The next morning, Ard, Eva, and the others gathered on the palace's back terrace, where the royal gardens stretched out beside them. They sat with Abel and his fiancée, Ana, sipping tea. Abel began to recount what had happened to Edmund while he was being escorted by the Raven units. On their way to the port city of Vernice to set sail for Fredonia, the sky had suddenly split open, and a host of angels descended to block their path.

Naturally, Abel and the Ravens fought back, but the angels were clearly superior. Many Ravens fell in the struggle. The angels then seized Edmund to take him back to the capital, but two demons suddenly appeared to intercept them. According to Abel, one was a massive spider-woman who managed to wipe out nearly half the angelic force before being severely wounded and carried off by her companion.

"Hmm... Xeria and Baalbel," Ard muttered.

"Right, they did introduce themselves by those names. And... that demon named Baalbel actually killed Julius," Abel said.

"What? Julius was killed?" Mirea asked.

"Yes. That's why our relationship with the Durnhill Kingdom is so strained right now. They haven't declared war yet, but things are definitely heading that way. They're convinced we're working with demons," Abel replied.

"Angels... the sky opening up... could it be the work of Goddess Ophelia?" Eva asked.

"Exactly. Based on the interrogations of Edmund and Julius before we left, they both said the same thing. Before they acted, they both dreamed of a future shown to them by Goddess Ophelia. At first, I thought they were just drunk or under the influence of that potion, but their eyes were clear when they said it, and they remembered the dreams vividly. That's why they gave the potion to Emperor Ellard III, which triggered the war between Ateras and the Orthus Empire," Abel explained.

"Hmm... I see how it is," Ainsley muttered, adjusting his glasses.

"And one more thing. An Ateras prince named Devon vanished without a trace right after they had those dreams," Abel added.

"Really? Prince Devon is missing?" Claudia asked.

"Do you know him, Claudia?" Geoffrey asked.

"I do. He's the quietest person I know, hardly ever speaks. It's impossible to guess what he's thinking. He was a childhood friend of mine because he used to train at the barbarian village often. Drago knows him too," Claudia answered.

"Hmm... this is strange. What exactly was their dream about the future, brother?" Ard asked.

Abel went silent for a moment. He squeezed his fiancée's hand under the table, and she squeezed back. Then, Abel looked at Ard and Eva.

"Before I answer, I want to ask you something—and I haven't mentioned this to Papa or Alexis. Are you all planning to build your own kingdom?" Abel asked.

"Huh?" Ard, Eva, Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Patricia, Rosalind, Mirea, Claudia, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin were all stunned by the question. They couldn't answer immediately because their discussion back at Claudia's village was precisely about the future. Seeing them all silent, Abel smiled.

"Just as I suspected. Fine... the dream they had was about Ard and Eva joining forces to build a massive empire that rules the entire world. It's the prophecy of the return of Azroth and Evelina to take back the world from the Goddess. After hearing their dreams, it all makes sense now—why Julius attacked you during field training and why Edmund was so obsessed with marrying Eva despite knowing she was his sister, even going as far as controlling his own father with dark sect potions," Abel said seriously.

"Hmm... right, it all makes sense now. There's no way he would have attacked our camp just because he wanted to marry Milia," Ard muttered. "Now it also makes sense why Eva always killed me in my previous nine lives, even when I tried to hide. Ophelia was the one telling her what to do. When Eva became Malekh, Ophelia absorbed her, and they took over the world," Ard thought to himself.

"Sigh... I thought we were attacked at the camp because of me... I'm a little relieved, but also disappointed," Milia murmured.

"Disappointed? You actually wanted that pig of a prince to be after you?" Alicia asked.

"That's not it. Forget I said anything," Milia replied, looking away.

Eva leaned in closer to Ard, tilting her head toward his ear and whispering.

"It sounds like you finally understand what happened in our nine past lives," Eva whispered.

"Yeah, I get it now. Why you never recognized me and why you always found me even when I was at the edge of the world. It was all that Goddess's doing. She intends to have one of us rise as Malekh so she can reclaim that power," Ard whispered back.

"I was thinking the same thing. So, about what we discussed in Claudia's village—should we tell Prince Abel?" Eva asked.

"No need. He already gets it. We don't have to spell out the details," Ard replied.

