The Spirit Tower of Arkhan.

For the common folk, the Magitechnocratic Republic of Arkhan was a nation primarily "ruled" by the president, along with a few other officials who were chosen through elections. The Sage King — the only Transcendent tied to the republic — was a good-natured and enigmatic guardian that would sally forth to vanquish the republic's enemies should the need arise.

But the reality was quite different.

In truth, the government and the tower were two separate organizations with different goals and motivations: the government naturally prioritized its continued existence and relevance, while the tower wanted to advance magitechnology and push the limits of sorcery.

Certainly, the Sage King appeared to hold a subtle fondness for his homeland, which is why the tower remained cooperative with the republic. Even though the other two nations on the continent could have been better sponsors for research and development.

However, this small favor did not mean the tower was subservient to the republic. Rather, the state constantly curried favor with the tower to ensure its aid in various matters. At the moment, the tower also serves as a research institute and an academy that produces new technology and fresh combat mages for the state to utilize in matters of national defense.

Rooting out underground organizations definitely wasn't on the list of tasks the tower usually undertook.

'How troubling...'

Reivan massaged his temples while contemplating his dilemma. Profit was one of the reasons he established Ouroboros, but that was for himself. To be of use to the nation his family ruled over, Reivan also wanted the organization to serve as his foothold in the republic as well as a source of information.

Its fate was obviously very relevant to him.

"Elsa."

"Yes, my master?" Elsamina kept her hands on her lap, maintaining a business-like demeanor.

"This is not some lie so I will allow you to prolong your stay here, right?"

The lack of notification was already a bad sign, but the beautiful woman's denial further exacerbated this. "I'm serious about this, my master. You may confirm this with Xanthus himself. If he wasn't so busy, that is. But he told me that this would be enough to explain things."

Reivan looked down as Elsamina slid something over the table. It was a cylindrical container the length and thickness of an adult's pinky finger. Knowing what it was, Reivan popped the lid and took out the small piece of paper inside while willing his thoughts into the container — which was actually a modified communication crystal that carried a recording of Xanthus' real report.

While pretending to peruse the small words on the tiny slip of paper, his mind was injected with a surge of information.

'Fuck. It's true.'

Communication with spies was better kept at a minimum, but now that they were linked by Ouroboros, Reivan could obtain more frequent reports by using the organization as a medium.

'The empire and the republic are starting to mend their ties, huh?'

In the report, Xanthus had told him information that even Elsamina wasn't aware of — and likely never be aware of.

According to Xanthus' investigations, the empire's recent focus on Aizen alleviated the pressure on the republic, creating enough room for some diplomacy.

And it had gone very well, to the extent that a long-term ceasefire agreement was in the works. The empire was also sending over some of their princes and princesses to attend the tower's academy — likely as hostages in case the empire violated their ceasefire.

And in exchange, the republic would turn a blind eye to some of their surface-level secrets leaking to the empire through those princes and princesses.

Who exactly was profiting the most was debatable. On one hand, the republic would be getting a much-needed reprieve from the war with Argonia. With Arkhan being on the back foot for decades due to recent imperial innovations in anti-magic, a decade or two of rest was a godsend.

On the other hand, the Argonia Empire could gain insight into just how Arkhan consistently produced spirit beasts for their mages to bond with. Of course, it remained to be seen whether the empire could replicate whatever the republic was doing even if they did know how it was done.

'What a mess.'

However, this brought dire tidings for Aizen. Their foremost desire was to uphold the status quo in Sentorale, as they awaited the emergence of their second Transcendent or the resolution of the issue with the gate to The Outlands.

'I must immediately tell Father of this... or rather, he must already know.'

It didn't hurt to be sure, so he telepathically instructed Valter to get in contact with his Father while he wrapped things up with Elsamina.

"So that's how it is." Reivan nodded and disintegrated the piece of paper with his magic power. He then stowed the container in his storage ring. "Thank you for bringing this to me as fast as possible."

