Chapter 1053 Conference

Tension rode the conference room as if it was a wild stallion, reining in their emotions with a whip of unease and fear. After realizing that their enemy could detonate them at any moment, their faces were pale.

Among the Golden Division lieutenants, there were the bold and the cautious. However, both of them agreed that they had found themselves in a dire situation. Arthur led the meeting as the man who first noticed the explosion.

"In order to understand the nature of this strange power, we first need to analyze what made them target Hawkins. With all due respect to my lieutenant, but his name isn't known enough among the ten cities for the bandits to fear him."

"How do we know it's the bandits?" asked another lieutenant with excessive body hair. His V-neck shirt revealed a miniature bush of hair that he seemed proud to show. "It could be any other city targeting us before we get to the bandits. After all, the attack was too organized."

"Surprisingly? Some sense?" repeated Leon with a ferocious expression. "I might have misheard your feminine voice, Kain. Speak louder to shut that mouth of yours!"

"As if I would receive orders from an ape."

Bam!

"This is not the time for your childish quarrels!" shouted Sir Jonathan as he slammed the table, making the entire room silent. "We almost lost a man if not for the efforts of a new recruit! How do you answer this failure? You two were both on duty to scout the surrounding!"

"No one could have foreseen this attack, sir," said Kain with nervousness. "There was not even a trace of mana before the explosion occurred. Whoever did this is either a ghost… or…"

"They are using a powerful artifact," interjected Arthur to finish his sentence, making all eyes fall on him. "In retrospect, I did not sense anything before the explosion happened. I just had a feeling that something bad happened."

"You had more than just a feeling, brat. Everyone heard you shouting about an explosion before it even happened!" said Leon with an accusative gaze toward Arthur. "How in the world did you foresee such a thing?"

"What are you trying to imply, Lieutenant Leon?" asked Arthur with a cold expression. "Did I somehow orchestrate the attack and then had a change of heart at the last minute? Think before you speak, please."

"You dare talk to a superior like this?" muttered the hairy man as he rose from the chair. His beard began fluttering as it rose on his threatening aura. "I eat wimps like you for breakfast."

"I guess the saying is true: You are what you eat," said Arthur with a playful smirk before the entire room burst into laughter. Lieutenant Leon needed a few moments to understand what happened before his rage dyed his face.

Boom!

A beastly aura exploded from the enraged lieutenant as his body began morphing into a monstrous form. The other lieutenants all stood up and backed away, but Arthur just raised his head to look at the monster.

"What did you say?" asked a hoarse voice that came from the giant monkey with long sharp teeth. "I dare you to repeat what you said, insolent fool!"

Before Arthur said anything, the ceiling suddenly caved in before it exploded. Three figures descended from the ceiling before landing on the table, right between Arthur and the giant monkey. The three were a mage, a spearman, and a fist-fighter.

"You need special permission to talk to our squad leader like this," said Koby with a cold face as flames covered his ethereal arm, looking like a demon from hell. "Even if you were a lieutenant, don't dare point the filthy finger of accusation at the man who saved your asses!"

The entire sequence of events took place in less than thirty seconds. Arthur was honestly surprised to see the rest of his squad make a stance for him, although Koby was a given. However, Dorian and Joey standing up for him was unusual.

As for the giant monkey who saw more new recruits disrespecting him, his anger flared up even more. His rage became too much to contain, and a strange rhythm echoed from his chest. It sounded like drums, which inflated the monster with each passing beat.

"Enough, all of you," said Sir Jonathan, whose authoritative voice silenced the room instantly. "I will kill the next man who talks in my presence."

After that stern proclamation, no one dared to utter a word. Arthur was relieved to see the knight step in, as infighting was on the brink of breaking out when Leon accused him. Leon himself deflated like a balloon, and the rest of his squad moved away from him.

"I admire your loyalty, but this is still an army," said Sir Jonathan addressing the three members of Arthur's squad who had stood up for him. "You cannot barge into my tent and threaten one of my lieutenants. An appropriate punishment will be assigned to each of you, including the young master, for this incident once this matter is resolved. You may take your leave now."

The three troublemakers left the room without much concern for the impending punishment. Only one of them remained: Dorian Stormblade, who was exempt from reprimand due to his higher rank.

No one dared to address Dorian, given his arrogant demeanor. Sir Jonathan then turned his attention back to Arthur and Leon.

"Although you have the right to question his methods, you do not have the right to accuse our benefactor of anything," Jonathan told Leon. "This is unbecoming of a lieutenant, Leon."

"You have my apologies, sir!" said Leon as he knelt on the ground. "However, how can I not question a new recruit who appeared out of thin air and took a seat in our conference? Even given his achievements, he has not earned his seat here!"

Arthur observed Leon with interest, noting his unwavering loyalty to Jonathan, even in the face of reprimand in front of others.

"Alexie was handpicked by Lord Marshal himself and approved by me," Jonathan explained. "I understand that his appearance here is sudden, but he has more capabilities than any of you can expect. He is an asset, not an enemy."

While Jonathan's words reassured the rest of the soldiers, Arthur couldn't help but remember that the Knight of Silver Rose had once killed his own soldier to persuade Seraphine to join them. It served as a reminder that their relationship was one of alliance, not camaraderie.

"As for you, Alexie," Jonathan continued, "show respect to your superiors, even if they accuse you. This is still an army, not a gang."

"I will be more careful," said Arthur with a nod before redirecting the discussion. "We are running out of time, ladies and gentlemen."

"What time?" asked the captain with confusion.

"If the attack was an artifact, a skill, or a diabolical plan, the limitations are the same. It cannot be executed in a short amount of time. Each passing second means that the next attack is getting closer. Furthermore, we are gathered in one spot, making us easy to target."

"Then, we'll get back on track," said Jonathan with a frown. "What makes you believe the bandits did this instead of an organized army? After all, this looks very unlike them."

"An army is hard to hide. I have not sensed a gathering of that magnitude in the surrounding. Furthermore, the only platoon that could be seen from the mountain was ours, since we were in the clearing. That solves the question of why Lieutenant Hawkins was targeted."

"That sounds like a reasonable guess, so let's test out the theory," said Sir Jonathan in agreement as he turned toward the other lieutenants. "From now on, we shall engage in skirmish battles with the bandits while simultaneously hiding our presence. Each platoon will travel on its own."

"May I suggest one more thing, Lieutenant?" asked Kain, raising his hand and receiving a nod from his captain. "If we simply run around and engage with the bandits, we would give away our location. What Alexie said makes sense, so how about we send a scout team to the Thieves Den?"

"A scout team would not be able to snatch the artifact," argued Lieutenant Leon with a frown. "Even if it was a reasonable theory, we cannot sacrifice our best scouts just to prove it. We have to comb the area systematically."

"Both options make sense, so we will take a vote on this matter," said Sir Jonathan as he leaned back. "There are nine lieutenants other than me. We will now vote regarding the approach to this matter. Anyone who supports the scout team may raise their left hand, and anyone who supports the combing strategy may raise their right hand."

A moment later, hands were raised. Arthur quickly counted and saw that it was a tie. Sir Jonathan sighed and turned toward him. The two exchanged glances before the knight addressed the group once again.

"Given his contributions to the recent events, we will have Alexie as the tiebreaker. He will vote for either option, and whatever he chooses will be our final decision."