Inside the castle of the Cirlus Kingdom, in a room that looked simple but elegant, King Raghnall and Merlick were enjoying their morning drinking tea.
"Merlick, what are the academy's plans for the next semester?" King Raghnall asked Merlick.
"I have already had something on my mind for the future development of the academy students. I want them to practice more than having to study indoors. They must have a lot of experience for their abilities to develop." Merlick smiled and sipped the tea from his cup.
"Hoo...what's your plan?" King Raghnall was curious about Merlick's answer.
"I want them to gain experience fighting other humans. To be more precise, all the races existed on the Clorius continent. They had to learn how the other races fought to develop their fighting skills. I want the students to compare their abilities with other races. Besides, I also want them to get used to a real battle quickly." Merlick explained his plans to King Raghnall.
"So, have you thought about how you are going to apply your plan?" King Raghnall was quite surprised by Merlcik's plan. But he was fully supportive as long as it didn't endanger the students' lives.
"Of course. But I…" Merlick's words were interrupted by the screams of soldiers rushing into the room.
"Your Excellency! I apologize for trespassing. But I must quickly give a critical report!" The soldier knelt before King Raghnall. He was breathing heavily from rushing into the room in a panic. King Raghnall was a bit annoyed with the soldier's actions, but he put that aside for now.
"Say!" King Raghnall spoke in a deep voice.
"We detected a horde of high-level magical beasts heading to this island. Their number is estimated in the thousands. They appeared together with a thick fog. The royal mage said the sea serpent king caused it." The soldier gave his report firmly to King Raghnall. He was afraid that King Raghnall would get angrier if he reported it incoherently.
"What!?" Not only King Raghnall but Merlick was also shocked after hearing the report.
"Are you sure about the report!?" King Raghnall stood up from his seat and confirmed the report from the soldier.
"I firmly believe Your Majesty!" The soldier answered confidently.
King Raghnall's face turned pale. He suddenly thought of his daughter, Princess Rinne. She went along with the heroes to explore the nearby small islands.
"Gather the soldiers and mages! Prepare artifacts for long-range attacks! The soldiers had to evacuate the beachgoers quickly! You also have to find the academy people on the beach and bring them back to the castle! Check the departing tourist transport ship and evacuate all the passengers! Hurry up and do it!" King Raghnall shouts at the soldier. He was anxious, and his mind was not at peace because his daughter had left since morning.
"I understand, Your Majesty!" The soldier quickly left the room to carry out King Raghnall's orders.
After the soldier left, Merlick looked at King Raghnall in front of him.
"Raghnall, didn't your daughter as well as the heroes have left since morning? I think they must be in the middle of the sea, and they may have encountered the magical beast horde." Merlick said in a gloomy tone. He relayed his worst guess to King Raghnall.
"I thought so too. I can't send soldiers to search for them by air or sea at this time because of the thick fog. The only thing we can do is wait for the fog to dissipate and prepare to face the magical beast horde's invasion. I wish them well and can return safely." King Raghnall's face darkened after thinking about some of the possibilities that might happen.
***
Inside a luxurious inn in the Cirlus Kingdom, King Redis sat with his wife while enjoying their breakfast.
"Have you found that person yet?" Queen Triana suddenly asked King Redis. The person that queen Triana was referring to was the one who humiliated King Redis in front of many people.
"I haven't found it yet. But I'll find him soon and make him regret doing that to me. I'm sure he used an artifact to suppress me at that time. That's why he didn't dare to show himself until now." King Redis became annoyed when he recalled the humiliation he had endured in the Cirlus Kingdom.
"I hope you find him soon." Queen Triana nodded slightly.
"By the way, where are Viron and Irene? I still haven't seen them since this morning." King Redis had not seen his two children since last night. This morning he didn't see them either.
"The two of them left with the Demon Kingdom's guards. If I remember correctly, they went to explore a small nearby island." Queen Triana met Princess Viron and Princess Irene this morning. They asked her permission to play outside. Queen Triana allowed it on the condition that they bring the royal guards with them.
"Ooh... all right." King Redis didn't listen to Queen Triana's explanation completely. When he heard they were leaving with the royal guards, he thought his two children would be safe.
Suddenly two crows came into their room through the window and interrupted their breakfast time. King Redis frowned when he saw the two birds.
King Redis got up from his seat and touched the two crows with his aura. The crow turned into smoke, and two scrolls of paper appeared in front of King Redis. He quickly opened the first scroll and read it. His face changed slightly. When he opened the second scroll and read it, his face turned serious.
"My wife, where did you say Viron and Irene went?" king Redis confirmed what he had heard from queen Triana earlier.
"Go to the nearest island." Queen Triana was curious about the letter's contents to change King Redis's mood instantly.
"Damn! We have to go to Cirlus royal castle and hold them accountable. We also have to reply to the letter from Rudolf immediately." King Redis left his breakfast and put on his royal robes. He intends to see King Raghnall right now.
