"That's the place," Nova muttered as he slipped on the Mask of Three Faces.

His face quickly changed to Elric's, the commander who had participated in the first Birth of Deities, the academy tournament that took place across Earth.

Even after all this time, he still had it saved, as he hadn't needed to delete it to make room for a new one.

His steps quickly brought him to the front of a tavern.

Loud chatter and laughter could be heard through the closed door.

'So, he wasn't lying when he said the tavern is usually full?' he thought, and entered.

His eyes quickly scanned the room and saw how every table in sight was occupied.

There were only a few free seats at the counter, so he headed over.

'It's good his business is going well.'

"Next round's on me! My son's been admitted to the army camp!"

"Cheers, Old Lester! I might need your son's help in the future, hahaha!"

"I knew Old Lester's boy was destined for greatness, but I didn't think it'd be this soon!"

Boisterous chatter filled the air beside Nova as he silently listened.

"Young man, what can I bring you?"

Behind the counter, a broad-shouldered man asked Nova with a smile. Beads of sweat due to his hard work glistened on his forehead.

Nova looked at him deeply for several seconds, causing the man to raise an eyebrow.

"Bring me the best drink you have," he said, placing one silver coin on the counter.

When the tavernkeeper saw that, his eyes widened.

It had to be known that a single silver coin was enough for a family to live comfortably for months. Receiving one as a tip was unheard of, or at least, the tavernkeeper had never heard of such a thing and certainly never experienced it.

Until now.

The man's smile could have lit up the street as he quickly took the coin and said, "You won't be disappointed, Lord."

In his opinion, only nobles were rich enough to so casually give away a silver coin.

Nova watched calmly as the tavernkeeper moved as if he had wind beneath his feet, eager to prepare the best drink he could offer.

'Has it been six months? You haven't changed one bit, Omar.'

He thought back to when he first met Omar, right after arriving in this world, and how the man had proudly boasted that his tavern was always full, despite having no customers for a whole day when he first brought Nova there.

Omar had helped him greatly, sharing information about the world and explaining the differences between knights and mages. He had even personally escorted Nova to the army camp, watching with a smile as Nova entered it for the first time, despite the two being complete strangers.

This made Nova's opinion of Omar rise.

Not everyone would've been so kind and helpful if put in the same circumstances.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Soon, Omar placed the drink on the counter and said, "This is the best I've ever made. Hope it's to your liking."

"Mhm."

Under Omar's expectant and tense gaze, Nova took a sip and nodded. "It's good indeed."

Hearing that, Omar relaxed and grinned before turning to serve another customer.

Nova quietly enjoyed the tavern's lively atmosphere as he sipped his drink.

It was his first time in such a place, and he had to admit, it was a different experience from what he had imagined, at least compared to how he pictured it back on Earth.

Still, he didn't dislike it.

As he sat there drinking, he recalled a conversation he once had with the man, and his lips couldn't help but curve into a faint smile.

When he first came here, he had slammed his hand hard on the counter but nothing had happened. The counter was simply too sturdy for him at the time and Omar had mocked him, saying that someone strong enough would have destroyed the entire tavern with such a blow.

Now…

His finger lightly tapped the counter, and a crack, almost inaudible over the tavern's noise, rang clearly in Nova's ears.

If one looked at the base, one would see a few splinters of wood had fallen to the ground, while others clung for dear life to the counter's surface.

'I guess I'm strong now,' Nova chuckled internally and stood up.

He walked toward the door, pausing to give one final glance at the tavern.

A smile lingered on his lips as he left.

Meanwhile, a bag filled to the brim with gold lay on the kitchen floor, alongside a half-filled mug.

/////

Larmida.

Royal Palace, Throne Room.

Mana flickered throughout the palace, casting light across the night.

It had been a hectic past month for Letto, who had to quickly learn what it meant to be a king.

He had always thought nobles just sat idly, doing nothing while growing rich but now his mind was gradually shifting.

Perhaps, once he had learned everything there was to learn, he too could relax and handle matters in the blink of an eye, but for now, that was certainly impossible.

With a hand massaging his temple, Letto sighed tiredly. "Can I not delegate some of this stuff to others?"

"You need to take care of the current matters personally," Granier's voice rang out beside him. "You've only been king for a month. Maybe in a year or two, you can start delegating small matters."

Standing below the throne were Maelor and Andretas, their lips twitching.

The same conversation, the same lines, they had been hearing them for a month since Letto's coronation as the new King of Lotra.

Sometimes they even wondered if they were supposed to hear certain things, but Letto never sent them away as the three had grown close due to training together every day.

"One or two years? Do you want your king to die an early death or what?" Letto sighed.

Granier's tone remained serious. "No. I wish for you to quickly learn how to be a king and live a long life, so as to make my life easier."

"Life is hard…" Letto murmured, closing his eyes.

"You don't like it?"

"Of course not…" Letto began, but then he realized that wasn't Granier's voice.

He stopped mid-sentence, eyes snapping open.

The hall was silent.

In front of him stood Nova, glaring down at him.

Beads of sweat formed on Letto's forehead. He quickly stammered, "I love it. I don't just like it, I love it."

Granier, Maelor, and Andretas watched silently, their surprise keeping them from making a sound.

Nobody had even seen how he got there, much less heard him entering the hall.

Nova stared at Letto for a long moment before breaking into a grin.

"If you love this, then I have wonderful news for you."

Letto saw that grin and a bad premonition gnawed at his heart.

Swallowing hard, he asked, "What news?"

Nova patted him on the shoulder. "Tomorrow is going to be your greatest day yet. The day you become the emperor."

Silence.

Utter silence.

Not even the sound of breathing could be heard in the vast throne room as everyone was holding their breaths.

Letto's eyes were vacant, his gaze fixed on Nova, silently hoping the latter would say it was a joke.

But…

When had he ever seen Nova joke like that?

Then, as if that thought had jolted his entire being, a shrill cry rang out.

"EMPEROR?!"

//////////

Westoria.

Royal Palace.

Lord Commander Jareth looked at his king.

Voice solemn, he said, "What will become of Westoria?"

Tiberan shook his head, speaking softly. "Nothing's changed for us… but the world has changed forever."

Jareth nodded, accepting his king's word for it. "The preparations are all set. We can leave anytime."

King Tiberan inclined his head.

"Very well. We'll leave at dawn."

///////

Blackridge.

Royal Palace.

Around the same time, Avaro stood in his study, staring out the window.

"Tomorrow is the day," he murmured.

"It's hard to believe… something none of us kings would have ever tried, he accomplished it."

He muttered to himself.

A letter that arrived two weeks ago still lay on top of his desk.

The letter had been sent by the empire to Avaro and Tiberan to inform them of the imminent coronation.

Garran and Senna had assumed Nova was taking care of Lotra, thus they hadn't bothered sending one there.

This was why every upper echelon of the world was aware of the coronation, while Letto, busy complaining about his kingly duties, remained blissfully unaware that his workload was about to increase exponentially.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.