The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

"Vestargo, the Emperor of the Ancient Forest..." I said out loud after reading Morrigan's report. "Eva, can you ask Lavender..."

I stared blankly at the empty chair and shook my head. I was so accustomed to the presence of my Queens that it was hard to accept the fact they were still asleep. "Forget about it, Eva. Summon Lanka, Idna, and Sigismund instead."

"Yes, my Lord!" She bowed her head and left the office.

I sighed and grimaced, feeling down. My wives were still deep asleep, closely watched by Stella and Lanka. Gloria and Cahrona had woken up, but they were taking care of Irene's and Hestia's duties, for which I was extremely grateful. Fortunately, according to Stella, everything was fine with my Queens. I felt strange, knowing they were asleep but couldn’t wake up just like that. I slowly exhaled and looked at the map of Aderon. Compared to the continent's overall size, the part explored seemed tiny. The Ancient Forest, a venerable and unexplored wilderness in the northwest, was almost as large as Berna itself. Its southern border wasn't natural; it looked just as if someone had put a ruler on the map and drawn a straight line spanning from the west coast to the foothills of the Frostmare Mountains in Arcadia. I stood in front of the enormous wall map with my hands crossed in front of me, trying to estimate the scale of the threat hiding within that forest. Amid that process, Eva returned with the people I had asked for.

"My Lord?" Sigismund lowered his head.

"Hello..." I welcomed them with an uncertain tone. "As you may already know, the border in Berna was attacked. The Ninth Legion repelled the invasion forces with the significant help of Captain Edward Teach."

They looked at me with puzzled expressions. After giving each other an uncertain look, they slowly nodded.

"Morrigan managed to discover the name of the one responsible for that attack. Vestargo, the Emperor of the Ancient Forest. Does that name ring any bells?" I returned to my desk and pointed toward the chairs prepared for the trio.

While the Nekomi sisters slowly shook their heads in denial, the old Dwarf's face froze in the uncertain hesitance of someone who might be recalling something. While the women took their seats, Sigismund stared at the floor, clenching and unclenching his hands. However, he let out a disappointed sigh after a moment and sat near Lanka.

"That name is familiar to me, my Lord." He admitted, but his tone betrayed that he hadn't much to say. "That name is repeatedly found in the old chronicles that survived the fall of the Kaddalum Kingdom. It appeared each time there was a record of a monster tide. Besides that, I think it was merely associated with the Ancient Forest. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything more useful, my Lord."

"Hmmm... Don't sell yourself cheap for now, Sigismund." I squinted, watching the Dwarf who fidgeted uncomfortably under my gaze. "Can you check those chronicles and see what kind of monsters attacked? If the scions were spotted, what kind of monster they were and so on?"

"Of course, my Lord!" His face brightened, and he smiled.

"I also want you, Idna, to check the records you have in the guild." Idna grimaced when I made my burdensome request, and I could only smile with compassion.

After the destruction of Cridia and the successive conquering of Berna, the Adventurers guild grew to a gargantuan size. Idna had already expanded the locations occupied by the guild in the capital to three separate buildings. The original Guild Building was still used as it was previously, but despite its size, the number of Adventurers passing through it each day made it one of the most crowded places in the capital. That was why the entire guild administration had to be moved to a different location a few streets away. The guild's daily organisation business was conducted in a vast, five-story building. The last location was underground because no building available in Avalon could fit all the documents produced by the growing bureaucracy of the kingdom-spanning guild. The underground archives benefitted from the effectively infinite storage space I could provide them, thanks to the fact that laws of physics and logic did not apply to anything built underground in the Dungeon. The records captured in other guilds were moved and stored there, where the entire army of workers tried to verify the impossible amounts of various records.

"Yes, my Lord... But that will take time." She sighed, and I moved my gaze to Lanka, who paled.

"I will order the church archivists to look through all the information we have, my Lord," Lanka said without waiting for my request, making me smile.

"Just pass that request to Gloria." I nodded and took a deep breath. "However, that's not the only reason I asked you to come here. Sigismund and Idna, I want you both to start planning an expedition force to the Mountain Dungeon." I raised my hand, seeing the panic in their eyes. "I don't want you to charge in. Relax. This will be a joint operation for you and the forces of the Dungeon Coalition. I can't spare my Legions, but I can't wait much longer to subjugate that Dungeon, either. It's one of the last untamed Dungeons in Arcadia, and I can no longer ignore that threat."

"Understood, my Lord." The Dwarf nodded calmly. "The Mountain Dungeon spawned in the lands where the Western Dwarven Kingdom once was. However, it was long gone even before the rise of Kaddalum. Our songs still sing its glory and fall–about its wealth and the evil Dragons it brought."

"I just hope that no evil Dragon slumbers somewhere there..." I sighed. "We have enough work already." My eyes shined dangerously, and I smiled wickedly to scare away Murphy. "But I wouldn't be disappointed if you find one. In the tales of my world, Dragon's scales, blood, and bones had many legendary properties, making them perfect materials for armours and weapons. Their meat was also said to be a delicacy. So if you find one, I think we could spare a moment to check in practice if the legends of my world hold a speck of truth to them."

