The people of the small forest village stood amidst their settlement, wielding axes and pitchforks after noticing a massive shadow in the sky. A few weeks ago, they were visited by strange warriors who claimed that they were at war with Cridia. They left without disturbing the people but promised to help, if help was ever needed, among other even more unbelievable promises. Since then, a messenger Eagle had regularly visited their nameless village, bringing and taking the letters they had written to their almost-forgotten relatives. The chief's wife had even started teaching the children how to write since she was the only one in the village with that skill. They had received supplies of writing materials, alarm flares with instructions on how to use them, and even healing potions that were stored for emergencies of the darkest hour. The people started to believe that this new King was a better person than the current Cridian ruler after all.

"What is it?" the village chief asked one of their hunters.

"It looks like an Eagle... But damn, it's big!" the middle-aged man responded.

"Do you have an alarm flare prepared?" the chief asked his wife, who held a red stick in her hand with the priming cord firmly gripped with the other hand.

"Yes..." She swallowed in fear.

Before anyone could do anything, the Eagle changed into a bright bolt of lightning and disappeared before their eyes.

"I bring you news from King Theon Avalon himself." In shock, they all turned around, only to see the huge Storm Eagle behind them, causing them to tremble in fear. A Storm Eagle was a monster capable of shredding entire battalions and destroying entire towns. Yet, it was standing in front of them, wearing a strange breastplate with the heraldry of Avalon, a symbol that was already bored into their memory since it was on everything else they had received so far. Letter paper, seals of potions, and even the alarm flare the chief’s wife held at the moment all contained the same mark. They were still alive for now, and the monster patiently waited for their shock to pass.

"You... Are you talking?" the hunter stuttered.

"Yes. I was sent to deliver you a message. Don't be afraid." The Eagle's voice was calming and deep at first but filled with wary alertness as he spotted the alarm flare. "Oh... Did you require assistance?"

"We were scared by you..." the woman sheepishly replied.

"In that case, I'm sorry to startle you." The eagle bowed to them, confusing the people completely. "I am tasked with patrolling this area. If you ever need help, I would be the first to arrive."

"You don't mean to hurt us?" another woman asked as she dropped to her knees, shaking in fear.

"No. Haven't the soldiers of King Theon promised you safety in a time of need? Haven't my lesser brethren and sisters carried your messages?" he asked calmly, with no pretence in his voice.

"Yes! Thank you for your help," the same woman assured the Eagle. "What about the war?"

"The times have changed. Your world is less scary, but dangers are still waiting to attack. But you are no longer alone. You may even choose to leave this place and settle in a less remote place." The Eagle looked at them. "I will now convey my message. Please bring everyone, even the children and elderly, to hear me out."

Most of the people decided to trust it. One young boy started asking the Eagle about the world outside the forest, and the monster patiently provided him with answers. Soon, all the villagers gathered, and the Eagle spread his wings. The giant bird monster looked even more majestic as lightning bolts danced between his feathers.

"Hear me, the herald of the great king, who sends his word to all who would listen," he started and folded his wings. "I, Theon Avalon, The Champion of Eriar, by the will of the Gods and the power of my Immortal Legions, have become the new King of these lands. The Queen of Cridia, Josla Cridia, has been defeated, and the war is now over. The nobles who backed her bloody reign are dead or imprisoned, and they will pay for all the evil they permitted. With the twilight of Cridia now passed comes the dawn of the Kingdom of Arcadia and a new era of prosperity. I can promise you all that your life will change. My Eagles patrol the skies of Arcadia, and my Legions protect the borders. You have no reason to believe in my words, and I will not try to convince you with words alone. Instead, I invite you all to come and see Avalon. I call upon all the people of Arcadia to grasp the new opportunities that await all those brave enough to change the world!"

The Eagle nodded to them and fixed some of his feathers with its massive beak, allowing the people to make sense of what he had just spoken. The people looked at each other without visible emotions and started discussing something between them. The young hunter, who had questioned the Eagle previously, began to argue with two others, most likely his parents. After a while, the chief's wife raised her shaking hand, and everyone calmed down.

"You told us before that we can leave this place. Is that true?"

