Voices rose instantly, and excitement spread through the room.

Soon, an elf stepped forward and placed a crystal ball on the table, and faint light began to gather inside it before forming a clear projection.

The moment they saw the figure inside their eyes widened.

It was him.

"ETHAAAN!" they all shouted together.

On the other side, Ethan raised his hand and waved.

[Hello, ladies!]

But before he could say anything more—

Questions came rushing in.

"Where are you?!"

"Are you hurt?!"

"What happened there?!"

"Why didn’t you contact us earlier?!"

"Are you safe or not?!"

Voices overlapped one after another, and they did not even give him a chance to speak.

Ethan’s face twitched slightly, and then he raised his voice.

[Calm down, girls!]

The room fell silent for a moment.

[I am totally safe and sound. I am being treated very well by the elves as a guest,] he said.

[I am good. Tell me about you.]

Only after hearing his words did they calm down slightly, and then they began to explain everything that had happened.

Rathlos stepped forward and spoke in a serious tone, and he explained the current situation, the decree, and the punishment.

As Ethan listened his expression darkened.

[What... the fuck?!] he suddenly shouted.

[Why am I being blamed for this when I did my job well?!]

His voice rose in anger, and it echoed slightly through the crystal.

According to the decree, Ethan’s status would be lowered after the war, and that part was not negotiable.

And on top of that he had to pay ten billion gold coins as compensation.

[Are you kidding me? Ten billion gold coins? Does he think I have a plant that grows coins?!] Ethan snapped.

"Yes, that’s what I am saying!" Sophia chimed in immediately.

"Ethan, just go and seduce the Elf Queen, borrow her army, and let’s trample this fucking Emperor to dust," she said without hesitation.

"..."

"..."

[...]

Everyone turned and looked at Sophia, and for a moment they could not tell if she was joking or serious, but her expression made it clear that she meant every word.

On the other side, Ethan’s lips twitched violently.

Truly... a heaven-defying thought.

No wonder she was the main wife.

A great commander needed such a woman.

Ethan shook his head slightly and spoke again.

[Try to negotiate the terms. Don’t show all our money. Ten billion gold coins is not much, but we need to pretend that we are in a difficult situation, or that guy will think we are too rich.]

They nodded and began discussing possible approaches, and the atmosphere turned serious again.

Then suddenly—

BANG!

The door burst open.

Randall rushed in again, and this time his face was filled with panic.

Everyone turned toward him immediately.

"What happened?" Riya asked, and unease crept into her voice.

Randall swallowed slightly and spoke.

"It’s the Beastmen... they have reached Frostvale..."

The words hit the room like a sudden blow, and for a moment no one moved while the weight of what Randall said settled in.

"...What?" Amber spoke first, and her voice was low but tense as she looked straight at him.

Randall took a step forward, and his breathing was uneven while he tried to explain quickly.

"They crossed the outer lines and moved fast. The guards at Frostvale sent signals, and then everything went quiet. We just received confirmation that Beastman troops have entered the city outskirts," he said. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Sophia’s expression changed instantly, and the anger from before turned sharper while her fists clenched tightly.

"They reached Frostvale?" she repeated.

Rina stood up slowly, and her calm expression now carried a cold edge.

"How many?" she asked.

Randall shook his head.

"Numbers are unclear, but reports say it is not a small group. They are organized and moving in units," he replied.

The room fell silent again.

Ethan’s projection flickered slightly on the crystal, and his expression turned serious as he listened.

[Beastmen moving that deep... that’s not random,] he said.

Hale, who stood beside him on the other side, frowned.

[Did they reach there so quickly?] he added.

Back in the room, Rathlos stepped forward and placed both hands on the table while leaning slightly forward.

"They are testing our response or trying to cut deeper into our territory," he said.

Amber nodded slightly while thinking.

"Frostvale is not just any place. It is a key point for supply and movement, and if they take control there, it will affect everything around it," she said.

Julia crossed her arms, and her gaze sharpened.

"...And it will spread panic," she added.

Sophia slammed her hand on the table again, but this time it was controlled.

"Then what are we waiting for? We should go there and crush them," she said.

Rina raised her hand slightly, and her voice cut through the tension.

"Wait," she said calmly.

"We cannot rush blindly. We need to understand their intent first," she added.

Ethan’s voice came again from the crystal.

[She’s right. Don’t act without thinking,] he said.

He paused for a moment, and then continued.

[If this is part of a larger move, then rushing in could put you in a trap.]

Sophia clicked her tongue, but she did not argue further, and she stepped back slightly.

"...So what do we do?" Lia asked while looking between them.

Rathlos turned his head slightly and spoke in a steady tone.

"We should prepare well," he said.

"We will send scouts first and confirm their numbers and movement, and at the same time we will move our forces, but we will not engage fully until we know what we are dealing with."

Amber nodded without hesitation.

"I will take charge of troop movement," she said.

Julia stepped forward as well.

"I will handle coordination and support," she added.

Rina turned toward Randall.

"Send word to all nearby units. Tell them to stay alert and hold their positions," she said.

Randall nodded quickly.

"Yes," he replied, and then he rushed out again without wasting time.

The room moved into action almost instantly, and the earlier frustration was replaced by focus and urgency.

On the crystal, Ethan watched everything, and his expression remained serious.

[Be careful,] he said.

[This is not just a random attack. If Beastmen have reached this far, they might have brought full forces. We have Rathlos to take on Mythic ranks, but if it is a Divine Knight, we will be in deep trouble.]

His gaze shifted slightly.

[Rathlos, if you find any sign of a Divine Knight, retreat immediately and activate the formation of Blanks crafted by Mareti]

Rathlos nodded slightly.

"We understand," he said.

He then looked toward Amber.

Ethan’s voice came again.

[Amber, about the situation...]

Amber gave a small smile, and her tone was steady.

"Don’t worry, Ethan. If the sky falls, my father and brother will hold it in your absence, so you can relax a bit. I know you have it hard," she said.

Rina added calmly, "Also, with demons and others fighting, I am sure the route is cut off, so you cannot travel alone unless there is a secret pass."

Ethan looked at all of them one by one through the projection, and his expression softened slightly.

[Don’t take unnecessary risks. Meanwhile, I will see if I can find a secret way,] he said.

Sophia let out a small breath and crossed her arms.

"Just come back quickly and deal with this yourself," she said.

Ethan gave a faint smile.

[I will] he replied.

The connection flickered slightly as the energy in the crystal began to weaken.

"Stay safe," Rina said softly.

[You too.] Ethan answered.

The projection faded slowly, and the crystal dimmed until it went quiet again.