After what should be classified as the terrorist attack, I ordered Sebastian to check if there was another bottom to this case. In the meantime, I decided to review and update, if necessary, the protocols and operation handbooks of my Navy. That attack cost the lives of thirty Arcadians and I was going to make sure that a similar situation couldn't happen so easily once again. I revived the records from Falcata and found an unforgivable mistake in the procedures. The only person to blame for it, however, was me for not reviewing all the procedures earlier. The ships of my Navy operated on the same principles as the antiquated, at this point, tall ships. While on friendly territory, the tall ships could afford to set up fewer spotters and turn off everything that consumed mana. The amount of mana provided by the sails was proportional to the number of sails they used. So while not in motion, ships only had a small sail for providing mana for most basic functions like idly floating. That meant that Falcata had its sensors turned off and their radar was set to detect only large objects. Whether Metaka should be considered a friendly space was debatable but the situation they were in should, obviously, call for extra measures. Furthermore, the preservation of mana was completely unnecessary for a ship powered by mana reactors. I ordered Janet to rewrite the fleet procedures and wasn't surprised when Ian joined her to help with the technical side. Together, they needed just a few hours to trash almost the entirety of the Royal Navy handbook and write a new one. As soon as they finished, I read it and accepted it after adding a few corrections.

To make sure that the events wouldn't slip out of hand even further, I lent Gladius, Falcata, and Scimitar to Guad for a few days. The situation in the south could kick-off another needless conflict so the new Emperor of Metaka and his sister needed to disarm that bomb before it blew up. Guad took some of his soldiers and the highest-ranking Metakan officers with him. My destroyers were ordered to take them there as fast as possible. The armies of Guad and Vettalia embraced their decision to resolve the succession war far better than the siblings anticipated. The additional presence of the Eternals of Arcadia helped legitimise Guad's rules in the eyes of those who had doubts. During the absence of our hosts, Verni and Ragnar started working on the dam project. Two days later, Guad and Vettalia returned with Guad's wife, Blanca, and their ex-noble prisoners. Later that day, Tristan Falmor was brought in for questioning, and his testimony broke Amari's heart. As Guad suspected, he never loved her and he toyed with her feelings. However, my presence made him nervous and he started realising that his imprisonment was very real. Taking advantage of the presence of my Inquisitors, Guad asked for a favour during the southern nobles' interrogations and I allowed them to help him.

After everything was done, we could finally catch our breath. Since Amber decided they were going to have a "girls' evening", I decided to have a beer and some nice scenery. However, I was intercepted by Guad, who brought me to a bottle of Metakan wine and we went to the harbour. When we last saw Victor, he was buried under a mountain of reports from Iceleon so, as the good friends we were, we left him alone.

"I have never expected that being right could be so depressing," Guad said to me as we were sitting at the harbour and looking at the setting sun. "All those nobles..."

"Life is depressing in general." I shrugged as I took a sip of Metakan wine. "But that's the thing with nobles, you take a sane, intelligent person, give them a noble title, and in a few generations... Bam! Somehow you have an entitled fuck who thinks they are better than everyone else."

"Well..." Guad sighed heavily. "I can see it with my eyes. There's no denying it. But what can I do?"

"Well, I guess, for starters, you could get a class better suited to being a King. Something with Truth Seeker would be a good start."

"Easier said than done. You can't, just like that, raise your hands towards the sky and ask Gods to reset your skills and, I dunno,... Ask a Dungeon for a class-changing quest? Something like that happens only in fairy tales!" Guad fixed himself on the chair with a huff.

"Maybe you should try?" I chuckled.

"Excuse me, what?" Guad honoured me with an incredulous gaze and an unimpressed facial expression.

"What? As far as we know, someone somewhere has done something like that before - a fairy tale didn’t originate out of nowhere. I only say that you shouldn't say it won't work before you try."

"You are fucking joking while I'm having a mid-life crisis." Guad huffed but put away his wine glass and looked at me angrily as he waved his hands in the most Italian way I have seen in this world. "But you know what? Fine! Sure. Why fucking not!"

