In the aftermath of the battle, the Kingdom of Altechna was in a constant state of recovery amidst the ruins left by the vast battlefield. Although the kingdom's defense had resulted in a victory, it had come at the cost of many lives and resources, and the nobles' schemes were further threatening the kingdom's stability.
Rian and Ria did not participate in the battle, instead monitoring the faction of traitors within the kingdom. They kept a close watch on how the nobles would use the postwar situation and continued their thorough surveillance. They tracked the nobles' movements using a dual approach of covert and overt monitoring.
After a few days, some of the nobles grew impatient and began to take matters into their own hands. They started small-scale skirmishes, deploying their private soldiers. In this process, Rian and Ria confirmed that parts of their plan were being revealed. As the battles progressed, Rian and Ria sensed that the nobles' movements were unusual and paid close attention.
In a meeting of the nobles, one of them abruptly left the hall and said in a firm voice, "At this rate, we will not achieve the results we want. We must take more active measures to maximize the chaos in the kingdom."
The next day, the nobles began to devise a plan to take advantage of the kingdom's chaos. Seeing the gap in the kingdom's defenses, they decided to dispatch their private soldiers and to hold a party to steal the ancient artifact, the Crystal Core, from Rian and Ria. They had realized that Rian and Ria could be an obstacle to their plans and schemed to steal the artifact and deliver it to the Noktus.
A luxurious grand hall was decorated, and the nobles gathered in splendid attire. They enjoyed the atmosphere, conversing with elegant music in the background. Rian and Ria were in attendance as invited guests, but their purpose was not simple enjoyment. They were carefully observing the nobles' movements, waiting for an opportunity.
"The atmosphere here is strange. I feel like something's going on," Rian said to Ria in a low voice. His gaze was full of caution.
"I feel it, too. Their attitude is different from usual. It's like they're hiding something," Ria agreed, surveying her surroundings.
Rian and Ria observed the conversing nobles, sensing an uneasy energy from their words and gestures. A few of the nobles were exchanging glances with each other, occasionally making secret hand signals and eye contact.
Suddenly, a noble stepped into the center of the room and said in a loud voice, "On this occasion where we are all gathered, I must make an important announcement."
Rian and Ria turned their attention to the noble's statement, quietly watching to see what would happen. The noble headed to one corner of the room, making a gesture as if guiding the way to a hidden exit.
"That's strange. They're hiding something in that room," Rian whispered.
Ria replied to Rian with a wise gaze. "We need to watch this situation more carefully. We have to stop their plan."
Rian and Ria waited for the party to end, closely observing how the nobles behaved during their meeting. They confirmed that the nobles were moving to a specific room and decided to enter it to quietly monitor their actions.
They silently entered the secret room and eavesdropped on the nobles' plan. The room was filled with documents and maps detailing various schemes. Rian and Ria examined the documents and confirmed that the nobles were planning to steal the Crystal Core and go to the Noktus. Their conspiracy was thorough and meticulous, and they intended to use the Crystal Core to push for an alliance with the Noktus.
"This is a grand conspiracy. They're trying to ally with the Noktus to completely bring down the kingdom," Ria said.
"We have to stop this plan. Protecting the Crystal Core is our first objective," Rian said in a firm voice.
Rian and Ria decided to take the documents and maps and report to King Alexander. They organized their own plan and made thorough preparations to stop the nobles' conspiracy.
Rian and Ria reported the nobles' plot to King Alexander and devised countermeasures for the kingdom's safety. King Alexander immediately redeployed his troops and took swift action to block the nobles' plan. He strengthened the kingdom's defenses and placed a strong guard to protect the Crystal Core.
Under King Alexander's command, the kingdom's army began an operation to block the internal threat. Rian and Ria continued to monitor the nobles' movements, doing their best to protect the Crystal Core safely.
Thus, the kingdom found itself in a situation where it had to fight not only an external battle but also an internal conspiracy. Rian, Ria, and the army of Altechna continued to cooperate to protect the safety of the kingdom, overcoming the difficult situation.
**
Episode : The Crystal Core, Stolen?
Following Lucas's request, Rian, Ria, and their companions went outside the castle. After completing their mission and returning to the kingdom, they discovered that the most important artifact in their possession, the Crystal Core brought from the Gnome Kingdom, was missing. If their plan was proceeding as intended, this situation was exactly what they had aimed for.
"The Crystal Core is gone? What happened?" Lucas asked urgently. His voice was a mix of worry and anger.
Rian answered calmly. "Ria placed a tracking spell on the Crystal Core. We can trace its location with this magic."
Lucas paused in thought for a moment at Rian's words, then gave a faint smile. That smile quickly vanished as he composed his expression and raised his voice to draw the attention of those around him. "How could you have managed the Crystal Core so carelessly as to lose it so easily! This is a serious problem!"
His voice quickly spread throughout the palace, and the rumor spread like wildfire. The atmosphere in the palace grew chaotic, and the news reached the ears of the traitorous faction. All of this was planned by Rian and Ria. It was to provoke a reaction from the traitors and to expose their plans.
