I offered a clumsy smile at Lily's words, a forced expression, of course.
"I'll try to hold out for a while," I said.
Since acquiring the mana of Helheim, I've grown quite confident in my defense, as evidenced during the freshmen's skill tests.
While I wouldn't be able to handle all of the Zodiacs attacking me at once, if I'm prepared, I should be able to manage.
Besides, there's no reason for me to attack Bartello in the first place.
‘Imitate me and approach Bartello…?’
I said it in a rather scared way.
But Bartello's safety will likely be guaranteed.
The entire Zodiac is gathered here, not just me. The monster always reveals itself when it attacks.
Therefore, it's not Bartello I'm worried about right now.
I'm the only one who can find the monster, and the monster is targeting the emperor.
As long as these premises hold, I have to stay by Bartello's side. At least until I'm certain that another monster like that won't appear.
'The Imperial family must be investigating.'
As of now, we don't know the identity or origin of that monster.
Enfer and Azier know it's a monster from another world, so they're better off than others, but will that make much of a difference?
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
"Excuse me. I have something to tell the Zodiac members."
A light and somewhat disrespectful tone.
I slightly furrowed my brow at the familiar voice.
After Ludovic's question, a light chuckle was heard before the answer came.
"I am Pascal Schlitz, a knight of the Imperial family."
Pascal, who had stepped down as a temporary teacher for Azier and was newly appointed as a teacher for Constel.
The one the players call 'The Mischevious' had come.
"If you have something to say, say it outside the door."
Ludovic's sharp tone. However, in this emergency situation where the emperor was in danger, it was only natural.
Pascal spoke from outside the door as instructed.
"The monster that the Frondier student... no, that Roach captured..."
Pascal's title still seemed awkward, as if he still had the habits of a teacher.
"What about that monster?"
"Its appearance has changed. It's becoming more and more human-like. It's currently inside the prison, and its physique is similar to that of the guard in charge. It seems to be mimicking the appearance of whoever it sees."
At Pascal's words, everyone turned their eyes to me.
Their gazes seemed to say, 'Not bad, huh?'
"How fast is the mimicry?"
"Quite fast. If I go back to the prison and check again now, I think I'd be surprised myself. It will probably completely replicate the guard's appearance within three hours."
Even if the monster takes on the exact same appearance as the guard right now, nothing will change. It's still restrained.
"Would a few of you inside please follow me? It would be best to see it for yourselves. Since you're Zodiac members, you might be able to distinguish it from an ordinary human."
At those words, the Zodiac members looked at each other.
The first to speak was Daisy Foster, who had been bickering with Ludovic.
"Our mission is to just stay here and wait until the enemy attacks, right? I can't stand being bored ."
"While I'm gone, decide on a replacement. It's ridiculous for all twelve Zodiac members to stay here forever."
Daisy spoke to Ludovic as she headed for the door.
As she said, it's not realistic for all the Zodiac members to stay here forever. As humans, we need rest, and if there are people guarding, there should also be people searching for the enemy's location.
Because it was the emperor who was in danger, not just anyone else, everyone hesitated to speak up, but Daisy said what they needed to hear.
The door opened, and Daisy saw Pascal smiling brightly.
"...Anything good happen?"
"No. I always have this kind of face."
I made a subtle expression at those words.
"I greet His Majesty."
Pascal took a step inside the open door and bowed before the emperor. Bartello, lying down, showed no particular reaction.
Pascal, raising his head again, spotted me and waved his hand.
"Ah! Frondier, how have you been?"
"Ahaha. Still concise, I see. We have a lot to catch up on, but we're busy now, so let's do it leisurely later."
...I don't think I have anything to catch up on with Pascal.
While we were having that conversation, another person stood up.
This time, it was Monty Morgan, the most taciturn man among the Zodiac.
Monty belongs to the Pros, but his work is closer to that of a mercenary.
If the amount offered in a request is to his liking, he takes the job; if not, he doesn't.
Since the work of the Pros is ultimately for the public good, Monty ends up helping the people of the empire, but he himself seems to have no interest in anything other than money.
Due to this nature, Monty has a bad reputation among the Pros, and at the same time, he has the highest price tag.
"There's something I want to check."
At Monty's words, Pascal nodded without any further questions.
"So, just the two of you?"
Pascal looked around the room and asked, but the others remained silent. Of course, I naturally stayed still.
And so, Pascal left with Daisy and Monty.
After a brief silence, Ludovic looked around at everyone and spoke.
"Then, as Daisy suggested, let's set a rotation. Let's form teams of three and take turns guarding this place."
No one objected to Ludovic's words.
For this mission where we might have to wait indefinitely, conserving stamina is essential.
However, there's one problem with this situation.