The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

Two days after I met with Captain Gil'teelar, I made the final touches on the Children's Caretaker class. To my amusement, most of their skill set was a direct copy of the Assasin's class. Low-light Vision, Stealth, Light Step, and various immunities were just a few of the skills the team of teachers who attended to the children in orphanages requested. However, I wasn't going to complain about the cost of that particular class, knowing how important it would be for Arcadia’s development. Since I already was at it, the teachers created an emergency committee and quickly proposed a complete overhaul of their class, much to my surprise. In just one day, they managed to conduct a survey across all of the schools in the Dungeon Cities of Arcadia, compile the data, and prepare an extensive presentation. As the delegation, composed of twelve teachers representing most races of people living in Arcadia, presented their opinions, I tinkered with the class system. First, increasing the variety of teachers was a perfectly reasonable proposal. As amassed knowledge grew, it was logical that teachers needed to be more and more specialised. To teach mathematics, you need a mathematician at some point; to teach chemistry, a chemist, and so on. With a smile, I assured them I would update their classes and create a new one if needed, ultimately making them happy.

I was still working on the last teacher class when the doors to my office opened, letting in Amber, with Cahrona following. The two wore tired expressions as they approached my desk, taking massive piles of papers out of their storage items. While Cahrona wanted to run away, Amber grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her into a chair. The poor girl, however, wasn't exactly scared but rather resigned to her fate. As I put the finishing touches on the class and created a few scrolls to test the idea, Amber waited for me, sitting in her chair with her hands crossed. Judging only by her open grimace, she was close to declaring war on someone.

"What happened?" I simply asked, putting the scrolls aside.

"Tell him!" Amber ordered angrily, but I was sure she wasn't angry at Cahrona.

"Lady Amber asked me to check if the Union has been running any operations within Arcadia. At first, there was nothing worthy of attention, but then I found some strange reports from the Merchant's Guild," Cahrona started to explain as Amber let out an angry growl. It was the first time I saw her so furious. However, Cahrona briefly closed her eyes and looked as if she had made a decision. She put her hand on Amber's hand, and my wife took a deep breath, relaxing instantly. "My Lord, some merchants reported that a few people tried to purchase airships. They offered very handsome rewards for them, but of course, they refused. The merchants who those people approached were sure they were from the Union. The more I looked into it, the more strange reports I found. For example, orders to buy tons of weapons and huge amounts of food."

"The Union tried to obtain supplies from us?" I asked, surprised.

Cahrona nodded and handed me her report. "Yes, my Lord."

Before I read the contents, I gave myself a moment to appreciate her wonderful and exquisite handwriting. Her calligraphy was flawless, and maybe only a few people in Avalon could match her talent. I wasn't one of those people, but I had already accepted that. After that small pleasure, I proceeded to read the report. The more I read, the more I was sure Captain Gil'teelar would have to see this report. However, as I finished the last page, I found an oddity, and it looked like Cahrona also noticed it. The Union's agents tried to obtain the airships in various ways, refraining only from an open attack. However, the southeastern regions of the Kingdom were rarely visited by airships. The relative lack of cities and unpassable mountains were excellent protection and, up to this point, were the calmest regions of Arcadia. But no longer...

"Those… fucking… bastards!" I slammed my fist into the table angrily. "They are trying to obtain new weapons to use in future conflicts. Or worse, against Hilgvar!"

I closed my eyes, knowing exactly why Amber was so furious. I felt Cahrona's gentle but unsure touch as her soft hands closed over my fist, which was still on the table. I opened my eyes, noting that my anger had just been suppressed. It still was there, but my mind was now clear. I looked at her, and again, I was struck by her beauty. No matter how long or hard I tried to deny it, I simply couldn't take my eyes off her. Her hands were still trembling, and she dared not to look at me, finally making me realise that she had just done something that generally would cause serious repercussions.

"Thank you for whatever you have done, Princess Cahrona," I said, and only then did she let go of my hand.

I looked at Amber, who slowly shrugged and shook her head. Meanwhile, Princess Cahrona took a deep breath and looked at me sadly.

"There is darkness inside your soul, my King," she said with a voice full of concern and sorrow. "It's an ancient and vicious darkness that knows no mercy or forgiveness... How are you able to hold it back? What kind of power do you use to seal something so primordial and evil?"

Tears started falling from her amazing eyes, which were purple like the clearest amethysts. I smiled softly to encourage her slightly, but I fully knew what she was referring to.

"It's nasty, isn't it?" I chuckled. "Those are remnants of the war I fought so long ago and far away. It's my darkness I'm obliged to carry. Those are my sins."

Amber and Cahrona looked at each other with mysterious expressions. It wasn't time to bring up such ancient memories, so I tapped Cahrona's report with my finger.

"We have much more urgent things to attend to, don't you think, my Ladies?" I said with a flat smile.

I stood up and teleported us to Luna's office without waiting for their answer. The Kitsune was sitting behind her desk reading some report with furrowed brows, her ears angrily flickering back and forth.

She raised her head from the sheet of paper and briefly smiled."We might have a problem, Theon," she announced with a sigh.

"Look at this." I gave her Cahrona's report, and she took a glance.

In less than two minutes, she compared the two reports, and once she finished, she took a deep breath.

"Scratch out might. We have a problem." She stood up. "Follow me..."

We trailed after her in silence. We crossed by a few offices and a secret corridor that ended with an elevator. The lack of labels and descriptions was a clear sign that you needed to know what each button corresponded to, or you weren’t supposed to be here in the first place. Also, you would be required to explain, in extensive detail, how you were able to get there at all.