"Finally, our chance has come!" said one of the faction's leaders. "We can now get our hands on the Crystal Core, and the time has come to push for our meeting with the Noktus."
Rian and Ria had meticulously prepared for this entire process. The traitorous faction, having heard the news that the Crystal Core was missing, gathered outside according to their plan. They did not know that the current situation was a trap set by Rian and Ria.
Rian and Ria, in disguise, set up a thoroughly prepared trap at the transaction site with the Noktus. They had altered the meeting place with real and fake locations to lure the traitors into making contact and to capture their conspiracy in the act.
The traitorous faction fell for the trap set by Rian and Ria. Arriving at the transaction site, they were met with an unexpected situation and ended up in a battle with Rian and Ria's party. As they were being easily subdued, they tried to flee to avoid losing the Crystal Core, but dropped it in the process. When the Crystal Core fell, the fragments of the broken golems in the area began to gather around it. Eris, noticing something was wrong, immediately reported it to Rian as she quickly tied up the traitors with a rope and headed back to the Kingdom of Altechna.
**
Episode : After Suppressing the Traitors, the Noktus's Ploy
King Alexander went out to the kingdom's public square to punish the traitorous faction. The captured traitors, still with an arrogant attitude, were insisting on their innocence.
"I have been wronged! We were merely caught in a trap. Are they not the ones at fault? Is that not so?" a noble shouted, raising his head high. A few of his supporters nodded in agreement with his statement.
Another noble waved his hand and shouted, "That's right! We were deceived by the scheme of Rian and Ria from Elysium. They stored the object carelessly to tempt us, and we only happened to take it by chance. How is this any different from entrapment?"
Though they were already captured, their influence was still formidable. Some of the people gathered in the square seemed to listen to their claims and nod in agreement.
A few days earlier, Rian and Ria had detected the movements of the traitorous faction aiming for the Crystal Core and had devised a plan to lure them into a trap.
On a quiet night, Rian, together with Ria, had silently prepared a spell in the room where the Crystal Core was stored. As Ria drew a magic circle on the floor, she said, "Now they will walk right into our trap. If we expose just a tiny bit of the Crystal Core to tempt them, they'll think their plan has succeeded."
Rian smiled and replied, "Exactly. This trap is our first step to completely bringing down the traitorous faction. What we're doing isn't simply capturing them; it's showing everyone how deeply they've fallen into their conspiracy."
Ria carefully placed a cover over the Crystal Core and gave a small smile. "The real show starts now."
They waited for the traitors to come and steal the Crystal Core. And the moment a member of the faction infiltrated the room and took the core, the spell Ria had cast was activated. The moment he picked up the Crystal Core, it slipped from the traitor's hands and glowed in mid-air, leaving a trail. At that moment, Rian and Ria, who were watching from nearby, confirmed that their trap had succeeded.
Rian muttered, "There it is. Their true colors."
Ria nodded and added, "Now we have enough evidence. Let's go and report to the king."
And just as planned, they had fallen into the trap.
King Alexander, feeling the tension in the square, looked at the captured nobles with a cold gaze. He pointed a finger at the supporters gathered in the square and said, "Do you still not admit your wrongdoing? You are the ones who plotted a conspiracy that threatens the stability and safety of this kingdom. That Rian and Ria stored it carelessly? Is that your excuse?"
Rian stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, these men did not simply fall for a temptation. They planned to steal the Crystal Core, and behind that was a conspiracy with the Noktus."
A noble sneered and said, "That we tried to deal with the Noktus? That is merely a story you've fabricated. We were just deceived by false information; we had no intention of betraying the kingdom."
Ria said calmly, "The evidence we have provided is clear. It is no lie that you tried to steal the Crystal Core to hand it over to the Noktus. We witnessed the moment you acted yourselves, and we know that all of this was your plan."
King Alexander, looking disappointed by the nobles' attitude, nodded to Rian and Ria. "If they do not repent to the very end, they will receive a fitting punishment. For the well-being of the kingdom, we will see that justice is done."
The nobles continued to decry the plan of King Alexander, Rian, and Ria, insisting on their own innocence, but the people of the kingdom gradually began to learn the truth. Despite the traitors' claims, Rian and Ria's evidence was clear, and their plan had already failed.
Rian approached King Alexander and whispered, "They will not admit their wrongdoing to the end. But we know all of their schemes, and the day will come when they regret this."
King Alexander nodded and shouted to the public, "For the stability of the kingdom, we will fight to the end. No conspiracy, no betrayal, will stand in the way of this kingdom's future."
The defeat of the traitorous faction was now a foregone conclusion, and their plan had crumbled within Rian and Ria's trap. However, they still remained a threat to the kingdom, and the fight of King Alexander, Rian, and Ria was not over. Many more conspiracies and battles awaited, and the future of the kingdom rested in their hands.
Thus, King Alexander, Rian, and Ria were now in an even more complex situation, having to suppress the traitors from within while also fighting against the threats from without. However, their united strength and decisiveness would surely light up the kingdom's dark times.