The Kingmaker System-Chapter 406 - 405. The Heroes’ Homecoming (1)

The next morning, I stood at the tall window of my office, the sunlight filtering through the glass panes casting long shadows onto the polished marble floor. Below, in the open courtyard, Kai was surrounded by the very men he’d rescued—his new team. They had gathered around him with unmasked joy, clapping his back, thanking him, some even saluting him with deep reverence. And amidst them, Kai stood, smiling—still awkward with the attention, but his happiness unmistakable.

Roan came up beside me, and watched the same scene unfold.

"Our boy is growing up well," he said with a soft chuckle, his tone laced with pride.

I let out a breath that had been lodged in my chest. "It seems rather fast."

"He’s a Dragon too, Master," Roan replied. "You can’t keep him away from his destiny. Sooner or later, it’ll call out to him."

"Destiny, huh..." I murmured, eyes narrowing slightly.

Just then, I felt a ripple across my consciousness.

[Giver of Gifts says that’s because you’ve been paving your own path.]

[Defender of Divine Glory says that you will be given tasks and quests soon.]

[Goddess of Wisdom says that it will happen very soon.]

My eye twitched.

"...Why do I not like how you’re making it sound?" I thought, feeling a headache form preemptively.

Nox hooted quietly, fluttering down to perch neatly on my shoulder, as if in agreement.

Below, Kai waved goodbye to the men who were now leaving, his face bright, his stature confident—but still so young. My fingers curled slightly at the sight.

"He’s growing too fast..." I muttered under my breath, mostly to myself.

"I’m sure your father must be thinking that too," Roan said, startling me. "I mean... your debutante is in a month, isn’t it?"

My head whipped toward him.

"Don’t tell me you forgot about it," he said with growing suspicion.

I rubbed my temples and turned away.

"Have you even selected a proper dress?" he asked, this time a bit more sternly.

"I’ve been occupied," I replied evasively. "It’s not like I’ve attended many social events before anyway. I could just wear something I already have and—"

"No, no, no! Wait, just—stop!" he cut me off, throwing his arms in the air. "How can you say that?! You’re a girl! Even if you’ve spent your life in this... this man-suit, you can’t just ignore this!"

"That sounds wrong on so many levels," I deadpanned.

He ignored me entirely, grabbing my shoulders with a wild look in his eyes.

"You must start embracing your woman’s side! Dress up beautifully! Try accessories! Eat sweets! Find a man! Go on dates! Think about your rosy future together! Then realise he’s a scum and dump him! Cry your eyes out all night from heartbreak! Then—then—then find the real prince of your dreams and realise life isn’t all pain and betrayal!"

He was getting louder. Nox fluttered away to avoid the commotion.

"Then get engaged! Think of baby names! Get married! Then realise kids are nightmares! Watch yourself age and wrinkle while your children become more rebellious by the day and—AND YOU FEEL LIKE BURYING THEM ALIVE!"

"...Oi," I warned.

"And then, finally, when your time comes, the Grim Reaper shows up at your bedside while your family surrounds you and—"

I’d had enough.

My fist met his gut.

Roan gasped, stumbled backward, and collapsed in a heap on the floor, unconscious.

The door opened just then, and Enora entered carrying a tray of tea and freshly baked snacks.

"Oh my. What happened to Mr Roan?" she asked calmly, setting the tray on the table.

"He was... a bit too hyperactive and passed out," I muttered, brushing a hand through my hair.

"I could hear him from the corridor," she said with a knowing smile, kneeling to brew the tea at the low table as I made my way over and sank into the couch.

She handed me the delicate porcelain cup with both hands. "It’s time you start focusing on your real identity now, Master."

I took the cup from her and stared at the gentle swirl of steam rising from it.

"All these years, you’ve worked relentlessly as Marquis Ocean Ryujin to build your empire... but now, it’s time to return as the daughter of Duke Aurelius. It’s time to take up the responsibilities that come with that name."

The tea was warm, refreshing, laced with lavender and mint. Calming. But her words stirred an ache in my chest.

She was right.

I’d lived under the guise of a sickly daughter for so long, letting Ocean take the spotlight while Reina remained a shadow in the backdrop. But now, with the debutante approaching, there would be no more hiding. The noble society would see me—her—for the first time. Every step would be a delicate balancing act between the two identities, and I couldn’t afford to fail either.

I groaned quietly, realising just how much work was waiting.

