The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

It has been three days since we obtained the teleportation spellbook... Or should I say, today was the fourteenth of June, Year One of the Arcadian calendar. Of course, it couldn't be easy, could it? Every single Kingdom, Empire, City-State, and God only knows what other kind of political entity was out there had a different year. The only blessing in this mess was the unified day and month tracking across Aderon. It could have been worse; they could have used different date systems... I should have used a simple datetime format to firmly fix the events in the timeline. According to Luna, however, this particular error on my part might have been an effect of Lord Dickhead's machinations. I sighed angrily. One day, I would find him, and oh, boy... That fucking cursed sword was going for a ride. I would probably start with a drill and a chisel, but I hadn't decided what I would finish with yet. Currently, the most favourable option was smelting him and reshaping him into a cartoonish shit. That way, he would finally obtain a physical form worthy of his spirit.

Anyway... Lord Dickhead had hidden himself somewhere, and I knew that looking for him right now was pointless unless he started making moves again. I had other problems to solve, so my personal vendetta could wait. The biggest problem I faced at the moment was the resource shortage. The worst part of that crisis was that it was entirely my fault, even if I wanted to blame it on someone else. I used up most of the readily available resources, initially from the Cridian stockpiles and later from Berna. The rapid advancement in various technologies and magitech in my Kingdom was the main reason why Arcadia lacked almost everything. Well, except for food, which was a blessing as far as the people's concerns went. Thanks to Lavender and her army of restless Dryads, our kingdom produced far more food than we could use. It would be cool if I could sell it or exchange it for resources we needed. The Arcadian industry instantly absorbed wood, metals, gemstones, and whatever resource came to my mind. Even the workforce was insufficient to sate the market. If Amber's and Hestia's calculations were correct, it would take the people over four hundred years to solve that particular problem, if not a thousand years.

Simply put, Arcadia was huge. However, 'huge' doesn’t give anyone any idea how big that country really was, so let me use hard numbers. It’s fifteen million square kilometres. That’s an approximate number because there were no reliable maps and, of course, because why fucking not–every nation used its own different measurement system. So Arcadia would use the metric system, and no one would stop me because I was the King. Anyway... According to the report, only about two million people lived within that fifteen million square kilometres. The fucking sightings of UFOs back on Earth were more numerous than my citizens. Statistically speaking, it was easier to find a fucking yeti than a person in my Kingdom. Well... More people were living here before the war, but most of them followed the orders of those few who tried to kill us. It was a shame that those who just served the rotten nobles thought I was joking when I kindly asked them to surrender. Sooo... Population-wise, I was screwed. Maybe not entirely. After all, I still had no idea how many people lived in the former lands of Berna, but I wasn't going to hold my breath until I learned the numbers.

That was why I was very close to aborting the road-building program. While the road system was important, the number of people who would use it hardly justified the maintenance costs. The road between Avalon and Wolf Manor was almost finished; magic was a hell of a game-changer regarding civil projects. The road between Avalon and Westwood was still under construction, and the Engineers’ Guild estimated they would need another three months to finish it. I would let them finish that road, but the efforts used on that project should have been used elsewhere, like the magi-train network. In my defence, I could say that I was sure there were far more people living in my country. I could shelve the road projects for now and dust off that project when there would be enough people to actually use them. The magi-trains tracks were not only far faster to build, but the trains would cross the vast wilderness between the cities of Arcadia incomparably faster and provide safety for all people using them. However, even then, it would be a depressingly small network...

"Argh..." I concluded my internal monologue.

"Uhm. Sounds about right." Aoi chuckled.

"Sorry." I ruffled the hair on the back of my head.

"What's troubling you today, Theon?" She asked, hiding her smile for a moment behind her hand and resting her cheek on her arm.

"I was flabbergasted by the official number of citizens of Arcadia. Just two million people..." I sighed. "I barely can believe that number is correct..."

"Huh?" Aoi looked attentively at me with her clear blue eyes.

"According to the report I read, hmmm, I believe two weeks ago, the population of Arcadia, excluding former Berna, is approximately two million people."

"What kind of idiocy is that report?" She furrowed her brows and shook her head in disbelief. "If I'm not wrong, Amber and Irene are still working on the full report. The vast majority of the small settlements are not accounted for yet. There must be some mistake because, if I remember correctly, two million people are just men between the ages of fifteen and forty-five."

"Oh! That's more reasonable..." I raised my hand and summoned the report. "But... Here. It says the total population is estimated to be two million people."