"Of course." Elsamina bowed while still seated. "The information reached me just a few days ago. In fact, overseeing the success of The Serpent's Haven is a minor part of my decision to stay in Aizen — the tower's crackdown is the main reason."

"Understandably so. You would get in the way of Xanthus' work if you stayed there since he'd have another person to protect."

'Fuck. Just when I thought everything was going well...'

Elsamina leaned forward slightly and asked with trepidation. "So I can stay...?"

Reivan waved off her concern and nodded. "Of course. Don't leave until the heat has died down for months."

"Thank you very much!"

"Just make sure you pay extra attention to the management of our underground businesses there. It would be a waste if we lost them. I understand this will be very troublesome to do remotely but I will have to count on you for this."

"Understood. You have nothing to worry about since I've made sure there are no links to Ouroboros and our legal businesses. Xanthus is already facilitating our flight from the capital as we speak — which is coincidentally why he couldn't report it to you himself. Please forgive him."

"I was never angry." Reivan took a sip of wine and hoped getting tipsy would wash the problems away. Unfortunately, it seemed he had incredibly high alcohol tolerance and the expensive drink may as well have been tap water. "And Greyviel?"

Elsamina smiled wickedly. "We are prepared to cut him off at a moment's notice. As is, he is the most likely to be caught since plenty of the officials he sells weapons to have been taken in for questioning."

"Good, good."

'If need be, we can just give up a number of our illegal businesses and say that Greyviel was the mastermind. The old merchant can't say otherwise because of the slave pellet I had him swallow.'

Greyviel likely knew this too, and wouldn't betray him. After all, if the tower caught him, that was it. He'd go to prison for life. Maybe suffer the death sentence instead.

But if he betrayed Ouroboros, Reivan — or rather, Ken — had made sure to make the old merchant aware that his progeny would not be safe.

'Well, not that I really intended to go along with that... not if he dies, anyway.'

There would be no merit in getting revenge on a dead person by going after his family. Unless it would serve as a bad example for his subordinates, of course. But only the higher-ups of Ouroboros knew that Greyviel was a part of the organization, so punishing Greyviel to that extent was truly pointless.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

If the old man wasn't executed and just imprisoned though, then Reivan would likely be forced to resort to drastic punishment for betrayal.

"If that's all, then I must go now." Reivan pushed off his chair and stowed it back into his ring.

"Ah, wait." Elsamina also stood up, slightly alarmed. "Can you not stay for a bit longer? I'm sure this place can offer plenty of hospitality."

"No. I don't have the time to waste." Reivan replied with a cold shake of his head. As he started to turn around, a glimpse of the woman's countenance caught his attention, making him realize that he might have been overly harsh in his dismissal. "I'll come to visit again sometime. When it's not too crowded and I'm not too busy. I'll also prepare some information and materials that could be helpful."

"Yes." Elsamina immediately brightened up, her silky red hair shining against the room's dim lighting. "I'll look forward to it."

"Right. You do that. I'll see you in a bit."

With that over with, Reivan walked briskly out of the room.

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"Father!"

Reivan burst through the doors of the king's office.

Rodin's weary sigh drifted over from behind a tall stack of papers. "Son, stop being so loud this late at night."

Ignoring his father's words, Reivan placed his hands on the table and spoke quickly. "You've heard, yes? What do we do about this?"

Rodin sighed, pushing a stack of paper to the side to get a better view of his son. The dark bags under his eyes spoke well of how little sleep he'd been getting, but the king's voice was just as clear and firm as usual.

"You don't need to worry about that since we've known about this possibility for a long time. There is a faction of republican bureaucrats that are pro-peace when it comes to the empire, and have been lobbying the idea of a ceasefire agreement for years."

"And they finally succeeded, huh?"

"Not at all. It's more like the empire just decided to put more focus on us, and that faction coincidentally provided a convenient way to help with that."

"And what are we going to do about that, Father?"

"For now...? Well, why don't you sit down first?"

Reivan frowned but still obeyed, moving to sit down on one of the couches.

"Oof, my back..." Rodin stood up from his seat behind the desk and moved to the couch opposite Reivan's, apparently intending to take a short break. "Tea, son. I'd love some."

