Stella looked at the Elf and scratched the side of her head. Technically, he had obtained a partial abolition for his crime from Empress Irene. An act of mercy the spy didn't deserve in the Faé Queen's opinion. However, his cooperation would most certainly help bring the lost Inquisitor back home. The last days had been busy, the Elf was training so as not to be a burden on Arthur and he only received enough sleep last night to be alert upon arrival. They had a single chance to send him so Stella had prepared a few backup plans. Gallindor was outfitted with light armour which provided him with the best protection in its class. He seemed proud of the Inquisitorial crest on its chest and, at least, of that Stella could understand. He was equipped with gear specially tailored for him. Sleek, short blades rested horizontally on his back, easily accessible with either hand, and were his only visible weapons. But in truth, he was equipped with an entire arsenal of deadly weapons spatially hidden in a few very specialised enchanted items. He was also carrying survival gear, a half-year's worth of MREs and Stella made sure he was proficient with fire and water magic.

  There was no point sending him anywhere if he died from starvation or dehydration.

  In his spatial storage, the Elf had three Praetorians. While Vampires could learn the teleportation spell and were technically undead, they couldn't be carried in a spatial storage. Studying their differences was going to be a separate research subject later on but, for now, it only mattered that skeleton-based monsters could be spatially stored without any issues. The Emperor debated with the Empresses whether they should send more Legionnaires but, while the idea was tempting, they had no idea of Arthur's situation. Sending an entire Legion was impossible due to the limitations of the spatial storage, even these Legionnaires alone would be a capable fighting force. However, if Arthur managed to establish a friendly relationship with the locals, the arrival of an Arcadian army could send a wrong message. It was even more likely that Arthur had stayed hidden and the arrival of a fraction of the Immortal Legion could trigger another war.

  That's why Emperor Theon begrudgingly sent only three Praetorians. While no single one of them was capable of casting Teleportation magic, all Praetorians knew how to register their coordinates. The next step would be straightforward. One of them would die and return to their spawner with the destination location. After that, it would be a simple matter of waiting for his respawn and sending a destroyer to pick up the Inquisitor. However, that ideal plan might not work at all. They had already tried to send stored Praetorians through the relay and failed. Ian theorised that maybe the presence of a person would lift the Array's restrictions. However, they had to prepare a backup plan or, to be precise, a few of them.

  Over the span of the last few days, Stella had conducted a series of experiments. After the war with Vestargo, it was common knowledge that familiars didn't exactly die. When receiving fatal wounds, they were knocked out and de-summoned. A penalty for such a 'death' was severe: an entire month cooldown before they could be summoned again and a loss of half of their total levels. The most important question in that experimental option was whether it was possible to undo the familiar contract and what would happen to the person and monster afterwards. One of the sentenced criminals was chosen and a test was begun. The first results weren't encouraging. Both contract holders suffered a horrible backlash. Usually, the side that broke the contract was severely punished. However, the last test was almost a success when both parties agreed, voluntarily, to void their familiar contract. There was a huge problem with it however: the monster always turned wild instead of returning as a denizen of the Dungeon. It was possible to reclaim the monster but only when Stella touched them. That meant that only a Scion could recapture them but, even then, the memories of the monster basically reverted to the moment when they entered the familiar contract.

  That ended that venue of research.

  Their last resort was a brute force approach. Since they were already certain that a familiar could be transported with their master, Gallindor needed a familiar that could potentially fly across the ocean and reach Aderon. The choice was pretty obvious no matter how hard Arani protested. A Wyvern. They could spend entire months in the air without tiring so, in theory, they could return to Avalon if they managed to guess the correct direction. However, that was still better than nothing. While Wyverns couldn't learn how to record the teleportation coordinates, that problem could be bypassed by an automated system Ian had already developed. This option combined with the most powerful radio a Wyvern could carry without much hindrance could be the best last resort plan they had.

  She glanced at the Elf for the last time and handed him a sealed scroll she had received from Empress Irene. Stella was only supposed to give it to him if he obeyed all his orders and actively helped their effort.

  "You will give it to Arthur Ives," Stella said and inspected the man for the last time. He wouldn't be more ready than now.

  "Yes, Lady Stella!" He instantly stored the scroll in his spatial inventory.

  Suddenly, Stella had an idea. Instead of stepping away, she grabbed Gallindor's hand.

