“Are you sure you can make it, mentor?” Lily asked skeptically.

Zenith knew why she was asking since Paige was hardly in the mood to bother with it, but it still irked her to hear her little apprentice nag.

“I will make sure to hurry Paige along. We’ll be there in a week. I promise. But are you sure you don’t want any company for the ride over? Markus and I could follow the two of you to town.”

“We, we’ll be fine by ourselves, mentor. But please don’t forget that the Queen is planning a private banquet, so if you need anything at all, just-”

“Relax, Lily. I can handle things in that regard. Just enjoy your break and we will see you soon.”

Standing at the edge of the forest, Zenith waved them off until they were out of sight before she turned to look at the young man standing next to her, standing indignantly off to her side.

She cocked an eyebrow.

“Well? Are you going to say it now?”

“How come I couldn’t just go with them right now! It’s not like you need me for anything here! They’re my only friends, aunt!” Markus exploded.

She turned and headed back to the house, following the same dirt path they had first walked on a scant eight years ago. Time was flying by, but now things were starting to change, hopefully for the better.

“Oh, hush. Xavier would be offended if he heard that.”

“We’d have to see him first, aunt. I hardly see him either, nowadays.”

Zenith’s stern face faltered. He wasn’t entirely wrong. Besides training in the forest, Markus hadn’t had the chance to go see anyone his age for quite some time now.

“We need your help packing things up. And saying goodbye to Boary as well. An elder monster like him won’t be able to go with us to the Academy. He’s going to have to stay here.”

“Wait, Boary isn’t coming with us?”

Markus stopped on the path. Zenith looked over to Markus and blinked. His body was starting to blend in with shadows. Already his form was starting to become hazy.

‘His control over his mana was getting better,’ Zenith noted. ‘It’s a shame he didn’t want to become a mage, though he probably would’ve had a hard time.’

“He can’t. There is a difference Markus. But he won’t be alone. Sara will still be coming here to stay instead, at least to sleep and hunt. That’s one of the reasons why I personally have to stay here, at least for a good portion of the week. I’m planning on modifying the surrounding magic circles to better suit her needs.

Markus frowned. “But I thought that the magic circles would have to be powered every so often. Is Miss Sara able to power it by herself?”

“No, but we’ve been storing mana cores for a while now. We really don’t need them for anything, and we wouldn’t get a fair price in the cities if we sold it.”

“We wouldn’t?”

“No, but that is beside the point. We’re going to have a lot of stuff to do once we move, so we have to use this time wisely. Your uncle is already heading to Nespe to look at temporary lodgings for us, and then we’ll decide what our next plan is once we understand what will happen with your new party.”

“Um, aunt? About that,” Markus hesitated. “Who is Isabella?”

Zenith stopped and sighed. “You’ll hear about her eventually, so I guess I could tell you. She’s… important. To Paige.

“I know that much, aunt. But why?”

“It’s complicated. Paige has been looking for her for a long time now.”

“Why?”

“I don’t exactly know why. She knew her mother, but even then, it doesn’t really explain her persistence in trying to find her,” Zenith lied.

Zenith knew exactly why Paige was insistent on finding her. Isabella still had Paige’s old Princess Class. Or, Paige said she should still have it.

Her explanation of why hardly made sense, but Paige had only one argument.

“Their original Classes will attract endless troubles. And if Isabella doesn’t have the Princess Class yet, then chances are she’d have the Apprentice Class just like, Markus. So we need to find her sooner rather than later.

“I never gave birth to a Hero, Zenith, so I have no idea if Apprentice is the starting point for everything. If they mature into those classes...” Paige trailed off.

That argument still holds true to this day, for both Markus and Isabella.

Even though Paige had postponed looking for Isabella four years ago, it hadn’t stopped her from asking Tyler to keep an ear out for any new information. Zenith could only pray that the eventual meeting with Isabella would not be terribly awkward.

She shook her head. That was all in the future. Zenith looked over to Markus and rubbed his head.

