"Of course I was serious." Irene smiled softly even while the appearance of the entire First Fleet hanging over the capital of Aclium was just an illusion.

Te'saru was right in that. Arcadia couldn't spare the entirety of the First Fleet for a simple diplomatic mission. She had three ships currently at her disposal; HMS Victory, Queen Anne's Revenge, and HMS Falcata. As for the rest of the fleet, those were assault craft and gunships hidden behind a convincing illusion. Thanks to Hestia, they were indistinguishable from the real ones though keeping them charged was a real challenge. Convincing Theon to let her go was very troublesome but she and Hestia managed to convince him that the two of them would be safe. The destroyer was still undergoing the extensive tests to uncover what was the cause of her previous system failure. The second Empress, however, still possessed more than enough firepower to annihilate anyone who might attack either Empress.

"However, as you probably realised, it's not something I can do just like that. Your membership has to be approved by a unanimous vote of all members of NATO. The Empire of Arcadia will vouch for your membership and we will call the general meeting of NATO as soon as I return home" Irene explained. Seeing their tense expressions, she smiled with peaceful satisfaction, "What I can do, just like that, however, is offer you an alliance with Arcadia on separate terms until your admission to NATO is approved. I can assure you that we will support you immediately."

"Thank you, Empress Irene. I still can't believe that Te'saru tried to mind control Varis..." Harmonia nervously shook her head. "The Kingdom of Ibrevell managed to make, even us, rely on their trade network. Without their food supplies, we will face a famine."

"That shouldn't be a problem, but I have no idea how much food you would need..." Irene nervously clenched her fists. "I will be honest with you. Arcadia is already supporting the Kingdom of Iceleon and the Empire of Metaka with food supplies. If you solely relied on Ibrevell for the food import, it would be hard to establish trade routes in time..."

"It's not that bad." Varis shook his head. "Due to a long drought over the last few years, our domestic production of food shrank to half of what it was and we had to buy what we lacked."

"I believe we will be able to supply you with food but I'm afraid it might be barely enough. Of course, we must take a look at the details but I can assure you that Arcadia won't leave you." Irene nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm..." Roannia furrowed her brows. The expression on her face was evident that her thoughts were already focused on a different subject from what was currently being discussed. "I think that we should attack Nar'verna, Father. If the Elves are truly behind their aggressive politics, it's reasonable that they might attack us instead of the Southern Alliance... What?"

"First, we need to sign official documents confirming our alliance with Arcadia before we speak about something like that." Varis covered his face with a sigh.

"Indeed..." Deimos said as he appeared with Phobos and Hestia. The latter sat near Irene while the Deimos and Phobos sat across the table. "I can sense great danger and unrest so we must work swiftly if we wish to protect Aclium, King Varis. Normally, it would be prudent to keep the war plans hidden, but not this time."

Deimos looked at Irene and Hestia who shrugged as if they were synchronised. The two Arcadian Empresses chuckled.

"We couldn't care less what you will do about Nar'verna and we respect your right to self-defence," Hestia announced with a neutral tone.

"I believe that the Princess is right. It's only natural to expect Ibrevell to act against Aclium. In fact, we have to deal with the fact that they tarnished your reputation and might manage to deal a lot of damage in a short period. But, in the long run, allying with Arcadia will be much more beneficial to Aclium." Irene sighed. "Your tarnished reputation will also have little consequences since we are self-sufficient between the nations of the North."

"I really hope so..." Varis sighed.

•••

Roannia looked through the documents she had prepared with her father. She was going to travel with the Arcadians and represent Aclium during their admission to the North Aderon Treaty Organisation and she was quite nervous. For the first time in centuries, Aclium was forced to rely on the help of other countries. Well... To some degree at least. The Kingdom of Aclium was one of the oldest powers in Aderon, like Metaka, Iceleon, Ibrevell, and Hilgvar, before the latter became part of Arcadia. As such, Aclium had always prepared to defend itself and its army was one of the largest in their part of Aderon. Unfortunately, their airship couldn't hold a candle to the Arcadian behemoths... Or even the Metakan Navy to be honest. Their remaining eight frigates, twenty-four brigs, and forty caravels looked good on paper but only half of them were deployable. The rest of them were minimally maintained because of the high cost of crewing so many ships in times of peace.

Roannia sighed as she looked into the mirror and frowned. She was a mess. Her hair was in disarray from constantly scratching her head during the last few hours while she reviewed the documents she should understand before heading to Arcadia. Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind and she barely managed to squirm in panic. Her eyes went wide when she realised it was one of the Marquis's people. He appeared out of nowhere and she saw a dagger aimed at her throat in the mirror. The doors to her room opened and four more black cloaked figures entered carrying her dead guards. Their bloodied bodies were quietly put into the corner.

"Be quiet, Princess Roannia and you may live..." The Elf with the dagger whispered, but she didn't believe him. His voice was slimy and his cold eyes were cruel. "Now, we are going to very quietly leave the city and-"

She cried out in horror as her captor's head exploded and hot blood covered her. In place of an Elf's head was a glaive's blade crackling with lightning. The fragments of the man's skull and brain were stuck in her hair. Roannia gagged and felt nauseous but she endured and reached for her dagger. The Princess turned around and saw a tall, black-and-gold clad Arcadian knight standing between her and the surprised Elves. In the doorframe was another Praetorian blocking the only exit.

