it's you."
Alysa sighed. "If possible... I would want my love, Lucifer, to be the one to ensure our victory."
Lucifer smirked. "Well then... I accept."
After the meeting, Alysa grumbled,
"I swear to God, if I had known saving that idiot royal family would mean doing this kind of ceremonial nonsense in public,
I would've just let them die!"
Licht said calmly,
"Calm, calm. Take deep breaths."
Alysa muttered,
"Those idiots know I'm an introvert with SAD, and still they give me this kind of work!"