“Miss Roshanak, over here.”

Duke Feriel, sitting with a few others, waved his hand. As she naturally approached where he sat, curious glances turned to her.

The badges they wore indicated they were the thirty-three members of the council.

“I’ve wanted to meet you since that incident. Thank you for your help then. Thanks to you, my subordinates were safe.”

“I feel the same way, Miss Roshanak.”

“No matter the outcome of today’s meeting, I hope you know I support you.”

It seemed the council members sitting with Duke Feriel were all in her favor. It was fortunate to have such allies.

After identifying potential allies, Rosha grinned and said:

“I should warn you not to be surprised by whatever happens during the meeting.”

“Huh? What do you mean…”

Just then.

Duke Feriel, noticing someone behind her, gestured.

“Ah, there they are. Please greet each other. That’s the Marquis’s daughter Lysithea Belice, and next to her is Sir Joel, an imperial knight.”

Turning around, the two ability users, who had been seated elsewhere earlier, were now near Rosha.

The pink-haired young lady with a seemingly aloof demeanor gracefully greeted, holding her dress.

“Hello, Miss Roshanak. I am Lysithea Belice. We couldn’t properly greet last time due to the urgent situation, but it’s an honor to speak with you now.”

“I’m Joel Grimoire. It’s our first meeting since then.”

Since neither was unfamiliar to her and both had some level of fondness and camaraderie, introductions went swiftly.

“But I’m worried. There must be a reason they invited us to this meeting…”

Lysithea, who had been chatting next to Rosha, suddenly trailed off with worried eyes. She too seemed to sense the strange atmosphere from the nobles looking their way.

Evidently, their looks suggested pushing them towards another trial out of selfishness.

Duke Feriel, who had been quietly listening, asked Rosha in a hushed voice.

“But… did you manage to get the cooperation of Duke Echerzen? Was it successful?”

“For now. But he won’t attend this noble meeting.”

In fact, Froy had already departed towards that direction as soon as he heard clues about the second trial from the princess.

The old Duke looked slightly disappointed upon hearing her answer. Froy Echerzen was a natural agitator, whose mere presence would tense up everyone.

However, she felt confident she could handle this meeting on her own.

‘Because I’ve experienced situations like this way too many times before.’

Soon after, with the entrance of the host, the nobility meeting began.

“Now that everyone seems to have taken their seats, let’s begin the meeting. Please freely express your opinions on how to overcome the crisis called the second trial.”

Everything went exactly as she had predicted.

“Now that we’ve finally regained peace, you’re saying another such incident will occur? Then isn’t it only right for those who have already faced these trials to take charge again?”

An opinion implying that those who had previously struggled should continue to bear the burden.

“Regardless of anything else, human lives are most important. For the sake of saving people, naturally leading the charge would be the right course of action, wouldn’t it?”

An opinion asserting that it’s only natural to confront challenges for the greater good.

“There are numerous buildings destroyed by the last trial. Shouldn’t there be compensation for those who suffered physically and materially…?”

There was even an opinion that those with abilities should compensate for the damages caused by the trials.

“Hey, we didn’t break them on purpose!”

Duke Feriel tried to help, but it was to no avail.

From what she had heard, the mainstream opinion in the council was similar. And, with so many people present, the sentiment was more overt than ever.

Moreover…

‘A few council members are clearly pulling strings behind the scenes.’

By observing people’s conversations, she noticed some covert movements by a few council members.

Ordinary people facing the second trial were just swept away by their propaganda.

“Lord Roshanak, what should we do…?”

Beside her, she could feel the talented magicians shrinking from people’s blatant shifting of responsibility.

These people might have abilities, but at heart, they were just ordinary humans. Even Cassis, who usually was bold and direct, swallowed his words with a somber expression.

But Rosha thought calmly.

‘This trend is similar here too.’

In the previous world, there was also a tendency to sacrifice those with abilities.

Of course, she agreed to some extent that they had to make sacrifices.

But in her previous world, there were attempts to collar those with abilities with explosive necklaces to control their power. Thankfully, that plan was thwarted when a guild was established in time.

“…What does the Guardian Knight think about these opinions?”

At the timely question from the host, everyone turned their eyes to Roshana.

Since she made significant contributions in the last trial, she was given the right to speak, but due to her young age, many seemed to underestimate her.

She could see some people plotting on how to twist her words.

Suddenly, she thought:

‘Is it because the first trial passed without much damage, making it seem easy?’

Or perhaps, having only experienced a single trial, they wanted to bask in peace, thus their reluctance.

Of course, she understood their sentiments.

But what could she do?

The world had changed, and if they didn’t adapt, they’d die.

Cedric, who had arrived late to the meeting, quickly tried to calm everyone down.

But Rosha spoke first.

“So, what you all want is…”

Tilting her head, she stretched out all five fingers and began counting them as she spoke.

“You want someone who’s still not familiar with their abilities, like me, and others like me, to find a trial we don’t even know the location or nature of, prevent any material or human damage, and solve the trial without any compensation?”

“…”

People blushed at her succinct summary, as it plainly exposed their greed.

But Rosha wasn’t done.

“Given that I’m not capable of meeting all these demands, I’ll be leaving.”

Gracefully rising, Roshana moved towards the exit. Following her cue, Cassis, Lysithea, and sir Joel also stood up.

Duke Feriel, realizing her strategy, chuckled and also got up.

Their collective protest caused a buzz in the room.

At that moment-

“How do you plan to run away from this, Lady Roshanak! Are you trying to inflate your worth without any real abilities?”

Huh? What’s he talking about?

Rosha looked at the man who just spoke. She hadn’t seen him before, but he continued to loudly make accusations.

“After all, how many people here have personally seen Lady Roshanak use her powers?”

“Well… that’s a valid point.”

“But Duke Feriel testified. Wouldn’t it be true?”

“If we didn’t see it with our own eyes, we can’t be sure.”

In reality, there was a suspicion about Roshana that even she wasn’t aware of: whether the ‘Golden Barrier’ and the ‘Sea of Fire’ magic were truly used by her.

Of course, she had also set fire to a demon at the Month of Abundance Banquet, but the flames appeared some distance away from her. Without direct evidence, no one could be sure it was her doing.

Thus, whispers grew louder among the crowd.