Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

After half a day on the road, they finally crossed into the borders of the Eredor Kingdom. Unlike other realms, Eredor was swallowed by dense forest on both sides, making the entire journey a continuous stretch of endless woods. "Yaaawn." Dion, thoroughly bored, let out a massive yawn. Gina was back in his lap looking content, while Luna leaned asleep against his shoulder. Cleo rested beside Luna, while Aria, across from them, leaned against Sheila, who was slumped against the window with her arms crossed. Every single one of them was fast asleep.

Only Mei sat upright and silent, even with her eyes shut. Dion studied Mei, who had looked strung out since the start of the trip.

"Mother Mei is fine, Master," Gina communicated telepathically.

"I know... but after reading that letter... I pretty much get what’s running through her head," Dion replied in his mind.

"I don’t understand, Master," Gina said.

"You don’t need to. You’re still a baby, so just relax, alright?" Dion said, stroking Gina’s head.

"Okay... Master," Gina purred happily, soaking in the affection.

Mei opened her eyes, turning to stare out the window while propping her chin on her hand, elbow resting against the sill.

"You awake, Mei?" Dion asked.

"I wasn’t sleeping. Why aren’t you resting?" Mei asked back.

"Already got some sleep... besides, I’m not used to sleeping during rides like this," Dion replied nonchalantly.

Mei leaned forward, gently picking Gina up from Dion’s lap before leaning back to scoop the small dragon into her arms. She lowered her head, resting her forehead against Gina’s until the tiny creature looked up in confusion. Dion kept his eyes on Mei’s subtle movements; it was obvious she was acting like someone bracing for a final goodbye. After all, the letter explicitly named her as King Araki’s offspring, and with Yugo dead, the king had no other lineage to inherit the throne. Dion crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the window.

"Relax, Mei. I’m sure they won’t force you to stay there... Just say the word, and we’ll be ready to back you up," Dion reassured her softly.

At his words, Mei raised her head, staring at Dion as he kept his eyes on the passing trees outside. A faint smile touched her lips.

"You really know what I’m thinking, don’t you?" Mei asked, smiling softly.

"Pretty much. It’s written all over your face, sorry if I guessed wrong," Dion offered casually.

Mei fell quiet, holding Gina as the small dragon wrapped her tiny paws around Mei’s wrist. She turned her gaze back out the window.

"You’re not wrong... I really am worried about that. But you missed one detail... To be completely honest, I’m terrified... I’m scared that my entire life up to this point was just a lie. I’m afraid of facing the truth, but I need to know... That’s why I’m heading to my father’s house in the capital right now," Mei confessed.

Dion didn’t say a word. He simply reached out and rested his hand over Mei’s hand as she cradled Gina. He understood exactly what she was going through, discovering a hidden truth was terrifying and had the power to rewrite everything a person believed in. He had intentionally held back from bringing it up earlier, relying strictly on the letter so Mei could share her thoughts on her own terms without feeling pressed.

Mei looked down at Dion’s hand. Unclasping one hand from Gina, she took hold of Dion’s fingers.

"Thank you, Dion," Mei said quietly.

"Don’t mention it. Don’t sweat it," Dion replied with a smile.

The carriage rolled forward until it hit a fork in the road. Just as Mei had described, along the right-hand path leading east, ancient ruins were clearly visible through the treeline, even from the roadside. Structures resembling temples and obelisks stood jutting out among the trees, forming an expansive complex of ancient remains that looked thousands of years old.

"So those ruins on the right are the ones you mentioned, Mei?" Dion asked.

"That’s right. Before reaching the capital, this path leads past those ruins first... It covers a huge area, though no one has ever mapped it out since entry is strictly forbidden," Mei explained.

Dion narrowed his eyes, attempting to parse the structures hidden within the forest. He caught onto a pattern: while the ruins beneath Mageford looked like a modern Earth city, the ruins inside this forest resembled a sprawling military base or installation complex. Huge structures resembling aircraft hangars, half-built from stone or completely petrified, sat among thinly scattered trees that seemed to line old roads. Square, bunker-like buildings that looked like command centers sat partially submerged in the dirt, alongside plenty of other familiar shapes.

"What was this world actually like in the past? Why does so much of this stuff look just like back home on Earth?" Dion thought to himself, thoroughly puzzled.

Mei noticed Dion closely scanning the ruins and turned her gaze outward as well.

"The outermost village of the Shadow Clan sits right within those ruins. The rest of the clans are scattered further inside, stretching all the way to the foot of the mountain," Mei noted.

"Hmm... so those ruins are fully within their territory. Let’s hope the mages from Mageford don’t wander out this far," Dion said.

"I already warned them not to trespass. If we cross the Shadow Clan, they won’t hesitate to declare war on us, and they don’t need the king’s approval to do it," Mei warned.

"I see," Dion replied. "Here’s hoping we don’t run into any more trouble."

