Orina was flying in the incredible airship. They had been reasonably free to roam the ship for the past five days. However, they could only dream about taking control of the ship. The presence of the two escorting warships was enough to stop them from making a futile attempt. However... They were fed not only normal food but, it seemed, it was the same food eaten by the Arcadian crew. Everyone was healed and no one was mistreated. That... Gave her hope. Orina spent most of the time following Lady Lanka who ensured everyone was healed and fed. Orina couldn't run so she started praying. For the first time since the day she seemingly lost all hope, she begged God that Arcadians were not deceiving everyone. Every single Arcadian tried to convince them that they would soon be free. They hadn't had many successes, but a few people did believe them.

Orina watched some kids playing on the main deck with a blank expression and uncertain smile. She didn't know these children and didn't know how long they had been slaves but their laughter was surreal. Boys played football with the off-duty sailors and girls were in a corner where they played with actual teddy bears and dolls. Two days ago, when they entered the Arcadian airspace, the tension of the crew vanished. A crew member told her they were concerned about a pirate attack, but not any more. Mostly, because of so many people travelling on board, any hit that could pierce the shields would be disastrous. But not anymore, he said that Arcadia was safe...

"Miss Orina?" Lady Lanka's voice came from behind.

Orina quickly turned around and bowed. She wasn't confident in curtseying, so she decided to simply bow. "My Lady?"

"Only technically..." She rolled her eyes. "We are approaching Avalon. Would you like to see the city?"

She just nodded and followed her to the prow. The ship they were on was, undoubtedly, a galleon. She wasn't that sure but it was large enough to be one. Orina was silent as they stood on the front observation deck and, in the distance, she saw the city.

"I know you don't believe us, but that's understandable." Lady Lanka said after a while. The huge spires and massive walls came first into view. "We expected as much. But I'll ask you to give us a chance. Can you do that?"

"I... I don't know." She started sobbing and she grabbed the wide and sturdy railings of RFA Hercules. "I wish it were true... I pray for it to be true. But I was a slave for so long..."

"We hate it, Miss Orina. Slavery is one of the crimes punishable by death in Arcadia. By His Majesty's decree, any slave who fled to Arcadia is protected and released as soon as possible. Every slaver caught in Arcadia is immediately executed."

Orina smiled bitterly. Lady Lanka had been repeating this daily. The city grew bigger every second. Its shining walls and roofs reflected the sun and the city itself was shining like a white jewel tossed on green fabric. Despite the late autumn, the grass was still green. Suddenly, Orina's eyes went wide in shock.

"That's Iowa!" She shrieked in shock and horror.

"Iowa? Oh no, that's Dauntless. Ohhh! He is, indeed, an Iowa-class dreadnought, yes." Lanka's confusion changed into surprised praise.

"How? What's it doing here?!" Orina felt a freezing ball forming in her stomach.

"I don't know what you mean..." The Nekomi shrugged indifferently, clearly unaware of the true nature of Orina's question. "Most probably the First Fleet returned to get some rest."

The massive battleship was slowly heading toward a big lake inside the innermost ring. If Arcadians could build something like that, they were unbeatable...

•••

"So she is from Earth?" The Emperor asked with surprise.

Orina was standing defeated in the middle of a throne room and looking at the impressive man sitting on a throne. All remaining slaves were already taken away to be released but she stayed behind. All the grandeur of this place flew over her head because her only concern was trying to figure out how to escape this situation.

"Orina!" Lady Lanka, who stood beside her, hissed at her.

"Yes, my Master." She grimly confirmed.

"I'm not your Master... Oh, I'm sorry about that. Can you do something about it, Irene?" The man looked at the Elven woman sitting on his left and Orina's eyes widened with hatred.

She slowly nodded and extended her hand towards Orina.

"Dispel." Her voice was melodic and soft. A golden light enveloped Orina and she physically felt how the magical shackles that kept her bound to the will of others cracked and dissolved into nothingness. "She is free but I don't know what kind of conditioning she's been through. If all of them were treated like her, they would need a lot of care to recover, my Dear."

