In the largest and most spacious room overlooking the royal capital, Prince Douglas Rovar sat enthroned on a simple wooden chair. His eyes drooped as he once again started to read from the endless piles of documents gathered atop his sparsely garnished wooden desk.

The papers contained detailed reports from his agents about the unrest in Kilerth. No matter how much power and money they threw at the problem, the refugees just kept on coming and the Illurian Woods were filling up with vampires. He let out a tired sigh as he read the last line in the report.

“Why is it so hard to find competent people? ‘Do not, under any circumstances, antagonize the seraph in those woods.’ It’s like the locals wanted to make my life harder! Vampire outbreaks are tedious to suppress,” he muttered to himself.

A faint knock drew his attention to the extravagant, bordering on gaudy, gilded double doors at the front of the room. He briefly allowed himself to scowl at the ornate structure before fixing his expression to match his public-facing, enigmatic mask.

“Enter.”

The doors slid open, and a thin, blonde-haired woman wearing a suit jacket and a pencil skirt stepped through the doors. She flicked them closed and strode across the room, her high heels clicking against the floor as she approached his desk with a serious, business-like aura.

Upon seeing her, Doug visibly relaxed and leaned back into his chair. With a sigh of relief, he dropped his jovial smile and allowed his bearing to fall from bright and cheery to dark, tired, and dreary. There was no point in pretending to be okay around his secretary.

“Lord, I have three matters that I wish to consult you on,” she reported.

Doug motioned toward the line of ornate, enchanted chairs lining the right side of the room.

“Take a seat and we’ll talk, Lydia.”

Lydia pulled one of the expensive chairs toward the center of the room. She sat down on the edge of the chair, her back as straight as a rod as she maintained proper posture.

“You may begin,” he ordered.

She lifted two stacks of paper and a letter.

He reached out and drew the reports toward him with a flick of his wrist, guiding them through the air until they landed softly on his desk in front of him. He gave the letter a cursory glance and noted that the sender was his uncle in Cairel. He returned his attention to his secretary as she delivered her report.

“Our informants warned us about a rebellious lordling in the north. Despite our best efforts, the people there remain dissatisfied and are beginning to rally to his cause. The first stack contains all the information we have gathered about the instigators, their complaints, their resources and supporters, and their plans for insurrection.”

“Again…?”

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back in a long, drawn-out sigh.

Why were people this stupid?

It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand them. He was in their position several years ago, but he wished they would just recognize and learn from his mistakes. They thought they were pursuing a noble and righteous cause, but they had no idea what kind of hell they were trying to attain. There was too much stress and paperwork involved in being a continental hero.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and running his hands through his sleek, blonde hair. After taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he continued the conversation.

“Is my presence necessary?”

“Quite unnecessary. As usual, we just need you to set a direction and we will execute your will. Which method should we use to suppress them this time---absolute force, economic intervention, or social destruction?

He tilted his head thoughtfully, pursing his lips as he tapped his fingers on his desk. “We solved the last two uprisings with social destruction, right? That might be where this little lordling got some weird ideas. Let’s give them a break and use money this time.”

“Do those self-centered nobles really need a break?” she muttered under her breath.

The edges of Doug’s mouth twitched upward. “Given your personal history, I understand why you feel that way. When I still didn’t understand the truth of things, I thought like that too. Keep your emotions in check and remember that those who continue to honor their oaths deserve every privilege bestowed upon them.”

She furrowed her brows and her rigid expression tilted toward a scowl before she fixed it. “Yes, Your Highness.”

The prince motioned toward the other stack of papers. “What other matters do you have for me?”

“These reports contain the information that you asked for about the man named ‘Spencer’ in New America. From what we have gathered, we believe that the man may have been summoned from another world.”

Doug shifted in his seat. “Are we sure about that?”

She shook her head. “We are trying to find evidence but, as you know, it is unlikely to exist. The details behind our speculations are contained in the report.”

If there was even a slight possibility that he was summoned…

He placed the report on the corner of his desk reserved for extremely urgent matters and made a note to peruse the contents as soon as possible. Then he turned his attention to the final document---the letter from his uncle.

