A few days have passed since the incident Orion caused. His daily life, as usual, turned out to be mostly training.


    Now that he had found a new type of training to focus on, the workouts were quite different. He had a defined goal in mind.


    Alas, a more important issue kept hindering his training.


    Discussing the current condition of the fairy Tree of Life, Tiohr-nam, they concluded that she had around two weeks left before her energy was completely depleted.


    Nonetheless, Amelia was forced to stay by his side as he desperately needed to train the ''Second Gear''. To that end, it didn''t take much to agree, since Amelia enjoyed her time with him.


    Although, concerning the ''Overdrive'' state of his right arm, she refused. Nothing was able to make her stance shift.


    Determined to protect Orion from unnecessary injuries at this time, she crossed her arms and spoke with a deep frown.


    "It''s for your own good; start with perfecting your leg before trying to do both at the same time."


    There was no need to fight with her, as even for him, doing both was unlikely to happen.


    With less than two weeks remaining, controlling both abilities was impossible. Even if he did, the result would be questionably useful. Such firepower was far too destructive to be useful in an enclosed tunnel underground.


    ''I don''t plan to be buried alive.''


    It was his first thought.


    In the end, he focused on improving the time he was able to use the ''Second Gear''. The intense heat was a good way to gauge how close he was to his limit.


    He already knew how to be efficient in training, as he had three years of experience working on the ''First Gear''.


    However, the ''Second Gear'' was something entirely different; each time he used it, he became increasingly effective.


    Each time he used it, he gained half a second of wiggle room. It wasn''t quite how it actually worked, but that was how it felt.


    During this week of intense training, a few letters eventually arrived in the homes of their corresponding recipients.


    The first letter to arrive was the day after the Queens summoned Orion. The city to which it was going was the closest to Albriar: Turric, the city closest to the south.


    Eric Layman was the first to receive a letter.


    His city was located in the coldest part of the continent, the Frigoria Plains, resulting in an average year-round temperature no higher than 15 °C (59 °F). Many people walked in warm clothes at all times.


    Besides resolving the issues and helping those in need, Eric never meddled in the matters of his people. This led to people respecting him for his leadership and integrity.


    In the early morning, Eric walked out of his house and walked to his mailbox. With a quick glance inside, he noticed a letter with an unfamiliar seal.


    He returned inside his house, which looked remarkably ordinary, and sat on a chair. Staring at the letter, he opened his hand.


    A sharp stone formed from thin air before Eric used it to open the envelope.


    "Did you receive a letter? That''s rare. I thought you had no friends."


    A woman''s voice caught his attention as he opened the letters.


    "Excuse you? What was that for? Of course, I have friends. My subordinates are my friends."


    Eric''s wife was smirking at him from the couch.


    "Alright, if you say so."


    Caroline Layman, Eric''s wife, stopped looking at him from over the couch. Lazily sliding back to her laid-back posture, she went back to the book she was reading.


    She had short blonde hair stopping just above her shoulder and a mole located on her left earlobe, which could be easily mistaken for an earring.


    Eric focused back on the item in his hands, slightly frustrated by his wife''s comment. Even so, he still loved her dearly, making him forget about it instantly.


    His eyes fell on the words written across the paper as he began to read the letter in his head.


    ''Dear Eric Layman,''


    ''I have some incredible news to share with the three of you.''


    ''I have made contact with the man who assassinated that disgrace of a man who was Kiel during the ceremony. That man was seeking the fairy faction inside ''Dead White Forest''.''


    His eyes opened wide, unable to contain the words from leaving his mouth.


    "Already? As expected of Albriar''s Lord."


    Caroline looked over the couch once again.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Hmm?"


    With a faint smile, he pointed at the papers.


    "Nothing, just the content of the letter."


    She answered with a smile of her own before returning to her book again.


    "Alright."


    Scanning the next sentence, his jaws dropped at the amount of information Florian was able to gather.


    ''I''ve managed to obtain his name, and I also learned that he wasn''t alone. He had an accomplice with him all along.''


    ''His name is Orion, and his partner is a woman called Amelia. Both were extremely cautious and ready to strike me down at any given time.''


    He nodded.


    "I can sympathize. I wouldn''t trust a man from the side of my enemy, either."


    ''I made a promise to him that we would welcome him into our territory to show him how we treat our own fellow men and even the other factions around us.''


    ''He agreed, saying that if it was on his way and that he felt like it, he would think about it.''


    ''If he enters your city, please receive him accordingly. His partner told me that they can easily wipe any city from the continent as a result of their relationship with the dragons, so no funny business. Your life is at stake here.''


    ''On the next page is a sketch I''ve made of both. Use it to identify them. As I''ve given your names, they will definitely look for you if they intend to meet you.''


    ''This is all I needed to say. Be careful out there.''


    ''Your friend, Florian Delur.''


    Eric placed the first letter on the table while keeping the second one in his hand. He stared at the drawing depicting Orion and Amelia in their smallest of details. What was outstanding was that the drawing even had colors.


    "This is definitely the guy we saw at the ceremony. This Florian is doing quite the dangerous part. We''ll have to treat him to something next time we run into him."


    Someone walked behind him, placing her head on his right shoulder.


    "Wow, what a cutie! Who''s that girl?"