  "The subsequent experiments will be quick, even disappointingly short but, most probably, this is our farewell. Or not, if holding on is enough to fool the failsafe of the Array." She lifted the Elf's hand with a smirk while he stiffened nervously. "Initiate transfer."

  Her firm voice echoed slightly in the vast transfer chamber but nothing happened.

  "The array refuses to engage, Stella." Ian's voice came from the speaker system. "You have to leave the room but I guess it was worth a shot."

  "I really hoped that would work." Stella sighed, slightly disappointed and immediately stepped away from the platform without even looking back.

  Gallindor exhaled and drew a simple spear.

  "Ready!" He proclaimed but his voice cracked a bit. In theory, he should be flung to another continent. But no one knew for sure.

  "All right. Commencing trial two... Fail." Ian's voice came from the speakers. "The array probably detected the Praetorians in your spatial storage. Take them out."

  "Yes, Sir!" He focused and took out the terrifying soldiers.

  He had made vows of secrecy but upon learning that the man ruling Arcadia was a mighty Hero and a Dungeon Core only reassured him in his resolve to prove himself absolutely loyal. Learning that the Emperor commanded entire Legions of absolutely loyal Dungeon monsters was another secret he would never reveal. The three of them simply nodded and, although they didn't say a word, they somehow looked disappointed. The Elf swallowed and took another deep breath.

  "Ready!" He tightened his grip on the spear.

  "I almost forgot. Good luck." Ian said cheerfully. "Commencing trial three..."

  With a bright flash of light, the Ancient Teleportation Array activated and the Elf vanished. Ian looked at Stella who wasn't very happy.

  Stolen story; please report.

  "I believe that we still missed something." She finally sighed and put her hands on her hips.

  "Yeah... Maybe." He shrugged. "But I think now we have a decent chance of eventually receiving the information we need."

  "I need to report this." She reluctantly nodded and vanished.

  ???

  The subjugation of the remaining Dungeons was as swift as I expected. I also began to understand why those Dungeons pushed their luck by fighting. All of them had willingly participated in Vestargo's cruelty. Seven Dungeons... It was almost wasteful to execute them. I was slightly reluctant to do so and, unfortunately, I had a good reason to keep them. Among all the Dungeons I had executed, so far, only one had been born. That was why, for the time being, I decided to seal their Cores and keep those Dungeons running under my supervision until we could learn more about Dungeon spawning rules. Each Dungeon under my control significantly increased the power of Arcadia. Fortunately, I had enough loyal subordinates so I could assign them to supervise an additional location. For the time being, those Dungeons weren't particularly needed and hopefully new ones would appear soon.

  "My Lord!" Stella appeared in front of me and gently bowed.

  "So you managed to send him..." I said as I looked at her.

  "Indeed." She sighed. "Unfortunately, we could only send him with a familiar. I still have my doubts about him."

  "You’re not alone. Still, Irene said that though he might have tried to kill her, right now he is useful. It's also unfair that Irene used Cahrona's circumstance to remind me that even the people who wanted to kill us can change." I sighed. "Anything else?"

  "No, Lord Theon." Stella bowed to me and vanished.

  "Always in a rush." I chuckled to myself and stood up.

  "She wasn't always like that," Amber said softly.

  "No." I smiled. "But she is happy now."

  "She is. Stella always loved her experiments." My redhead beauty nodded with a charming smile dancing on her lips. She put away a single-paper report and looked at me. "It looks like Cassmira found a way of detecting the Demon's barriers. Luna and Cahrona are dispatching Inquisitors and Marines' Pathfinders to search every spot we suspected earlier."

  "Excellent news! They found a nodule under Re-kari's Dungeon?" I smiled in relief. I will have to thank Cassmira properly once she returns.

  "They found a Gate." Amber's smile slowly vanished. "The problem is that they can't open it."

  "Damn it..." I rubbed the back of my head.

  "Luna says that the Gate will open on its own since they had purified the site and shattered the sealing spells." Amber shrugged.

  "Well... She's usually right so we have to wait for now."

  "Yes." My wife leaned back in her chair and looked at the large map of Arcadia on my desk. "You wanted to discuss something?"

  "Yes." I tapped the map with the proposed Arcadian border. "What do you think about this?"

  "You want to annex the land north of... Silvermist River? I have never heard of it before."

  "Tia came up with the name." I grinned, making her pout.

  "Unfair! I want to name something as well!"

