The Nomadic People were struggling with hunger and hardship.
King Okazar gathered his four remaining princes:
Prince DelmasPrince OkalamanPrince TrosvirCrown Prince Dellain
There, the princes expressed their frustrations.
"Useless Okavarin," Trosvir spat.
"I told you we needed to accelerate our efforts," Delmas said angrily.
However, Dellain and Okalaman, as the two eldest, remained silent.
"He was the first to be granted the chance to return as a Deep Elf, yet he died right after," Trosvir added.
"Father, should we prepare an attack with the resources we currently have?" Delmas suggested.
"That won't be necessary," Dellain finally spoke.
"Do you have an idea, Dellain?" King Okazar asked.
"We should focus on preparing the ceremony to awaken Lord Yogshot first," Dellain proposed.
"What about the Paladins?" Okalaman interjected, breaking his silence.
"This isn't like you, Dellain. You usually avoid anything related to religion," King Okazar remarked.
"I have my own reasons. I have yet to fully embrace Lord Yogshot's blessing. Whatever my reasons may be, eliminating the Paladin Order is the first step toward achieving them, and for that, we need Lord Yogshot," Dellain explained.
"You're already incredibly powerful, but I suppose there's no harm in wanting the strength of Lord Yogshot as well," Trosvir said.
"No… I don't desire power. Lord Yogshot alone will be the key to our success," Dellain replied firmly.
"But remember, all eyes are on us now. Even Whiteford. One mistake, and they will burn everything we have to the ground," Okalaman voiced his concerns.
"Don't worry. That's why we need the Tremor Knights on our side. They'll handle the southern regions of Ivovnia and divert attention while we complete our mission," Dellain assured them.
King Okazar agreed with the plan.
"But before that… know this: Okavarin was your mother's favorite son. His death has deeply wounded her heart. I want you all to ensure Seren Eleison's death and hang her body in the town square!" King Okazar commanded, his voice filled with rage.
The princes nodded silently, and King Okazar left the room.
"Tch, that old man," Okalaman muttered.
"Yeah, Father loves Mother so much, and she hasn't eaten for a week because of Okavarin's death. I, on the other hand, don't think much about it," Trosvir said indifferently.
"Enough. We'll get those Paladins no matter what. Right now, we need to seek help from the Tremor Knights first. They'll play a crucial role in this war," Dellain said, leaving the room.
Delmas took a deep breath.
"Don't any of you think about stabilizing the country first? If we don't secure resources, we'll all starve to death," Delmas said.
"Don't worry. Our contacts in the nation of Artyam have ensured a steady supply of resources," Okalaman replied.
The princes then went their separate ways, preparing their plans to exact revenge on the nations of Ivovnia, the Paladin Order, and especially the Eleison family.
Two years passed quickly.
When Seren turned 18, Launcent, who had now become a Paladin Captain, bravely proposed to her.
Of course, Taki set some tough conditions.
Launcent had to duel her.
Though Launcent ultimately lost, Taki deemed him worthy enough. Despite being beaten up, Launcent was overjoyed to receive Taki's blessing.
The wedding of Launcent and Seren was celebrated with grandeur yet maintained a calm and intimate atmosphere.
Although many nations and kingdoms were still recovering, many high-ranking officials attended the wedding as a gesture of respect to the Eleison family, particularly for the contributions of Seren and Taki.
A year, two years, three years passed.
Many of Seren's students had grown into remarkable Paladins. During this time, Taki was finally appointed as a Martyr as well.
Their married life became famously unique.
It wasn't uncommon for Seren and Launcent to argue, nor was it uncommon for Taki to take one of their sides. Sometimes, they even argued against Taki together.
This lively, cheerful life made many envious of the Eleison family.
However, as with all good things, it didn't last forever.
One evening, as they were having dinner, a warm knock echoed through the Eleison household.
A guard opened the door, but no one was there. Shortly after, a cold breeze swept into the house.
The wind reached the family dining room.
Feeling it for just a moment, Taki immediately pulled Irene into her arms. Seren and Launcent instinctively drew their weapons.
In the blink of an eye, the four of them noticed something shocking—a once-empty chair at the dining table was now occupied.
Crown Prince Dellain sat there.
His power was overwhelming. With just a gaze, Launcent, Seren, and even Taki felt their breaths constrict.
"Miss Seren, calm down. I didn't come here as an enemy," Dellain said.
"Taki, take Irene and leave," Seren whispered.
Taki quickly carried Irene to her room. A few guards entered the dining room, but Launcent raised his hand, signaling them to hold their weapons.
"I came here to warn you," Dellain said.
"What does the Balrog Empire want?" Launcent asked cautiously.