"Yes. This forest is fairly dangerous, so that would be a wise decision. I killed a large pack of feral goblins no less than two days ago. I sense many monsters around, but they keep clear from your homes for now," the bird replied. Some of the people were still shocked that he could actually speak. "Of course, if you request aid, the military logistic company will be dispatched with the cargo wagons to help you relocate. Any other questions?"

The people looked at each other with worried looks but were silent. The Eagle prepared to take off when the young hunter from before stepped out. "Can you take me with you?"

•••

Winning a war was one thing, but truly controlling the conquered lands was a whole different story. The people living in my lands had various customs, fears, and concerns. In front of me awaited a new battle, much more challenging and longer than the one I waged against Korkas. The battle for the hearts of the people would decide the fate of my Kingdom. Of course, some people were upset about the fall of the previous regime, and Luna made sure to observe their actions very closely. So far, most had been infighting too much to create any cells of resistance, but some had already tried to take more hostile actions. Fortunately, they didn't have the resources necessary to stage a rebellion, but the slights on their part were already piled dangerously. Such people were in the minority, and the others were going to wait and see. It looked like many were tired of Josla, perhaps even her father, and were willing to give me a chance. The majority of people had more fundamental concerns than those few who were upset. Their most pressing matters were getting food for their families and protecting their communities from wild animals and monsters. I looked at my wives, who had prepared various reports to be discussed or simply announced.

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"We should be able to keep up with the food production." Lavender rubbed her face with a tired sigh. "I ordered Kirin to copy the farming setup you created, and I tweaked their implementation. Demesne is already producing a satisfying surplus. With this, we should be able to secure the bare minimum of food. This year might be even worse than the previous, though, Theon."

"Drought?" I skipped the good news and focused on the problem.

"Yes. I'm afraid that even Zephyr can't help us with this." Hestia mixed some sugar in her tea with a sad expression. "It's... Frustrating."

"Hmmm... Bring me the weather records." I turned my head at the Maid, who disappeared after a nod. "In the meantime, Hestia, how is regaining the faithful going?"

"Excellent, my Darling! I even managed to overtake Zeus slightly." She smiled cutely at me. "The people of Arcadia, once they learnt who I am, pray to me in the hope that I would listen to their pleas as their Queen. It's an unexpected but very welcomed bonus. The people are actually listening to the proper priests this time, and I use my power to fulfil some of their wishes, as you asked me. The cascade effect you told us about is amazing!"

"I'm glad to hear that." I smiled and picked up our scarce notes and a larger tome that was probably pillaged from Josla's library. I studied it for a moment in silence and sighed. "It looks like the weather has declined yearly for the last two hundred years..."

"Two hundred years? That can't be a coincidence." Hestia hummed and pouted. "If I remember correctly, Cahrona told me that their grand quest to shut down the ley line nodes had begun about three hundred years ago."

"Hmmm... Sealing a few nodes or gates wasn't that dangerous at first..." Luna nodded. "I'm sure this must be connected."

"The Dragon Gate has regained its full flow of mana. The previously dormant veins have even started flowing towards the disabled nodes as we predicted." Hestia smiled at Luna, who relaxed a bit.

"Thank you, Sister, for keeping an eye on this... Theon?"

"I'm afraid that the damage done to the planet requires us to take more straightforward steps," I told them while still reading through the Cridian records. "Floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, droughts, wildfires... It's not looking good. I hate to admit it, but we might not have enough resources to cover everything. I will need more Legions..."

"But..." Amber interjected, "We don't have enough resources to equip them."

"That is true..." I sadly agreed. "Once Elisabeth reaches Berna and starts her rebellion, we must take care of the ley lines. I don't know what will drain us faster: perpetual war or unnatural-natural disasters. With the number of forests in Arcadia, we have to keep in mind the possibility of wildfires..."

"Keep your head up, Darling! We will prevail." Aoi smiled at me. "On the bright side, the Wyvern Raiders will be ready by the beginning of next week. The Dragonkins took their duty far more seriously than I anticipated. All of their resolve, pride, and focus went to training. I must admit they totally surprised me. Their training is so gruelling and hard that we already had a few mortal casualties despite all the safety measures taken."

"I know..." I sighed. "I have no idea what to do about it."