“Look, Markus, things will be hectic once we move. We need to be ready to settle down in a new location as soon as possible. Can you please help out around here?”

Seeing his nod, Zenith paused for a moment and looked around. She would miss their little slice of paradise out in the woods.

“We have a week. Let’s make the most of it.”

---

Zenith looked around and was astounded at how fast Paige had packed up her room. It was practically empty now, save for her furniture. Of course, having a storage ring had helped in that matter.

She turned to look at Paige, who was leaning on the door, her eyes closed in concentration as she activated a privacy ward, the magic circle gleaming heavily as Paige kept her finger on it. Zenith didn’t want to be jealous, but it was getting harder as she noticed how much Paige’s mana core really expanded. Even with her null affinity handicap, her core could almost rival a Specialized Mage’s core. That was a very big upgrade for her, though she noted that Paige was still very efficient with her mana usage.

“Okay, Zenith. It’s been activated. So, what did you and Nick find out?” Paige asked.

Zenith took out a simplified map of the heart of the forest, showing the symbols that she and Nick had seen. For whatever reason, the center of the forest never changed positions, which made it easy to map out.

“Paige, the symbols that we found were inert. From what I can tell, the ritual is either running out of power or it has completed its purpose.”

Zenith knew that would happen, as the mana dispersion fog was now totally gone from the forest. She half wondered if the fog was suppressing the forest itself, as the problems didn’t start cropping up until the fog had started to disperse.

“Everyone’s Class is still the same though, and we haven’t changed back to our original bodies. What are your thoughts on it?”

“It’s hard to say, Paige. You are our Party Leader, so we’ll follow your lead. But you need to think about your plan again. I’m not an expert at ritual spells, Paige, but with the formation losing its power, I think we are stuck here in this alternate world. Forever. We need to decide how we are going to survive here, long term.”

Zenith and Paige sat in the quiet room. She could only hope that Paige started to take their situation more seriously. Paige wasn’t the worst leader Zenith had ever followed, but it was hard to trust her judgment sometimes, even though things had worked out thus far. She knew that Nick and Tyler felt the same way, as well. But Paige was far stronger than all of them combined, even as a Farmer.

Farmer Conscript? Farmer Warrior? Zenith sighed for the umpteenth time. She hoped that Paige could change her Class if she started using battle skills more prominently. They all would, actually. The moment they stepped on a status checker, their cover would definitely be exposed. After all, how would they explain how their Support Classes could rival High Battle Classes?

“Thanks for trusting me, Zenith. I know that I’m not the best leader, but I am glad you all decided to stay,” Paige suddenly said.

“Just remember that trust goes both ways, Paige. We need to work together, and that means our plans and goals as well.”

“I know. I know,” Paige sighed. “I mean it. I know that. Which is why I wanted to get your opinion on this before I talk with Nick and Tyler.”

Zenith paused. “Your opinion on…”

“On how this banquet will go. See…”

“The message said that they are coming? To the banquet?. All of them?”

“Yes, your majesty. Lily has already confirmed it. Her mentor and the rest of her party will be coming,” her guard Haille expressed with interest as she read the response letter.

Queen Rebecca paced back and forth nervously in the conference room, her eyes swiveling and lips pursed. It was apparent that something was wrong, even to Glenn, who hardly knew the Queen.

“And that is bad because?” Glenn asked boredly. He stared at the open map, the red pendants markers increasing ever so slightly at the western edge. He was rather impressed by the Queen’s choices.

Had Isabella been present, she would have been surprised that the old man was even talking. It was apparent that he wanted to meet this suspicious group, though the particulars eluded Rebecca as to why.

“Something isn’t right. It’s too easy. This party has been here for some time now and they’ve never wanted to meet, so how were they persuaded so easily?”

Rebecca made up an excuse, but she knew something had made Paige move, not the other way around.

‘For Paige to just get up and move here is suspicious, in and of itself. If that was the case, then why hadn’t she made any moves before now?’