"What exactly was written in the letter?" Queen Triana asked curiously.
"That is..." King Redis explained it to Queen Triana. The first letter was from the royal advisor about the attack on the royal castle by a very powerful foreigner. But the man left after finding out King Redis wasn't around. The incident happened two days ago. The following letter was from General Rudolf about a horde of magical beasts heading towards Blue Turtle Island.
After hearing King Redis' explanation, Queen Triana's face became gloomy. She also put on her royal robes and went with king Redis to Cirlus royal castle.
***
The morning air on the beach was very refreshing. When Kyouka and the heroes explore the nearby small islands, Clara and her group can only bask in the beautiful morning sun. That's because Clara and Princess Iris fell asleep again after waking up this morning. Kyouka had invited them, but Princess Iris and Clara reluctantly refused her invitation because they felt they were not resting enough. Apart from last night's barbecue, another reason was the strange dream they had last night.
Clara and Princess Iris are currently sitting relaxed on the sun lounger under the parasol. They weren't wearing swimsuits but casual clothes because they weren't there to play in the water.
"Iris, should we go with Miss Kyouka and the others? I feel bored doing nothing in this place." Clara asked Princess Iris next to her.
"We still have a long vacation here. We can go with them tomorrow. For now, we better rest and recharge our energy for our next activity." Princess Iris is just as bored as Clara, but she prefers to rest than go with the heroes. Besides, she had a bad feeling about the trip.
"Hmm… I see." Clara reluctantly agreed with Princess Iris' words.
While they were daydreaming, Ziel came to bring them drinks and snacks.
"My lady, Princess Iris. Here's your drink. I also brought snacks to fill your free time, so you don't get bored." Ziel placed a glass of fruit juice and a plate full of snacks on the small bench between Princess Iris and Clara's lounger.
"Thank you, Ken! You always know what I need!" Clara smiled and enjoyed the snacks and drinks that Ziel had served. Clara's mood instantly became better than before. Princess Iris could only shake her head at her. But in her heart, she felt jealous of her because Ziel served her so well. Ziel can be a butler, guardian, or friend to Clara.
"I didn't see Miss Kalya and the others. Do you know where they are, Ken?" Clara looked around but couldn't find any of the people she was looking for.
"I haven't seen them since this morning either. Is it possible for them to come with Kyouka's party to explore the small island?" Princess Iris felt a little anxious if they went out with the heroes. She still couldn't shake the bad feeling.
"No. Miss Kalya, Princess Freya, Princess Aishia, and Lilith went to a gift shop not far from the sparring area yesterday. Dalvin and James were still asleep in their room. As for Rhea, I don't know what she's doing." Ziel tells what he knows to Clara and Princess Iris.
When Ziel woke up, Dalvin and James were still fast asleep on their bed. Then he met Kalya and the other girls after he finished doing his morning exercises. They told him they were going to the gift shop. Unexpectedly Lilith went along with them of her own volition because usually, she was lazy to do things that she found useless. As for Rhea, Ziel knows she's still in her room and has been up since morning. But he doesn't know what she's doing in there.
"Eh? They went to the gift shop and didn't invite us?" Clara puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"Hey, don't you know we wake up later than them?" Princess Iris smiled wryly at Clara's cute behavior.
"What Princess Iris has said is true, My lady. They get up early and try to get you too before. But they say no answer when they knock on your door. So they thought that you and Princess Iris were still sleeping and decided not to disturb your rest." Ziel explained what Kalya had told him before leaving with the other girls.
"Is that so? Maybe we slept so well that we didn't hear the knock on the door." Clara was embarrassed because she misunderstood them. On the other hand, Princess Iris averted her blushing face and didn't dare show it to Ziel.
"Eh? What's that? Why suddenly from the ocean a thick fog appears?" Clara was startled and got up from her seat. She pointed in the direction the dense fog was coming from with a panicked face.
"This…did something happen?" Princess Iris also got up from her seat and glanced at Ziel. She knew that Ziel must know something about it. When Princess Iris saw his face, Ziel calmly looked at the mist and said nothing.
Not long after, the soldiers of the Cirlus Kingdom accompanied by dozens of mages came to the place. One of the soldiers came over to Clara. The soldier was fascinated by Clara and Princess Iris.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed your vacation. But, are you from the academy?" The soldier asked Princess Iris and Clara. He purposely ignored Ziel behind them.
"That's right. What happened?" Princess Iris asked the soldier back.
"I can't explain it in detail. I can only say that there will be a magical beast invasion to this place. We were ordered to pick up people from the academy and evacuate the beachgoers. So, please come back with me to the castle." The soldier explained the situation to Princess Iris.
After hearing the soldier's explanation, Princess Iris and Clara's faces became tense. Princess Iris and Clara like they understand each other. They both thought about Kyouka's situation in their minds.
"Okay. We're going back to the castle!" Princess Iris spoke in an anxious voice.
"I understand!" The soldier led them back to the castle of the Cirlus Kingdom.
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