In the conference room the next day. As scheduled, the same members as the previous day were present for the meeting, with the only difference being the presence of Haruka.
After the meeting began, Haruka was called and guided to a seat at the upper end, slightly separated from the round table where the representatives of each country were sitting. The design of the chair was the same as those of the other members.
“Saint Haruka, first, I would like to apologize for the rudeness that occurred the other day. I deeply regret summoning you to an unknown world without notice. I am sorry for imposing this burden on you due to our own convenience. I also apologize for the lack of proper support after your summoning when you were confused. Please forgive us.”
The apology on behalf of everyone came from the king of the Raksaria Kingdom. As the host of the conference, it fell to him to undertake this important role. After the king’s apology, the representatives of each country expressed their apologies in their own ways, and Haruka accepted them.
“Thank you for your polite apology. I accept it.”
Haruka responded to the king using the words taught by Sofian and Martina.
“We are grateful for Saint Haruka’s generous heart… And we have a request to make of you. Please, we ask for your help in eliminating the accumulation of miasma that is driving humanity to the brink of extinction. In return, we will support you in the research of the return magic circle, provide you with comfortable living conditions, ensure your safety, and offer a sufficient amount of gold as a reward. If you require anything else, we will consider it positively.”
At this, the king paused and bowed deeply. The sight of a monarch bowing to anyone, let alone a saint, was enough to shock the representatives of the other nations, who had never seen such a display.
As the king bowed, a murmur spread through the conference room. Sofian and Martina, who hadn’t expected this, quickly understood the king’s true intent.
By bowing to the saint, the king of Raksaria made it clear that the kingdom would fully support her. This move would make other nations hesitant to act against the saint, as they would now risk turning Raksaria into an enemy.
(The king truly understands the saint’s feelings.)
Martina felt a renewed sense of respect for the leader of her nation. She was grateful to have been born in this country.
“Thank you for your many considerations. With those terms, I promise to cooperate. Especially with the research on the return magic circle.”
When Haruka answered, the murmur in the room grew louder. Most of the people now had hope that humanity would be saved, and many wore bright, hopeful smiles.
“Thank you. We are grateful for your mercy, Saint Haruka.”
The king of Raksaria expressed his thanks, and the representatives of the other nations eagerly followed.
“We thank the saint for her decision.”
“This is a great help. Thank you.”
“Now, we must decide on the next steps. We don’t have much time.”
“Indeed. We must head to the miasma pool as soon as possible, starting tomorrow if we can.”
As the discussion shifted to future plans, Sofian raised his voice to calm everyone down.
“Everyone, while Saint Haruka has a special power, she only gained it after being summoned here. Therefore, she has not yet fully mastered it. We should schedule at least a few weeks of training. If we overwork her, it could be disastrous.”
No one opposed the idea of training, and the previously eager participants settled down a bit.
Once that was confirmed, Sofian presented the schedule for Haruka’s training, which had been decided in advance. The training would largely take place in the Raksaria Kingdom, as it was the host country and had earned the most contributions, with Haruka being sent on a purification journey to eliminate the miasma pool—something that would start within the Raksaria Kingdom.
“There’s no issue with that schedule, but we would like to avoid any delays if possible.”
“Yes, if it takes too long, other countries will be unable to keep up.”
“If Saint Haruka cannot handle it on her own, we will propose a new summoning, even if it comes with risks.”
Since summoning magic was not a perfect technique, there was always a risk of failure or even the summoned entity turning hostile. Therefore, summoning magic circles were not used recklessly, and the agreement between nations was to use them sparingly.
However, if enough countries deemed it more advantageous to summon again, the magic circle would be used.
Martina, who had revived the summoning magic circle, was keenly aware of the risks involved and felt that, given the situation, another summoning should be avoided.
“I understand. If the training finishes early, we will consider advancing the schedule.”
With Haruka’s approval, the future plans were finalized, and the meeting concluded.
“Everyone, with the conclusion of today’s meeting, we will put an end to the continent-wide conference regarding the saint summoning. Regarding future actions, as previously decided, you are free to return to your countries, or you may continue to stay in our kingdom’s palace. Please act according to your individual circumstances. However, since we need to share information regarding Saint Haruka, we ask that you establish communication methods.”
The representatives of each country nodded at Sofian’s words, and everyone began to rise from their seats.
Most countries decided to stay for the time being and, taking advantage of the free time, began to leave the conference room while socializing.
