Agent 26 quietly slipped from the crowd that had started shouting for the guard to arrest the Azural family. He had witnessed the young prince of Sengar’s valiant speech that had successfully diverted all the blame for recent struggles onto the noble family. Silently cursing the loss of so much work that he had done over the last several years, he recomposed his expressions as he returned to the ship he utilized for his sea merchant cover story.

“Sir Nathos! What brings you by this late?” called the crewmember on watch duty.

“Inform the captain that we shall depart in the morning. There are no good deals to be had this time. The company will still pay you all, of course”

‘Nathos’ did not even bother to wait for a reply before turning away, though he did hear the acknowledgement as he continued on. Despite keeping his eyes forward, he seemed well aware of those he passed and any sorts that were behind him. As such, when he slipped into a modest shop through a door that was hidden no one nearby truly noticed.

26 started stuffing his bag with the few things inside the single room. As it was a magical bag, it was capable of storing everything without becoming distorted by the contents. Once everything was packed, he pulled out a small, diamond shaped crystal from the bag. Clenching his hand and channeling magic into it, he whispered into his hand.

“26 reporting. Volcanic Sea trade routes are going to remain in Sengar’s control. Assets within local nobility destroyed their foundation. Kingdom to likely tighten grip on the region. Withdrawing immediately. Full report upon return. Secondary report: Hero candidate sighted. Female human, late teens to early twenties. Abilities not exhibited, but does seem mentally weak. Currently traveling with the crown prince of Sengar, headed back to the capital, Vetreas.”

Satisfied with his message, he channeled a bit more magic into the crystal. The thing burst into dust, which swiftly disappeared with a magical energy breeze. After watching the dust disappear, 26 slipped out of the small hideout, disappearing the next morning on a ship heading southwest.

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The tingle of a bell sounding reached the nearby servant station. Agent 28, going by the name Tabitha, emerged through a secret door hidden in the castle wall. There were numerous passages, tunnels, and chambers in the castle that enabled the servants in Sengar’s palace to move about quickly and unseen. She straightened out a wrinkle in her maid uniform’s apron, tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear, and knocked on the chamber door.

“Enter,” echoed a female voice from within.

Tabitha slipped in quickly and quietly, giving a bow to the young girl inside.

“What can I do for you, Your Highness?” Tabitha questioned.

“Father has requested my presence at an official audience. Assist me in getting ready,” Princess Elyse responded.

“Of course, Princess. May I inquire as to the party which has deserved such an audience? It will help in selecting the appropriate attire for the occasion.”

“It is the hero that my brother has found. I pity the girl, knowing that he has his eye on her. I have yet to have seen her, so we must make a good impression to get her into the royal family’s service,” Elyse replied.

This was one of the reasons for Tabitha’s placement here. Information was key, and getting that information from such a source as the first princess of the kingdom, while not ideal, was the best that could be done at the moment. The king was protected by the court mage and the prime minister and the queen only used servants from some of the longest running families in the country. The prince was out of the question, since the ban on women in his employ ruled out Tabitha on that alone, but as he was often shrewd it was possible that he could expose Tabitha if she worked with him directly. So working as a servant for the first princess Elyse was a secure, high positioned spot right now. Tabitha was only vaguely aware of the extent of the backdrop her handlers had to do to get her even through the castle doors.

“The hero? I have only heard rumors, my Lady,” Tabitha encouraged as she pulled a sophisticated dress out of the closet.

“Yes. She is apparently my age and is a mage. Lady Adelade said that she’s very intelligent about medicine and being a physician, but lacks in noble motions. We shall have to impose knowledge of such things on her.”

Elyse continued on while Tabitha assisted her, the latter of whom eagerly drank up the information being spilled so carelessly around someone who was believed to be trusted. Tabitha knew that there was little chance of ever being extracted from her position, and if she was ever caught she was surely to be executed.

After Elyse went off to the audience chamber, Tabitha disappeared back into the servant passages. She pulled out a small, diamond shaped crystal from a secret stash she had hidden within the palace.

“Agent 28 reporting…,” Tabitha began as she condensed much of what she heard about the hero into the message.

After the crystal dust dissipated on the magical breeze, Tabitha straightened another wrinkle that was trying to form in her uniform and went to resume her duty. Quietly, she longed to be removed from this task and return home.

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Far to the south and west of the Kingdom of Sengar sat a small nation. To describe it as a nation was technically an exaggeration, since the island it was on contained a single city in which the entire population lived. It would be more accurate to describe it as a city-state. However, no other nations dared to consider attacking this nation, for fear of becoming the next story of a nation that fell to a city.

Despite the fear that this city-state inspired, the average citizen was unafraid and enthralled about living here. It was a hub of many things, though only those that lived there knew it. Since the island was far from every other nation, it was a difficult place to get information about the place in anything but rumors and exaggerated stories. The place had even gained the moniker ‘the Island Haven’ for its tall tales. This city-state was known as Earthia.

The clap of a boot hitting the stone floor echoed through the hall as a young man, perhaps in his late twenties by the looks of him, strode with confidence towards an office in the consular’s building. This young man was tall, and his pristine posture certainly emphasized that, and physically fit. He could easily have passed for a knight in any other nation across the world. What one could not tell at a glance was that the man was of even sharper wit. His brown eyes hid a calculating nature on a face that controlled every expression.

