Back at the camp, Delza helped with simple chores around...
Her melancholy hadn't completely disappeared, but at least she still tried to be as happy as this world would allow her to.
"Hey! That's for Eldwyn!" Delza yelled, running toward a member who was about to throw my blanket out.
"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't know," he replied, scratching the back of his head with an apologetic smile.
After handing it over to Delza, he walked away.
"Don't keep long Eldwyn," Delza muttered, tightly hugging the blanket.
"Delza!" A voice called out from afar. As Delza's eyes narrowed—it was Hilal. "Hurry up! We need to finish before night falls."
"Okay, I'm coming." Delza replied as she hurried over.
It turns out they were finally returning to Gairo—the town they had "abandoned." It was a reasonable desicion, considering how many of the members had started falling ill. Though not severe, they still didn't know its cause. After Hilal sat down with the other advisors, opinions were divided, but in the end, most of them accepted to move back to Gairo.
Right now, they are packing up to relocate to Gairo—and damn, will they be doing a lot of cleaning work.
Meanwhile, the affairs of the Lumin Kingdom—a vassal of Qwelqia—were in disarray. State officials had been embezzling the kingdom's revenue, but a new civil resistance group who refered to themselves as 'The Lydians,' finally got their hands on undeniable proof of their depravity.
Bribes, embezzlement, slave trading—among other crimes—were exposed to the public. Newspapers and flyers, detailing their wrongdoings were anonymously scattered throughout the kigndom.
Since then, civilians have been relentlessly attacking state facilities and officials wise enough to show their faces in public.
A week later, the event which could have led to a civil war had died down. Officials who had been exposed were replaced with new ones, assigned by the King of Qwelqia.
Information of the appointments spread across the kingdom. Flyers were distributed, and word traveled fast through the streets.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Roland go check who's at the door!" his mother called out.
Roland hurried downstairs to the door. When he opened the door, it revealed the postman. Without a word, he handed Roland the weekly update paper before scurring off down the road to the next house.
Curious, Roland flipped the paper and scanned the headlines:
— Dawil Morganti, a stout man of average height with dark hair and brownish eyes was appointed to replace the previous Finance Minister—Sidek Holvi.
— Zurich Ranoa, a tall lady of astounding elegance, pale green eyes and flowing ginger hair, replaced the previous Minister Of Infrastructure —Coltor Moritz.
...
...
— The last position on the front page, wasn't a ministerial one but rather a regency position. Hordon Xen Chronos had been specially appointed by Queen Morrie for that position. His presence was daunting as his height, red hair with a bit of white, blue eyes and an average muscular stature.
Roland paused. The name—Chronos—felt oddly familiar. Hadn't he heard it before? He furrowed his brows, trying to recall where it was he had heard it. But nothing came to mind. With a shrug, he dismissed it and continued reading.
Hordon was granted his own manor complete with attendants, servants and workers. His castle was a shimmering masterpiece of green and blue hues, adorned with frost-glass windows. The gardens flourished with green roses, orchids, anemones and Irises, their vibrant colours enhancing the castle's grandeur. Tall trees lined the estate, adding to its magesty. that were around. The manor, enclosed by sturdy walls, had guards positioned at vantage points, ensuring its safety.
Since his manor was near the kingdom's borders, he was partly in charge of protecting it. The Kingdom of Lumin shared it's borders with a sacred forest—labeled as such by the Emperor. From time to time, they faced monster attacks, this lead to the establishment of guilds within the kigndom. Lumin wasn't the only kigndom with guilds; almost all kigndoms across the continents had them, though their purposes varried.
Hordon Xen Chronos sat in his room, a communication orb resting on his table. He was speaking with a noblewoman.
"How do you like your new place?" she asked.
"It's alright. Everything is as fancy as it should... hahaha," he chuckled, glancing around the room.
"That's good to hear. Don't get too carried away and forget the reason why you're there, alright?"
"Will do."
Hordon ended the transmission, satisfied with the coversation.
