Alfred and Rick as well as a few other adventures gathered in the Guild Hall, not entirely sure what was happening.

"Boss, do you think we're in trouble?" Alfred asked softly, however his voice was quite loud.

"Hey, why would I be in trouble? Maybe he has something to announce?" A woman who was quite charming smiled as she spoke.

The others murmured amongst themselves, but they couldn't guess why the Guild Master called on them specifically.

Soon a few minutes passed and the Guild Master appeared with dark circles under his eyes. His eyes were bright in contrast.

"I need you all to form a party and head to the Cloud Village. We have a report that says the village is destroyed. We need you all to go and verify before we start to make preparations."

Hearing the rather simple mission, some of the assembled people didn't want to go as Cloud Village was nearly an hour andna half away.

They quickly fell silent when they heard that the reward was ten silver coins. To investigate a village for ten silver coins was a worthwhile task.

A single silver coin could last a commoner a week of expenses. To receive then just to visit a village was incredibly generous.

Just as they were about to leave, a bright voice sounded as a young girl, probably in her late teens ran over to the gathered adventurers.

"Dad! I want to go as well!" Hearing his daughter, the Guild Master sighed and glanced at the assembled adventurers.

"Please protect my daughter as well." With that, he shot Cilia a glance and then headed back upstairs to finish his paperwork.

Seeing her father not argue about her going, she sighed in relief and then went over the details of the mission with the young woman who spoke earlier.

...

Krest looked at the reports on the table before him and smiled slightly. His children seemed to believe that the kingdom was finished.

"Orin, send word to the Evergreen Institute and see if my daughter can come back quickly." Hearing 'panic' in the King's voice, Orin inwardly felt relief.

'If he's panicking, that means the situation is bad. Should I cast my lots with the other nobles as well?' Orin just wanted his family to prosper, even if that meant betraying the King.

After Orin left, the 'panic' on the King's face vanished and a sly smile appeared in it's place. He couldn't help but want to know how Orin would choose.

"Hopefully he chooses the right option, or even his merits won't be able to save him." King Krest wanted to take this opportunity to root out all the traitors in the upper levels of the kingdom.

Turning his attention back to the report before him, his eyebrows furrowed. This report came from one of his spies in the Emperor's Palace of Ebris.

'So he also wants to plunder the resources of the Forest and take it as his own? Even I don't dare to venture to far into it's depths, yet you wish to raze it to the ground? How naive.'

With a smile, the King sat down and closed his eyes, guiding the energy along a pathway within his body, slowly entering a meditative state.