Only Blackwinter to Marina
The meeting between the two Kingdoms, Arcadia and Huntara, concluded peacefully with results that could be considered satisfactory for both parties.
As for the alliance proposed by Princess Sravati at the end of the meeting, Cien accepted it with one condition.
Arcadia would only assist Huntara if Abyss were to attack the Blackwinter region, specifically up to Marina.
The reason being that this area belonged to Princess Sravati, who was not only a friend but also a neighbor of Cien.
Furthermore, safeguarding this territory would keep the threat of Abyss away from Arcadia's borders.
Indeed, Cien had little to gain from this military alliance. So, whether Huntara accepted it or not, Cien didn't care.
Regarding Cien's own status as one of the threats Huntara had identified, Cien didn't dwell on it too much.
Cien could already surmise that their 'threat' status was still a consideration. That's why the ones visiting Arcadia at this moment weren't just Princess Sravati, who was known as Cien's friend, but also the senior dignitaries of the kingdom.
They came not only for diplomacy but to assess Cien's character, someone with power equivalent to the incarnation of a Demon God.
Yes, Cien could guess it. Therefore, he simply let it be. As long as he and Arcadia had no ill intentions towards Huntara, their threat status might change on its own.
Did Cien have ill intentions towards Huntara? No.
What was the point? He only wanted to live peacefully in Arcadia. Cien didn't have the energy to seek trouble with other territories.
Princess Sravati and the dignitaries from Huntara accepted Cien's condition.
In the first place, the dignitaries were actually unaware of Princess Sravati's proposal. She had sprung it on them without prior discussion.
Fortunately, the discussion about this alliance did not take an unpleasant turn.
The dignitaries were still cautious of Cien and wanted to observe Arcadia for a longer period before proposing an alliance. However, it seemed that Princess Sravati was not heeding their plans.
The dignitaries could only heave a sigh of relief. In this meeting, they felt more like supervisors to the Third Princess. Sravati's many improvisations had caught them somewhat off guard.
At least, for now, all these improvisations could be deemed beneficial to Huntara, including Arcadia's military assistance, even if it was limited to the Blackwinter to Marina region.
Considering Cien, Kirana, and Fenrir were forces within Arcadia, they could breathe a bit easier when it came to defending against attacks in the southern region of Huntara.
Consequently, Huntara's current focus could shift more towards their eastern borders.
Why?
Because after the meeting ended, Cien cautioned Princess Sravati and Huntara dignitaries about the Holy Kingdom of Divinia, one of the two neighboring kingdoms to Huntara in the east.
"Divinia? Is there something that arouses your suspicion, Your Majesty Millard?"
Inquired one of the dignitaries. Huntara had maintained a good relationship with Divinia.
Suspecting a neighboring kingdom that had never shown any hostile behavior towards Huntara was indeed quite perplexing.
Including Princess Sravati, everyone from Huntara furrowed their brows, eager to understand Cien's reason for cautioning them.
Cien then recounted his encounter with Gyo in the south of Farnodt, stating that the Ethyrian servant was a spy from Divinia, as well as the result of the Holy Kingdom experimentation in human mutation.
"An experiment's result?! What do you mean?" one of them asked in surprise.
"Hmm, do you all know about Chimeras?"
Cien inquired, met with shaking heads from everyone in the room.
'Ahh~ So there are no Chimeras in this world. Well, maybe not none, but they haven't been discovered yet.' Cien mused.
Cien then provided a simple explanation of Gyo, who was a human merged with various body parts or organs from other creatures, like monsters or demons.
Listening to Cien's explanation, they were all shocked, finding it hard to believe that such creatures existed in Kastia.
It wasn't surprising that most of them felt skeptical about Cien's story.
Some even thought that Cien might be trying to manipulate them with this tale to sow discord between Huntara and Divinia.
Cien chuckled upon hearing these speculations. He didn't care about that. He had issued the warning because he had sensed something peculiar about his encounter with Gyo.
Ethyria had invaded Farnodt too swiftly, as if they had known and prepared for it even before the invasion occurred.
"Perhaps this is just my assumption. However, it wouldn't hurt to consider the possibility of Divinia and Abyss conspiring together."
Cien concluded, met with thoughtful silence from the others in the room.
""...""
"Hahaha."
Cien chuckled softly as he observed the people lost in their own thoughts.
Ethyria's actions seemed logical if the situation described by Cien were indeed true.
"Well, this isn't my concern, nor Arcadia's. Whether it's Abyss or Divinia, they are too far away from here, and it would be foolish for them to attack here.
