Stradena, capital of the Erebium Empire—

In a magnificent imperial palace, a scholarly and handsome man sat on the throne, his blindfolded eyes radiating a light of justice and deep knowledge through their cover. Beside him sat a beautiful woman, playing with a pair of golden dice.

These were the Emperor and Empress of the Erebium Empire, and they were both Heroes.

Emperor Benedict Erebium was the Hero of Justicia, the Ancient Knowledge Goddess of Justice, Law, Technology, and Learning. He was born a Hero, and was the seeded candidate to the throne from the day he was born. However, there was not a day he was pampered, and his hunger for knowledge and advancement was ever-present. The Empire's technology had made several breakthroughs since he sat on the throne, and even invented flushing toilets and reverse-engineered the magical guns of the dwarves.

Empress Marcella Erebium had humble origins. A business genius born to a small merchant family, she used her gambling skills, wits, and luck to advance. From a little girl and small-time gambler, she became one of the wealthiest women in the Empire by the age of 16! However, she never forgot the helping hand of Lady Luck, generously offering a lion's share to the goddess, leading to a positive luck cycle that eventually made her a Hero Candidate. When that happened, she was almost immediately engaged to the young emperor, and when the former Hero of Druelia died, she replaced her. Since then, she dedicated her business empire to supporting her husband's research.

Sitting on the throne, they represented the aspirations of the Erebium Empire: Technological Advancement and Economic Growth.

They were both Mythical powerhouses, mighty figures at the peak of the world. Few things warranted their attention. However, something that they couldn't leave to their dignitaries happened, requiring their awareness.

"My Emperor and Empress. Atrivia is joyful, showering the world with doubled love since she has chosen a new Hero Candidate." A white-haired female druid knelt and said.

She was a legendary druidess of Atrivia, the arch-druidess of the Empire.

"Ah... So, Hero Urianah is finally about to embrace her ultimate fate. I did calculate it would be around this time." Marcella smirked while playing with her dice. "And? Where was she born? In our empire? In a smaller kingdom? We should recover her as soon as possible, before the barbarians claim her."

It was known that Atrivia only chose newborns as her Heroes, since no one met her unknown requirements.

But what the druidess said next wiped the smirk off the empress's face.

"That is the problem... The Earth Mother chose a grown woman. And she was chosen at the border state of Steorus of the Kaladin Barbarian Coalition." The druidess warily said.

BAM*

"What?!" The fair empress smacked her armrest, her calm facade gone. "Unacceptable! How did she do it?! Who is she?!"

The poor druidess shook like a leaf as she felt the terrifying presence the empress unintentionally let out.

"Calm down, Marcella. You will scare the poor woman to death," Benedict held Marcella's hand, calming her down.

"Hah... Apologies for the outburst." Marcella quickly regained her composure and apologized to the druidess.

"N-No, there is no need to apologize, your highness..." The druidess warily said.

"Now, can you please tell us what you know?" Benedict asked.

"Yes, my emperor. Her name was revealed to be Elarose Greyblade of Tulens." The druidess said.

"Ah, Tulens! And the Greyblades, at that! Wonderful!" Marcella's mood turned a 180. It was a territory that primarily worshipped Druelia, meaning that Elarose was one of her people. "So, who is the lucky girl, hm? Elarose? Is she Varkas's kid? I remember seeing her once when she was a small child."

"Yes, that is correct, your highness." The druid said.

"Good! I can arrange for her to marry one of the princes! I am sure she would fancy one of them. But wait... why is she in Steorus?" The empress suddenly noticed something was off. And then, she remembered something and turned to the side. "Ah, right. There was a report about a war between Tulens, Osnines, and Steorus, where Tulens won. Right, Otto?"

"Yes, your majesty." A wizened man in decorated robes stepped forward and bowed.

"I remember a thing about Varkas becoming a Legendary Warrior and a Hero of Qhiion emerging then and there. And then he took over the forces of Osnines. What was his name again? Rilden Greyblade? I remember he took over the forces of Osnines in that battle, correct?" The empress asked, vaguely remembering the report.

"Yes, your majesty. That is correct." The advisor nodded.

"Then, who is he? Varkas's son? A side branch relative?" The empress asked.

