The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

"Where should we go now?" John asked the town mayor.

They reached the fog just as the strange woman had told them. They had initially read the quest request she brought them, noting that they would need two days to gather the party. So far, they travelled all the way here without any encounters.

"Let's go the way she told us. We must hurry," Mayor Orlong answered, getting a better hold on his pointed stick.

There were exactly ten of them. The bravest and most desperate in the village followed the mayor. If that woman had told them the truth, they should soon...

"We are close. Let's go!" smiled George as he checked his thick plank shield and his wood hatchet one more time. They crossed the wooden bridge and entered the dungeon.

They looked around with amazement, absorbing an almost serene view. In front of them, a sunny meadow full of various hills was brimming with flowers and the sounds of small birds. A road disappeared into the greenery just a few meters away. Near the entrance was a small hut, in front of which was a man lying on the grass watching the clouds slowly pass by.

"Excuse us, sir?" the mayor asked. "We accepted a quest and came here..."

"Ah, welcome, welcome in the Righteous Dungeon! Near my hut, inside this fence, is a safe zone if you need to take a rest. I can provide you with additional quests in the future, as well. I can also provide you with some helpful items, for a price, of course," responded the man, turning on his side to take a better look at them.

"Thank you, sir... But do you think we can finish this quest?" Orlon asked with poorly masked fear in his voice.

"I believe you can do it. Just take it easy, lads! Rest as often as you can and don't rush too deep inside the Dungeon," the man replied cheerfully while picking a new grass straw from the ground and biting at it.

The group looked at each other and discussed that matter for a moment, after which they entered the fenced area and sat down near the hut owner. They took out their water skins and drank a bit. After half an hour, they decided they were ready and entered the dungeon.

•••

I watched as this group of rag-tag villagers moved slowly deeper into the area, shaking my head in disbelief. I knew they were low level, but their gear was just pure trash. No, it's not even gear; it just looks like it. I gave instructions to my denizens to drop them some bits of proper basic armour and weapons, just enough to equip them properly. That way, they might gain some courage and I could start getting rid of the lowest-level equipment that was laying useless in the armoury.

They were the first group that came here, but I already received reports that two other groups were heading this way. However, if the other groups don’t make it, I will lose mana instead of gaining it. My eagles kept watch over the plains and nothing that traveled openly nearby could hide from them. My carelessness from even a week ago is already gone, but I don't want to assume too much.

The Flower Girls should return soon, but I'm not worried about them. I told them so many times they should run away from anything even remotely dangerous, especially any bandits or slaver encounters, and instead allow Arani to deal with them. Yes. I sent Arani to keep watch over them with five more of my strongest storm eagles. I don't want to risk a replay with a goblin ambush.

I noticed I'm much more anxious about my residents than citizens. By Citizen, I mean everyone living now in the adventurer's town, which I must sooner or later give a proper name to. Anyway, I felt uneasy when my residents left the safety of Avalon and I don't know why. Maybe it's because they are my residents, or maybe it's because I got so used to their presence that each one of them is more than just a resident to me. They were my friends.

•••

I teleported to the Town and opened the doors to the guild hall. Despite the fact I was not wearing my usual King's outfit or even a crown, everyone inside immediately recognized me. Being some two meters tall and muscular like Hercules is rather memorable enough, but my glowing eyes were too extraordinary for anyone overlook. I sighed.

"Hello people. Don't mind me, I just have a little business with the Guild Master."

Of course, that was no reason for them to not stand up and bow to me, at which I sighed one more time. It looked like Queen Josla was very fixated on this entire bowing business since everyone, even the youngest children, were bowing to me like crazy. On the other hand, I felt their gratitude and admiration, which I must admit, was a very pleasant feeling. I just have to keep it in check to not fall into some sort of self-admiration.

"Hello, Idna. Is Knys in his office?" I asked the catgirl... You know what? Fuck it. My domain, my rules. Nekomi women are called Catgirls from now on.

"Yes, he is with Lord Sigismund, my King." Idna replied with a wide smile from behind her counter.

I nodded and resumed my march towards Knys's office. I knew he was there, but I'd rather announce my presence and intention, even vaguely, with the hopes it helped people to get used to me. There were too many things to solve in this short time I had. I had no clue what could wait, but despite what I said a few days ago, one thing must be solved quickly. No matter how you look at it, the Cridia Kingdom would be my first serious enemy.

I slowly walked through the guild corridor without thinking about anything in particular. Partly because I didn't believe the war could be avoided, and partly because I had no idea what I should do later. It would be a major shift in the political stage of this world, and despite all the military might Josla had at her disposal, she couldn't beat me in the battle. I could simply close my gates and allow my archers to decimate her army while my storm eagles would carpet bomb them with bolts of lightning. And not to mention Galahad and my main field army, which was training without a break. They didn't need long breaks, only short ones to replenish their stamina. There was also a significant level difference between my forces and anything Josla could throw at me. I sighed and opened the doors to Knys's office.

