Heroine Creation: All My Summons Are Custom Made

Lancet looked back at her, keeping a calm expression. ’She really is a cold bitch, isn’t she? Despite everything she just heard, this was what she had chosen to focus on? Whether or not I had used the front gate?’

King Romsgard looked at Danistasia. ”Perhaps that is not the most important matter before us.”

”Of course it is important,” Danistasia replied.

Ordenance sighed silently beside her.

”I am the Headmistress of Awakener Supreme,” she went on. ”Students cannot be allowed to leave the Academy illegally. That is a serious violation, regardless of what he achieved afterward.”

Lancet looked toward the King.

Romsgard rubbed one hand over his beard. He did not appear surprised. If anything, he looked like he had seen Danistasia do something like this a hundred times before.

They had worked together for years. He knew her well enough to know she wasn’t going to let this go.

”Very well,” Romsgard said. ”Charge him.”

Lancet’s head turned. ’What? He’s just letting her?’

Danistasia straightened. She had clearly expected more resistance but she stood up regardless.

”Lancet Leogardt,” she said, ”you are hereby charged under the Academy Criminal Code with Fence-Jumping: the illegal exit of Academy grounds without authorization.”

The room stayed silent.

”Your punishment will be determined at a later date.”

Danistasia returned to her seat.

Lancet stared at her. Around the table, the others avoided looking directly at him or at the Ice Witch. Renan sat very still, though one corner of his mouth had started to move.

Romsgard watched Danistasia for a moment. ”Alright. Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system, I use my authority as King of Aethelgard to grant Lancet Leogardt a pardon for his crime. Now can we move on?”

Danistasia froze flabbergasted. Ordenance held back a laugh by clearing his throat. Lancet looked at Romsgard with fresh respect.

’I apologize for ever doubting your character, Your Majesty.’

The rest of the room was shocked to silence

Danistasia turned slowly. ”Romsgard?”

”I have made my decision.”

”You cannot simply—”

”I can and I have Danistasia.” His voice was calm but powerful as always, silencing even the persistent Headmistress.

Romsgard rested one hand against the table.

”I do not enjoy interfering in Academy matters, Danistasia. But you forced my hand here. We are planning a war,” he intoned. ”We are not here to settle small disputes.”

Danistasia held his gaze. For several seconds, neither moved. Then she looked toward the suspended image of Deathrock.

Her shoulders lowered by a fraction as she realized herself. ”You are right.”

Lancet couldn’t believe she would ever say something like that. Danistasia folded both hands in front of her chests. ”My apologies. The matter can end there.”

Romsgard nodded with agreement.

”The actions of the Demon Lords are a direct act of war,” she continued. ”Humanity must retaliate.”

”That,” Romsgard said, ”is why President Bane is here.”

Alistair rose.

Exela stepped aside as he joined her in the center of the room. She lowered her hand, allowing him to take control of the projection.

Bane moved with the same restraint Lancet remembered from the Kingdom Council. Nothing was wasted. Not a step, not a glance, not the time between reaching the screen and changing it.

The map of Deathrock disappeared and taking its place were six dark regions formed in the rough map of the Second World.

Before Bane spoke, he looked at every person seated around the table. ”The Human Ambassadors have confronted the Demon Lords. They’ve all but denied the accusations.”

Spectra would have laughed if she were there. Lancet could almost hear it.

Bane enlarged one of the Gehenna regions. ”This is why we must act immediately. But firstly...” He turned toward the students.

”What is discussed in this room does not leave it. You can not share this information with a single soul. It will be released when the Kingdom Council decides the world is ready to hear it.”

No one argued.

Bane touched the screen and a title appeared above the map.

[ OPERATION CITADEL ]

The room changed.

Valeria sat straighter. Nereus’s eyes sharpened. Renan stopped watching Lancet and gave Bane his full attention.

”Operation Citadel has begun,” Alistair said. ”Humanity will build the first ever Human Citadel inside Gehenna.”

Everyone lost their breath. They exchanged glances, wondering if they heard that correctly.

Danistasia looked toward Romsgard, her expression showing blatant shock. ”The other Sovereigns agreed to this?”

”Indeed,” the King said. ”Preparations are already underway.”

Bane expanded the image.

Gehenna’s six minor capitals appeared as dark shapes across the map, each surrounded by red terrain and moving Gloom readings.

”We are selecting a target from the minor capitals. Once chosen, Kingdom Rangers and Awakener Parties will enter Gehenna, clear the city, establish Grace barriers and hold the territory.”

Valeria’s hand moved toward the spear secured behind her chair.

”A permanent position?” she asked.

”Yes.”

”Not an attack?”

”No.”

Alistair looked at her. ”We are done entering Gehenna only to retreat before the enemy can answer.”

The screen divided.

One half showed Gehenna. The other displayed Earth, filled with Dungeon Gate markers and several blank regions waiting for something that had not yet arrived.

”The Golden Barracks has begun separating our available forces into two major commands.”

He pointed toward Gehenna.

”The first will enter and establish the Human Citadel.”

Then toward Earth.

