Rodin heaved a weary sigh before leaning back in his office chair, relaxing his tortured spine. The dawn's first rays of sunlight seeping through the windows and a quick glance at the crystal on his wrist told him that it was way past the average person's bedtime.

'That was easier than I thought it'd be...'

The negotiation with the Terracatta clan had gone relatively smoothly despite how much time it took to finish. It was a good thing that the chief apparently knew how to speak the kingdom's language for some mysterious reason. If she hadn't, the meeting would've lasted for much longer.

'I can't help but feel like they were being a bit too... cooperative.'

"Hmm..." Rodin tapped his chin in thought for a bit, but then he shrugged.

It wasn't all that strange. The Terracatta clan was basically homeless at this point.

Stray kittens, even.

In the end, Rodin was able to secure an elite force that was highly skilled in espionage and infiltration — something his nation was somewhat lacking in. And all he had to give up for it was a relatively tiny corner in one of the many subterranean cities he'd recently developed. Naturally, he had to pay them wages as well, but money wasn't much of a problem at the moment — worst case, he'd just make a bit more.

'Building those underground cities was a really good idea on my part... and everybody thought I was crazy for even doing it too!'

Thinking about how his past self's foresight made things easier for him, Rodin could practically feel the urge to get up and do a little dance in his office.

As the king, it was his duty to think of solutions for all sorts of problems, even when those problems were so far into the distance that nobody could see them clearly yet. One of those problems was Aizen's population.

Having more citizens was always a good thing, but the problem of where they would live was going to be an issue in a couple of centuries.

Argonia Empire's tyrants would undoubtedly try to solve this by simply conquering more land, but Aizen couldn't do the same. With the portal to the Outlands as a constant threat, spreading their forces too thin would be detrimental to national security, which was among the reasons why the nation's borders hadn't moved for thousands of years.

And so, Rodin had wracked his brain for a solution to the future lack of living space.

Soon, a scholar had suggested creating a floating city — a concept found in the first king of Aizen's tome of "ideas".

But unlike how approving he was of the train, Rodin denied the floating city for its inefficiency. Even if it was possible to create one and Aizen had a constant supply of energy, maintaining an entire city's constant flight was too wasteful.

Then another scholar suggested building larger and taller buildings that almost touched the clouds. But Rodin rejected that idea too, since it would hinder the knights' patrols around the cities and, not to mention, be very easy to attack from afar. He made note of it though, deciding to leave it as a last resort.

The eccentric scholars had cursed him for denying everything and being unreasonable — an offense that he magnanimously forgave — but their thoughts weren't offered in vain since Rodin had an epiphany.

If building upwards wasn't convenient, then what about downwards?

And so, the subterranean cities were born.

But not until after decades of debates and problem-solving. Now, about twenty percent of the nation's population lived in them, with plenty of space left to spare since it wasn't all too popular at this point in time.

Rodin blamed the lack of advertising and media exposure.

'I really got a good bargain...'

With the skills and power that the Terracatta clan commanded, Rodin wouldn't have minded if he had to part with three or four cities if he could make use of their talents. And yet, he didn't even have to give away a single one; just a somewhat large plot of land for the newcomers to settle in and a lump sum of money.

Rodin couldn't help but feel like he'd robbed them blind.

'Oh well. I'll just make it up to them when they finally decide to throw their lot in with us.'

Understandably, the Terracatta clan did not agree to an Oath of loyalty.

But they were receptive to a multitude of other agreements. One example was a clause that prevented them from revealing any information on Aizen, even if they decided to join a different side — which was intentionally worded in a way that the Terracatta clan would be useless as spies if the enemy decided to utilize them against Aizen.

By paying the proverbial equivalent of peanuts, Rodin was able to neuter an elite force of spies from ever being used against his nation and employ them.

'It just keeps getting better the more I think about it!'

And that was why he found it so strange.

'Chief Mikachi did not strike me as such an easy mark...'

The warbeast woman was the leader of a clan that lived on a continent embroiled in seemingly endless conflict. And she'd had the job for centuries.

She could not possibly be incompetent.

'Was it Viktor...?'

Rodin was aware of the bad blood between the Terracatta clan and the white wolf siblings. However, much like Vianna, Rodin assumed Viktor had gotten over it as well — which was why Rodin felt comfortable asking Viktor to make use of the bad blood to guilt trip the Terracatta clan.

But what if the wolf man hadn't cleansed the hatred in his heart yet?

'Did I perhaps do something really insensitive?'

