"Father, it's me."
Standing before the massive doors, Celestia took a deep breath before stepping inside.
Within the grand chamber, her father, King Charles Benedict Mooveil, sat on his ornate throne. His golden hair shone under the candlelight, his face partially concealed by a thick beard and mustache. Beside him sat her mother, Queen Isabella Aurelia Valtoria, a regal woman with golden locks, her gaze calm and composed as she observed the gathering before them.
Arrayed in the room were several key figures: the High Priest, the Knight Commander, the Grand Duke, and the Royal Magician—all standing respectfully as the princess entered. The four men bowed in unison.
"What do you think of them?" the king asked, his piercing gaze fixed on his daughter.
Celestia took a moment before replying. "Sir Kazuki possesses a heroic spirit and a kind heart. He has already begun his training. Miss Sakura and Miss Aoki appear to share a close bond with him and support his decisions. Among the three heroes, Sir Kazuki seems to be their central figure. As for Miss Yue, she is still adjusting but appears to have formed a close relationship with Sir Chen..."
Her words trailed off slightly, a troubled expression flickering across her face. "From what I've observed, Sir Chen doesn't seem to have the most admirable personality."
She proceeded to recount the incident with Sena earlier.
The atmosphere in the chamber grew heavy. The king's expression darkened, and the others frowned at the report.
"And his job?" the king turned his attention to the magician and the priest—those most knowledgeable in such matters.
"We have never heard of such a title before, Your Majesty," the magician admitted, his expression guilty. "However, I will conduct further research tomorrow."
The priest, a devout follower of the goddess, clenched his jaw in disapproval. "What shall we do about Chen Fan, Your Majesty? A man of such nature should normally be imprisoned."
"Do nothing for now," the king commanded firmly. "If the heroes were to learn that we mistreated one of their own, it could create unnecessary complications in the future."
At that moment, the Knight Commander stepped forward and bowed. "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion."
The king nodded for him to proceed.
"Why not assign him a personal guard? Given that he lacks the power suited for battle, we can justify it as a precaution for his safety."
The king stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Monitoring, then..."
The Grand Duke then spoke up. "If I may add, Your Majesty, we should replace the maid assigned to him with a woman from the entertainment district. This way, we can keep a tighter leash on him."
The king considered this for a moment. To be honest, he had little patience for such trivial matters when the threat of the Demon King loomed closer with each passing day. "Very well. See to it."
Both men bowed. "Yes, my king."
Turning to the Royal Magician, the king continued, "And what of the Elementalist? Have you discovered anything about her abilities?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the magician replied. "We found an old archive left behind by the previous Archmage. However, it appears he placed a special enchantment on it, allowing only a particular individual to read its contents. We will present it to Miss Yue tomorrow."
"Good," the king nodded. "And regarding the training of the heroes?" He turned his gaze to the knight commander and priest.
"I will personally oversee the training of Miss Aoki and Sir Kazuki," the knight commander responded. "I have also found a suitable mentor for Miss Sakura."
"I shall instruct Sir Kazuki in the use of holy power," the priest added.
"Very well," the king said with finality. His focus then shifted to the map laid out before him. "Let us now move on to the situation at the frontlines."
With that, the room erupted into a heated discussion regarding the ongoing war.
Meanwhile, deep underground…
Chen Fan listened intently, his senses keenly attuned to every word spoken above. The urgent nature of their discussion confirmed his suspicions—the Demon King had already seized control of nearly half this world. No wonder they were desperate for heroes.
But something didn't sit right with him.
"Why did they delay summoning the heroes for a whole year?" he murmured to himself. His mind drifted to the words of the maid earlier.
Suddenly, Ao Xue's voice echoed in his mind, thoughtful yet intrigued.
"Could it be that time flows differently here? The divine energy I sensed earlier might have been from an event that, in this world, happened a year ago."
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes. "A time disparity, huh? Is that even possible?"
"It's rare," Ao Xue admitted. "Normally, the difference would be less than one percent—a slight acceleration or deceleration. But this world once had Nine-Star cultivators… even Ascended beings. It wouldn't be impossible."
Chen Fan tapped his chin in thought. "And those heroes… what is their true connection to this world?"
There were too many unknowns. He could make hypotheses, but without further information, it would only waste time. For now, he remained in place, continuing to eavesdrop.
