Chapter 342: The Standard of Power (1)
Lennok pushed open the wide conference room doors and stepped inside.
Clunk!!
The spacious lobby occupied the largest area of the mansion.
Under the lights illuminating the hall, a vast table, large enough to seat at least twenty people, was set.
From behind Evelyn, Lennok quickly scanned the faces of those seated at the table.
More than half the seats were already taken. Superhumans of various backgrounds gathered, conversing among themselves.
“Evan.”
Lapis, seated in an inner spot, recognized Lennok and raised a hand.
……
Next to the innermost seat at Lapis’s table, Grisha stood with folded arms.
And in the prime seats near Lapis, sat five superhumans.
All of them were Hierarchy-completed Level 7 Archmages. Furthermore, they appeared to have achieved a considerable degree of Self-transformation and pioneered their own domains.
Including Lennok and Evelyn, who had just arrived, their number reached an impressive seven.
In terms of sheer scale and power, this number was comparable to the Triad’s executive board and high-ranking directors within the Cartel.
It meant that if they were to lead this group into the underworld of the mega-city right now, they could easily fill the vacant Triad positions and become one of the underworld’s pillars.
What impressed Lennok even more was that this wasn’t even the full strength of the Watchers; not all of them had been summoned.
Descendants of Celestial Sight, Countermeasures to Pandemonium, Subjugation of the Drug King.
Could an organization truly grow so rapidly in such a short time by using these three justifications to gather talented individuals from various regions?
While he accepted it as a reality before his eyes, it wasn’t difficult to imagine how much effort Lapis must have put into building such a formidable force.
Evelyn naturally chose two empty seats near Lapis and sat down with Lennok.
……
The expressions of the other Watchers, observing them, varied.
Lennok didn’t miss their shifting expressions, observing them closely while turning his head towards Lapis.
“A little late, aren’t we? My apologies.”
“No, it’s fine. You arrived perfectly on time.”
Lapis, seated in the inner prime seat, replied.
Grisha added, as if appending to Lapis’s words.
“Lapis, Evangelin sent a final notice saying she wouldn’t make it on time. Gillian is unreachable, and that voodoo sorcerer flat-out refused.”
“So, not a single Transcendent gathered here after all.”
A muscular giant with folded arms grumbled with a bored expression.
“We have to break through the Ascendant’s domain with only the people gathered here, Lapis. Are you truly confident?”
“Because the Eyes of Blue’s operation isn’t limited to just this place. We anticipated from the start that it would be difficult to force the highly powerful forces on external missions to convene.”
Lapis nodded with a resolute expression.
“It took a month to map the barrier of the Ascendant ‘Jindun’ Zaygis Eternor. Judging by the magic power density scattering across the snowy field, it will take one more day until the path to the canyon opens. Now is the time to share all the information gathered from various parts of the snowy field and set a new direction.”
“A barrier, you say…”
At Lennok’s murmur, Lapis turned her gaze and nodded.
“Yes. With Sir Evan’s arrival, all preparations are complete. We will now begin the operations meeting.”
“Before that, I have something I’d like to say.”
No sooner had Lapis finished speaking than one of the five Archmages in the prime seats raised her hand.
She was a woman with unassuming brown hair and a languid expression.
Wearing a long sword, she noted the attention on her, and immediately gestured with her chin towards one person.
Towards Lennok, who was seated diagonally across from her.
“Before we get into the meeting, don’t you think some further explanation about this fellow is needed?”
“Jiel, what do you mean?”
The woman called Jiel propped her chin on the table and tilted her head.
“I know he’s powerful enough to have killed the Drug King by himself. But that alone isn’t enough to definitively say he can be trusted.”
……
A direct tone that openly revealed her skepticism.
The conference room instantly fell silent.
“I was on an external mission at the time, so I can’t say much, but the situation is a bit different now.”
Jiel said this, looking directly into Lennok’s expressionless eyes.
“He’s not even a formal Watcher yet, is he? It’s been over two years since the Drug King rampaged through the Autonomous Region, so how can I trust my back to someone who’s been acting as a gray figure all this time?”
From what she said, it seemed she was an Archmage already active as a Watcher when Lennok visited the Autonomous Region.
Unlike those who joined the Eyes of Blue after the Drug King subjugation incident, it was understandable that Jiel was in a position to raise such questions.
……
Before replying, Lennok calmly observed the reactions of the other Watchers.
Most seemed to want to observe the situation. Lapis turned her gaze to Lennok before answering.
