The hall fell silent after Enea's words. Everyone stared at him, incredulous.
"Did I hear that right? Just one 'no' and you won't fight?" General Howard asked, eyes wide.
"Exactly. All or nothing. We'll never leave a friend alone, so you hope none of us have any regrets here."
"I've already given my reasons—my answer is yes," Andrea responded immediately.
Michael stood beside Andrea. "Mine's a yes too. I'm too nice to let an entire kingdom sink."
"I vote yes—for fame and for the girls!" Daniel exclaimed, earning some puzzled looks.
"I'll say yes too. My curiosity about studying the phenomena in this world goes beyond reason," Alexandre said, moving closer to the other three.
Daniel smirked at Alexandre as he approached. "You can even be boring at a moment like this…" he teased.
"And you manage to be childish every single time…" Alexandre shot back.
General Howard watched the boys, his face tense.
Four out of seven had said yes; now it was time for the undecided ones.
"I don't want to run away now…" Hector's words drew everyone's attention. "I want to fight—not just for this kingdom, but for myself!" He stepped toward the group of yes votes with a determined face, warmly welcomed by the others.
Leon watched the scene, doubtful.
—
He thought about the soldier who had told him about the Demon King.
—
What should I do? — Leon wondered, then looked up at his friends, who were silently urging him to join them.
"You bastards…" he muttered, surrendering. "Mine's a yes too."
Many in the hall cheered, including General Howard, who glanced at Enea.
Only one vote remain…
Enea walked forward, head down; his footsteps echoed through the silent hall. He stopped and lifted his eyes toward the royal family. "Only my vote remains."
The excitement vanished instantly. Everyone watched Enea in silence; the hall's atmosphere grew slow, tense.
Enea smiled. "How could I say no, seeing my friends' reasons…" He joined the group. "Yes, mine's a yes too! It'll be a pleasure working with the Empire."
Finally, the hall erupted in joy—this time even the royal family joined in, except Alexia, who remained cool and composed.
[Later, in the castle corridors...]
The group accompanied General Howard as he showed them the various rooms of the castle.
"Excuse me, General, but you didn't tell us what we're supposed to do from now on," Michael asked.
"As agreed, we'll train you for a full year before sending you to fight the enemy," Howard replied in a firm voice.
"And what kind of training are we talking about?" asked Alexandre.
"For now, you'll join the cadets. Once we understand the kind of powers you have, we'll assign you a tailored training program."
Alexandre nodded. "Understood... no need to discuss."
"General, will we be allowed to leave the castle sometimes?" asked Daniel.
"Not yet. But once you've proven your worth, you'll be free to go wherever you wish."
Daniel looked disappointed. "Good... all right..."
The general noticed Daniel's expression. "In my opinion, and in the opinion of the kingdom's nobles, the most beautiful servants in the kingdom are here, in this castle," he said. Suddenly, Daniel's frown disappeared, replaced by joy. "So, if you try, you might just impress one of them."
"Yes, absolutely! I'll defeat the Demon King single-handedly!" Daniel said with absolute conviction.
"Haha, there's no need to go that far, boy."
The general stopped in front of a series of rooms.
"Here we are: the rooms where you'll be staying."
Intrigued, Michael opened one and was immediately struck by its size and elegant beauty.
"This room is incredible!"
Seeing Michael's excitement, the others ran to their rooms, while Enea and Alexandre remained with the general.
"Your friends really get excited about everything..." the general observed.
"Yes, those are our standards..." Enea replied with a hint of irony.
"Well, perhaps you will bring some joy to this castle even in these dark times," the general said cheerfully. "Anyway, final instructions: no training today, since you will be tired. Later, the servants will bring dinner to your rooms. Tomorrow morning, you will be awakened at dawn for breakfast and then you will begin your first training session."
"Understood. Thank you, General Howard," Aeneas said.
"Good. See you tomorrow morning. Rest well."
The general left, leaving the group alone for the first time since arriving in this world.
"Do you trust them, Enea?" asked Alexandre.
"I don't know. It's too early to predict anything. For now, let's go with the flow and see where it takes us."
Alexandre nodded and headed for his room. "Yes... we'll see," he said as the door to Daniel's room opened.
"Oh, Alexandre and Enea, come here! Shall we have a little meeting?"
"Sure, fine," said Alexandre, entering the room.
"Enea, are you coming?"
"Yes, I'm coming..."
Daniel entered the room. Enea looked out the corridor window, observing a section of the castle's interior, which left him thoughtful.
"The situation could be worse than they're telling us..." he muttered.
Enea entered Daniel's room, still lost in thought, then saw the others scattered around and relaxed again.
"So we're the last hope for an entire kingdom," Andrea said calmly.
"You seem too calm. Do you realize what you just said?" Hector asked incredulously.
"We'll get used to it, slowly," Michael replied.
"No, I don't think so..."
Daniel lay down on the bed, exhausted. "For me, the problem will be training."
"True, I've never been athletic..." Michael added, discouraged.
"Unlike our gym rat here," Alexandre said jokingly, looking at Leon, "he's the best soccer prospect in the world," he added, glancing at Enea.
"Best prospect seems a bit exaggerated..." Enea said, perplexed, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I don't know why they chose us. I think we're the least suited for this," Leon said.
"I think we'll make it. So far, we've made a good impression," Andrea said confidently.
Daniel stood up and leaned against Enea. "Especially you: charisma oozed from every pore," he said slyly, trying to make him blush.
Enea remained composed. "Better than being known as a womanizer," he replied with a sly smile.
Daniel felt the weight of truth in Enea's words and leaned on Michael for comfort.
"The truth hurts..."
"Come on, it's okay," Michael said sincerely, almost bringing Daniel to tears.
"Th-thank you, Michael!" Daniel said, fighting back tears.
"Maybe crying is a bit much..."
Alexandre yawned and headed for the door. "I'll rest before they bring dinner."
"Then let's all go," Leon said.
Everyone left the room, Daniel closing the door behind them. "See you tomorrow!"
"Goodnight!"
"See you tomorrow!"
Everyone went to their rooms, Enea about to do the same.
"Enea..." Hector called, catching his attention. "What you said about me today, that you'll never leave me behind, do you really mean it?"
Enea looked at him, perplexed. "Why don't you believe me?"
"N-no, I won't say that. But I'll be a burden to everyone, and I know it, even if you try to hide it."
Enea chuckled lightly. "I think, as usual, you're overthinking things for no reason."
Hector's expression darkened slightly. "You know I don't mean to..."
"I know," said Aeneas, opening the door. "On this new path, we will face many dangers and be called upon to fight. But..." Enea looked at Hector seriously. "Only you can decide how far you will go. Neither I, nor a general, nor a king can decide that for you."
Hector's saddened expression turned to admiration for Enea.
"That said, I'm off to rest now. See you tomorrow!" Enea closed the door.
Hector pressed a hand to his chest. — I have to decide how far I'm going to go...— He clenched his fist. — I can't afford to fail, especially if you're risking your life for me!