Discussion

In the center of a large room, a long table was stretched out far enough to seat dozens of individuals. At the head of that table sat King Simon Felgrand, who was currently waiting with his attendants for an important individual.

Knights in shining armor were situated around the entrances and the long table to safeguard their ruler and guests.

Finally, after some time, an announcement was heard.

"The Saint Priestess has arrived!" called one knight who was standing guard outside the double doors to the meeting room.

"You may send her in," responded the King.

After the double doors were pushed open, a young woman dressed in white robes stepped into the room. This time, besides the Saint Priestess, only the King and a couple other important men were participating in this meeting.

"Your Majesty," the Saint Priestess addressed while bowing.

"Have a seat, Lady Vivian." King Simon gestured to one of the chairs near the table. "We have much to discuss about."

"Yes, your grace," the Saint Priestess, whose full name was Vivian Abel, politely responded while walking over to the long table.

"Where is the Saint Knight? I believe both of you were called for," asked one of the members in the room.

"Gawain is currently undergoing training and is unable to attend at this moment. Please accept his sincerest apologies," Vivian casually replied after finding a seat. She used the Saint Knight's first name without a single honorific due to her close familiarity with the latter.

"Training?" the same person who spoke looked baffled. "Does he not understand the importance of attendance? His Highness himself specifically requested--!"

"That's enough," spoke the King. His voice spread to every man in the room. "If Sir Gawain wishes to train, then let him be.

"The Saint Knight's strength has always been a vital pillar for our country."

After quelling the discontent around the table, King Simon looked sternly over at Vivian.

"I trust you will tell him everything discussed at this meeting?"

Vivian remained composed and unflinching as she calmly gazed back.

"Do not worry, your grace. He will know."

The King merely nodded before gesturing to one of his advisors who was holding a stack of papers.

"Ahem," the advisor cleared his throat before speaking. "This meeting has been called to discuss the recent reports of events occurring within the Fermes Kingdom and, by extension, the Spanyx Empire. Based on the reports from our spies in the Fermes Kingdom, we have managed to confirm the existence of a powerful entity that is currently terrorizing our neighboring countries.

"Some of you might have heard of this individual already, as this powerful entity goes by the name of 'Requiem'.

"We do not know of this person's species or gender, but it is presently speculated that this 'Requiem' is likely a male warrior who has mastered the arts of assassination and thievery."

"What is the range of activities of this individual?" asked a minister.

The advisor looked through the reports as he replied, "Based on what has been listed, Requiem has mainly engaged in acts of murder and burglary. It should be noted, however, that all of his victims have been either nobles or men of high status in their communities, and are also suspected to have engaged in despicable crimes unbeknownst to the public. In addition, Requiem has consistently distributed the riches he stole to the poorest regions in the places he's ventured."

"So does this person regard himself as a champion of justice?" mocked an old official.

"Rather than referring to him as a hero, it would be more accurate to call him an avenger." The advisor continued, "Requiem has mainly dealt in activities inside the Fermes territory, but there is strong evidence to suggest that he may also have committed similar acts in the Spanyx Empire as well, though not as frequently."

"Have our spies there completely confirmed this?" asked King Simon.

"Only for the ones that have been recently discovered," answered the advisor swiftly. "As you know, the Spanyx Empire is farther from our nation compared to the Fermes Kingdom, so intelligence will take some time before reaching us. Our spies may even be uncovering new information at this very moment, your grace."

Due to the geography, the Spanyx Empire possesses land that borders the Fermes Kingdom but not Bavalon, which is situated on another end of Fermes. This makes it particularly tricky for faraway spies to find ways to communicate with their country without attracting the attention of enemy mages specialized in divination and anti-communication magic.

"Hmm." King Simon contemplated this fact before speaking, "Tell us about the abilities of this 'Requiem'."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the advisor flipped through his papers. "From what has been discovered by the other nations, Requiem appears to possess an unidentified ability to bypass any form of security or barrier setup by other mages, regardless of their ranks."

The advisor's words immediately drew the rapt attention of every person in the room.

Ever since the Dawn of Magic arrived, nobles from every nation placed great importance on their personal safety in the new world. Thus, many spells were developed to combat against any intrusion or hidden danger in their residences and surroundings. In the current century, it is quite rare for any assassin or thief to be capable of penetrating through the myriad of protections placed around individuals of high status. Hence, the emergence of a new power that can completely bypass these forms of protections is a great cause for concern.

"Are you certain of this?" questioned one person in an agitated tone. "Even for those who've already reached Master and Divine classes?"

"So far, only mages up to Master-class have been confirmed to possess absolutely no effect in preventing Requiem's entry to various locations," elaborated the advisor. "As for Divine, there was one case where a demigod's residence had been forcefully invaded while the occupant was still inside, but interestingly there was no evidence of any theft or murder that actually took place; it was as if Requiem was simply just visiting and then left afterwards."

The room grew silent as nearly everyone grew nervous at this revelation. Only the King and the Saint Priestess appeared to be collected as neither of them showed any concern or worry towards the advisor's words.

"What about his combat prowess?" asked another person.

"I'm afraid we do not have a full disclosure of Requiem's skills," the advisor admitted truthfully while flipping through another paper. "As there is not enough intel, we can only make inferences through his feats and limited appearances to get an estimated understanding of his true combat ability."

The advisor then began to list out recordings of Requiem's exploits and battles that have been uncovered by their spies. The information of these events included the capabilities of the individuals and groups that Requiem has eliminated, as well as theories on the true nature of his abilities.

After the advisor concluded his report, the people in the room began speaking fervently among themselves. It was quite obvious that they were growing increasingly frightened by this mysterious being.

"This individual can't possibly be human... It must be a vengeful spirit!"

"We need to take precautions immediately! It's disgraceful how the Fermes haven't been able to deal with this creature for so long."

"It does not seem that this 'Requiem' has any interest in Bavalon at the moment. How long that will remain, though, is the question..."

"First and foremost, we must discover the motivations behind his actions..."

"Enough chattering!" King Simon bellowed after the discussions began increasing in volume.

As soon as everyone heard the King's booming voice, they quickly became silent on the spot before turning their attention to the head of the table.

King Simon stared around at all his guests before settling his gaze on a single individual. That individual would be the one who last entered this room before they began their discussion, and is also the only person who continued to remain the most silent out of everyone since this meeting started.

"Lady Vivian," King Simon spoke in a leveled tone. "What are your thoughts on this 'Requiem'?"

When those words reached the people in the room, everyone who heard them began focusing their attention onto the King's question; it occurred to the guests the real reason as to why the Saint Priestess was invited to this meeting. Naturally, as the companion closest to Sir Gawain, the strongest combatant in Bavalon, she is the best person at hand in estimating the strength and danger of Requiem, and the potential ways to possibly counter him. It was simply a shame that the Saint Knight himself was unable to attend this meeting.

Vivian held a composed expression that betrayed no emotion as to what she felt about this issue.

"From what I can gather," Vivian replied in a thoughtful tone. "This Requiem appears to likely possess a unique set of extraordinary abilities that are solely boasted by himself. I believe that he has likely reached the Divine class, and should be considered on par in terms of strength with elder dragons and demigods."