"Thank you, my Darling." He nodded with a smile and rose from his throne.

He was an incredibly tall man. By any measure, a giant, or someone exceptionally tall like volleyball and basketball players, but he was impressive nonetheless. She noticed that his robes were exquisite but she really didn't have the heart to pay her attention to the details. One of the remaining women sitting on the equally impressive thrones stood up as well; however, it was a less impressive display than that of the Emperor. She was short, honestly, and it took a moment for Orina to realise that she was a Dwarf. A tall one, but a Dwarf.

"Huh? Another Earthling?" She stopped near the Emperor and stared at Orina with curiosity. "How much do you remember? I, for example, have most of my memories from back there, but nothing particularly helpful..."

Orina froze with her eyes wide open. "Are you from the Earth?"

"You bet it." The woman grinned mischievously. "I lived a couple of hundred miles west of Fort Worth in Texas... Well, it was 'but a moment' compared to my life in Nilmerthis but I had many fond memories from back then."

Orina, nervously, stared holes in the Dwarfess standing next to the huge Human.

"Well... I remember more than Theon from life back there..." The Dwarfess gently patted his arm for a moment before she extended her hand towards Orina with an honest smile. "My name is Freya va'Theon, the Eighth Empress of Arcadia, the Queen under the Mountain, and the Dungeon of Thalgurum."

Orina awkwardly shook her hand still in shock.

"I will skip my titles since they are not helpful at all right now." The man smiled as he firmly shook her hand as well. "As you already know, my name is Theon Avalon. I'm the Righteous Dungeon and the sovereign of Arcadia. I'm a summoned Hero and I originate from the Earth as well. Things happened, some of my memories were stolen or destroyed and, I can only say that in my previous life, I was born somewhere in Europe. However, that means very little in Nilmerthis. As for my other knowledge, well... Let's just say it helped me build Arcadia."

She looked at them in shock but said nothing. They exchanged sad looks and the man loudly snapped his fingers. Instantly, they were transported to the far less overwhelming room. It was much warmer than the throne room where all the freed slaves had been welcomed previously.

"Please, sit down, Miss Orina." The Emperor said and pointed towards the armchair. "Most of my wives have departed for their duties but, as you can see, not all of them."

She looked at Freya and the Elf called Irene who appeared gloomy.

"I want to clarify something," Irene said with a sad voice. "I understand your hatred towards Elves, but you mustn't blame all Elves for the crimes of Ibrevellians. A lot of the Elves living in Arcadia were once slaves like you and, if you can even imagine, they had it far worse than you, Miss Orina. I'm not downplaying your suffering but imagine not being born but bred like an animal and living your life knowing that, one day, you would become a plaything for an oversized hornet. To know that you will die. So please, Miss Orina, don't blame all Elves for your suffering. You can and you should blame the slave traders of Ibrevell but not Elves in general."

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Orina listened to the Empress at first in dismissive disdain that changed to shock and horror by the end. She looked at Theon Avalon who nodded affirmation.

"That is the fate of Vestargo's slaves, Miss Orina. I'm waging war against him and trying to save as many people as possible..." He confirmed. "However, that's not what I wanted to talk with you about. I know that you might be full of anger, bitterness, and craving vengeance, and you have the right to be. However, do you want to follow a path that, inevitably, takes you to an early grave, plunging your soul into darkness?"

"I... I don't know..." She relaxed slightly. She felt cracks in the persona that she showed the world. "I... I can't believe that I'm no longer a slave."

"For now," Theon said coldly, and she held her breath, looking at him. Her heart probably stopped. "If you leave my Empire, you might find yourself, again, in lands that allow for such barbaric practices, you might be enslaved again. So, mindful of our common roots, I wanted to warn you. Do not leave Arcadia."

