The royal capital was always bustling with activity. Merchants lined the streets, knights patrolled the grand avenues, and nobles attended their endless cycles of meetings, parties, and political maneuvering.
But today, something shifted.
Something huge.
And it all started with one seemingly small announcement.
---
Inside the Grand Academy of Magi & Strategy, one of the most prestigious institutions in the kingdom, a lecture was in progress.
A group of students sat in an opulent hall, listening to a professor discuss recent geopolitical changes.
"Now then," the professor said, tapping his wand against the air, projecting a magical map onto the massive floating screen behind him. "As you all know, the balance of power in the world is constantly shifting. This brings us to today's most pressing topic."
He flicked his wand. A new name flashed onto the screen in bright gold letters.
"Reed Astoria's Retirement – A Catastrophic Event?"
The entire class erupted.
"Wait, what?!"
"That has to be fake news!"
"Reed Astoria, THE SSS+ Rank Adventurer, is RETIRING?!"
"That's illegal, right?"
The professor sighed. "I can assure you, the reports are real. The Adventurer's Guild officially recognized his retirement just this morning."
A noble student stood up so fast his chair fell over. "That's impossible! If Sir Reed truly retired, then who will deal with S-rank crises? Who will protect the kingdom from major threats?!"
"An excellent question," the professor replied. "That is what today's lecture will cover. The economic, political, and military consequences of losing the strongest adventurer in history."
The students were pale.
One shakily raised a hand. "P-Professor… are you saying that, theoretically, the kingdom's overall stability… just took a critical hit?"
"Correct."
A new student fainted.
The classroom descended into chaos.
---
The palace was no better.
King Alden, ruler of the kingdom, sat in his private chamber, sipping fine tea as he read through reports. Everything was going smoothly today.
Until a royal messenger barged in, panting.
"Y-Your Majesty! Urgent news!"
The king raised an eyebrow. "Speak."
"Reed Astoria… has retired."
The tea cup slipped from his fingers.
The porcelain shattered against the marble floor.
"…"
The king slowly turned to his royal advisor.
"…We have contingency plans for this, correct?"
The advisor was sweating.
"…N-No, Your Majesty."
The king slammed his hands on the table.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE HAVE NO PLAN?!"
---
Elsewhere, in a towering fortress of steel and stone, a blonde-haired knight stood on a training field, sparring against a dozen men at once.
Selene von Altrius, First Princess of the Kingdom and Captain of the Royal Knights, parried an incoming strike with a swift metallic clang, before countering with a precise thrust that sent her opponent crashing to the ground.
She adjusted her grip on her sword, nodding approvingly. "Much better. Your stance is improving."
The young knight winced, groaning on the ground. "M-Mercy, Captain…"
Just then, a royal messenger sprinted onto the training field.
"Princess Selene! Urgent message!"
She wiped the sweat from her brow. "What is it?"
The messenger, still gasping for breath, handed over a sealed scroll.
Selene broke the wax seal and scanned the message.
Then—
The entire training field trembled.
A terrifying aura surged from her as she gripped her sword so tightly the handle cracked.
Her blue eyes burned with fury.
"THAT. IDIOT."
The knights surrounding her shrank back in fear.
One unfortunate rookie knight, still recovering from training, made the mistake of whispering:
"U-uh… who's the idiot?"
Selene's head snapped toward him so fast that a visible shockwave followed.
"THE ONLY MAN IN THIS KINGDOM WHO THINKS HE CAN JUST LEAVE ME BEHIND."
The poor knight fainted on the spot.
Selene stormed toward the palace.
"Prepare my horse. I'm heading to the capital. Immediately."
"Y-Your Highness?! The King—"
"He will understand."
"But you have royal duties—"
"THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT."
As she marched away, knights whispered among themselves.
"…Didn't she say she 'definitely didn't care' about Reed Astoria last month?"
"Yup."
"And wasn't she the one who said, 'That man could disappear and I wouldn't lose sleep over it'?"
"Also yup."
"And now she's leaving everything behind to chase after him?"
"Triple yup."
A long pause.
"…Are we betting on this?"
The head knight sighed. "I already put fifty gold on 'Denial to Full-Blown Obsession Within Two Weeks.'"
---
Deep within the Royal Academy's forbidden archives, a young woman with silver-rimmed glasses sat at a massive desk, surrounded by floating spell tomes.
Lily Mayweather, the kingdom's most brilliant archmage, absentmindedly sipped a potion as she conducted research.
A soft chime rang out.
A floating magical paper appeared before her.
Lily glanced at it.
Then she froze.
Her normally calm expression vanished.
She stood up so fast her chair tipped over.
The mana in the room surged wildly, books flying off the shelves.
"…Reed Astoria… is retiring?"
A second later—
An explosion rocked the academy.
---
At the edge of a vast ancient forest, a shrine stood untouched by time.
A young woman with golden-orange hair, bright green eyes, and nine elegantly flowing fox tails stood at its entrance, humming softly.
Yuna, the Trickster Fox Goddess, gently poured a cup of tea, enjoying the afternoon sun.
Just as she was about to take a sip, a small wind spirit whispered into her ear.
Her fox ears twitched.
The message was short.
"Reed Astoria has retired."
Yuna froze.
For a moment, she sat completely still.
Then—
She giggled.
A wide, mischievous grin spread across her face.
"Well, well, well…"
She lazily swirled her tea cup, eyes sparkling.
"This just got interesting."
---
The world had officially descended into chaos.
And Reed Astoria—completely unaware—was simply walking home, excited to start his peaceful food shop.