Ziel, Clara, and Princess Iris were taken to the great hall after they arrived at the castle of the Cirlus Kingdom. At that place, the people from the Academy had already gathered. Clara looked through the crowd for Kyouka and the heroes. She searched around the corner of the room but still couldn't find them.

"Where are Kyouka and the other heroes?

" Clara muttered and kept looking around the hall. While she was focused on searching, she was interrupted by someone's voice from behind her.

"Clara!

" Princess Freya comes to them along with Kalya and other girls. They just got back from their shopping.

"Freya! Did you just come back?

" Clara asked Princess Freya. She pouted after seeing each of the girls carrying a shopping bag. She felt abandoned by them.

"Clara, have you seen my brother?

" Princess Freya ignored Clara's question. She did the same thing as Clara had since entering the hall. She looked for his brother's whereabouts but couldn't find him.

"That's...

" Clara didn't have time to finish her words because Princess Iris cut her off.

"I think the ship carrying the heroes left before the magical beast invasion was detected. So most likely, they are trapped in that fog.

" Princess Iris expressed her conjecture.

"What!? What's their situation!? Will they be okay!?

" Princess Freya was worried after hearing Princess Iris' answer. Then she saw Ziel and was about to ask for his help. He was the only person on her mind who could help her brother. Therefore, she could only depend on him. But her actions were quickly stopped by Kalya.

"Freya, you can talk about it with him later. I'm sure Ziel will help your brother. Right now is not the right time because many people are looking at us. They could suspect him.

" Kalya whispers to Princess Freya so the people around them don't hear it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It seems I have been carried away by my feelings.

" Princess Freya realized her carelessness. She felt guilty because she almost made the Academy people suspicious of Ziel.

"You don't need to apologize. I'm sure your brother is fine. Even though he was badly injured, Ziel could still help him. So you have to be a little patient.

" Kalya held Princess Freya's hand to calm her down.

"I'm sure Fritz will be fine, Freya.

" Princess Aishia suddenly patted her on the shoulder gently. She knows that Princess Freya must be worried about Prince Friz's condition at this time.

"Thank you, Aisha.

" Freya smiled slightly and tried to think optimistically. She hoped that his brother would return safely.

Not long after, King Raghnall entered the hall with Merlick. King Raghnall's face looks very tense at this moment. He stood on the podium and faced the people from the Academy.

"I'm sure you already know what's going on in this kingdom. I also don't know why this happened. However, the royal mage said that the magical beast horde came from the Demon Kingdom's territory. We still don't know the purpose of the magical beast hordes heading to this place. It is possible to migrate or invade. But we have prepared countermeasures if the worst happens. For the time being, you must stay in the castle and not be allowed out.

" King Raghnall relayed the information to the people from the Academy. His words made some academy students panic, and some were displeased with the decision.

"Don't you misunderstand? I didn't do that because I didn't believe in your abilities. I'm doing it because it is a Cirlus Kingdom matter, and I don't want to involve the Academy. However, if the situation becomes dangerous and is beyond the control of the Cirlus Kingdom, please lend your power to this kingdom.

" King Raghnall added his explanation. He bowed towards the academy people. They were shocked by what King Raghnall had done. The students who were previously displeased with the decision finally accepted it.

"We will help!

"

"After all, we were trained in the academy to deal with this kind of thing in the future!

"

"I can't wait to fight the magical beasts of the sea!

"

Academy students support King Raghnall's decision for different reasons. King Raghnall's face relaxed slightly after seeing their response.

"You should know that this is very dangerous. So, if you don't want to join the fight when the time comes, you must stay inside this castle!

" Merlick gave a stern warning to the academy students.

"Besides, you must be aware that some of you are not present in this place. It was because by now, they were probably trapped in the fog. We will do our best to save them.

" Merlick looked at the academy students, especially Princess Freya. He knew Prince Fritz was also coming with the heroes to explore a nearby island. Merlick would feel guilty for King Leonida if anything happened to Prince Fritz.

The people from the Academy already knew who the person Merlick was referring to. Apart from the heroes and their group, all the academy people were already present in the hall. When they focused on the information that King Raghnall and Merlcik had given them, they were startled by the screams of someone who forced their way into the hall.

"Raghnall! I ask for your responsibility as the king of this kingdom!

" King Redis came with his wife wearing their royal robes. King Raghnall frowned at King Redis' sudden appearance. He was angry that King Redis had barged into the castle of the Cirlus Kingdom forcibly. He was also confused by the responsibilities he mentioned earlier.

"I apologize, Your Majesty! We can't stop King Redis from rushing in to meet you!

" One of the cirlus royal soldiers ran towards king Raghnall and knelt in front of him.

"it does not matter. After all, you are no match for him. You can go! I will take care of this matter.

" King Raghnall walked towards king redis with a face full of anger.

"Redis! What do you mean by this! I need an explanation from you! Do you think the Cirlus Kingdom is afraid of the Demon Kingdom!? You can't do anything you want in this place!

" King Raghnall shouted to vent his emotions. He didn't want his authority and pride as the king of the Cirlus Kingdom to be underestimated by King Redis.

"Hoo...is that so? I don't mind having to fight against your kingdom. But before that, I must hold you accountable first!

" King Redis gave off a momentum no less than King Raghnall.

"Since earlier you talked about responsibility? What exactly do you mean!?

" King Raghnall became impatient after hearing King Redis keep demanding responsibility from him.