"I understand you don't trust me, and you hate me. Believe me, I feel the same way. For my grieving mother, I've wanted nothing more than to end you all. But something far more important is at stake," Dellain said.
"What is it?" Seren and Launcent asked in unison, startled.
"The Tremor Knights," Dellain replied.
"The Tremor Knights are the ancestral knightly order of our kind—the Deep Elves.
It all began hundreds of years before the Unification. The leaders of the Deep Elves were terrified of the anomalies and extreme mana conditions plaguing Merk at the time.
A leader from an organization called the Sister of Surface Order offered a solution: a ritual to alter their souls.
Our ancestors accepted this without understanding the full implications. After the ceremony, the Deep Elves were transformed into the Nomadic People. Unknowingly, they had entered into a contract with the Outer God Yogshot.
The fear among our leaders led to rebellion against the Sister of Surface Order, and a portion of our population managed to escape.
After the Unification, some of our ancestors began hunting down every member of the Sister of Surface Order. With the help of the Goldine Empire from the continent of Favor, we wiped out the entire Sister of Surface Order.
But what our ancestors overlooked was that they didn't destroy all of the organization's records and teachings.
As with anyone in history, there are always those who hunger for power. Some studied the teachings of the Sister of Surface Order and became cultists of the Outer God Yogshot.
Naturally, the leaders of the Nomadic People did everything they could to hide this fact. But over time, the cultists grew in number, and many other Outer Gods began to emerge.
This made things even harder for us, especially as we were guests in other nations.
Seventeen hundred years ago, our leaders decided to buy as much land as possible on the outskirts of the Numen Kingdom.
At the time, cultists were rampant, and the Paladin Order had been devastated after their crushing defeat at Qa'stur.
Fearing that kingdoms and nations would grow paranoid and launch mass investigations, which risked exposing our origins, our leaders agreed to prepare for our independence, leading to the formation of the Balrog Empire.
Of course, this wasn't going to be easy. We were prepared for conflict if it came to that.
But while we were distracted, Yogshot cultists succeeded in summoning an Avatar of Yogshot.
Chaos erupted. The Numen Kingdom fought desperately to defeat it, suffering countless casualties.
In the end, the Numen forces were pushed back, and both sides were exhausted.
Our leader seized the opportunity to seal Yogshot and establish the Balrog Empire," Dellain explained.
This revelation shocked Seren and Launcent.
"So, the truth is…" Seren thought, but before she could finish, Dellain continued.
"We thought everything was going smoothly. We believed all of Yogshot's followers had been eradicated.
But after the war with Utakata, during the recovery period, the Balrog Empire was on the brink of collapse.
All the nations and the Paladin Order refused to help. The five princes were sent to seek assistance from foreign continents.
It was during this time that we fell into another trap. Prince Okavarin encountered practitioners and remnants of the Sister of Surface Order.
Soon after, the Sister of Surface Order offered salvation and a way out. The leaders of the empire were tempted, and eventually, so were my parents.
They revealed their true forms as Deep Elves. The other princes were swayed, and even I was tempted.
But as the future ruler of the Balrog Empire, I despise the thought of living on my knees, dependent on others," Dellain said, his tone filled with contempt.
"So you're here to warn us about the Sister of Surface Order," Seren replied.
"Yes. The Sister of Surface Order has fully returned as Deep Elves.
To the average person, it's impossible to distinguish them.
But the worst part is their power. It's far beyond comprehension.
The strongest among them are the Tremor Knights, who represent the Sister of Surface Order.
Their strength easily rivals that of a Martyr or even a Justiciar, and their numbers are considerable.
What's more troubling is that I've recently discovered they've been targeting Ivovnia for a long time. Their preparations are already complete.
That's why I plan to investigate them in Myriad City," Dellain explained.
"And you want us to defeat them?" Seren asked.
"Exactly. At the very least, I want you to be prepared for what's coming.
Additionally, I hope you'll find a way to eliminate the Outer God Yogshot. While difficult, it's not impossible.
File White managed to defeat Zotho, an Outer God far more terrifying than Yogshot," Dellain said.
"Alright, we'll consider it. But you realize we're going to report all of this to the Paladin Order, right?" Seren asked.
"Yes, that's my intention. It would be difficult for me to reach the Grand Master on my own," Dellain replied.
Moments later, Dellain vanished and reappeared at the still-open front door of the Eleison home.
"Oh, one more thing. Be aware, Seren Eleison. Regardless of our shared enemies, I'll still be coming for your head one day.
You killed my brother. No matter how much I disliked him, I'm still his older brother. Don't ever forget that," Dellain said before vanishing once more.