In a strange twist of irony, inside of Tracoa, especially the lands bordering Sevilles territory were lands of peace and prosperity.

It was almost as if it made mockery of the wars the kingdom was currently engaged in.

One third of the Tracoa currently belonged to one man, the one who made such thing possible for all its inhabitants.

That man was none other than Runfar Sevilles, a mysterious lord who had recently risen to great heights.

Nobody truly knew who he was; only known fact was that he is the bastard son and de-facto heir of the now deceased nobleman, Augustus Sevilles.

What was odd about him was just how loved he was by all his subjects. His charisma is said to be not unlike that of a king.

Unlike other nobles, Lord Sevilles partook in the daily affairs of his subjects, helping out whenever he could, be it building new houses or working in the fields.

Seeing their lord having a personal hand in guaranteeing their future made the people want to follow him.

One day, he put a small foldable table on the grass upon which he placed chess board.

Anyone was welcome to challenge the young lord, and the winner would receive ten gold coins.

Naturally, there were countless volunteers.

One after another, they faced off against Lord Sevilles, but each and every time, they were overwhelmed by his skill.

Two maids were glancing in the young lord’s direction.

Elian: “Young Master Runfar is so amazing!”

Lukalis: “What the hell is he doing?”

She knew that Runfar had to sell the act of being a benevolent lord, but this was taking it too far.

Over the last month, the Shadow Lords did nothing but work in the mansion as maids, butlers, and gardeners.

As far as the ongoing war between human kingdom and elves was concerned, they had absolutely no part in it.

Lukalis: ‘Is this the same guy who started a war?’

The contrast between his true self, the Dark Lord, and Runfar Sevilles was truly striking.

If she did not know his identity, she would never have suspected it.

Lukalis: ‘What an actor you are’

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Runfar: “I guess it’s another win for me, feel free to challenge me again sometime”

Servant: “Of course!”

Yet another win in the bag.

Morphus: “You truly are awesome at this game. I can never tell what you are going to do next”

Runfar: “It is simple strategy, nothing more”

Seeing Lukalis approach, Runfar sighed.

Runfar: “So what were the results?”

Lukalis: “It’s a match”

Runfar: “That’s what I was afraid of”

Lukalis: “But what does it mean? Clearly that feather matched your tissue sample….”

Runfar: “It means there is one more person I need to protect at all cost, lest I doom myself”

Runfar: “Luka, please tell the others that if they encounter a demon by the name of Kazan Karatengu…as much as it pains me…make sure he is protected”

Lukalis: “Understood”

Saying that, she walked away.

Runfar: “I was hoping this was not the case”

Morphus: “But why Kazan Karatengu?”

Runfar: “Because he is my ancestor, or at least he is going to be”

Morphus: “That is rather rough, milord”

Morphus was one of the few Runfar trusted enough to tell some of his deepest secrets, including the fact that he was originally from the future.

Runfar: “I don’t like him, but in order to not erase myself from existence, he must live”

Morphus: “I understand, sort of. You have a very complicated life, milord”

Runfar: “And I am talking to an angel, which is the least complicated part of it”

Runfar: “I have been stuck in this world for a while, and it doesn’t seem like I am going to be leaving in any time soon. I might as well make the best of it”

Morphus: “You truly have become rather domestic”

Runfar: “I guess you are right”

The relationship between the two was closer than that of a master and servant. By now, Runfar considered Morphus to be something akin to a younger brother.

Perhaps because he was used to angels or maybe because he did father a half angel child, he felt a certain sense of kinship to the young angel before him.

His luck led him to encounter many angels along his journey.

First it was Desolai, then Mrakus, and now Morphus.

If he was sure of anything, it was that the Mastermind behind everything that happened so far is also an angel. An angel whose motives and identity were still a mystery.

Runfar: ‘Just how many angels am I going to be involved in this life of mind? What am I, an angel magnet or something?’

So many variables needed to be considered.

By now, he had made a mental chart listing all potential foes.

That list included but was not limited to First Prince, Kanka the Lich, Undead Queen, Witches, and some demons.

Then there was the matter of the Mastermind.

Runfar: “Perhaps the mastermind made sure that I have this time loop curse in order to ensure that his plan has higher chance of succeeding, but it is not exactly infallible. Curses can be destroyed but it will also kill the user, permanently”

Runfar: ‘I still need to think of what I am going to do with Larat and Leona, heroes, gods….and him’

He had to note that if someone did not stop him from the outside, there still was a chance he might destroyed from the inside.

One thing he did fear was the potential resurfacing of Nur Finnerman. He and Runfar were two in one package.

Two people sharing a body, struggling for control.

Even if he maintained his grip for now, there was no telling how long that would last.

Morphus: “From what I understand, every person you interact with is a chess piece, then why do you show kindness to them?”

Runfar: “To ensure their loyalty. Morphus, people are like mirrors, you tend to get what you give”

Runfar clicked his fingers.

At that moment, Morphus’s servant vampire, Verine’s head exploded.

Morphus’s mouth ended up wide open in shock.

Runfar: “But I am the Dark Lord. Oh, don’t worry about her, she can heal from that”

Morphus: “What was that?”

Runfar: “I am testing out my new explosives implanted in the user’s skull. Just had to make sure it worked and she perfect test subject”

Everyone had settled in to their roles.

Meros even opened a dojo and Lukalis set up a magical research lab. He and his servants were simply enjoying the pleasures of life while the entire kingdom was at war.