Chapter 12 : Mina - The Gathering of Alliances.

The Adventurers' Guild, the Tower of Mages, the Bastion of Blades, the Shadows' Guild, the Monastery of the Five Breaths, the Order of the Auroras, and the Assembly of Hunters have gathered.

The Bastion of Blades is the group for warriors, knights, and all those who use long blades and/or shields. They also include mercenaries who can be hired.

The Shadows' Guild clearly includes assassins and all related professions. They also secretly carry out assassinations, but the kingdoms can no longer really dislodge them. They are present throughout the world, and it's better to keep them under watch than to try to eliminate them. Moreover, assassinations are usually well planned. They conduct investigations first and then accept or refuse, but the problem is that no one knows what determines their acceptance or refusal of offers.

The Monastery of the Five Breaths consists of monks and martial artists. These strong-willed individuals, like the mages, focus solely on their art, using the group to improve themselves.

The Order of the Auroras gathers those who believe in one or more gods, gaining divine power from them.

The Assembly of Hunters consists of those close to nature: druids, archers, and so on. Generally, they do not move unless nature is in danger. Most are there primarily to improve their craft.

All these organizations are connected to the Adventurers' Guild, which shows them the missions that the guild has for specific professions while serving as a neutral ground. One can imagine the problems posed by the goblins in large numbers that bring all the organizations together here.

"Guild Master Aldric, is it true?"

The person who asked is Captain Seraphine of Steel from the Bastion of Blades, a robust woman in ornate armor with floral patterns, long braided black hair, and a determined look. Maya also told me that she is quite well-known in this small town, Brumevale, as a great mercenary.

Guild Master Aldric Valhorn is a middle-aged, robust, and charismatic man with brown hair sprinkled with gray, dressed in a long coat adorned with the guild's insignia.

"Yes, unfortunately, everything suggests this. Not only did Maya tell us that the number of goblins is far too high, but other adventurers are saying the same."

"I can confirm that many wizards say so too."

The person who spoke is Wizard Vaelthorn from the Wizards' Tower, an old elf with pale skin, silver hair, and luminescent eyes, draped in a robe covered in shimmering runes.

"May I hear what this person, Maya, has to say?"

The person who asked is Silas the Shadow from the Shadows' Guild, a thin and tall man always wrapped in a dark cloak, his piercing gaze hidden under a hood, showing only an enigmatic smile, but still skeptical.

Maya stepped forward, but just as she was about to speak, a small frog made of earth appeared, jumping onto Maya. The people present were on guard, but once they saw what the frog was, a familiar of Maya, they relaxed. The frog pressed its forehead against Maya's, a small earthy light appeared, then vanished.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have more information."

"The situation is much graver than anticipated. We have found where the goblins are hiding."

"But there is already a king and queen, as well as several hobgoblin guards. They are already in the thousands, and this number is increasing at a crazy speed."

"Several normal evolutions and surely some evolutions of hobgoblins in addition to the royal guards."

"But the problem isn't the goblins..."

"Then what is the problem?"

The person who spoke is Priestess Althea of the Sky from the Order of the Auroras, a woman with golden hair and shining eyes, dressed in an immaculate robe embroidered with gold, exuding an aura of peace and wisdom.

"There are people behind all this. But I do not know who. I only know that they are using dark magic and sacrifices."

All eyes turned to Vaelthorn. But he shook his head.

"I know nothing."

"Can you tell us more?"

The person who asked is Disciple Hoshin Rinpoche from the Monastery of the Five Breaths, an old man with a shaved head, serene features, and eyes closed in meditation, dressed in a simple saffron robe.

"From what the familiar told me, what they are preparing is nothing good. They seem to want to send the goblin horde into the city and surrounding villages to collect corpses to feed a undead."

"If this undead awakens with this magic and these sacrifices, it is highly probable that this monster will become living but with the advantages of both the living and the undead."

"No! We must not let them do this! If that happens, it will be catastrophic not only for the living but also for nature!"

The person who spoke is Elyndor Leaf-Dark of the Assembly of Hunters, a wood elf with tanned skin and long braided black hair, dressed in a cloak of foliage and holding a wooden bow.

"We know, Elyndor. Calm down, we are here for that."

"Maya, do you have any more visions on the situation?"

"Yes, but if I want to stay discreet, I won't be able to look often."

"We understand. Do your best."

"Yes, ma'am."

The meeting continued for hours. While everyone agreed on the need to combat this threat, the astronomical number of goblins, which keeps increasing, gave headaches to those present. Where should we go first for defense? Should we attack directly? Who to protect first? The villages or the city?

While the groups were talking among themselves, I took Maya aside.

"Maya, I want to tell you a secret. I can become stronger by fighting. Much more easily than others."

"But for that, I must kill the monsters myself."

Maya's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really? That's incredible! The person I love is so talented!"

Maya looked so joyful, too cute… Wait, what?!

"You... You just said that you love me?"

"Ah..."

Maya covered her mouth with her hands, blushing.

"Hahah… You're not obliged—"

"I love you too, Maya. Does that make us a couple now?"

"If you wish…"

We kissed, but I plan to make a more formal and romantic declaration once all this is over. We quickly returned to what I was saying.

"Maya, let's both go fight on the front lines. With you, I can improve quickly."

"Okay. I've already thought of a little plan."

Maya turned to the people present to talk about her plan, while I, Jina, checked my stats and spent some star points.

[You spend 2000 star points to increase your stat: Mental Power +2. Mental Power: 5]

[You spend 2000 star points to increase your stat: Defense +2. Defense: 3]

[You spend 2000 star points to increase your stat: Agility +2. Agility: 3]