I stepped forward once again and said, "I understand what Miss Kaelyn meant—this core may be impervious to conventional weapons. But I'm not suggesting we cut through it... I propose we coordinate a spell burst. We gather every capable mage and pour all our mana into a single, focused blast. If we can't break it, maybe we can at least destabilize it."
I paused before adding, "Until then, we should instruct civilians to stay indoors and prepare emergency supplies in case evacuation becomes inevitable."
King Leontius looked thoughtful. The weight of the decision lay heavily on him. Was this plan buying us time—or sealing our fate?
Before he could respond, the doors to the throne room burst open.
"Your Majesty!" a knight shouted, clearly breathless. "A horde of monsters is rampaging through the streets!"
My eyes widened.
A horde? Already?
The knight continued, "It's not just scattered attacks—it's a full-scale monster army. They're marching together. Organized."
A chill ran down my spine.
This wasn't just bad—it was a disaster.
With fog this thick, evacuation was no longer an option. People were in danger even inside their homes.
Were we too late?
Was the capital... going to fall tonight?
Without hesitation, King Leontius barked out orders.
"Miss Seraphina, Miss Kaelyn—summon every available knight and adventurer to the palace grounds. Lady Sera, organize a field camp here. Station the healers and prepare for casualties."
Then, turning to me, he said, "Alve, once the front lines push back the horde, guide them to the dungeon core. In the meantime, we'll begin discreetly evacuating civilians through the north gate."
"Yes, Your Majesty," I responded immediately.
His gaze lingered on me a moment longer.
"And Alve... I remember how you trained with Miss Seraphina, but you're no soldier yet. Guide the troops—but you _will_ return after that. No reckless heroics."
I gave a short nod.
"Understood. I'll return after completing the mission."
At this point, the King wasn't choosing between destruction or evacuation—he was threading the line between both. Doing what he could with the time we had left.
"Now go," he commanded. "All of you."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" we echoed in unison.
With that, everyone of us turned and rushed out, each of us headed for the role we'd been entrusted with.