After Blodelshein and Sivrit left, the rest of the heroes gathered around the glass table in the living room.

     "Well, I think it's about time we come up with a concrete plan" announced Siege

     "Shouldn't we wait for Blodelshein to come back?" asked Orchestra

     "No, I have a feeling that she'll be staying the night there. It does look like it'll rain soon"

     "Alright then, let's get started," remarked Reginn

Siege pulled out a large map of Avangarden and the surrounding areas on the table. To the south lay the desert and the demon kingdom, the Dominion of Sonosis. To the east was the expansive plain of the nomadic people. To the west was the elven kingdom, Championnat, which recently reopened negotiations with Avangarden to build a friendlier relationship. Above the elven kingdom was a large island that the dragons were said to rule. To the north of Avangarden was the dwarven kingdom, a seclusive nation hidden within the mountains. The most important of these nations were of course Sonosis due to its periodic war with Avangarden. The reason for the war would be the fact that Sonosis lacked resources due to its geographical disadvantage as well as the fact that the war itself had been ongoing for ten thousand years and basically became the norm.

Siege was adept in history and warfare due to his upbringing in an endowed warrior family, which he despised. Siege wasn't his true name either, but an alias to hide his past connection with his family. His father and his father's father as well as those thousands of years before him were all war profiteers. In this world of eternal war, his family had cemented themselves as the major weapon dealer of the nation. However, they did not want Avangarden to win the war, nor did they want Sonosis to win. What they wished for the most was already granted, an eternal stalemate between the two forces. It was a careful balancing act, controlling things behind the stages in order to ensure that both kingdoms survived and were ready to fight a next generation of war. When Siege learnt of this vile tradition, he left his family and disowned his name. Now he was just Siege, the Warender.

     "To list out objectives: First, to find who and why the heroes were resurrected. Second, to destroy any potential demon lords that have also been resurrected. Third, to ensure the victory and safety of Avangarden. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to add on"

     "Well, for the protection of Avangaredn, I could summon my special domain over it in order to block those airstrikes I saw earlier," said Poda-Bruss

     "A special domain?"

     "Yes, usually domains take up an entire area, but my special domain takes up just the edge around it, creating a mana barrier. However, it will need a considerable time to build and requires regular repair"

     "I think that would be great, but we'll need to alert the king about it. Unfortunately, I do not wish to speak to the king so could I ask someone to do that for us?"

     "Sure, I could do that," said Orchestra

Orchestra was a bit confused about why he wouldn't want to meet the king. From what she saw, he seemed like a generally nice guy if not lacking the charisma of a king. Perhaps they had some murky personal history between them.

     "I think we should infiltrate the demon lord's castle" proposed Reginn

     "What?!"

     "Well, we need more information, right? I'm not saying we need to fight the demon lord right now, we just need to go in and check if any of the past demon lords have resurrected"

     "I suppose you are right, but the demon lord's kingdom is so far away..."

     "I could take you there, but I have school so..."

     "I'll do it," said Blodelshein "I have a long-distance teleportation method and I'm also skilled in espionage. I believe that I, Orchestra and Poda-Bruss are the perfect team for this"

Surprising everyone, Blodelshein's voice rang out from the room, but no source of the sound could be found.

     "Don't be alarmed, I'm just speaking telepathically with my mind from Sivrit's home"

Reginn was slightly alarmed that she was listening to their conversation without being found out.

     "I have a long-distance teleportation method and I'm also skilled in espionage. I believe that I, Orchestra and Poda-Bruss are the perfect team for this"

     "Then let's meet after I'm done reporting to the king and Poda finishes his domain. How long do you think that'll take?"

     "The construction should take around a whole day, so I should be done the day after tomorrow"

     "That's good. After the espionage is done, we'll let you guys know of our findings right away"

Siege felt confident that nothing could go wrong with such capable heroes assisting him on his journey. In reality, he was just an inexperienced hero who did not even know what the demon lord looked like, so help from veterans would surely lead the kingdom to victory. This was truly a blessing from the Goddess.

