"Raise your heads!"

  Almodeus said in an authoritative tone to his subordinates, as he sat on his throne, which was actually a comfortable office armchair. C stood to his left, while Almodea and Hirashi stood to his right. The other higher-ranking subordinates were also present in the room, while two Black Knights stood on guard at the door.

  The two undead were there more out of habit than utility. At that moment, in the throne room, there were beings of immeasurable power, capable of destroying entire universes as if nothing had happened. Only an ignorant fool would attempt to breach the tower and disturb them.

  "Shockwave. Can you stand up and explain what you found inside the heads of Captain Bork and his subordinates?"

  The Absolute Lord asked, motioning for the robot to stand up. He obeyed without a fuss and began staring at his master.

  "In the minds of that humans I found various knowledge about this world, such as magic and some trivial information about the history of the Theocracy of Reia..."

  Almodeus seemed pleased by this. The Theocracy was the strongest of the human powers in that part of the continent; more information meant a greater chance of victory in a possible war. Not that victory was in doubt in the first place, but at least they would have suffered the fewest possible losses.

  "Good. Very good, Shockwave! Anything else?"

  The drone shook his head, responding in his usual cold and emotionless tone.

  "Unfortunately, not. It seems that part of his memories has been erased by something. The cortical connection is unable to reconstruct completely removed data."

  Too bad, but it's not such a big problem ...

  The Absolute Lord sighed at the news. Knowing who had sent Bork would be an excellent starting point for putting pressure on the Theocracy. From what he understood, the men he had faced must have been among the nation's best. According to Gareth, they answered directly to the Twelve Cardinals. If he could figure out which one had sent them, he could subjugate them through threats, without the use of a doppelganger.

  That type of monster was efficient, but not infallible. If Almodues had to infiltrate the Theocracy to replace one of the cardinals and act as a mole, he would need to have much more information about their internal organization.

  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. They could always swap in a random one of the officers and hope for the best, but if the doppelganger were discovered, the Theocracy would certainly ramp up security to the max, making it difficult to insert a second one in the future.

  The Absolute Lord couldn't underestimate his opponent. Strength wasn't just measured in one-on-one combat, but also in resource management and leadership skills.

  Mistakes must be kept to a minimum, especially on my part. I'm the boss, I have to set a good example.

  Almodeus nodded at his own reasoning, then returned his attention to the subordinate in front of him.

  "I see. Bork's leaders probably didn't want to be discovered. I was hoping your technology could also recover lost memories..."

  "Unfortunately, I have yet to understand the logic of this world. For now I am, with Soundwave's help, trying to gain information on the Empire. So far, it is the nation with which we have the best relations after your rescue of Captain Gareth, Absolute Lord."

  Almodeus couldn't blame Shockwave. He knew himself how difficult it was to adapt to the new world. Everything was pristine, waiting to be discovered. Deep down, he had to admit, he was content with this lack of knowledge he possessed. He could have learned many new things.

  The red A on his chest began to throb with excitement. Almodeus knew almost everything about his home world, so he often got bored during quiet moments, especially when he was alone. His wife had her own things to do, and Almodea was eighteen, so she was still discovering herself - without his help -as was only right.

  The Absolute Lord had to compose himself, then slammed his fist on the desk in front of him. He hadn't done it out of anger, but to vent the energy generated by his thirst for knowledge.

  "I like this initiative, Shockwave! We need to be as autonomous as possible to survive. In that regard, I wanted to let everyone know about a plan I'm developing."

  Upon hearing those words, the eyes of those present focused on Almodeus, visibly interested. However, one of the subordinates, Sergio, raised his hand, waiting for the word.

  "Excuse me for interrupting, Lord Almodeus, but I wanted to let you know that Conrad and I are still trying to figure out how to exploit this world's economy to our advantage. We apologize in advance for our slowness..."

  The demon shook his head and reassured his subordinate with a wave of his hand.

  "It's not a problem! It's all new, and I have a lot to figure out, too. Anyway... Getting back to my plan, it's divided into two phases, each of which will initially be independent, but as they develop, everything will become clearer. Let's start with the first..."

  He turned his right eye towards C and his left eye towards Hirashi.

  "C and Hirashi. Can you come in front of me?"

  The two women obeyed and stood before him.