"Lady Irene was right to send us here, Princess Roannia." The closest Arcadian warrior said as his swinging glaive hummed with a low noise. She watched as tiny droplets of blood followed the blade of his weapon, staining the floor and carpet.

The Elves drew their weapons and jumped at the Praetorians. The assassins were blindingly fast but they couldn't touch the knights. The glaives were always in time and place to parry the assassin's daggers or a brief flash of mana light indicated a hit on the Praetorian's barriers. The assassins slowed down considerably as their skills wore out. They disengaged and regrouped near the bodies of Aclium's guards. The Praetorians pushed forward, not giving the Elves a chance to change their strategy. The Praetorian who saved Roannia thrust his weapon and sharply twisted his body to change the weapon's momentum into a mighty cut that reached one of the assassins. The cut was low and wide, catching the Elf off guard and giving him no chance to dodge. The assassin screamed in pain and fell to the ground missing one of his legs. In shock, he grabbed the stump and tried to hold it to block his blood flow.

Another assassin was impaled on the second glaive and, seemingly, effortlessly lifted to the air. His screams of agony stopped abruptly as he was cut in half. He thrashed on the ground a little before the light in his eyes vanished. Roannia dropped her dagger and covered her mouth in an attempt to not be sick. The stench of blood and cut insides attacked her nostrils. It was too much for her stomach and she puked. She felt weak and dizzy. Like through a fog, she watched the demise of the remaining two assassins. It was carnage... The assassins tried to use some spells but they failed. One of them was hit in the face so hard his lower jaw was pulverised in an explosion of bones and blood. He fell to the ground, unconscious, or likely dead. The last hesitated for a second and was hit with the haft of a glaive so hard that Roannia heard multiple breaking bones all at once. The battle was over.

"Are you all right, Princess Roannia?" One of the Praetorians immediately turned and shielded her with his person.

"No!" She vomited once more and gasped for air hysterically. "By the Gods!"

"Are you hurt?" The same Praetorian asked with concern, without looking at her.

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"No-... No. I'm unhurt... Thank you. You saved me..." She felt tears welling in her eyes. "Gods..."

"We were escorting Empress Irene and Empress Hestia from their meeting with the local Gods when we stumbled upon a dead Royal Guard. My Lady ordered us to protect you at all costs." He explained and she numbly nodded in acknowledgement.

"Roannia! BY THE GODS!" Her father's voice came from the doors.

"Dad!" She pushed off the floor to stand up and darted towards her father. She was sobbing and was in shock.

"She is safe albeit we may have provided her with new nightmare material, King Varis." The Praetorian with whom she spoke knightly bowed before the King of Aclium. "We are sorry."

"I'm glad that she is safe..." He hugged her and affectionately patted her head. "I don't know how I can pay off this debt."

"First of all, she needs a bath. Secondly, you need to look at the castle's security, King Varis." Empress Irene's voice came from the doorframe. Behind her were standing more Praetorians than during the previous meeting in the throneroom. "If you don't mind, King Varis, I would like to take Roannia on board Victory. Until you discover how those assassins got inside your castle, she isn't safe here."

"I would like to be offended by your words but they couldn't be any truer, Empress Irene." Varis trembled in fury. "I assume you would like to return to your home immediately?"

"That would be safer." She sighed. "But I think that the Princess needs to calm down."

"No. We should go now, Empress Irene... But would you do me a favour and leave those two soldiers to protect my Father?" Roannia said in a shaking voice but held back her tears. "I know it's asking much but, I must admit, there is no one in the entire Kingdom who could match their prowess. If you agree, I will be much calmer while I'm gone."

"It is no problem if you request it." The Empress shrugged. "What do you say, King Varis? Will you accept their presence?"

"Please, Father... I don't want to hear that the Elves killed you while I was gone." She hugged her Father even tighter.

"All right. They can stay." He embraced her and felt his tears falling. "Ibrevell is going to pay for this... The assassination attempt-"

"They wanted to kidnap the Princess." One of the Praetorians calmly stated, interrupting the King.

"They planned to kidnap her?" He said weakly. It was even worse... "By the Gods..."

"My Brothers went to find Te'saru and confront him but he and Marquis fled Aclium," Harmonia said as she appeared in the middle of the room. She was trembling in fury like never before. "This is an outrageous act of war and personal insult towards us."

"Call your brothers back, Harmonia," Hestia said calmly as she walked into the room. "Te'saru is treacherous and plans something. Chasing him blindly is dangerous."

Harmonia nodded and closed her eyes for a moment. "They are returning."

"Good." Hestia smiled. "The Kingdom of Ibrevell will pay for this transgression but we still can't just persecute them openly. But don't worry... My husband has already set his plans in motion. He will severely hurt their economy before he, ultimately, sends his war fleet to finish them off."

"I hate the Elves..." Roannia whispered, still recovering from the shock, but suddenly she realised that Empress Irene was in the room.