"My family and I intend to vacation in this kingdom for a few days. This morning my son and daughter went to explore a nearby island. However, they are stuck with the problems in your kingdom! Now I ask you, how is your responsibility regarding this matter! I will never forgive the Cirlus Kingdom if anything happens to my son and daughter. I will flatten this kingdom even if I have to fight all the human kingdoms in this region!

" King redis shouted arrogantly. He explained the root of his anger to King Raghnall.

"What!?

" king Raghnall was taken aback by king redis' answer. He felt that the problems caused by the magical beast invasion were becoming more and more complicated. But King Raghnall quickly regained his composure and stared at King Redis.

"Redis, you seem to be wrong about something. I am the king of this kingdom. But I can't manage and take responsibility for everything I don't know. In the case of your two children, we can only do our best to find and save them. So I ask you to be patient and not to cause trouble. Please return to your inn and wait for news from us.

" King Raghnall showed King Redis the exit of the hall.

"You! Okay! I will be waiting for good news from you! But if what I hear is bad news, then we'll be at war right then and there! Let's go, my wife!

" King Redis quickly left the hall with Queen Triana.

"Take them out!

" King Raghnall orders one of his soldiers to escort King Redis and Queen Triana out of the castle.

"Haa… looks like this is going to get even more troublesome. Merlick, I leave the Academy people to you.

" King Raghnall left Merlick with the academy people.

"I understand.

" Merlick nodded slightly. He began to arrange for the academy students to return to their rooms.

***

Ziel walked with Clara and the other girls in the corridor leading back to their room. He walked next to Princess Freya and Kalya. Behind him, Princess Ashia and Lilith followed. At the same time, Clara and Princess Iris walked in front of him. Clara and the girls grew worried after learning that Princess Irene was also on a trip to explore the island.

On the other hand, Princess Freya kept silent because she was worried about her brother's condition. She wanted to ask Ziel for help through her communication brooch, but he felt bad doing it. So, she decided to tell him directly when no one else was listening.

"Your brother is fine. I could sense that he was still alive. But I can't confirm where he is because the fog is disturbing my senses. I can only look for him after I go there directly. So you don't have to worry.

" Ziel tried to calm Princess Freya, who kept her head down the whole way. He said it in a low voice so Clara wouldn't hear their conversation.

"Eh? Is what you said true? You didn't lie to me, did you?

" Princess Freya suddenly raised her head and confirmed Ziel's previous words.

"Of course. I'll be going there soon because I also have other business in that place.

" Ziel answered it confidently.

"Thank you, Ziel!

" Princess Freya quietly held Ziel's hand and squeezed it. Ziel nodded slightly in response. Kalya smiled after seeing Princess Freya's face no longer look as worried as before.

"Thank goodness Fritz is fine, Freya.

" Princess Aishia said to Princess Freya from behind. She had listened to their conversation from the start. Princess Aishia was envious of their intimacy.

"Yes! So, when are you leaving?

" Princess Freya asked Ziel.

"Right now.

" Ziel suddenly disappeared right in front of his bedroom door.

"Eh? Where's Ken?

" Clara turned and saw that Ziel was not behind her.

"He's back in his room!

" Princess Freya and Kalya answered in unison. Clara and the other girls stared blankly at them but then laughed, and the atmosphere around them became more relaxed.

***

The Cirlus Kingdom has many small islands within its territory. But not all islands have inhabitants. There are many small islands in the kingdom that no one has ever visited. On the beach on one of the uninhabited islands, a pair of girls lay hugging each other. They were both in an unconscious state. One girl has long straight black hair with an oriental face, while the other has long purple hair with horns on top of her head. The two of them are Kyouka and Princess Irene. After being swallowed by the giant tsunami, they were stranded on the island.

"Ugh!

" Princess Irene woke up earlier than Kyouka. She tried to move, but her whole body was in unbearable pain. Princess Irene slowly opened her eyes and was shocked after seeing Kyouka's state.

"Kyouka!

" Princess Irene shouted anxiously. Even though she was injured, her wound wasn't as bad as Kyouka's. Two iron rods from the broken ship pierced her back. Her face looked very pale with blood loss.

"Hmm!

" Kyouka finally woke up after hearing Princess Irene's screams. She opened her eyes heavily.

"Irene?

" Kyouka said very weakly.

"Kyouka! Thank goodness you're awake!

" Princess Irene slowly tried to sit up. Even though her body ached so much, she kept forcing it.

"Where are we now?

" Kyouka asked Princess Irene. She still couldn't move any part of her body.

"I do not know. I also recently woke up. The most important thing is that we must quickly remove the iron rod stuck in your back and treat the wound. However, I can't use healing magic at all.

" Princess Irene shook her head sadly.

"Hmm... I beg your help. I can treat it after the iron rod is removed.

" Kyouka nodded in agreement at Princess Irene's words.

"Please endure the pain, Kyouka!

" Princess Irene slowly pulled the iron rods from Kyouka's back one by one.

"Argh!

" Kyouka gritted her teeth to endure the pain.

After removing the two iron rods, Kyouka used magic to treat the wound. But she was surprised because her mana was flowing irregularly, and the healing process wasn't going perfectly. After she checked it, she finally found the cause.

"This mist is…!

" Kyouka didn't have time to finish her words because she was cut off by the roaring sound of magical beasts approaching them.

Roooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr!