The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

Hestia left Theon and Luna so they could discuss the best course of action to ensure the safety of the cities of Arcadia. She decided to walk to Amber's office and clear her mind before the meeting. With a sigh, she recalled Theon's raised brow the moment he heard about Amber's request, and she honestly couldn't blame him. However, this time, she had a hunch that her sister-queen wouldn't bring up the topic of making Cahrona another Queen. In most cases, Amber teased Theon about making another woman his wife, and Hestia wasn't even sure why she was doing that. She walked through the quiet corridors of the impressive Palace of Laws and gradually calmed down. The issue with the Devilkins was already troublesome, and it looked like it would escalate quickly. As frustrating as it was, it was impossible to foresee how things could be resolved. She sighed and opened the door to Amber's office, where Amber's secretaries greeted her. After exchanging pleasantries, she was led to the inner office where the First Queen of Avalon resided.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Hestia." Amber stood up from behind her desk and gestured to invite her to the coffee table near the large window. "I'm sorry I couldn't invite you personally, but I'm drowning in the half-year reports."

"You need help?" Hestia asked as she picked up the teacup. It would make sense; Cahrona was a very talented helper, but currently, there wasn't much work in Hestia's department.

"Oh, no." Amber grinned and waved her hand dismissively. "It's just a few days of intense work, and we will be fine after that. Fortunately, we only need to read the reports in most cases because City Lords are doing outstanding work most of the time, and they rarely require the help of the central government."

"Mhm..."

"I called you because I wanted your opinion on a very delicate matter." Amber took a deep breath. "As you know, Stella captured an Imp who probably has the teleportation skill." The Half-Elf paused and looked inquisitively at Hestia, who confirmed with a nod. "I was listening to how Theon was interrogating that Demon, Hürnrrät, and got an idea. A dangerous one, but with the help of Stella, Luna, and yours, I'm sure we can make it risk-free."

"Oh? Hmmm... And your idea involves Cahrona." Hestia nodded but wasn't any wiser about how the Succubus could be helpful.

"Precisely! If Cahrona is so important to them, there is a probability that the Imp will be willing to try to break out with her. We could arrange a special prison where she could communicate with him. Of course, the Imp would be absolutely sealed so that he couldn't use teleportation himself. If Cahrona convinces him that she wants to return to the Devilkins with the information she gathered, there is the possibility that he will teach her teleportation."

"Hmmm... A risky plan indeed, but if we can prevent him from teleporting..." Hestia mused to herself.

"Yes, safety first. We can't endanger Cahrona to abduction now that we know she is important, maybe even essential for their plans." Amber nodded. "I wanted to talk with you before we speak with Cahrona."

"I appreciate that, Amber." Hestia nodded. "But shouldn't we discuss that with Theon before we talk with Cahrona?"

"Oh?" The Half-Elf chuckled in amusement.

"True... He doesn't like anything unnecessarily risky. But I'm not comfortable with doing something like this behind his back. He will be angry..."

"We won't be doing anything behind his back, Hestia. Well, technically, at least. We will just discuss it with Cahrona. After that, things get tricky, but it’s nothing we can't overcome. I will deal with Theon. You will bring Verka to our side, and Aoi will ask Zephyr to help us."

"It sounds as if you had a plan already..." Hestia took a sip of tea.

"Yes..." Amber looked into the distance behind the large window they were sitting near. "Tell me. Do you know why the Devilkins haven't attacked us so far?"

Hestia furrowed her brows, and after a moment, she shook her head. "No. Honestly, I wasn't thinking about that at all until you asked."

"Theon isn't the greatest teacher in the world, but I learnt many things from him." Amber sighed and looked straight at Hestia. "There is only one possibility; the Devilkins simply don't believe they can win under current circumstances."

"Hmmm..." The Goddess-Queen slowly nodded.

"When Theon is waging war, he always assumes that the enemy has the same or greater capabilities as we. After speaking with Ban and Blair, I confirmed that they always tried to act the same as Theon, but their previous direct superiors have always stepped in," Amber explained. "In this case, the Devilkins surely have a few skilled commanders who assume the same."

