"If you are afraid of the local Dungeon, I can assure you that we are capable of dealing with it! We..." James suddenly realised that the people of the city below started glancing at him with hostility. His eyes went wide with realisation. "I'm sorry if I offended you! Please, don't be alarmed! We won't attack your Dungeon if that's unnecessary, but we were tasked with fully explaining the situation in your kingdom! The situation outside the fog wall is serious and we can't allow ourselves to leave anything to luck!"

The man stood in silence for a while and sighed. He took off his helmet and looked directly at James.

"Isandr Smith, I am Tuul'kara, God of the Northern Ocean!" The Deity declared with power. "No one has ever returned from the fog wall and no prayers were heard by any God from this place. Recently, our friend, Emperor Theon Avalon managed to slip his spies through the previously impenetrable barrier. They discovered the Dungeon which rules this land and the people outside your lands know very well the dread of living near Dungeons before the rise of Arcadia! That's why we are here. To learn the truth!"

"God Tuul'kara... I... I-" The man swallowed and stepped back. However, a man next to him put his hand on his shoulder.

"I am Tristan. Scion of the Dungeon of Falcia!" The man declared and stepped forward.

Before anyone could react, the white Fenrir and a respectable-looking Dwarf appeared on the wall before Tristan who looked at them in shock. The surrounding people stepped back in fear but a few took a more defensive stance behind Tristan to protect them. James immediately knew there was something wrong with them.

"I'm Thor, Fenrir of Avalon."

"I'm Balin, Korrid of Thalgurum!"

They declared while Balin slightly lowered his head towards the Mortals.

"It looks like we are in an impasse here." Tristan rested his hand on the hilt of the sword on his hip.

"Why is that?" Thor asked. "We came here to fight off evil and set free people suffering under the rule of the local Dungeon. However, we found no evil, so far. Instead, we found a hidden Kingdom where Mortals and Dungeon denizens live in peace. Am I wrong?"

"You are not. My master is protecting the people of Falcia from the enemies who would try to hurt them." Tristan answered with a menacing tone. "We don't need outsiders to meddle with our businesses."

"Look, you are a powerful Vampire and I can sense the power you try to hide." Balin raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Has your lord heard about Vestargo?"

"Yes!" Tristan drew his sword. "Are you here on his behalf?!"

"Do we look like bugs to you?" Thor looked down at the much shorter Vampire.

"Bugs?" He was thrown off balance by Thor's flat gaze.

"Vestargo denizens are bug-based," Balin explained. "To avoid any more confusion, our Lord is at war with him."

"War with Vestargo? Don't be... ridicu...lous..." His voice slowly died as he looked at something behind the two scions.

The allied fleet joined the Red Phoenix and spread its ranks too wide to be seen fully. The formation they travelled made it hard to count the exact number of warships. But now, Spirit of Lion and Victory approached the flagship.

"We are serious, Tristan the Vampire." Thor smiled and showed his huge fangs. "This is but a small speck compared to the forces my Lord sent to deal with Vestargo. He will be defeated."

"You are serious..." The Vampire's eyes narrowed in shock.

"Indeed." Balin nodded.

James observed the conversation of three scions in awed silence. He felt as irrelevant as the people of Kowaar. However, unlike them, he saw the mana swirling and condensing around the scions. James was one of the very few people who could see auras surrounding people and monsters. They appeared to him as glowing light surrounding people or monsters, where intensity and colour had meaning. A faint glow on a person already indicated they were fairly powerful. Tristan and Balin weren't just glowing. Their aura spread a dozen centimetres from their bodies and shone with dim light. Tristan and Balin were equivalently powerful and their power was overwhelming. He was sure that the Vampire would be the enemy posing a threat to his ship. Balin was powerful enough to keep Tristan occupied but the Admiral wasn't sure who would win in that duel.

However... If Balin and Tristan had overwhelming power at their disposal, James knew no word how to describe Thor.

The most striking and terrifying thing about the Fenrir was the fact he was trying to suppress his presence and power. Despite that, his aura spread more than a metre from him. It was dense and trembling and Thor himself was covered in brilliant white light. The power at his disposal was humbling to observe. However, no one seemed to realise that. Thor was looking at the Vampire as if he was looking at a child.

"I am going to be very brief." Thor's calm voice snapped out James from his musings. "As you can see, we have enough soldiers backing us to ignore pleasantries, but it looks like we don't have to fight. But we need to speak with your Master."

"I can't allow you to get close to him!" Tristan shouted and took a better grip on his sword. "If I defeat you two, this city can defend itself for weeks! Even against your airships! You two..."

Thor was laughing in pure amusement. "There are sixteen scions in total who were sent to ensure the success of this mission. We don't need to capture this city because we will just head straight to the Dungeon now that we know the Mortals are safe. If you take us to your Master, we will talk and, most probably, leave. However, if you wish to make enemies of us, we will have to conquer your kingdom and there is nothing you can do to stop us. Do you understand?"

•••

Fiona observed the situation on multiple screens that showed her the view of the city, the allied forces and, on the main screen, the discussion between the Scions. The bridge was quiet.

"How powerful is that Vampire?" Captain Ravenna finally asked.

"We refrained from active scans, for now, Ma'am but, from observation alone, our scouts estimated his power to be equal to Scion Balin. So an A grade threat."

"Victory, what do you think about it?" Fiona looked at the bored golem sitting on her console and watching the exchange between Scions.

"I don't have any strong opinions... I hoped for some action but, except for that one engagement, I'm quite disappointed." Victory sighed.

"While I understand that you would like a far more intense battle, I'm pretty confident we won't find a demanding opponent any time soon."

"Humpf..." Victory turned her head away from the Captain. "In that case, I will triple the illusion training drills. I must admit that you are good but I still haven't completely accepted you, Captain Ravenna."

"Oh, what happened with me being an excellent officer from before?" She asked sarcastically.

Victory gave her a flat stare in return. "One does not exclude another..."

"Mhm... I also think that the crew need far more training drills outside the illusion system." The Wolfkin nodded with amusement in her voice.

"You seemed unconcerned about the fact I still haven't accepted you." Victory pointed out and looked at Fiona with a hard-to-read expression.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Of course! Since now I know what is wrong, I can assure you that it is your problem, not mine." Fiona grinned.

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure you will have convincing arguments to explain this situation to His Highness." Fiona smiled sweetly.

"You wouldn't dare..." Victory hissed.

"I don't have to!" Fiona laughed but since the two were covered in the privacy field, she could ignore her officer's unwanted attention. "Have you forgotten that you are connected with the Sentinel Network? Sooner or later, Scion Sentinel is going to report to the Emperor your behaviour."

Victory's eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped. She needed a few moments of opening and closing her mouth before she produced a frustrated groan and ruffled her hair.

"Damn it!" Victory raised her hands in the air and looked powerlessly at the ceiling before she dropped on her back with a soft clang of her ceramic body on the metal console.

"So... I wanted to propose a truce."

"Fine..." The golem sighed with a defeated voice.

"I don't expect you to, suddenly, start admiring me, just... Don't ignore me, ok?"

"I guess..." Victory sat up and clapped her cheeks.

"Captain!" The communication officer raised her voice.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Fiona lowered the privacy field.

"We received new orders from Avalon. Lady Freya agreed to leave the main army here under the command of Admiral Wildhoff. We will take Scions Thor, Balin, and Tristan and escort them to the Dungeon of Falcia. Once the three Scions disembark Victory, we should immediately return to the fleet."

"I confirm receiving new orders." Fiona sat, crossed her legs, and calmly nodded. "Tactical, please mark the Dungeon location once we are near in case we need to send it a few missiles later."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am!"

"Move us closer to the city wall and confirm with the flagship that the Admiral is aware of our new orders." The Captain added and leaned back in her command throne.

Her officers confirmed the orders and, moments later, the ship was in motion. She wasn't sure if she wanted to talk with the Vampire Scion but the presence of Scions Thor and Balin gave her a solid excuse not to do so. She sighed and watched as they moved within a few metres of the gatehouse...

•••

"I wasn't expecting that..." I admitted as I watched the situation on the large illusion screen.

"Me either..." Freya hummed from the large pillow she preferred over chairs.

"You told us that the Cursed Land was teeming with undead, Sebastian. What the hell happened?" I looked at my spymaster.

"I don't know, my Lord!" He lowered his head. "However, the survey was sloppy. The Slimes focused on borders, which were covered in fog, and they fought the denizens who belonged to a single Dungeon. Their reports are fairly consistent with what our forces found under the fog wall. Unfortunately, they spent only three days on that mission."

"Hmmm..." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "You will send another mission to thoroughly check Falcia, gather intel on the people living there and what kind of deal they have with the Dungeon."

"Yes, my Lord! I will go personally-"

"No. Other Slimes need to learn as well. I want you to perform a sweep of Arcadia and identify all hostile spies. Especially, Ibrevell's spies. We have to figure out their plan." I interrupted him and looked at a map of Aderon.

"As you wish, my Lord!" He disappeared after I waved my hand to let him know that was all.

"Vestargo is planning something. He probably gave up on recapturing O'llina but, until we reinforce the edge of scorched land, we won't move forward. I think he is regrouping but I don't know how bad of a blow we managed to deal him." I pinched the bridge of my nose as I closed my eyes. "I have exhausted a lot of missiles recently and our fabrication lines are focused on assembling the components... Well, both missiles and airships. So, I'm kind of happy we won't be wasting resources in the Cursed Land but I had hoped we could get a few thousand new citizens..."

"I was thinking about it also, Theon..." Freya sighed.

"I mean... I won't be able to bring them to Arcadia and expanding the lands of Iceleon will be problematic... Well... If everything goes smoothly, of course." I smiled.

"Yeah, yeah..." She waved off as if she was chasing off a mosquito. "I had an idea of how to get more people."

I looked at her surprised. "I'm all ears but I don't think we can introduce any more social policies to encourage our people to have more children. Besides, even now, there should be a massive boom of births starting soon..."

"Yes, but I don't think the newborns would help us right now. In a decade, yes, but now? I thought about something to remedy the situation here and now." Freya grinned. "Let's buy new citizens!"

I looked at her in shock, wondering what she meant. She brightly smiled as if everything was clear but then I tapped my fist on my open palm.

"Aha! Enclaves?" I smiled as if I thought that I guessed and, then, I shook my head in denial. "That won't work. Since I'm the sovereign, you are my wife, and all others are my vassals, the enclave system is locked for us. We tried that with Demesne and Bob when they joined me but apparently, that cheat wasn't included."

"No, no!" She chuckled. "I mean it literally. I talked with Amber and Mia and they said it was a good idea."

"Literally? What are you talking about, Freya?" I blinked a few times, too stunned to try to figure it out on my own.

"Slaves! We will buy each and every slave who is not a criminal and bring them to Arcadia! Once they are here, we will set them free and grant them citizenship!" She clapped her hands, tilted her head, and looked at me with her sparkling eyes. "Most countries on the continent allow for slavery to exist. Why not abuse that system? Besides, if we buy them, they will have a chance for a happy life!"

"That's actually... Brilliant." I slowly cracked a smile. "Oh yes... That's a great idea. Hmmm... I wonder how long it will take for other countries to catch wind of what we are doing and stop us."

"Stop us?" It was my wife's turn to be surprised. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? Once they catch wind of us buying all their slaves they would try to raise their prices which is, still, not a problem. However, if they start implementing policies that forbid removing slaves, it would be a problem. After all, it will be a huge blow to their economies. If they allow slavery to exist, they, most likely, use the slaves for work. Without slaves, their economies might collapse."

"Serves them right if you ask me." Freya smiled smugly and shrugged with open palms on both sides of her head.

"Oh, you are certainly right. But I'm pretty sure that Ibrevell's Elves are going to mess with us." I bobbed my shoulders up and down. "What Amber told me and what I managed to pretty much confirm with Guad, the Elves are controlling much of the trade on the continent. Well... Considering the size of NATO, they lost half the continent which pissed them off for sure."

"Huh..." Her smug expression slowly turned thoughtfully as she tapped her lips with her finger and sighed after a while. "Makes sense... They are going to interfere with our purchases."

"Yeah... But it's still something we can pull off. We just have to have a good plan." I smiled. "I like this idea. With good planning, we should be able to buy a few thousand people with no one wiser. But we will have to attach Slimes and Inquisitors to the merchants we will send."

"Inquisitors?"

"Slimes are going 'to find out' for anyone who would try to 'fuck around' with our people." I smiled innocently and winked at her. "The Inquisitors are going to ensure we don't bring anyone troublesome. Besides that, they will keep our merchants extra safe.

"Sometimes, I feel compelled to kneel and pray, thanking the heavens that you are not some evil genius because you are, sometimes, terrifyingly meticulous..." She shook her head with a raised brow.

"I'm pretty much sure that our enemies have called me an evil overlord a few times already." I chuckled. "Circumstances alter cases or, if you will, the point of view depends on the point of sitting."

"I guess..." She chuckled as well. "So, you approve the plan?"

"Of course! We can run it regardless of the outcome of negotiations with the Dungeon of Falcia."

"Speaking of which. Do you really want me to negotiate with him?"

"You are my wife, Freya." I smiled, making her cheer up. "Not to mention the Empress of Arcadia. I'm sure you can deal with something like that, my Dear."

Freya played with her long blonde hair, coiling a long strand on her finger. She was smiling with a slight blush as she winked at me. "I never believed that I could be so happy."

•••

Thor decided to lie down on the deck and enjoy the flight. The warm sun was trying its best to melt his Frost Aura but he deliberately kept it on just for show. It wasn't even set to cause damage or inflict one of its many formidable debuffs. The factor of cool was important, after all. While Balin engaged in small talk with the crew that had to come close, the Vampire looked as if he couldn't comprehend his situation. It was funny to see the sailors and, especially, the Marines who assessed his strength and gave him dismissive stares. The fact that all of them could probably put up a decent fight against the Vampire scion was amusing.

"Scion Thor?" One of the Marines stopped at a respectful distance in front of the Fenrir. "We will reach the Dungeon of Falcia in fifteen minutes. Do you require anything?"

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Thor yawned. "But I don't plan to extend our stay any more than necessary. We will be brief and see what our Emperor decides."

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