Vanush was killed in the most sure way that existed. While most of his body was devoured, his previously lost arm and leg were buried in the unconsecrated graveyard. Thanks to that, his soul was bound in eternal servitude to make sure he wouldn't return. All his knowledge was extracted, reviewed, recorded, and then purged from the Sentinel network. While it wasn't publicly accessible knowledge, keeping it within the system wasn't a particularly good idea either. Since their return, Amber had observed me and I knew that something was bothering her. I took a stroll with her as she had asked but she was, strangely, reserved.

"I'm worried about you, Theon," Amber finally said as we were alone in the gardens. "There have been a lot of kings and queens who aspired to the title of the absolute ruler, I'm sure of that, but no one before you has wielded so much power."

I sat in silence under a large oak tree, patiently waiting for her to tell me what had upset her so much. She wasn't angry at me or sad, just worried.

"I'll get to the point." She sighed seeing my expression. "You can't torture or order the torture of people."

"We don't torture people, my Dear!" I was actually shocked by her accusation. "Torture is useless for interrogations."

"What about executions?" She looked at me worried.

"Vanush?" I asked with an exhale of sudden understanding.

"Yes. It's not about sentencing him to death, but the way you did it."

I hummed for a moment, gathering my thoughts. "He deserved such a fate."

"Yes, he deserved it. But that's not the point." She said sadly. "Our history is full of good people who turned evil before they even noticed. The power you misuse will be your undoing, Theon."

"I see your point," I admitted. "But... We are speaking about very specific cases. In the vast majority of the death sentences, the guilty party is cast into Tartarus. The death sentence is most often exchanged for a lifetime imprisonment. Executions are rare, honestly, and if they happen, the guilty are executed instantly by decapitation or hanging. They can choose. As for those who attack one of my wives, they serve as examples. I am, and I will, encourage those stories to spread so everyone will understand that any attack on an Empress of Arcadia is the stupidest thing in the world."

"It would be easier to be angry at you if all of them weren't so evil. I would also be lying if I pretended I wasn't relieved to know they can't hurt anyone anymore." She pursed her lips for a moment. "That Lich, Jergen, Jukk'nala, Vanush... All of them were despicable in their own twisted way. But you must not allow yourself to let cruelty change who you are..."

"I hear what you are saying and I even understand what you mean. Unfortunately, the world is... like it is. It won't hold back just because we want everyone to be civilised." I tried to explain. "I do it only for the safety of you and the rest of my wives, Amber. With time, the number of people wanting to destroy me will only grow. I can deal with them but I need to make this game's rules clear for everyone."

"I'm worried about you..." She tugged on the sleeve of my shirt. "The people targeting you will choose to attack me, or even my Sisters, no matter what you do, but don't worry. We are much stronger than anyone can imagine. We can defend ourselves..."

"I know, my Love." I embraced her in my arms and kissed the top of her head. "But if I'm ruthless enough, you won't have to."

"Do you really believe that?" She asked in a tense voice. "Those people who want to hurt you know that attacking us, your wives, is the only way to hurt you. No matter how horrible and terrifying their executions are, there will always be someone else. Another will believe that they can succeed. I don't want to lose you, Theon. You don't have to resort to cruelty to try to keep us safe. I also don't want you to be too lenient."

"So a quick execution or Tartarus? That's what you want for those who dare to attack you?" I asked calmly.

"Yes." She just nodded. "It is not worth straining your consciousness with excessive cruelty... Tell me, how did Vanush die? How painful was it?"

"He was devoured by Sentinel. He died almost instantly without much suffering. Before he could truly feel the pain of being eaten alive, his mind was ripped out and his personality was disintegrated." I unfocused my gaze. "All his memories and knowledge were extracted by Sentinel and are now safely stored. Once we finish our city research, we can compare what we find with what else he knew."

"Oh... Well... At least he didn't suffer." She was surprised but the thought that I wasn't torturing him made her visibly happier. "I wasn't aware that the Living Armours could eat people and store their memories... That last part might be useful..."

"See?" I smiled faintly. "Mine don't have to." I shook my head in denial. "But that's the main reason why I didn't allow anyone to tame them or form a familiar pact."

"Some people might freak out if they learn that the armour they are wearing could casually eat people. So maybe... Pretend that Vanush died in some other way..."

"I think it's rather too late for that... Besides..." I tried to remain calm and, very carefully, chose my next words.

"What?"

"It was Rhys' idea. They actually voted on how to execute him. I wanted to continue with tearing away his limbs." I looked at the tips of my shoes.

"Who are they?" Amber's voice was angry.

"If Sentinel is not making up the story..." I slowly exhaled but I knew she would learn about it sooner or later. "The entire battle group that went with you."

"So..." She rubbed her eyes and pulled the bridge of her nose. "All our soldiers are not only aware that their armour can eat people but they actually voted how to execute Vanush?"

"Well,-"

"Since when is this a democracy?!"

