Shaking himself, Sam bounded upwards, launching himself from walls, falling stones until he was out of the chamber where he fought the vampiric monster, looking around in the air as the fracture began to collapse around him.

The tree that opened the way downward was a shriveled husk, eyes looking at nothing, looking like it had gone through a dozen famines and half as much drought. However, just in case, he launched an air blade at it, bisecting the shriveled tree, before landing on the ground.

Glancing around, he saw the edge of the fracture break into cubes of rainbow energy before that was also swallowed by the continuously encroaching darkness.

The very familiar void…

For a moment, he stared at it, the memories of the pain and stress coming back, before a big crash brought him out of his fugue, and he was once again off, running toward the fracture portal at maximum speed.

Thankfully, this time, he could leap over the slowly desiccating walls of bushes that made up the maze. After all, there was no monster hiding in the darkness to stop him anymore…

Seeing the portal in the distance, edges flickering as the mana in the air was going haywire, he sped up.

Sam didn't even have to look behind him to know the temporary world of the fracture was falling apart, bit by bit, being consumed by the ever-hungry void. A few times, he even imagined hearing the very monsters that tried to eat Katie and him at the Void Tower.

Thankfully, nothing tried to stop him from reaching the fracture portal. Stopping a few yards away, he checked the time.

[Time remaining: 00:00:32]

Nodding, he used the remaining few seconds to let his body, mind, and mana recover a little more. After all, he would be appearing in the middle of an enemy outpost that just suffered a horrific platypus attack.

Sam couldn't help but snicker at the memories. 'I wonder how they're going to spin this…'

Seeing the countdown reach the last few seconds, he pulled up his hood and summoned enough shadows to hide his face and any exposed skin, then, with a quick motion, threw himself through the portal.

The ride was bumpier than usual, and as soon as he felt himself actualizing in the material plane of Magic Unbound, he threw himself backwards. And just to be sure, he also detonated a giant ball of air where he was moments ago.

Thankfully, as the explosion went off, he didn't feel any attacks being launched at him. Feeling a bit safer, he took the time to look around. Honestly, he expected at least a platoon of elite fighters at the fracture, waiting for him to come out, but instead, he saw the rapidly vanishing bodies of maybe a half a dozen grunts.

The fracture also chose this exact moment to flicker out of existence, leaving behind nothing where it was previously.

The room was still in shambles, the wall where he broke through hastily patched up with several wooden boards and a tarp, while outside, he could hear the constant yelling and the sound of a lot of bodies moving around.

With a twist of his body, he launched himself upwards, landing on a crossbeam and headed in the opposite direction from the hole he had made.

'Next task: find the king's daughter. Easy-peasy…' he mused to himself as he slowly used his sword and super-sharp wind mana to cut a hole in the wall.

Slowly lowering the cutout part, he checked the scene. A few guards patrolled, all of them glancing toward the main source of chaos from time to time. Though he saw a few groups appearing through different teleportation methods. Some with portals, some through some kind of flash of lights, and one memorable player appeared in a swirl of butterflies.

However, all of them ignored the building and the patrolling guards and headed directly toward where Sam remembered the warehouses were.

Smiling slightly, he closed his eyes and reached out with his mana. Gently and carefully, he wound a tendril of mana toward the warehouses, looking for a particular rune he had hidden during his 'rampage'.

Grinning, when he found it, he immediately activated it.

What followed was another dose of glorious chaos…

BOOM

BOOM BOOOM

Several hidden runic inscriptions exploded, causing another wave of outcry – either pain, surprise, or cursing – while Sam instantly launched himself toward the nearest guard, cleaving the woman in twain, before dashing into the nearest shadow and stealthily moving toward the kitchens.

Ignoring the line of people – both players and NPCs – streaming toward the new explosions, he looked toward the kitchen building. Before it were the kitchen workers, cooks, and servers, all of them herded in a group while a bunch of guards were standing around them. Either to protect them or to keep them there while the investigation was underway.

Sam spent a minute searching before spotting 'Sister Janice' at the back of the group, pretending to be scared, while at the same time rubbernecking to see what was happening. Sam waited for a moment for the woman to look in his direction, then made eye contact with her.

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It took a few tries, but on the third try, the king's daughter noticed him perched on the edge of one of the buildings, covered in magical shadows. Her eyes widened a fraction, but otherwise her behavior didn't change. She quirked an eyebrow, and Sam responded with a nod towards the edge of the outpost where they had arrived earlier in the day.

'Sister Janice' then stepped away from the scared herd of kitchen workers and approached one of the guards. She talked, making some embarrassing motions, while a few people snickered around her. The guard visible let out a tired sigh and called out to another guard – wearing a bit more elaborate and expensive armor – before offering his arm to 'Sister Janice' and escorting her away from the group.

Not waiting a moment longer, Sam bounded over rooftops, keeping away from the keen-ish eye sight of the guards, and just for fun, activated the last of the runes he left behind.

BOOOM

Cries went up as every head snapped toward the warehouse area.

He used the moment to catch up with the king's daughter, landing in an alley between two buildings, hidden by leftover boxes and crates, just in time to watch the guard slide to the ground, unconscious.

