"Why is Father sending us to Cridia?!" Prince Leonard angrily crossed his arms as he looked outside the carriage. The road to the border was fairly smooth, but the twins were leaving their homeland with heavy hearts.

"It's called Arcadia now, Brother." Princess Cassmira corrected her brother. However, she wasn't thrilled by their exile either. "Better remember this. We don't need to provoke any diplomatic incidents the day of our arrival."

"I know! I know..." Leonard smashed his fist on his thigh. "Sorry, Sister... I'm just... I'm angry. Of all the places Father could have sent us, he sent us to the declining Cridia. I am not very thrilled about living in that place."

"Given the circumstances, we should be glad we were even allowed to leave the country with an official diplomatic mission. Besides, sister Vettalia and brother Guad..."

"I don't believe they have what it takes to become a new emperor... But neither do I or you." Leonard interjected with a sigh and stood up with a hand on his saber's grip as their carriage suddenly stopped. "What's going on?!"

He abruptly opened the door and saw Metaka's soldiers, who were escorting them, talking with their Arcadian counterparts. He calmed down briefly since that could have meant only one thing. They had reached the border. One of the servants, who also served as the sibling’s teacher since early childhood, quickly approached the prince and deeply bowed to him.

"We arrived at the border, and it looks like we were expected, my Lord. Arcadia's knights were waiting for us with one of their nobles; I must say she's very high-ranking. As far as I understand, she would guide us to Avalon, Arcadia's new capital."

"When are we going to meet her?" Leonard nodded, thanking the servant for the information.

"Soon. At the moment, Captain Hassan is setting the terms of cooperation with Major Thiule while our lower-ranking diplomats exchange pleasantries with their counterparts."

"They sent a Major?" Leonard felt the gentle tap of Cassmira on his shoulder, and he moved to make room for her.

From the height of their carriage, the Royal Siblings saw a fairly awe-inspiring sight. A detachment of at least two hundred soldiers wearing black and silver armours was waiting in parade stance in front of an enormous tent, split into two groups. The carriages and war wagons present were also different from what they were used to. They nervously looked at each other, without a word, and agreed that Arcadians were not Cridians. Initially, the prince and princess feared that their forces might have been seen as suspicious or too extensive for a simple diplomatic mission. However, the siblings knew there was no return for them, and they had allowed their servants to bring their families. Their father also had attached one company, consisting of one hundred soldiers, as their private bodyguards. Most of them were volunteers loyal to the siblings, and these soldiers were supposed to stay as the security forces. The rest were supposed to become agents and spies to get as much information about the Kingdom of Arcadia as possible and bring that knowledge back to the Empire. However, it was now apparent that those previous plans had just landed in the trash can.

"It looks like the King of Arcadia takes your safety very seriously, your Highnesses." The old servant shook his head in surprise. "We were warned that some former Cridian soldiers had joined a few bandit groups in the hope of seizing control over the provinces, but we shouldn't be worried. The entire battalion is dedicated to securing your persons, my Highnesses. If I understand correctly, the full Arcadian Battalion consists of one thousand soldiers, and according to the information I obtained, the rest of the Arcadian soldiers are patrolling the area."

"Hmmm... A straightforward warning or a convenient lie?" Cassmira furrowed her brows.

"Probably both, my Lady." The servant smiled.

"Hmm... We have to discuss the situation. I hope they will come to terms with it as soon as possible..." The Prince was about to close the carriage doors when he noticed that Captain Hassan was heading their way. The tall Human was visibly shaken about something. "Captain?"

"We can speak openly, my Prince. Major Thiule had given me such a sound and good proposition that I agreed without asking for your permission, my Lord. I'm deeply sorry for my overeagerness, but it seemed that it pleased Arcadians in some way."

"Oh? Maybe they value personal initiative?" The Princess looked away at nothing in particular.

The captain nodded his head in agreement. "Or the degree of self-sufficiency I displayed. Once we enter the lands of Arcadia, we will move in wide columns along the carriages with the Arcadian Noble. Her name is Lady Lanka Goldentail, and she is a Marquise. Our soldiers will form the inner core of your Highnesses’ protection. The Arcadian Guardsmen will form the front and rear guard. I disagreed with another proposition– to move inside their encirclement, and they approved it without further discussion."

"That's odd..." Leonard calmly looked around.