Rodin massaged his temples as he heaved a sigh of regret. One really shouldn't make assumptions, lest they blow up in one's face.

'I should pull him over for some drinks... hopefully, I get some free time for that soon.'

The chances of that were low, though. In fact, since he had to watch over the integration of the Terracatta clan into Aizen's forces, Rodin had plenty more work to do.

'I suppose it's a blessing in disguise that all of this happened right after Reivan's coming-of-age ceremony.'

Rodin might've had difficulty attending his own son's ceremony if this incident had happened just a few weeks earlier. Also, within a few years, he'd be able to ask his second son to help him with a few mundane tasks, lessening his workload a little.

'Hmmm... having sons is really convenient. I wish I made more... or rather, I'd really like a daughter too...'

Alas, it wasn't in the cards. His first wife's death while birthing Roland traumatized Rodin into not mass-producing princes and princesses. Even with the improvements made by the Saintess in the field of medicine, Rodin was still reluctant.

If Vianna hadn't outright forced him into making a child with her, Reivan may not have been born.

'Well, now I'm glad she did that.'

Rodin chuckled to himself as he started fixing up the papers on his desk, forming neat little stacks so that his ministers would be able to take care of them for him when they came in for work later. After he was done, he stood up to head to his bedchamber — which was likely empty since Vianna had decided to sleep with Reivan last night — when he suddenly stopped.

"Ah, I almost forgot..." Rodin lightly slapped his forehead before leaning on the edge of his desk. "Sir Rolf."

Jingle!

"You called, Your Majesty?"

Almost as if he'd been there from the start, a middle-aged man in white robes spoke as he stood in the middle of the room. The light piercing through the window shone on his shoulder-length hair — which was of a similar color to Reivan's, albeit partly greying — as he slowly knelt on one knee.

In Aizen, knights and combatants were exempt from kneeling or bowing in respect since it put them in a vulnerable position. But the man showed no apparent signs of caution as he lowered his head as well — an archaic way that the knights of old times used to show respect to their liege.

As Rodin gazed at the man, he couldn't help but smirk in amusement.

'He never changes...'

Even though Rodin had told him repeatedly that he didn't need to kneel and bow, the man still did so every time they met face to face. And the stubborn old coot would likely refuse to get up, quoting some chivalric code from thousands of years ago.

'Well, two can play at that game...'

Rodin pushed off from his desk and stood straight, looking down on the kingdom's everlasting guardian. And in this place, where nobody could see, and none would be aghast by it...

He bowed.

The king bent his waist at a ninety-degree angle and bowed toward the man who was older than the kingdom he ruled.

"This humble king pays his respects to the Sword Star."

Rolf grunted as he frowned. "Your Majesty, please get up. A king shouldn't..."

"And like I always say..." Rodin looked up with an impish grin. "You first."

The Sword Star also looked up and met his King's gaze, his dark eyes meeting with Rodin's blue ones. Soon, the Transcendent sighed in exasperation before getting up.

"Brat."

"Everyone's a brat compared to you, old man." Rodin chuckled as he also got up. After he walked around the table to sit back down on his chair, he gestured for Rolf to take a seat. "Tea?"

"I'd love some." The Sword Star sat down on a chair that materialized out of nothing, as if in response to his desire.

"Excellent."

With a snap of Rodin's fingers, two cups of steaming tea and a white teapot appeared on the table, filling the air with a pleasant fragrance.

Rodin took the cup closest to him and brought it up to his mouth, taking a good whiff before drinking. After he was done, he felt it inappropriate to immediately jump to the subject he wanted to discuss, so he decided to start with some small talk.

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"So, how's the situation in the Outlands?"

Naturally, though, small talk between the nation's ruler and the nation's most powerful entity would not be very "small".

"Manageable." Rolf brought his own cup to his lips and took in the drink's aroma before continuing. "I've somehow dealt with all the Transcendent nightmares that have wandered close. The forces that have somewhat acclimatized to Outland's... unique environment have also gradually increased. And due to the constant combat, some of the mortal knights are ascending. Things are going well, despite some hiccups here and there, Your Majesty."

Rodin couldn't help but smile. "That's good to hear."

"It's just..." Rolf hesitantly trailed off.

Immediately, The king's face fell. "What is it...?"

"Hmm... I'm not all that certain, but..." Rolf stroked his bearded chin for a moment, pondering his next words. "Sometimes, it feels as if I'm being watched."

Rodin stiffened.

'Watched? The Sword Star? What in the...'

