Everyone was confused by Azazel's random statement. Adeline turned to the delegation with a frown. They remained silent as they shared quiet gnces. Adeline aggressively smmed her hand on the chair handle as a realization set in.

  “You dare try to scheme in front of me?”

  “That was not our intentions.”

  “Expin yourselves then.”

  A man emerged from behind them. He was younger, with bright blonde hair and a distinctive scar on his eye. He slightly bowed in front of Adeline as Azazel smiled. “My name is Croman, and I am the elder of the barbarians. I am sorry that we tried to deceive you, but you can understand our precaution.”

  Adeline was mildly annoyed at the stunt they pulled as she gnced at Azazel, who had a wide smile. She still believed that he was insane or something was wrong with his head. Her gaze turned to Croman and his group. “My name is Adeline, and I am the Queen of Arbegon. You have the honor of being our first guests, so I will ignore the stunt you tried to pull.”

  “Thank you, your Highness.”

  “Now speak. Why do you wish to form this alliance with us?”

  “It is because we recognize that this might be the best outcome for all of us.”

  “How did you come to such a decision? We might pray to the same goddess, but at the end of the day, that is the only simirity that we share. I advise that you speak the truth; I dislike liars.”

  Croman hesitated as he quietly turned and started to whisper with his group. Gena and the others remained silent as they all stared at the delegation.

  “It is because my tribe is on the verge of colpse. My people are wounded and hungry. The cold has slowly devoured them, and we have no nd to farm on. Unlike the orcs, we are unable to live deep in the frozen forest, and we lost our only way to fight back.”

  “That is unfortunate, but if you are unable to fight, what is the point of this alliance?”

  “They are talking about the fairies you freed,” Azazel interrupted. He then received a firm kick from Tymon, followed by Bihse. Azazel winced in pain as he stared at the culprits.

  “Don’t interrupt the Queen while she is talking. Respectfully raise your hand and ask to speak,” Tymon spoke in a firm voice as he reprimanded Azazel. He tried to dispute but was met with another kick. Adeline shook her head as she stared at Croman.

  “The demon is right; we use fairies to fight. The process is complicated to expin, but they enable us to turn our bodies into various strong beasts.”

  “As you heard from Azazel here, we freed them. One of the trolls will lead you to them. They are currently recovering. As for the alliance, I will accept it under one condition.”

  “What condition will that be, your Highness?”

  “That your tribe swears absolute loyalty to the throne from now till the end of time.”

  “I can swear that, but I don’t know about my fellow tribesmen. Won’t I, as their leader, be enough?”

  “When you die, who will stop them from going back on their word? One thing I have come to understand is how short your memories and lives are compared to us.” Croman stared at his colleagues once more.

  “I will see to it,” Croman spoke in a low voice as he exited the room. Silence filled the room once more.

  “To continue where we left off, can the elves create an artificial barrier around the border?”

  “We took Melora’s advice to heart and found a way to create thick thorn walls. I will arrange that a group of elves, being escorted by the orcs, start the process. It shouldn’t take too long, but I would like to be cautious.”

  “That is good to hear.”

  “I do have good news from Melora; she is now the grand duchess of Credoa. She has even freed some elves and found one injured fairy. How would you like to proceed?”

  “She should hear about our new kingdom, but notify her after our call. Hopefully, she can send a delegation, but knowing her, she will wait for the empire’s reaction. How is she?”

  “She missed you and can’t wait to reunite, but something happened. She did not tell me, but I could see it.” Adeline fell into silent thought. Bihse and Tymon shared a quick gaze. Azazel’s eyes widened slightly as he inched forward from his seat but then returned to normal as he dismissed a thought.

  “Hopefully all is well. Thank you for joining us today, and wish you luck in your future endeavors.”

  “Thank you, your Highness; may Arbegon prosper.” The magical crystal ball stopped glowing. The group stared at Adeline, who was lost in thought once more.

  “Tymon, how many people have already left my kingdom?”

  “Most have already left. Those who remained are either homeless children, the elderly, and those who were too poor.”

  “I want you to prepare a feast tonight in memory of Joseph and those who lost their lives for us to reach this moment. Everyone is welcomed. I trust there won’t be any problems.”

  “I will see to it.”

  “I will also help! I know how to make a proper festival,” Bihse chimed in as she enthusiastically got up and dragged Tymon with her, Sejin following close by. Slowly everyone started to leave, but Azazel remained.

  “Is there something you wish to talk about?”

  “Yes, the location of the other demons. They are all spread out in this world. Some have left this continent and traveled east. If you really want this to become a reality, we need to…”

  “I take it you already have a method of tracking them.” Adeline cut him off.

  “I have already contacted them, though I don’t know if they will accept.”

  “What about your wife? Have you contacted her yet, or are you still waiting to see if we have ulterior motives?”

  “How did you know that?”

  “You may be smart, but I am smarter.” Azazel let out a hearty ugh.

  “I am an Archmage; I know every secret that comes to magic. My entire life has been dedicated to it; no one is better and more knowledgeable than me.”

  “Then do you know how to instantly move people from one pce to the other using magic?”

  “You are using those other world tricks, aren’t you? Everyone knows that is impossible.”

  “Is it though?” Azazel stared at Adeline as his mind raced. How can someone be able to do such a thing? Someone would need to use a great amount of magical power unless… A pn started to formute in his brain as Adeline simply smiled at him. He shot up from his seat as he hurriedly made his way to the door.

  “Just contact her already; maybe she could be of help.” Azazel froze as he slightly turned and nodded slightly. He opened the door and left, leaving Adeline alone in the now empty hall. She wondered if this is what it felt like to hold absolute power. It wasn’t as grandiose as she thought; rather, it was straining and burdensome. She let out a deep sigh as she stared at the finely decorated roof, her thoughts trailing to Melora as she wondered if she felt the same.