"They were honest, my Lord, and I am willing to believe their words for the moment. They seemed happy that the Empire had decided to forge a friendly relationship with their Kingdom. They also want to make the best impression on you," the Captain replied slowly, carefully choosing words.

"Hmmm... I find it a little bit suspicious. Why? We are only temporary royals. As soon as Father dies, we are nobles only on paper, and they must realise that..." The Princess was concerned, angry, and sad.

"They know it, my Lady. But since the Emperor personally sent you here and recognized the Kingdom of Arcadia as a legitimate state, King Theon gave his word to keep you safe." The captain looked troubled. "It's too early to form any opinion about these people, but I am starting to suspect that they are simply sincere in their actions."

"So the Guardsmen are Arcadian's elites," Leonard mused and looked at the well-equipped soldiers.

"Not exactly, sir. There are only ten soldiers from the Arcadia Royal Family Guard, known as the Praetorians. They are currently inside Lady's Lanka tent, and I can confidently say they could probably crush our entire detachment."

"Hassan... Are you joking?" Leonard gave the grizzled veteran a terrified look.

"I wish, sir... I gauged only their aura so far, but if I didn't know better, I could swear they are some powerful monsters. I was also informed that every guardsman has a familiar. I pray this is just showing off to discourage anyone planning to attack us on our way or a display of power for the neighbouring kingdoms. But if not, and all Arcadian soldiers have a familiar, then I'm afraid that Arcadia's military power might be overwhelming." The captain paled a bit and turned around, once again wearing a professional expression upon seeing Major Thiule waving at them. "Marquise Lanka Goldentail, the Archbishop of Eriar and Lady-in-waiting of the Second Queen of Avalon, expects us."

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"That'ssss... Big," Leonard hissed in shock. "I've never heard about Eriar."

"Maybe our stay here won't be as terrible and boring as we thought, Brother?" Cassmira slowly nodded her head with a faint smile. "I really wish we could be friends with Arcadia..."

Suddenly, their mission became much more important than the inevitable civil war in their own country. If Arcadia was so powerful that they could dispatch an entire and elite battalion for such a trivial task just over a week after the victorious civil war… Then, it might be dangerous if they declared war on the war-torn Metaka...

The Captain and two of the more elite soldiers led the way, followed by the prince and princess. They walked along the ranks of Arcadian Guardsmen who saluted them with straight and professional expressions, but their eyes had a friendly spark in them, which gave the young royals hope that everything was all right. They could even hope that Arcadia would become a reliable ally for Metaka. The delegation entered the tent and almost stopped, overwhelmed by the inhumane aura of the two Praetorians standing guard near the entrance. Ten imposing, black-clad knights stood still like statues, guarding Lady Lanka. Despite the fact their faces were covered by their impressive full helmets, the Metakans could feel the Praetorians' vigilant eyes following each of their moves. Their armours were finished with gold laminations on the edges, and the weapons in their hands brimmed with powers of incredibly rare and powerful runes. This gave the representatives of Metaka goosebumps before they were almost overwhelmed by an eerie feeling. However, the siblings had no time to marvel at them as a clear and pleasant voice welcomed them, instantly making the heavy aura disappear.

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Arcadia, our dear guests!" the beautiful Nekomi woman welcomed them with a respectful bow. She wore a richly decorated travel outfit made of leather and silk. "I'm Lanka Goldentail. It's an honour to meet you, Princess Cassmira, and Prince Leonard."

•••

"My Lord! The airship has returned!" the voice of a servant interrupted Dolren during his interrogation; however, he didn't mind at all. He had awaited this news for days now.

A bruised slave lay on the torture table with broken fingers before him. His teeth were already beaten out, but he still refused to admit his sin of defiance. He was one of the few captured slaves who somehow managed to run away from the church-owned plantations. The foul Rabbitkin knew something about other escapees, and that was why he had been brought in front of Dolren. Blessed by his Gods, Dolren Ingaris was in possession of Truth Seeker, a skill which was invaluable during matters of interrogation. However, the slave would wait for now.

"Speak!" Dolren sharply raised his head and looked at the other terrified slave who had brought the message.

"The ship returned without Holy Jukk'nala's avatar or the delegation. However, the captain said that God ordered them to return home. It looks like your daughter succeeded, my Master! The mighty Jukk'nala has decided to stay and speak with their gods."