"It's not-"

"Theon Avalon!" She huffed at me. "I don't wish to ever return to this discussion!"

"Yes, my Lady." I smiled sweetly, making her groan cutely in, I was sure at this point, pretend anger.

Amber stood up, pouted, and looked down at me with pretend anger that shortly ended in a powerless sigh then melting into a soft smile. "I don't want you to stain your hands with needless cruelty, Theon. I don't want to lose the man who fell from the sky and saved me. Promise me this."

I considered her words for a moment and I smiled back. "So a grisly death is fine as long as the suffering is not prolonged?"

"Well... Maybe not too much, but being devoured by a Living Armour might be useful in some cases..." She bitterly admitted.

"All right, my Dear. From now on, a quick execution or Tartarus."

I don't know why but I felt lighter. As if something heavy was lifted from my back. It was a good feeling.

"That's all I ask..." Amber smiled as she snuggled herself to me.

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•••

"By thy Gods!" Theresa Iceleon was looking at the two monstrous ships standing at anchor.

"I wasn't expecting them to be this impressive..." Victor quietly admitted.

The large sailships were not like anything else in the world. Their upper deck, despite being larger than any other sailship, even HMS Victory, were laid out quite standard and had everything you would expect. Even the five large masts were understandable due to its size. However, just below deck, everything was different. A two-deck-high set of double doors were open, revealing huge hangars inside both carrier ships. The tour group boarded the closer ship and saw two even rows of modified assault crafts. At the aft of the ship was another large double gate that allowed for high-speed deployment or easier retrieval of assault craft. The carrier was an elegant and functional merge of wood and steel elements, forfeiting the traditional layout of a sailship with a far more utilitarian Arcadian approach. However, with the recent breakthrough in spatial storage, which may or may not have been aided by the Arcadians, allowed the carriers to store five times the cargo it normally could, freeing considerable space inside. Thanks to that, the ship's facilities were far more comfortable than anyone would anticipate.

The CB-90E were visibly less advanced than the boats used by the Arcadians but they were still incredibly powerful. Using knowledge that Arcadians were willing to share, the best engineers of Metaka and Iceleon joined forces to create the best ship outside Arcadia. It was faster than any sailship and equipped with a CIWS rotary gun, which, while far slower and much weaker than its Arcadian original, still could send most ships to oblivion in a matter of seconds. Their gunships were equipped with a CIWS turret on top and sponson-mounted guns on their sides. Because of that design choice, they forfeited some troop-carrying capacity, reducing the internal compartment to ten soldiers from the original sixteen. But that trade-off was a bargain for both kingdoms. Their design team put a lot of work into making this assault craft as versatile as possible. Their shields were state-of-the-art, exceeding all known shield runes, except, of course, Arcadian. The range of the CB-90E was also impressive and even impressed the Arcadian Masters. Nearly three hundred kilometres range in a combat configuration was impressive. The ships needed half an hour to recharge using a carrier but it was certain that Iceleonians and Metakans were already working on upgrades.

"It's magnificent..." Theresa's eyes were sparkling as she looked around and inhaled the fresh air.

"I'm sad that we didn't order one..." Darius Guad Metaka sighed as he looked around the ship. "I want at least five of them, Theon."

"We can make them..." Theon looked at Lord Terion with a shrug.

"...one per month, my Lord." He quickly replied.

"So five months then. Of course, you can have them as soon as they leave the shipyard." Theon snickered.

"Such ships will completely change the naval doctrine, my Lord..." Admiral Dennis Tu'sarr was walking slowly behind the Royalty but he was visibly shaken. "The firepower of a single carrier is simply outstanding. The assault crafts are also a force to reckon with. Their presence alone will deter any enemy."

"If you don't have the ground forces to follow your victories, all you achieve will be hollow." Janet Sparrow pointed out. "And so far, you have only taken care of your Navies."

"I... Acknowledge the point, Lady Admiral Sparrow." Dennis slowly nodded but, despite his careful tone, he seemed totally unconcerned. "The display of an Arcadian Legion was eye-opening and our army is working on something."

"The ship is built to standard specs except for one thing." Theon cleared his throat, changing the subject and, once again, looked at Count Terion.

"Yes... The hulls are upgradable. We are sure that your engineers are close to a breakthrough in propulsion, mana gathering, and manipulation so I have taken the liberty of making the carriers modular. The masts are easily removable and the aft compartments are prepared to install a new propulsion system. New structures can be added once the masts are removed, like cannon turrets or even VLS, although, you first have to develop that technology. Overall, these ships are expected to serve at least two hundred years."

"That's fantastic news!" Theresa smiled widely. "These ships are an excellent investment."

"I think we should move to the briefing room and leave the Admirals with the operational details." Guad smiled as he rubbed his short beard.

