The battle for the Twin Mountains had ended.
For the first time in years, the forces of humanity had taken a significant portion of territory back from the Demons.
The victory was celebrated throughout the kingdoms.
In the capital, bells rang through the night. Taverns remained open until dawn, musicians filled the streets, and soldiers who had spent years staring at the walls of the Border were finally able to drink without the fear of an alarm bell interrupting them.
Even at the frontline, the soldiers celebrated.
They had lost comrades.
They had suffered wounds.
They had watched friends fall beneath the claws of Demonic Beasts.
But they had also achieved something that had once seemed impossible.
They had pushed the Demons back.
They had captured the Twin Mountains.
For one night, the soldiers allowed themselves to believe that the war could finally be won.
But the victory was only the beginning.
The lands beyond the Twin Mountains stretched endlessly into the unknown.
The Demonic Forest still remained.
The whereabouts of Rio, the Demon Commander, were unknown.
The strange event he had mentioned remained unexplained.
And somewhere beyond the forest were territories that had belonged to humanity long before the Demonic invasion.
The war had not ended.
It had merely taken a breath.
The Paradise of Tecka
Far away from the blood-soaked mountains, another story was unfolding.
In the territory of Tecka, fields stretched farther than the eye could see.
Golden wheat swayed gently beneath the morning breeze.
Rows of vegetables grew in carefully organized fields.
Fruit trees covered entire hillsides.
Irrigation channels carried clean water from the mountains into the farmlands.
The territory had become the greatest agricultural power on the continent.
It had become the economic backbone of the continent.
Food.
Medicine.
Alchemy materials.
Engineering equipment.
Golems.
Transportation systems.
Even military supplies.
Almost everything passed through Tecka at some point.
It's level of agriculture had reached the peak.
And among the people responsible for its agricultural revolution was a woman named Lana.
Lana's Seeds
Lana, the successor of the Elder Laya.
Years ago, she had been brought to Verna with the support of the late Count of Tecka.
What began as a small research facility eventually became one of the largest agricultural institutes in the continent.
Her researchers studied plants relentlessly.
They experimented with different seeds.
They modified their growth patterns.
They increased their resistance to drought.
They developed plants capable of growing in poor soil.
They began creating plants that could survive Demonic erosion.
Some varieties could withstand the corrupted soil.
Others could absorb traces of Demonic energy from the ground.
These plants did more than provide food.
They helped heal the land.
Seeds developed in Lana's institute were distributed throughout the continent.
They were sent to drought-stricken villages.
They were sent to the Border.
They were planted in areas damaged by Demonic Miasma.
Every harvest meant fewer people went hungry.
Every field that recovered meant another piece of land returned to humanity.
Soon, the agricultural research of Tecka became almost as important to the war effort as the weapons of the Dwarves.
Because an army could not fight without food.
And a kingdom could not survive without its farmers.
The Land of Invention
Agriculture was only one part of Tecka's prosperity.
Across the territory were numerous academies and research institutes.
Alchemy.
Engineering.
Mana circuits.
Medicine.
Agriculture.
Golem construction.
Transportation.
Every field had its own scholars.
The knowledge accumulated had been refined by the newer alchemists.
Among their greatest achievements were the Golems.
The Golems created by Tecka's predecessor had already been remarkable creations.
But they had not remained unchanged.
Their mana efficiency had been improved.
Their durability increased.
Their joints became more flexible.
Their movement became smoother.
Their operating range expanded.
Their cores became smaller while producing greater output.
Some newer Golems could perform tasks that previously required dozens of soldiers.
Others were used in agriculture.
Some worked in mines.
Others transported materials.
And a few were even assigned with military applications.
But among all of Tecka's inventions, one remained particularly famous.
The Levitating Platforms.
The original Count of Tecka had left behind only a blueprint.
Many believed the design was impossible.
But the engineers of Tecka refused to abandon it.
After years of experimentation, they finally created a functioning model.
Then they improved it.
The mana circuits were redesigned.
The energy consumption was reduced.
The stability was increased.
The platforms became capable of carrying enormous amounts of weight.
Under the guidance of the great Lord Austin (Henry's Father), Tecka's engineers transformed the invention into one of the most valuable technologies on the continent.
Transportation that once took weeks could now be completed in days.
Goods could be moved across mountains.
Supplies could reach the Border faster.
And the influence of Tecka continued to grow.
The Merchant Roads
Tecka's prosperity was further strengthened by its relationship with the Merchant Union of Igdur.
The merchants provided the routes.
