The king took a thoughtful pause, his gaze drifting over the meadow as if lost in its beauty, though Ren knew his mind was far from the tranquility of the landscape. With a sigh, the king turned back to Ren, his expression now bearing a solemn weight.

“You’ve been in Pangea for six months, correct?” the king began, his tone careful as he considered his words. “In that time, I trust you’ve familiarized yourself with the geopolitical landscape of our world. You know well enough by now the precarious standing of humanity—the least privileged of the five races—and the balance of power between our nations.”

Ren nodded. “I’ve come to understand some of it, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Then perhaps you can tell me,” the king said, pouring his own coffee, “which of the eight nations of Pangea you see as the most powerful.”

Ren didn’t hesitate. “That would be the Grand Alliance of the North. With a population dominated by elves and fairies, they hold unmatched power over magic. Their mastery over elemental and arcane forces keeps them at the very top. The only nation remotely close is Ropay, though the gap between them is… significant.”

The king’s eyes lit with approval. “An excellent assessment,” he replied, pleased. “The Grand Alliance is indeed a juggernaut, but this advantage is not based on size or sheer numbers. It’s their magic that places them above all others. Their elves are naturally attuned to arcane forces, and the fairies lend them a magical finesse beyond even the other mystical races. When it comes to harnessing the elements, manipulating nature, or creating powerful enchantments, they hold the world in the palm of their hand. No other nation dares to challenge them directly.”

The king took a slow sip of his coffee, his voice dropping as if sharing a painful truth. “Humans, on the other hand, are born without any innate magical affinity. We are surrounded by nations whose people breathe magic as naturally as air, while we must rely on crafted tools and machines to perform even the simplest spellwork. This reliance on external devices may help us survive, but it means we are forever a step behind, leaving us vulnerable to exploitation, even derision.”

Ren nodded, his own face reflecting the king’s solemnity. “It is truly unfortunate,” he replied, more interested in encouraging the king to continue than in voicing his own opinion.

Magron shifted uneasily, acutely aware of the queen’s presence beside him. For a man who’d spent most of his life in the rough world of the southern raiders, being this close to the nobility felt surreal.

He’d fought through countless battles, yet here, beside the queen—an embodiment of grace and beauty—it felt as though he were standing on entirely new ground. Her presence, her perfume, and her polished composure reminded him just how far removed he was from her world. Still, if following Ren had brought him to a place like this, then perhaps there were more extraordinary things yet to come.

Just then, she turned her gaze on him, her eyes alight with curiosity. “Your chief, what kind of man is he?” Her voice was soft, but the question landed with surprising force, catching him off guard.

Magron cleared his throat, completely at a loss, uncharacteristically nervous. “Uh… the chief…”

As a seasoned warrior, he was used to the adrenaline of combat, but the queen’s sudden, direct gaze threw him off.

He noticed her elegant perfume filling the air as she tilted her head in his direction, and he suddenly felt every bit the rough soldier he was. She was a vision of elegance, clad in flowing robes that sparkled even in the muted light, rivaling the ethereal beauty of the fairies in the Grand Alliance.

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Meanwhile, he stood there in a simple woolen tunic, layered with a worn chainmail that hadn’t seen a wash in days. The contrast was almost comical.

“Yes, the chief,” she repeated with a small smile, clearly amused by his discomfort.

The smile took him further aback. He’d expected the queen to be cold and haughty, a proud creature of nobility. But here she was, smiling patiently at him, her tone light and encouraging. Oddly enough, she seemed more approachable than some of the rough-edged soldiers he’d fought alongside. Her easy demeanor made him relax—just a little.

Finally, he gathered himself, determined to answer her question properly. “The chief is… a hard character to place, Your Majesty,” he began, finding his words as he spoke. “He’s always thinking. Always adapting. Always planning ten steps ahead. He doesn’t show it right away—he’ll let most people believe he’s just another average man, nothing special. But if you’re around him long enough, you’ll see there’s something more beneath the surface. Something sharp.”

The queen’s brow arched with interest. “So, he is smart?”

Magron’s face lit up with a fierce loyalty that momentarily overrode his unease. “That goes without saying, Your Majesty. He’s the smartest,” he replied, each word charged with conviction.

She chuckled, and the sound took him by surprise. It was light, genuine, and reminded him, oddly enough, of simpler times. The tension that had been building in him melted away, leaving him only with a surprising sense of kinship. Maybe, he thought, the queen was a little more like them than he’d expected.

The king took a measured breath, his gaze sharpening as he prepared to reveal the depths of his secret. “Now, let me tell you something you may not even dare to imagine, Ren. Your arrival in this world was no accident. In fact, it was a meticulously planned endeavor—a collaborative effort between Aropia and the Grand Alliance, intended to carve a path for humanity to stand strong within Pangea.”

Ren froze, his coffee cup halfway to his lips. He felt the gravity of the words pressing on him. This revelation struck him deeper than any scheme or political maneuver he'd ever encountered.

Carefully, he set the cup down, determined not to show any outward reaction, though his mind raced to make sense of this new information.

He swallowed before finally responding, “Well, I’m…at a loss for words. I thought I was given a second chance, an opportunity to redeem myself after…after what happened in my former life.” His voice was low, steady, yet he couldn’t entirely mask the bewilderment in his eyes.

The king’s face remained unwavering, his tone taking on an edge of grave significance.

“Summoning rituals are delicate, complex, and unimaginably costly. Aropia had conceived this plan to seek help from a realm where humans reigned supreme, where they had strength to lead without magic. But the sheer expense of such an undertaking was far beyond our resources. Then the Grand Alliance—our supposed rivals—came to us, offering the necessary funding and knowledge to make it happen. Together, we drew up the framework for your summoning, every detail orchestrated to bring you here.”

A chill swept through Ren as he processed the weight of the king’s words. He’d lived his life here, feeling like a foreigner without purpose or clear direction, assuming that he was merely a fortunate survivor. Now, to learn he was a carefully calculated piece in a grand strategy—it left him both disoriented and strangely exhilarated.

The king continued, his tone dropping to a whisper that seemed to carry across the meadow with a dark resonance.

“I’m sure you’re beginning to see why I’ve gone to such lengths to shield you, and why I insisted you remain in the shadows, no matter how much it may have frustrated you. You needed time, a safe haven in which to grow and adapt, so that when you finally emerged, you would be ready. Ready to lead humanity toward a different fate, to challenge the status quo of Pangea.”

Ren clenched his jaw, keeping his face as neutral as possible.

Yet a dozen questions flooded his mind, tangling with the sense of purpose he’d been grappling to find since his arrival in this world.

“Your Majesty, I…” he hesitated, searching for the right words. “I understand why you kept this from me, and I see now how meticulously you’ve prepared this path. But why tell me now?”

The king’s eyes gleamed, a flicker of anticipation flashing within them. “Because, Ren, I sense the end of my time is close at hand.”