"I know you love horseback riding, don't you?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I know, I can see it in your eyes how much you dream of becoming a rider. I've seen that same desire in my son's eyes many times before. So, I want you to show me if you're truly skilled at taming horses," Genmonth challenged.

"I started taking care of horses when I was young, so I consider the knowledge of taming them a blessing."

"In that case, I would like to entrust this ranch to you. Please don't take it the wrong way; I want to make you a rider."

"But my family and I are enslaved by Mr. Heshun."

"Don't worry, I will buy you from Heshun. But I can't promise to buy your parents at the moment." Lebriel was stunned by this, and a little saddened.

"I no longer have a son. Who will inherit my businesses and properties?" Genmonth added. "I'm getting old, so there's no longer any reason for me to work so hard."

"Lebriel, I want you to inherit all my possessions when I pass from this world. But on one condition."

"What is the condition?"

"I want you to join the competition. That's the only condition."

"A competition! But—"

"From now on, this is your training period for the upcoming tournament this Sunday."

"What? This Sunday?!" Lebriel was shocked. "But that game is..."

"Yes, I know. The riders there are at a high level. But I can put you there if you say you can do it." Lebriel was speechless, visibly nervous. This was his first time competing, and he didn't have much experience.

"But I don't have enough experience to win against them."

"So you're saying you can do it, but you're not sure you'll win. Don't worry about that. You have six more days. I know you can use your talent in this situation."

"I know what I can do, but why do you want me to fight Mr. Aritheo? He's an excellent rider." Genmonth fell silent for a moment and looked into the distance.

"He is the reason my son had that accident. Yes, the race was bloody, but even though he knew my son, he betrayed him just to win the competition."

"So you plan for me to join to get revenge?"

"No, I didn't say that. All I want is for you to defeat him. Play according to your principles. This might also be the way for you to free your parents from slavery. Do you agree to the condition?"

"If this is the reason for our freedom from their enslavement, then yes, I agree."

"In that case, show me now how you'll tame those horses that have been giving the workers a hard time."

They approached the workers. "Sir, your horses are really wild. We can't get them to obey; they're very difficult to care for."

"Move aside for a moment; Lebriel will handle this problem."

Inside the round horse enclosure, Lebriel stood still while the two horses also stood far away from him. He took small steps forward. "Sir, who is that man, and why are you so confident he can tame those horses?"

"He is Heshun's slave."

"Isn't that man the father of the person who betrayed Mr. Dwen Seent?"

"Yes."

"What do you plan to do with that man?"

"I have big plans for him. He will be the way for us to defeat Heshun's son. But he's still a newcomer with no idea about the competition."

"Does that mean you're going to put him in the competition right away without deep experience? Isn't that just a joke?"

"He will prove it to us now."

"The horses are wild. Even us, who have been taking care of them for a long time, they don't even recognize us. Their behavior has been like this since Mr. Dwen Seent passed away," said the worker.

"I can't believe it. Why aren't the horses running? When we step inside, they immediately start acting up. There's really something different about that man," Sartonio said.

"That's not the real answer yet, Sartonio."

Lebriel took more steps, slowly reaching his hand out to the horse's head. But before getting close, he first studied the horse's behavior, and when he understood it, he was able to approach slowly without a rough step or sound from his feet. "This isn't an ordinary horse." The horses were tall with large bodies, a characteristic suited for the world of racing.

At his first touch, the horse backed away a little, but then it stopped and calmed down as if it recognized this person.

"I am Lebriel. I am pleased to be with you," he said. The horse suddenly stood up and made an aggressive sound, stomping its hooves in the air. The other one followed suit. The onlookers panicked because they thought Lebriel would be attacked, but it was actually an expression of the horses.

"I can't believe what I just witnessed!" Sartonio said, overflowing with joy and amazement. "You truly know how to choose a person, Sir Genmonth."

"From now on, I want you to personally train him for racing."

"No problem, sir. You can count on me to fulfill this duty well."

King Harthur of Moonatoria visited, so King Klopheous's special soldiers welcomed him. From a distance, he could already recognize the fat man who was also being assisted by his guards.

King Klopheous was standing in front of the palace on a high veranda with two well-dressed women clinging to him like restless leeches.

"Harthur!" Klopheous happily called out. "Come in, and we shall talk." The guards immediately opened the palace door. And Klopheous returned to his seat to welcome Harthur.

"Slaves, give us a comfortable place for our conversation."

"My apologies for only arriving now," Harthur said.

"I know Moonatoria is in chaos right now, so I understand."

"After we were attacked by the Thallerions, I immediately decided to wage war because of their shameless attack."