"Of course."

With a snap of his fingers, some cups and a pot of water appeared on the table between them. Reivan then remotely prepared some fresh tea using ingredients from his ring and his [Formless Will].

While waiting, he pressed his father again. "So?"

"So what?" Rodin shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back against the soft couch and seemingly melting into it as a smile of bliss crossed his face. "Is there a problem?"

"I'd like to think so, yeah. Is this not a huge problem for us?"

"You're too anxious, son. It's not as if this has never happened before. From time to time, Argonia's border nobles get mad about our constant harassment during harvest season. So they press the current emperor to "teach the kingdom a lesson" or something along those lines. Something like this happened about thirty years ago. Then another time twenty years before that. It's a tradition at this point."

"Have they ever formed ceasefires with Arkhan over this?"

"Hm. This is the first time actually. At the very least, there've been no precedents during my or Father's reigns. There are records of it happening five rulers ago though..."

"Then isn't this a sign that the empire is serious? Just sit on our bums and drink tea...?"

"Now that, my son, is simply an insult to me." Rodin slowly straightened his back, his bright blue eyes boring holes into Reivan. "You know I take matters of national security very seriously. Naturally, I have already prepared numerous countermeasures."

Reivan realized that perhaps he'd been a bit too hot-blooded and settled down, watching as his father also broke into a smile.

"I appreciate your passion very much, though. Keep that up. But have you forgotten? I've already placed Duchess Mercer near the front lines."

"I... have not forgotten..."

"I have also had our side go deeper into enemy lines for the past few engagements, embarking on longer campaigns behind enemy lines. This is to further whittle down imperial numbers and infrastructure, while also creating opportunities for our spies to infiltrate Argonia."

"Uh, right..." Reivan nodded, even though he didn't know that one. It felt as if Stella may have mentioned something to that extent whenever she came home from the frontlines, but Reivan likely filtered it out as temporarily irrelevant at the time.

"And furthermore..." Rodin wasn't done, but the tea was. So he picked it up and took a sip before continuing. "Our nation hasn't been slacking in innovations regarding warfare either."

"Innovations...?"

"Yes. Scholars under our employ have managed to invent some truly... heinous weapons of mass destruction. If need be, we can show the empire why it is better to leave us alone. One command from me is all it takes and a few imperial cities will disappear off the map."

Reivan frowned, his expression pensive. "...That sounds horrible."

"I know. I wouldn't want to unleash such a slaughter. But always remember, son. For millennia, Aizen has never desired to gain territory beyond the peaks of The Wolf's Jaw. We have always been satisfied to stay in our little peninsula, walled off from the rest of the continent by a mountain range. It was the empire that wanted to cross that wall, not us. They were the aggressors. We have always just protected ourselves."

"Yes, Father." Reivan sighed, a crease on his forehead. "Still, it would be great if those things never have to be used."

"Right." Rodin nodded sagely. "But if we are forced into a dire situation, I won't hesitate to do so. Aizen is powerful, son. So powerful that even when we hide most of our strength, the empire and the republic still use stories of our knights as the monsters of their children's bedtime stories. Even nations from the Pentagoria continent and Sutherim have heard of and fear us. And to appear in a better light, we maintain the image of a gentle giant, though the physically smallest of three."

Under the light of the moon seeping through the window, Rodin smiled ferociously, his teeth bared.

"And it is because of our strength that nobody will pity us. Nobody will step forward to protect us. We must do that ourselves. No matter the cost."

Reivan didn't look away from his father's strong gaze, only nodding. "Yes, Father."

"If the empire kicks a sleeping giant, they can blame no one for the genocide unleashed upon their nation, no? I expect this level of commitment from you and your brother as well."

"And I will not disappoint you."

"Now that's a fucking good answer!" Rodin broke into a fit of raucous laughter. The use of crude language made it even more apparent to Reivan how seriously his father thought about this issue. Once the king finally calmed down, he stood up. "Now, if that's all, you may leave. That's not a suggestion, by the way. You're a bother. And don't worry about the republic too much. Your old man hasn't gone senile yet, so affairs there are mostly still under my control."