"That means they suspect we have access to teleportation as well."

"It's only a logical assumption. Our forces destroyed their army after all."

"But once they confirm we can't teleport, they will gain a huge advantage." Hestia nodded.

"Yes. We must prevent that if we can."

"All right. Let's go and find Cahrona. Then we both convince Theon..."

•••

Thousands of thoughts crossed my mind while I was staring at the setting sun from the balcony of my palace. I thought about everything that happened so far and nothing in particular at the same time. A moment of peace in my new life. Usually, my thoughts were focused on the wars or other disasters ready to strike those who trusted in me. There was very troublesome news coming from all corners of Aderon; many countries were preparing for wars, some of the Dungeons were acting strangely, and the rising numbers of monsters were just the most widely discussed rumours. But there were other concerning news, often overlooked or believed to be nothing more than folk tales. The emergence of dark cults, the sightings of some unbelievable monsters, and the disappearances of entire villages across Aderon... It seemed that only Arcadia was enjoying a brief period of peace and prosperity. However, I knew very well how fragile this peace was. My Legions can't be everywhere at the same time, after all...

Elisabeth was still at war with Hagon Je'wrha and his newly proclaimed Kingdom of Tulva. It was a bold but insignificant claim. His lands were entirely surrounded by Arcadia, and sooner or later, he was going to pay for starting this war and all his heinous crimes. To be honest, I wasn't that much interested in expanding the already vast lands of Arcadia. My Kingdom wasn't exactly in ruin, but it would require decades of hard work to rise from the ashes of Cridia and Berna. I had no reliable trade partners in this world as well. The Northern Kingdoms were poor, barely able to be self-sufficient. In the east, the Empire of Metaka was heading straight to civil war, hogging all supplies and resources for themselves. Not that I can blame them. The kingdoms in the south were already waging a brutal war, forming brittle alliances that often lasted a single battle. In the west lay only Eshya, which was uninterested in the war of the Southern Kingdoms. In the west, of course, was also the Ancient Forest. Simply put, there was no one to trade with, which meant I had to develop the base of production. In moments like this, I was glad for the powers I had received.

Hmm... South... I wondered how Mia and Tia were doing. I closed my eyes and contacted the Sixth Legion Legate.

It looked like she had conquered Verksa, but that victory was costly. The Legate was sure that the Southern countries allied themselves against Hilgvar, forcing Queen Mia to split the Legion. She was facing multiple threats, external and internal alike, and the Legate wasn't sure how long she would hold. Princess-General Tia was entrenched on the east of Hilgvar, holding a wide strap of land that connected the kingdom with the major countries of the Southern Alliance. She had gained the respect of the Legion Legate, and her people admired her. While Mia's losses were severe, the Southern Alliance was bleeding out much quicker than Hilgvar. Their war of attrition couldn't last forever. The unexpected and devastating raids performed by the Legion devastated the already low morale of the Southerners. I hoped they would soon start peace talks. What surprised me, however, was the fact Mia never once admitted that I was helping her. Had I told her that I have taken over Cridia? I guess Rizk'a hadn't had many chances to act as a proper ambassador by sheer fact he was alone in the embassy. I ordered the Legate to update Queen Mia on the official state of affairs...

"You put me in a very awkward situation, Mia..." I sighed under my breath.

"You said something, Theon?" Luna lowered her sunglasses and yawned.

"I was thinking about the situation in the region," I admitted.

"Well... The region is basically in chaos." Aoi stretched lazily. "Why did Mia put you in an awkward situation?"

"Who is Mia?" Lavender looked at Amber.

"The Queen of Hilgvar; Mia Francesca. A few months ago, she borrowed an entire Legion from us." Amber took a sip of her drink without looking at anyone. "What's with her?"

"She is still fighting." I sighed heavily. "I can't retrieve the Sixth Legion because that would be her death sentence. By doing so, we would only lose a valuable ally with nothing in return."