"The King of Thallerion is so evil!" Klopheous replied. "Didn't the current conflict of Thallerion back then involve Ossibus? Why did they involve you?"

"The truth is, I don't believe Matar's story that Xerxez was attacking Moonatoria for such a shallow reason. But some Thallerion soldiers suddenly caused trouble in a small town called Akron—the investigators proved it because the tracks showed that the ones who caused the trouble were from Thallerion," Harthur explained.

"Didn't Xerxez think that could cause a world war? If Thallerion messes with you, Dreamithrio will act because of our treaty. I rule several countries like Elanthro, Durasca, and Englandraz. I will also persuade other countries to join forces with us."

"But will our numbers be enough?" Harthur said. "They have Peronica, Vhurlandroos, Latheruz, and Thartherus—countries that have been marked in history as excellent warriors."

"Nevertheless, as long as we can get large resources for our military force, we'll stand a chance against them. Thartherus trades with us here. If we can use this opportunity to win the heart of King Driother, their forces will be imbalanced against us."

"Your old suggestion to use the poor countries as tools for our plans, I'd say that's good, but the barbarian cities are cunning. Do we need to trust them?"

"Those who hunger for the glitter of money, if you give them something truly glittering, they will follow you like obedient dogs."

"Also, we have an old captive now." Klopheous immediately moved his hand, which the soldiers understood. They took the black cloth that was covering a large cage for a person.

"That old woman—" Harthur was stunned and amazed. "She's known as a seer and can read the fate of the world—she's tied up in your hands? How did you do this?"

"It's true she's hard to catch, but I doubt she let herself be caught for a reason that only she knows. I didn't outsmart her; she voluntarily let herself be captured by me. And since then, she hasn't made a sound," Klopheous said. "I even thought once that maybe she just wants me to keep her alive every day because I give her free food here."

"Does no one else know about this yet?"

"Everyone thinks she's still in hiding and is still being searched for because of the desire to find the scroll believed to be the map to the Dreamithrio's treasure."

"Madam... please say something for my guest," Klopheous said.

"Do not proceed with the war... You will only awaken the monsters, the curse of the Corvus!!!"

"And one of you will be slain by the sword of Orion." She wasn't looking at either of them. And she fell silent, and no matter how much they tried to talk to her, she didn't speak again.

"I think that's a warning or a prophecy!" Klopheous said. "What monster is she talking about?"

"The Corvus. According to legend... as far as I remember... it's a type of raven. It will rain many ravens, and they will eat all the living or dead bodies of humans or animals to transform into a terrifying creature. Creatures that are dark and every place they step on becomes dry like a wasteland and as black as if from a burnt volcano," Harthur said. "Could that legend be true?"

"I don't know about that either, but I understand the Orion more," he said. "Thallerion is the known Orion," Klopheous said. "In that case, which of our allies will be slain by that Orion?" he added. "It's enviable to think that the Orion has already chosen someone."

"Perhaps the woman is right. It might be dangerous to fight the Orion if one of them has already been chosen by it. We will have a hard time fighting its chosen one. But who from Thallerion could it be?" Harthur said.

"But since we already know the possible outcome, we can change the course of the future by changing our tactics. Instead of fighting Thallerion first, why don't we send units to attack Peronica, Thartherus, and Latheruz? We'll attack the weaker countries first to lower the chances of Thallerion recovering."

"That plan isn't simple. These countries are separate and large. If we attack, we'll probably run out of time," Harthur said.

"Do you believe in the legend of Englandraz? They controlled the flow of time. A long time ago, a powerful country conquered their town. It was destroyed, and many were slain. But a chosen one changed time, returned time, and then set a trap... So what happened was the fate of that war was changed," Klopheous narrated.

"That story has been quiet for a long time. It doesn't come up anymore these days, it's just imagination," Harthur said.

"And Thallerion has been thriving for a long time. Why don't we end their rise?" he said. "Perhaps one day, we will lose our influence over other countries because of that King Xerxez."

"I think we need to go to Englandraz to form an alliance. That will be a big help to increase our forces. Because I think our strength is still lacking compared to the combined forces of Thallerion," Harthur said.

"That country... they demand a high price. They don't just join the disputes of other countries if the amount they ask for is not met," Klopheous said. "It's just that their current king is still young and doesn't know how to get along with other kings, but don't worry, I will send a letter."

"Will that country refuse us? They already know what kind of country we have," Harthur said naively.

"They're different from Cypriox, but he has a personality that I don't like," Klopheous said. "If only the former king, Chroflint, hadn't died. I could still count on Englandraz until now."

"Let's forget those things for now. What's important is that we get their support again," Harthur said.