Jeremiah stood near the entrance of the strategy room, his expression filled with confusion.
The moment he stepped inside, every pair of eyes turned toward him.
For a brief second, he wondered if something had gone terribly wrong.
His gaze shifted from the gathered knight captains to Duke Jacob, then toward Selena before finally stopping on Roman.
Roman was already standing.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Jeremiah."
Jeremiah blinked in surprise.
"Y-Young Master... what exactly is happening?"
Instead of answering immediately, Roman walked toward an empty chair beside his own and gently pulled it back.
"Come."
"We have a lot to discuss."
Jeremiah looked around once more before nodding.
"...Understood."
He took his seat beside Roman.
Only a few moments later, another knock echoed through the room.
The door opened once again.
Tower Master Velkan entered with hurried steps.
"I came as quickly as I could, Your Grace."
Jacob gave a slight nod.
"Take your seat."
Velkan noticed Jeremiah sitting beside Roman before quietly taking the remaining chair.
After everyone adjusted their seats, an unusual arrangement had formed.
Roman sat in the middle.
On one side was Jeremiah.
On the other sat Tower Master Velkan.
The atmosphere inside the room became unusually serious.
Roman looked at everyone before calmly speaking.
"I've been thinking about everything that has happened since the outbreak began."
His fingers rested lightly on the map spread across the table.
"We've prepared bunkers."
"We've created Barrier Magic Orbs."
"We've strengthened our defenses."
"So far, every one of those measures has worked exactly as intended."
Nobody interrupted him.
Roman continued.
"Yet people are still dying."
His golden eyes slowly swept across everyone in the room.
"The reason isn't because our defenses are weak."
"It's because our mobility is."
The room became silent.
Roman tapped the casualty reports lying on the table.
"The majority of casualties occur while civilians are trying to reach the shelters."
"They're being caught between the monsters and the bunkers."
"If we solve that problem..."
"...the number of casualties will decrease dramatically."
Several captains slowly nodded.
For the first time, they understood what Roman had realized.
Roman inhaled quietly before revealing his idea.
"I want to create a new magical tool."
Everyone looked toward him.
"A tool capable of transporting large groups of civilians through teleportation during Dungeon Breakouts."
"It won't stop the monsters."
"But it will move people to safety almost instantly."
"If we succeed..."
"...we can reduce civilian casualties to their lowest possible number."
Silence followed.
Even the mana lamps seemed to grow quieter.
Velkan stared at Roman without blinking.
After several moments, he finally spoke.
"Young Master Roman..."
"...are you serious?"
Roman simply nodded.
Velkan slowly leaned back.
"Do you understand what you're proposing?"
"This isn't an ordinary magic tool."
"It would require years of research."
"Countless experiments."
"Mana purification."
"Stable spatial coordinates."
"We'll have to determine how much purified mana is required."
"We'll have to ensure the output remains stable."
"We'll have to test whether ordinary people with little or no mana can survive the teleportation process."
"Every possibility..."
"...every danger..."
"...every variable..."
"...must be tested again and again."
"A single mistake could cost lives."
The room fell silent once more.
Even Jeremiah appeared stunned.
His eyes remained fixed on Roman.
Never once had he imagined creating something of this scale.
Roman listened without interrupting.
Once Velkan finished speaking, Roman gave a small nod.
"I know."
"I understand every concern you've raised."
He stood from his chair and slowly walked toward the large map hanging on the wall.
"Let me explain my thoughts."
Everyone's attention shifted toward him.
Roman raised his hand.
"First..."
"We won't use raw mana."
"It isn't stable enough."
"We'll use purified mana."
"Mana that has gone through multiple purification stages until every harmful impurity has been removed."
He continued calmly.
"Second..."
"We won't begin with human testing."
"We'll first conduct repeated experiments using magical objects."
"Then materials."
"Only after confirming stability will we proceed further."
Roman glanced toward Jeremiah.
"Third..."
"We'll build a small prototype first."
"A single teleportation device."
"If it succeeds..."
"We'll improve it."
"If it fails..."
"We'll analyze the reason and begin again."
His voice remained calm throughout.
"There will be no shortcuts."
"No reckless decisions."
"No unnecessary risks."
"We'll move forward one step at a time."
The room remained silent.
Not because they disagreed
But because they were imagining the possibility.
A world where civilians no longer had to run through fields filled with monsters.
A world where a single magical tool could save thousands of lives.
Roman finally turned toward Jacob.
"So..."
"What do you think, Father?"
Jacob remained quiet for several moments.
His eyes moved from Roman to Velkan, then toward Jeremiah.
Finally, he spoke.
"Tower Master Velkan."
Velkan immediately stood.
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Do exactly as Roman has proposed."
"Summon every available mage back to the Magic Tower."
"From this moment onward..."
"The highest priority of the Magic Tower is Roman's project."
"The knights and I will handle the battlefield."
"You'll focus entirely on making this idea a reality."
Velkan bowed respectfully.
"It shall be done."
Jacob then turned toward Selena.
"What about you?"
Selena crossed her arms before smiling faintly.
"My answer hasn't changed."
She looked directly at Roman.
"I've seen enough of his so-called impossible ideas."
"Every time people doubted him..."
"...he proved them wrong."
"So..."
"For me..."
"It's a yes."
Roman looked around the room.
One after another
Heads slowly nodded.
The discussion was over.
The decision had been made.
For the first time since the Second Dungeon Breakout had begun...
Hope had taken its first step forward.