Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest

The King admired the capital from the highest floor of the castle, glancing the entire Kingdom he and his ancestors have built over many generations. Arcadia was a world of dangers, magic, and bloodshed, and to forge a place to belong in such a chaotic world was already a feat by itself.

"When I was younger, I used to take all of this for granted… How foolish I was."

Every King that once founded one of the Kingdoms or Empires of this world was a Hero of their own caliber, powerful enough to go against the most terrific of beasts, and some even confronting the Demon Kings that appeared across history.

However, after so many eons since the "Age of Heroes" which was the time when the major Kingdoms and Empires were established and the Demon Kings resurrected one after another for the first time, a seemingly eternal peace was achieved.

Such peace, however, did not last long, with the arrival of the System, Players, and the Gods, whom many believed to be either dead or on a great slumber after many churches never received any more of their messages, the world of Arcadia once more changed.

The "Age of Players" came, people from another world which the Gods blessed with incredible power, capable of reviving even if killed, and with the task of defeating the Demon Kings, whose resurrections came one after another, without even a previous warning from the Gods.

"It has been roughly a century since the System appeared, but Players only started appearing ten years ago…" He thought. "Due to the protection of the System, they cannot harm us, usually. And since their arrival that we've been working together to defeat the menaces of this world. But even then, they're too dangerous on their own right. There are many malicious ones that find roundabout ways, even to the point of employing us people to kill one another, offering the perpetrators money and goods. But, well, not all of them are like this. Some are good, my wife is one, after all."

A she thought these things, the King clenched his fists, thinking about what he had heard from David today. Aside from the battle report, the news about Lord Magica betraying them and turning himself into a demon really impacted him more than he imagined.

It meant that any moment, more nobles could do the same, there was no real safety anymore. The cult was growing too strong too quickly. And above all, what he learned made him doubt even his closest retainers and friends.

"Magica, on his last breath… He said that Herbellstein… My stepfather, was part of the cult- not only that, but he also said he was even more dangerous than him, someone at such a high position he was right below their leader."

David's words, filled of sorrow and frustration, could still echo through his mind. The King felt utter dread to imagine someone so strong and so trusted by the entire Kingdom to be a traitor all along.

Herbellstein wasn't just David's stepfather, it was also one of the King's father figures, perhaps filling the role of a father his own true father never did. He was someone that taught him how to cultivate his body and swordsmanship.

Even more, he occasionally visited them, teaching his own son swordsmanship techniques! The utter dread he felt when he realized someone so trusted and beloved, could be a two-faced demon, planning the death of not only him and his wife, but his beloved child was incredibly overwhelming.

"This bastard… Has he been lying to us this entire time?!" He grasped the terrace's stone handle with his hands, quickly spreading cracks through it. "We've trusted you for years, my own father thought of you as one of his best friends… If you truly are the bastard I think you are, you… you…! I will not have mercy."

He only felt even more rage swell within his heart, the utter maddening rage of someone betrayed by their most trusted and beloved family member, all due to just greed and selfishness! There was literally no reason he could think about over this betrayal at all.

Herbellstein was someone that literally had everything he could ever wanted, he was always respected, he had a beautiful family, he held a great position, riches, a beautiful wife and a concubine. He owned a plot of land in the Kingdom's far north…

What else could he even desire to join the damned cult?!

"Poor David… Not even he could believe it- well, not even I can believe it." He thought, sighing. "We'll have to investigate this thoroughly; I really hope that bastard of Magica was just trying to scare us but… I need to be prepared for the worst."

The King found it quite ironic that the Players, who could not harm them, were now more trustworthy than the people of his own Kingdom. Suddenly, he felt a gently and slightly cold hand caress his face, crimson eyes surging from behind him. Anybody would have been startled of this presence appearing out of nowhere, but the King was used to her doing this.

"Camilla…" He sighed.

Her steps were usually soundless, she had no smell unless he approached her very closely, and she had the power of camouflaging herself, becoming near invisible.

"Dear, are you alright?" She asked with a worried expression.

"I'm fine." He sighed, masking his concerns for himself, he faced his beautiful wife, his queen, a Player he once feared like any other, but that he had grown to love more than anybody else other than his own son. "I was just thinking things… Nothing else."

"It is about Herbellstein, isn't it?" She asked, her eyes sharp.

"That's…" The King muttered, feeling weaker as he heard the name of this man.

Camilla embraced him on a comforting hug, kissing his forehead and caressing her husband's hair, while she looked into the moonlight.

"Don't worry, dear. My shadows are on the move." She said. "We will find his true intentions and identity… If he's good, then that's good. But if he was truly a traitor this entire time… Then we won't have mercy."

"For the sake of our son and this Kingdom… I suppose we have no choice." The King sighed.

As this tension brewed, little Gustav, unaware of the dangers of the world, slept peacefully.