"Captain Gil'teelar is going to love your report, Cahrona," Luna grumbled. "Excellent work, by the way. Some of my agents will have to explain themselves..."

"I..." Cahrona started as if she wanted to explain herself, but I touched her shoulder.

"The information you noticed in the flood of mundane reports should have been noticed and brought to our attention long ago," I explained, feeling her shake slightly. "You should be proud of your work, Princess Cahrona."

"I will do my best to contribute to the safety of Arcadia, " she replied in a serious tone.

We exited the elevator and followed Luna to a nearby office, where we found Captain Gil'teelar. The Half-Elf was reading some reports and making notes while five other officers were quietly discussing something in the corner. As soon as they noticed us, they stood at attention and saluted.

"At ease." Luna saluted back and handed him Cahrona's report.

He read it and nodded with a smile. "There it is..."

He quickly approached the large map and marked something, instantly eliciting the murmurs of the remaining officers. As soon as he finished the report, he handed it forward.

"Thank you for doing the job we failed so miserably, my Lady." Gil'teelar bowed to Cahrona. "However, your conclusions were incorrect. The Union, in fact, is preparing for a long offensive. Most likely, they want to conquer Arcadia."

"Elaborate, Captain." I smiled coldly as I crossed my arms. Once again, I felt a wave of warm calmness spill from Cahrona.

"We have tried to understand why the Union was created. So far, the southern countries have avoided wars and conflicts in general. Their neutrality was reinforced by the distance, accessibility, and general lack of anything worthy of waging war on their lands. For centuries, their only concern was the Empire of Metaka, which could potentially use their military might to conquer them. Some border skirmishes happened occasionally but never became a full-fledged war. However, nothing like that happened because Cridia occupied Metaka more in the west and Berna in the northern parts of the continent. That, however, gave those countries a lot of time to gain a key advantage against the biggest countries of Aderon. Population. Without wars and living in the milder climate of the south, their population exploded. Their food production techniques were always far more advanced, and only under your rule, my King, has Arcadia recently surpassed them. They can easily field a few hundred thousand-strong armies, and they might harbour grudges against Metaka and former Cridia. They may even hold grudges against Arcadia because they suspect the Sixth Legion fighting in Hilgvar belongs to you, my Lord."

"Just great..." I rubbed my eyes. "Luna, I authorise you to use as many resources as you see fit for this investigation."

"There is also one more thing, my Lord." The Captain looked uncomfortable. "It's about the Devilkins..."

"What about them?" I suddenly had a bad feeling.

"According to the Union’s main dogmas of faith, the Devilkins are unholy creatures who are the enemies of the world. As such, they need to be prosecuted and mercilessly hunted down. All of them should be burned alive because only the purging fire of Za... Zarasil? I need to double-check that, but anyway, you get the picture, my Lord."

"Just fantastic..." I sighed, seeing Cahrona stiffen and turn sickly pale. "What else should I know?"

"Well... We are pretty sure that most of the countries of Aderon hate the Devilkins." The Captain's voice was professionally neutral. "We can hide them for now, but everyone will know what we’ve done sooner or later. They will demand that they be handed over..."

"That's a problem for later." I interrupted him. "Luna, I leave you the Union case. We need to learn everything as fast as possible."

"Don't worry. I will send Sebastian to infiltrate the enemy palaces if I have to." Luna waved her hand and headed towards the exit. "Captain, this investigation is classified as Alpha. You are now reporting only to Fjorla and the Royal Family. I will start a small inferno in that one lazy department that overlooked something like this. Expect to get new helpers very soon. Move with your team to the planning room 4A."

"Yes, Ma'am!" He saluted and started issuing orders to his people.

We exited the office, and I teleported us back to my office as soon as the elevator doors closed behind us. I crossed my arms, mulling over the information about the Devilkins. But once we were alone, Cahrona started to lose her breath, shaking nervously before needing to sit down. Amber placed her hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down, but she started crying.

"I won't allow anyone to hurt you," I said, hoping that would reassure her.

"As much as I want to believe that, I simply can't, my Lord," she said through tears. At first, I could feel her extreme anxiety and fear, but those feelings quickly disappeared. They were her feelings that she projected unwillingly. "You must always put the prosperity of Arcadia above anything else. My people brought that fate upon themselves, and as much as I wish you to protect us, we are not your subjects."

"But..." She was right; however, I wasn't going to admit it. Here and now, only one thing mattered. I loved her.

"I have nothing to offer for your protection," she continued, still crying. "We have no lands, no treasures, not even people. You have taken everything with your holy right as conqueror. I have nothing but myself to offer for your protection. Would you accept something so irrelevant as me, only to risk wars with the entire world?"

"You said that your people have nothing, but you are wrong. You said that I took everything, but you are wrong again. You said that you were irrelevant, which, once more, is wrong. Your people have you, Princess Cahrona. You care for them, and if not for you, they wouldn't have survived the war against Arcadia. You said I would risk war against the world if I accepted someone like you?" My voice hung in the air. I saw her intensely purple eyes, and suddenly, I realised that she was trying everything in her power to seal her own powers. "Yes, I would. Let me ask you instead: could you love a man who nearly exterminated your entire race? A man who has wronged you so much, even when you proved to be changed and innocent?"

"Yes," she replied without any hesitation.

I extended my hand towards her as Amber continued to stand near me, smiling softly. "Once you take my hand, I will truly take everything from your people. Will you become my wife, Cahrona Ashes?"

"Yes..." she cried but there was a happy smile behind those tears.