All three faces in front of me froze in terrified shock. I tried to express a polite agreement but only managed to convey a desperate desire that I was joking. However, my dreamy smile revealed that I was completely serious. After a moment, I needed to stop thinking if Ragnar could actually make a Dragon Bone sword, so I cleared my throat. "Sorry... That's it, Idna, Ragnar. If you may stay a bit longer, Lanka."

After the Nekomi and Dwarf left, I looked at the young woman. "How are they?"

"Completely fine, my King." Lanka calmed instantly, relieved that she finally could give a definitive answer. "With the help of the Slime Maids, I can watch over them continuously."

"My thanks, Lanka." I smiled nervously. "I know that I'm annoying..."

"I can't agree. Caring about the one you love is admirable, my King." She smiled softly and shook her head. "I thank the Gods daily for that blessed day I set foot in Avalon. Since then, only the good things happened to me, my King. I am so deeply indebted to you and the Queens that I doubt that the entire life of my work would amount to repay only a fraction of it."

"Lanka..." I rubbed tiredly my eyelids.

"Hahaha! I know, I know!" she laughed and interrupted me. The young and resolute Nekomi was one of the few people who ever dared to interrupt me. "I know that you and the Queens consider me your friend, and I am proud of that. Then, my Lord, even more, it's my duty to care about my friends."

"I'm glad then, as well." I smiled at her, acknowledging her point of view. "Is the room you stay in the Palace fine?"

"It's lovely, my King!" She smiled even wider as her ears and tail wiggled with true joy. "Thank you for allowing my husband to stay in the same room."

"Don't mention it." I grinned in reply. "It looks like you are happy."

"More than I could ever imagine..." She blushed cutely for a moment. "That wouldn't have happened if not for you..."

We spoke about nothing in particular for a while, but after Lanka left, I felt much better. Eva was working in the adjacent office I had made for her, but the doors separating our rooms were rarely closed. The Homunculus changed a lot since the day I created her. Now, no one could tell her apart from an ordinary person until they started a discussion about feelings. Eva was still not fully self-conscious about the feelings that sometimes troubled her, but she found an unexpected friend in the Wolfkin Fjorla. While Luna still wasn't entirely convinced about Eva, Fjorla became one of the two best friends of the Homunculus girl. The second one was Blithe, Amber's secretary, and the three of them spent most of their free time together. Eva even surprised me one day when she asked me for permission for her friends to enter the Palace Gardens, which were strictly off-limits for everyone except for a few people. I was even more surprised and even proud once she admitted it was entirely her idea. That showed her undeniable growth as a person, which made me happy. Since then, the three often spent their time reading books together in the gardens, playing games, and swimming in pools and even the Garden Lake.

"Back to work, I guess..." I sighed heavily and turned my gaze to the map once more. Suddenly, I recalled something. "One who rules all forests across the world... Hmmmm..."

I closed my eyes as I rested my back more comfortably in my office chair.

"Demesne, Kirin, Ceallach," I called my Vassals through our link.

"Yes, Master?" Demesne, who was always eager and enthusiastic, replied almost immediately. The two others followed moments later.

"Do you have any knowledge about Vestargo?" I asked and noticed a strange disdain literally steaming from the trio after hearing that name.

"What that lunatic want this time, my Lord?" Kirin asked, but I simply knew he was speaking for them all.

"He attacked our border in Berna without warning," I explained.

"Oh, yes... That would check out." Demesne sighed. "When was the last raid? Ten years? Or twenty years ago?"

"I think fifteen..." Kirin replied in a tone akin to a shrug. "He is just like that, my Lord. He attacks every decade or so, kidnaps Mortals, fights the local Dungeons, and generally causes trouble."

"He is also a maniac with an overgrown ego," Demesne chimed in right after the Westwood Core. "He claims that every Dungeon, even remotely adjacent to any forest, must pledge their loyalty to him."

"But he is rather powerful," Ceallach sighed. "He might even actually have subjugated some Dungeons near his location."

"Well... I wouldn't be so sure," Kirin tried to correct him. "Once or twice, my forces clashed with his forces, and they couldn't overpower my denizens. The King's Legions should swiftly deal with him."

"That's the problem..." I exhaled. "The Ninth Legion was able to repel the invaders, but Morrigan lost almost 70 percent of her forces."

"That's... Strange." Kirin was genuinely surprised. "How big were his forces this time?"

"Twenty thousand beast-type monsters, give or take; no one actually counted them." I shrugged.

"TWENTY THOUSAND?!" Demesne and Ceallach screamed in shocked unison.

"That's concerning..." Kirin's voice was shocked as well. "His forces usually consisted of a few hundred high-level beast monsters."

"He threatened to attack us all a few years ago. Maybe he is fulfilling his promise?" Ceallach wondered.

"Hmmm... In that case, should we consider that invasion abnormal or rather a new standard?"

"I'm afraid we are clueless, my Lord," Demesne replied apologetically.

"Thank you anyway." I smiled. "Thanks to your knowledge, at least I have something."

As I opened my eyes, I cradled my face in my hands heavily. At least the war in Berna was basically over...