Hector Breonia was standing on the balcony of his palace and watching the mighty armada crossing the sky over his Kingdom. He knew he was powerless to stop them but, for this once, the grey hulls of the Arcadian ships brought hope.

"By thy Gods..." D'ester suppressed her frightened voice to a whisper only he and Kirinalli could hear. "That ship is monstrous..."

"It's the biggest airship I have ever seen." Hector grimly nodded and looked at his tiny brigs in the harbour. "Compared to it, our ships are nothing. But, they're still more than our enemy has. With five airships, we will win this war, my Darlings!"

"You seem confident about it, Hector," Kirinalli said while staring at the armada. "I can hardly believe what I'm seeing... To think that Arcadia would send twelve ships of such size..."

"Hopefully, they will dishearten Aclians and make them abandon their war plans." Hector smiled.

"If they had any." D'ester shook her head in disbelief.

•••

"What in the thousands hells is that?!" Varis Aclium raised his voice in disbelief.

"It's the diplomatic mission sent by the Arcadian Emperor, my Lord." The Captain of the Royal Guards replied with a muffled voice. He swallowed hard. "They desire to speak with you immediately."

"They are not beating around the bush, that's for sure..." He growled angrily. "I don't believe we can just decline them, can we?"

"It's... Not advised, my Liege. If their ships are even half as powerful as they are impressively large, they have enough firepower to level the capital to the ground." The Captain lowered his head. "The envoys from the Ibrevell Kingdom are waiting..."

"Gods..." Varis clenched his fists. "What should I do now?! I can't let the Elves wait."

Without waiting for any permission, the massive ships descended and hung above the capital like ominous clouds. They glided to a stop, hanging motionlessly, and a much smaller vessel detached from one of the behemoths and turned toward the balcony he was standing on.

"What the hell?!" Varis huffed in shock as the smaller ship ignored all calls.

"It seems that they are ignoring the entire diplomatic protocol, Father." His daughter joined him on the balcony.

"Roannia!" He scoffed.

However, the small ship was already there and he couldn't dismiss his daughter in the presence of whoever was about to show up. The ship hung motionlessly as if the powers that ruled the world did not apply to it. The front of it opened and a large man emerged wearing pitch black armour without a helmet. His piercing blue eyes looked down at the King of Aclium and his black beard was as black as night.

"I wish to say good day to you King Varis Tor Aclium." The large man began with a sad voice. "However, it is less likely to be one than we currently hope. My name is Edward Teach and I am a Rear Admiral of the Arcadian Royal Navy. But you might know me under another name..."

"Blackbeard..." Roannia whispered in shock and covered her lips as she went pale.

"Indeed." He firmly nodded as his stern expression and cold gaze locked on the King. "We were sent by our Emperor to learn the truth and tried to mediate peace."

"In that case, I don't see a reason why you are so angry, Sir Teach," Varis answered, hearing the loud footsteps as his soldiers stormed the balcony.

"How else should I feel when we discovered the presence of tracheous vermins who threatened our Empress? They are here, in your kingdom, and treated like an honoured guest in your palace!" He growled. "Vermins, who are well known for their slimy tongues and disdain for all other races, are your guests of honour? So I must ask. What kind of relationship does your supposedly neutral country have with Ibrevellians?! For all intents and purposes, their actions declared war on Arcadia and our allies in everything but name!"

Varis' eyes went wide in shock upon hearing his words. Judging by the fact that Arcadians dropped all attempts at diplomacy and how pissed that bloody pirate appeared, they might descend upon his capital city and butcher everyone.

"Admiral Teach, I want to assure you that this is the first time we have hosted the Ibrevell envoys in Aclium," Roannia answered before him, slightly calming the Arcadian.

"In that case, we might yet build a friendly relationship. However, time isn't our ally. Ibrevell pushed the Kingdom of Nar'verna to war against the countries of the Southern Alliance, led by King Hector Breonia. They have also spread rumours that Aclium is going to join the war on Nar'verna's side."

"What?!" Varis shouted in fury but, controlling himself, took a deep breath and clenched his fists. "This is a very serious matter. We will need evidence..."

"Frankly, there are some documents we can provide you but, while they are enough for us, they might not be enough for you," Blackbeard said and pointed towards the armada waiting for his order. "As you can see, we are speaking from a position of power. But don't take it personally, King Varis Tor Aclium, or see it as an immediate threat. We have learned to speak softly but carry big guns. The presence of the First Fleet of Arcadia stops any pointless banter or considering Arcadia as some upstart unworthy of anyone's attention. Treating the Empire of Arcadia like that... is not wise."

"And yet you came to our house and tried to intimidate us, even using your infamous name, Blackbeard." The Princess said with shocking pride and Varis realised that she was controlling this conversation.

"We have learned the hard way that it's better to look arrogant and threatening and apologize later than mourn all who shouldn't have died in a pointless war. I'm not the diplomat, Princess Roannia. I'm just a tactical officer." The huge Human laughed earnestly. "I'm but a simple yet important enough messenger to express minimal politeness towards the Royalty of Aclium. But, if this is just a misunderstanding, then know that Empress Irene va'Theon is onboard HMS Victory, ready to speak with you as the more fitting voice of Arcadia rather than my, admittedly, simple and rude personage."

He pointed toward a ship unlike the rest of the waiting fleet. While the rest were tools of war, bristling with weapons and sharp, aggressive edges, HMS Victory was smooth and elegant. Painted in blue, white, and gold with an elegant and colourless finish over its light wood, the ship itself seemed to be a proud symbol of unimaginable wealth and power. Its proportions were flawless and huge immaculate white sails drew the attention of everyone. It was the only sail ship in the entirety of the Arcadian fleet hanging over Aclium.

"So allow me to ask you, King Varis. Do you plan to attack the Southern Alliance?" Blackbeard asked calmly.

"I won't attack anyone unprovoked-" The King said and suddenly went pale as multiple and powerful explosions shook the HMS Victory and covered her in dense, black smoke.

The retaliation was instant and terrifying. All the ships of the Arcadian Royal Navy opened fire. The roar of guns drowned out any other sound of the city but, despite that, the destruction was minimal.

"I'm afraid, King Varis, that things are starting to look grim..." Blackbeard's voice was hard and cold. He put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Admiral! I swear by my honour that I don't know what is going on!" The king panicked.

"Frankly, I'm willing to believe you." Blackbeard's voice betrayed that he wasn't convinced but was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

When the smoke had blown away, HMS Victory was still afloat. As unblemished as she was when she first arrived, a bright jewel pinned to the sky. However, the ship deployed her weapons and a cold sweat covered Varis's back. She had a staggering number of guns visible.

"I will spare no effort to find out who did it." Varis clenched his fists.

"Isn't it obvious, Your Highness?" A new voice, full of indignation and anger came from the inside of the palace.

Everyone looked at the regal-looking Elf who glided into the balcony followed by seven shady-looking individuals. Something was off about them and, even though they wore the robes and clothes of diplomats of Ibrevell, no one believed their disguise. The oldest of the diplomats, the proud Elf, extended his hand and pointed at Blackbeard.

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"They arranged that attack to blame us!"

Everyone looked at Blackbeard who started laughing. It wasn't a sarcastic laughter but something much more honest. Behind him, from the small ship, exited five more massive soldiers wearing equally impressive armours as the legendary pirate. Carrying incredible glaives in their hands, they had an air of battle-forged veterans who had spilt lakes' worth of blood. Ibrevell's envoy suddenly gasped in disbelief, seeing the woman who exited the ship, followed by even more soldiers in black and gold armour.

"All right, Admiral Teach, I've got this." She was gorgeous like a goddess. She had pitch black hair and strikingly beautiful sapphire blue eyes. Her body was perfect, underlined by her incredible dress worthy of a queen. "I believe that Marquis Mhaenal Umelar is suffering from a very serious delusion, King Varis."

"My daughter..." The old Elf dropped to his knees and extended his shaking hands towards her. "I was afraid that I would never see you again."

"Funny, because I hoped to never see you again and, yet, here we are..." She shook her head in disappointment as she rested her hands on her hips. "But, I'm no longer the girl you remember. My name is Irene va'Theon, the Saintess of Avalon, the Second Empress of Arcadia, the Oracle of Eriar, the Hope Bringer. Your daughter died the day you betrayed and sold her."

Varis looked at Roannia who simply stared at the Arcadian Empress in awe. He frowned as he realised that his palace had become a place of an awkward and unwanted reunion. Well, maybe unwanted for the Empress who wasn't fond of the Ibrevellian noble at all. If that was the extent, he would, somehow, find a solution to de-escalate. However, just one glance at the Arcadians was enough to realise they were willing to simply kill the Ibrevell Elves here and now, including the father of their Empress. What shocked him, in the cold gaze of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, was the readiness to give that order.

"Do you really think, Father, that King Varis and Princess Roannia are stupid?! Do you think that my fleet needs any excuse to destroy their entire kingdom?! Do you think we need to treacherously attack ourselves to gain an upper hand in the negotiations? Look at my ships, Father, and remember once and for all. Arcadians don't need false excuses because we are powerful enough to do as we please!" She huffed in disgust and looked at Varis, who flinched. "I'm afraid you were put in the absolutely worst situation, King Varis. It's a political nightmare with no, seemingly, easy solution."

"Stop this instant, Irene! You will return home!" Marquis Mhaenal Umelar stood up and stepped towards the Arcadian Empress, only to be rebuffed by the synchronised slam of the butts of Arcadian glaives at the balcony.

The sudden sense of dread spread across the balcony as the glaives were ignited in blue arcs of lightning that resembled short-lived fires.

"Oh, I will." The Empress smiled, but her smile never reached her eyes.

"Then-" The Marquis smiled but was instantly interrupted by her cold voice.

"You won't like my return even one bit! Do you not understand what your goons have done?!" She just slightly raised her voice and shook her head as she threw her hands in the air in disbelief. "By Eriar... Do you think that any amount of slimy words will help you after this?"

"As I said, you have no evidence to tie those attackers to the Ibrevell Kingdom, Irene..."

"Do you think that I need any evidence? Do you think that I will sit and debate with you or discuss evidence?" She waved her hand as if she were dropping a sword. "I said it once to the dog we sent back to you a while ago! Any further meddling with Arcadia will be an act of war!"

"Don't be stupid, Irene! The entire Aderon will rise against your upstart kingdom if you-"

"Then Aderon will burn, Father!" She shouted and gold particles crackled and danced around her as more and more mana focused around her.

Varis took a seat and crossed his arms. He wasn't sure why the Gods thought it would be funny to bring those two to his kingdom. However... This was a very sobering experience. Normally, he would be very reluctant to ally himself with Arcadians and, admittedly, he could be broken by the economic pressure of an Ibrevellian embargo. However, it seemed that the days of Ibrevell's trading monopoly were over... He shrugged thoughtfully and silently tugged his daughter's sleeve and pointed to her to sit on the empty chair. To his surprise, Blackbeard discreetly chuckled and gave him a thumbs-up.

"You are insane! No matter how big Arcadia is, you are alone!"

"Oh? That's news to me but I'm not surprised to hear something like that from you. You have no concept of such a thing as an ally! The twisted dialect of the Balantican High Elven Language you use in Ibrevell doesn't even have a word for it!"

"Irene! How dare you?!" Marquis huffed in a very well-acted shock.

"Oh, I dare and I will! Arcadia is not alone! The Empire of Metaka, the Kingdom of Iceleon, the Kingdom of Ebrus, and the Kingdom of Falcia are our sworn allies. Along Arcadia, they form the North Aderon Treaty Organisation and we work together as friends. It's something you don't understand so I will try to translate for you. Your money and threats won't work there." She mocked as she pointed north, and Varis almost lost it. He barely suppressed his laughter.

"But that's absurd! We put an embargo on all trade from Metaka. Let's see how long they last-"

"Yeah, yeah. They have already replaced your tiny and insignificant trade network."

A pregnant silence spread over the balcony as the Ibrevellian envoy opened and closed his jaw in shock. Varis, however, looked at the Arcadian Empress with newfound curiosity. Irene va'Theon smiled victoriously and he wasn't sure if she paid any attention to him or his people.

"As you can see, Father, you can't threaten the North Aderon Treaty Organisation nations anymore. But..." She lowered her voice and straightened proudly. "That's irrelevant now..."

"Irrelevant...?" Marquis Mhaenal Umelar looked at his daughter in shock.

"Indeed." Irene va'Theon nodded but something was unsettling about her calmness. "Didn't I say that I will return to Ibrevell?"