"That would be bad." Irene mused without opening her eyes. "But hey, at least she paid in advance for the first three months. I'm sure we can make her pay for any extra time she takes."

"Don't forget about the Devilkins." Hestia smiled compassionately at me. "You have much in your head, Darling."

I moaned painfully and slowly sat on the chair. I wanted to complain, to banter like a little child about everything and anything that had inconvenienced me since the beginning of my new life. "Give me a break already..."

"You always say that life's unfair." Aoi pointed out, slowly stood up, and put on a plush bathrobe.

"Well, that's true. But sometimes complaining helps..." I ruffled my hair.

"Has it helped this time?" Aoi went closer to me and combed my hair with her soft hand.

"Hardly." I sighed and smiled as I gently closed her hand in mine. "But that helped a lot."

"Let's take a bath before supper." Amber stood up and stretched with a pleased moan. "Sunbathing was a nice break..."

•••

Cahrona was sitting on her bed, crying. The last delusions she had were shattered, leaving her with a broken heart. Everything she had believed was true was nothing more than an elaborate lie... She slowly realised everything and connected the odd behaviour of her family and friends, and it became painfully obvious; everyone knew. She was born and raised to be sacrificed. She trembled. That day, when the forces of Avalon took over the Dragon's Gate, her brother told her to come to the sacrifice chamber after they had finished offering up the last four people... Now she knew he simply wanted to kill her. But fate wanted it another way. It was her cursed brother who died that day, along with a thousand others. She felt her anger build, but Goddess Verka, in her mercy, shielded her mind from the mindless cravings for bloody vengeance. Just behind the window, the stars in the night sky shone softly, reminiscent of the blessings she received from the Goddess Hera. Finally, the calming cracks of flames in the hearth of her room reminded her of her true patron, Goddess Hestia.

The fire was burning in Cahrona's heart as well. She knew what to do. She would take her vengeance upon those who had planned to kill her. She was going to free those who, like her, were pure. Her own kin had underestimated the surface dwellers and her. They were going to pay... Queen Amber and her Goddess-Queen, Hestia, had come to talk with her today. They gave her time to think about their proposal, but she already knew she would do it. Her race was dangerous to Nilmerthis, and it was her duty as the rightful Princess of Darkness to stop them. She wiped her tears and carefully stood up. She went towards the balcony slowly but stopped midway. She looked into her reflection in the large mirror, and for the first time since she ended up in Avalon, she assumed her true form. She had always hated her demonic form despite all the power it granted. Before, her skin was greyish-red and coarse; she also used to have ugly, oversized bat wings. Her hair was dry and unpleasant to touch. It was a hideous form, making her the laughingstock of all other Succubuses at her former home. But no longer. Cahrona stared at the mirror in shock and couldn't believe her eyes...

Her skin was white, soft, and smooth, and her hair was long, black, and shiny. But the most breathtaking change was her wings. They had become a little bit bigger and resembled the wings of an angel, but only if they had shining black feathers. The eyes looking from the mirror at Cahrona were the only indication of her Demonic origin, but they were gentle. Her ruby-red irises shone with soft mana light at their edges. It was nowhere near the amount of mana that the Queens of Avalon wielded, but it was still a remarkable amount. Cahrona slowly raised her hand and touched her face, still shocked at how much she had changed. She looked at her slender but strong arms and clenched her fists several times. How was it possible? She looked just like the High Queen of Demons, the wife of the Summoned Hero who called himself the first Demon Lord. She looked like her ancestor. But... Somehow, she knew that she had surpassed her. Cahrona took a deep breath, and as she loudly exhaled, she returned to her human form.

"I will tear out the secret of teleportation from your servants, false demon lord." She smiled wickedly at her reflection and gently touched the mirror's surface. "I will save all who are worth saving and restore our race. I swear in the names of my great ancestors, Hero Lucius Jäger and his wife, Sara Albedo, that I will change my race and bring them to the light of Hestia and Eriar."