The woman said nothing; she just reached for Sam, grabbed his arm, and brought out a small artifact that basically shone with magic.

Within a second, they were off, the outpost left with chaos and general mayhem, his task fulfilled.

They appeared in a clearing somewhere Sam didn't recognize, before the artifact was put away and another retrieved, and they were teleporting once again. This repeated a half dozen times, before they reappeared in the same room, or at least in a room that looked the same, where they departed from.

Unsurprisingly, both of them were a bit dizzy.

A minute later, the king's daughter stood there with her hands held out, looking at Sam. Very reluctantly, he removed the bracelet, letting the disguise melt away, revealing his usual charm, and handing over the item.

"Good. I didn't really wish to fight you after all that…" she murmured as she placed the item in question in a waiting box before ringing a bell and handing it over to a servant who took it away silently.

"Hey! Even after all I have done?" he asked, pretending to be indignant.

She glowered at him. "I asked for sabotage, not whatever that was…"

"I mean, if the warehouses don't exist anymore, they can't really use them. Right?" he asked with a smile.

She let out a huff and crossed her arms. "I expected maybe poison in their food, or destroying the odd equipment. Not…explosions that erased the existence of said equipment."

Sam shrugged. "If it is worth doing, it's worth overdoing…"

Another huff, but he saw a brief smile appear on her face before it was smothered.

She turned around and walked over to the door, opening it. "Come. Let us report."

"After you, Your Highness!"

They were shortly led to a smaller meeting room, the king sitting behind an ornate desk that Sam knew wasn't used for ceremony but for real work. Two guards stood at the door, silent and menacing, their eyes drilling holes in his back, and a few advisors sat in chairs on the edge of the room.

While it was an office, it was still the king's office, so the floor area was still bigger than his entire apartment.

The king sat in his high-backed chair, fingers steepled together as his daughter and Sam gave their report one after another.

"…and that's when we teleported away, Your Majesty," Sam finished his report and took a respectful step backward.

The king nodded thoughtfully, and after a few seconds of silence, he began to speak, his speech slow but measured.

"We would like to thank you for your efforts. They are appreciated by Us and the country as a whole."

The moment the king said those words, a notification sound went off in his head, but he ignored it and simply continued to focus on the ruler in front of him, who simply continued after taking a short breath.

"We assume that wasn't the enemy's only such base?" Sam nodded at the question, and the king frowned. "As expected. Nevertheless, We are sure this action had hindered the enemy enough that when the time comes, the war would be marginally easier."

Sam couldn't help but grimace. Intellectually, he knew that the war couldn't be avoided, nor was it in the timeline that was lost, but hearing from someone like the king, with his calm and measured voice, it was much more sobering.

Headless of his inner turmoil, the king continued.

"The Portia project is delayed until the war is over. Your master has already been informed about it."

"I guess he didn't like it…" Sam quipped back before realizing himself. The king's daughter, standing near him, sent him a withering glare while several advisors were hard at suppressing their own smiles. The king, thankfully, simply chuckled.

"No. Not at all. Not that surprising, Master Fitzgerald has never been known for his patience…"

Sam nodded apologetically but kept his mouth shut, lest he embarrass himself further and say something with worse consequences.

"The next and last topic is your reward, young Samuel," stated the aged King. Without moving, one of the advisors stepped forward and handed Sam an elaborate scroll.

After an encouraging nod from the king, he unfurled and began to read. However, as he read the sentences, his eyes became larger and larger.

…and thus, by Our power, based on the above and aforementioned deeds and services, the adventurer known as Samuel shall henceforth be known as Samuel of Ferabor, lord of the city of Ferabor and its territories.

Skipping over the rest of word salad – making a note for Lucy to look it over, preferably with an army of lawyers – he looked back at the king and, after a moment of thought, he fell to his knees, head bowed.

"I'm most thankful, Your Majesty!" he declared, his voice still shaky.

"Good," replied the king, a small smile on his aged face and a bit of satisfaction in his voice. "As an added reward for a job well done, I shall also confer a three percent reduction on taxes for the next year and day on the city of Ferabor."

There were hisses all around the room as people did some quick and dirty math, with Sam also letting out a low whistle.

"Most generous, Your Majesty! I promise that Ferabor and my team shall stand with the Emerald Kingdom against the invading army!" he exclaimed softly, looking directly at the king, who nodded in understanding.

Sam was rewarded, but those rewards were bonds connecting him to the Emerald Kingdom and its throne, yet he was not blind enough to wrap the yoke of politics fully around himself. Both parties were holding the chains in their hand and were not bound by them fully. Sam and his company, team, and city would protect and support the kingdom, but they were not that easy to purchase.

Then the king clapped his hands together, and the atmosphere of the room changed once again. Instead of the celebratory and happy aura, everything seemed to be radiating quiet determination and a hint of battle lust.

"Now, young Samuel of Ferabor. What is your best estimation of the war? When will they start?" the king asked, leaning forward with the advisors following suit. "Your opinion would be a welcome addition to our plans."

Sam scratched the back of his hand, feeling a little out of his element, but he thought back to the tactics and strategies the blood army used in his memories and began to speak.

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