I gave her the report, and after a moment of needing to read it, Aoi raised her brow. She flipped the piece of paper to the other side and back and gave me an incredulous look. "This can't possibly be right. I wonder how this report found its way to your desk, Theon, but this is garbage."

"Okay... So what numbers do we look at then, more realistically?"

"Between five to six million, without Berna." She crossed her arms in front of her and puffed her cheeks. "However, that's just an estimate. We will have more reliable data in a few days."

"Still..." I sighed, fairly disappointed. "That population is still just a drop in the ocean..."

"What?" She blinked at me in shock. "What kind of population did your old world have?"

"The population density varied in different regions of the world, but the world population was counted in billions. Countries that had dozens of millions of citizens were something common. A few countries had over a billion citizens on their own."

"How is that even possible? Food production, monster attacks, wars... How?" She gave me an incredulous look with her eyes wide open.

"Most of the food production technology we used in Avalon before the arrival of Lavender was copied from my old home. While I had no idea about most things in the books I brought, the farmers treated them as holy relics, and they quickly learned from them." I smiled at the memories of Ian discovering new techniques or machines that would make farming more efficient. When I think about it, it is obvious that this was why he pursued engineering. Ian was never really cut to be just a farmer. "There were no monsters in my old world. The wildlife was dangerous, but we were so advanced that no wildlife posed any threat to us as a species. Well, there were wars, of course, but we had rules for them."

"I see..." She exhaled and fell silent with a lowered head. "Monsters killed so many of us, Theon... A world without them seems like a fairytale."

I came closer and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Aoi."

"Why?" She looked at me in confusion. "It's not your fault..."

"I'm sorry for bringing back the bad memories, my Darling." I kissed her forehead, making her smile.

"We all carry our pasts..." She looked deeply into my eyes and snuggled herself to my side without breaking eye contact. "But I see in your eyes that the wars of your world were far more devastating than anything I can imagine. I won't be peering deeper. One day, when you are ready to talk, I will be waiting..."

"Thank you..." I hugged her tighter. "We all bear the scars of our past..."

•••

"So, what do you think about King Theon Avalon?"

"He is everything a ruler should be, Darius." Matilda sighed as they both observed Dauntless heading back to Arcadia. The grand battleship was already far away, but still, it was visible due to its size. "You were right about him. As you can see, I left both our children in his care."

"Oh? That would be the first time you have admitted I was right." The Emperor chuckled but then got serious. "However... I would never suspect him to possess such a ship."

"The military might of Arcadia is nothing to scoff at," Matilda replied quickly. "But I don't know why he decided to show off with something like that."

"That was the reason exactly." The Emperor coughed and rubbed his long beard. "He wanted to show off."

"What? Why?"

"You are intelligent, Matilda, but you never were a warrior." Darius turned around and, with his wife's help, slowly returned to his chair. "Before your return, I heard many unsavoury rumours about King Theon. Some of the more hot-headed nobles thought he was weak, and they could impose their rules over some border lands belonging to Arcadia. A few even bigger fools vouched for invasion. Those idiots wanted war with Arcadia... All of their yappings were cut off when you returned, carried by the Arcadian Flagship. They are all terrified, Matilda. In less than a minute, King Theon achieved something I could not do for the past thirty years. He made all the nobles of Metaka think about the consequences of their actions."

"Oh..." Matilda sat down near him and pondered the thought.

"Not only that. Have you observed Lady Admiral Sparrow during official occasions?" he asked with growing amusement.

"Not much, to be honest..." she admitted.

"She bowed to no one. Ahhh... When she spoke with our petty and greedy noblesse, she displayed arrogance, might, self-esteem, and a coldness I couldn't imagine existed. Such a wonderful act almost everyone bought..." He laughed with satisfaction. "But good! Good! That was the only way to shake our nobles. In their opinion, she was a perfect noble, someone they could respect. Everyone was close to licking her shoes, yet she paid them less attention than she did to the air. However, she was extremely polite to me, you, Vettalia, and Guad. I think that only Guad correctly read her behaviour."

"What do you mean?" for the first time in a very long time, Matilda started doubting her abilities.

"Oh, please... Are you teasing me? Hahahaha!"

"N-no!" She puffed her cheeks, a facial expression she had picked up from the Queens of Arcadia.

"Admiral Sparrow, with her behaviour and remarks, explicitly announced that you are untouchable, Matilda. Even by Vettalia and, well... Especially by Guad. Wait... It means you missed Guad's shocked face! Ahahahaha!" He started laughing once again. "Shame on you. A shame, really. I almost died of laughter that day! Hahahaha! Oh, that stupid boy! Hahaha!"

