The punitive expedition came together quickly; due to the relatively limited power structure Irkan, when Jyulem Tyre put out the call, the factions assembled quickly.

He sat at his desk and poured over the various reports; all of the Churches had sent squads with some serious clearing power. Jyulem simultaneously felt a prickling at the base of his spine to know that some of these Tier IV powerhouses were in his city without him being aware, but also the extra force gave him confidence.

Monster Monarchs or Lieges, the beings standing at the pinnacle of their race and rapidly catalyzing its people’s growth, could not be allowed to build up too much momentum.

There is no such thing as a sure thing, Jyulem cautioned himself. But with this lineup, even a Liege should not be able to threaten Irkan…

Kamaedra Overmountain stood opposite him, her hands clasped behind her back. “Already, reports are coming in from the outposts about warg riders raiding the area. Small groups, but… The Sandsteppe Empire hacked off the army's legs, but its recovering quickly. Goblins, as always, reproduce quickly even for monsters.”

Jyulem examined a supply requisition form and made several mental ticks. As far as he could tell, none of his administrative staff was using the impending threat to skim too much wealth. That was good. The discrepancies he saw would be useful to keep as threats for down the line, but this much he could handle. He cleared his throat and raised his gaze. “We move quickly, then. What about the political ripples? Hopefully, the Crowned Jackal is making the right sort of noises…?”

Kamaedra hesitated but then nodded. “That ornery beastperson claims to have completely broken the Liege’s forces when they spilled out of the Spine of Hubris, so a mobilization of any significant force by the Candisk Republic would be taken as a sign they intend to monopolize the reviving Wildlands.”

Jyulem Tyre allowed himself a small smile; pain in the ass the Crowned Jackal might be, but a useful pain, when he was equally as obstinate to everyone. The Republic would probably love to send an extra wing of the People’s Army out to Irkan under the guise of ‘assistance’. And just as obviously, that would be problematic for Jyulem.

Yet even as he felt a sliver of satisfaction, he noticed the stiffness in Kamaedra’s expression. He tilted his head to the side; his stomach twisted in anxious anticipation. Didn’t fucking measure the situation twice, did I? “What is it?”

“The Republic did send a small group to the Frontier. They must have departed weeks ago, so they are likely here to say. And they are led by Jaython Myasstia.”

Jyulem stilled.

“Censor Myasstia has generously offered to accompany the expedition, to make sure the Liege couldn’t develop into a threat to the Republic’s properties.” Kamaedra finished.

Jyulem closed his eyes. He released a long breath. Jaython Myasstia, the Left Hand of the Golden Shadow that ruled the Republic, the Censor of Judgement. A genuine Tier V being, his Level being a non-insignificant amount higher than 100. Not on the Level of the Sunset Tiger, but still.

A powerful weapon, who would ensure that the Liege would not escape its doom a second time.

A poisoned chalice, the only sort offered by the farce of a Republic in which Jyulem lived.

Jyulem took several long breaths. He resisted the urge to pull out reports of the previous months, scouring them for any hints of the Senate reaching for Irkan. “I suppose he wants to meet?”

“Tomorrow morning, before the expedition departs.” Kamaedra nodded.

“Then we work until then,” Jyulem said.

“I could just-”

“Could you?” Jyulem quirked an eyebrow at the boldness of his second.

Kamaedra nodded, utterly confident. “If I took him by surprise. You humans are bad at improvisation.”

Even though the chuckle was forced, Jyulem appreciated the attempt at levity. His subordinate truly believed she spoke the truth. And she was entirely in his corner. A little bit of his tension eased. He took a sip of his cooled tea and began to estimate numbers.

By dawn, the reports had been finalized and provisions handled. Jyulem Tyre took his time strapping on his armor, checking the buckles twice. He also spent several seconds hefting his spear and examining it. He traced his finger across the unadorned wooden shaft, the straight edges of the blade.

He stood at a crossroads, and what Jyulem Tyre disliked was that he wasn’t sure where either path was going, just that the path forked.

Had he missed something? He flicked his finger against the spear blade. Was the presence of the Monarch tied to a larger issue? Could the resurgence of the Kami’s have already entered the notice of the Gods, and trickled down to those cautious bastards in the Senate?

He only needed a few more months before his promotion Quest finished. But at this rate… he wouldn’t get that time.

Jyulem released a long breath. To maintain his position as the head of Irkan, he needed to demonstrably prove his capability in the battle. Yet he wished he could refrain. The expedition had too many powerful individuals. If he fought… it would be almost guaranteed his newly obtained (Named) Skill and the related nascent Constellation would be noted.

