The Emergence of the Holy Oulvgar State

Ever since Astur and the players she took with her began their trip to the Kingdom of Virpal's northern provinces, knowledge of the Holy Oulvgar State quickly spread. Nearly all information was spread through the players, many of which aren't even affiliated with the forest. Thanks to the live stream from Blaze, a large portion of the beta players had been aware of the existence of the small forest state. Several had already been revealing information regarding Astur's group to the NPCs, but with Astur's previous announcement of wanting to reveal themselves to the public, almost everyone in the know had been spreading their name. This initially started as a small rumour, but it didn't even take a day before it became the hot topic of both the Urvostrion County and the Dresuar Viscounty, the provinces that the Sea of Trees is located.

For the most part, the general public doesn't have many opinions as the announcement of a new state doesn't appear to affect them at first glance. Though most of the more intelligent populace has recognised that the emergence of a self-proclaimed independent state is a big mess that normal folk shouldn't stick their nose into.

In the private room of a restaurant in the Urvostrion County Capital, Urvostra sits two young men and two elders. Taurion, Lester, and their respective fathers. The two elders are well seated, but on the opposite side of the table, Taurion and Lester are standing side by side, facing the stern gaze of their fathers.

"I'll be direct, did the two of you know about this matter in the Sea of Trees?" Count Urvostrion.

"Well… we knew that Lady Astur had been hiding something. But we hadn't the slightest idea it was something like this," Taurion says.

"You didn't, but I knew," Lester says, drawing an eye from the three other men in the room.

"And you didn't think to say anything you smelly brat!?" Viscount Dresuar asks.

"Calm down, Lord Dresuar. Young Lester, how did you find this out and since when?" Count Urvostrion asks.

"I found out not too long after we went to the forest with the military. As for how I simply sent a text to Astur and asked what was going on. I only never said anything because she said not to until others find out," Lester says.

"And you listened to her!" Viscount Gauser shouts.

Lester simply picks at his ear as he says, "It's a good thing this room is soundproof otherwise the whole building would have heard you. Would it kill you to tone it down a bit, pops?"

"Would it kill you to take things seriously! And address me properly your brat!"

"Putting the family dispute aside, this is a serious matter you two." Count Urvostrion says, looking at Lester and his son. "This news about the Sea of Trees has already reached the Royal Court. And while no orders have been given yet, it's expected that within the next couple of days, the Sea of Trees will be declared a rebellious territory and to be put down."

"Is it really too much to resolve this peacefully? It not like anyone lived in the area until now. The only occupants are Astur and the monsters, oh, I suppose they call themselves Oulvgar now. Couldn't the Kingdom cede the territory and give them a few extra rights while making them a vassal under the Kingdom. This way the Sea of Trees would still be under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom and we won't get into direct conflict with the forest dwellers. We'd retain the forest and they'd get a form of autonomy. In my opinion, fighting the people of the forest won't lead to any good," Lester says. "And can we sit down yet? My legs are killing me.

Count Urvostrion lets out a sigh and says, "if only it was such a simple problem to solve…"

At the same time in the Town Hall of Dawn, the leaders and elders of Dawn and Hadrow are meeting to discuss the same problem.

"So what should we do? I assume you lot from Hadrow also had a monster at your doorstep, right?" Asks the Mayor of Dawn.

"Yes, it spoke the standard language and asked to trade goods. Since this meeting was called, I assume the situation is similar here in Dawn," says the Mayor of Hadrow.

"A talking leopard, what about you?" asks the Mayor of Dawn.

"An Armourdillo. Until now, monsters leaving the forest was a rare occurrence. But here we have two on the same day and they can talk. There were some people with the monster as well. If not for them then the local hunters and police likely would have tried to kill it. After seeing the Armourdillo for myself, I'm rather glad nothing happened. The Armourdillo was definitely bigger than the ones I saw in pictures when I was younger," says the Mayor of Hadrow.

"Although I didn't see it personally, after seeing the report, I can say that I have similar sentiments. According to former Minister Delfringer, the strength of the monster isn't something that should be taken lightly. Do you have anything to add, Sir Delfringer?" asks the Mayor of Dawn.

"I've said this many times before, I'm just a humble Branch Manager for the Post Office now. But regarding this, I don't think it's right to call them monsters since they have clearly shown high intelligence and even willingness to trade with us. They called themselves, Oulvgar, did they not? In my opinion, I say we let the matter run its course with little interference from us. Wait and see what the nobility does."

Meanwhile, in the backroom of the Catherdral in Dawn, a video call is being made by the local Archbishop and the Pope of Light.

"I advise you to tread with caution until the Crusader Knights arrive. It looks like we'll have a troublesome matter to deal with," says the Pope.

"Your Holiness, is the situation so bad that the Crusaders must be dispatched? Having seen her strength first hand, this so-called Forest Goddess doesn't seem like much. She relies on items to do all her work, lacking no real power of her own," says the Archbishop.

"I believe this matter is more troublesome than it appears. There is evidence to suggest that our opponent might be an Ancient God that survived the war. I've felt traces of Divine Energy coming from the Kingdom of Virpal, so tread carefully until the Crusaders arrive in two weeks."

"Understood, your Holiness. I'll make sure to have all the preparations ready for the arrival of the Crusader Knights."

At this time, Astur and her group of players arrive in the northern provinces.