”The second will remain behind to respond to the Warning Gates when they appear and to manage the Dungeon Gates currently displaying false ranks.”

Lancet watched several Dungeon markers change from green to red.

The projection changed again, showing a suit of heavy armor. Its plates were the purest golden, thick around the lungs, neck and channel points, with Grace veins running beneath the surface.

”Gehenna’s Gloom density makes ordinary equipment unreliable. The Golden Blacksmiths are developing armor that filters Gloom before it enters the body and reinforces the wearer’s channels against prolonged exposure.”

The image rotated.

”Standard anti-Demon equipment was designed for Gates and temporary campaigns. Operation Citadel requires armor capable of functioning in Gehenna for weeks.”

Another image joined it.

A twisted Purgatory Demon stood beside an ordinary humanoid Demon for scale.

The difference was obvious.

”Purgatory Demons have forced further changes,” Bane said. ”They are faster, more aggressive and carry far denser Gloom than conventional Demon forces. They do not obey normal formations and cannot be expected to retreat when injured.”

Vernon studied the creature. ”What kills them?”

”The same things that kill other Demons,” Bane replied. ”The difficulty is surviving long enough to do it.”

Valeria’s mouth tightened. Bane closed the armor display. ”Now, you might be thinking why I am showing you all of this. Obviously I did not bring you here merely to inform you.”

Everyone listened attentively. Alistair turned toward Danistasia. ”You all will be involved.”

The room tensed up a little.

Her expression remained steady, eyes only narrowing slightly though she didn’t say anything. Then his eyes moved to Ordenance.

”You as well, Ordenance”

Ordenance looked up from his documents.

Bane gave him a pointed look. ”It is time to put away the tomes and remember that you are a Grand Mage.”

Ordenance straightened. The pride left his face, replaced by something older and more serious.

Bane turned toward the students. ”Every person in this room has been selected for the preparation force.”

Renan’s hand tightened against the arm of his chair. Nereus leaned forward on the table, his long hair falling over. Espel still sat still with hands folded.

Lancet watched Romsgard as the king spoke.

”We understand that the Inter-Class Competitions are still underway,” he said. ”They will continue without you.”

Danistasia looked at him, but she did not argue this time.

Romsgard continued. ”For the next two months, you will all train at the Golden Barracks.”

Everyone’s hearts skipped a bit at that sentence. Understandably, as this was the Golden Barracks being talked about.

The Golden Barracks was the largest military and Awakener encampment in the world, where Rangers, royal forces and high-ranked Awakeners prepared for Demon Breaks, Warning and Great Gates and other wars between worlds.

Two months there could change someone.

”Two months?” Renan asked.

”At minimum,” Romsgard said.

He looked across the chosen students.

”As Awakeners registered under the world government, you are all subject to emergency military conscription. You know this.”

No one denied it.

”In ordinary circumstances, we would wait until you graduated or reached a more suitable level. These are not ordinary circumstances.”

His gaze stopped briefly on Lancet.

”The world needs what now. The world needs what you can become.”

Alistair took over. ”War is coming whether the Warning Gates appear tomorrow or months from now. Waiting for the enemy to begin the next stage gives Gehenna every advantage.”

He gestured toward the dark map.

”A Human Citadel will force the Demon Lords to divide their attention. It will reduce the potency of the Warning Gates and give those fighting on Earth a better chance at victory.”

Vernon looked at the map with open focus now. Nereus seemed to be calculating what a Shadowmancer could do inside a Demon city. Valeria was ready to leave today.

Renan also looked determined and Lancet completely understood why.

Two months in the Golden Barracks meant military instruction, elite combat training and access to magical resources no Academy could provide. They would fight stronger opponents, learn Skills and battle techniques.

More importantly, they would level up faster than ordinary students could manage in an entire term.

It was an opportunity.

It was also terrible timing for one person in particular.

Poor Miss Maecil.

Without Lancet, Summoner-D would have to complete the final two Inter-Class challenges without its strongest representative.

These last two challenges would probably be the hardest ones too. Miss Maecil might actually cry when she heard he was leaving.

Everyone asked questions as the meeting reached its end. Bane answered what he could and refused to answer what had not yet been finalized.

Danistasia asked about Academy protection during the Warning Gates. Ordenance requested access to the new armor designs and barrier research before arriving at the Barracks.

By the end, everyone understood the same thing.

This was not optional.

The Golden Barracks offered training they could not receive anywhere else, and the threat beyond the Gates had already reached the point where remaining ordinary students would be more dangerous than leaving.

They all unanimously agreed.

Romsgard dismissed them with instructions to pack for two months and report to the Academy’s western landing court the following morning.

The students rose and headed for the door. Vernon left first with Valeria, already discussing what equipment they would need. Nereus followed alone, shadows gathering beneath his steps. Renan paused to speak with Bane before heading toward the door.

Lancet had almost reached the exit when a hand closed around his wrist.

Lancet turned and found Espel beside him.

Her expression was as blank as ever, but she did not release him. ”I need to speak with you.”

Lancet remembered the field. The conversation she had postponed.

He glanced at her hand, then back at her face. ”Oh, yeah. Me too.”