"Greetings, gentlemen." Without much enthusiasm, I entered the room.

"King Theon! How may we help you?" Knys almost jumped out of his chair as he and Sigismund stood up.

Both men quickly went towards the round table and offered me a seat. They nodded and bowed nervously in front of me. With yet another sigh, I sat down.

"Knys, Sigismund, when we are alone, keep all this decorum to the minimum. I don't require this much bowing or reminding me I'm the King at every turn," I told them, seeing their growing unease. I sighed at this and added, "Treat this as a privilege if that would make you feel better. Both of you are valuable sources of knowledge about the outside world and, to some degree, I wish to treat you as my advisors."

They brightened hearing this but still didn’t speak a single word. I closed my eyes and rubbed them, holding back the next incoming sigh.

"You, though not only you, warned me multiple times about Queen Josla. I never intended to ignore your warnings or, what's worse, ignore the threat of her army. However, I also never intended to discuss this matter publicly." They nodded their heads, relaxing a bit. "Recent events also have not allowed me to ask about everything I should know, so before it's too late, I must gather as much information as possible. Tell me about her."

"She is insane," Knys responded briefly, not helping even a little.

"I can agree what she is doing is insane. But she deeply believes that the entire kingdom is her property. She doesn't care about her subjects, but no one can challenge her. Her army is fiercely loyal to her," Sigismund clarified, and I couldn't help sighing.

"Is it loyalty caused by admiration or another form of deep feeling, or is it a loyalty of well-paid mercenaries?" I asked, resting my head on my hand and fixing my elbow on the arm of a chair.

"Both, I'm sure," Knys said with a sour face. "The core of her army is composed of the most loyal warriors and mages she could find, along with those already serving the Cridia Royalty. Many serve in the army for generations and never question the current king or queen. Josla additionally supports them with a large mercenary force."

"You once said she could attack Avalon with a one hundred thousand strong army. How realistic are those numbers?" I asked, processing the previous information. "How big are her most loyal forces? How well-equipped are they?"

"Her most loyal forces consist of almost sixty thousand knights; about fifty thousand warriors and ten thousand casters. Their equipment is significant, but compared to the weapons and armours of Avalon, they are like beggars. Their level is around nineteen, so they seem invincible to the people of the Cridia Kingdom. But... King Theon, we saw real power here."

"Tell me what will happen if I crush Josla's power?" I asked, ignoring their last remark.

"Most likely, there will be international chaos. Josla, despite her stupidity, is keeping other nations in check. Inevitably, there will be war for the former lands of Cridia," Sigismund responded almost immediately.

"What if I simply throw back her forces from Avalon?" I asked as a formality, since I suspected a similar outcome for the kingdom.

"It's hard to say. But I suspect Josla will not retreat in time, losing too much of her army. And the other effects would be the same, albeit slower." Sigismund shook his head.

"And what if I send my Scion with a major force and try to talk with Josla?"

There was a nervous silence in the office. I gave them time to rethink this option. I must say it was an option that would give me time as well as would allow Josla to stay in power. No matter how much I despised her actions, she was a local player that kept the world in balance. But that would be a ceasefire neither her nor I would respect in the long run.

"You can't trust her, my King," Knys started to say with fear in his eyes.

"I don't plan to trust her," I replied calmly.

"She will just muster even more troops to fight you, King." Sigismund shook his head sadly.

"How fast will the other kingdoms react after the eventual fall of Josla?" I hated 'what if' scenarios so much, but I needed to ask.

"It's very hard to tell, but I don't think it will be long. Josla managed to subdue a large number of dungeons, so the other kingdoms will try to capture them. About a few months at the very least." Sigismund shrugged.

"Tell me, were there any instances where a dungeon sent its envoys to local rulers?"

"A few. But nothing about sending Envoys to negotiate peace, my King." Knys smiled.

I suddenly was enlightened. The solution could actually be very simple.

"What if I reveal the full might of Avalon during her army’s approach? I could lift the fog, allowing them to see all of Avalon, with my army waiting for them. What would Queen Josla choose if I sent my Envoys after that?"

"This..." Sigismund hesitated.

"This will infuriate her. However, she will have to step back or wage war against Avalon. And King... You are not only the voice of the Righteous Dungeon, am I right?" Knys slowly answered and asked in turn.

I closed my eyes and sighed. It turns out I was a bad actor. I heard Sigismund taking a long breath.

"My King. Avalon is the only hope for this world. I swear to uphold all its secrets, I swear to serve it as long as I live." I looked at him, knowing fully well that he was speaking the truth.