"Praised be Jukk'nala!" Dolren dropped to his knees and raised his hands above. But no one replied to his call, which was odd. "Tell them they may rest for now. They will be questioned later."

Dolrus left the tied-up slave on the table and waved at his torturers to continue without him. He had to seek an audience with Hur'zhun and maybe even Kaal'nai and Tuul'kara. Something was off, and he had to confirm his suspicions with the other Gods.

•••

It was the third day since I had waged my newest battle against the mountain of paperwork, yet I was still buried beneath it. My Queens were faring far better than I was, and their work seemed to take significantly less time than mine. I should probably get some help... However, when that thought crossed my mind, I received a high-priority report from one of the Slimes that Ian had smuggled on board the Bernan airship. They had seized complete control of the vessel and safely landed since they had successfully managed to keep the helmsman oblivious to what was happening. They convinced Berna's officials that their plan was a spectacular success. I smirked and stretched myself. Next, the Slimes were going to 'die' in a horrible accident in the tavern, which is going to burn down later today. Of course, they would infiltrate various places in Berna instead of dying, but their mission was proceeding smoothly. Each day Berna did not ride towards war allowed me that much time to reinforce the borders and better prepare. Smoke and mirrors... Let's confuse the Bernans and keep them in the dark for as long as possible.

"Lanka should have met with Metaka's delegation by now..." I said out the open window.

My Queens were playing some game in the gardens, and their clear and wonderful laughter reached all the way here. I rested my hand on my arm and lazily gazed afar while looking over literally spam reports that, for some reason, were marked as urgent. After fifteen minutes of digging through the unnecessary reports, I had officially decided I had enough. Time to concentrate... What were my options anyway? The existing spawners were very specialised, and even the Fairies closest to what I needed were still far from ideal. Could I simply make a new spawner? I forced the World System to give me some answers, and surprisingly, it was easier than I thought. While I could do it, there always had to be something else to consider, which, in this case, made it a fairly stupid idea. I would, in effect, be creating an entire class of denizens just to do administrative work, the bulk of which could already be done by my Faés. The costs of spawner, upgrades, and upkeep would hardly be worth the hassle. What other choices do I have?

Oh... A homunculus… an artificial person. Powerful spirits or entities could possess them, as happened during the time I had managed to save Vali and Tisiphone. However, I could program them to fit my needs instead. It was worth a shot since once a personality was implanted into a Homunculus, it couldn't be possessed. Not to mention that Homonculouses could be regenerated without losing their personality or skills they had learned in case of their death. I closed my eyes and focused, absolutely unwittingly raising my hand. What exactly do I want? A helper, a secretary type who would flawlessly execute every task. It also has to be someone capable of protecting themselves since, inevitably, someone would try to kidnap them... Hmmm... A man or a woman? A woman would be better because people tend to lower their guard in the company of a woman. Oh, especially in the company of cute, beautiful women. Still, she must possess analytics skills and senses at least as good as mine or Luna's because, without them, I could simply just employ one of my existing denizens or look for a capable mortal. So a competent, resourceful, and cute secretary...

I opened my eyes, and I saw that I had my hand raised. In front of me stood a Human-like woman. She was far shorter than I was, with a slim, womanly body that, in any other circumstances, I would have considered extremely sexy. However, compared to my wives, she was "just good-looking." She had golden brown hair that hung just below her shoulders. Her petite face was adorned by cute freckles that were fairly similar to Amber's, and she had closed eyes with long eyelashes. Besides that... she was naked. Yup... I had created a homunculus quite by accident. I summoned a secretary's attire, similar to that worn by my wives’ assistants, and I put it on the table near her. I also conjured a duvet in which I covered her until she, hmmm... Wakes up? Boots up? Dunno.

In the meantime, I prepared a small test to see if she was worth the mana spent. I paused and sighed. Once again, my behaviour had started slipping into this strange, almost mechanical manner that I knew was unnatural. My wives knew something, but they stubbornly refused to tell me everything. Nonetheless, I suspected it could be something connected with my nature: a human soul in a dungeon core. I pondered on this thought for a moment and ultimately shrugged. My wives had the means to fix me, so there was nothing I should be overly worried about. I simply had to have it in mind. Anyway... I looked at the pile of reports I had chosen and briefly looked through them. The test was hard, unfair, and quite long. I was proud of myself for producing so much university-grade garbage in such a short time. I started getting worried that I somehow fucked up the creation process when the World System window popped up.