The evening sun was beginning to set.

Golden light filtered through the windows, painting the stone walls in warm colors.

The castle was peaceful.

For the first time since returning, Alix allowed himself to slow down.

After several minutes, he arrived at one of the royal gardens.

The garden was enormous.

Crystal streams flowed between flower beds.

Ancient trees provided shade throughout the area.

Rare spiritual flowers bloomed everywhere, filling the air with a pleasant fragrance.

Birds sang among the branches.

It was one of the few places in the castle where people could truly relax.

And sure enough, three familiar figures were there.

Ruva sat beneath a large tree.

Sorin stood nearby with her arms crossed.

Karnessa was seated on a stone bench, calmly reading a book.

The moment Sorin sensed Alix’s presence, she immediately looked up.

Karnessa closed her book at the same time.

Both women instantly stood.

Without hesitation, they dropped to one knee.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty."

Their voices sounded almost perfectly synchronized.

Ruva jumped to her feet.

"Big brother!"

Alix looked at the two kneeling women and sighed.

"Alright, that’s enough."

Neither moved. Alix rubbed his forehead.

"Seriously."

Only then did Sorin and Karnessa stand.

Even after all these times, some habits never changed.

Sorin smiled faintly.

"It is good to see Your Majesty safe."

Karnessa nodded.

Alix shook his head.

"I told you two before."

His gaze moved between them.

"You don’t have to be so formal when we’re alone."

Sorin immediately answered.

"With respect, Your Majesty, that would be difficult."

Karnessa nodded in agreement.

"Very difficult."

Alix already knew arguing was pointless, so he simply gave up. Ruva laughed from the side.

"I told you they wouldn’t listen."

Alix pointed at her.

"And you’re not helping."

Ruva immediately looked away.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Sorin’s lips twitched slightly, and Karnessa almost smiled.

Alix eventually walked toward them.

Then his expression softened.

"I wanted to thank both of you."

The garden became quiet. Sorin blinked, Karnessa looked genuinely surprised.

Alix continued.

"For taking care of Ruva while I was gone."

For a moment, neither woman spoke.

Then Sorin shook her head.

"There is no need to thank us, Your Majesty."

Karnessa nodded.

"Ruva is family."

Ruva froze slightly.

Family.

A simple word, yet it carried a lot of meaning.

Alix looked toward her.

The timid girl he had once rescued was gone. In her place stood a confident young warrior.

A Tier 5.

Someone capable of standing on her own.

That wasn’t something Ruva had achieved alone.

Sorin had trained her.

Karnessa had guided her.

Both had protected her while he was away.

Alix smiled.

Ruva immediately grinned.

"See? I told you Big Brother would praise you."

Sorin sighed.

"You’re making it sound like we were waiting for it."

"Weren’t you?"

"No."

"Maybe a little."

"No."

Karnessa quietly added,

"Perhaps slightly."

Sorin turned toward her.

"Karnessa."

"What?"

For the first time, laughter filled the garden.

Even Alix chuckled.

The atmosphere became warm, comfortable. No kings, no generals, no wars.

Just four people enjoying a rare moment of peace.

Then Ruva suddenly remembered something.

Her eyes lit up.

"Big brother."

Ruva immediately moved closer, her eyes shining with curiosity.

"Tell me what happened to you."

Sorin and Karnessa also looked toward Alix.

Unlike Ruva, they didn’t speak, but it was obvious they were interested as well.

No one knew the full story except Alix himself.

Alix looked at the three women and smiled.

"I suppose I can tell you."

Ruva immediately sat down on the grass.

Sorin and Karnessa moved closer as well.

The four of them gathered beneath the shade of the ancient tree.

Alix began from the very beginning.

The battle against the Tier 7 human.

The spatial artifact.

Being dragged into a spatial tunnel.

His arrival in Pharanthia.

The vast continent filled with powerful kingdoms and countless factions.

The oppression of monster races.

The tribes he encountered.

The monsters he recruited.

The battles he fought.

The cities he conquered.

The alliances he forged.

The army he built from almost nothing.

As he spoke, the three listened quietly.

Even Sorin and Karnessa were surprised several times.

When Alix described the size of Pharanthia, Ruva’s mouth slowly fell open.