He stood up and as he looked towards the sky, he joined his hands in a prayer. "Merciful and powerful Gods of Aderon! Grant this mortal your favour and bless him with your gift. Let me start anew and let me reset my skills and statistics points!" He took a deep breath and raised his hands towards the sky. "Oh, ancient and wise Dungeon! Listen to my words and hear my cries! Bestow upon me a quest to obtain the most suitable class for an Emperor!"

He looked at me while I tried my best not to laugh. He suddenly blinked and looked upwards at Verka, who was floating nearby. She was grinning at him and very close to laughing openly.

"Doing something like that out of spite? Nice!" She aimed at him with a doublefinger gun motion she copied from me and, after pretending to shoot him, she disappeared. However, her amused voice echoed over the water. "I liked your vengeance conspiracy very much. However... You still have some vengeance-ing to do, so keep up the good work!"

Guad’s face was brightly red as he slowly lowered his hands that now held a scroll. He looked at me and, while he barely kept from laughing, he tried to remain serious. "Oh, shut up..."

I started laughing out loud after seeing his facial expression and I almost slipped from my chair. He read the scroll's content and couldn’t keep from laughing as well. "So I guess this is something normal in Arcadia?"

"Not really but it's close, I guess."

"I hope that one day you will trust me enough to tell me who you really are, Theon Avalon," Guad said with a warm smile, still shaking his head in disbelief. "No matter what, I will be standing by your side, my friend. Thank you."

He lifted the scroll towards me and accepted the quest. I smiled to myself as I looked over the horizon. "I don't like telling everyone that I'm not a Human but you would learn the truth sooner or later. I'm a Dungeon Core, Guad."

"That makes a lot of sense, actually." The Metakan Emperor rubbed the hair on his neck. "It would explain why you are not even slightly concerned about the Dungeons. You control them, don't you? Wait... This one too?"

"Yes. I have controlled her since the time Sebastian executed Jarred Kai-Metaka. Her name is Aurora."

"Then your butlers are monsters?" Guad took a relaxed sip of his wine as he watched me curiously.

"And maids." I powerlessly opened my arms. "Noble Slimes."

"In that case, your Immortal Legions are literally immortal, right?" Guad was fascinated. "Slimes as well?"

"No. They started as Skeletons. But now the lowest tier of a Legionnaire is a Death Knight. Praetorians are Death Lords."

"I knew it! The Hussars are also Death Knights, right?" He was happy as a kid when I nodded confirming his suspicions. "I should have made a bet with Vettalia! What about those... Mobile Infantry soldiers?"

"They are actually people wearing Living Armours." I smiled seeing his child-like enthusiasm.

"That's so awesome!" He laughed. "That also explains why your people have so many powerful familiars and your army is nigh invincible! You keep your monsters on the front lines while the Mortal people man your ships, garrison cities, and so on! That's..." His smile faded for a moment as his voice turned serious." That's actually terrifying if you think about it... You can't fight against such a deadly force even without the support provided by your fleet... Theresa knows?"

"Yes. Even Matilda knew and I think your father suspected it even before he sent Cassmira and Leonard to Arcadia." I admitted while fearing his reaction a bit.

"Your secret is safe with me, Theon." Guad nodded with a somehow relaxed and happy smile as he raised the half-empty glass of wine to a toast. "I'm glad you shared it with me, my friend."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Thank you for the good reception, I guess." I smiled as I returned the toast.

"What is the catch then?" He eyed me a little closer. "Your life seems too perfect."

"I can't leave the borders of the Dungeons under my control, Guad. That's part of the price I have to pay for my power. There is probably a lot more than just that but, frankly, I haven’t had time to test everything. So, I have no clue what else is on the 'no list'. I am also obligated to fight any trace of the gods of Chaos and Void."

"I see... What about your wives?" Guad looked at me inquisitively.

"What about them?" I asked with a little surprise.

"You know... What's the deal with them? I'm just curious."

