As Neron suggested, we rested well for that day.
The next morning, however, I called for a meeting, and everyone attended.
Lemi showed up last, and her attitude pretty much reeked of rebellion and defiance.
'I'll just ignore her...' With that in mind, I didn't address her silent protest and initiated the meeting properly.
We were in a vast field, the campsite we were using to coordinate our activities.
As the fresh morning breeze welcomed us, I organized my thoughts and commenced my speech.
"First of all, I want to tell everyone how happy I am about our success in the first mission. We got our first Arcana." I displayed the [Strength] Card to everyone, and even let them pass it along to each other.
"This is only the beginning, though. We have a couple more to go—six, to be exact." I smiled.
Using Magic, I retrieved the [Strength] Arcana from the last person to observe it and regained possession.
"Since Kuzon has an Arcana in his possession, that rules out one of our targets, hence, the number six remaining."
"Do you have an inkling about the Arcana in his possession?" Neron's voice softly rang in my ears.
"Yeah, I do. He most likely possesses [The Emperor] Arcana, and—"
"Oh? Why do you say so?" Lemi's nagging voice interrupted.
At this point, she seemed to be looking for attention.
'Is this her way of protesting Ana's sudden removal from the team?' Ignoring her once more, I continued.
"He seemed oddly interested in [The Empress] Arcana. Considering he's of Midas descent as well, I find that they're linked."
Plus, he did tell me that 'No one beats the Emperor,' or something similar to that.
So, I suppose we had to cross that off his list. Considering his ability to manipulate so many things in the space around him, [The Emperor]'s abilities really seemed like a feasible explanation.
"The Arcanas that are yet to be found are; The Fool. The Pope. Wheel Of Fortune. The Moon. Judgment. Finally, The World."
I had compiled so much data on several mentions of these Arcanas, but there was nothing at all that pointed me in the direction of the latter—well, except the name [The World].
Since there were 22 Arcanas, and adding it as the last piece completed the number, I found it acceptable to add [The World] to the list of items we were searching for.
As for clues or descriptions, I had no information on it.
"Now, for the most important aspect of this meeting..."
There were two major things I wanted to discuss.
First was my conversation with Merlin.
I explained everything in detail, making sure I emphasized the terms I wasn't familiar with.
"So, we're to stop someone called Ciel, and ensure the Nether doesn't return? Who are these Apostles Of Aether?"
Everyone was equally as confused as I was. Even Neron... uh...?
"Neron, are you okay?" I asked, noticing he looked dazed for a moment.
"Y-yeah, what's the matter?" Snapping out of it, he returned to normal.
His eyes regained their dark shades, and his expression was stoic—as always.
Still, I felt like something was off.
"You looked out of it for a moment there. Do you perchance know about what that Merlin character was talking about?"
A brief moment of silence ensured as Neron rubbed his chin for a while.
My heart leaped for a moment, hoping to get another clue, or at least some new information that would allow me to make sense of the many confusions wrapped in my head.
"No. No, I have no idea." He finally retorted.
"Ah, I see. That's too bad."
Neron still appeared to be in thought, but I knew there was no way he would hide something this important from me.
"Alright then, I guess that's something we have to keep in mind. Now, as for the second matter for discussion, which is actually the crux of this meeting..."
Everyone had shifty gazes, and I paused for a few moments before landing.
"I'm dissolving the team."
"WHAT?!!"
Their loud reactions nearly blew me away. Every hair on my skin stood as I felt everyone's glare greet me.
"Relax. Relax. It's not what you think! Let me explain!"
Their glares intensified, but I could see one or two faces that still stared suspiciously at me.
'Ah, I guess I said it in the wrong way.'
"It's more like I'm splitting the team into fractions—five groups, to be precise."
"OHHHHHH..." Their eyes widened in surprise, and the realization of my true intentions began to seep in.
'I should really work on my conversation skills. I get misunderstood a lot.'
"But why are we being split up?" Edward asked.
Well, that was a wonderful question.
I expected Lemi to ask, but maybe Edward knew that and decided to take the lead.
Such an idiot.
"There's hardly any time left, and I would like us to be as efficient as possible. Besides, this was my intention from the start. It's why I didn't place too much emphasis on organized teamwork in our training."
I only boosted their individual abilities and split them into simple groups when there was combat training.
It was all for this moment.
'Kuzon also has the right idea. Having too many people would just be dead weight. It's best if we function separately, while coordinating our movements...'
"But, isn't that dangerous? There's safety in numbers, after all." Aloe Vida asked.
Her worried expression was most likely directed at people like Asa, or the other members of the team, rather than herself.
Just what did I expect from the good-natured Aloe?
"Well, it could be. But, this mission itself entails danger. If we want to play it safe and end up giving the enemy a chance to obtain more Arcanas, then we've lost."
Aloe nodded, albeit still looking worried.
"I understand how you feel. Don't worry, I'll provide Teleportation Spell Cards for everyone. That way, you can retreat.
Also, I'll ensure to track everyone. If anything happens, I'll come running to your aid immediately."