"Ah, right. There's one more thing they mentioned in their dreams. The location of your future kingdom is the Ateras Kingdom in the Northern Continent—the largest continent in the world, and the place where the Demon God Malekh is sealed," Abel said, glancing at Ard and Eva.

"Wait... is that true? Hang on... if I think about it, it fits. Almost everyone supporting Ard and Eva is from Ateras or the Northern Continent," Geoffrey muttered.

"Hey! Why are you just blurting everything out like that?" Beatrice scolded him.

"Oh... sorry," Geoffrey replied.

"Hmm... this is truly interesting," Rosalind murmured.

"Their dream... it said all that? Does that mean this is a new prophecy?" Patricia asked.

"Something like that. And the mystery here is the disappearance of Prince Devon of Ateras, because that's exactly what triggered the war between the Orthus Empire and the Ateras Kingdom," Abel answered.

"Aren't Prince Devon and Prince Edmund friends? When I was working at the palace, I often saw him come by to meet Prince Edmund. Isn't that right, Princess Eva?" Irwin asked.

"That's true. And my name is Esmeralda, please don't forget," Eva snapped back.

"Yes, back at the academy, Devon, Julius, Edmund, and I were always together. Despite everything happening now, we were all friends... well, maybe with the exception of Julius," Abel replied.

A moment later, a guard approached and whispered something to Abel and his fiancée, Ana. Abel immediately glanced over at Ard, Eva, and the rest of the group, before turning his full attention to Alicia.

"Alicia, could you take Ard, Eva, and your friends back to your house for a while?" Abel asked.

"Huh? Why is that, Prince Abel?" Alicia asked.

"An envoy from the Ateras Kingdom has just arrived at the palace. I'm sure you understand the situation," Abel answered.

Alicia looked at Ard, then at Eva, and the gravity of the situation hit her. She turned back to Abel with a nod.

"Alright, I'll take everyone to my place. Maybe we'll take the scenic route through the city first," Alicia said with a small smile.

"Good. You should head out right now," Abel urged.

"Got it, we understand," Ard, Eva, and the others replied in unison.

After that, they left immediately. Eva changed her hair color to black to blend in. They spent some time walking through Fredonia's capital, which was massive and bustling with people. Milia, Geoffrey, Ainsley, Mirea, and Claudia were wide-eyed with awe, taking in the sights of the towering buildings.

They stared at a bell tower that loomed high over a structure looking much like a cathedral, even though it actually served as the royal archives. Beyond the main archives, they passed countless other structures—houses huddled close together and a sprawling, multi-tiered cityscape that rivaled the imperial capital in grandeur.

The merchant district was teeming with traders, and the streets were lined with food stalls.

"So, this is the heart of Fredonia," Mirea murmured, taking it all in.

"How are you guys so calm?" Milia asked, looking at Patricia, Irwin, Beatrice, and Rosalind.

"I come here all the time. Right, Rosalind?" Beatrice said.

"That is correct, Princess," Rosalind replied.

"I live in the elf village, but just look around—there are elves everywhere here," Patricia added.

Mirea, Milia, Geoffrey, and Ainsley scanned their surroundings. Sure enough, they saw many elves walking openly without disguises, looking as comfortable as if the city belonged to them.

"Oh, you're right," Geoffrey noted.

"But why are you so relaxed, Irwin?" Ainsley asked.

"I used to live here before I entered Princess Eva's service. You know my story, don't you?" Irwin reminded him.

"Oh... right, I forgot," Ainsley muttered, adjusting his glasses.

"This is my first time here. I had no idea Fredonia's capital was this beautiful and massive," Claudia said, her eyes darting everywhere.

She spotted a street vendor selling grilled meat tucked into bread—a local Fredonian specialty topped with a signature sauce. Claudia immediately bolted toward the stall, dragging Mirea by the hand to buy some. Ard, Eva, and the rest of the group leaned against the street railing, looking down at the lower districts of the city while they waited for them.

"Is your house still far, Alicia?" Eva asked.

"Um... it's actually close. But do we really have to go there? To be honest, I'm not comfortable bringing everyone to my mansion," Alicia whispered to Eva, before explaining her reasons. Eva paused to think it over.

"Hmm... you have a point," Eva replied.

"Right? It could get complicated if my father finds out," Alicia said.

"Let's just keep exploring the city then," Eva suggested with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks, Eva," Alicia replied, looking relieved.

With that decided, they all continued walking together, weaving through the streets and exploring the capital without heading to Alicia's family estate.

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