The Kingdom of Parma is divided into five zones, separated by various circumstances that hindered greater control of the realm. The southern, eastern, and western zones were under the direction of the three dukes of the kingdom, individuals of great power and influence whose ancestors directly participated in the creation of the realm alongside its first king. In contrast, the northern zone, bordering the demonic continent, and the central territory of Parma are under the direct control of His Majesty the King.
As of now, no other noble has managed to obtain the title of duke, making it the exclusive inheritance of the founding families. According to tradition, only mbers of the ducal houses are eligible to marry into the royal family.
The western territory, located in the western part of the kingdom, is overseen by Duke Richard. Unlike the rest of the kingdom, the western area is occupied by a mountain range rich in minerals, limiting developnt possibilities by sea. Although protected from sea invasions, the lack of mariti developnt is a double-edged sword.
One of the most important cities in the western part of the kingdom boasts an imposing castle in the center, resembling the royal castle. In one of the rooms inside, Duke Richard was in his study with an impassive look, while multiple advisors on either side sweated uncontrollably as they observed the duke's movents.
Everyone present knew that the duke was not a compassionate man. None of them wished to be worthy of his attention.
Due to the geographical location of his territory, Duke Richard tended to ignore its developnt, spending most of his ti in his mansion in the capital. The fact that he had traveled to his territory could only an trouble.
Facing the duke was another man explaining the situation and the developnt of his territory in recent years. While the duke listened attentively, he remained silent, not uttering a single word or changing his expression, making those present even more nervous.
"And that's it," the man concluded. Unlike the others, he seed to hold not fear but a kind of respect for the duke. When the man finished narrating the events, the duke glanced at everyone patiently for a mont and said, "Everyone out."
At that mont, those present felt as if they had been spared their lives and hastily exited the room, always adhering to etiquette to avoid offending the duke in any way.
Once the room was completely empty, except for the two of them, the duke turned his gaze to the man who had been explaining the data less than a minute ago.
"Well done. I'm glad that in my absence, the developnt of the territory has continued without problems."
"Thank you very much for your praise, Father. I have only fulfilled my duty." Upon hearing the old duke's complint, the man showed no change in his expression. He bowed his head and replied politely.
Seeing this, the duke nodded slightly with an approving look on his face.
"How is the matter of your promotion going?"
"Forgive , Father. I still have difficulty understanding the classes, but do not worry about . According to my calculations, I will ascend to Tier 3 in less than 2 years," his son said with a tone of regret.
"Not bad. It's evident that you are putting in effort," the old man replied.
"Still, do not be complacent. The path to Tier 3 classes is not easy. If you lose focus for a mont, you may get stuck at so point and never ascend," his son, upon hearing this, nodded. Obviously, he shared his father's opinion.
Of course, the Tier 3 class they were talking about was not a common Tier 3 class. Although Tier 3 classes are exceptionally rare, and each individual who obtains one is the elite of the elite, they belong to one of the oldest families in the kingdom. Obviously, they would not settle for a normal class.
While it is true that their family, due to their ancestors and their heritage as nobles, enjoys a privileged status, the real reason they have managed to survive throughout the history of the kingdom is that each head of the family had enough power to maintain their position.
Especially in this generation. If the current king realized that he did not have a suitable successor to replace him, Duke Richard was sure that His Majesty's troops would appear at the territory's doorstep in less than a day.
The duke's son set aside that matter and focused on more pressing concerns for his succession. "By the way, Father, I was wondering if there has been any news about the 'incident' in the capital," he asked sowhat nervously.
Upon hearing this, the small smile on the duke's face gradually disappeared, and he furrowed his brow slightly. The incident his son referred to was sothing that had been secretly discussed at the nobles' party tables for months.
Apparently, a slave had managed to murder Duke Richard's grandson while they were intimate together. Of course, that was not the whole truth, but the other nobles did not need to know. If anyone found out the details, they might be in trouble. After all, it directly involved the summoning of heroes, which had absorbed His Majesty's attention over the past year.
As well-known in the high nobility, the king was eager to take control of the war that had ravaged the northern border of the continent for generations. However, he was aware that he could not do it alone. Despite his pride, he tried repeatedly to negotiate with neighboring kingdoms to form an alliance that could finally end this war and initiate a counteroffensive invasion.
Unfortunately, the surrounding kingdoms were not fools. If the conflict that had been plaguing the Kingdom of Parma for centuries were to disappear, the realm would start allocating its resources to strengthen itself. Once it reached the point of being able to launch a counterattack, the king might have a change of heart and decide to invade them.
The first ti the king heard the neighbors' refusal, it seed like he was going to draw his sword on the spot. If it weren't for maintaining a minimal amount of reason, the situation would have spiraled out of control. The duke still rembers that eting; it was the first ti he began to fear a war in which he could be in danger.
Returning to the story, due to the neighboring kingdoms' refusal of a joint alliance, the king was forced to seek alternative solutions, including sothing that hadn't happened in the world for a long ti: the summoning of heroes. Seeing in history books the power these heroes could wield, the king focused all his efforts on performing the ceremony.
It took many years and many resources to initiate the spell...
...and he succeeded.
Although the king did not show it in his behavior, everyone knew he was very pleased with himself. Yet, there was sothing the king had not taken into account—the summoning spell did not only include the hero. This was already ntioned in the docunts describing the spell, but he did not pay much attention. After all, he only needed to read, and he didn't care about the others.
The book where the spell was found also ntioned that those involved in the summoning who were not part of the hero's team would experience accelerated growth in the class they obtained. Seeing this, the king decided to train those with the most advanced classes as soldiers to strengthen his forces.
As for the rest? Well, let's just say not everyone had a happy ending.
Most of those summoned with Tier 1 classes were thrown onto the battlefield after a quick tutorial on how to wield a weapon. Others were recruited by the nobles who witnessed the ceremony. Among them, his son had beco infatuated with one of the won who had been summoned.
It was not very difficult to acquire her. After all, she had offended the pontiff, the nobles, and the king with her performance.
Who would have imagined that this would be the beginning of his problems?
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