When he talked about the monster tribes living in hiding, her expression became angry.

When he described building an army from scattered groups of monsters, she looked increasingly excited.

And when he mentioned that his forces now numbered nearly a million...

Ruva nearly jumped from her seat.

"A million?!"

Alix nodded.

"Approximately."

Ruva looked as if she wanted to grab him by the shoulders.

"You built an army of nearly a million soldiers!"

Alix shrugged.

"When you put it that way, it sounds impressive."

"It is impressive!"

Ruva threw her hands into the air.

"Big brother, you’re amazing!"

Her tail swayed excitedly behind her.

"You got teleported to a completely different continent, and somehow you ended up building an army."

Even Karnessa couldn’t suppress a smile.

Sorin nodded slightly.

"As expected of Your Majesty."

There was genuine admiration in her voice.

Many people could survive being stranded on a foreign continent.

Very few could unite countless tribes and build a military force powerful enough to challenge a kingdom.

Karnessa closed her book.

"Most people would have spent years establishing such a force."

Alix simply smiled.

He wasn’t about to explain how much help the System had given him.

Ruva suddenly leaned forward.

"So, big brother."

"Hm?"

"When are you taking me to Pharanthia?"

Alix immediately shook his head.

"For now, you aren’t going."

Ruva froze.

The smile on her face vanished.

"What?"

Alix smiled helplessly.

Then his expression became more serious.

"Actually, that’s one of the reasons I came back."

The playful atmosphere gradually faded.

Sorin and Karnessa immediately became attentive.

Ruva also stopped pouting.

Alix continued.

"I’ll be taking most of the kingdom’s top generals to Pharanthia."

His gaze shifted toward Sorin and Karnessa.

"That includes the two of you."

For a moment, neither woman reacted.

Then both immediately lowered their heads.

"As Your Majesty commands."

Their answers came without the slightest hesitation.

To them, Alix’s orders came before everything else.

A few moments later, Sorin spoke.

"Your Majesty."

Alix looked toward her.

"How soon will we depart?"

"Tomorrow."

The answer came immediately.

"The war has reached its final stage."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"The kingdom we’re fighting has already suffered multiple defeats."

"Their armies have been pushed back repeatedly."

Sorin exchanged a glance with Karnessa.

Neither looked worried.

In fact, both looked eager.

After the event of the destruction of the empire, they finally had the opportunity to participate in a large-scale campaign again.

Mhazul wasn’t the only one looking forward to battle.

Alix noticed their expressions and chuckled.

"You two seem excited."

Sorin immediately straightened.

"I merely wish to serve Your Majesty."

Karnessa nodded.

"The same applies to me."

Ruva rolled her eyes.

"Liars."

Neither woman responded. Which only made Ruva grin.

The sun slowly dipped below the horizon.

The sky turned orange and gold.

For a brief moment, all four of them simply sat beneath the ancient tree and enjoyed the peaceful evening.

Because everyone present knew something.

Tomorrow, they would leave for another continent.

And before long, another kingdom would fall beneath the banner of Erevaris.

----

The next day, Alix returned to Pharanthia.

The hidden intercontinental portal beneath the City Lord’s residence activated silently.

The massive formation array illuminated the underground chamber with silver light.

Space distorted.

A moment later, several figures emerged from the portal.

Alix led the group.

Behind him were Sorin, Karnessa, Gander, Mhazul, Grathum, Verila, and Zurrak.

The moment they arrived, everyone instinctively examined their surroundings.

Unlike the Ereborn Continent, the energy here felt denser.

The laws of the world also seemed stronger.

Mhazul slowly inhaled.

"A major continent truly is different."

Grathum nodded.

"The energy is nearly twice as rich."

Verila looked around curiously.

"So this is Pharanthia."

Alix didn’t stop walking.

"Save the sightseeing for later."

Everyone immediately followed.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the command headquarters in Sodon City.

The soldiers stationed outside immediately stood at attention.

"Your Majesty!"

Alix nodded and entered.

Inside the meeting hall, several familiar figures were already waiting.

Ruk.

Erel’na.

Varesh.

Vordon.

And Morgro.

The moment Alix entered, everyone stood.

"My Lord."

Their voices echoed through the room.

Then their eyes shifted toward the people behind him.