Chapter 1153: Call Of Duty [Pt 2]

"Not everyone in this room will be able to participate in this mission."

When considering the stakes involved, and the proportion of the threat we had to face, only the most capable could even be considered, talkless of selected.

Everyone who was present in the hall was capable, especially in their area of expertise. That was why they were here, in the first place.

However, we had to thin out our numbers.

'Thus, I require an elite team.'

"I guess I should count myself out, then." A voice from the audience suddenly rang out.

I had expected some level of hesitation and silence before I proceeded to select the ones I would need for the mission, so it surprised me when I heard someone throw in the towel very early on in the game.

Glancing in the direction of the voice's origin, I saw Elrich Lendertwale raising his hand as he gave a resignated smile.

"I know my limits. I might be a Grand Mage of the Eastern Kingdom, but I'm too weak for something of this scale." He sighed.

Elrich's honesty with himself, and the rest of us, made me leak out a smile in respect. That made one less person I had to consider among the audience before me.

'Now, what of the rest...'

As my thoughts trailed, I saw another hand raised, and it belonged to Dulum, the Dwarf Chief. He had an awkward air around himself, and his stout physique seemed to puff up due to the flushed expression he had on his face.

"I guess I'm out too. I'm not suited for this kind of stuff."

It seemed Elrich's actions had inspired someone else to make a choice and take themselves off the board. The way things were going, it wouldn't be surprising if more people removed themselves from the potential list.

'That'll mean less work for me, so let's see...' I nodded at Dulum, appreciating his decision as I stared at everyone else.

"Well, I'm not leaving the team. I recommend myself to join this elite force. I believe I'm strong enough!" The gruff voice of the Beast King echoed within the meeting hall.

I suppressed my sigh as I stared at Gerard, who was grinning widely.

'He seems fairly confident. He's definitely grown incomparably stronger than before...'

I noticed his gaze inconspicously going in Serah's direction, and I instantly understood why he was so forward with his proposal.

'Is he trying to impress Serah? I guess he must think he has a shot now that Neron isn't around.' I suppressed my laughter and maintained a calm expression.

His desperation was hilarious, but I couldn't deny his strength. He would make a good addition to the team, but for now he was simply going to remain a potential candidate.

"I also wish to assist." Z'ark, the Dragon King, voiced out in his deep and aged tone.

The moment he did so, I noticed Gerard giving him a glare, and he returned it too. For some reason, it seemed they had an air of enmity between them.

'Did I miss something? When did this rivalry start?'

In any case, about Z'ark's potential as a member of the team, he was incredibly powerful too. His Original Magic had to do with mass, so it would certainly be useful.

'If I can use this chance to learn it too... it's not a bad idea.'

Still, just as with Gerard, I could only chalk him up as a potential candidate.

Asa and the other one of the Beast King's entourage threw in the towel, and so did the Dragon King's aides. That meant four more individuals in the room had forfeited being considered into the team.

'I wasn't going to accept any of them anyway. Asa has a lot of potential, but with Gerard already here, it's fine...'

His ability to blend in so seamlessly with the world, becoming as good as nonexistent, had intruiged me in the past, but I was now able to replicate it, so it wasn't as amazing as before. Plus, back then I didn't understand how Nether worked.

I knew about it now.

'He's still inexperienced, so it's best he sits this one out.'

My gaze rested on the remaining people in the room.

"I want to join in on this mission." Aurora Vindiel spoke up in a pristine tone, raising her hand gently.

She received no complaints from me. As the Elf Queen, she was more than capable of being a useful addition to the team.

"M-me too!" Lemi spoke up from behind her, and I could see determination etched in her eyes.

I smiled almost instantly.

'What's this, Lemi? Want to impress your old man with your growth?' I found that quite endearing.

From where I stood, I could see how much she had grown compared to the last time we interacted. I was sure she could now control her power better, and with her intelligence, I was sure she had figured out other methods in which to utilize her power.

I found myself most excited about her than the other entries, even though she was probably the weakest.

'I also want to see what you can do now, Lemi.'

"Count me in too!"

"Me as well."

Ana and Maria respecively echoed out their thought, and I had no problems with it. They were both powerful, plus there was no way I could possibly say no to them.

"I... I want to join as well!" The next person that spoke surprised even me.

I wasn't expecting Jerry to declare his intentions of joining despite the caliber of people I had expressly asked for.

He had a fiery passion in his eyes, one that desired to join above all else. I knew he understood his current level of strength, and how that disqualified him, yet... what was with this determination he was oozing out?

Regardless, I had to tell him the truth.

"Jerry, you—"

"You're too weak, Jerry!" Ciara's voice overlapped with mine, and before long, she overshadowed my words.

Her harsh words echoed across the hall, and I was once again reminded of how harsh Ciara could be.

"You should just stay behind."

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading.

What do you think? Should Jerry tag along or not?