Elisabeth was increasingly worried about the orders from the capital. Even though Avalon was attacked by the sizable Bernan army and Hur'zhun himself, the King was not asking for any reinforcements. When she told Raphael about her concerns, he shrugged them off and said that the King was victorious, so sending any soldiers to check the situation was wasteful. Yet, she was still worried.

"Lady Elisabeth, Lady Sparrow has arrived."

"That's great!" The princess raised her head and was about to ask where the Admiral was when the flap to her tent opened.

"Hello!" A smiling face welcomed her.

"Lady Janet!" Elisabeth brightened and stood up for a hug.

The Elf hugged her as expected, but just moments later, the flaps to her tent opened again, and a towering man entered, grumbling something under his breath. Elisabeth's face registered shock when she realized she was looking at the legendary Blackbeard. Upon seeing the princess, but most likely the slightly raised brow of the Admiral as well, the Pirate merrily smiled and bowed respectfully. "Good morning, Lady Elisabeth!"

"It's already evening, Edward..." Janet sighed.

"Good evening...?" Elisabeth chuckled when the menacing pirate rubbed his black beard thoughtfully as he corrected himself.

"Good evening, Mr Teach." The princess gave the man a bright smile. "I wasn't expecting your arrival."

"The King ordered my fleet to prepare for the final battle for Berna." He replied with a shrug. "I don't think it's a good idea, but what do I know? I'm just a pirate."

"A privateer, if anything." Janet corrected him, and Elisabeth could swear that the Elf was having fun. "But yes, while I was on the way to you, Elisabeth, I stumbled upon Queen Anne's Revenge, so I decided to include the privateers in our assault."

"Umm... I don't know if sending Dragon Riders to find me counts as stumbling..." Blackbeard grinned, and the Admiral and Elisabeth giggled.

"Definitely counts." Raphael sighed and raised his head from behind his paper towers. "Trust me..."

"Oh..." Blackbeard heavily sat near the Major and sighed. "Then I have much to learn..."

"Anyway..." Janet pointed to the map updated by the Slime Maid. "The situation in Berna has changed drastically. As you know, the enemy stopped responding to our attempts to advance carefully these last few days. What you don't know is the reason why. To be succinct, Berna lost fifty-five thousand soldiers, ten siege golems, their Spymaster, and probably most importantly, their god. Hur'zhun and Fagnar Ras-daia were captured alive and bound by slave collars. This means that the road to the Holy Capital stands wide open." Elisabeth, Raphael, and Blackbeard looked at her in disbelief, with Blackbeard dropping his jaw entirely. Janet smiled faintly and continued. "Hopefully, Victory will be good to sail again next week. As always, some last-moment complications have made themselves known, and Bjorn had to recall my ship for additional service. Both frigates will be ready by that time as well."

"In that case..." Blackbeard looked at the map, and several doubts clouded his face. "Wait, something is wrong!" He abruptly stood up and rushed towards the map. "The west of Berna! How is it possible that you found no traces of the Bernan forces in that region?"

"Mr Teach is right!" Elisabeth's eyes went wide. "How could the Patriarch leave that border unsecured?!"

"What's wrong with that border?" Janet frowned. "There is only a fairly small, coastal country up there and the western wilderness..."

"Exactly! Huge armies of monsters have attacked Berna from that direction. A few city-states out there can’t control the land between Berna and the Ancient Forest!" Elisabeth quickly explained, and Blackbeard furiously nodded.

"What's more, those monsters originate from a few sources, which, while never confirmed, indicates a powerful Dungeon or even some kind of dungeon coalition, most likely located deep within the Ancient Forest," Edward added, causing Elisabeth to nod now.

"Uhum..." Janet shrugged and looked at Raphael.

"We can use Eagles to surveil the area. One of the Legions is going west anyway, so our flank will be adequately secured. Even if the Legion engages the monsters, we will still have two Legions and the fleet."

