Two days later.
People now knew everything that was going on in Velmoria. Everyone, even the other kingdoms, now knew about the situation with the demons.
Apparently, only the Velmoria kingdom was facing the demons. The other kingdoms didn’t find any problem in their domains.
This news ca as a shocker for the people of Velmoria, and soon it was revealed to the public why that was.
They were told that the demons lived in another realm, which was separated from the human realm by a thick wall.
Unfortunately, that wall cracked, and even more unfortunately for the people of Velmoria, the place the crack appeared was their kingdom.
As the wall cracked, the demons found a way to enter the human world, and since then, they have been slowly taking over the kingdom.
The other kingdoms were safe. Well, mostly, as the demons couldn’t move very far from the crack.
Or, it would be better to say that their powers depleted the farther they went.
Still, despite being safe for now, the other kingdoms knew that if Velmoria fell, then they wouldn’t be safe for long. So, all the kingdoms sent a part of their forces to Velmoria, knowing of the incoming war in Velmoria.
Yes, everyone knew about it, including the entire populace of the Velmoria kingdom.
Yet, none of the citizens seed scared.
Well, it would be far-fetched to call it fearlessness, as it was a belief that gave the strength not to move out of the kingdom and settle down sowhere else.
They believed that as long as the heroes were still there, nothing would go wrong.
Of course, it wasn’t blind faith but the work of the Vaise family.
The people of the family ruled over the whole kingdom from the shadows, so it wasn’t hard to change the citizens’ minds.
Everyone—a rchant, spy, assassin, rcenary, bard, or even a beggar—who was a part of the Vaise family connection started to change people’s opinions.
In just two days, the people were already looking at Raven and his group as saviors.
They weren’t heroes anymore but saviors.
People’s thoughts were now sothing like, "Even if we ran away, the mont saviors lost, things would end up the sa everywhere, so why not stay and witness whatever was going to happen?"
Even the citizens of the other kingdoms were cheering for Raven’s group and the Velmorian soldiers who would be fighting against the demons.
So people had even ford cults for the mbers of Group Raven.
Unsurprisingly, the one with the most followers was the demon sniffer, the ruler of all beasts (a title the fans made), and also the strongest and the most crucial part of the group—Nibbles.
So people had even seen Nibbles’s fan marching through the city wearing a squirrel costu.
Following Nibbles’s popularity was Raven, but that was only because of the male audience’s division, as there were so many girls in the group.
So people said that the number of these cultists had reached thousands, but no one knew for sure.
The good thing was that Raven didn’t know it yet, as he had been busy handling the situation with his family, because Argon, right after declaring him the Vice-Patriarch, had dropped another bomb.
"I will be entering closed-door training. While I am gone, Raven will handle the family matters as the interim patriarch."
Yes, that man had pushed all of the responsibility onto Raven’s shoulder and decided to walk away like a child who finally got a chance to get out of the house at a ti when the war was approaching.
He did say that he would return before the war began, as he felt like he was close to reaching the next level, but no one knew for sure.
For now, Raven was dying under the load of all the work that a patriarch had to do.
.................
In Vaise territory, inside the temporary Patriarch’s chamber in the Cradle.
"Report number forty-two," Raven muttered, slumped in the patriarch’s throne-like chair, his forehead buried in parchnt.
His fingers dragged another slip from the pile as if he were on death row. "The, uh... ’Velmoria rchant Guilds have been, quote, handling an... abnormal rise in cucumbers...’"
He squinted. "Wait, no. ’Corruption.’ Not cucumbers."
From the side, Siris cackled. "Hehe... cucumbers rising in Velmoria? Sounds dangerous. We should stab them."
"Cucumbers don’t rise," Jessy deadpanned, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall. "They grow. Like normal plants."
"Unless they’re demon cucumbers," Graye chid in, her armor glinting violet as she perched dramatically on the armrest of a nearby chair. "Those could rise."
"Demon cucumbers don’t exist," Selena sighed, though her shadow twitched as if preparing for that possibility anyway.
It was then, when Graye was trying to speak again, that Lia tilted her head. "Weren’t you sulking, Graye?"
Graye’s expression froze as she glanced at Raven, only to see the guy still busy, and she pouted, turning her head away. "Yes, I am."
She was grumbling because Raven still hadn’t given her the reward he had promised her before.