"Leave them be." Aoi seriously looked at me. "They have changed. The hubris that once drove them has changed into pride and purpose. They elevated Blair and Ban as their heroes. The Queens of Avalon are revered and held in the highest regard for all the effort they put into improving the lives of Dragonkins after they swore their loyalty to you. I am not only their Queen but almost a Goddess, and you, Theon, are their unmatched example. They see you as the Hero who has shown them the path of righteousness, honour, and virtue. The opportunity you gave them to become the Wyvern Raiders has galvanised their entire society. They took pride in the trust you showed them. They value life and mourn the fallen, Theon; they are not monsters. You can trust me that the Wyvern Raiders will be one of the most elite units of Arcadia."

"Oh, you know I trust you. It's just... I think they somehow have the wrong image of me, but I guess it's fine as long as they are better people because of it. All right, Aoi, I will leave them under your supervision."

"They watch and learn, Theon." Aoi smiled at me. "My kin might be impulsive and stubborn, but since you showed them they are not the strongest, they have observed you... Us, to be precise. And they learnt... They learnt at the University, at the Academies, but mostly they observed you, my Dear. They now listen to you and follow your example wherever they have the chance."

"And they are loyal..." Luna's words were strangely hollow as if she herself couldn't believe what she was saying. "As a group, Dragonkins have the highest loyalty index of all people of Avalon. They are as close to the zealots as you can get. Little to say, that's astonishing..."

"All right..." I raised my hands surrenderingly, and we all laughed a bit. It was good to hear they had changed for the better. I took a look at my Elven wife and got a little bit more serious. "What about the assessment and improvement plans for the existing settlements, Irene?"

"Well... It's not looking good." Irene sighed heavily. "Essentially, all of the biggest cities are dangerous to live in, as they are overgrown, too densely built, and provide only questionable safety. I would dare to argue that fires and viral diseases kill more of their inhabitants than all monster attacks combined in the same period. They are also very polluted, so people fall to respiratory ailments and food-related poisoning more often than people in smaller towns. It's just as you had suspected."

"How about the smaller cities and towns?" I asked with a disappointed sigh.

"Basically, the smaller the settlement, the better the living conditions are. Of course, I don't include Avalon, Wolf Manor, or Westwood in the statistics." Irene took a sip of juice. "I already gave orders about necessary improvements wherever possible. However, some cities have to be abandoned. I even employed the Engineer Guild to find any feasible solution to this problem, but they haven't found anything so far."

"Hmm... I could postpone the founding of the new legions and use that mana to create the three or four new dungeon cities in the south and west... How many people are we talking about, anyway?"

"Nearly four million people, Theon."

"Mhm... We need a better plan..." I smiled nervously.

"We kind of have one already..." Amber and Aoi widely smiled as they said in unison.

"I'm all ears." I fixed myself in a chair.

"We simply are going to neglect the north and east in the development plans while informing the people about the development of the south and west," Hestia meekly explained their idea.

"Hmmm... Do you think that, given time, most people would naturally move there?" I rubbed my chin, considering their plan.

"We could propose some additional compensation to encourage the migration," Irene added. However, it was apparent she wasn't entirely convinced about that.

"I don't think it's necessary, Irene." Luna shook her head. "I don't want people to take whatever compensation we offer and return north or east after a few weeks."

"Well, we can always let the inhabitants of the north spot the Bernan raid parties. If they feel threatened by the approaching war, they might flee south without additional encouragement." Amber shrugged.

"Wait... That's actually brilliant." Hestia pointed out. "If some cities were burned to the ground, it might be attributed to the Bernans."

"Worth considering, for sure... Since we have to do something about that problem anyway, we can start with the biggest cities that simply have to be abandoned." I pointed at the map. "The inhabitants of the former Cridian capital would be relocated south. The Kobolds Dungeon, Talla, is already preparing a major Dungeon City. Since she’s conveniently located southwest of Avalon, in the midpoint between the south border to Hilgvar and Westwood, I believe the future city might be an important trade hub. I had planned to make her a smaller city, up to one hundred thousand inhabitants, but the surrounding area is favourable for a much bigger city. Even one for half a million people."

"That would solve one problem..." Amber sighed.