The Fourth Beast

9

The Top Ten

IV

The Avalon Kingdom

(11 months left till the Core Stone resurfaces)

"You are quite late, Lord Jiraiya."

Not the greeting Jiraiya was expecting when he entered the meeting room. And he did not even need to look at August to know that the ancient faerie was not happy. Jiraiya knew he was at fault, but the research materials he gained from the newly opened hot spring were worth every scolding. Also, this would not be the first time August showed his displeasure at his tardiness.

"I like to use the term fashionably late," Jiraiya replied with a wide grin, "Besides, is it not a universal rule for the leading man to arrive last, hmm~"

"So, it is true that Lord Naruto and Lady Yasaka are not joining us."

Jiraiya turned toward the speaker and was quite surprised, "Well, I did not think you'd be here."

Mephisto Pheles snorted, "I heed the calls when I know it is of absolute importance. After all, my time is quite precious. You should know about it the most, you skirt-chasing imbecile."

"Guilty as charged," Jiraiya gave an exaggerated bow and swiftly approached his seat. He wanted to finish this fast after all his research materials were waiting. So the moment he sat down, his demeanor changed completely. And with one look, he got the attention of every single person in the room.

"Better," With that thought, Jiraiya started, "I will start with a few quick updates on my side before we move on to our main agenda for this meeting. I am sure that everyone here knows what Magari has been up to. Unfortunately, her task is far from over. A few weeks back, she asked for some assistance. So I asked Kumowatari to help her out. Fortunately, he agreed even though he had retired."

"So, it is safe to assume that they will not be available to help us with our current predicament," Mephisto added, making Jiraiya turn to the old devil. But he was not finished, "Because of the Nekoshou incident... no, because of the outcome of the Nekoshou incident, the supernatural world is in an uproar. And with how our forces are spread out, do you think we can accomplish the goal we had set up?" Mephisto finished with an annoyed tone.

Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders at Mephisto's comment, "On paper, it may seem like we are falling behind. But in reality, it is not as bad as all of you may think."

"Care to elaborate." It seemed that the old devil wanted to cover every corner of their current situation. That is not surprising considering his nature.

Jiraiya turned toward August, who, releasing a sigh, intervened, "Magari's mission will be over within two weeks. Even if it does not, she will freeze her mission and return to the capital since our current situation takes priority over everything else. As for the other matter, Kumowatari already found his successor."

"Who is it?"

"Kuroka."

Everyone shared glances but said nothing. But Jiraiya knew what they wanted to ask, "Don't worry, she will be going through the usual procedures to secure Kumowatari's position." That answered the unspoken concern amongst everyone present.

"Now, another update is that our king will not be available for the next couple of months to oversee our works and reports personally." Jiraiya immediately put his hands to calm everyone down, "No, he is not sick or in any kind of life-endangering situation. I do not have the full report, but I can tell you that our king will be accompanying Lady Amaterasu. During his absence, Lady Yasaka will take over his responsibilities. She will also keep us informed about our king's situation."