"If you are the Core, my King, that means we have a chance we can't just waste with our inactions. We will fight and die for you if necessary. Your secrets are safe with us," Knys promised the same, causing me to look at them in surprise.

"Yet you don't ask to be my residents?" I asked, intrigued.

"No, my King. Maybe one day, but for now, you need us here. You need a flow of mana." Knys said with a light smile.

"That is true. But I never wanted to treat you as just a source of mana," I said, also smiling lightly. They know who I was and that somehow made me feel better.

"My King. If I called a general meeting today and told everyone that you keep us here and protect us because we are your mana source, everyone would be cheerful. Other dungeons kill everyone and bury their bodies in their necropolises. That's how they generate mana."

"What do you mean?" I looked at him, surprised.

"The Blood Dungeon you have vanquished was killing and burying bodies in its graveyard for almost a thousand years. Three hundred years ago, one of the last groups managed to explore and roughly estimate its mana gains. It generated about half a million mana per month," Knys explained.

I looked at him in shock. I checked my cemetery, but it generated about a thousand mana per month. I must have paled because they looked at me, worried.

"Sir?" asked Sigismund.

"I destroyed that graveyard and left nothing of it. I lost all that mana income..." I whispered, too angry at myself to even try to hide my feelings behind my poker face.

They looked as if they wanted to cry tears of happiness. I looked at them, puzzled. Sigismund eventually broke into honest tears, confusing me even more.

"Thank you! Thank you, King!" Sigismund cried with tears in his eyes.

"They are all finally free..." Knys sighed.

"What are you talking about?"

"The souls of those killed on the dungeon grounds and buried in unconsecrated graveyards will be forever denied an afterlife, serving only to sate the mana hunger of the dungeon. Some tormented souls manage to break free for a brief moment to call their relatives for help, only to lure them to their demise in the ever-hungry maw of the dungeon." Knys put his hand on Sigismund's arm.

The Dwarf covered his face, still crying, but now with relief. I watched this, feeling a bit better now. I would like to have a monthly mana income that big but that price was just horrible. No wonder so many dungeons were straight up murderous. I sat in silence, wondering how this discussion had derailed so far from the main topic but at the same time, I was glad to learn new pieces of knowledge. I summoned a few sheets of paper and 'wrote down' all that I learned. Sigismund, meanwhile, straightened and kneeled before me.

"Thank you, my King, on behalf of all the members of my family who were killed here. Now they can once more be reborn or stay in the halls of everlastingness. You are a truly worthy King and I will serve you forever!" the Dwarf expressed his gratitude with his head deeply bowed.

"Even if I did that without true knowledge?" I asked calmly.

"Even so. To think so many of my ancestors are finally free..." he assured me firmly.

"Why did they die here?" I asked quietly, looking at the top of Sigismund's head because he still was prostrated before me.

"Five hundred years ago, the Cridia Kingdom declared war upon the Kaddalum Kingdom, the last dwarven kingdom on this continent. My ancestors fought valiantly, but we stood no chance." Sigismund shook a bit from resentment. "The Cridia Kingdom allied themselves with the Blood Dungeon and made a deal. For one hundred thousand souls, the bloodthirsty dungeon would use its undead to weaken Kaddalum so Cridia could finish us off. The war lasted months, but we stood no chance. My ancestors managed to evacuate most of the population, but we had nowhere to go, so we roamed the continent for decades. Most of the Dwarfs eventually returned to the former Kaddalum territories to reside on the fringes of Cridia. After our defeat, all the survivors from the Kaddalum army and nobility were killed here to fulfil the deal. The Cridians slaughtered many civilians as well to reach the final number of souls agreed upon."

"And yet you have helped them. You offered me Legendary Armour as a gift in exchange for allowing the Cridians and your people to live here." I looked at the Dwarf with newfound respect.

"The people living today don't even remember Kaddalum. They live with dwarves and suffer the same fate. I don't know if I even hate Josla." Sigismund shook his head and looked into my eyes. "But I know only you can help these people, forsaken by their lords and left to die."

"I'm not sure if your faith reassures me or puts more responsibilities on my shoulders." I sighed. "Nonetheless, my main concern is still not solved. How can we deal with Cridia without turning the entire region into a battlefield?"

Knys pursed his lips, and I could tell some idea was brewing inside his head. I looked at Sigismund, who shook his head, left without a good idea to give. The Dwarf stood up and, with fire in his eyes, sat in his chair thinking hard about some sort of solution.

"Just turn Cridia into a puppet state, my King. You are powerful enough to do this," Knys said after five minutes of silence.

"A puppet state? Hmm..." I rubbed my chin. That was a good idea. On the surface, nothing would change and nearby countries would stay put for the time being. Hopefully long enough for my armies to grow in numbers. "This may work... But Josla might ask for help wherever she can rather than submit to me."