     "Ah, I've almost forgotten. Here, take these"

Siege handed out a number of pitch-black cards to his fellow heroes.

     "I figured that the heroes from the past wouldn't have modern currency, so these cards should be able to provide you with enough supply"

     "How do you use this thing?" asked Reginn

     "Well, when buying things, instead of paying in fares, you can just tap this on a machine or If you show it to the cashier they should know what to do"

     "Interesting, thanks"

     "Are you sure you will be alright financially? Surely these cards would be worth a lot" said Orchestra, worrying that the heroes may bankrupt him

     "Please don't worry about it. I believe wealth is useless unless used for good, so it'd be my honour to assist the heroes"

Hearing those words, Orchestra thought that the King and Siege were very similar even if they may not know it. Both had a generous sense of hospitality and reverence to the heroes. This made her question further why they were on bad terms.

Orchestra, Kallen, Siege and Poda-Bruss all went to their assigned rooms to sleep. While this was a home for one, he had many, many rooms in case of an emergency such as this. Meanwhile, Reginn decided to go on a walk outside and asked Kaizer to join him.

The night was dark and this deep into the forest, the star shone brightly against the dark blue of the space. Reginn knew that the abyss of space was blue because even in those places which lacked any matter, traces of mana existed, giving it a slightly blue hue. This was the masterpiece of the Goddess, this planet teeming with life.

     "Anyways, why did you bring me out here?"

     "...Kaizer, why do you act the way you do?"

     "...What do you mean?"

     "I'm not trying to chastise you or anything. It's just that... I see a lot of me in you, the sadistic attitude, the destructive behaviour, the lack of care for human life. Why do you think that is?"

     "...I'm not sure if I'm the right person to ask that, but if I had to guess, it's because I enjoy it. I like to feel like the strongest one in the room and I always have been thought right now... I don't know. Even though I feel disgustingly inferior, it's alright"

     "I see. Do you think we deserve to be heroes?"

     "Huh? What kind of question is that? Of course, we do! We are the ones chosen by the Goddess!"

     "But I see it in their eyes, those around as. Well, not toward you as much since you're not that threatening, but I can sense the fear in their eyes. You see, I have the ability to see the mana flow in people. It slows down when they are calm, it quickens when they are emotionally charged, and it radiates out from the body when one is pushed beyond their limit. However, when they are scared when they are fearing for their lives, it tend to become smaller in size, condensing to protect the core of their body. It leaves them weaker, but makes them more likely to survive fatal wounds"

     "So what? Who cares what they think?"

It was a bit strange to see the monstrous Reginn open up to someone like her. Even though she knew that she wasn't that mature, now she felt a little bit closer to Reginn.

     "...Well, do you want to know what I think?" said Kaizer

     "Sure"

     "I think we're kind of like the executioners. They kill people day after day and it'd be better if they actually enjoyed the job right? Maybe we are evil, maybe we are inhuman, but I think we are kind of necessary"

     "What do you mean by that?"

     "Well, you can't defeat all evil with kindness. Sometimes you need to have a little evil inside of you as well because to be honest, some people deserve to die"

     "But does that justify our actions?"

     "I don't think about it that way. The Goddess is the one who gave us this strength isn't she? If she's fine with it, I'm fine with it too"

     "...I suppose you're right. You're a lot smarter than I thought"

     "...Thanks"

They continued on their path before deciding to head back as they approached the edge of the forest. Reginn was lost in thought as Kaizer wondered why he asked those questions. It was like he was a completely different person from the one she fought.

     "Kaizer, about you're puppet body. I think I'll give you full control of it"

     "Really?!"

     "Yeah. I trust you and I don't think it's right to shackle a fellow hero like that"

     "Thanks!"

     "Take good care of it, and let's talk sometime later too. You're an interesting hero"

The day ended peacefully for the heroes. The upcoming days would be the most important days after their resurrection, and today marked the end of the leisurely times.