“If I had another month…” Jyulem whispered. But words and hopes were a wind too weak to even rustle grass. He shoved his spear into the leather sheath across his back with a little more force than was necessary.

Outside of the Adventure’s Guild Headquarters, the half-ogre Danzer grinned at Jyulem. “All’s prepared, sir. Just point and we will smash any goblins in the general direction.”

Jyulem nodded. His eyes scanned through the fifty elites who had volunteered for the excursion. Their blend of metal and leather armor revealed them as irregulars, but this sort of crew was exactly what they needed for a mission like this; rather than eradicating goblins, the important mission now was to punch through and eliminate the Liege.

This group wasn’t designed to hold the line but crack open the enemy’s.

“Then we move. Let’s meet our allies,” Jyulem’s lips twisted, earning a few dark chuckles from the adventurers.

Despite the early hour, Irkan came along as the adventurers marched out of the city. Merchants yawned and swept their storefronts, nodding to Jyulem as the group trooped past. As they reached the small wall around the ‘enclosed’ portion of Irkan, several groups had already gathered; as more rumors spread about the riches to be had in the Wildlands, more and more expeditions were being mounted.

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Jyulem felt a small stress contraction in his chest. As always, life moved just a step more quickly than he would have wished. The groups only took short trips now, but if they continued to obtain more valuable resources, it was only a matter of time before people headed deeper into the Wildlands to obtain more valuable prizes.

Danzer squinted at one caravan. “Think they will find anything?”

“Even if they don’t the fever is spreading,” Kamaedra grumbled. “They will keep sticking their hands in holes until they lose a finger or find a diamond.”

“Can you find diamonds just by sticking your hand in holes?” The half-ogre asked. Kamaedra shook her head, disgusted.

The adventurers passed out through some farmland to the West of Irkan. A few individuals paused in their labors, straightening and watching the passing warriors with serious eyes. Harvest would come soon and he could tell by the farmers’ stance they took the presence of the adventurers as a poor omen for the year.

Privately, Jyulem couldn’t disagree.

They encountered the religious representatives first. The four of the five orthodox religious factions, the Church of the Golden Rays, the Church of the Grey Dusk, the Church of the Verdant Grove, and the Church of the Endless Sea all had small camps located a short distance from one another. Very helpful, they were all colored coded. Even as sentries offered salutes, Jyulem could instantly tell their affiliations.

Golden for rays, grey for dusk, green for grove, and blue for sea.

Only the Church of the Eternal Truth, usually wearing purple robes, wasn’t present, but Jyulem had expected as much. Even with a goblin encampment raiding their homes, the priests of Eternal Truth would be more concerned with a piddly definitional distinction than the fires sweeping through the countryside.

Any last bit of ease in Jyulem’s expression vanished as Mercy Willowtam, Head Inquisitor for Church of the Verdent Grove and fellow disciple of the Sunset Tiger, walked out to meet him with a warm smile. “Jyulem! A pleasant day, is it not?”

“The beginning to a very long day, I suspect,” Jyulem grunted out the words. He looked to the other three camps, as no one else moved to meet him. “Ah, you outrank the rest of them by enough they are hiding from you.”

Mercy’s eyes crinkled even though he knew her amusement was feigned. “Yes, they perhaps believe me to be uninterested in friendly religious discourse, considering the circumstances. But also, perhaps they believe that my social calendar will be consumed by the presence of our unexpected guest.”

Jyulem didn’t bother to hold back a grimace; although Mercy made him wary, he could at least be honest around her. “Do we know why he’s here?”

“He’s refused all meetings, wanting first to meet with you,” Mercy said in a mild tone which indicated even her invitation had been refused. Considering her personal power, it felt like a strange move on Jaython Myasstia’s part. Mercy was not one to forget slights like that. “So perhaps we could head over presently? Considering the movements from the goblin rabble, we shouldn’t tary much longer.”

A long day indeed, Jyulem resisted the urge to rub his eyes. He gestured to Danzer for the adventures to take some time to rest. He and Kamaedra, along with Mercy, walked past the religious encampments to a small, more smartly arranged camps. Even though it had been years since he had seen the regimented camp arrangements of the people’s army, he still felt an odd sense of deja vu as he walked forward into the sharply assembled tents and cookfires. Soldiers barely even looked up as the group entered, so focused on their tasks.

Jyulem resisted the urge to speak with the soldiers; although it appeared like only a score was present in the camp, that amount definitively confirmed that this wasn’t a social visit. This group had orders to complete in Irkan, even before the goblin Liege appeared.

