The cold night wind kept brushing past their hair as Nishan walked with Sierra and Duke through the forest below. Krileekit had remained inside the habitat after Nishan used Helis Step to bring Duke and Sierra down and decide where their future residence should be built in Northern Naturia. The first thing that came into Duke’s view the moment they landed forced him to chuckle silently.Karguran was sitting half-crouched with both hands holding his ears as if a mischievous student had been punished outside a classroom by a strict teacher. His face looked extremely pained while the thick muscles of his thighs trembled continuously under his own weight.Karguran tried to shift his posture the moment he saw Nishan.But Nishan raised a finger along with his voice.“No! You will be sitting like that for the next two days until their house is built.”Grrr!Karguran released a deep growl in defiance of the punishment he had received for beating Duke up. But Nishan immediately shook his head.

Eloris steadied herself, composure returning. Her lips curled into a faint smile as she regarded both barons from beneath narrowed brows.“I have Lord Commander Gabriel backing us.”The words swept away the last traces of doubt in Cedric and Gregory’s minds. Cedric leaned back in his chair, a slow smile forming. Gregory slapped his palm down on the table with a resounding crack.“You mean the Lord Commander of the capital’s knights—Gabriel Heuward?”For a long moment, he simply could not accept what he’d heard. How could this be possible? The question spun in his mind as his doubtful gaze stayed fixed on Eloris. Silence settled heavily over the chamber.Cedric’s voice shattered it.“I’ve always wondered,” he said softly, eyes still closed, his thin voice cutting cleanly through the air, “how a simple girl could plan to kill her own husband and become the baroness of this town.”His eyelids lifted. He looked straight at Eloris—and smiled. Eloris straightened in her chair, eyes tracing

When we climbed down, the forest felt natural again. But the most excited ones weren’t any of us—it was the emoji builders. They huddled close together, whispering to each other through emojis on their displays. It looked as if they were already planning upgrades for the whole forest. They kept looking around with wide‑eyed emojis flickering across their screens.Slowly, we reached the clearing where we planned to build Duke’s mansion. Karguran was still sitting there in punishment. He looked at me. His eyes clearly asked for forgiveness. I smiled at him.“Yeah! It’s time…”I was about to release him from his punishment, but the emoji builders found him interesting. They circled his massive frame in turns, studying him. They poked at his thick golden fur with their free hands, their hammer hands hanging low. After they’d poked him a few times, Karguran grew annoyed. He looked at me. I simply nodded, and the mythic guardian slowly stood up.When he was fully upright, his head almost re

A very familiar voice drifted down from the mountaintop as we stood inside the basin. Karguran and Krilieekit watched the reverse flow of the water inside the basin and along the mountain wall, their eyes wide."It seems someone has brought some friends along..."My head snapped up toward the mountaintop along with Krilieekit’s and Karguran’s. The small figure of Toruous stood there, waving a hand at us. I waved back."Yeah!... I also brought some good news, Toruous."He immediately leapt into the stream that carried water from beneath the mountain toward the peak. And, as always, he effortlessly swam down the reverse current. Once he stepped onto the platform, his natural smile widened at the sight of me. He bowed."Welcome once again to the basin, My Lord."I smiled."You are not shocked to see the new me?"Toruous looked me over from head to toe, the smile tugging at his wrinkled lips. I was certain he would comment on my appearance, since I had chosen a human model instead of a mo

Dargon and Acherous sat in the guest chamber of the mansion with Gabriel. Hunters, mages, and knights stood on guard outside. Near the fireplace, the three of them sat in cushioned armchairs around a beautiful wooden desk. Their eyes were drawn to the carvings in the inner walls, from which helis particles drifted down like soft rain inside the chamber.Acherous raised his palm, catching a soft mote of helis."It really feels like we're sitting in a building from a lost age."Gabriel Nodded."Yeah. Not only that—the way the monsters were behaving around Duke and Sierra felt like the old myths of coexistence between humans and monsters."Dargon was silent, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Acherous turned to Gabriel."But most importantly, Duke Bearda has once again become the main bridge between the capital and the monsters."Gabriel lowered his eyes. A deep sigh escaped his chest. Dargon spoke without shifting his gaze."…And this time it won't be easy anymore to pin all the blame on hi