Jerry appeared conflicted.
From his demeanor alone, I could tell that he felt immensely guilty for uttering his intentions to join us despite his obvious limitations.
Jerry wasn't a genius by any means, and while he was far more powerful than an average Mage, he was still leagues behind those with pure talent and skills to make the cut.
He wouldn't even make the list of potential candidates, and he was well aware of that fact.
Yet… why was he so adamant?
"I know I'm not as strong as the rest of you, but… I'm not weak by any means!" His gaze was directed at Ciara in particular, and I noticed her tremble slightly.
The fiery determination in his eyes also caught my interest, but that wasn't enough for me to consider him.
"Please… let me join. The moment I become a burden, you can send me back!" Jerry pleaded once more.
It had to have taken a lot of courage to speak up despite the hall being filled with people his senior—both in age and power.
'Well, since that's the case…' I was still skeptical about Jerry joining, but I couldn't ignore his confidence and determination.
I had to give him a chance too.
"Fine, Jerry. You'll be considered a potential candidate as well." I sighed, noticing how he smiled brightly the moment he heard those words.
I took a moment to check out Ciara's reaction, and it seemed she was still doubtful concerning Jerry's performance. I didn't know what those two had discussed while I was with Maria, but it didn't seem like they had fully settled the drama between each other.
'Well, I better stay out of it.' With that thought in mind, I glanced at Ivan and smiled.
"How about you? Want to take the same chance as Jerry?"
Ivan Smith was a tier lower than Jerry in terms of abilities, though they were very similar in many respects. Ivan was also someone who had tempered himself and his skills, but even then… people had their limits
I was curious about what decision he would make after seeing Jerry. Would he be inspired, or…?
"I'm going to sit this one out." He shrugged somewhat nonchalantly.
That surprised me a little, considering the kind of hotheaded person Ivan was, and how much he valued a good challenge.
"I want to be like Jerry and confidently assert my strength, but I know myself well enough. Rather than be a burden to everyone, I'd rather train more and better myself." Ivan concluded.
The strong expression in his eyes told me he meant every word. He wasn't scared for himself, or about facing an overwhelming foe.
No, he was more concerned about his allies.
His eyes told me one thing: "I'd rather die than burden my friends."
It was a respectable position to have, and I respected it. Nodding and smiling at Ivan, I took note of his withdrawal and concluded that the path he took was a brave one as well.
King Albion was already disqualified due to his weakness, and after sorting out the potential members of the team, I was left with a good number of names:
Kuzon, Edward, Aloe, Ciara, Serah, Maria, Ana, Aurora, Lemi, Jerry, Z'ark, Beruel, Gerard, and me.
I then turned my attention to the only one who was yet to make any statement about whether she would be joining or withdrawing—Jane.
"Won't you be joining us?" A small smile formed as I teasingly spoke those words.
Perhaps she was waiting for me to ask her, or—
"I'll have to decline." She didn't even skip a beat before responding, flexing her glasses as she spoke.
"Eh?"
"I have important work I'm doing here, so I'd rather focus on that. Plus, it seems you already have a pretty capable crew."
Something about Jane's tone felt distant, and while I couldn't quite place what it was… her response struck me as odd.
'She isn't the strongest among us, but Jane is incredibly powerful too. Especially her Soul Magic.'
Still, if she felt she wasn't up for the task, then that was fine.
'Or is it?' Jane would never give up an adventure due to simply being busy.
She wasn't called The Mad Witch for nothing. If she had an opportunity to explore more of the world and understand more about Magic, she would take her chances with such an adventure.
For her to pass off one such chance due to being occupied… it felt strange.
'Now isn't the time to think about that, Jared. Ten years have passed. I can't assume things like that. Plus, there are more important things to worry about.'
Not having Jane on our team wouldn't prove too detrimental, so I didn't have to push the issue.
"It looks like thirteen people are candidates. Adding me to the mix makes us fourteen."
If it wasn't obvious already, everyone who got sent away by Legris was automatically a member of the team. My rationale behind that was not only due to how much they had grown in their respective adventures, but also the potential they had against Legris.
'The fact that he teleported them first before the others… that shows that they're threats to him.'
It also helped that we had all grown stronger in our journey across the Aether Branches.
"It seems there's a final issue to address, which is the Hive that Jane has discovered using the data you have all actively collected over the years."
I didn't know the details, but Maria had briefed me about it a little, and I also communicated a little with Jane—telepathically, of course—to find out more.
According to the information they had, all the Nether in this world had converged to form a final stronghold of darkness.
Many would look at the Hive and think of it as a threat, but I simply saw it as an opportunity.
"What better way can you prove your worth for the mission than that?" My grin widened, almost to the point of looking sinister.
Our opponent was an entity that defied explanation. The bare minimum was for our team to be able to eliminate leftover scraps of Nether.
'It should make for a good test.'
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[A/N]
The members have been selected.
What do you think about the list? Is anyone you don't want there? Was there someone you wanted there?
Also, do you think they'll all make the cut?
I'd like to hear your thoughts.