"You can strike preemptively and kidnap her. After submitting her to your will, you could just release her as your loyal puppet. She doesn't deserve such mercy, but I believe this will greatly benefit Avalon." Sigismund turned his head in shock at Knys, who faintly smiled while I just raised my brow. The Orc just shrugged his arms. "I have no reason to love her either."

"I could do that but... No. When she arrives here with her army, I will give her a chance for peace. I'm Righteous, so I will act accordingly," I said with a cold smile.

Oh yes... This was finally a good plan. Lure your opponent, show them your might, and then make them choose. Will they become your allies or stay enemies? The puppet state plan was also very convenient. One of the easiest ways of saving this world was military conquest in my opinion. Diplomacy works only if a big enough army stands behind the Envoy. Besides, I always was this one guy in any civilisation game you played, the one who had tanks and nukes way too fast.

While conquering was relatively easy, keeping conquered territories is where all the questionable fun started... Eriar... You made me a dungeon because of that. The biggest weakness of every empire is the transition of power between generations. If I do everything correctly I will live forever; I will keep guard over the Kingdom of my creation for eternity without fear that my descendants would fuck up everything.

Hmm... I'm not even sure if I even can have descendants and now’s not the best time to try to find out. Anyway...

"In the long run, becoming my puppet will be only Josla's option for survival. If I have to, I will change the monarch of the Cridia Kingdom. And no matter if that would be you, Sigismund, Lanka, or even one of my residents," I said with certainty in my voice, looking at Knys who paled. It was a funny sight on his dark green face. "My mission, my quest from Eriar, demands that I save the world. Securing the stability of the Cridia Kingdom is not only ambitious but an inevitable step towards achieving my goals. I don't crave violence and I don't wish for ensuing chaos. But I trust in your judgement that Josla can't be reasoned with and she will come here only to fight and kill."

They nodded, but I saw a shift in their mood. They were calm now since I took all their warnings seriously. It was easy to trust people when The Truth Seeker skill was at level 78...

"There is one more thing, my King," Knys started with a slight hesitation. I nodded, allowing him to speak. "I accepted the duty of being the Town mayor. But I grossly underestimated this burden, and now I know I can't be both Guild Master and Town Mayor."

"What solution do you propose then, Knys?" I asked, hiding a smirk behind my hand.

"I propose Lord Sigismund take over the responsibilities of Town Mayor, my King."

"Sigismund?" I glanced at the Dwarf, knowing the answer.

"Only if you allow this, my King. I would gladly use all my knowledge and wits to serve you that way."

"Then I allow it. This will leave us with just two minor problems," I smiled and saw relief starting to steam from Knys. "I'm a bit tired of calling this town the Town under the Avalon. What do you think about Everlight? Everlight under Avalon. Will people like it?"

"I think the people will love it," Sigismund said with sparks in his eyes. Knys nodded furiously in agreement.

"Everlight is not only a wonderful name but also fits this Town you gave us, my Lord. Its streets and homes are always illuminated, even at night. But this Town is more. It's our beacon of hope. You gave us this hope, my King, and it shines brightly, promising us the dawn of a new era of prosperity," Knys said with contagious enthusiasm. "Everlight... We must take care of this light of hope even better now. Give us as many quests as you want, my Lord. My adventurers will take up any quest to give you as much mana as possible."

"Oh, don't worry... I will post as many quests as possible and soon I'll open a new area for your guild. This brings us to my second point. It's time to name it, Knys."

•••

"John... I don't think Dan will survive..." The Mayor looked at one of his people, who was bleeding horribly.

Nonetheless, they took him to the safe zone. They almost reached it and saw the owner waving at them with a big grin, but when he saw a bleeding man, he approached them quickly.

"I told you lads to take it easy!" he said, and before anyone could stop him, he shoved a potion straight down his throat. The bleeding stopped and Dan started breathing steadily. "There! Five coppers."

John and Orlon started nervously laughing, and they took out five coppers from Dan's pocket. Their group entered the camping site and smelled some incredible food. Something was slowly cooking in a big cauldron over the campfire. They saw an enormous pile of wooden bowls and cups nearby, as well as something hidden under a piece of cloth.

"After an entire day of fighting, you must be hungry. Remember when I told you about the things you can get from me? That's right. One bowl of stew will cost you twenty coppers, bread is five coppers for a piece and forty for an entire loaf. Water is a copper per cup," the man said with a grin.

They looked at him, surprised, and started taking out the money they managed to loot from the monsters. They were halfway through the quest, looting very decent weapons, with each having thirty coppers. What was more, no one died! They formed a line and bought food from the stranger. They saw a slime approaching the safe zone but as soon as it reached its fence, the monster simply turned around and disappeared into taller grass. All the villagers were excited and already decided they would return as soon as they delivered the flour to their home.