"All this is mine!" he exclaimed, falling onto his bed not too far from his table. "Who could have thought she'd be able to get me this position? I might as well enjoy it while this system lasts," he muttered to himself.
Afterwards, he changed into a less formal attire and made his way to the dinning table for dinner. Upon arriving, he ordered a servant to mail a letter he had prepared to Uleneria. After ensuring the letter would be mailed, he settled in for his meal, unaware of the events unraveling in Uleneria.
In Uleneria Eldwyn, Sulivan, and Aizzy were staying in a simple yet modest house. Their mission—to investigate the activities in Uleneria —was already set in motion. They had uncovered some details about the dealings of the nobility and the ways of the Ulenerians.
"It's surprising how the people meant to protect stage a crisis just to play the hero afterwards," Eldwyn exhaled, staring out the window.
Outside, the Ulenerians went about their daily lives, unaware of what thrived in the shadows or lurked on the surface.
"Yeah, well, what can we do about it? Other than fight—or, in some cases be diplomatic." Sulivan replied, relaxed on his bed.
Eldwyn's expression darkened. "Man... Only if I could change everything."
At the table, Aizzy shifted through scattered notes, trying to piece together information they had obtained from Uleneria and the cloaked men they had encountered.
"Have you figured anything out?" Eldwyn asked, turning to face Aizzy.
"Not yet. It's a mess—it'll take a while."
"Yeah okay. It's a good thing we informed Hilal that we wouldn't be back for a while. Right Suli?"
"Yeah, yeah now can you please be quite and let Aizzy do her work?" Sulivan groaned.
"Err... Okay your highness." Eldwyn smirked.
***
A week earlier...
"So we'll attack them here. Just like we've planned, Aizzy will open portals beneath or infront of them to trap them in the hideout's basement." Eldwyn reiterated.
"But before that, we'll try to get some answers, yeah?" Aizzy added.
"Yeah," Eldwyn confirmed.
They stood concealed behind a tree, waiting for the appropriate moment to strike. As night fell, they made their move, approaching them as lost travelers.
"Oi! What are you mutts doing here?" One of the men barked, as Eldwyn and the others drew nearer.
"Err... sorry we're a bit lost can you guys help?" Aizzy asked, feigning uncertainty.
"Oh I see. Just follow this pa—."
Shwooom!
Before he could complete his statement, a portal materialized beneath him, swallowing him whole.
Aaaaargh! He screamed.
The others jolted in alarm. "Hey, Hey what's going on?" one of them stammered, his face pailing with fear.
"We were paid! We were paid... I don't wanna die now please." he pleaded, raising his hand in desperate surrender.
"And why should I allow members of Chronos to go free even if they ask for it?!" Aizzy roared, her gaze sharp.
The cloaked men exchanged confused glances. "What is Chronos?" One of them asked, his face twisted in perplexity.
"The cult you belong to..." Aizzy insisted, narrowing her eyes.
"B-But we belong to no cult." A man on the left stammered, shifting nervously.
"We were asked to—"
"Hey that's confidential," another interjected, his voice laced with warning.
The first man hesitated, swallowing hard, but then his resolve broke.
"I can't die because of some stupid noble's game!" he spat. "We were ordered to stage a raid in Uleneria."
"Who ordered you to?" Aizzy inquired further.
The man's lips trembled. "We don't know. His voice was... glitched, distorted, unnatural. And he was masked."
Aizzy's brows furrowed. "Hey, Sulivan where's the shadow thingy? Is it still there?" Aizzy whispered, her tone laced with embarrassment.
Sulivan scanned the area, then sighed. "I don't see it anymore. Maybe we were wrong."
"Yeah, go figure. You were wrong. Who is we?" Aizzy muttered, feeling her earlier comfidence waver.
Sulivan exhaled, crossing his arms. "Men. Sorry for the intrusion. We must have mistaken you all for someone else. But either way if you value your lives, don't follow through with the raid plan."
With that, Aizzy opened another portal, bringing back the man she had teleported earlier. After the cloaked men stood there in uneasy silence, Eldwyn and the others turned and made their way to Uleneria.