"Agreed," Mei murmured.

The carriage pressed on until the ruins faded into the distance. By late afternoon, with the sun dipping west toward the horizon, the capital of Eredor came into view ahead. True to Mei’s description, the city looked dense like any other capital, yet it was lush with greenery. Vegetation lined the streets and filled the inner quarters, with no massive stone walls enclosing the perimeter. Instead, multiple rivers flowed directly into the city, cutting across various districts. The high-rise headquarters of both the Aetheras Trading Company and the Adventurers Guild loomed over the skyline from afar.

There were no magic towers in sight, but a grand cathedral and several stone watchtowers nestled among the trees inside the city bounds. The houses were spaced comfortably apart, giving the sprawling capital an open, airy footprint.

"Wow... the capital of Eredor... it’s actually gorgeous," Dion remarked.

"Ugh."

Dion turned to see Luna, Cleo, Sheila, and Aria beginning to stir, stretching as they woke up.

"Springrock is even prettier," Mei pointed out.

"Uh... are we there already?" Luna asked, lifting her head off Dion’s shoulder to look around.

"Almost," Dion answered casually.

"Wait... did we already pass the ruins?" Cleo asked.

"A while ago... you were sound asleep," Dion replied.

"Aaah... why didn’t you wake me up?!" Cleo grumbled.

"How was I supposed to reach you? You were sitting all the way over there," Dion defended.

"Ugh... whatever, next time then," Cleo huffed in annoyance.

"Ow... my body is so stiff," Aria groaned, rubbing her shoulder.

"Same here... you kept crushing me the whole time," Sheila countered, rotating her arm.

Everyone turned their attention to Mei, who grew visibly tenser the closer they got to the capital. Even Gina, cradled in her arms, used her tiny paws to stroke Mei’s arm comfortingly. Naturally, Dion, Luna, Cleo, Aria, and Sheila could sense her anxiety; keeping quiet, they offered silent support by touching her hands, shoulders, and head. As the carriage rolled on, Dion spotted numerous dark silhouettes shadowing them through the forest, scouting their movements, likely because their carriage bore the insignia of Mageford, which was previously associated with the Kingdom of Minatheras.

"They’re watching us, Master," Gina spoke into everyone’s minds from across the seat.

"Yeah... but I doubt they’ll try anything funny. They’re just keeping tabs," Dion thought back.

Dion turned, surprised to find Luna, Cleo, Aria, and Sheila already on high alert, glaring out the left and right windows to track the scouts lurking behind the trees. Dion could only shake his head.

"Man... my gut is telling me something bad is about to happen again. Why does this always happen every single time we enter another kingdom? Give me a break," Dion complained silently.

***

Meanwhile, at that exact moment, on the shattered balcony of the Minatheras palace—destroyed earlier by Gina’s blast, Minerva stood at the edge of the gaping hole overlooking the city. Rene stood right beside her, staring westward as the sun prepared to drop beneath the horizon.

"It’s time, my love," Rene whispered, placing his hands on Minerva’s shoulders from behind and kissing her neck.

"Ah... yes, darling. We begin shortly," Minerva purred, shivering slightly.

As the sun sank completely and the sky turned dark, leaving only a faint lingering purple hue in the west, Minerva raised both of her hands. Rene took a step back, giving her space. Minerva closed her eyes and began chanting under her breath.

"Swoooosh."

A dark purple and black aura surged up from her feet, rapidly flooding the room. "Groooo." Rene glanced behind him to see the reanimated zombie of King Theobald, alongside Frederick and a rank of fallen knights standing in formation. Minerva opened her eyes, her irises turned completely pitch-black, radiating a sinister purple light.

"Undead Plague!"

"Haaaaah!"

Minerva opened her mouth wide, unleashing a rolling cloud of pitch-black and purple miasma that surged out toward every corner of the city. "What is that?! Aaaah... run!" The terrified citizens screamed, attempting to flee as the heavy fog rolled over them. Those who weren’t fast enough collapsed instantly, writhing on the ground while clutching their throats in agony.

Screams echoed across the entire city as the populace dropped like flies, struck down by the lethal plague. They rolled on the ground, which turned a dark, sickly purple beneath them like a carpet. Their veins bulged black against their skin as they gasped for air, eyes rolling back as blood leaked from their ears, nose, and eyes.

Moments later,

"Groooo."

The entire population, citizens, soldiers, knights, and nobles alike, stumbled slowly through the miasma, converging upon the palace courtyard. Young and old alike had been transformed into mindless zombies, standing shoulder to shoulder, drenched in blood and vomit.

"Hahaha... Rise, my army! It’s time we reclaim the world that was rightfully ours from the very beginning!" Minerva shrieked, gazing down at the massive horde gathered below. Rene wrapped his arms around Minerva from behind, a manic grin spreading across his face as he surveyed the undead legion.