"Yeah... They are really tarnishing the good name of Elves..." The Elven Empress of Arcadia sighed with scorn. "Anyway, I know what you meant and I can assure you that I hate them as well."

"I'm sorry..." Roannia blushed in embarrassment, but the Empress just dismissed it with a shrug.

"In that case, we should embark immediately. Is there anything you want to take with you?" Hestia nodded.

"I should take those papers... But most of them are covered in blood." She turned away her gaze.

"Purify!" The Saintess flipped her fingers which cleaned the entire room.

"I'm going with you, Roannia," Harmonia announced unexpectedly. "I know you will be safe with Aunt Hestia and I don't believe that Arcadians would hurt you, but I know you will need to be with someone familiar after what you just faced. Is it acceptable?"

"Sure. You are welcome." Empress Irene shrugged and looked at King Varis. "I advise you to keep your fleet in the air. It should be one of the first orders you issue, or at least that would be the first one that Theon would have issued in a situation like this."

"I will do it." Varis nodded and kissed the forehead of his daughter. "Have a safe trip. I put my beloved daughter in your care, Empress Irene, Goddess Hestia, and Goddess Harmonia. Aclium is in debt to Arcadia and, since now we offer our unconditional friendship to your Empire, your cause is our cause."

"I wish this meeting had ended in more cheerful circumstances but nothing happens without a reason. May this day mark the beginning of a never-ending friendship between our nations." Empress Irene smiled softly.

•••

"We are going home, Captain Fiona." Empress Irene said as they entered the brightly lit deck of the truly massive airship.

"As you wish, my Lady!" She slammed her fist against her full chest and bowed slightly. Immediately, she turned around and started bellowing orders.

"Follow us please, Princess Roannia, Goddess Harmonia." The Elven woman simply said and moved forward without paying attention to the sailors who, not so long ago, were standing in two welcoming rows.

Roannia sheepishly followed the Arcadian Empresses who walked with dignity. She could sense how angry they were now that everyone had left Aclium's palace. They entered an unimaginably lavish room with an actual fireplace and, what was probably, a private conference room. The two women sat on the closest chairs and, with a simple gesture, Empress Irene invited their guests to join them.

"Before we let you both retire for the night, there is one thing we need to discuss." Empress Hestia began seriously.

"Of... Of course." Roannia stuttered and blushed in embarrassment. Such nervousness was unbecoming of her as the Princess.

"We couldn't discuss this topic earlier but it's incredibly important. We couldn't risk the Ibrevellians even gaining a slight glimpse of what we are about to tell you. So we wish you to keep it a secret." Empress Irene said with a tense expression.

Roannia looked at Goddess Harmonia, slightly alarmed, but she simply smiled encouragingly at the young Human.

"I promise to keep the secret." Roannia nodded with a slightly trembling voice.

"Arcadia is currently involved in a war against Vestargo of the Ancient Forest," Hestia said with a serious expression. "This is a war unlike anything you are accustomed to, Princess Roannia. This is a war that involves most of the Arcadian resources and all our focus. The presence of the Ibrevellian delegation was most unfortunate..."

"I honestly wasn't expecting to meet the Ibrevellians during our visit to Aclium." Empress Irene shook her head. "That short and very unpleasant meeting, most probably, brought us closer to an inevitable confrontation with the Ibrevellians which could be distracting if not for prior measures Arcadia has already taken against them."

"I see..." Her understanding was a lie because the Princess had no clue where the two Empresses were going with their explanation.

"The point is... What do you know about Vestargo?" Irene sighed and looked at the Princess inquisitively.

"I'm afraid that Aclium knows nothing about him or his kingdom..." The Princess looked at her Goddess who furrowed her brows.

"A few hundred years ago I heard his name for the first time. If I'm not wrong, he is some kind of a warmonger living in the Ancient Forest where he built his kingdom..." Harmonia leaned back on the incredibly comfortable, plush-lined chair.

"Kind of..." Goddess Hestia agreed carefully. "In truth, Vestargo is the name of the Dungeon Core. His goal is to conquer Aderon and, most probably, the rest of the world."

Roannia felt her heart skip a beat. She looked with abject horror at the two women in front of them. Even the Goddesses looked alarmed.

"But... Te'saru said that your husband was winning that war." Harmonia looked at Hestia in horror.

"I wouldn't say that he is winning it but most certainly he's not losing it either." Empress Irene shook her head with a sigh. "Like he likes to say, the distances are too vast to cover. We responded to Vestargo's unprovoked attack and, since then, our armies have been involved in this war of attrition."

"By the Heavens... How many died?" Harmonia powerlessly clenched her hands on the armrests while Roannia was speechless. To fight against a Dungeon...

"Too many..." Hestia sighed. "Nearly eight hundred people lost their lives, so far, during this war."

Harmonia looked at the Arcadian Goddess in shock. Even Roannia couldn't believe her ears. Eight hundred people? She expected to hear that thousands had already perished.

"Don't get me wrong, Harmonia." Hestia looked at her with a sad expression. "This is a war between the two Dungeon Empires. The Immortal Legions of my husband aren't named that just because it sounds awesome..."

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