Carmichael strode briskly through the academy corridors, his expression darker than anyone had ever seen.His pace was so hurried that even the teachers stepping aside could tell something had gone terribly wrong.“Principal!”Grace’s voice echoed through the hallway as she and Skylar hurried after him.Carmichael stopped just long enough to glance at them.“I’m on my way to meet the king.”His tone was unusually serious.“Wyndia and the Pope have confirmed something.”“Something that could change the fate of this kingdom.”He clenched his jaw.“That Divine Hand keeps talking about destroying the world.”A cold snort escaped him.“They’re nothing but clowns.”“They think far too highly of themselves.”Grace exchanged a quick look with Skylar before speaking.“Then we’ll come with you.”If the matter was important enough to involve the king, returning to the royal palace made perfect sense.To her surprise, Carmichael came to a complete stop.He slowly turned around.The grim look on h

“Um…”Grace hesitated for a moment before speaking.“If what you need is land…”“I think I have a way to help.”Rhys narrowed his eyes.“What do you mean?”Grace gathered her thoughts before answering.“There are generally three legal ways to acquire land.”She raised a finger.“The first is to become a noble.”“If the king grants you a title, he can also bestow land upon you.”“Doing that also places you under the kingdom’s protection.”She lifted a second finger.“The second option is much simpler.”“You take land by force.”“Like bandits or independent lords.”She shook her head.“But the kingdom would most likely see that as an act of hostility.”“You’d eventually face a subjugation campaign.”Finally, she raised a third finger.“The last method…”“…is to marry into a noble family.”She looked directly at Rhys.“My mother’s family once received land from the king.”“It was granted under my grandfather’s name.”Her expression softened.“My mother passed away shortly after giving bi

The royal council hall had fallen into complete disorder.Everyone had been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night without any explanation. Then, before they had even fully woken up, they were told that a disaster capable of destroying civilization itself was approaching.Panic spread through the room almost instantly.“What are we supposed to do?”“It’s over…”A minister collapsed back into his chair, his face drained of color.“What about my family?”Another grabbed his head.“No…”“This might not even happen.”Someone desperately clung to that hope.Another minister immediately shook his head.“It will.”“You may doubt the Forest Queen if you want.”“But don’t doubt the Pope.”“His judgment has been right more often than not.”The room became even more restless.“A winter lasting years…”“Famine.”“Drought.”“I can’t even imagine surviving something like that.”Several ministers exchanged frightened glances.No one in the room had ever faced anything remotely similar.How co

Bang! Bang! Bang!“Hey, Max! Get out here! Right now!”The pounding on the door continued until it finally swung open.A middle-aged man stood there, still half asleep. He rubbed his eyes while trying to calm the crying child behind him.“Are you out of your mind?” he complained. “Why are you making this much noise in the middle of the night? My kid’s been crying because of you!”The man outside didn’t even flinch.“This is a direct order from the Dragon King.”His voice carried no room for argument.“We’re relocating the headquarters.”“Everyone is to gather in front of the main building within two hours.”He immediately continued before Max could interrupt.“Tell your family to pack everything they can carry.”“You’ll come with me.”“We still have to notify the others.”Max stared at him as if he had gone mad.“You’re joking.”“The Dragon King really said that?”“This order doesn’t make any sense.”The messenger shook his head.“I’m not joking.”“This came directly from the Dragon K

The sound of rushing water echoed across the open plain.Rhys stood beside the newly carved channel, his eyes following the current as it poured into the enormous reservoir the Dragon King had created.The lake was slowly filling.It wasn’t fast enough to satisfy him, but at least it was working.As long as the river continued flowing, the water level would keep rising.The Dragon King walked back after sealing the river’s original course.He folded his arms with a satisfied grin.“So?”“Did it work?”Rhys nodded.“It did.”“The water is flowing exactly as we planned.”He looked toward the reservoir.“But this isn’t enough.”“The river alone won’t fill it quickly enough.”“We’ll need Water-type Beast Tamers to help us.”He paused before adding,“And once it’s full…”“We’ll have to protect it.”The Dragon King raised an eyebrow.“You mean build a dome?”Rhys shook his head.“Not exactly.”“I’m thinking of a large enclosed structure.”“It doesn’t have to completely seal the reservoir.”