  "The first phase will be called Masquerade. The two of you will have to infiltrate the society of one of the nations under a false name and obtain information."

  It was dangerous to send his wife on a mission outside, but with Hirashi, she would be safe. Almodeus had done his calculations well. C was one of the most intelligent among them, and keeping her locked up in the tower wouldn't allow her to express herself to the fullest, not to mention that she was a great economist. She would figure out how to gain the trust of the noble families in a week at most, maybe even a day.

  He also wanted to let her out a little. Almodeus had always been a protective husband, but perhaps he'd gone too far at times. He had to give her the chance to take risks. If she'd gotten hurt, he'd intervene immediately, but preventing his wife from enjoying life was considered abusive, so letting her out a little would allow her to let go.

  "That's fine by me, my love. But I don't want to force Hirashi to do something he doesn't want to do. She's a guest! Not your subordinate..."

  C objected, not entirely agreeing with the proposal. Hirashi was like a second daughter to her, and she didn't like the idea of forcing her to do something as if she were a common servant, using the excuse of her great power. Even though Almodeus was the undisputed leader of the Fear Tower, that didn't apply when his daughter or wife were involved.

  If he had a hard time saying no to the first, he didn't want to contradict the second. It might have seemed strange, but C was the leader of the couple. They had a relationship based on mutual listening; neither imposed themselves on anyone else. If C said no, it was no. Not even Almodeus could do anything about it, except try to change her mind.

  As my friend Abadon always said: “In a relationship, one is always right, the other is the husband.”

  His conversations with his friend came back to him. The Demon of Courage was married to an angel, a certain Kyle. She was a fiery woman, to say the least. She held her husband by the balls and was unchallenged in the home. If C was dominant, Kyle was tyrannical.

  Almodeus miled at the memories of the times he and his rival spoke ironically about their wives. They remained respectful, but a touch of satire and exaggeration were never lacking.

  I still remember when he asked me to come and sleep at my house because his wife had sulked at him after he had judged one of her dishes as only “good” and not “excellent” or “superb”.

  The Absolute Lord sighed, overcome by a deep sense of melancholy. Unfortunately, those happy moments were just a distant memory.

  "I know, and in fact mine wasn't really an order, more of an explanation..."

  Almodeus replied, his mind snapping back to reality. He shifted his gaze to Hirashi, looking straight into her emotionless, purple eyes.

  "Hirashi, if you don't want to do it, I won't force you. Don't feel obligated to repay the hospitality. You're like a sister to my daughter Almodea, and for that very reason, I'm the one indebted."

  Hearing this, Hirashi took a step forward. She clearly had a lot to say, but decided to limit herself.

  "May I just ask what my task will consist of, Lord Almodeus?"

  "For the umpteenth time: you can simply call me Almodeus. However, you and C will have to play the part of a wealthy noblewoman and her personal servant. I believe that's the cover that attracts the least prying eyes..."

  "I'll have to protect C, then?"

  "Exactly! You're the second most powerful being here. I believe C is in good hands with you. Your father, Shockwave, trusts you very much, and so do I..."

  Hirashi looked over her shoulder, at her father, as if seeking confirmation of what she'd just heard. After a few seconds, she returned the attention to Almodeus, bowing the head in respect.

  "Thank you, I will not betray this trust. I accept the assignment..."

  "Sorry to spoil the moment, but we overlooked a little problem."

  Almodea intervened, moving toward her sister. She had remained silent until then, but seemed to have an objection.

  "I understand casting my mother for the role because she's very human-like, and with a spell or something no one could say that she is a demon. But no one will ever believe that a woman that is a mountain of muscles, white-skinned and taller than teen feet like Hirashi is human! Am I the only one who see the problem here? We'll draw too much attention, won't we?"

  "Your objection makes me proud, my daughter. However, we have already thought of a solution. Right, Shockwave?"

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Once summoned, the robot stood up and walked towards his adopted daughter, handing her a blue bracelet with a small red button on it.

  "Father...What is it?"

  "It's a holographic projector. It allows the wearer to create an illusion."

  Once the button was pressed, the machine activated, causing her giant to transform into a woman with human-like pale skin, wearing clothes similar to the originals, but adapted to the buff physique of the illusion.

