Gloria Frost had left the Kingdom of the Waves capital just after the two remaining princes of that state had awakened from their unconscious states.
Wilfred had told her a little about what had happened the night of the Walker family tragedy, as he, unlike Blake, had witnessed what Minos had done.
So, any possibility of 'Albert's' involvement being just a coincidence was gone, and Gloria was already sure that the person she even let touch her was none other than the infamous Minos Stuart!
With that, right after holding the funeral ceremony for William Walker, the second royal funeral in this region in recent times, she had left that city for Dry City.
She had yet to officially participate in the coronation ceremonies for the new kings of both the Kingdom of the Waves and the Cromwell Kingdom. But since each of those two processes could take weeks to be able to take place, she had decided to find the scoundrel who had lied to her!
At the very least, she wanted to take back her high-level grade-2 sword and teach Minos a lesson to never again play with a woman as he had done with her.
For all that, she was flying at this moment in her beast companion, quickly moving toward the city of her target.
'I just hope that rascal doesn't go into hiding so that he doesn't suffer his punishments!' She thought about it as she felt her hair move because of her high-speed flight.
'Anyway, as long as he's heading to the Black Plain, I think I'll get there a little before he does...'
'That should happen in less than a month!' She thought about it with a smile on her face, wondering what would happen when Minos ran into her in Dry City.
"Just wait for me!"
...
As Gloria and the naval fleet led by the Nash family headed to the Black Plain and the descendants of the regional families in the Flaming Empire began to be notified, two weeks passed!
In that period, nothing of significance had developed around this vast region.
Not that things had calmed down, far from it. The situation in the northern region of the Central Continent was more problematic than ever, with the war on the Black Plain reaching increasingly impressive numbers. At the same time, chaos spread through the enemy states of Minos.
While the regional sovereigns were fighting against the significant threat to their existence, more minor powers and insurgent organizations had advanced in their boldest actions!
Many were fighting for space, while others were secretly acting to weaken further the position of those with troops on the Black Plain. And with that, the entire region was suffering from an escalation in crime and the number of incidents involving small organizations.
But all this was nothing more than average for these recent times, for this era forcibly initiated by the actions of young Stuart.
In such troubled times, this regional chaos could no longer be considered exceptional, as it had already become part of the 'normal' of the five continental states of this region.
Only if kings died, massacres of high-level Spiritual Kings were reported, or equally shocking things would the region face unusual problems.
Because of this, things in the region were still 'normal' during this period when young Stuart was traveling northward, to where he was nearing another of his stops!
After nearly three weeks of travel, Minos had finally left the Kingdom of the Waves and entered the last northern state of the continent, the Kingdom of the End.
Here this young man intended to facilitate the revenge of one of his subordinates while at the same time using this to put more pressure on the regional leaders.
In particular, the Carline family, whom he had given another 'chance' after seeing the beautiful Kara.
And just at this moment, the young Stuart and Maida were slowly approaching that city where they would make one more stop, the headquarters of the Hargraves family!
House Hargraves was one of the mid-level noble families of the Kingdom of the End, which through an alliance with other organizations, had managed to eradicate House Schmidt, a former regional high-level power.
House Schmidt, the family that Barbara was a subordinate to before she became a slave and then a Black Plains Army soldier, was a financial power, a characteristic organization of that state.
After all, this state was the one in this region with the best spiritual energy density!
In any case, Minos knew that his soldier, who was now part of the Elite Squad of his army, had a desire for revenge against this organization from the Kingdom of the End.
Personal problems of his soldiers were not important to him, of course, when they did not affect his organization. However, this one Minos wanted to get involved in.
But this was purely for the advantages of acting against the Hargraves family, or rather, using this organization as an example for House Carline.
With that said, Minos was not here to waste his time on the personal affairs of a single one of his subordinates but to deal with an important matter for the Black Plain!
'Well, I'm just going to get to know this place a little bit and take action at midnight...' Minos thought about this as he watched that great city in front of him, as the orange sky of the late day continued to darken at his back.
"Maida, let's land somewhere." He remarked to that great beast, already putting on his mask.
Minos was not worried about being associated with his identity when wearing this item. That was because such items were not uncommon around this region.
Not only did such a thing serve to hide the identity of its wearers, but it could also serve as an item of support, protection, etc.
The limits depended only on the quality of the item and the creativity and necessity of its user.
Because of this, finding people wearing items like this was not so unusual, and hardly anyone would consider just this to 'frame' him as the leader of the Black Plain...
Humans have a history of ignoring the truth right in front of their faces, not only because ignorance can be a blessing but also because acting rationally all of the time can be much more complex than one might think!
One might think, 'he's at level 53 and wears a mask, just like the trespasser on the Walker family estate.' But would it be so obvious to make such a connection with just one person passing through your city?
There were so many cities in the region, so many places more relevant than the headquarters of the Hargraves family, so why would the dreaded ruler of the Black Plain come here?
And with a subconscious that usually made most people think in such a way, the apparent truth could camouflage itself easier than one might think!
Hence, Minos was not worried about being recognized in this place, and after getting off Maida's back, he just made his way to the interior of that city in a rented carriage.
...
"This place looks truly interesting!" So, young Stuart remarked to the coachman of that carriage as he observed the city's lively streets, which, although splendid, still seemed to have a lot of developing to do.
Upon hearing the visitor's praise, that native of this city smiled in gratification, happy that such a person appreciated this place. "Hehehe, the Hargraves family has grown a lot in the last few years!"
"We have had a great relationship with the neighboring powers, but we also got good deals with the Kingdom of the Waves!"
"Is that so?" Minos asked in curiosity, still observing the sides of that avenue they were passing.
The surroundings looked very tasteful, although here and there were still dark alleys and not so well-maintained buildings. But in general, besides an excellent infrastructure, the place seemed well cared for, with beautiful buildings, good lighting, and most importantly, people who actually seemed to be as well off as the city.
Many individuals on the sidewalks were dressed well. But, at the same time, the look on the faces of most of those people did not resemble anything Minos had seen in the Kingdom of the Waves.
On the other hand, the streets were filled with carriages, and in just a few minutes of 'strolling,' Minos had already managed to spot some of the high-end regional carriages.
'It seems that the wealth of the Kingdom of the End is not to be compared to the rest of the region...' Minos thought about this in silence, already imagining his Black Plain's potential in the future.
And with that, Minos and that coachman continued talking while this young man knew a bit about this city, waiting for the right time to act.
But he was not just waiting and roaming around this well-developed place. No, he was also bit by bit checking his surroundings, the experts of this city, to make sure that he would not leave high-level Spiritual Kings alive after this brief passage.
'Well, I hope I can raise some good wealth for the Black Plain after today!'
...
