Theo got off the carriage late after tussling with Nay.

'...Seriously. It's ridiculous to think I could become a Great Warrior of the Moon just because I tried for merely two days.'

From what Nay said, it was certain that the Moon deity was paying attention to users of qi.

'All I need to do is keep practicing steadily from here on out. Anyway, there's something more urgent.'

He needed to gather people to oppose [Leading Mind].

The estimated number is at least a hundred.

Theo planned to pull in everyone from Academy students and staff to outsiders.

In other words, he was ready to enlist even those he had only a shallow acquaintance with.

'This is going to be chaos before it even begins.'

Where a lot of people gather, minor and major incidents are inevitable.

Thus, having leaders to command the people in each group was absolutely necessary.

'Alright, let's start from here.'

Theo began to draw up a big plan in his mind.

After finishing the detailed planning to some extent, Theo contacted Taylor.

"Taylor. I have an urgent favor to ask. It might be difficult, but I hope you can hear me out."

A few days later, in a quiet suburb located about half a day's journey by carriage from Elinia Academy, an unusually large crowd had gathered in this normally quiet place. The number reached about two hundred.

Most of them were students from the Academy, but there were also staff members and outsiders mixed in.

People began to chatter noisily as they recognized familiar faces.

"Hero Department, Knight Department, Magic Department... all the famous kids from every department are here. Oh, you're here too? Awesome, awesome."

"Look at you, looking better. Did you take care of yourself during the break? Ah, were you also invited by Theo?"

"Yeah, someone working under Theo came to our domain and gave us an invitation!"

"Instructor, long time no see. This is our first meeting since I was assigned to the Hero Department, right?"

"That's right. Since there's hardly any interaction between the Business and Hero Departments... It's nice to see you on an occasion like this. Theo has organized a good meeting."

"Haaaah. A cute junior invited me, so I cleared my busy schedule to come... This is just like a flea market."

"Keep your voice down, Oliver. People can hear you."

"I want them to hear."

The chatter among the crowd began to die down.

Thud, thud.

Because of six people walking towards them.

Eyes widened as people recognized who they were.

"It's, it's the Saintess!"

"Se... Seriously. To see the Demon Hunter here."

"Uh, ugh... Why is the dean here... It's supposed to be vacation time..."

Renimid Order's First Saintess, Isabella.

Guardian Knight, Claire.

The Head of the Chalon family, former hero ranked 2nd, and Demon Hunter, Maximin.

The senior professor of the Hero Department, Rok.

A top student in the first year of the Hero Department, Aisha.

And Theo, the Great Warrior of Light born after 200 years.

These six stood before the crowd.

Perhaps because it was rare to see such distinguished individuals together, no one dared to speak first.

The crowd looked on with tense faces.

In the heavy silence, Theo began to speak softly.

"Hello, I am Theo Lyn Waldeurk, a first-year student at the Hero Department of Elinia Academy. First of all, I'm truly grateful that you've taken the time to come to this remote place in response to my naive request."

Theo bowed deeply to the crowd.

The stern faces in the crowd softened a bit, and they sent enthusiastic applause towards Theo.

Theo spoke again.

"I am deeply moved that not a single person failed to respond to my sudden request even without any prior notice. I may still be young, but it makes me feel like I've lived my life well."

Theo's joke, a departure from his usual authoritative image, brought smiles to people's faces. Soon, there were no more hardened expressions.

Theo made eye contact with each person in the crowd.

Then, in a somber voice, he said,

"If you've read the invitation, you know that I am facing a significant threat. They are a vast force operating in secret across the continent. 'Everywhere and nowhere' would be the best way to describe them. The ones who forcefully entered the Academy previously were also part of this group, albeit just a fraction."

Shock appeared in the eyes of the crowd.

They began to whisper among themselves, the murmuring growing louder, but Theo did not stop them.

Instead, he continued with a deep intensity in his voice,

"The name of this group is [Turning White]. They are a collective of individuals with twisted mindsets, worshipping Demons and making deals with them, intending to 'whiten'[1] the world."

The murmuring stopped abruptly.

Everyone pricked up their ears and listened intently to Theo's voice.

"[Turning White] consists of countless cell organizations. These cells should not be underestimated; there are many significant ones. For instance, the continent's top venture company, [Ford Company], whose filthy and ugly truth has now been thoroughly exposed by the Order. And..."

What Theo said next was enough to astonish even the seasoned current heroes.

"The Empire's 2nd ranked guild, [Leading Mind], is also part of them. Among them, the Guild Master 'Gold Sun' David is also a true contractor of a Great Demon."

"[Leading Mind] desperately wants me dead."

People looked at Theo with disbelief in their eyes.

Without hesitation, Theo kneeled before them.

"Please help me. [Turning White] is too powerful an enemy for just one person like me to confront. I need all of your strength."

As the crowd stared at Theo, speechless, one man spoke up.

"Hey, our handsome and talented junior, sorry to break the solemn mood."

It was Oliver, of the [Ataraxia] guild.

Hundreds of eyes focused on Oliver as he continued without showing any sign of intimidation.

"About [Turning White], which our junior is talking about. We've been aware of their existence for a while now. But the deeper we dug, the more incredible they turned out to be.

I only found out just now that dumbass David is a contractor of a Great Demon."

Oliver casually called the master of the continent's second-ranked mega guild a dumbass. Oliver and David had once shared a close relationship in their childhood.

Most people gasped and looked at Oliver as this was news to them.

Oliver pointed at Theo.

"Running is also an option, junior. Why should you have to step forward and fight those hopeless bastards? Even if fighting for justice is noble, if you die, it's all over. Am I wrong? Seniors, who have years more experience than me?"

Maximin, Rok, and the others in their middle age looked at Oliver briefly but neither contradicted nor supported him.

Theo stood up silently and said,

"That's not the path of a hero I pursue."

Oliver scoffed.

"Heh, what exactly is this 'path of a hero' you're talking about? Dealing justice to every bad guy you see? Even if you're the Great Warrior of Light who has appeared after hundreds of years, let's face reality for a moment. Maitri, who you defeated, was only a half-baked contractor, wasn't he?"

Oliver was passionate in his speech.

"It's better to be alive even if it means rolling in a field of sh*t, junior. Just look at David, that dumbass. He was as much of a genius as me since we were kids. But if he made a contract with a Great Demon, his power must have increased hundreds or thousands of times. All of us here charging at him would be useless. He's in a different league."

Theo shook his head.

"I didn't gather you all to fight David."

The crowd looked puzzled.

Oliver countered,

"Then why did you gather us?"

"I'd like you to take on the executives of [Leading Mind]. Without exception, all of the executives deeply agree with the twisted mentality of [Turning White]."

Oliver looked around at the people as he spoke.

"Well, as long as it's not someone who's made a pact with a Great Demon, with members like this, it seems doable. We have the Demon Hunter, and the Empire's Black Panther. But what about David, the most crucial part? One David might be much stronger than all the executives combined."

"One of my patrons has agreed to secretly lend us their strength. Among the people I know, they are one of the few who are truly incredibly powerful. David will be dealt with by me and that person."

Theo said this as he looked off into the distance.

The others also turned their gaze in that direction, but there was only a giant tree there.

Rustle

Only the leaves fluttered in the wind, as if someone had been there and then vanished.

[1. raei: 'to wipe clean,' also to recap, Turning White's motto is: 'restoring the corrupted continent back to a clean slate' ]