  "Wow! I never would have recognized you, Hirashi. You're much less imposing than usual... But still incredibly sexy!"

  Almodea commented ironically, noting that the bracelet had reduced Hirashi's height to just over two meters. Surprising for a human, but pale in comparison to the bulk of most of those present. In theory, Hirashi herself, in her standard form, was the tallest of those present, second only to Almodeus.

  "It's just a holographic projection. To us it looks like another person, but in reality, the underlying subject is always the same. It's like an illusory spell."

  Shockwave corrected the demoness, turning off the device. Hirashi's original form returned to everyone's view, much to Almodea's disappointment, who for a few minutes had been taller than her older sister, albeit pretending.

  "Very well, this will keep us from getting caught even by revelation magic. However, Hirashi, I have one more reason to ask you to accompany C...."

  The giant woman raised an eyebrow, slightly curious.

  "Which is…?"

  Almodeus began moving toward his daughter. He considered carefully what to say next, knowing that the topic was very important to Hirashi.

  "Because, if your mother Nikusa was truly transported here with us, you'd have a better chance of finding her wandering around a city than staying locked in a tower, don't you think?"

  "Thank you.That really means a lot to me. I owe you..."

  "Don't joke! I am the one in debt, as I already said..."

  "We could spend some time together, Hirashi! I don't mind playing the part of a rich girl, you know?"

  C added, laughing heartily. She loved spending time with Hirashi, and now they had an excuse to do so.

  "Aren't you already rich?"

  The serious response was accompanied by a smile from the white giant, a rare occurrence.

  "I love that there's all this cheer, despite the situation. However, we just need to find a house for you to use..."

  "I have an idea! The nobleman who owns Anna's village, the one you saved has a villa in the Empire's capital; we could try to buy that one..."

  Morello proposed, having remained silent until that moment.

  "Yes, we need to buy the village too, so we can use it to experiment on this world..."

  Cortex added. The idea appealed to Almodeus's ears. An entire village to use as a playground? Funny.

  "I can go and see how much they want for those lands and the villa, but we'll have to find a way to earn money..."

  C's proposal didn't surprise anyone, given her high level of negotiation skill. It also raised another problem: how to make money in this new world? They could have used the gold they possessed in large quantities, but it would have left traces for potential enemies

  "And here we return to the two phases of my plan, the second of which will be called Farse. Almodea and I will pose as mercenaries, so as to earn money from the Monster Hunters and Adventurers' Guild."

  "Really? Yay! I'm going to kill some monsters! This is going to be so fucking awesome!"

  Almodea's enthusiasm was palpable; she loved this kind of thing. Maybe she could find some dragons to keep as pets. She loved the idea of ??being an undercover super secret agent. Given her strength, the adventure would be on Easy-Mode.

  "Yeah, but we should disguise ourselves! We can't draw attention, but we can draw do so to the image we project of us! I already have something in mind."

  "Excuse me, but shouldn't Almodea's mother, that is me, give her opinion on the matter?"

  "Of course, my love. What do you think?"

  "I-I'm fine with that...As long as she doesn't get hurt!"

  C blushed slightly, but hid it by turning sideways and speaking in a tone of mock insult. Of the two of them, she was the stern parent, but she melled under her husband's sweet words.

  "Don't worry, Mom! I'm tough!"

  As the various family members argued, Smaug began to release hot steam from his body, warming the room. He raised his hand and waited for the word.

  "Forgive my interruption, Lord Almodeus, but I had a doubt...What do you intend to do with Captain Gareth Stronghold?"

  The demon seemed surprised by the question, but at the same time intrigued. It wasn't like Smaug to ask such things or to ask questions in general. He and Hardshell were more like brutes, not thinkers.

  "I still have to decide, why?"

  "I witnessed the fight between the Imperial Captain and the members of the Theocracy. While he is extremely weak compared to us, the Battle Arts could be crucial knowledge that could come in handy..."

  The Absolute Lord nodded. He was of the same opinion.

  "What do you have in mind, my loyal soldier?"

  Smaug let out more hot steam, considering what answer he could give to his master.

  "You could ask him to work for us..."

  Almodeus raised an eyebrow at his subordinate. It was a very interesting idea, indeed.

  I didn't expect this from Smaug…Better than nothing.

