A Request

Sebastian rushed into the room where Damian was usually working on inventions. As he touched the door, he immediately entered shortly after and said, "My lord, forgive my lack of manners, but two men are looking for you."

"I have no dealings with foreign men. Do they truly require my attention?"

"They wish to speak with the man who killed the Demon CalmaDios. Are you the person they seek?" Sebastian didn't want to waste Damian's time, and only after this question would he know what to do with these two men.

As soon as Damian heard this, he extended his perception, covering every corner of his territory. He soon found those two men in a prison not far from the castle. When he looked at their appearance, he sighed in relief that they were not demons.

"What are their demands?"

Sebastian was surprised that Damian recognized this act and said, "They ask to see you in person. They haven't announced their purpose, but they talked about many nonsensical things at the tavern."

"Explain yourself!" Damian demanded an answer.

"They mentioned a continent called Azeroth. They spoke about demons, elves, dwarves, orcs, trolls, and many more creatures that don't exist here." Sebastian then explained to Damian the story that those two brothers had told at the tavern.

When Damian finished listening, he stood up, looked at the warship on his table that was half-finished, and said, "Perhaps my dream has something to do with this."

But at that moment, the book on his shoulder, which had not moved in the last forty years, shifted.

"[... Era of Humans Calendar, unknown moon year, you have survived for 48 years, 238 days, and 23 hours.

You know those new enemies are real, and you're about to make a decision.

If you go down the path of war on a continent you don't know, many will die without knowing why, you will witness those deaths, and you will return home a thousand years later without having achieved anything.

However, if you don't choose the path of war, you will have to face the invaders nine hundred years later, and you will have to prepare.

...]"

Damian felt terror reading those words. Is the invasion of other enemies on the way? So, is the peace that many are seeking wrong?

"Take those two guests to the main hall. I will be waiting for them."

For the first time in his life, Sebastian felt that Damian was a domineering person. He felt suffocated just breathing the same air as him, so he simply said, "As you command, my lord."

Damian walked away, confused by everything he had just discovered. Soon, he arrived at the door where the grand magical library was, housing thousands of magical books they had collected over many years.

Without a second thought, Damian entered. As soon as he opened the door, the world inside the library became magical, with small wooden marionettes in the shape of hummingbirds flying around.

Frieren immediately noticed his presence, but she made no move. She was still upset with him over the argument they had had a few weeks ago.

"Two guests have arrived. Let's go and greet them."

"Can't you do it alone? I'm a bit busy."

Damian walked over to where Frieren was and leaned in to see what she was reading. Her eyes were currently blindfolded, giving off a completely different aura. "This is just a romance novel. Are you interested in stories like this now? Look no further; we can give it a try."

"What do you want to try?"

"There are some things I haven't shown you. Love is one of the strongest emotions you'll experience at least once in your life. Of course, I haven't fallen in love with anyone, but you could be the first to enter my heart." Damian was now trying to annoy Frieren, who was growing more impatient.

Frieren looked at Damian, trying to meet his gaze, but she couldn't find anything since he had his eyes blindfolded. "Elves don't feel any love. Maybe that's why we will soon die out. If you're thinking about that, even if I felt something, nothing would happen, as I'm not interested."

"Well, the offer still stands." Once Damian reconnected with Frieren, he said, "Well, do you want to come and greet our guests? They say they come from another continent; perhaps they bring some gifts."

Frieren's eyes sparkled with excitement, and she nodded. She stood up, but before she left, Damian stopped her. "We need to dress for the occasion. It won't usually happen, but we must show status."

"Why should I?"

"We're very close friends; we must be so close that people don't notice the difference."