Tecka provided the goods.
Together, they created a vast commercial network.
Caravans moved constantly through the territory.
Merchant ships carried goods across the northern waters.
Levitating platforms crossed difficult terrain.
The markets of Tecka became crowded with people from every corner of the continent.
And despite the hardships brought by the Demonic War, Tecka continued to prosper.
It was almost ironic.
While the Border was covered in blood...
Tecka remained green.
While soldiers fought to reclaim land...
Farmers planted new seeds.
While the kingdoms feared starvation...
The fields of Tecka continued to produce more than enough.
It had become a paradise.
The Little Prince of Tecka
Within this paradise stood the castle of Tecka.
Its long corridors were decorated with enormous murals depicting the history of the family.
Battles.
Harvests.
Great inventions.
The walls seemed to tell stories wherever one looked.
And through those corridors ran a little boy.
"Wait!"
A woman's voice echoed behind him.
William laughed and ran faster.
His small footsteps echoed through the castle.
"Master William! Please slow down!"
The woman chasing him wore the uniform of a Kingdom Knight.
Her name was Juliene.
During one of the subjugation campaigns, she had been seriously injured.
The injury had nearly ended her career.
But instead of leaving the shadow guards, she chose another path.
She became William's personal guard.
And eventually, his teacher.
Juliene had earned the title of Kingdom Knight.
It was an unusual honor.
Soldiers of the shadows rarely received public recognition.
Their work was usually performed in silence.
But Irene had personally ensured that Juliene's achievements were acknowledged.
Now she served one of the most important children in Tecka.
"Master William!"
William stopped.
Juliene finally caught up to him.
She bent down, breathing heavily.
"How many times have I told you not to run through the castle?"
William smiled innocently.
"I forgot."
"You forgot?"
"Yes."
"You forgot five minutes ago."
William nodded.
"I forgot again."
Juliene stared at him.
Then sighed.
"Your cousin Lucian wasn't this troublesome."
William's expression immediately brightened.
"Lucian!"
He reached for something beside him.
A small cat jumped into his arms.
Its fur was soft and grey.
William hugged it tightly.
"This is Fina!"
Fina meowed.
William had received the cat as a gift from Lucian.
To him, it was more precious than any expensive toy.
He had given her the name himself.
And wherever William went, Fina followed.
Despite being young, William was one of the most heavily protected people in the kingdom.
Golems were stationed throughout the castle.
Shadow soldiers watched from hidden locations.
Guards stood at every entrance.
Even the servants were carefully selected.
William's safety was considered almost as important as that of the royal family.
But none of that stopped him from dreaming.
He wanted to see the world.
He wanted to leave the castle.
He wanted to become an adventurer.
He wanted to explore forgotten ruins.
He wanted to see the mountains.
He wanted to visit Igdur.
He wanted to see the Border.
And, more than anything...
He wanted to discover what existed beyond the places described in his books.
"Juliene."
"Hmm?"
"When I'm older, can I become an adventurer?"
Juliene paused.
"Why?"
"Because adventurers get to go everywhere."
"They also get eaten by monsters."
William's face fell.
"Not all of them."
"Enough of them."
William hugged Fina.
"I'll become a strong adventurer."
Juliene smiled.
"Then become strong enough first."
William nodded seriously.
"I will."
Neither of them knew how far that dream would eventually take him.
Far Beyond Tecka
Far to the north...
Beyond the mainland...
Beyond the territories controlled by the kingdoms...
Past the waters where ordinary merchants refused to travel...
A ship sailed through the mist.
Its design was strange.
It was neither a conventional merchant vessel nor a military ship.
Several unusual instruments protruded from its deck.
The ship was filled with strange equipment, books, alchemical containers, and machines whose purpose was known only to their creator.
At the helm stood an eccentric figure.
Dr. Deloom.
His ship had earned a reputation throughout the continent.
A few called it a ship of madness.
That day, however, the ship carried something unusual.
A passenger.
A passenger whose arrival had been carefully anticipated.
Someone connected to the greatest crisis facing the continent.
The fight against the Demonic Miasma.
Deloom stood at the edge of the deck as the distant figure approached.
"So..."
He adjusted his glasses.
"You're finally here."
The passenger stepped onto the deck.
Deloom smiled.
"Welcome."
The figure looked toward the horizon.
The sea was calm.
But far away, beyond the horizon, the continent was preparing for another chapter of the war.
The Twin Mountains had fallen.
The counterattack had begun.
And while the kingdoms celebrated their first great victory...
something far more important was about to arrive.