  "I have other things on my mind for now, but I'll take your suggestion into consideration, Smaug! Excellent work! I want everyone to follow his example and share their ideas, so everyone can weigh in!"

  He looked around, as if urging the others to speak up, but no one spoke. The Absolute Lord sighed at the lack of questions and decided to leave it at that. He would have preferred to discuss things further with his subordinates, but he couldn't force them to express their opinions, otherwise it would have the opposite effect to what he wanted.

  "Good, the meeting is adjourned! Everyone, except Almodea, can leave..."

  He said, ordering his office to be cleared. It had been a long meeting, after all. Now he needed to speak privately with his daughter.

  It was an interesting meeting. Knowing that Hirashi is completely on our side gives us a significant advantage. Plus, seeing everyone so cooperative will allow us to get off to a flying start.

  Almodea reasoned, visibly happy with how the meeting had gone.

  "Um...Dad, what did you have to talk to me about?"

  His daughter asked him; her words laced with uncertainty. Almodeus noticed that and sighed.

  Why? I've never been a strict parent! Yet, some time, when I'm alone with her, Almodea worries I'll scold her! This is also why I want to spend more time with her. I don't want her to fear me so much; it's a little excessive. It hurts the heart I don't have.

  After thinking for a few minutes, Almodeus raised his right hand towards his daughter and answered her in a calm, reassuring tone.

  "Calm down, Almodea. You've been doing great so far. I just want to talk to you about our monster hunting cover."

  The girl suddenly calmed down and smiled at her father, who smiled back, pleased with how easy it was to reassure his daughter.

  Almodea was someone whose moods was alarmingly volatile: she could go from ditzy and cheerful, to fierce and brutal, and then back to gentle, as if nothing had happened.

  "Can I put on a cloak?"

  The demoness asked, elated. She really wanted to wear a cape or a military uniform. It was probably to emulate some anime characters she'd seen in her pajama party with Hirashi. Almodea's favorites were strong and tough women.

  "Yeah, I think I'll wear armor, or something else...Would you like to go to the Guild? So, we can understand how it works..."

  His daughter nodded and smiled, agreeing with him.

  "Well, little spot! Let's go get ready!"

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Gareth walked through the corridors of the royal palace, located in Noxastatus, the capital of the Nexia Empire. He greeted some patrolling soldiers and headed toward the meeting room.

  As he passed Princess Arianne's bedroom, he caught sight of the person standing before the door. It was a young, blond boy of sixteen: his name was Finn. He was Princess Arianne's personal guardian, her only guard and exclusive servant. If addressed to Finn, Arianne's orders carried authority beyond even that of the Emperor himself. She was fortunate that her father loved her so much so that he had not yet married her off to any nobleman.

  "How's it going, Finn?"

  Gareth greeted him. The boy immediately stood at attention, his expression serious and respectful.

  "E-Everything fine, Sir Stronghold! Are you well? I heard you were attacked!"

  "Relax, boy. There's no need to be so formal! I'm ok, by the way."

  "Er...Sir Stronghold, I cannot speak to my superior as if they were my equal!"

  The big man sighed and approached, towering over the young boy.

  "You can just call me Gareth, but if you want to call me Sir Gareth, I'll grant you that. By the way, is the Princess in her room? She spends a lot of time there..."

  Princess Arianne, also known as Golden Beauty - or other similar epithets- was a sixteen-year-old girl, intelligent, kind and loving, but far from the average princess. Of the Emperor's four children, she was the most beloved by the people, as she was the closest to them. She often visited children in orphanages and she made various offers to improve the living standards of the lower classes.

  It was outside one of these that she met Finn, having him brought to the palace to be her personal bodyguard, even though he was only eleven at the time.

  I can't believe it's already been five years since then ...

  Gareth thought, getting lost in his memories.

  "Oh, Sir Stronghold! How nice to see you!"

  A candid, loving voice caught his attention. There she was, Princess Arianne Tudor Igvana Raizelf. She was beauty personified, hands down the most beautiful woman in the Empire - if Gareth were to say so, at least.

  "There's no need to use the Sir, Princess. To you, I'm just Captain Gareth."

  I never imagined that a commoner like me, the lowest social class in the Empire, would see the Princess bow before him, I risk hanging for this...