"But you... Huntara shares direct borders with both. I warned only because I didn't want a repeat of what happened in Farnodt. Whether you choose to heed this warning or not, it's up to you."
Cien stated, beginning to tidy up the various meeting documents on the table, preparing to leave.
"Thank you, Uncle Cien."
Princess Sravati slightly bowed. There was doubt in the Princess's mind, but she had great trust in Cien. After all, it was Cien who had enlightened her about the Blackwinter crisis in the past.
'It seems like there's a lot to do once we return.'
Sravati thought, feeling that the curtain of chaos had just been lifted. If Divinia and Abyss were truly conspiring, then Huntara was in a dangerous situation.
The meeting concluded around one in the middle of night. Cien and the heads of his divisions stayed for a while in the meeting hall, allowing their guests to depart first.
When all the Huntara delegation had left, Cien rose from his seat, intending to go home.
Unfortunately, it turned out that the Arcadian side was conducting a brief evaluation of the meeting that had just taken place, prompting Cien to sit back down.
After the evaluation was over, Cien noticed the time was nearing three o'clock when he finally got to lie down in bed.
Ethel, beside him, chuckled softly, seeing Cien looking exhausted. His wife gently stroked Cien's head.
The two of them then embraced each other and drifted into the world of dreams.
***
Two days later.
Princess Sravati and her entourage bid farewell to return to Huntara.
Before leaving, the Princess met with Fenrir, paying her respects, and made a promise to change Fenrir's scary image that had been passed down through generations in Huntara's folklore.
In truth, Fenrir didn't care much.
Although he felt somewhat disrespected, he understood that the purpose of those tales was to teach children not to misbehave, and that satisfied Fenrir himself.
He had no qualms about lending his name, even if it meant being portrayed as a villain for the sake of children's education.
Unfortunately for Fenrir, he was dealing with Sravati, a headstrong Princess who had even crossed Death Valley to stop the war in Blackwinter, despite knowing her own weaknesses.
"This is unacceptable, Lord Fenrir! You are the Guardian of Huntara through the ages! I cannot let our people forget your actions in the past!
"I promise to set it right and show you, Lord Fenrir, that the Huntara of today is a nation of people you can be proud of! Your past struggles will not be in vain," she declared.
With that, Princess Sravati left Fenrir's home and prepared to return.
Cien and several Division Heads escorted the Huntara delegation back. Cien carried a wooden box and handed it to Anita, the sorceress who had mastered Ice Magic to the level of a Master.
The contents of the wooden box were none other than the Heart of Ice.
The arrival of renowned sorcerers like Anita in Arcadia was to take custody of the Heart of Ice.
Only a Master of Ice Magic could handle such an extremely cold material.
Cien warned Anita that she must always remain by the side of the Heart of Ice, no matter what happened.
Once they left the protective formation, the mysterious power from his phone that suppressed the freezing effects of the Heart of Ice would vanish. If Anita wasn't careful, she could freeze the people around her to death.
As Anita held the wooden box from Cien and peered inside, she instantly felt a very familiar sensation with the material.
Just like Kirana, when Anita touched the Heart of Ice, she felt that the material had become a part of her.
With a faint smile, Anita hugged the wooden box tightly to her chest, thanking Cien for sharing this precious treasure with Huntara.
"No need to thank me. I'm not giving it, we're exchanging. Don't forget that I also got the Eternal Ice," Cien replied.
Anita could only smile warmly, gazing at Cien. She knew that in this exchange, Arcadia was at a greater disadvantage.
The Heart of Ice was far more valuable than the Eternal Ice. Anita expressed her gratitude once again, albeit silently, not wanting to burden the younger man in front of her.
Cien then turned to Sravati, explaining some ways to control the material.
The Princess carefully noted all of Cien's instructions, realizing that crafting something from this rare material wouldn't be easy.
Sravati and her entourage departed, their silhouettes disappearing into the engulfing forest. Cien finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sigh... finally, I can get back to my work."
Cien muttered, feeling temporarily freed from his status as a ruler. However, as he was massaging the back of his neck, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
Cien glanced to the side, finding Mia smiling broadly at him.
"Ugh, what is it, Mia?"
"There are two companies coming here the day after tomorrow. One of them is Mrs. Shiwa Amary. Shiwa's arrival also means there will be new immigrants, whether from the streets or from slavery. So, clear your schedule for the next week. I won't let you lock yourself in the shop."
"...fu*k."