Reivan smirked. "How impressive."

"Careful with your tone, boy. You almost sounded sarcastic there. Anyway, I'm sure you're already taking steps to minimize the fallout to your organization. Is that right?"

"Yes, Father."

"Good. Focus on that and increasing your personal strength for now. Leave matters of other nations and other worlds to me and the other old people. And don't take this as me telling you you're not good enough to handle those matters. Rather, it would be a greater help to me and your brother if you, say, become a Transcendent within the next few decades."

Reivan grimaced. "That's a bit much..."

Rodin chuckled and shrugged. "In any case, you seem to excel in combat, so you should pour most of your attention on that. I and your brother aren't particularly talented in that regard so I hope you'll help the family out by representing the men of the royal family in matters of battle..."

The prince couldn't help but snicker. "I'll do my best to help you two out, then."

"That sounds wonderful. Oh, and speaking of helping us out... Now, I know I just said you should focus on increasing your strength, but I have a daunting amount of paperwork that I could use some help with. They all need to have a royal pass their eyes over them, so even you should..."

"I just remembered something I have to do, Father." Reivan bolted up from his seat and briskly walked toward the door. "I must make haste."

"I see. Well, how unfortunate."

As he resisted the urge to break decorum and run out of the room, Reivan heard his father mutter, "This brat runs so decisively..."

Just as he was about to make it through the door, Rodin suddenly called out to him. "Oh, right. I heard that it's about time for that warbeast event where you unlock your qi."

That got Reivan to perk up his ears and stop. "What about it?"

"Well, I'm not supposed to say anything specific, according to your mother." Rodin had already returned behind his desk, looking through his papers with a frown on his face. "But I do know that something should happen within the week."

"Really?" Reivan beamed excitedly at this news. "So I'll unlock my qi just like that?"

"You have to pass some sort of trial, apparently. It would be hard without any help, but we can just cheat. According to Chief Mikachi, it's fairly common to do so too."

"Great! I can't wait."

Rodin eyed him suspiciously as he rubbed his hands in anticipation. "By the way, son..."

"Yeah?"

"Have you... felt hot anywhere?"

"Hot? I hate the heat so I regulate myself with cool air from time to time. Why?"

"That's not what I meant. Hmm..." Rodin rubbed his chin and frowned, seemingly contemplating what to say. "I mean, have you felt... strange in the area slightly below your stomach."

"Below my stomach..." Reivan looked down, his hand caressing his solar plexus. His hand then slid downward slightly, to his belly button. "Um, no. Nothing in particular."

"Not there... Nevermind." The king shook his head free of thoughts and smiled. "Well, if you don't feel anything at the moment, that's fine. I suppose Mimi hasn't said anything either."

'Oh, right. Mimi's the same age as me. Yikes. Soon enough, she's gonna be able to beat up Hector too...'

Reivan couldn't help but think that Hector was truly pitiful.

"Hm. Well, I'll go now, Father. Good night."

"Yes, good night. Oh, and just to be safe..." Rodin stamped down on a document, the loud noise echoing across the room. "For a while, try to avoid going near anyone female that's weaker than you. Your mother's fine, though. And if Valter's there, that's fine too."

"What? Why?"

"Do you want to unlock your qi or not?"

"I do!"

"Then that settles it."

Rodin shooed his son away and Reivan had no choice but to comply, as he didn't want to interrupt the man's work.

'Anyone female...? So the maids, Helen, Jiji, Mimi, and Elsa? What the hell? I have important matters with almost all of them!'

Reivan didn't really understand why he had to do something so strange, but since it concerned the unlocking of his qi, he had to take it seriously. Eventually, he decided to put it out of his mind and obey his father's words, since he only had to do it for a week or two.

Training with Helen, consultations with Jiji, and business meetings with Elsa couldn't be how it was for a while, but he could probably work something out by using communication crystals or messengers.

'It'll be fine.'

Reivan felt like whatever was coming, he would get through it easily.