Morning sunlight spilled gently through the curtains, warming the edge of my bed and dragging me slowly from sleep.
For a brief moment, everything felt peaceful.
Then I noticed someone staring at me.
"…Didn't I lock my door last night?" I muttered groggily.
Satre sat beside the bed with her legs crossed elegantly, pink hair flowing over her shoulders while soft morning light framed her almost unfairly beautifully. Her pale pink eyes met mine lazily before a sly smile tugged at her lips.
"Well, simple locks don't withstand my magic very well."
"…That's not comforting."
I rubbed my eyes with a groan before falling backward dramatically.
"It's still incredibly unsafe for a beautiful girl to sneak into a young man's room early in the morning."
Satre tilted her head innocently.
"Is it wrong for your future bride to want to watch you sleep?"
I stared at her in complete disbelief.
"Do not use yesterday's plan as justification to skip fifty relationship stages."
She laughed softly before standing from the bed, smoothing out her clothes gracefully.
"You're surprisingly fun to tease."
"You're surprisingly terrifying."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Of course she would.
As she reached the doorway, she paused briefly.
"You talk in your sleep, by the way."
My soul almost left my body.
"…What did I say?"
"That," she said smugly, "is a secret."
Then she disappeared down the hallway before I could recover emotionally.
Dangerous woman.
Absolutely dangerous.
---
After getting dressed, I headed downstairs toward the smell of breakfast and nearly ascended spiritually.
Fresh bread.
Cooked meat.
Something sweet.
Honestly, whoever invented breakfast deserved divine protection.
Shina and Hera stood together in the kitchen preparing food while morning sunlight spilled warmly across the counters.
"Morning," I called out casually.
Both girls jumped slightly.
"Shiro!" Shina pressed a hand against her chest dramatically. "You startled us!"
"Your awareness needs work."
"You say that like a battle addict."
"Because I am one."
Hera laughed softly before placing another plate onto the table.
"I slept well," she said gently. "And… thank you again for agreeing to help me."
"There she goes bowing again," I sighed dramatically while waving my hands. "Please stop treating me like some legendary hero. I'm really just a normal guy."
The words left my mouth easily, but part of me drifted backward unwillingly.
Earth.
My old life.
The rooftop.
Joutu.
That blonde-haired girl I couldn't save.
A sharp pain twisted inside my chest for only a moment before I buried it again.
Not now.
Without really thinking, I stepped closer and hugged Shina briefly.
She froze instantly.
Her entire face turned bright red while Hera immediately looked away awkwardly.
Honestly?
That reaction alone almost made me laugh.
"I'm sorry," I said while stepping back casually. "You looked stressed."
Shina looked completely overwhelmed.
"Y-you can't just do things like that suddenly…"
"Noted."
Hera quietly avoided eye contact afterward, which honestly made things even funnier.
Thankfully, a knock at the front door saved the atmosphere before everyone exploded from embarrassment.
"That should be our hired help," I muttered while heading toward the entrance. "Hopefully 'battle-ready maids' isn't an exaggeration."
Opening the door revealed six perfectly dressed individuals standing in formation.
Two butlers.
Four maids.
All terrifyingly professional.
The older butler stepped forward first, silver hair tied neatly behind his back.
"My name is Luke. This is Brock, and the maids are Silly, Iwa, Sedra, and Serra."
The twin maids bowed simultaneously with perfect synchronization.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
"Well," I admitted honestly, "Luke already looks like he could run an entire kingdom."
"I appreciate the compliment, young master."
Satre stepped beside me shortly afterward.
"My grandfather personally selected them."
"Ah," I nodded slowly. "That explains the terrifying competence."
None of them even reacted.
Professional monsters.
---
Not long afterward, everyone gathered in the manor's living room.
Maps spread across the table while the atmosphere shifted from peaceful to serious.
Time to work.
I leaned over the map and pointed toward the Forest of Spirits.
"Here's the plan."
Hera immediately straightened nervously.
"We spread false information that the crown will soon pass directly to Hera."
Her eyes widened instantly.
"What?! That's dangerous!"
"Exactly," I nodded calmly. "Which means the noble's son won't stay hidden anymore."
Yura crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"So once the rumor spreads, he'll either attempt assassination or kidnapping."
"Most likely both."
Hera looked understandably horrified.
Satre, meanwhile, remained perfectly calm while analyzing the map.
"And during the chaos," she said thoughtfully, "the mole within the royal guard will expose themselves."
I pointed toward her dramatically.
"Exactly why you're terrifyingly smart."
"I know."
Confident too.
Scary combination.
Shina frowned slightly.
"But what if they target the king as well?"
"That's where you girls come in," I explained. "Satre shields the king using light magic while I isolate the mole using my invisibility cloak."
I handed Satre the support magic book afterward.
She skimmed through several pages quickly before nodding.
"I can use these."
"Good. Then once the trap is sprung, we move fast and end things before the rebellion can spread."
Simple.
Dangerous.
Efficient.
Exactly how I liked things.
Kyoko suddenly landed against my arm with a low rumble, signaling impatience.
"Right," I muttered. "Time to move."
---
After saying goodbye to the staff and leaving Sangui behind for emergency communication, we departed atop Kyoko's back shortly afterward.
The flight lasted around forty-five minutes.
And honestly?
The scenery alone made the trip worth it.
The deeper south we traveled, the stranger and more beautiful the world became. Massive glowing trees stretched endlessly upward while rivers shimmered beneath the forest canopy like flowing mirrors.
Eventually, Hera pointed downward quietly.
"…We're here."
The village of Urnesha rested within the heart of the forest itself.
Homes were built directly into enormous living trees while woven bridges connected entire districts high above the ground. Spirit lights drifted lazily through the air like floating stars.
The entire place felt ancient.
Alive.
Peaceful.
As we landed, the villagers immediately bowed respectfully toward Hera.
Not out of fear.
Out of love.
"This is my home," Hera whispered softly.
At the center of the village stood the largest tree I had ever seen in my life.
Its trunk alone looked wider than mountains while an enormous castle had been seamlessly woven into the living wood itself.
"…Okay," I admitted quietly. "That's unbelievably cool."
Hera smiled proudly at that.
But before we could continue—
a tiny figure suddenly sprinted toward us.
Very tiny.
Very emotional.
"HERA!"
The man practically launched himself at her waist dramatically.
"My beloved sister has finally returned to me!"
The entire group froze.
"…Beloved?" we repeated simultaneously.
Hera sighed deeply while peeling the short man off her.
"Brother," she groaned, blushing furiously, "please stop introducing me like that in front of guests."
Ah.
A sister complex.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
To my horror, dark purple mana leaked from my body instinctively for half a second.
Satre immediately placed a hand against my shoulder before I accidentally caused an international incident.
"Breathe," she whispered calmly.
Right.
No murdering royalty.
Probably important.
"I apologize," I said calmly while regaining composure. "Your brother surprised me."
Hera laughed nervously.
"I promise he's harmless."
The brother narrowed his eyes toward me suspiciously.
"And you are?"
"Shiro."
"The suspiciously attractive man traveling beside my sister?"
"…I already dislike him."
Yura burst into laughter instantly while even Shina struggled not to smile.
Hera buried her face into her hands in complete embarrassment.
Good.
Because despite the humor—
I could already feel it.
Something beneath the surface of this kingdom felt wrong.
Tense.
Watching.
As we followed Hera deeper into the massive tree castle, the weight of our mission settled heavier onto all our shoulders.
The rebellion was real.
And somewhere inside the Forest of Spirits—
someone was already preparing for war.