The Sword Star boasted unparalleled offensive prowess, even when compared to the other Transcendents in the continent of Sentoral. However, that did not necessarily mean that offense was his only specialty.

Another skill that he surpassed all the other Transcendents in was perception.

Whether it be in range, detail, or how many points he could focus on at the same time, Rolf presumably surpassed every other Transcendent on the continent.

'And somehow, someone was able to watch him without him knowing?'

Rodin couldn't hold back his disbelief. "Are you sure about this...?"

Rolf nodded. "Whenever I follow the gaze, I can only find weaklings..."

"...That's quite unsettling."

There was a stiff moment of silence between the two, frowns crossing their faces as they thought of what to say about the disturbing fact.

Finally, Rodin offered a suggestion. "Should we get the Saintess involved in this...?"

The Sword Star's lips curled up into a teasing smirk. "You certainly thought of that fast."

"Please stop teasing me about the past..." Rodin grinned sheepishly and sighed. "And please don't let Vianna hear you say those kinds of things."

Rolf chuckled at his liege's expense before he cleared his throat, his expression serious. "Frey would certainly sympathize and happily join our cause, but..."

"You don't trust her."

"I trust her kind nature." Rolf downed an entire cup of tea and then refilled it as he continued. "Same as my loyalty, her benevolence and desire to better the lives of everyone is, I believe, the foundation of her existence. It isn't something I can doubt."

Rodin cocked an eyebrow. "Then what is the problem?"

"Because our priority is this nation. Whilst hers is the world." Rolf shook his head. "We'll never truly see eye to eye."

'That's... true.'

Rodin couldn't help but nod at the Sword Star's words.

If the Saintess were to eventually come to know some of the things Aizen did with the Outland's resources, she would no doubt consider them her eternal nemesis. Embroiling her in the Outland's affairs would bring with it an increased risk of her discovering something that she shouldn't.

'She's too beneficial to kill, but too volatile to fully utilize...'

In a sense, Saintess Frey was even more troublesome to deal with than the Argonia Empire and the Magitechnocratic Republic of Arkhan combined. She was a powerful entity that they hosted inside their country, who could become an enemy at any time. But on the other hand, would bring constant benefits if left to her own devices.

"So, she's the last resort."

"Hm." Rolf nodded. "I'd like to delay her involvement as much as possible."

"Then what about the Outlands?"

"There have been no problems yet, so I believe it's fine to leave it as is." The Sword Star looked toward the window, where the golden sun could be seen shining brightly in the sky. "For now."

"Hmmm..." Rodin frowned as he tapped his chin. His nature made the notion of doing nothing very unpleasant.

What if doing nothing made things worse?

Perhaps sensing his unease, Rolf smiled serenely as he said, "Besides. The fact that the entity only watches and does nothing, means that it is the only thing it can do at the moment."

"Yes, but it also means it's cautious. Which does not bode well for us."

"And that possibility is also why I was furiously looking for it." The Sword Star looked away from the window and looked at Rodin with a playful twinkle in his eye. "Until you called me, that is."

"Oh..."

Rolf chuckled. "I jest. So, Your Majesty? Why did you call me?"

"Ah, yes." Rodin cleared his throat. "I'm sure you're aware. Reivan has just completed the first coming-of-age ceremony."

"Indeed." The Sword Star's somewhat wizened face morphed into a warm expression. "I peeked in from time to time. He did splendidly."

"Yes. That he did." The king couldn't help but stick his chest out in pride. "And as such, he will need training now. Preferably with you to guide him..."

At this, Rolf shook his head. "At his level, there's not much I can teach him that others cannot. The strange presence in the Outlands demands the majority of my attention too."

"That's true. I didn't expect a problem like that to come along when I called for you..."

"I believe it's better to have Donovan handle little Reivan's basic training."

"Donovan, huh..." Rodin rubbed his chin in thought.

Donovan was just another one of Aizen's Ascendants. He was a strange case, someone who was able to ascend in the later stages of his life, so he was forced to live as a well-aged man for eternity. Aside from that, he was not particularly skilled in combat — of course, as a veteran of the trade, he was certainly formidable in his own right, but when compared to offensive powerhouses like Vianna, Viktor, and a few other knights, Donovan wasn't special at all.

His specialty lay in training young knights.

'The results speak for themselves, but his methods are a bit...'

"Of course, with Reivan's talents, Donovan will likely not be enough," Rolf said. "Young Stella can teach him Lightning Arts and either Viktor or Vianna can teach him Frost Arts. As for the Dark Arts... there's few who can offer him guidance on that. And I can only think of one particular person..."