"What?" Matilda was caught off guard. She had been oblivious to everything the Emperor was telling her. She had become careless because she was so happy to return home.

"Guad asked her upfront, 'What do you think would happen with Empress Matilda after the death of my Father?' Hahaha!" Matilda paled and clenched her fists, knowing fully well what her stepson was plotting. Darius, however, was sincerely laughing for the first time in this context. "Ahhh... That was a masterpiece. After hearing that question, Admiral Sparrow slowly placed her gaze on Dauntless floating majestically behind the window in a way that everyone followed her gaze, and she simply stated, 'It is the wish of Princess Cassmira, the future Queen of Arcadia, for Empress Matilda to join her in Avalon. My Lord promised his fiancée to send an adequate force to Metaka so Princess's Mother could join her in Avalon when the time comes'. The look she gave him moments later was an open invitation to war."

"She did... What?!" Matilda couldn't believe her ears.

"It was necessary. Now, every single noble in Metaka has to change their thinking about Arcadia quickly." Darius's breath became short, but his determination pushed him forward. "Admiral Wildhoff was terrified by Lady Sparrow. Do you know why?" He took a sip of water and smiled when she shook her head in denial. "Not because of her ship or arrogance. Tell me, Matilda. What would happen if Admiral Sparrow decided that the Empire's Navy should be destroyed? What would King Theon do in the aftermath?"

"His Legions would enter Metaka to support the Royal Navy," the Empress replied without hesitation. "Theon would never abandon those who serve him. Even if Admiral Sparrow claimed that the sky is green, he would choose to believe her."

"That terrified Wildhoff. He sensed that absolute and unshaken faith of Admiral Sparrow in her King. Wildhoff had always craved such power. He knew that in the same situation, he would be sacrificed as a scapegoat in the name of not going to war we can't afford," the Emperor sighed. "So far, everyone just accepted my whim to send away my youngest children. However, now they have all started calculating. One of Cassmira’s wishes was enough for Theon Avalon to send HMS Dauntless here. What if she asks him to become the Empress?"

"What was Cassmira thinking..."

"It wasn't entirely her idea. Nonetheless, I regret that Cassmira and Leonard weren't born earlier. They have pure hearts, and both are brilliant. But the Metakan noblesse would never accept them." Darius sighed. "Guad and Vettalia are not exactly my dream successors. I still find them wanting... However, they have to grow to be worthy. They have no choice..."

"I can't believe that..." She was shaking her head in shock.

"Matilda..." Darius looked at her and lowered his voice. "Why have you returned? I told you that you should stay with our children. I will die soon, and I don't want you to suffer or die as well."

"Darius..." She clenched her fists.

"Oh, please... You know that I love you, but you shouldn't test your luck." He cradled her face in his hands. "I don't believe King Theon would have even cared if you decided to stay in Avalon without his approval. Why have you returned?"

"I had to..." She tried to lower her head, but Darius's grip was firm despite his age.

"Matilda... When I die, you must immediately flee to Arcadia. From now on, you will be constantly and closely guarded by my handpicked most elite Empire Guards. "

"Darius..."

"It's not only my wish. This is an order, Matilda," he said, looking at her inquisitively. "Do you understand?"

"Yes..." she replied with tears in her eyes. He hugged her and gently patted her back.

"The Praetorians will take you there." Darius let her go after a moment.

"Praetorians? What do you mean?!" She looked at him and suddenly realised two Praetorians were standing behind the Emperor. "How? What are they doing here?!"

"Ehhhh... Why does my cute and intelligent wife become so oblivious whenever she returns to my side?" He patted her head as if she was a little girl. "For three days, Janet and I tried everything except force to make you return to Arcadia. When everything failed, she decided to leave two Praetorians, and I agreed, seeing their prowess."

"Whaaa..." She turned red and covered her lips. She tried to regain her composure. "You seemed to trust Theon so much..."

"Oh, it's even better! I'm absolutely sure he simply doesn't care. He doesn't care so much that he will protect you." Darius grinned proudly, throwing her again off balance.

"Whaaa..."

"He will simply let you live a happy life. I don't want your death, Matilda. This is why you will return to Arcadia after I die." He angrily waved his hand. "Don't make me imprison you in the Sleeping Castle..."

"Sleeping Castle?" Due to shock, her words rang empty.

"Indeed, my Love." Darius took a deep breath, and she could tell he was in pain. "It's a place in Metaka that is already under full control of our future son-in-law. The Sleeping Castle Dungeon."