  "Go on then. There are plenty of unnamed things." I laughed but she seemed to take it seriously. I tapped the map. "I plan to record the Arcadian border as being along the Silvermist River."

  "It’s a wasteland so it's not like anyone has claims to that anyway." She tilted her head cutely. "I know that you have your reasons for that particular border, but you must forgive my ignorance. Why exactly there? Why don't you annex the entirety of the Western Plains?"

  "Our homeland is big enough already, my Sweetheart." I laughed, but only briefly. "However, a river is a strategic defence line."

  "Even if it can't stop an airship?" She blinked surprised.

  "But it will slow infantry." I nodded with a soft smile. "It is also a visible line that shows the edge of Arcadia. Beyond this line, vast armies of the Empire are standing guard over the peace of those lands."

  "I certainly like the sound of it. But I don't exactly know why we are discussing it." She was still confused.

  I opened and closed my mouth. In fact, I couldn't even explain why I was so bothered by this. Maybe it was because no one was going to fight back? Maybe it seemed wrong because of my prejudices from my previous life? Or maybe because I was looking for some validation? Once Amber pointed that out, I realised that it was a feeling as if I were asking my wife if I could annex a neighbour's yard. Although, there were no neighbours to begin with. I snorted in amusement.

  "You are right. I just feel the need to discuss this matter thoroughly with everyone."

  "I don't mind that. However, I acknowledge the logic of expanding towards the river from a military perspective. As your Prime Minister, I would encourage you to quickly take appropriate steps to secure the river as the new border of the Empire."

  She smiled warmly and put away her pen. It looked simple but it was anything but that. I had worked Ian, Ragnar, and Verni for days until they reproduced a fountain pen. Then, they worked toward perfecting it until they had created the masterpiece that Amber and the rest of my wives loved using. Made of platinum and mythril, the pen provided the smoothest writing experience in Aderon and, possibly, in the entire world.

  "All right..." I smiled and inhaled the fresh spring air. "I will announce the expansion during our next NATO leaders gathering."

  ???

  The next few days were much slower. At first, I felt strange that I didn't have to plan another battle or guess what my enemies' next move would be. Most of the ships of my Navy were sent to the shipyards where they underwent serious maintenance and a series of modifications. Despite the reduction, I had more than enough warships to patrol the Arcadian borders. All three dreadnoughts were available for duty so I could deploy them as needed. The Immortal Legions were sweeping the Ancient Forest and successfully exterminating Vespids and any other lingering remnants of Vestargo's existence. Since we finally weren't in a rush, I allowed them to take their time. The fall of Vestargo's empire would be absolute and irrevocable. That left me issuing orders to the Guardsmen Corp about the new border and how they should operate further out. However, those were just background thought processes, always present and, at this point, a part of me.

  For the first time, I could actually relax. I mindlessly walked along the paths of the Royal Garden and smiled to myself. I tried my best to not think about anything in particular. I patted the flower petals and fresh leaves still wet from the morning dew. I breathed deeply the incredibly fresh air and smiled blissfully. I found myself at a particular mound that overlooked the Palace's lake and I dropped carelessly onto the soft grass. Above the entirety of the Upper Castle was a privacy barrier that worked as a filter. The people outside the barrier couldn't see anyone inside whereas the buildings or gardens were normally visible. I even made sure that no one could observe us indirectly through shadows, plant movement, water movement or splashes. They also couldn't hear anything from the inside. A lot of people wanted to see the Imperial Palace, even if it was allowed only from a distance. Trying to prevent it was a fool's errand so, at least, I ensured our absolute privacy.

  Seeing Amber and Cahrona playing in one of the many nearby hot springs only reassured me of that decision.

  After a lengthy debate, we decided to remove HMS Victory's harbour from our garden. While Aoi and I initially wanted to keep it, the rest of my wives adamantly decided that it defeated the idea of privacy and I had to agree. After all, it was a warship that needed a crew. Fortunately, the end of the war gave us an excuse to make a new harbour. Our allies were using airships to freight goods and transport passengers and, so far, we only used one of the lakes in the lower castle. It was fine initially but now I could make a harbour worthy of Avalon. As I lay on the fresh grass and listened to the cheerful and carefree giggles of the women I loved, I started planning the next expansion of my city.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

  The map of Aderon is on my Discord :)

  https://discord.gg/G6SVrBeDdG