"Ah, yes... Valter." Rodin nodded in agreement. "Then what do you think about having Valter be Rein's guardian knight?"

The affinity for Darkness was so incredibly rare, that Aizen only only had a few dozen people — Ascended or otherwise — who had it. And among them, the one that stood out the most was Valter Suprana.

Coincidentally, Valter was the knight who found Helen Mercer before the Arkhanian fugitive Reivan had slain could get to her. Or rather, Valter had saved the fugitive before House Mercer's hounds found out.

From this, perhaps it could be said that there was some sort of fate tying his son and the Ascendant knight together.

"I was just about to suggest that myself." The Sword Star chuckled as he let his tea's aroma waft over him. "I'm sure he'll agree. His direct disciple just finished ascending a few months ago, so I'm sure he's eager to teach another one."

"Then it's decided," Rodin announced. The crystal strapped to his wrist glowed for a moment as he sent a message to the Ascendant knight they were just talking about.

In only three seconds, the crystal flashed with light again.

"An instant reply." The king's eyes widened in surprise. "He agreed."

"As expected." Rolf nodded, not surprised in the slightest.

With that, Rodin's business with the Transcendent was finished. But then he thought of something else to ask. "What is your opinion on the Terracatta clan...?"

"Ah, yes..." The old guardian slowly combed back his hair, carefully arranging the words in his mind before speaking. "I do not believe we'll have any problems with them."

Rodin smirked. "I'm of the same opinion."

"Their betrayals strike me as something they did out of necessity, rather than just cowardice." Rolf stroked his beard in thought. "Aizen is not beneath such acts either, after all."

"I can't deny that..." The king laughed wryly as he scratched his cheek. "One has to be alive to live honorably, after all."

"And besides." The Sword Star pointed at his liege's chest. "While they are here, in Aizen, there is no possibility of escape."

Rodin reflexively rubbed his the middle of his chest, where a bright blue crystal was buried within, pulsing in tandem with his heart.

'That's true...'

As its king, Rodin was almost unbeatable here in within the confines of the kingdom. With just a thought, anybody in his domain could simply be erased without leaving anything behind. Provided that there were enough resources stashed in the treasury, of course.

And Aizen had been stockpiling those resources for centuries.

Their proverbial wallet was bursting at the seams. Anyone foolish enough to step into the kingdom's soil could be crushed under the weight of Aizen's preparations.

'That is, as long as they aren't Transcendents...'

But that wasn't much of a disappointment. After all, that meant there were only a total of six people in the Sentoral Continent that couldn't just be killed outright. Even if they were Transcendents, Rodin could still deal significant damage to them.

"It would be wonderful if Lionel or Antonnel waltzed in here and let Aizen's power weaken them..." Rolf mused out loud as he gazed out of the window. "We'd be able to rid ourselves of a few of our problems."

"They rarely leave their lairs, so that fantasy will remain a dream within a dream." Rodin scoffed before directing a teasing gaze toward the man he respected the most. "Well, you're not much different. When was the last time you left the capital?"

Unfazed, the old man replied, "Four years ago."

"Ha! I knew you haven—" Rodin paused, his eyes widening. "What...?"

"Four years ago, Your Majesty."

"Four years...?" The king gaped, looking absolutely flabbergasted.

For someone as old as the Sword Star, an ordinary person's lifetime wasn't all that much time and four years was nothing. Certain kings had been born and died of old age, yet they'd never seen the Sword Star leave the capital even once.

Of course, there was a deeper reason behind this than Rolf's reclusive nature. The Sword Sanctum in the mountain behind the palace was where many Ascendants spent countless years attempting to become Aizen's second Transcendent. Naturally, Rolf stayed with them to offer them guidance and advice. There was also the fact that Rolf couldn't move too far from the portal to the Outlands.

So the fact that the hermit-like old man had gone somewhere out of the capital sometime four years ago deeply shocked Rodin.

"W-where did you even go...?"

At this, the Sword Star downed his tea before saying, "That's a secret."

"What..." Rodin was stunned into silence yet again, but this only lasted for a moment. He then smirked. "How insolent. You dare keep secrets from your king?"

"Nonsense. There is nobody more loyal than I." Rolf's eyes narrowed as his lips curled upward. "Give the order, and I shall tell you all that I know."

"Bah." The king waved the old man off with an amused look on his face before standing up. "Keep your damned secrets. I must go to bed now."

"A sad thing it is, for a man to head to bed without his wife in it."

Rodin began walking toward the door, unaffected by the playful jab. "At least I have a wife."

