After returning to Farport by raft, Leon—with Casey on his back—walked with Livia and Cyrill toward the town square. They headed for a bar that had been nearly leveled during the previous night's fighting to meet up with Dustin, Hugo, and Valen. As they stepped inside, Dustin quickly pulled out chairs for the newcomers. Leon carefully settled Casey into her seat and took the spot next to her.
"Alright, now that we're all here: Livia and I need to get back to Hargar today. I'm leaving the operations here in your hands. Where is Lord Malcolm?" Leon asked.
"He's already headed back to Mirriad to manage things from that side via the Toreno route. Meanwhile, the bandits have gone back west to gather everyone and move them to Toreno Castle, just like we planned," Hugo answered.
"Good. Don't forget to bring your mother along, too," Livia added.
"It's already handled, Livia. Thank you for allowing my mother to stay at the castle," Hugo said, bowing his head gratefully.
"It's no problem. Once everyone arrives and is settled in, close off the borders to the west and the central territories immediately. We'll deal with them later," Livia ordered.
"I understand," Hugo replied.
"Valen, can you stay here with Hugo to keep everything under control?" Leon asked.
"I can, Your Maj—uh, Leon," Valen answered, her eyes fixed on Casey.
"Ah, that's right. You're Casey's big sister. I guess I should be asking for your blessing, shouldn't I?" Leon said, putting his arm around a blushing Casey.
"O-of course, Your Majesty. Please, take care of my sister," Valen said, forcing a smile.
"Thank you, big sister," Casey added.
"Be happy, Casey. I truly mean it. You've been locked up in Arlington Palace for so long without any freedom; now, you're finally free," Valen said with a soft smile.
"I am, sister. I'm so grateful for everything," Casey replied.
"May I come with you, Your Majesty Leon, Your Majesty Livia?" Dustin asked.
"Alright, you're with us. We're leaving right now. We'll be back once the main army from the Dark Continent arrives—hopefully tomorrow or the day after," Leon answered.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Dustin said with a bow.
"Slam!" The door suddenly swung open. Everyone turned to see Noah and Esme walk in. Casey's face lit up when she saw them.
"Noah... Esme... you guys made it too?" Casey asked.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Esme answered.
"Y-yes, we came here with Lady Valentina," Noah added.
"Who are they?" Leon asked.
Casey quickly explained who Esme and Noah were. Upon hearing their story, Leon stood up and walked over to them. Seeing Leon approach, Noah and Esme immediately dropped to one knee, but Leon caught them and told them to stand up.
"Thank you for helping Casey and bringing her here. I'm going to give you each a house in Farport. You're free now to do whatever you want with your lives," Leon said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. But please, allow me to continue serving Lady Cassandra and Lady Valentina," Esme said, bowing her head.
"Me too, Your Majesty. Let me be their guard," Noah added with a bow.
Leon looked at Casey, then back at the determined faces of Esme and Noah.
"Alright. From this moment on, Esme is the personal maid for Casey and Valen, and Noah is their personal guard," Leon declared.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Noah and Esme said together.
"Okay, let's head out. Livia, Cyrill, and Dustin—we're going to Hargar by sea," Leon said.
Leon walked back to Casey to pick her up again, but Esme stepped forward and unfolded a wheelchair.
"I'll just use the wheelchair, Leon," Casey said.
"Fine by me. I'll push you. Oh, and Esme, Noah—you're coming with us too," Leon said.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the two replied with a bow.
"Hugo, Valen, I'm leaving this region in your hands for now. Please manage things and coordinate with Lord Malcolm regarding the troop distribution at Toreno Castle, and keep a close eye on the high-value prisoners at Steelhold," Leon said.
"Got it, Leon. Leave it to us," Hugo replied.
"We promise we won't let you or Livia down," Valen added.
"Thank you. Livia and I are counting on you," Leon said.
"That's right. We're heading out now," Livia added.
With that, Leon pushed Casey's wheelchair as Livia, Cyrill, Dustin, Noah, and Esme followed him out of the bar toward the harbor. Hugo and Valen remained inside, clutching their drinks. After a moment of silence, Valen raised her glass.
"Congratulations. The bandit king just got promoted to ruler of the Toreno region, even if it is only temporary," Valen said.