•••

The briefing room on the carrier was cosy and excellently silenced. It could easily support a meeting of fifty people but, right now, only three were present. While Theresa and Guad were focused solely on the Arcadian Emperor who demonstrated the updated tactical and strategic maps, it was the Metakan Emperor who asked for the meeting.

"I'm sorry for calling you all for this meeting but there are some distressing things I would like to address." Guad gave his allies an apologetic gaze. "Before I address those, however, I would like to know how the war against Vestargo is going."

"My forces managed to deal a massive blow to Vestargo. So far, we have nearly half a million enemy denizens confirmed kills." Theon said and saw their shocked expressions. "We have pushed nearly ten kilometres deep across the entire front from Poplar City up to the Crystal Forest Dungeon."

"I don't think that anyone prior managed to tear away such large swathes of land from the Ancient Forest..." Guad slowly nodded. "I can't even imagine the intensity of the fighting..."

"I won't lie to you." He sat down and put his hands together. "I don't believe Mortals could face Vestargo. Even as we speak, my forces are besieged, and a single mistake would be fatal. I can't imagine any army willing to wage a war of attrition with thousands of people dying while not making any significant progress."

"But the land you took from the Ancient Forest-"

"It's just a tiny fragment of the vast area." Theon interrupted Theresa. "Imagine yourself on the front line of such a war... That situation is hopeless. Fortunately, the Immortal Legions do not have morale problems. My Navy returned to the front line and we are ready to push for what we believe is one of the most strategic places for our enemy in the area. A Dungeon."

"That's going to be a major battle..." Guad sighed and nervously shook his head.

"Yes. Vestargo knows what's at stake and he can't lose another vassal. I think he won't be attempting to kill them but rather will be trying to recapture them." Theon calmly leaned back in his chair. "Needlessly said, many things will depend on the outcome of that battle."

"Do you expect any breaks or a change of pace in the ensuing battles?" Guad asked.

"I can't say anything for sure. Hell, I can't even guess what will happen!" Theon almost chuckled. "But it's unlikely. He might even try to bait my forces into the Dungeon and then try to trap them using both his and that Dungeon's denizens."

"Damn it..." Guad rubbed his temples. "The southern border is unsettled. Breonia, Aswal, and Estaria are mobilising for war because they lost control of Vetulia. Nar'verna and Aclium seem to be the culprits behind the successful Vetulia nobles' uprising."

"You don't seem to be convinced, Guad." Theresa noticed with a concerned expression.

"Not at all." The Metakan Emperor nervously shook his head. "Aclium is behind a mountain range, which is less unhospitable than the mountains surrounding Arcadia, it's still dangerous to cross. The Kingdom of Aclium have always held a strict isolationist policy and they don't have any economic ties with anyone. I don't believe they suddenly allied themselves with Nar'verna to attack the Southern Alliance."

Theon slowly nodded his head. "What about Nar'verna?"

"They are a wild card," Guad admitted. "In the past, they were fighting with both Vetulia and Estaria for dominance in the region. However, neither of them achieved any significant advantages. An alliance of Vetulia with the other southern countries could make Nar'verna alarmed and they could feel threatened."

"So they could use the opportunity to weaken the Southern Alliance." Theresa nodded in acknowledgement.

"If not Aclium then who helped Nar'verna with their plans?" Theon looked at the map. "And who lives in the Great Sea of Trees?"

"The second question is easier than the first I think..." Guad grimaced. "It's the ancient Kingdom of the Wood Elves. Their society is spread across many tribes and technically led by the High King."

"Another set of Elves..." Theon rubbed his eyes.

"Hahaha! Don't worry about them." Guad chuckled. "They are nothing like Ibrevell Elves. Wood Elves were always a little bit mysterious and didn't particularly like outsiders in their forest because they said it was dangerous. They keep a few trading outposts and mostly exchange precious forest resources for what they need or like. Ibrevell Elves hated them, as far as I can tell, because... well, the list of reasons is long."

"Hmmm... Speaking of Ibrevell Elves." Theon tilted his head. "They have a reason to help Nar'verna."

"But... You promised to destroy them if they tried anything!" Theresa's eyes went wide but she slowly nodded. "But... That would be something they would do. They are not directly working against Arcadia or your allies."

"Especially with my forces involved elsewhere, they might try their luck..." Theon nodded.

"I'm going to send one of the carriers to aid the air policing mission, Theon, Guad." Theresa firmly nodded. "Iceleon may not be big and important but I want to help."

"Thank you, Theresa." Guad smiled with relief. "Even one ship of that size would make a difference in deterring any enemies."

"I can't spare even a destroyer..." Theon almost whispered with his fists clenched on the table.

"Theon... If not for Arcadia's help, Metaka and Iceleon would have already been destroyed. Who knows if, without you, right now, Vestargo's bugs would be butchering the last of our people." Guad shook his head.

"Don't worry, our great friend. Those countries who chose to be your enemies are going to learn that a new kind of alliance exists in Aderon." Theresa nodded with a warm smile. "We can deal with Mortals..."

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