While Rilden originally belonged to the Empire, since he was the Hero of Qhiion, he was not considered an asset to the Empire, and she wasn't interested in him. She also deduced that the barbarians were unlikely to support him, nor would he do hostile actions against either force due to his awkward situation. He would, at most, become a small-time tyrant ruling a small territory or two, barely a blip on the map next to the two behemoths he was sandwiched by.

"Your highness, I did a background check. Rilden was merely an ordinary laborer in Tulens a month ago, and got adopted by the Greyblade family two weeks ago... after Hero Candidate Elarose got engaged with him. She is now likely counterattacking Steorus with the surrendered army of Osnines." Otto warily said.

The room suddenly fell silent. The empress's lively expression turned black as coal.

"Is there a way to make them divorce and bring Elarose to our side? Or even move them together here?" The empress coldly asked.

A Hero of Atrivia was a precious agricultural asset, and if she had to, she would tolerate having Qhiion's Hero live here just so the woman would tend to her precious Purple Gold fields.

"T-That is the problem... Since she accepted Hero Rilden as her husband, she consented and is unlikely to divorce him easily. The Greyblades are infamous for their stubbornness. And also, Lady Elarose is unlikely to hold much love for us. She was born sterile, requiring the service of a Legendary Fertility Druid. But your highness personally rejected the request since she didn't have enough money to pay for the arch-druidess's services." Otto bitterly said.

The empress face-palmed. She did remember that event. It was a purely calculated move, since she preferred the legendary druidess to tend to their Purple Gold field than to heal random men and women. If she blessed every infertile man or woman, the line would stretch for miles! That was why she set an exorbitant price to deter most people. Of course, she often made exceptions, but Elarose wasn't noteworthy enough.

Now, it seems like her decision came to bite her back.

"Give it up, Marcella. We are not fated with her." Benedict shook his head.

"Hah... I suppose you are right, Benedict." Marcella sighed before her expression turned serious. "But now, a tiny territory would have two Heroes. What should we do now?"

"Gift them Tulens,"  Benedict said.

The empress went silent for a moment before understanding her husband's meaning.

"You want to gift them an Empire's territory, with the excuse of having Atrivia's Hero, to balance out the Barbarian territory they occupy, thus making them a neutral force?" Marcella immediately guessed.

"Yes. Their territory would be a buffer zone between our Empire and the Kaladin Barbarian Coalition. And when they finally die of old age, their territories would inevitably flow back to the empire and the coalition. With this move, we can prevent them from slowly siding with the barbarians. There were also signs of unrest in the demihuman lands to the south, so they could help deal with that trouble without stretching our forces." Benedict explained.

"Smooth... I like it. Let's go with that." Marcella finally smiled and nodded. "Let them deal with it."

.

.

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At the same time—

In Oddsass, the main kingdom of the Kaladin Barbarian Coalition.

In a small thatch hut near a purple-gold field.

High King Evar Kaladin, Hero of the Winter Warfare god, a mighty man draped in white fur, knelt before a frugally dressed, enchanting woman sitting on a wooden rocking chair.

"So the slaughter god's little pup got himself your successor as a wife, esteemed ancestor?" The High King respectfully asked.

"Yes, little Evar. That is correct. After I enter the loving mother's garden, Elarose shall be my heir. That would make them a Hero pair." Uriahna said with a light smile, having come to terms with death.

She looked youthful, with a figure and looks similar to Elarose's, but she was ancient. She had already lived for 300 years and was even Evar's ancestor. She lived up to 300 years old by consuming life-extending treasures, but she was reaching her limit.

She could have technically lived for far longer if she had focused on life-extending treasures, but she stopped eating those natural treasures after her late husband died in battle, slowly waiting for her death while tending the fields. That was the flaw of the Heroes of Atrivia. Their great love gave them strength, and it was also their undoing.

"What do you suggest we do? A Hero pair is not an unignorable force." Evar asked.

"Leave them be. Give them sovereignty over Osnines and Steorus, and let them stay there peacefully as a small kingdom. I believe the Empire would do the same with Tulens. We can make them a trading hub between our two forces and prevent their expansion into more human lands. Besides, didn't you mention that the South is stirring up again? Let them fight to their heart's content and expand there if they will." Uriahna instructed.

"Then we have the same idea." Evar smiled.