Chapitre 1515: -1496- Will you join us?
"Hey, hey, hey, you're just going to come right out with it?"
"...Should we say it's his style?"
"Senpai...!"
At this moment, both Kanata and Chloe were astonished and forced a wry smile, while Yuri looked anxious, wearing an expression of disappointment.
Rozen, however, remained oblivious, as if he hadn't noticed what he just said. He was still as relaxed and casual as ever.
Mena gazed at Rozen with a serious expression.
As for the members of A177 Squad, they couldn't just pretend they hadn't heard what Rozen said.
"Are you serious?"
"This isn't something to joke about."
"We hope you'll take back what you just said."
"Although we respect you, we also hope you'll show us some respect."
The four members of A177 Squad all stood up, their gazes towards Rozen filled with displeasure and a hint of anger.
This reaction was only natural.
Right now, Rozen was blatantly poaching their captain in front of the members of A177 Squad.
Who could tolerate that?
If it weren't Rozen, they might have already started to drive him out by now.
Poaching in itself isn't a particularly honorable thing, let alone directly trying to recruit their captain, which is almost equivalent to forcing the squad to disband.
The fact that Rozen could say such a thing so openly and confidently without sneaking around to do it in secret was indeed admirable, but being so blunt and direct, without any tact, would inevitably cause displeasure among those involved.
Even Mena spoke up.
"Are you serious?"
Mena stared at Rozen intently, her attitude far from friendly.
As a Sky Wizard with the true spirit of a knight and the temperament of a warrior, Mena naturally wouldn't take kindly to poaching.
However...
"You should know, I don't joke around."
Rozen met Mena's gaze, smiling casually.
"That's true." Mena nodded, but said indifferently, "Then you should know what my answer will be, right?"
"Of course." Rozen wasn't surprised at all. "With your personality, abandoning your teammates to join another squad is out of the question. Besides, A177 Squad is already the ace among A-rank squads, second only to us in all of Mistgun. If I retire, your squad might not even lose to S128 Special Task Squad. In that case, you have no reason to transfer to our squad."
There's no need to, is there?
Moreover, considering the competitive spirit between A177 Squad and S128 Special Task Squad, Mena was unlikely to choose to transfer to them.
"It seems you're quite clever." Mena said calmly. "But even knowing that, you still came to invite me. There must be a reason, right?"
Though Mena had a somewhat rigid mindset due to her pure warrior nature, that didn't mean she was stupid.
Being the ace of the ace squad among A-rank squads, and the squad captain at that, Mena couldn't possibly be a fool.
So Mena noticed something was off.
And this was what Rozen believed to be his only chance to succeed.
"As I mentioned earlier, this time's Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival is full of suspicious elements, with many secrets that the world doesn't know about. Therefore, this time when we head to Vebel, we'll encounter considerable difficulties and have a daunting mission to complete."
Rozen reiterated this point.
"A daunting mission?" Mena frowned. "What mission?"
"I can't tell you the specifics yet, unless you join our squad," Rozen said. "I can only tell you that in the worst-case scenario, this will directly determine the life and death of humanity's future."
These words made Mena's face change.
Not only Mena's, but the expressions of the A177 Squad members also changed.
"The life and death of humanity's future...?"
"Are you... are you kidding?"
"How could such a serious situation occur?"
"You're... you're not joking with us, aren't you?"
The members of A177 Squad voiced their disbelief.
Unfortunately...
"This isn't a joke, everyone." Yuri finally realized Rozen's intentions and stepped forward with a serious expression. "Senpai is not lying; this mission is indeed extremely daunting."
Kanata and Chloe also spoke up.
"Although I'd like to enjoy the Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival and compete against strong opponents from around the world, the situation this time is indeed unusual."
Kanata spoke seriously for a change.
"In fact, the reason our captain came out of retirement is because of this," Chloe said as she glanced around at everyone. "The situation is so severe that if Rozen hadn't come out of retirement, humanity could be doomed."
The statements from the members of S128 Special Task Squad rendered the entire squad room silent.
Everyone fell silent, their expressions shifting.
This included Mena.
At this point, they were starting to believe what the S128 Special Task Squad was saying.
The reason was simple: as Chloe mentioned, if the situation weren't so serious, Rozen wouldn't have come out of retirement.
His return was the strongest proof.
Moreover...
"We're here to find you because you were recommended by the Head of the Sky Wizard Division."
Rozen pulled out a file.
It was a document detailing information about Mena.
"That Division Head, who is known for being impartial, is fully aware of the situation between our two squads and knows you're not someone who would easily agree to being poached. Yet, she still recommended you to us. The reason is that you're likely the only Sky Wizard in all of Mistgun who can handle this situation with us."
Rozen handed the file to Mena.
"So, what do you say? Will you join us on the world's most critical stage?"
Hearing this, Mena was finally left speechless.
"Captain..."
The members of A177 Squad also looked at Mena, falling into silence.
No one had expected that the reason Rozen and his squad were here involved such a terrifying situation.
This put them in an extremely difficult position, leaving them unsure of what to do.
Humanity's crisis was right before them, waiting for them to resolve it. If A177 Squad refused, it would be negligent of the greater good.
If this caused the mission to fail, wouldn't they become humanity's greatest sinners?
That was something no one could accept.
Especially Mena, who, as a knight of high moral standards, would never ignore the situation at hand.
Thus, Mena's face finally showed a complex and worried expression.
This indicated that Mena was wavering.
In that case...
"Of course, I won't require you to stay in S128 Special Task Squad permanently."
Rozen threw down the final straw that broke the camel's back.
"If this mission ends successfully and humanity is saved, then if you wish to return to A177 Squad, I will definitely approve it."
With those words, Rozen handed Mena a transfer application form.
"So, what do you say? Will you join us?"
These words finally dispelled the last bit of hesitation for the members of A177 Squad.
The four members of A177 Squad looked at Mena, their eyes showing trust and support, indicating that they would back her in any decision she made.
Seeing this, Mena took a deep breath and made her decision.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone