The Throne Hall of Avernor was in full session.
The nobles debated taxes, trade routes, territorial disputes. The king listened only halfway, a goblet of wine in his hand, his gaze unfocused.
Then, the doors burst open.
BANG.
Everyone turned.
Eldric walked in with firm steps.
Dirty. Exhausted. But standing tall.
"Hero Eldric?" one of the nobles said, surprised. "You weren't summoned to this—"
"I interrupt with an urgent report," Eldric declared, not stopping.
The king raised a hand.
"Speak."
Eldric stopped in the center of the hall.
He looked around. All eyes were on him.
He took a deep breath.
"Dreisburg has been… neutralized."
Murmurs spread across the room.
"Neutralized?" the king asked. "What does that mean?"
Eldric crossed his arms.
"I confronted an organized group of rebels. Better equipped than expected. Well trained."
He paused.
"There was combat. Prolonged. We fought for hours."
Some nobles leaned forward, interested.
"And?" one pressed. "Did you eliminate them?"
Eldric shook his head.
"I dispersed them. Caused casualties. But…"
He looked directly at the king.
"They do not represent a real threat to Avernor."
The king frowned.
"Then why do you return without total victory?"
Eldric remained composed.
"Because Dreisburg is not worth the blood it would cost to fully conquer it."
Silence.
"It's a poor village," Eldric continued. "No significant resources. No strategic position. No military value."
He walked slowly.
"Sending more troops would waste men and gold on a territory that would only drain more resources if we kept it under control."
An obese noble laughed.
"Are you suggesting we surrender to peasants?"
Eldric stared at him coldly.
"I'm suggesting we let them rot in their own misery. That we officially expel them from Avernor."
More murmurs.
"Without our protection," he continued, "they'll collapse on their own. Bandits will raid them. Winter will kill them. We won't need to spend a single soldier more."
The king leaned back on his throne.
"Hmmm… interesting."
A counselor stood up.
"But if we simply let them go, other villages might think they can rebel without consequences."
Eldric nodded.
"That's why we call it 'expulsion.' Not retreat. Not forgiveness."
He looked at the counselor.
"We officially decree that Dreisburg is no longer Avernor territory. That they are abandoned. Alone."
He smiled humorlessly.
"And when they fail… when they starve or are conquered by bandits… the message will be clear: rebelling against Avernor means death. Just slower."
The king slammed the armrest.
"I like it."
The nobles exchanged glances.
"It's… efficient," one admitted.
"Cruel but economical," said another.
The king stood.
"So be it. Dreisburg is officially expelled from Avernor. No protection. No trade. No legal existence."
Eldric bowed his head.
"A wise decision, Your Majesty."
"You may withdraw, hero."
Eldric turned and left the hall.
When the doors closed behind him, his expression changed.
From calm… to contained fury.
It worked.
---
Outside the hall, a figure was waiting.
A young woman. Brown hair tied in a high ponytail. Light reinforced leather armor. A longbow on her back.
Another summoned hero.
"Eldric," she called.
He stopped.
"Aria."
She approached, studying him.
"What really happened in Dreisburg?"
Eldric didn't answer immediately.
Aria narrowed her eyes.
"I know you. You didn't run from peasants."
Eldric closed his eyes.
"They weren't peasants."
"Then what?"
Eldric clenched his fists.
"There was… someone else. Someone dangerous."
Aria waited.
"A woman," Eldric continued. "With power over the mind. Over memory."
He paused.
"She made me forget who I was. It took me the entire night to recover."
Aria's eyes widened.
"Someone dominated… you?"
Eldric nodded bitterly.
"That's why I didn't tell the king."
Aria frowned.
"Why not?"
Eldric began walking.
"Because I have unfinished business with that village."
His voice darkened.
"And I'm not sharing my revenge with anyone."
Aria followed him.
"Eldric—"
He didn't stop.
As he walked, he whispered to himself.
"Kaito… and that bitch Lilith… will pay for such humiliation."
His voice became a venomous murmur.
"And when I return… that woman will become my personal slave. I'll make her kneel and—"
Aria stopped dead.
"Did you say… Kaito?"
Eldric froze.
He slowly turned.
Aria stared at him with wide eyes.
"Kaito Yukimura? The failed summon?"
Eldric cursed internally.
"I… didn't say anything."
She stepped closer.
"Yes, you did. You whispered his name."
She grabbed his arm.
"Eldric. How the hell is he alive? And how did he put you in that state?"
Eldric pulled free.
"It's none of your business."
"He was summoned in our same cycle!" Aria insisted. "They threw him away like trash. They said he'd die within a week."
Her eyes gleamed with something dangerous.
"And now you're telling me he has enough power to dominate a hero?"
Eldric didn't respond.
Aria studied him in silence.
"I'm going with you."
"No."
"That wasn't a request," she said firmly. "If Kaito is alive… I need to see him."
Eldric looked at her.
"Why?"
Aria looked away.
"Because… we were friends. Before they discarded him."
She paused.
"And because if he truly has that kind of power… I need to know whether I can trust him."
Eldric snorted.
"You can't."
He started walking again.
"But do whatever you want. Just don't get in my way."
Aria watched him walk away.
Then she looked toward the castle doors.
Kaito…
What happened to you?