Raven still hadn’t hugged her.
Apparently, he had been too busy since he beca the interim patriarch.
He had asked her if she wanted a short one or a long one, as he wished for the long one, and of course, she chose the latter, but for that, Raven told her to wait.
He said that he would make ti and give her what she needed, but for that, she needed to have patience.
Since then, Graye had been pouting, forgetting, then recalling that she was sulking, and then pouting again.
Raven, on the other hand, dropped his head against the desk with a groan. "Gods, this is endless. I’ve been reading these reports for an hour. Every word is starting to sound like a vegetable."
Omni’s voice echoed from Raven’s forearm, smooth and mischievous like a back-alley dealer. "Boss, no offense, but you sound like a man who got mugged by paperwork. Can’t swing a sword at cucumbers, can ya?"
"Don’t tempt ," Raven muttered.
Clara, calm and composed as always, leaned gently against the table. "You could let us take shifts, Raven. At least we’d help you finish quicker."
"No," Raven groaned without looking up. "Every ti one of you touches these reports, I... slack off. And if I slack off, Father wins. He left with this mountain rely to see suffer."
"Heh," Rufus said, tapping his temple as if he had solved so great riddle. "So basically... your dad gave you paperwork as a training arc."
Raven lifted a parchnt and pointed it at Rufus. "Rufus, if you don’t shut up, I’ll write your na on this report and make you responsible for the cucumber problem."
"Hey, hey, hey! Don’t drag into vegetable politics!"
The group snickered, but none moved to help.
Finally, Raven turned his head toward the only person standing silently beside him, posture immaculate, hands folded behind his back—Randolf Von Vaise.
He had silver-white hair and silver eyes, while his presence was like polished steel.
"Uncle Randolf," Raven said, voice half a plea, half an accusation. "Isn’t this literally your job? You’re the head butler. You sort things out, I just... read a couple of slips and look important. Why am I drowning in cucumbers and corruption?"
Randolf’s answer was professional, smooth, and unyielding. "The Patriarch specifically instructed that I am not to aid you in these matters. You are to learn the weight of the seat you’ve inherited."
Raven scowled. "Do you not feel even a tiny bit of pity for ? You’re my uncle! Don’t you want to help your poor, overworked nephew?"
Randolf studied him for a long mont, eyes cold yet unreadable. Then, in the sa composed tone, he replied, "No."
The group erupted.
Siris actually doubled over in laughter, Selena’s lips twitched despite herself, and even Clara covered her mouth to hide her chuckle.
"Wow," Graye said between giggles, forgetting the fact that she was supposed to be sulking. Again. "Savage uncle."
Before Raven could retort, a ripple of shadow spread across the chamber floor. Jake erged silently, his expression grim as always. The laughter died in an instant.
"Raven," he said. "He’s regaining consciousness."
The room froze.
The weight of his words pressed like stone.
Raven sat up straight, his annoyance vanishing, his crimson eyes sharpening. For a heartbeat, silence reigned.
Then, Raven rose from the throne-like chair, the parchnts sliding from his lap in a careless shuffle.
The mountain of reports no longer mattered—not when Jake’s words cut through the air like a blade.
Selena’s shadows stirred, stretching across the chamber floor, while Siris tightened her grip on the daggers at her hip, eyes gleaming with excitent at the prospect of a fight.
Clara stepped closer to Raven, her calm presence steadying him, while Lia’s fingers brushed the edge of her staff as if preparing for the worst.
They all knew who Jake was talking about.
He was left to look after that one person, Vairan Von Vaise.
Graye stood up so quickly her armor clinked, pout forgotten as her grin spread. "Finally! No more cucumbers, but sothing worth talking about!"
Raven didn’t say anything, but a grin made its way to his lips.
His crimson eyes flicked toward Randolf, who remained as still as a statue, his hands folded neatly behind his back.
"Uncle," Raven repeated, his grin sharpening. "What you’re about to witness isn’t vegetables, and it definitely isn’t paperwork. It’s sothing you wouldn’t expect. But I assure you that once you see it... You’ll start loving this nephew of yours and take care of this paperwork for ."
Randolf’s silver eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Bold words, interim patriarch. Lead the way."
Raven did. The chamber doors creaked open, shadows curling outward as the group followed him into the dark.
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