He reached the central tent and cookfire and recognized the woman towering at the edge, ramrod straight and as gaunt as a scarecore. The infamous grey troll, Evicka Parn, looked at Jyulem with yellow eyes. The usually quiet warrior spat to the side. “If you lie to him, he will know.”

Jyulem didn’t even bother to respond. Yet his heart was in his throat. Why is this butcher here…? As Jaython’s second?

A man with hair kept at a militarily precise shortness crouched next to the cookfire, dressed in full plate. He looked up at the sound of Jyulem’s steps in the dirt. A charming smile transformed Jaython Myasstia’s face. “Ah, Jyulem Tyre, just the man I was looking for! How are you?”

“Stressed, concerning the circumstances,” Jyulem grunted out of the response. The cheeriness from the Censor of Judgement. He had definitely missed something, and his mind was scrambling to figure out what it was before it was too late.

But from the way Jaython’s smile deepened and darkened, Jyulem felt like he had made a mistake. The man straightened. Compared to Jaython, he was almost a head shorter. But despite that, as the slight man took a step forward, Jyulem had to bite his lip not to step back. The natural pressure of a Tier V being was not to be underestimated.

“Have the past few weeks,” The Censor of Judgement asked. “Been more stressful than usual?”

“...well, the arrival of a Liege certainly was an unpleasant surprise,” Jyulem said slowly. His mind spun through the possibilities. Ultimately, he only had one more guess; he cleared his throat. “Also… the potential of the Kami’s revival has consumed quite a bit of my attention.”

Next to him, Mercy looked sharply sideways at him. Apparently, she hadn’t yet heard. Which was surprising, considering she had remained in Irkan for the last few weeks. So why-

“The Kamis? I will report this. But…” The Censor of Judgement leaned forward and squinted at Jyulem for several long seconds. Jyulem endured it, somewhat nonplussed, He felt Kamaedra getting bristly next to her, but waved her down. They were missing something. And until he knew what that was-

“...you really don’t know,” Jaython Myasstia leaned back, looking somewhat surprised. His smile became rueful. “Well, it is a relief to know that we can deal with the diversion of the goblin Monarch and then will receive your full support on our true mission. Undoubtedly, Mercy Willowtam has already heard, but… a month ago, former Heiress Designate Matrice Dragonsong vanished. Our current operating theory is that she was kidnapped, but… but several Senators wanted to contact you. Considering your previous interactions and your… distance from the stresses of the city.”

Jyulem’s eyes widened. He couldn’t breathe for a second. Matrice had disappeared?

Another dark thought cut through the others. They won’t even let her be a Princess any longer. Only former Heiress Designate…

Suddenly, the movements of the religious orders made sense; they used the pretext of the business with Church of the Golden Rays to mobilize, but it was to follow up on the sudden absence of the former Crown Princess. Considering he was her page and a very visible member of the ‘royalist’ party, they had assumed that if she escaped from Senate custody, she would attempt to contact him.

His heart ached, wondering why she hadn’t contacted him.

He wondered what he would have done if she had.

“We are all very worried about the former Heiress Designate’s safety,” The Censor of Judgement continued. “After all, due to her Health, it’s been years since she has been able to leave her estate.”

Jyulem clenched his teeth. If Matrice’s health had suffered, it was from the gilded chains on her wrist. Although the former king’s madness had given the necessary opening to transition to the republic, that didn’t take away the Princess’s popularity. So the political inconvenience had been locked away for her entire life.

After being forced to watch her drugged-up, demented father die of a broken neck.

“I understand,” Jyulem managed to force out the words. He felt a horrid, suffocating feeling right then, as he faced this smug Censor. He checked and rechecked as an adult because his childhood, at Matrice’s side, had been one upheaval after another.

He hadn’t done enough to pay attention to the king’s unraveling. He has missed the plots of their retainers, preparing to butcher the corpse of the kingdom and divvy up the spoils between them. He couldn’t protect the princess, then or now.

Yet even now, even after all his preparations, he didn’t have the power to stand against this man. And even if it was six months later and finally Jyulem Tyre received an advanced Class, would it be enough?

Could he rival the power of this man? Who would still have at least 50 Levels on him?

Jyulem flinched when Kamaedra put her hand on his arm. He schooled his features; the only reason that she would have intervened was that too much of his genuine feelings were leaking through. Even the Censor of Judgement was giving him a strange look as he cleared his throat. “I am at your disposal, Sir Myasstia.”

“I’m glad we are all on the same page,” Mercy said with a smile. “I suppose now we might as well discuss the expedition, shall we?”