  "There's no need to be humble, Sir Stronghold! You have saved this Empire dozens of times and are our strongest soldier. I must thank you or show you respect in some way..."

  The Princess smiled warmly at the soldier, managing to elicit a genuine sense of happiness from the normally stoic Gareth.

  It's amazing that she's so mature at sixteen. She's definitely the sweetest of the Emperor's four children.

  "Princess, I appreciate what you say..."

  He admitted, bowing toward her. She was surprised by his gesture, so much so that she approached the Captain to say something, but a distant voice beat her to it.

  "Captain Gareth, there's no need to bow! We owe you a lot...I owe you a lot..."

  The Imperial Captain eyes widened in surprise. He knew that voice well, but he was still astonished by its humility. Garteh turned toward the newcomer, locking eyes with an elderly man intently using a scepter as a staff.

  "Your Majesty! I cannot be so cowardly as not to show respect to our Emperor and his family!"

  The mere fact that Emperor Jarvan IV allows me to be his personal guard is an honor that cannot be tainted with such disrespect as to consider me his equal.

  Gareth thought, bowing to the elder, followed closely by Finn. Even though he was only a commoner, the Emperor treated him as an equal. Gareth had been powerless to do anything but become his most faithful servant.

  "Don't talk nonsense, Captain! The Empire owes you a great deal, old friend...Especially an apology for allowing you to walk into a Theocracy ambush!"

  The emperor approached and bowed his head to Gareth, who stood and opened his mouth in shock. To say he was astonished would be an understatement. His sovereign's humility always amazed him.

  If only his children were like him or Arianne.

  "Your Majesty! It's not necessary! I was only doing my duty as an Imperial Captain!"

  The old man slowly raised his head and looked him in the eye. Although he was already in his seventies, His Majesty possessed one of the most indomitable spirits in the Empire. Seeing that look made the Captain proud to serve such a man.

  "That's true, but it doesn't excuse my weakness in allowing such a possibility to happen. I failed to protect one of my citizens, just as I failed to prevent the split into the two factions..."

  Gareth's eyes widened. Sadly, the Emperor was right. The break between the two factions had occurred during a moment of weakness on the part of the sovereign. A decade earlier, Jarvan IV's beloved wife had fallen gravely ill with an incurable disease. She had become incapable of performing the most basic tasks or even recognizing her loved ones.

  He couldn't blame the Emperor for taking time off from his duties to spend time with his dying wife. However, he was to blame for leaving the government to his eldest son, the arrogant Prince Bilius Barbaros Igvana Raizelf. Thirsty for power, the Prince had allowed himself to be manipulated by the nobles, ultimately creating the rift that still threatened the stability of the Empire.

  If he had left the command to his second son, perhaps this would not have happened.

  In the Empire of Nexia, the eldest son inherited everything, while daughters were married off at the first opportunity. Other sons became deputies or servants to the eldest. However, if the Emperor had left command to the cadet Prince Zangan Valor Igvana Raizelf, the second son, would have been the next. He was terrible with the sword, truly pathetic, but his strength lay in his intelligence. Zangan was, hands down, the most intelligent of the Emperor's four sons, at least according to Gareth.

  "Your Majesty..."

  He started to approach, but the Emperor raised his right hand, signaling him to stop.

  "Captain, we're lucky to have you still here with us, and we have that sorcerer to thank. What was his name?"

  I had already told the Emperor the name, but I can't expect him to remember everything...

  Gareth sighed and smiled.

  "Almodeus. Lord Almodeus..."

  The Emperor nodded, determined not to forget that name a second time.

  "Thank you, Captain Gareth. I'll try to pass on my thanks, even though we have no idea where he lives."

  Actually, I didn't ask Lord Almodeus where he lived. I assumed he lived near the village, but none of them had ever seen him before that day.

  Gareth remembered the moment he'd said goodbye to Almodeus. A few days had passed since that mysterious meeting, and thinking about the sorcerer intrigued him; there was something about that man that both attracted him and gave him goosebumps.

  "Could you accompany me to the meeting, Captain?"

  The Emperor's words brought Gareth back to reality. He nodded and began moving with His Majesty toward the meeting hall.

  Lord Almodeus...I'm in his debt. I wonder what he's doing now?