"Congrats to you, too," Hugo replied, raising his glass back. "Promoted from a Valkyrie to the King's sister-in-law."
"Clink." They tapped their glasses together and downed their drinks in one go. Then, Valen looked down. Her face was clouded with deep sadness, though she didn't cry. Hugo noticed and reached across the table to take her hand.
"What's wrong?" Hugo asked.
"Nothing... it's just... I hope Leon treats Casey well, not like the lords or emperors I've known. When Dustin told me this morning, honestly, I panicked. I almost didn't agree to it. But when I saw Casey's face just now... everything I wanted to say just disappeared," Valen admitted.
"I hope so, too. But for some reason, I trust Leon. It's not just because of what I saw in my visions, but seeing how he acts around Casey. It's obvious he's willing to go through a lot of trouble for her, even though he's a king. What I'm trying to say is, he's different from the rest," Hugo replied.
"You're right. Sorry, I just finally reunited with Casey after everything we went through, and now we have to part ways again," Valen said.
"Hey, it's only for a few days. Besides, you've got me here," Hugo said.
"Haha... you're right. Thanks," Valen replied.
"So, does that mean you're accepting my proposal?" Hugo asked.
"What proposal?" Valen asked.
"Ugh... forget it," Hugo sighed. "What a stupid fox," Hugo thought to himself in frustration.
"Grr... why are you asking about a proposal at a time like this, you stupid wolf," Valen thought to herself, equally annoyed.
***
A few hours later, at an inn in the city of Hargar, "aah," Lucia lay on the bed, breathless and completely naked. She glanced at Calvin beside her, who was also catching his breath, equally unclothed. Lucia looked toward the window, climbed out of bed, and walked over to look down at the street in front of the inn. Seeing Lucia standing by the window in the nude while it was still late afternoon, Calvin quickly sat up.
"Lucia, please put some clothes on if you're going to stand in front of the window," Calvin said.
"Hmm... it's fine. My gut is telling me Leon and Livia are on their way back," Lucia replied.
"Knock... knock." "Come in!" Lucia shouted when she heard the door. The door opened, and Gwen, standing on the other side, was momentarily stunned by the view inside the room. She quickly tried to regain her composure.
"Ehem... Lucia, a report just came in. A demon warship has been spotted from the harbor. It looks like it's coming from Farport," Gwen said.
"Hmm... alright. Leon and Livia are here. Let's head to the harbor," Lucia said, still staring out the window with her back to Gwen.
"Right. I'll go on ahead," Gwen replied, glancing at Calvin and giving him a quick thumbs-up then closed the door.
Lucia closed the curtains and walked over to her pile of clothes. She began dressing immediately, then looked at Calvin, who was sitting on the bed looking hesitant.
"Hey, what's wrong? Get dressed. We have to get to the harbor, remember?" Lucia said casually.
"It's nothing... it's just that I don't know your siblings. I feel a bit awkward," Calvin admitted.
"I'll introduce you," Lucia replied.
"But... is it really okay? You know what my status is," Calvin asked, worried about being the Emperor's illegitimate son.
"It's fine. They'll understand. That's exactly why you need to be by my side to welcome them," Lucia answered.
"Alright," Calvin said, throwing back the covers and getting out of bed.
Once they were dressed, the two left the inn and headed straight for the harbor. Theo, Gwen, Lulu, Mariana, Isabel, and Patrick from House Levent were already waiting there. Lucia and Calvin joined them. Theo handed his binoculars to Lucia, who immediately scanned the horizon to the west. She spotted a black warship sailing toward the port.
"They're almost here," Lucia said.
"Yeah. Judging by the ship's speed, it doesn't look like they're carrying a full army," Theo noted.
"True. That means the takeover of the Toreno region was a success," Lucia said.
"You guys are truly incredible. In just two days, you managed to conquer the Toreno region—a place even the lords were afraid to touch because of their navy," Mariana remarked.
"With Mirriad and Levent siding with us, Nortrom is now trapped in the middle. That was our goal from the very beginning," Lucia said.
"But Mirriad working with us? That's unbelievable. Who managed to convince that stubborn old man?" Patrick asked.
"We'll find out the whole story soon enough," Lucia replied.
They stood at the edge of the pier, waiting for the warship as it cut through the water toward the Hargar docks.