That same night after the banquet…
Under the soft glow of the moon, with a slow and cold wind flowing through the air, a lone boy stood quietly in the garden.
He was facing a tree… silently staring at it.
Then—
"Lord Precious…"
A voice came from behind.
The boy turned around.
It was Precious.
Standing before him were Rental, Gesha, Grass, Priya, and Lama—
All of them kneeling.
A calm and gentle smile appeared on Precious's face.
"...All of you are here?"
Rental lifted his head slightly while still kneeling.
"Lord Precious… how long has it been?"
"Yeah… it's been quite some time."
"Yes, Lord Precious. It has been 7 years."
Precious thought quietly:
Well… I did meet them 2 years ago… but I was hiding my identity, so they didn't recognize me.
Gesha spoke respectfully,
"Lord Precious… but why are you here?"
"Hmm… I am now the prince of Shin Kingdom."
"Yes, we know that," Priya replied.
"So… I came here to protect my kingdom."
"I see…"
Precious then said,
"Anyway… why did you all mention me like that? You shouldn't have done that."
Rental lowered his head slightly,
"We are sorry… we couldn't control our excitement after seeing you."
"It's fine… but be careful next time. And tomorrow, if this topic comes up again… then just say it's real. Don't say it was a joke."
Gesha hesitated,
"But why? If we say it was just a joke, the problem will be solved—"
She suddenly stopped.
"Wait… no. If we suddenly call it a joke after saying such big things… people will get suspicious."
Precious nodded.
"Exactly. That's why all of you should stick to your words."
Priya sighed in frustration,
"Damn… we shouldn't have said anything. So how do we fix this problem, Lord Precious?"
Precious spoke calmly,
"You see… if there is no enemy among them, then this topic will naturally be forgotten in a few days."
"But…"
"If someone is hiding something… or came with a hidden motive… they will remember it."
"They will observe every word and every move you make."
"Then two things will happen."
"First—we will find our enemy."
"Second—that enemy won't know that we already know about them."
"So we will always stay one step ahead."
Gesha lowered her head deeply, her voice filled with admiration,
"O great lord of Secret Sky… your intelligence is unmatched. You are above even the lords…"
Precious waved lightly,
"Yeah, yeah… that's enough praise. You all should leave now before someone sees you."
He added in a whisper—
"And even if someone does… I'll just erase their memory."
Grass spoke softly,
"But Lord Precious… if you haven't forgotten… you only have 2 years left. Then you must return to Secret Sky."
Precious went silent for a moment.
"…Yes. I know."
Gesha hesitated, then spoke nervously,
"If you allow it… can I hug you?"
Everyone looked at her in shock.
She quickly explained, embarrassed,
"I-I mean… when you were 5 years old… I used to hug you… and it's been a long time…"
Precious smiled gently.
"Yeah… sure."
Priya immediately added with slight jealousy,
"M-Me too! I want to hug Lord Precious!"
"Alright… all of you can come. You're my family."
At that moment—
Everyone became emotional.
Tears filled their eyes.
They moved forward and hugged him tightly.
"L-Lord… Pre…cious…!"
"It's okay… it's okay…"
Grass spoke while trembling,
"When I was a child… my village was destroyed by the Black Group…"
"You took me in… gave me a name… gave me a home… a family…"
"As long as you were with us… I never felt fear…"
"But when you suddenly disappeared… I cried… thinking you left us…"
Precious gently replied,
"I would never leave any of you…"
Under the moonlight, in that quiet night—
They stood together, holding onto him…
Not in fear—
But in warmth and happiness.
Meanwhile… inside the palace
A dark room.
A girl sat quietly on a bed.
It was Palakh.
In her hand was a strange device—similar to a radio.
"This is not technology… it's an artifact," she said.
"With this, I can communicate with anyone… and no barrier or detection skill can track it—unless it's at divine level… like a True Dragon."
She pressed a few buttons.
"Bzzzz…"
A voice came through—
"Palakh."
"Yes… dear Deku. I'm here. As you said… I have joined the Branch Alliance."
The person on the other side was Deku.
"Good… I want detailed information about everything happening there."
"Yeah… tomorrow the meeting will start."
"Report everything—discussions, treaties, alliance matters."
"Okay…"
Palakh continued,
"By the way… nothing special happened today. Just a banquet…"
"But something strange happened."
"King Rental and his subordinates… their behavior was unusual."
Deku responded,
"What do you mean? Did they look fake or something?"
"No… they were real. But during the conversation… they mentioned their 'Lord.'"
Deku paused.
"…Lord?"
"Wait… I remember hearing something…"
"That the Goblin King, Fairy King, and Spirit Queen were brought together by a single person…"
"And that person created Secret Sky City…"
"So maybe this 'Lord' is that same person."
Palakh added,
"They said… if their lord ruled this alliance… he could destroy the world in one second."
Deku fell silent.
After a moment, he spoke,
"I see… it could be true… but most likely they were lying."
"They probably wanted to create an impact… show their authority."
Palakh replied,
"…Or maybe they were telling the truth?"
"Possible," Deku said,
"So in tomorrow's meeting—bring up this topic again."
"If their answer changes—like saying it was a joke—then that lord is real."
"But if they stick to their statement…"
"Then they're probably lying."
"Because who would believe something like that?"
"That someone can destroy the world in one second?"
Palakh nodded.
"Yes… you're right."
"Also… there's one more thing."
"What?"
"Do you know Shin Kingdom's king Bit's nephew… Precious?"
Deku's tone changed.
"…Yes. Why? Wait—he's there?!"
"Yes… he's here."
"I see… then keep a close eye on him. That kid is important to me."
"Why?"
Deku laughed lightly.
"An 11-year-old kid… who defeated students from higher classes…"
"Imagine how powerful he'll become as an adult."
"And most importantly…"
"He has Necromancy."
Palakh froze.
"What?! A necromancer?!"
"I thought you killed all necromancers and took their powers!"
"Even I don't know how he has it," Deku said.
"Neither of his parents are necromancers."
"And his ability isn't normal…"
"He can create aura soldiers."
Palakh was stunned.
Deku continued,
"He's special… very special."
"I want that ability too."
"So keep watching him closely."
Palakh smiled slightly—an eerie smile.
"…Of course, dear Deku. Your dream is my dream."
The call ended.
She stored the artifact back into her pouch…
And lay down on the bed.
Meanwhile…
In a dark office—
Deku sat alone.
A sharp, sinister smile on his face.
His body hidden in shadows.
He chuckled,
"Manipulating people is so easy…"
"Just say 'I love you'… 'I want to marry you'…"
"And they'll do anything for you."
"Now… every detail of the Branch Alliance meeting…"
"…is in my hands."
"HAHAHAHA…!"