A human with a tanned and chiseled body sat on a lustrous, golden throne. He wore opulent, red-and-white furred robes with a sturdy chainmail underneath. A crown studded with precious jewels rested on his silver hair. The fact that both the crown and the chainmail were glowing accentuated his already kingly image. However, he wore a grimace on his face as if he was constipated while looking at some white parchment papers in his hand.

“So, you’re telling me, that although the Dark Elves’ elusive territory was finally discovered after countless eons,” the man said as he rubbed his brows together in frustration, “their Black Castle was found in ruins and the Orb of Obscurity was found shattered? And there were no signs of the Elders? Those stubborn cockroach-geezers?”

The retainer who kneeled in front of the king nodded his head vigorously. Sweat could be seen dripping down the side of his face.

The whole of Solvenheim went into an uproar after the concealment of the Dark Elves’ territory was dispelled. Legends say that the lands there could bring a nation or race that occupied them to unimaginable heights. The resources were rumored to be overflowing and the mana concentration was astoundingly high.

If it weren’t for the Dark Elves’ national artifact, the Orb of Obscurity, or the power of the Elders, Solvenheim would today have been in a constant state of war over the priceless lands. However, the Orb had distorted space and cast a strong concealment to cut the vast territory off from the rest of the world. This let the Dark Elves monopolize the lands’ great resources and become one of the most prosperous superpowers today.

But now that the lands were revealed and the Elders vanished, a state of high tension had suddenly developed. Plots of war and belligerence from the various races and nations meandered throughout Solvenheim.

Many nobles of the kingdoms, societies, and clans of Humans, Daemons, Orcs, Beast Kin, Dragon Kin, mythical beasts, and many more were already preparing for armed conflict in a bid for the territory. Countless Dark Elves began to flee after hearing of the Black Castle’s destruction and the disappearance of their leaders.

“Yes, King Atlos. But that was not the only thing that happened,” the retainer confessed meekly.

“Speak.”

The retainer licked his lips as if he was hesitant, but a glare from Atlos forced an answer out of him.

“The Dwarves’ capital landmark, the Palace Tower, which was near the Dark Elves’ territory, was completely… obliterated.”

“What!” the king exclaimed and stood up abruptly from his throne.

His eyes flashed and his face crumpled after realizing the severity of the situation. The retainer flinched at his king’s sudden outburst.

Certainly, Atlos was surprised that the Palace Tower, which was known to be virtually indestructible, was destroyed. After all, despite their weird fetishes, the Dwarves were still master craftsmen and they had top-tier materials to construct the tower.

However, what alarmed him was that the capital establishments and landmarks of two major races were decimated so easily, and in the same area to boot.

If it were just the Black Castle that were destroyed, it was more likely to have been due to a fallout between the Dark Elves or something of similar nature, considering that no foreign influences could interfere with their affairs.

However, after a second landmark was destroyed and it was that of another race, there was now a possibility of an external force being at play. He suspected that the broken concealment of the Dark Elves’ territory, the destruction of their castle, the missing Elders, and the destruction of the Palace Tower of the Dwarves were all connected in some way.

“Y-Yes, it’s true! Three-quarters of the Green Forest were even upturned! It’s as if a giant monster passed through to get to the tower!” the retainer explained.

Yes. This was what worried Atlos. Was there such a monster that could bring ruin to the Dark Elves and at the same time deal a heavy blow to the Dwarves within a short time? Or was it due to a clandestine group of powerful individuals? There were some secretive ancient powers in Solvenheim, but they wouldn’t care about something so trivial.

“Tsk, those damn kingdoms. What are the other races doing?” the king admonished and clicked his tongue.

If there really is such a being, shouldn’t the Human kingdoms and other races bolster their defenses and raise their guard? Instead, the nobilities were drooling over the vulnerable territory of the Dark Elves while not knowing what caused its appearance in the first place. It seemed as though the powerhouses wouldn’t take action anytime soon either as long as their homelands were not invaded.

“Warn the other races and kingdoms. We may be going after free food while a predator is looming behind us,” the king ordered his retainer before adding darkly.

The retainer bowed his head and hastily made his exit. King Atlos sat back down with slumped shoulders.

He sighed before closing his eyes, contemplating the general state of the world.

“Jacquelin, Raphael! Come out. I know you two heard everything,” the king called out suddenly towards one of the pillars in the throne room.

A few moments of silence passed before two youths with mischievous looks on their faces walked out.

They looked very similar as they both had the same distinct blonde hair and were equally attractive. One was a young man with emerald green eyes, sharp facial features, and a smirk that just added to his charm. The other was a slender beauty with long, flowing hair that was tied in a ponytail and a fierce yet alluring face. The young man wore a lavish green tunic and the young woman wore tight-fitting armor. Side by side, they looked like a prince and princess, and that they were.

“We can never escape Father’s eyes,” the young man, Raphael, chuckled. “I must say, though. It was quite interesting to hear that the Palace Tower was destroyed.”

“‘Palace Tower’ is too pretentious for that thing. Don’t you mean Mother Nature’s pleasure stick?” the young woman, Jacquelin, added snidely. “For all other women, it is too disgusting to lay their pure eyes upon.”

“Oh please, Mother Nature is not that obscene! Also, I heard that Dwarven women brag about it and call it the ‘Horseman’s Dong,’” Raphael retorted, “amongst many other titles.”

“If I recall, the Dwarves’ kingdom is also called the ‘Procreation Nation,’” Jacquelin continued scornfully. “How fitting that their capital symbol was a giant penis.”

“Please, enough!” the king sighed as he rubbed his face once more.

Atlos was somewhat helpless when it came to these twins, who were the eldest yet most troublesome of his children. However, they were also the most capable when it came to affairs like these. Even their personal strengths were just second to his own in the whole kingdom. To put it simply, they were geniuses. Magic when it came to Raphael and swordsmanship for Jacquelin.

“But why do they have to have such messed up personalities…” the king brooded quietly before regaining his previous commanding tone.

“You two, go and investigate the latest incident with the Palace Tower. You’re the only ones competent enough to do so. Also, I know that you understand this already but—”

The king released a bit of his aura to convey how serious he was. The twins flinched, albeit very slightly, knowing that their Father regarded the current events as dangerous.

“—don't be too rash. If you guys encounter the thing that caused this whole conundrum, you must prioritize your lives.”

Atlas peaked his aura before making it subside. His fierce gaze turned gentle as he looked at his children.

“Yes, Father,” the twins obeyed with renewed seriousness. They liked joking around, but they also knew when it was time to work.

As for the monster that had thrown Solvenheim into disarray…

“I'll take two orders of nuggets, some fries, and a coke, please!”

“I'm sorry to say, sir, but we don't serve foods by those names here.”

“Master, I don't think we even have enough money. I only salvaged 10 silver coins back when I searched through the entire Black Castle.”

“You’re kidding me. I can't do anything with an empty stomach, you know! Curse those Elders and their lack of a materialistic lifestyle! Please tell me that we could at least order something with those coins!”

“Yes!”

“What?”

“Slime meat!”

“...”

“Only 7 silver coins for two orders!”

“How does ‘slime meat’ even work?”

“I know not, Master, for I had been imprisoned—”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. We’ll take the slime meat.”

...Well, the monster was enjoying himself for now.