From her memories, Paige should’ve been chomping at the bits to do something. Anything. She knew that Paige had never been good at settling down in one location for long. But here she was, staying hidden in a forest for years on end now.

“Now that you mention it, Queen Rebecca, I have some questions to ask that Scout who met them.”

Rebecca turned around and evaluated Glenn warily. It wasn’t the first time he had asked that, but he had only written letters to her; letters that she intentionally did not answer. But as she looked around the room and the communication network that the Healer Hall had lent her, Rebecca knew that she couldn’t justify her actions any longer.

Glenn was far too abnormal. Even as he stood there, Rebecca noticed that the other Protectors had left their posts around the equipment. It was clear that the man in front of her was confident in protecting the artifacts alone. And it was also clear that he wasn’t a normal Protector either. His actions in protecting Isabella and her Party were very much needed, as she was afraid that Maxwell would have abducted the three of them long ago, just to deal with the girl's mentor.

But the man had promised many things in the name of the Healer Hall, and he had actually followed through with his promises almost instantly. In her opinion, that actually reminded her of someone and made him far more dangerous than she had initially thought.

Rebecca closed her eyes and calculated the risk. “...Haille, call in Scout Miranda. I believe our guest has some questions to ask her.”

“Yes, your highness.”

Rebecca watched Haille leave and sighed. She knew that Glenn had something on Paige and her party. She could only hope that they didn’t know everything.

---

“You met this Party. How strong are they?” Glenn asked for the tenth time.

“Strong, sir,” Maggie replied in a deadpan voice.

Rebecca stared ruefully at the scene in front of her. Maggie was surprisingly strong-headed about a few things, which is why she was such a good spy. Why she had chosen to be an innkeeper in her spare time was beyond her understanding.

Though, she couldn’t blame the girl either. She knew that the memories were a double-edged sword. Something must have called out to her from her memories, something she wanted to keep hold of.

Just like Isabella was for her.

Protector Glenn looked over at her, a faint trace of anger marking his face. She could tell that he was getting annoyed at the situation, but Maggie could be just as stubborn.

“Queen Rebecca, your Royal Spy is oddly secretive about what she knows. Care to help?”

Rebecca made eye contact with Maggie.

“Miranda, our relationship with the Healer Hall is strictly give-and-take. Right now, we need to give. Please answer his questions in more detail.”

Maggie frowned but nodded her head slightly. She turned to Glenn and reiterated her answer.

“Their Party was strong, sir. I only saw three of them in action, but from what I can tell they are probably on par with you, sir.”

“Class type and Guild ranking?”

“Mage, Warrior, Ranger. And a battle class trainee. An Apprentice Scout, or perhaps an Apprentice Swordsman? As for guild rank, sir, I would place it solidly in the upper one hundred.”

It was Glenn’s turn to frown at the information.

“That doesn’t make any sense. They have to be specialized in one field. Were you not able to deduce that information which specific Class they were?”

Rebecca knew that look in Maggie’s eyes. She was trying to hide something. “I wasn't. But they were those Class types, sir.”

Glenn’s frown deepened as he reevaluated Maggie. His eyes narrowed in thought.

“...you’re not lying to me. You know they are those Classes. But they are also as strong as I am… So that means you can evaluate the chances of surviving an encounter. Probably [Keen Senses] or [Battlefield Awareness]. I’m guessing the former.”

“And you have a Skill to detect lies. Isn’t that odd for a man of your stature and position?” Rebecca frowned as she noticed his use of skills. This wasn’t an interrogation.

“Shopkeepers have a similar skill. It’s important to know who you can trust when you get to the position we are in, your majesty. So, you’ve told me their assumed class and rank. Now, what are their names, Miss Miranda?”

“Their names?” Maggie hesitated.

“Yes. Their names.”

“They are law-abiding citizens, right? Even Scions have to pay taxes on the properties they own. I assume they would not cover up their own status of Imperial Servants, so their names should be listed somewhere.”