She seemed to think that confirming Lennok’s intentions regarding this matter was the priority.
And only after confirming her reaction, Lennok thought he could guess what Lance had been worried about.
If Lennok were to intervene in Lapis’s decision-making here, she would likely listen to him without much hesitation.
If such intangible interventions accumulated little by little, even Lapis, who had so far wisely led the organization, might find her judgment clouded.
Honestly, Lennok had no intention of significantly interfering with or caring about how the Eyes of Blue organization itself might change.
However, he was aware that this was an opportunity to instantly discern the dispositions and thoughts of the Watchers gathered here.
For her not to step in now would be more helpful, in fact.
With that judgment, Lennok slowly shook his head with a smile.
……
Lapis, understanding his gesture immediately, frowned slightly but said nothing, closing her mouth.
Instead, she merely began to gaze at the other Watchers in the conference room with a slightly colder stare.
The other Watchers, failing to grasp their leader’s intention to dispassionately evaluate them, belatedly began exchanging opinions, one by one.
“I think Jiel’s words have a point.”
“We need every capable person we can get. Trust or not, wouldn’t it be better to sort it out after the job is done?”
“But this matter could cause problems for the operation, couldn’t it?”
“I didn’t expect there to be any objection to Evan participating in this operation.”
It wasn’t Lapis who answered that, but a young boy seated across from Jiel.
The boy, whose mature voice was striking despite his youthful appearance, said with a smile.
“If Lady Lapis trusts him and follows his lead to that extent, I figure he must have shown sufficient skill or actions.”
Jiel, who had thrown out the topic but said nothing further until now, reacted for the first time to the boy’s answer.
“……Creon.”
“Or do those who dislike Evan not trust our Lighthouse Keeper’s judgment?”
“Don’t put words in my mouth. You know that’s not what I meant, don’t you?”
The conference room was instantly divided.
Rather than outright rejecting Lennok, a considerable number of people seemed willing to follow Lapis’s will.
When Lapis chose to respect Lennok’s wishes and observe rather than control the situation, differing opinions began to sharply conflict.
The number of Level 7 Archmages gathered here was an impressive seven. Even excluding Grisha, who couldn’t move due to maintaining the Floating Island, this was their strength.
In terms of the sheer number of Level 7 superhumans, this power was comparable to that of the Triad, who reigned as magnates in the mega-city’s underworld.
No matter how excellent Lapis’s leadership and character, it was nearly impossible to command such major figures without saying a word.
Even the Cartel’s executives were fragmented, operating their factions in their own ways, weren’t they?
Nevertheless, such a large-scale mobilization of forces was possible likely because of the unique situation of the Ascendant’s resurgence and the allure of the Eyes of Blue’s objectives, which attracted many.
If only the destination was the same, but the means to achieve it differed, then this was an inevitable outcome.
The first to take action was Evelyn, who was seated next to Lennok with her arms crossed.
As she lightly pressed her palm onto the table, the magic power emanating from it brushed past the necks of the other Watchers and vanished.
For a moment, at that utterly chilling sensation, everyone inadvertently turned their gaze.
With an expressionless face, she calmly surveyed her surroundings and spoke.
“I want Evan to participate in this operation. Considering his skill and past contributions, I think it’s only natural.”
……
“In fact, from my perspective, I don’t quite understand the position of those who are opposing this now. Surely, you aren’t under the delusion that the operation has already succeeded, are you?”
At her chilling words, the conference room fell silent once more.
Regardless, she was the one who had conducted various operations with other Watchers in the snowy field for nearly a month.
Everyone present was aware of Evelyn’s skill and temperament.
The meaning of the Divine Bow of the mega-city actively protecting Evan. From this point on, those who opposed would have to be prepared for actions beyond mere conversation.
Immediately, other reactions began to emerge.
“Are you threatening force? Then I’d like to join in.”
Woooooosh!!
The man seated across from Evelyn simultaneously drew out his magic power, just like her.
A heavy build and broad shoulders. But what stood out even more was that his entire head had the form of a dog.
He grinned, black arcane light streaming from his eyes, as he stared at Evelyn.
“I’ve always wanted to fight you… Shall we go a round, but without blades?”
“Bring it. I’ll turn your whole body into an arrow cushion.”
Evelyn, with a chilling smile, and the dog-headed giant with black arcane eyes, shot up from their seats, and the conference room instantly became noisy.
The Watchers, split into two factions, centered around the two Archmages glaring at each other.