"I... I don't know what to do." Orina finally admitted. "I thought vengeance against those who enslaved me was the only thing I had..."

"If it is vengeance you seek, you can start your road in Avalon..." The incorporeal voice came from nowhere and Orina's eyes narrowed in shock and fear. A young woman appeared floating in the air right in front of her, locking her eyes with her gaze. "I'm Eternal Verka, the Goddess of Vengeance. You always find such interesting people, Theon. If I had not anointed you as my Herald, I would be jealous."

"A Goddess?!" Orina squirmed, feeling the immense power of the woman. She knew she wasn't lying, but never before had it occurred to her that there were Gods in Nilmerthis.

"Yeah, yeah..." Emperor Theon casually waved his hand at the Goddess as if he were swatting away a mosquito. "Sit down, Verka."

"Sure!" The Goddess of Vengeance sat on the couch near Empress Irene. They looked like two best friends when they started chatting quietly.

"First of all, Orina, please relax and try to be casual during our conversation. I want to offer you a new start in this world. It's not a peaceful world suitable for a slow life but it is as peaceful as a fantasy world can be within the borders of Arcadia." He took out a few pages of paper and gave them to her. "These are your records the slaver held. It's your choice to decide what to do with them but, unfortunately, Freya and I know its content."

"Thank you for your honesty." She sagged. "What will you do with me, now?"

"What should I do? You were born as a Half-Elf in a small village close to Ibrevell's borders. You were five years old when the slavers raided your village and you spent twelve years in slavery. Tell me, Miss Orina, what could I possibly demand from you?" He shook his head.

"I just don't know... My Lord..." Orina slowly shook her head. "My knowledge of Earth?"

"So what do you know, Orina?" He asked jovially and she briefly smiled.

"I guess nothing you both don't already know... I had only finished University when I died." She admitted as the image of the battleship flashed before her eyes. She took a deep breath and looked at Theon. "My dad, back on Earth, was a survivalist instructor. So I know many tricks and among them is knowledge of how to make gunpowder..."

"I can do that as well but I, personally, prefer smokeless cartridges instead of muskets. They are less messy. Back in my time, engineers finally perfected caseless ammunition and I have that technology." He tapped the side of his head with a smile. "To be honest, unless you have knowledge of how to deal with PTSD, I would rather talk about your class."

"PTSD? Well, I guess. It wasn't my main field of study but I learned how to diagnose and help people with it. I was a psychiatrist... Well, kinda. I just finished my master's exams before I died and woke up in Nilmerthis." Orina smiled faintly. However, the sudden silence in the room frightened her.

"I want to hire you. Full-time job, your own team of subordinates, accommodation, and, of course, salary." The Emperor leaned towards her with a dead serious expression. "Name your price."

"You want me to be a psychiatrist in another world?" She asked, somewhat shocked by the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Yes. I know this sounds like a joke, but it's not. We desperately need someone, if not skilled, then knowledgeable, who could help my people deal with their traumas." He crossed his arms in front of him. "Only recently have I started addressing this problem but we are decades from finding proper treatment methods. So the help of an actual psychologist would be invaluable."

She blinked in shock. Out of all her knowledge from the Earth, this was the last thing she believed to be useful in this world. She felt her tears rolling down her cheeks and her tremors, slowly turned into laughing.

"I believe that she should rest before she makes any decision, my Lord..." Lady Lanka's voice came from behind her chair. "She... Went through a lot."

"I agree. Not to mention she will need some treatment for herself first..." The Emperor sighed.

"No, I don't need more time... I hoped… wanted to trust you so much... I think I can honestly trust someone like you. I agree to work for you, Emperor Theon." Orina wiped her tears and took a deeper breath.

"Excellent! She will need a house, guards, and maids. There should be something available in the University district." He smiled widely. "I'm sorry for giving you extra work right after your return, but I want you to take care of her accommodation, Lanka."

"With pleasure, my Lord." Lanka bowed with a cheerful smile. "I will summon someone from City Hall to bring us blueprints of the available houses. In the meantime, I will assemble her some attendants."