Rolf's face twitched.

Seeing this, Rodin smirked, satisfied at the small victory. He was just about to walk out the door when he was stopped.

"Your Majesty."

"Hm?" The king looked back. "Is there something else? You know you can go back anytime..."

"This." Rolf raised his hand, a red string connected to a silver bell that was shaped like a sphere. Despite the old man's motion, no sound escaped from the slit in the middle.

image [https://us.123rf.com/450wm/djmilic/djmilic1809/djmilic180900007/107946551-silver-sleigh-bell-3d-render-illustration-isolated-on-white-background.jpg?ver=6]

"Hm? I still have one..." Rodin paused, brows furrowed. "It's gone...?"

"Did you forget that the three-month deadline for these ended just a few minutes ago, Your Majesty?"

"Ah... yes. I must've forgotten. I've been a bit busy, you see."

"You're always busy, my king." Rolf chuckled before walking over and presenting the bell to Rodin.

"Thank you." After stowing the bell in his spatial ring, Rodin turned back around to resume leaving. "You have a pleasant evening, Rolf."

"The evening has been long over, Your Majesty." The Sword Star shook his head in exasperation. "But I will certainly have peaceful nights now that the tiger in the east has met its match."

"True enough."

Now that a new Transcendent had popped out from nowhere to challenge the Eastern Tiger's rule, Rodin and Rolf no longer had to worry about a foreign continent's interference.

Especially since the Eastern Tiger had plenty of motives to join hands with Aizen's enemies. Three motives by the name of Vianna, Viktor, and Reivan, to be exact.

'I just hope that new Transcendent can put up a good fight. Perhaps there is merit in helping them from the shadows...'

The turmoil in the eastern continent provided enormous relief to his mind. Hopefully, those two beasts kept each other in check until Aizen had solved a few of its other problems.

As for the lives of the Easterners? Rodin did not care too much about that. He had enough to worry about as the ruler of a nation as is. Despite Aizen's outward power, it had too many problems beneath the surface. Why would they willingly dip their toes into another continent's shit pool when their own home was flooded with it?

All he could do was send them his thoughts and prayers.

"Good night, Your Majesty." Rolf's voice echoed in Rodin's mind, snapping him out of his thoughts.

When he glanced back, the Aizen Kingdom's first knight was already gone.

"Good night, old man."

Despite this, Rodin still spoke, knowing the freakishly ancient warrior could still hear him. Closing the door behind him, he then started walking toward his bedroom. There were easier and faster ways to get there, but he liked walking from time to time.

'Things are really starting to look up...'

Rodin hummed as he strolled, filling the halls with a joyful tune as the rhythm of his steady steps combined with the song to form a melody.

Some new capable subordinates, one of their possible enemies getting held up by a newcomer, and his son's coming-of-age.

As a king, Rodin was a bit ashamed that he felt happiest about the last one, but he couldn't help it. He was someone who didn't expect to be blessed with a second son. And that son was now ten years old! The boy didn't even resent him either — a fact that boggled Rodin's mind whenever he thought about it.

Since he was so busy, Rodin couldn't spend a lot of time with his precious children, and yet neither of them hated his guts.

Rodin couldn't help but laugh. It felt like he was being validated as a parent.

'Maybe I'm not as bad of a father as I thought?'

While feeling elated, Rodin had unknowingly made it to his bed. Even his clothes were changed to ones for sleeping. But he didn't find it all that strange, moving on autopilot for mundane tasks such as these were essential for someone like him, who constantly juggled multiple things at once.

As he lay down on his soft bed, only having a pillow with his wife's scent for company, Rodin looked out of the large window in his room, where the sun was partially hiding behind a veil of clouds.

Right on cue, a large sky arc broke through the clouds, casting its shadow on the not-so-sleeping capital.

While inwardly chuckling at the random thought of how a lot of commoners apparently called sky arcs "airships" because the nickname rolled off the tongue easier, Rodin's thoughts switched to his youngest son as he began to drift into the embrace of slumber.

'Reivan...'

The boy was smart, polite, eager to learn, and also slightly more handsome than his father. And no doubt all of the knights, everybody else who knew of his various abilities, and even the Sword Star had high expectations for what he would achieve. Vianna no doubt wanted similar things.

But for Rodin — although his kingly side thought otherwise — his fatherly side just wished for one thing.

'I hope he grows up healthy and happy.'

With the hope that the country he'd worked so hard to improve for most of his life could help him fulfill that wish, Rodin slipped into the world of dreams.