He scanned the contents and his eyes widened with pleasant surprise. “That waste of space finally went and got himself droned!” he exclaimed. “I feel a little bad for my uncle, but my cousin deserved it.”

Lydia hid a smile. “Your Highness, happy news aside, there are a few details about that case that I think you will be interested in. This may even be a case that requires your personal intervention.”

“Oh?” Doug raised an eyebrow. “Would you care to elaborate?”

“Duke Jantzen does not have any conclusive evidence, but he suspects an adventurer by the name of ‘Ray’ might be a monster that has infiltrated his domain. My informants have been unable to obtain any detailed information because she was being protected by the High Priestess, your eldest brother, and his guard.”

“Max and Siegfried were involved?”

“Additionally, there were two incidents that my informants were able to witness. There was a single instance when this ‘Ray’ was seen fighting your cousin. She flipped him over her head and slammed him into the ground. She then proceeded to lift an activated slave collar and move with some degree of freedom.”

“And?” he questioned. “I could easily do the same.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Normal people can’t do that. You are a Tether to the God of Strength and have other unique powers. She is either an exceptionally talented enhancer or a monster. Either way, we should keep a close eye on her.”

“Ah, that’s right...” he gave a dramatic sigh. “I almost forgot how special I am.”

Lydia scoffed, yet the edges of her mouth were tilting up in a smile. “Indeed. Only immortals, demons, the god’s chosen children, and the Mad God can do the things that you do. I trust that I don’t need to say any more.”

Immortals, demons, the god’s chosen, and the Mad God. If this ‘Ray’ belonged to any of those groups, she needed to be dealt with quickly. As a prince, he couldn’t overlook a potentially world-ending threat; he could only trust himself to deal with this. It took a comparable level of existence to deal with monsters like them.

He drummed his fingers thoughtfully against his desk and the tapping sound echoed throughout the room. “That old bitch is still alive, right? And the vengeance girl and the cookie artist are both still accounted for?”

“All four Tethers are alive and accounted for,” Lydia affirmed. “That is why I wished to consult you for direction in this matter.”

The prince grabbed the letter and scanned the contents with renewed eyes as he searched for clues regarding this strange ‘Ray’. He had a feeling that she was related to his cousin becoming a drone.

If that were truly the case, then he would need to visit and thank her personally for her outstanding service to the kingdom. It would be a good opportunity to gauge her threat level. His intuition was telling him that this situation wasn’t a simple one. If his intuition was correct, she could become the important variable he was waiting for.

His intuition was never wrong. He would be a fool if he didn’t seize this chance.

“Lydia, sometimes I feel like what we’re doing is right, but we’re not the right people for the job.”

She narrowed her eyes at the unexpected comment. “What do you mean?” she probed.

Doug shook his head and rose to his feet.

After two years of searching, he had finally caught the tail of a solution.

“I sense a sheep calling for me in Cairel. She is begging me to set her on the right path. Send Meredith and my knight order to Kilerth to deal with the vampires and the refugees. They are not authorized to enter the Illurian Woods under any circumstance. Also, inform Keegan that we have a lost sheep to take care of. He’ll understand.”

Lydia pushed herself to her feet and saluted. “Yes, Your Highness!” She left the room to carry out his orders.

He scanned the letter once more to memorize the contents and then burned it with a flick of his fingers. The swirling ashes drifted to the window. The decorated glass panel seemed to open of its own accord, allowing the wind to carry the smoldering embers into the distant horizon.

Prince Douglas Rovar stepped up to the open window and gazed upon his kingdom and his people. He had a single guess regarding that strange woman’s identity, which he hadn’t shared with his secretary.

If he was right, she was not just a misguided sheep.

Rather, she was likely a misguided wolf in sheep’s clothing – something much, much easier to work with. Sheep were useless unless nurtured and raised. Wolves, on the other hand, were dangerous. With a little guidance and support, they were strong.

Thankfully, this sheep was still a lamb.

Doug rubbed his hands in anticipation and closed the window to focus his eyes on his own reflection.

He saw the savior.