Rebecca hesitated. “The land they are living on was owned by Peter himself. He opened his land to anyone who could actually survive in it. But it sat unsettled for a long time, so I am not sure if their local tax office would have recorded their names or not.”

“Survive? Is the forest that dangerous?” Glenn asked with a frown.

Rebecca shrugged. “That entire forest is weird, but Peter assumed the whole area was dangerous. Miranda, please tell, Sir Glenn, what their names are. If you know them, that is.”

“I know some of their names. Zenith Hall, Nick Hall, Tyler Merk, Paige, and Markus.”

“No last name for Paige or Markus?”

“None that I could tell, sir. But I do know what they listed on their taxes, your majesty.”

“Oh? They actually paid them?” Rebecca said.

She was surprised that they had done their civic duty, and voluntarily at that. Rebecca knew full well that Scion Maxwell hadn’t paid a single coin to the Treasury, and he had forcefully occupied the Royal Castle for years now.

“Yes, your majesty. But when I looked into their records, their classes were listed as Farmer Conscript, Teacher, Bowyer, and Merchant. Their status was verified by the local tax collector and the Cidala Merchant Association as well.”

“They are all mainly support classes? You’re sure about that?” Glenn hesitated.

In truth, Rebecca was inwardly astounded as well. Paige was a Farmer Conscript? She was supposed to be a Warrior. Had something else changed as well?

Glenn paused. “Did they all voluntarily multiclass in a worthless profession, just to go undercover? Then how did they hide their actual Classes?”

Multiclass. Rebecca hadn’t even heard that was possible to take more than one Class. But, if there were conditions that had to be met, then the Imperial Family would certainly have the resources to conduct formal experiments.

Glenn moved on, his voice steady.

“I’ll have to look into their background a little closer as well. Forget about the adults for now. The boy, Markus. You said that he probably had a Class already. How skilled is he?”

“He’s good for his age, sir. He was able to kill a Demon Scout in the dark by himself.”

Rebecca was astounded. The boy was good. Rebecca knew that without Haille and her guards around, even the Royal Scouts would have a tough time dealing with Demon Scouts at night. Especially if they were Trent's Scouts.

“But you have no verification of what his Class actually is?” Glenn asked.

“No, sir. He has not enrolled at any school nor has he undergone any formal testing,” Maggie hesitated but continued on. “There were rumors that his status had been checked four years ago, but I was unable to verify his last name. The mage who powered the magic circle did remember that his natural affinity was Greater Darkness and that he had no battle class at the time, though.”

Glenn nodded and waved his hand.

“Hm. So he can hold his weight. That’s good to know. Your dismissed, Miss Miranda.”

Rebecca locked eyes with her and tilted her head to the side. She still had to ask Maggie some questions as well. Maggie saw the look and limped over to the nearest wall and stood there. Glenn grimaced.

“I was told that Apprentice Cleric Isabella healed your injuries?”

“She did, sir. But something didn’t work quite right with her spell. I’m using a temporary knee brace to offload my weight.”

She tapped the side of her knee crisply as a dull metallic clang echoed from beneath her pants leg.

“Hm. Go to the Healer Hall and get a Cleric to look at the injury. If there is something inhibiting the spell from working, it is better to find out now while Trent is passive.”

Maggie nodded but she leaned on the wall and waited.

“Do you trust them, your majesty?” Glenn asked without warning.

“Yes,” Rebecca instantly replied.

Glenn evaluated the room with a stern eye. This was the key moment, Rebecca realized deep within her heart. And by the same token, possibly the moment their entire relationship could crumble.

“The Farmer. What is her last name.”

All eyes focused on her. Rebecca wanted to deny it, but the look in Glenn’s eye was telling. He already knew the answer.

Rebecca knew she had to tell the truth, or she might lose their cooperation. Had Peter was standing right beside her, he would have cautioned her not to confirm anything. That the Imperial family would stop at nothing to find out what he had done, and for what purpose.

But Peter was dead now. And Rebecca knew she needed all the help she could get during this arduous time.

“Alduit. Paige Alduit.”