She straightened, curtsied perfectly, and left the room.

"Now... What exactly is your class? A Spirit Seer, Miss Orina?" The Emperor asked in confusion and curiosity.

"I have no idea. I'm just level five so I have just a single, passive skill that allows me to see the true nature of things and conceals myself. This and the knowledge that my class is of Mythical Rarity." She answered but she felt as if she was deflating since the moment she decided to work for him.

He looked at her as if he expected to hear something more but that truly was everything she knew.

"I can only be glad that the Elves never realised the potential behind your class." Lord Theon slowly shook his head in disbelief. "Do you have the slightest idea how ridiculously overpowered your only skill is?"

"Not really..." She shrugged and decided to pick up the cup of tea that had managed to cool down. It was even more exquisite than the tea she drank with Lady Lanka. She slowly extended her hand towards the cookies, still subconsciously expecting that this was some kind of trap.

"No one ever before managed to see that Death Lords serve as Praetorians. Not without taking off their armour." Lady Irene sighed. "You, just like that, saw through the magical disguise and Divine Illusion of Goddess Hestia."

"I thought it was normal..." Orina started eating cookies as if there were no tomorrow. They were too good.

"Orina, I would like you to draw the full potential of your class. You will be provided with everything you need to do so. I'm way too curious to see what you will be capable of." The Emperor smiled.

She desperately wanted to believe his smile... Normally, she would bite her lip but, today, she had cookies, so the choice was obvious. After devouring another cookie she shortly nodded.

"Fine. I still can't make myself fully trust you, but promise me something. Swear at the Goddess Verka or whatever is dear to you that you won't enslave me..." She lowered her stare.

"I have a better idea." He smiled and her eyes went wide as the System Window opened in front of her.

<A Vow of Protection is offered>

Emperor Theon Avalon, The Righteous Dungeon, The Champion of Eriar, The Chosen of the Archangel, The Bringer of Equilibrium, The Husband of Hestia, The Unforgiving Storm of Zephyr, The Starchaser of Hera, The Brother to Zeus, The Prophet of Tisiphone, The Wrath of Vali, The Herald of Verka, The Protector of the Weak, The Bane of Void's Servants, The God Slayer, The Vengeful One, and The Conqueror is promising you safety and protection within the lands of the Empire of Arcadia and the lands belonging to the nations of North Aderon Treaty Organisation. You are promised to be free and your free will never to be suppressed. Your freedom and safety are not only ensured by the laws of Arcadia but the personal promise of the Emperor. If you ever felt threatened within his lands you may call his name and he will come to your aid, personally or by proxy.

Do you accept?

Yes/No

She looked at the window in shock. Then she looked at the Emperor and, once again, read all his titles. It was utterly ridiculous because she, once, heard how someone bragged about knowing someone with a title. Each title bestowed by the System boosted the person receiving it. She could only guess just how powerful he might be but that promise and the fact that he did it by his own accord, since she had no idea that something like that was even a thing, was enough to convince her that her luck had, finally, turned around. She accepted and, finally, relaxed.

"Thank you..." She whispered.

"As long as it makes you happy, I guess." He opened his hands in a shrug with a chuckle. "Slavery is punishable by death in Arcadia. Speaking of... Some of the slavers who ambushed you on your way to Arcadia were brought with you. They have already been judged and were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in Tartarus. That is the prison deep below Avalon where early death isn't a salvation. They will work for the rest of their miserable lives but, still, they might not live long enough to pay for their crimes. I know that you would like to kill them but, I can guarantee you, they will crave the sweet release of death in just a few days. As I said, their crimes were too vast and if they die too early, their very souls will be bound to serve the punishment to its full extent..."

Orina's lips parted in an ugly smile. She knew it, but couldn't stop it, no matter what. Something deep inside her soul was put to rest and, for the first time since time immemorial, she felt calm. "Thank you..."

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