He opened the door to the consular’s office and quickly scanned the room for any abnormalities. Finding none, he proceeded to shut the door behind him and take a seat behind the desk within. A small nameplate on the desk read Consular Jéan Fietter. In Earthia, the title of Consular was the equivalent to that of king or emperor.

With a wave of his hand, Jéan pressed magic into the enchanted stone tablet embedded in the desktop. An illusion was projected before him, which he was able to manipulate with just his hand by interacting with it. He adjusted the image to show a new message he had received from one of the members of the Council, specifically the member that oversaw their spy network.

“SERA!” Jéan shouted.

“Yes, Lord Jéan?” replied a cat beastfolk woman that seemed to simply appear next to him.

For a cat beastfolk, Sera lacked much in the way of fur, leaving her looking very much like a human. It was only present on her tail and ears, both of which were expressing a sense of fear presently. Her hair and fur were a dark gray with black stripes in it. The stripes also colored her visible skin, which was otherwise an olive color. She was wearing a long, black dress with a white apron overtop it, a traditional maid outfit. She kept her hazel eyes pointed towards the floor as she listened for Jéan’s instructions.

“Fetch Lord Donté immediately. He will be expecting the summons.”

“Of course, Lord Jéan.”

With that, Sera darted off, disappearing just as fast as she had seemed to appear. Jéan sent a message through the illusion projecting tablet to Donté, the one in charge of intelligence, about coming immediately to the Consular’s office. Just fifteen minutes later, the man sat before Jéan.

“Leave us,” Jéan ordered, and Sera disappeared into whatever servant passage was closest.

With a flick of his wrist, Jéan cast a spell to prevent any eavesdropping that could potentially occur, magical or otherwise. Jéan stared for a moment at Donté before breaking into a grin. The expression was returned.

“How certain are you?” Jéan asked.

“My agent at the palace in Sengar has sent several reports as of late. While our operations on the Volcanic Sea routes were disrupted, the agent there also corroborated the appearance.”

Jéan stroked his chin in thought.

“The issue is that we don’t have an in on her. The Sengar prince found her first and is trying to embed his claws as we speak.”

“With his reputation, as secret as it is, that gives us time and opportunity,” Jéan said.

“My thoughts exactly,” Donté agreed, “The question becomes one of how to get her to come here on her own.”

Jéan continued to think in silence, then leaned forward with a menancing grin.

“War with the neighboring empire should work. If she is a hero, she’ll be adverse to the side effects. It will drive a wedge between her and Sengar. All we need to do is make her unstable before that and the wedge will split them apart.,” Jéan eagerly laid out.

Jéan canceled the spell.

“Sera!”

The catgirl reappeared from her hidden location.

“Summon the other members of the Council to the Chamber. We have an important matter to inform them of.”

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The Chamber was a round room with a circular table within. It was used exclusively to hold Council meetings. The Council, as its name might imply, served to offer counsel to the Consular for administrative purposes. Ultimate power still rested with the Consular, but they still relied on the Council to carry out orders. The Council was appointed and removed by the Consular, and over time had practically become an oligarchy of powerful people who inherited their titles from the previous generation. It had led to Earthia becoming quite corrupt, politically speaking, but since the average citizen was well taken care of no one objected.

Taking his seat at the table, Jéan waited patiently for the other Council members to arrive. He did not wait long, as within fifteen minutes all twelve had stumbled in appearing slightly distressed. The Council members ranged in age from their early twenties to one that was in their sixties. The latter was a rare sight in this world, but Earthia was unique in the sense that much of it defied this world. All of them were human and there was only one more man than woman among them.

“What is it, Consular?” asked the finance counselor once everyone had settled into their seats.

Jéan turned not to look at the speaker, but rather at the eldest of the counselors, the one in charge of history.

“It is time,” he said simply.

The elderly man started stroking his beard thoughtfully as he contemplated.

“Time for what?”

“Consular, what is the meaning of this?”

“Silence,” Jéan snapped as the others started questioning again.

“How confident are you about the information?” the elderly counselor asked.

“Very,” Jéan replied with a grin.

“And would your sister need to take power?”

“No.”

The elderly counselor started chuckling at that answer.

“Excellent. Shall I prepare the tests?”

“Yes, of course. While Donté and I don’t doubt the report, it must be done. But I do not believe it is going to be a rushed thing. She will need to travel to get here, after all,” Jéan replied.

All except the eldest and Donté still seemed confused.

“Consular?” asked one.

Jéan stood up and dramatically spread his arms.

“My friends. A long awaited time has come for us indeed. And it has perfectly aligned with my capacity to lead us into the future. A hero has appeared once again in this world.”

There were several gasps at the announcement, followed by general muttering as they processed the news.

“Yes. Our prosperity shall grow with her under my guidance and our heir to follow in the next generation. Today, let us celebrate the glory of our future!”

The Council members laughed with joy at the thought that finally they would continue the purpose of Earthia. Earthia was known by another moniker, the Land of Heroes, which it earned from its constant proclamations that every hero was part of the Consular’s lineage.

“Rebecca…,” Jéan thought aloud, “Let us continue this lineage with all haste.”