“It’s quite convenient being king, huh?” Helden asked as he looked around. Contrary to his expectation, Vur hadn’t gone to the adventurers’ guild; instead, a skeleton was found, and orders were given. Then, they had gone to the housing district. Helden let out a chuckle as he examined the fancy buildings in the area. “I suppose you could forcefully take one of these houses, and you wouldn’t even get in trouble.”

“I could,” Vur said. “But I don’t have to be king to do that.” He placed his hands on his hips and stared up at the sky. Helden couldn’t tell what Vur was looking for, but evidently, Vur had found it. Vur nodded his head and shifted three houses to the side. “This is the spot.”

Helden stared at the house Vur had stopped in front of. It was three-stories tall, and thick white pillars supported an outdoor balcony while also providing a roof for the porch. The windows were arched, and red curtains with golden embroidery could be seen from the outside. “Not bad,” Helden said and nodded his head. “Although it isn’t as practical as a few other houses here, I understand why you’d select this place. My party members will definitely love living here. As king, do you get to keep the servants working inside the house if you forcefully claim it as your own?”

Vur frowned at Helden. “Why would I want this building?”

Helden raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to tear it down?”

Vur patted the brown rune on his arm, and Diamant let out a sigh. “Do you want me to tear it down for you?” the mountain elemental asked. “There’s still people inside.”

“No,” Vur said. “Just make space.” He gestured with his hands. “Move it to the side. Move that house”—Vur pointed at the house closest to the one he was standing in front of—“to the other side. Push the house behind and in front of this one apart, and make sure the space is flat.”

“If I move these buildings to the side, won’t they be too close to the other buildings nearby?”

“Move those too,” Vur said.

“If you say so,” Diamant said. The runes on Vur’s arm shone with a bright light, and the ground rumbled. The buildings shifted apart, and an earthen platform rose out of the space that the house had previously occupied. Faint shouts and screams were heard in the distance, and Helden swore someone said something about taking cover for an earthquake. After a while, the trembling of the earth stopped, and the map of the kingdom had to be updated. A few residents came out of the houses, but upon seeing Vur, they kept their mouths shut and went back inside.

“More space,” Vur said. “I want this house to be as big as the place Ed built for me on his island.”

The runes on Vur’s arm lit up again, and the map of the kingdom had to be updated once again; it was a good thing no one had started updating it after the first adjustment. A large circular platform appeared in front of Vur; it occupied more space than the whole housing district had previously taken up. Vur nodded upon seeing the sight. Before he could continue, a portal appeared beside him, and Tafel walked out. A dark expression appeared on her face upon seeing the empty space. “What are you doing?” she asked and looked around at the people who were coming out of the houses once more.

“Building the company house,” Vur said. “This is the best spot for sunlight, so I moved everything else away to make space.”

“You know you changed the layout of the whole kingdom, right? I felt you moving the palace away too.”

“That’s okay,” Vur said. “The kingdom changes all the time.”

Tafel scratched her head. “I guess that’s true, and the rebuilding of all the roads will create a few jobs…. Alright, well, if you need any help, let me know. I’ll be at the palace.”

Vur nodded. “Didn’t I tell you not to worry? I know what I’m doing.”

Tafel grunted. “Then I’ll leave it to you,” she said and walked through the portal. It winked out of existence once she was gone.

Helden stared at the space where the portal had been. “Do you think I could learn how to do that?”

“Why would you?” Vur asked. “You should focus on your cooking; after all, you’re a chef.”

“But I’m not just a chef…,” Helden mumbled, but it was almost impossible to hear him because the ground was rumbling and shaking as pillars of earth rose out of it.

***

Gloria sighed and rested her head on the backs of her front paws. Leila and Grimmy glanced at the dejected cursed dragon lying in the corner of the room. There was a bowl of grapes in front of her, but she hadn’t touched a single one. Grimmy nudged Leila, and Leila shook her head. “You do it,” she whispered. “You’re better at cheering her up.”

Grimmy climbed to his feet and plodded over to Gloria’s side. He plopped down beside her and curved his neck to stare at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Gloria said, staring straight at the ground.

“Did your grandma beat you?” Grimmy asked. “If she did, you can tell me. If your mom and I work together, we can beat her back. It’ll be a bit tough, but if you joined in too, we’d definitely win.”

“Grandma Gren didn’t beat me,” Gloria said.

Grimmy scratched his head. “Did Ramon bully you again?”

Ramon’s eyes widened. All he did was lie in a corner and eat a piece of meat. Why was he suddenly drawn into this? If anything, he was the one bullied by Gloria when she took his food away to feed those humans!

Gloria shook her head.

Grimmy stroked his chin with the tip of his claw. “What happened to those humans you brought back? Did your grandma punish you for bringing them into the house?”

“She didn’t punish me,” Gloria said and frowned. She sniffled. “She sent them to the farm where they’ll live happy lives forever.”