Despite their wariness toward him, the ruling figures seemed sincere. Even though he had acted rudely, they had not resorted to extreme measures, choosing instead to monitor and restrict his movements rather than outright imprison him.
"And Wang Yue's condition…"
His thoughts trailed off as he refocused, preparing for his next move.
As time passed, the discussion finally concluded, and the high-ranking officials excused themselves one by one, leaving only the royal family of three behind.
The king, still seated on his grand throne, observed the troubled expression on his daughter's face. He sighed, already knowing what was weighing on her mind.
"Celestia, is there something else you wish to say?" he asked, his voice calm yet firm.
Celestia hesitated for a moment before speaking, her brows furrowed. "It's about Sir Chen… I fear that the Elementalist, Miss Yue, might be deceived by him." The thought had been plaguing her mind ever since the meeting ended. The idea of a woman falling victim to a scoundrel's deception made her stomach churn with unease.
The king let out a quiet sigh. He understood his daughter well—her sense of justice had earned her the admiration of the kingdom's people. However, as a ruler, rationality had to take precedence over emotion.
"For now, let things remain as they are," he said, his tone steady and decisive. "The heroes' mental stability is of utmost importance. Any unnecessary conflict at this stage will only create additional problems."
"But—" Celestia opened her mouth to protest.
"Celestia."
The gentle voice of the queen interrupted her. Celestia turned to her mother, who regarded her with calm yet knowing eyes.
"Why don't you take a deeper look into this matter first?" the queen suggested softly. "It's possible that you have misunderstood the situation."
Celestia's expression hardened. "No. That scum even tried to hit on me. What misunderstanding could there possibly be?" she retorted.
Both the king and queen frowned at her words. But after a moment, the king's expression remained firm, his gaze unwavering.
"He won't be able to cause any trouble anymore," the king stated with finality. "Let it stay that way. That is an order. Or would you rather risk this kingdom—this entire world—over one personal grievance?"
His stern voice carried the weight of his authority, making Celestia flinch slightly. She bit her lip, her hands clenching into fists.
"...I understand, Father," she finally said through gritted teeth before turning on her heel and storming out of the chamber.
The queen watched her daughter's retreating figure, her expression softening with concern. "Don't you think you were too harsh on her?" she asked, turning back to her husband.
"You know as well as I do—this is not the time for emotions," the king replied, rising from his throne. Without another word, he strode toward his chambers, his mind already burdened with the weight of the looming war.
The queen let out a quiet sigh, understanding his reasoning but still feeling the sting of a mother's heartache. She knew how exhausted her husband was due to the Demon King's invasion, and as a ruler, he had made the most logical decision. But as a mother, it pained her to see their daughter so distressed. In the end, she could only sigh once more before following her husband to their room.
Meanwhile…
From his hidden vantage point underground, Chen Fan had witnessed everything. A wry smile tugged at his lips as he leaned back slightly.
"Somehow, I feel a little guilty about all this," he muttered to himself.
"If you actually had a conscience, that is," Ao Xue quipped smugly.
Chen Fan chuckled at the jab. "So… do you still plan on keeping up this act?"
"It would probably backfire at this point, wouldn't it?" he mused.
His original plan had been to lower their guard and gain more control over the situation. However, seeing how dire things truly were, he realized that playing mind games would only waste precious time. The war against the Demon King was a matter of urgency—these people didn't have the luxury to deal with petty schemes.
"So, what now?" Ao Xue asked. "Are you planning to come clean?"
Chen Fan smirked. "If I keep acting like this, they'll only restrict my movements further. We need more information, so forming an alliance with them would be the smarter choice. That said… I still won't reveal my full strength just yet. Who knows how they'd react?"
With a new course of action in mind, he decided to return to his room.
Back in his room
As he stepped inside, the first thing he noticed was the patch of disturbed dirt in the center of the floor. With a simple movement, he manipulated the earth, seamlessly restoring it to its original state. Fortunately, they were on the first floor, so his entry and exit had gone unnoticed.
Scanning the room, his gaze softened at the sight before him.
Wang Yue was fast asleep on his bed.
A small chuckle escaped his lips. "Well, it's no surprise she's exhausted."
He walked over to her quietly and pulled a blanket over her, tucking it in gently. As he did, he noticed a faint frown forming on her sleeping face, her expression betraying a hint of discomfort. Without thinking, he reached out and brushed a hand through her hair, his touch light and soothing.
"Don't worry," he murmured softly. "Everything's going to be fine."