Elisabeth and Blackbeard looked at each other as if they were the only sane people left in the room. Edward tapped at the map. "Admiral, I will send one of my ships to the flank. I do not doubt that you are a skilled commander, but you are unfamiliar with the threat. Allow us to help you."

"Very well, Mr Teach. You and I will plan the diversions and eliminate any remaining Bernan ships, while Elisabeth, you and Raphael will plan to take over the Holy Capital." Everyone nodded, eager to finally put an end to the war.

•••

I was sitting in the garden, sipping a cold beer and feeling annoyed that I had most likely forgotten about something. I let out a frustrated sigh and took a generous sip of the beverage, after which I rested on a comfortable sunbed.

"... And we were running towards the ranks of Bernans. I tell you, those bastards had no idea what even hit them!" Ban furiously waved his hands while telling the story for the fifth time. "I had a first kill; then I had to stop and start issuing orders, but, after a while, I discovered that I could do it while fighting, so I, along with my company, joined the fray."

I was reluctant to say anything, but I wanted to know if Marie, Clovis, Nicola, and Fiona were the target audience for Ban describing the carnage my mobile infantry wrought on the enemy. However, I ultimately decided to stay quiet. After all, their mothers and, in the case of Clovis, his sister were nearby. We held a small party to celebrate the victory over the forces of Hur'zhun. The godling in question, along with thirty thousand survivors, was incarcerated in the underground prisons. I would have to find a way to use them before Jasper started asking me what I needed so much stone for. But that could wait... The day was sunny and warm. It was the first true day of the summer, with fluffy clouds slowly sailing the endless blue sky and a warm breeze gently rustling the leaves of nearby trees. Irene was discussing something with Matilda while Lavender was talking to Cassmira. Luna, Drake, and Rizk'a also discussed some matters, but the topic was less tense since they laughed more often. Aoi and Hestia were listening to some tales told by the Flower Girls. Amber sat near me in an informal, light dress. She wasn't paying attention to anything in particular but was simply resting with half-closed eyes.

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"Ehhh, I give up..." I finally shrugged.

"Something happened?" Amber tilted her head slightly and looked at me.

"I think I forgot about something," I admitted while the nearby people laughed in response to someone's joke.

"If you forgot it, then it probably wasn't important..." She smiled and yawned.

"Probably?" I agreed reluctantly.

•••

"Na. Na-na!" Jester hummed loudly.

"L-leave me alone! Do you have any idea who my father is?" A young man flinched in a dark alleyway below. "Help me! Anyone!"

Jester jumped down silently right behind the man who sloppily drew a dagger and pointed it in front of him. He kicked the Bernan noble in the ass, sending him into the trash collection outside the nearby tavern. The man cried loudly and started sobbing.

"W-who are y-you?! W-what d-do you want?" he sobbed and held his left arm to his chest, which looked like he accidentally cut while falling.

"I'm Bear-owl-man!" Jester announced with an angry, raspy voice.

"Oh, gods! ANYONE HELP ME!" The man tried to crawl away, but there was nowhere to run. "I beg you! I'll do anything, please..."

"Don't worry..." Jester took out another dagger and thrust it straight through the young man's heart.

The man died with an expression of horror frozen on his face and a quiet sigh escaping his lips. Moments later, a woman rounded the corner, casting a questioning glance at Jester. He removed his mask and greeted her with a grin.

"You were absolutely right! Everything is set. Now, we must hurry up and take seats in the front row." He grabbed her by the waist when he heard the commotion closing by. "Off we go...!"

She hugged him tightly and rolled her eyes as he jumped so high that they landed on the roof. "All plans can be adjusted..."

"True," he whispered while a few soldiers arrived at the crime scene. Once they recognised the body, they started swearing profoundly. "With your adjustment, however, our one-way trip has changed into a walk in the park."

•••

Hagon Je'wrha walked down the halls of the Holy Palace with a bloodied dagger in his hands and unseeing eyes that ignored just everyone. Pain and suffering were painted on his face. Not a single guard had the nerve to stop his advance towards the Patriarch's office. He briefly stopped in front of the heavy and lavishly decorated wooden doors. Angrily, he slammed the doors with the hand that held the dagger, leaving ugly dents in the wood and ugly scratches in the paint covering the doors. The guards, seeing his state, opened the doors and followed him inside, where Hagon's eyes shined with fury.

"You!" Hagon tossed the dagger in front of the man sitting at the table with the Patriarch. "You have killed my son!"

"What are you talking about, Hagon?! Are you insane?!" The bald man with a long scar across his face looked in surprise at the dagger that had stopped just shy of his hand.

"Ftanal, isn't that a marked dagger of condemnation? Isn't that a weapon used by your goons?" Hagon slammed his fist on the table.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Dolren frowned and looked at them, switching his gaze from one man to another.

"This is some bullshit..." Ftanal started, only to be interrupted by the furious Hagon.

"My son is dead! He was killed exactly how your executioners like to kill! That is also bullshit?!"

"What?! I never ordered to kill him!" Ftanal Guoll, the leader of the secret police, calmly leaned back in his chair. "But it's good you are here. Instead of throwing pointless accusations, you can answer some questions. We were wondering, with the Patriarch, how is it possible that fifty-five thousand soldiers went missing? Soldiers under your and Fagnar's jurisdiction. You were tasked with capturing that traitor. Where is he?"

"What?" Hagan paused for a moment, and his facial expression changed. However, that change didn't last long. "I don't care about that! Almost all of my soldiers were looking for him, and someone killed my son. You will tell me what have you done?!"

"Both of you, calm down!" Dolren yelled and started to stand up. "Berna is in danger, and you are just jumping at each other!"

"Shut the fuck up, old man..." He looked at the Patriarch, who froze halfway out of his chair. His eyes went wide in shock upon hearing Hagan's icy cold voice. "Berna? You and your gods have killed it with your hubris and stupidity. I see that you are even blind to the assassination of my son and the consequences it has. Damn you, Dolren! Damn you, Ftanal, you murderous bastard! Where are the gods when they are needed?! Jukk'nala has turned on us, probably seeing how corrupted you are. Hur'zhun is gone! I called his name in his temple, but his priests told me that he had gone to war…"

"Hagan... What are you saying?!" Dolren couldn't believe his ears. "The Great Hur'zhun hasn't informed me..."

"It's over." Hagan slowly took out the large, golden ring of his office and tossed it in front of the Patriarch. "I'm no longer in your service."

The guards tensed upon hearing these words and looked dubiously at each other.

"Arrest that man. Once you calm down in a cell, Hagan, we will return to this conversation." Ftanal shook his head with a sigh, but since no one moved to fulfil his order, he growled at the guards. "Are you deaf? Imprison that man!"

"Guards..." Hagan said slowly with a satisfied grin, crossing his arms on his chest. "Kill that man."

"Yes, Sir!" Before Dolren could even utter a word, Ftanal was pierced by two spears right through his chest.

"Go to hell, Ftanal..." Hagan smiled coldly and turned towards Dolren. "Farewell, Patriarch. I hope never to see you ever again."

With this, he left the room, followed by the soldiers. Dolren sat in his chair, weakly trembling, while looking down at Ftanal's body. Slowly, the Patriarch stood up and walked towards the window. Down below, he could see Hagan Je'wrha leaving the palace, followed by an entire battalion of people. With Ftanal dead, Fagnar missing, and probably a traitor anyway… and now Hagan, who rebelled, Dolren's influences had crumbled. There was little he could do, not now, as the scouts reported the Arcadians were advancing on all fronts. Without soldiers to protect it, the Holy Capital was doomed. Through the open window, he heard the commotion on the streets, and he trembled at the thought of how many soldiers were leaving the city.

"How this could have happened?" He raised his eyes towards the heaven. "Gods, please help me!"

He stood in silence, and no one replied. He could swear that he heard laughter in the distance, along with the mocking chimes of many bells.