Lennok didn’t reply, simply propped his chin on the table and calmly observed the unfolding situation.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lapis subtly reach for one side of the table.
It was a bundle of vegetables Evelyn had set down when she stood up. She picked up a small piece of the root she had collected from the snowy field and fed to Lennok.
Perhaps she was curious about the taste. With a slightly expectant look, Lapis put the root into her mouth and chewed,
……
Lapis’s calm face changed into an expression that was hard to tell whether she was smiling or crying.
Lennok barely managed to suppress his laughter and turned his gaze back to the Watchers.
Proponents and opponents. And the bystanders who observed the situation without interfering.
While roughly classifying and distinguishing the Watchers exchanging opinions into three types of dispositions.
Suddenly, a languid voice echoed from the opposite table.
“For someone at the center of this matter, you seem remarkably composed.”
The volume was exquisitely low, barely audible to Lennok. He naturally turned his head in that direction.
A young man with a cold expression and red eyes looked his way. A peculiar languor emanated from his relaxed posture in the chair.
A Level 7 Archmage gathered here. At the words of the young man, who had said nothing until now, Lennok chuckled.
“Seems you have something to say.”
“You, you intentionally stopped Lapis from mediating the situation just now. What was your intention?”
……
He couldn’t believe someone had caught the intent of his glance in such a short time. Despite his seemingly annoyed expression, his perceptiveness was considerable.
He thought Evelyn might have noticed, but he never expected this man to ask about it first.
Quickly organizing his thoughts, Lennok feigned nonchalance and countered.
“Is that why you’re not intervening in that situation?”
“No. Not exactly.”
The young man replied with a bored expression, slumping back in his chair.
“Because if I intervened, the balance would tip.”
“Hoh.”
“Wouldn’t that be too boring for you and me?”
Considerable confidence. But Lennok believed this seemingly lazy young man was qualified to utter such words.
Even though he was carelessly letting out unrefined magic power, the pressure was considerable.
Furthermore, the fact that he subtly read Lennok’s and Lapis’s intentions and questioned them back proved that he wasn’t merely skilled in combat.
‘How should I answer…?’
Saying he allowed the chaos to assess the Watchers’ dispositions wouldn’t be very helpful.
As long as he didn’t know which side the other person was on, he should give an answer that seemed to be for the good of the organization.
“To become an organization capable of opposing Pandemonium, we ultimately have to follow a path similar to theirs.”
……
“Even if a general direction is set, there’s no need to suppress individual opinions or personalities. In fact, it might be more desirable to turn a blind eye to internal conflicts and checks in this manner.”
“Hmmmm…”
The young man, slumped in his chair, tilted his head to one side.
“More… interesting than I expected.”
His eyes, fixed on Lennok, instantly turned the color of fresh blood.
At the same time, a metallic scent of blood wafted out. He had vaguely expected it, but he was clearly a vampire.
“Don’t you think so?”
“No, rather… it’s you, who speaks so casually of catching up to those monsters.”
Simultaneously, sharp magic power leaked from his body.
“The more one knows about Pandemonium, the less they carelessly blurt out such words. Do you know that the Underworld King destroyed an entire city just a few days ago?”
“Underworld King, you say…”
“They say the land was riddled with distorted traces, as if a meteor shower had fallen. Even after facing and killing a Level 8 monster of equal standing, there’s no proper information about what spell he used.”
The young man continued speaking, observing Lennok’s expression intently.
“Normally, people don’t seek to overcome or defeat such monsters… not without a very strong motivation, that is. Something like a grudge, or a desire for revenge…”
“Revenge.”
Lennok smiled.
“Is that from your own experience?”
“…That’s not a good story for a place like this. Alright, then let’s do this.”
The young man, who had risen from his chair, began to stretch with a grin.
“I’ll side with you and wrap up this situation for now. In return, you tell me why you have such a twisted way of thinking, how about that?”
“Not bad.”
He didn’t know the full details, but it was clear that Lennok’s words about opposing Pandemonium had piqued his considerable interest.
If the young man sided with Lennok at this point, the division of opinions among the Watchers would be easily resolved.
However, Lennok, clearly guessing this fact, shook his head with a smile.
“But it’s not necessary. I was planning to resolve the situation myself, anyway.”
“…What?”
He slowly drew up his magic power.
“Besides, the chatter is getting quite annoying.”
Whoooooosh!!!
At that moment, the magic power flowing from Lennok’s body pressed down on the conference room’s air from above.