Chapter 1695: Chapter 1695

"Father, how could you be..."

"I've had enough of this. What kind of game are you all playing?"

In Ruen, the demigod, a Mr. Rossier, who had been studying a map at the table, set down his pencil and cut into the family reunion. He frowned at Salhir II, who stood in the doorway. Rossier had just returned from the front lines to discuss their rushed evacuation plan.

"You owe us an explanation. What exactly is the royal family doing? To be honest, I was shocked to learn that the princes and princesses had all returned to Ruen earlier tonight, but with the appearance of the snowman legion, I had no time to question their arrival. But now you... is this an avatar?"

Mr. Rossier had discerned Salhir II's current state, and the other Enchanters in the room slowly raised their heads to look at the nation's king.

"We need an explanation, Your Majesty. Is this snowman legion connected to you in any way? Furthermore, since this war to defend Ruen began, I've noticed something... off about those who are fighting. A strange power is circling above the city. Don't tell me you have nothing to do with that either."

The only one present who already knew the truth was Dolores. She started to speak in her father's defense, but Salhir II's avatar—who was, for all intents and purposes, Salhir II himself—waved a hand to silence his children.

"The situation is urgent," he said. "I had to appear to command the city-wide evacuation. If the Church has questions about this, please wait patiently until the evacuation is complete. I will tell you everything then."

He looked at everyone in the room. Seeing that the Church's representatives were still staring at him, he added:

Since he was willing to admit that much, the Church decided not to press him further on the Stuart family's abrupt return to Ruen for the time being. The king's return would certainly aid the great evacuation of Ruen; Salhir II's prestige in the kingdom was immense, and his presence would simplify matters considerably.

Meanwhile, for the people gathered around the chessboard in Nolan, the situation had become rather bizarre. The real Salhir II was unconscious right in front of them, yet on the board that represented Ruen, the king of the northern kingdom didn't seem to be a fake.

The two never spoke at the same time. Whenever the king in Nolan opened his mouth, the one in Ruen would fall into a daze, sometimes unable to even stand. Conversely, whenever the king in Ruen took action, the one in Nolan would appear as though his soul had departed his body.

"This won't do, Your Majesty," Jenkins chided. "Aren't you essentially stepping onto the board as a player yourself?"

Jenkins in Nolan voiced his accusation just as Salhir II "woke up" again, but the king simply shook his head.

"I never said I couldn't enter the game myself," Salhir II retorted. "In fact, if you have the means to do so, feel free. I wouldn't mind in the least."

Jenkins gave him a look of profound regret but ultimately decided to wait and see how the situation developed before risking a trip to Ruen himself.

Seeing that Jenkins had no reply, Salhir II assumed he'd been left speechless. He once again sent his consciousness back to Ruen. And so, while it appeared there were five people around the chessboard, in reality, there were now only four.

"Jenkins, do you think a winner can still be decided in this game?"

The eldest princess asked Jenkins, seeing her father "depart".

"Of course," Jenkins replied. "Since your father is already in Ruen, he must be holding an artifact that represents the power of the throne. I suspect he's made up his mind to choose the one who performs best before dawn and bestow that artifact upon them."

"But with things as they are, will Father really continue the contest?"

"It's not that he wants to continue it; he has to," Jenkins explained. "After all, his time is running out... Oh, but I forgot, if no one wins, then you become the queen..."

"No, I won't be queen. Father never considered that possibility."

The eldest princess cut Jenkins off, her face tense and expressionless. She gazed at him calmly.

"I'm not Dolores. I've known for a long time that I never stood a chance, right from the very beginning."

The situation in Ruen unfolded just as Jenkins had predicted. Alexia had never intended for her snowman legion to conquer the city, so after occupying most of the northern district, the pace of her assault slowed considerably.

This gave the defenders a window to organize an evacuation. With the king himself rallying the populace, most citizens, though still baffled as to why they had to abandon their capital, ultimately made up their minds. Their trust in the royal family, combined with the bizarre spectacle of snow falling in the north of the city while steam rose in the south, was enough to convince them.

Throngs of people, clutching parcels and suitcases, hurried into the streets, running south amidst the shouts of the police. In the final hour before dawn, which corresponded to the last two rounds of the contest, Salhir II spent most of his time in Ruen. He would only return to Nolan before the start of each round to direct his next move and use items to bolster the hope of survival for Ruen's people.

This would have been the perfect opportunity for Jenkins to stir up trouble, but he tactfully followed Salhir II's lead, acting as if he, too, were deeply concerned for the people of the northern capital. Read complete versıon only at Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

"I do care about those innocent people," Jenkins explained to the eldest princess. "Though almost no one has died since midnight, I want to ensure this disaster continues without any major casualties."

Jenkins offered his explanation to the eldest princess, who naturally didn't believe a word of it. However, the other two, more naive princesses seemed to buy it, their gazes toward Jenkins softening slightly. Yani Stuart noticed this at once and chided them.

"Your judgment of men is still flawed. You're far too immature. You mustn't be deceived by this man's looks and words."

She still cared for her younger sisters, at least those whose interests didn't conflict with her own.

"Don't speak of me like that," Jenkins protested mildly. "Not long ago, your own father was praising Dolores for her excellent judgment of character... Oh, there they are. I was beginning to think they'd be late."

The princesses asked in confusion. Then they watched as Jenkins lifted the hand that had been stroking Chocolate and pointed toward the chessboard. At the royal palace in the center of the board, three black stars had abruptly appeared.

They represented another faction, and in any culture, the color black was rarely a symbol of friendship.

Back in the small meeting room of the royal palace, everyone was still bustling about in their summer attire. Far from the northern battlefront, the temperature had abruptly returned to normal summer levels.

Frowning, Salhir II placed the signed document on the table beside him and picked up a towel to wipe the cold sweat from his face. Although this avatar was physically healthy, the weakness of his soul made it difficult to sustain such prolonged activity.

Suddenly, his expression froze. The king of the north clutched his heart in agony, collapsing to the floor before he could even cry for help.