"All of them, except for Hestia and Freya, were Mortals. They can leave the Dungeon premises but only for a certain period. After that time, they will automatically return home. You must know that I take their safety much more seriously than my own. After all, I can respawn this body every time it dies. That's why you will never see an Empress of Arcadia without, at least, a company of Praetorians. If they venture outside our Dungeons, at least three destroyers with a full complement of soldiers are accompanying them. But a full Battle Group is more likely to act as their shield."

"I can't really blame you. This world just waits to backstab you and twist the knife..." Guad sighed and looked at the sky. "If my mother had such protection she would be with us... Please, Theon, tell me, what about Cassmira?"

"I like her but she is still young. She has a lot of time and I won't force her to do anything. She is free, Guad, no matter what you think about her responsibilities. I would, very much, appreciate it if all of you stopped pressing her to make this decision quickly. Also, you don't have to be worried about her safety. She is protected as if she were already the Empress of Arcadia."

"That's all I needed to know. I know it was a lot to dump the responsibility of guarding the Metakan succession on her... I'm sorry, Theon. I should have asked you both earlier."

"She accepted that burden." I sighed slowly. "Do you even know how awkward that will be? She might be one of my wives one day. And, as you guessed correctly, she won't age. It is going to be a serious diplomatic nightmare every time a Metakan ruler dies!"

"I wanted that. I'm very concerned about what future generations could do if left unsupervised. People are irrational but I'm sure you know that." Guad sighed. "With Cassmira out of anyone's reach, she will be like a guardian angel protecting Metaka from strife. Or maybe like a whip waiting to strike? In both instances, future generations will have to remember that she can always take away their power should they prove irresponsible."

"I won't comment..." I sighed.

"Look. I get it that, sometimes, you will have to, let's just say, prematurely retire some nobles. They would, most probably, meet with a dagger or other aid from the more competent side during the succession process. But, I will make sure to make it all legal." Guad smiled.

"Why do you trust me so much?" I asked with a weak voice.

"Because you are trustworthy, Theon!" He laughed and shrugged seeing my flat stare. "I know that, even if you decide to take over Metaka, it will be protected and my people will be happy. You weren't chosen without a reason as well, Theon. Do you know why we call the previous era in our history the Age of Heroes?"

"Because many of the Eternals summoned their Heroes at once?"

"Yes and no. You see, the Age of Heroes lasted for about two thousand years. Yes, it culminated with a grand battle against the forces that occupied Aderon. But, it lasted close to two thousand years! There weren't enough Gods to constantly summon their Heroes so, rarely were there more than two Heroes at once. Who knows what happened on the other continents? Anyway... We call it an Age of Heroes because it was easier for us. Not many of them left a lasting mark in history. Maybe a story or, sometimes, a piece of knowledge. But their legacy consisted mostly of words and ideas."

"I’ve heard pieces of that story," I admitted.

"I'm sure of that. But let me tell the story from the perspective of a King. You might be disappointed in us but I will trust you the same way you trusted me with your identity." Guad chuckled. "There were many Heroes born in the lands that later became Metaka. The old records miraculously survived so we have a pretty decent idea about what happened. At first, the Kings who ruled during the time of the Heroes' awakening were overjoyed. The kingdoms celebrated and their Hero was elevated to the highest honours possible. But, as time passed, disappointment grew. Some of the Heros’ ideas were good, some impractical, and others simply outrageous. A Hero often tried to gain more and more influence and, while they were often powerful and proficient in their rare classes, they knew nothing about this world. They rarely even tried to understand us. They were figures inspiring the masses rather than leading them anywhere. They talked too much but, rarely, did anything themselves. Their ideas were dangerous and quickly caught fire among the common folks who often rebelled or caused great civil unrest across the country or, even, the entire continent."

"Hmmm... I can see it." I sighed.

"Still. We wanted to believe in them. Some Heroes tried their best but others were just lazy or cowardly. Those who were ambitious, usually, were a constant threat to the rulers despite their obvious lack of knowledge of how to run a country. In the beginning, many countries followed the Heroes' ideas and they ended up poorly or were, straight up, erased by their neighbours. As time went on, the rulers became more and more wary of the Heroes who still, foolishly, believed in their so-called 'moral supremacy'. Those Heroes constantly tried to influence the people or directly tried to overthrow local monarchs. As you can imagine, no ruler would tolerate such a serious challenge..." Guad sighed sadly. "So the existence of some Heroes became a problem for the prosperity of many kingdoms. With time, the popularity of Heroes as shining paragons of virtues dwindled and they were, more often, considered a temporary problem-solving force. Such an arrangement lasted until the Great War consumed the entire continent. There were no more Heroes during the dark times after the war. Then, you showed up. The Champion of Eriar in the flesh and, totally, not a Hero."

Guad chuckled at his own joke but I smiled as well, finding it amusing. "Well... I never met another hero. But according to Luna, most of them were simply lost in a world they didn't understand and were powerless to change. I think they lacked someone who could help them better understand this world. In theory, Kitsunes should have been their guides but something went wrong. I should probably investigate that but I have had other important things on my plate and, hopefully, more time somewhere down the line. So, I think that the Heroes of old lacked that crucial help or most of them were too arrogant to believe they needed it to begin with."

"Like your wives helped you?"

"In fact, yes," I replied instantly. "It's one thing when you have just friends from another world but it's something completely different if you allow this world to grow into you. They are my anchors to this world, Guad. Their efforts kept me on the road I decided to walk. They are the only reason why I'm still Human. They are also my moral compass, my friend. In fact... Well, in fact, you can go so far as to say that I created Arcadia for them."

Guad was silent for a while and looked at the horizon. "I can't say I don't understand you but do your people... You know, know about it?"

"Most of them..." I shrugged. "I’ve never lied to them. I'm pretty open about my agenda."

"And they are okay with it?" His voice was full of doubts.

"I assume so. They fully understand that I have raised powerful armies to face the entire world but it was Amber who created Avalon. It's a widely accepted fact that it was my wives who created Arcadia. If I am the personification of the power and might of Arcadia, they represent everything good and pure in my country." I softly smiled and put my hand behind my head as the sun finally touched the horizon. "My people respect me and fear my wrath but, also, love and adore my wives."

"That's actually pretty good advice on how to rule a country." Guad hummed thoughtfully.

O•••

"Captain Rhys! It's nice to meet you!" Guad smiled widely seeing a towering Wolfkin.

"Emperor Guad, Your Highness." Rhys bowed to me and Guad.

"Sit down, Rhys. This is an unofficial meeting." I smiled.

The sunset had turned into a warm and early evening which was brightly lit by a full moon. I pointed at a chair near the small table where we were sitting. A glass filled with richly scented amber alcohol was waiting for my Captain. Rhys' identity was kept secret and only a few things were in his official records.

"Of course, my Lord." He sat down with a smile and looked at Guad.

"Are you, by chance, Rhys the Shadowmoon?" The Emperor of Metaka asked.

"Indeed."

"I thought so." He nodded in appreciation. "Your fame has reached even the distant lands of Metaka. When Theon began his campaign in Cridia, I tried to employ you... But before my people could reach you, the entire country was torn by war. I'm glad you survived."

"Thank you, Sir." Rhys nodded. "But, I'm afraid that I closed that business for good."

"I'm not surprised at all when you now have a boss like Theon." Guad laughed and raised his glass. A gesture we followed and took a sip without any particular toast. "I actually had another favour to ask you both. I know that Rhys' current occupation is a very closely guarded secret but, knowing his reputation, I wanted to ask him to handpick a company from among my best soldiers. A company we talked about earlier, Theon."

Rhys looked at me in silence before I nodded in agreement. "The company you will assemble, Captain, will join selected courses in the Military Academy of Avalon."

"That's why I need your opinion, Captain Rhys. I desire these soldiers to become the most elite formation of Metaka. I don't need guardians or knights but warriors who could fulfill any mission."

"I think I will be able to help." Rhys smiled and took another sip. "Just tell me where I can find the potential recruits and I'll be on my way."

"There is no need to rush!" Guad smiled. "Let's just enjoy our conversation a bit longer..."