☀️ Arselia and Akonia

Somewhere on the outskirts of Volkvang was one of the empire's few remaining firearms factories. That day, a small detachment of well-armed soldiers was hiding in the forest, a hundred meters from it. Their Margel-colored military uniforms were concealed by three-color camouflage cloaks. "Still, sir, I'm against it," said the short lieutenant, who usually commanded this detachment. He was not enthusiastic about the governor's presence at the scene of the operation. "We all greatly appreciate your valor, and no one doubts your strategic and tactical talents, as well as your military prowess, but you have a completely different role in our country, and few others could handle it if something were to happen to you." "You're wrong, Lieutenant," said Draco Mellis, placing one hand on his hip and stroking his magnificent mustache with the other. "He who does not risk his life from time to time has no right to risk the lives of others! The same applies to everything else. How can those who do not have to work with simple, honest labor impose rules of life on those who live by it constantly? Those who stand above others are sometimes obliged, if not to others, then at least to themselves, to experience the consequences of their own decisions. What will my convictions, thoughts, speeches, and bills be worth if I do not experience the life of the citizens entrusted to me?" "Sir... I understand. Please forgive me; my concerns were inappropriate." "No apologies are needed, Lieutenant. Just focus on carrying out the operation." [HTML] [/HTML] Giving his subordinates a signal, the governor, dressed in the same military uniform, and his detachment stealthily but swiftly approached the factory's back entrance; two particularly heavily armed soldiers headed to the main doors to intercept potential escapees. With a sharp kick, the lieutenant opened the door, and Draco Mellis jumped inside, rolling and slashing the belly of the unsuspecting guard with his imperial blade. The second guard tried to shoot at the intruder but was too late—one of the soldiers shot him in the temple. The Margel warriors, like a furious wind, advanced through the now-warned opponents. Realizing that they would face the death penalty for what they had done, the attacked defenders fought to the last, but in vain. Soon, the factory's defenders went from being alive to being dead. Draco, the lieutenant, and the other soldiers methodically searched one room after another, soon discovering what they were looking for—a room with living goods. These were young female citizens of the empire, whom the villains planned to sell to the Calcite slave traders along with undocumented weapons produced here. The innocent were saved, the guilty were punished, and justice prevailed—it was time to go home. After changing into his everyday clothes, Draco Mellis, according to a pre-arranged plan, decided to visit his daughter. His destination: the port, the Temple of Ikigai. "You're 40 minutes late," she said to him as he crossed the threshold of the Temple of Harmony. "Work?" "Yes, as always, I was shuffling papers." The father did not tell his daughter about his adventures. She invited him to the table, fed him miso soup, and prepared tea brought from the islands according to Nihon traditions. For the most part, they chatted about everyday matters, as well as Kalina's recent successes and failures. Draco did not have much love for this new religious teaching, but he was still glad that his daughter had found a purpose in life instead of wasting it, especially since her previous job was associated with too much risk. "Kalinka, if your former comrades offer you to help them, refuse. It's better to do... uh, what you're doing here." "Did something happen?" "In recent months, Calcite has begun to become insolent, Farella is rapidly militarizing, and the Shogunate is beginning to claim Shiho. Many things could happen soon." "Farella... Isn't that where Her Highness Princess Naria flew the other day?" "Oh, you know that too?" "One of the parishioners told me that he witnessed a battle between Aria and some unarmed warrior. He defeated her and humiliated her, and then let her go. And now I hear that she was captured by some Arselian priest." "Yes, that's a very bad story... Well, let's hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."