"I knew you would see the truth one day. The Duke-"

"I will return there leading a fleet that will cover the sky in metal and the Immortal Legions of Arcadia will walk in our wake! I will return to Ibrevell with fire and death!" She shouted angrily, causing her father to finally pale and step back a little bit.

"You wouldn't dare..." He finally stammered, but his voice was trembling and the old diplomat was on the verge of stuttering.

"Fucking try me!" There was no more patience in her voice. "But it doesn't even matter, you see... You attacked the ship on which I was supposed to be waiting. My husband, Emperor Theon Avalon will retaliate. The last time a fool issued an order to kill one of my Sister Empresses, Aoi Sora va'Theon, he demanded his head. Previously, a God of Berna threatened to kill my Sister, Lavender va'Theon, so my husband killed him. He won't have mercy on a moron who gave the order to fire spells at me."

"That's absurd..." The Marquis shook his head in disbelief.

"Call your God and ask him if he has balls to fight the Arcadian Emperor..." She crossed her arms and shifted slightly. Now she appeared even more confronting than before when she angrily gesticulated.

"Are you insane?!" Mhaenal Umelar stepped back in shock, but it was disbelief and slight fear that was painted on his face. "You add blasphemy to the list of your sins?!"

"Sins?! Hahahaha! Good one." At this point, Varis was certain that if she had a hand fan, she would use it to play an arrogant noble even more skillfully. "Te'saru! You arrogant and megalomaniac dick! Come out! Show me yourself!"

There was a silence for a moment before a slight and brief tremor shook the palace. Behind the Ibrevellian delegation, a divine presence manifested and floated in the air. Te'saru looked like a very nervous, but full of pride, Elf in his mid twenties. His white and green robes appeared as if he had hastily put them on. While the Ibrevell Elves and all of his soldiers immediately knelt in his presence, something shielded Varis and his daughter. Despite that, they stood and politely bowed to the foreign God. Arcadians, on the other hand, looked as if they couldn't be bothered, which was puzzling and troubling in all its implications.

"First of all, rude..." Te'saru pointed at her while wagging his finger, shook his head, and sighed with his hands on his hips. "So, what do you want, my former child?"

"Former?! But my God..." The old Elven diplomat gasped.

"Oh, hell no, I'm not wrestling Eriar to get her soul back. I'm, also, not going to confront her husband either! He is the Champion of Eriar and, yes, that means he is a summoned Hero! Just... Deal with it. Haven't I already told you through my oracle that we don't need Irene Umelar anymore?" Te'saru fixed his long brown hair and looked at the shocked Marquis.

"But..." Mhaenal Umelar couldn't believe his ears. "She's right here, my Lord... We could have just taken her home, especially with your help..."

"Mhaenal?" Te'saru landed in front of the old noble and lifted Marquis's plump face with a finger to see his eyes. His voice was soft and full of concern. "Did you really intend what I think I heard? You want to kidnap the Arcadian Empress, who arrived here with forces I was sure they couldn't spare, because her husband is casually fighting and winning a war against Vestargo and all the monstrosities living in the Ancient Forest? You want to kidnap a woman who can vaporise half of this country with one spell and she wouldn't spend a third of her mana to do so? You want to kidnap a woman whose husband, literally, killed a God, tore out his beating heart, and buried it in the unconsecrated graveyard of the Dungeon under his control!? Yeahhh... That is a brilliant and clever idea! Fuck, let's go and die right now. After, of course, you lift your not-so-well-aged ass from the ground because these guys, here, will simply cut us all down, me included... Oh, hi Deimos."

By the end of his speech, Te'saru's initial soft tone was shouting with a red face, squinted eyes, and broad gestures as he pointed at the guards near Irene. However, when the son of Ares arrived, Te'saru awkwardly calmed down.

"You are so loud that it's impossible to miss you." The God of Fear whispered in an unamused voice. "Hello, Te'saru."

This time, Varis and his daughter dropped to their knees, but the Arcadians continued to stand. Deimos turned his face toward Irene va'Theon who simply smiled and slightly dipped her head. It was an honest and respectful smile but also a display of her might and willpower.

"Good morning, revered Saintess of Avalon." Deimos reflected her smile and inclined his head as well. "I believe that we can move this meeting to a more suitable place. I don't want Varis to feel ignored in his own palace..."

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