    "No idea; I''ve never seen her before, either. She''s this man''s companion, it seems."


    "Oh, the one that killed a high-ranking member of the human army?"


    Caroline straightened while placing both hands on his shoulders.


    "The same one. We were looking for him, knowing that he could become a precious ally in making this world more tolerable for everyone."


    Since she was his wife and he rarely kept details hidden from her, she obviously knew about everything he did and saw.


    "Well, what about them?"


    With a nod, she turned her head toward the paper.


    "They might come here one day. We''ll have to receive them as guests."


    "What?! You''re serious? Oh, my! This is great; I will be able to see this cutie in the flesh!"


    Rubbing his eyebrows together, Eric thought to himself.


    ''Why did I marry her again?''


    Listening to his wife''s excitement over Amelia''s cuteness, Eric smiled warmly.


    ~


    A day later, the next letter arrived in a port city to the west of Triazils.


    Noctelagia was the second-closest to Albriar. Olivia Lakis, Lord of Noctelagia, received her letter shortly after.


    This city, which she inherited from her tyrant father, was a port city on the west side of the continent.


    As the Lakis grew in power over the past century, they lost all sense of realism as they built an extravagant high castle in the middle of the city.


    While she also inherited it, Olivia refused to live inside of it. Instead, she began to live in a residence further away from that place.


    She was warmly regarded by the citizens and even accepted as a good ruler by the subservient factions, treated as nothing more than free and expendable labor around her, before taking the place of the previous Apostle.


    Surprisingly, she handled the resisting members, who were determined to force her to resign, with an iron hand.


    She sentenced each one of them to live on an island in the middle of the Carmel Sea.


    The corrupt men of her father, the soldiers, the merchants— everyone who showed corruption in their behavior disappeared.


    Although she lived in a bigger house than her citizens, they never spoke ill of her, as she was kind and worked with determination to accept their requests while improving the lives of her people.


    Nevertheless, work still had to be done in the castle. Separating work from private life, Olivia walked to her desk and sat down inside the study room.


    Two of her maids walked on each side, one of them with a letter in hand.


    The dark-haired maid gently placed the letter on the desk before sliding it toward her master.


    "Who sent this?"


    She turned to the maid and questioned her.


    "It appears to be coming from Lord Florian Delur."


    Lifting an eyebrow, Olivia picked up the letter and looked at the seal.


    "Sir Florian? Then I should hurry and read it."


    She instantly applied her water magic to her fingernail, creating a small blade to cut a straight line at the top of the envelope.


    Olivia pulled the first letter, but inadvertently dropped the second one on the desk.


    "This man! Did Sir Florian find him already?"


    With an excited grin, she picked up the drawing and began to read the first letter.


    ''Dear Olivia Lakis,''


    ...


    The content of the letter was the same, with small variations.


    "I can''t believe it! His name is Orion. He is still the most handsome man I have ever seen in my whole life."


    She had a dreamy expression on her face while staring at his picture.


    "But I have to wonder who this woman is. Is she special to him? I''m quite intrigued by her; there''s something about her face that I can''t quite get my finger on."


    Tapping her finger on her cheek, she looked away.


    "Well, there''s no reason to think too much about it; we have to prepare to avoid disappointing him when he comes. Girls, can you go fetch the next pile of documents, please?"


    Olivia carefully folded the papers and placed them in a drawer while asking her maids.


    The maid left the room, leaving the hardworking Olivia in her study.


    ~


    The last letter to arrive was two days later, after Olivia received hers. The final recipient was located in Hocride, in the Parsmata Desert, known for its white sand.


    Hocride was the biggest port city on Triazils. It was the richest city and the most thriving of all the cities.


    The laws were especially strict toward merchants, making them care for their merchandise and how they did business inside the city.


    Money was dispatched equally toward the management of it all and the resource center.


    That center was a building that the Lord of Hocride specifically asked to be built, as Kamala herself rarely entered a debate with anyone.


    She hired many capable people to resolve the citizens'' problems and complaints.


    As she showed a great deal of support for each person coming to trade, her laws were rarely broken, and complaints rarely ensued.


    At that time, the city''s ruler, Kamala Genathis, was enjoying a cup of tea on her balcony, gazing at the gleaming sea.


    "Lady Kamala, we received a letter from the Albriar''s Lord. It most likely comes from the Apostle Florian Delur."


    A servant came to her with a letter and a pocket knife on a tray. He placed them on the table next to her and headed back inside.


    Without a word, she picked up the envelope and cut the side of the envelope with the knife.


    Once opened, she spun the letter around and tapped on the bottom, making the content of the envelope drop on the table.


    She took the papers and began to read them.


    ''...''


    After a few minutes, a sight escaped her mouth.


    She smiled while looking at the letter, most likely knowing that Florian was fine after facing Kiel''s ''murderer''.


    Thinking that maybe the other side could be acting on circumstances, she believed that perhaps the man was willing to listen to them.


    As a woman of few words, she was expecting the future visit of Orion to be a short one, with him losing patience and taking her life.


    Still, she was glad to learn she had a chance to meet someone who could protect the world she herself wanted to keep safe.


    ~


    Soon after everyone received their letters, something incredible happened inside the fairy realm, which made Orion think again about bringing Amelia into the corrupt underground.