The total number of people I detected was around twenty, but I decided not to blindly trust this information. Lately, I had encountered many beings outside the realm of my understanding, and those encounters had taught me a bit of humility in my own way.0

I had to admit it. I was still far from a perfect warrior, and this was the Hero Society. The organization held the greatest power in the entire empire, a reputation earned through ability alone.0

At minimum, there are twenty people present. They might all be B-class heroes or above, I thought.0

I had won my sparring match against Heero, an A-class hero, but that victory gave me no reason to underestimate anyone here. These were warriors who fought on the front lines and risked their lives at every moment. They were experts in fighting the church. Among them, any B-class or higher hero who earned elite status was bound to have one or two trump cards.0

There are at least twenty people like that… I wasn't a pessimist, but no amount of reasoning allowed for a positive interpretation.0

Are they planning to kill me? That seemed excessive, but I was convinced that they weren't here to just talk. If a conversation was their goal, such hostility would be unnecessary, and twenty people would not be required.0

I asked, "What do you want to talk about?"0

Then the man who introduced himself as Zach of Frostel replied,...0