---
Dreisburg — Headquarters
Kaito was meeting with Adelheid, Lilith, and the trusted captains.
A map of the continent was spread across the table.
Dreisburg marked at the center. Avernor to the north. Other kingdoms scattered everywhere.
Kaito stared at the map with a serious expression.
"We can't stay here."
Everyone looked at him.
"Dreisburg is too close to Avernor," he continued. "If they decide to send their full army and all their heroes…"
He paused.
"We're few against an entire kingdom."
One of the Voss brothers spoke.
"But, Commander… we defeated a hero and two hundred men."
"And it wasn't enough," Kaito replied. "It was only a test. Next time they'll come with everything."
Adelheid nodded.
"He's right. Avernor won't tolerate the humiliation."
She stepped closer to the map.
"We need to move. Establish a safer base."
Kaito looked at her.
"I'm surprised."
"By what, Commander?"
"By how much you've changed the way I think."
Adelheid blinked.
Kaito smiled faintly.
"In the world I come from… I was a fan of conquest games. But I was terrible at them."
He looked a bit embarrassed.
"I also read a lot about history. And everything I've done so far… is what I learned from books about your life. About your rule."
Adelheid froze.
Then… she blushed.
"I… Commander, that is…"
Lilith laughed softly.
"How adorable. The fearsome Führerin blushing."
Adelheid shot her a glare.
"Shut up."
Before Lilith could reply—
WHOOSH.
A flaming arrow shot through the window.
Adelheid caught it midair without looking.
Everyone tensed.
"An attack?" one of the captains asked.
Adelheid examined the arrow.
A note was wrapped around it.
She opened it and read aloud.
---
"From this moment on, Dreisburg is officially outside the protection of Avernor.
You are alone.
And for Kaito… and especially for Lilith:
I will return soon. And I will have my revenge.
— Eldric"
---
Silence.
Lilith smiled.
"How sweet. The broken hero wants to play again."
Kaito didn't smile.
"This changes things."
He looked at Adelheid.
"You're the natural strategist. Plan our route."
Adelheid stepped toward the map.
She studied the roads. The neighboring kingdoms. The neutral zones.
"Here," she pointed to a western territory. "Mountainous terrain. Easy to defend. Close to trade routes."
Kaito nodded.
"And allies?"
Adelheid pointed at several small kingdoms.
"These are in conflict with Avernor. They could be convinced."
"How?" Kaito asked. "We don't have a large army. We don't have gold."
Adelheid frowned.
"We'd need something valuable. Something Avernor desires enough to—"
Suddenly, the door burst open.
A child ran in, followed by several guards.
"Commander! Commander!"
Kaito turned.
"What is it?"
The child was panting.
"You have to see this! Now!"
The guards nodded.
"It's important, sir."
Kaito exchanged a glance with Adelheid.
"Show us."
---
They followed the child outside Dreisburg.
Toward the nearby hills.
To a cave hidden among the rocks.
When they entered…
Kaito stopped dead.
The cave glowed.
Crystals. Thousands of them. Embedded in the walls.
Blue. Translucent. Pulsing with their own light.
One of the guards, a former Avernor soldier, whispered:
"Adenites…"
Kaito turned.
"What?"
The guard stepped closer, touching one of the veins.
"Adenites. Energy gems. Avernor uses them for everything. Weapons. Magic. Trade."
Another villager nodded.
"The kingdom survives by selling them to other territories. They're… invaluable."
Kaito looked at the cave.
Then he began to laugh.
Softly at first.
Then louder.
His eyes shone with an almost manic light.
"Now I know…" he said between laughs, "…how we're going to buy our freedom."
Adelheid looked at him.
"Commander?"
Kaito turned to her.
"Prepare a response. Now."
---
Avernor — Throne Hall
The king was speaking with a noble when—
WHOOSH.
An arrow pierced the window and embedded itself in the floor before the throne.
The guards drew their swords.
But the arrow was already there.
Smoking.
With a note.
And something else.
The king approached.
He picked up the note and read:
---
"Avernor.
We accept our expulsion.
But we offer a deal:
Dreisburg will become your main exporter of Adenites.
At a 70% discount compared to other kingdoms.
In exchange: permanent peace.
A sample is attached.
If you attempt to invade and seize the mine by force…
A chain of bombs will destroy it completely.
Choose wisely.
— Commander of Dreisburg"
---
The king blinked.
"Adenites?"
One of the counselors stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, this must be a joke. Dreisburg doesn't have—"
At that moment, something fell from the ceiling.
CRASH.
A rock.
The size of a man.
Composed entirely of pure Adenite.
Glowing intensely.
The king stood frozen.
Then… he smiled.
A smile of pure greed.
He murmured, "How ingenious."
He raised the note.
"I accept the deal."
The nobles protested.
"But Your Majesty! It's a trick!"
"We can't trust rebels!"
The king silenced them with a gesture.
"If they have Adenites… they're not rebels."
His smile widened.
"They're… business partners."
---
Outside, Eldric watched from a distant window.
Aria stood beside him.
They saw the Adenite rock fall.
Aria whistled.
"Impressive."
Eldric clenched his teeth.
"Damn you, Kaito…"
Aria looked at him.
"Do you still plan to attack him?"
Eldric didn't answer.
But his silence was answer enough.