"I’m sure Master will be able to handle it well," Enora said warmly, offering a small cookie on a ceramic plate.

I took it with a soft sigh. "It’s going to be quite the hassle though."

"We’ll all be here to support you," she replied, unwavering.

I looked at her, her expression gentle and steady, and felt a rare warmth bloom in my chest.

"...Thank you."

A week had passed since my last mission, and I awoke in my bed to the soft rustling of morning. Stretching my arms above my head, I slipped off the covers and stood, only to feel a strange heaviness settle over my body. As I passed by the mirror, the reason became clear.

"Ah... I’m in Reina’s form," I mumbled, blinking sleep from my eyes.

Right on cue, the doors to my chamber opened.

"You’re already up—good morning, My Lady!" Penny beamed, her voice cheery as ever. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

"Morning, Penny," I murmured, rubbing my neck.

She walked over with the water basin, and I washed my face while she helped me into a light blue day dress embroidered with silver. Once ready, I made my way to the dining hall.

Father was already seated, skimming a few letters and sipping tea. His face lit up when he saw me.

"Good morning, Reina. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. What about you?" I asked, settling down and the maid started serving me my breakfast, my stomach already grumbling.

He chuckled, eyes crinkling with joy. "Ah, I barely slept. I was too excited about Rune’s arrival."

I froze, my fork suspended midair.

Rune. Right. He was coming today.

I had waited the entire week for him, yet on the very day of his arrival, it had somehow slipped my mind.

"All preparations for his welcome are done," Father added enthusiastically.

I forced a smile, but my chest felt tight. The last time we had seen each other... Rune hadn’t exactly been thrilled with me. I was still supposed to receive some kind of ’punishment’ from him. Not knowing whether he was still angry made my nerves stir.

"Reina? Reina?"

I blinked out of my thoughts to find Father staring at me.

"Huh? What?"

"Your communication device has been glowing for a while now," he said, gesturing toward the brooch attached to my dress.

I looked down. Sure enough, the mana stone pulsed with light.

"Ah, thanks," I muttered, brushing my fingers over it.

"Master!"

"Master, please respond!"

"Master, can you hear us?!"

Remi, Enora, and Roan’s panicked voices spilled out all at once.

My brow furrowed. "What’s wrong?"

"There’s an emergency!" Enora’s voice was tight. "Please return to Ryujin immediately—it’s Young Master Kai!"

My heart dropped.

I stood at once, breakfast forgotten. "I’m coming right away."

"I’ll be back later, Father," I said quickly, and without waiting for a reply, teleported straight to Ryujin.

The moment I landed in my office, I was surrounded by three frantic faces. Remi grabbed my hands.

"Master! Young Master Kai—!"

"Calm down. What happened?" I demanded, gripping his shoulders firmly.

"He’s gone!" Enora said, her voice breathless. "When I went to wake him, his room was empty. At first, I thought he was just elsewhere in the mansion... but we’ve searched everywhere. He’s vanished."

"What?!" My voice sharpened.

The doors burst open, and Lyall entered, eyes wide. "Master!"

"Did you find him?" Enora asked desperately.

"He’s not at Eldarf. Not at Oasis either," Lyall said, breathless. "No trace."

"What about Sylvia and Asher?" I asked and they shook their heads.

Just where were these three?!

My hand went to my forehead, brushing my bangs aside. This couldn’t be happening. My gaze flicked to the coat stand—usually holding my signature cloak.

It was empty.

"Where’s my cloak?" I asked.

The others turned to look.

"It was there last night," Remi said.

"Wait..." Enora murmured. "Did Young Master Kai... take it?"

"Why would he need your cloak?" Roan asked, confused. Then he turned to my desk. "Wait a minute—where’s your communication device?"

I frowned. "Here," I said, pointing at the brooch on my dress.

"No, not that—your central communicator. The one linked to the others. I saw it here before I locked the office last night."

My blood ran cold.

Just where—

Enora gasped. Her face paled, and she staggered slightly before Remi steadied her.

"Please, calm down, Mrs. Jones. We’ll find him."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn’t panic. I had one last resort.

[Connection to Life Energy: Activated.]

A rush of clarity flooded me as I sensed the threads of life essence akin to mine. My soul reached outward—and I found him.

I opened my eyes sharply. "Stay here. I’ll bring him back."

In a swift motion, I brushed a finger over the sapphire earring—reverting into Ocean. My wings unfurled, and without waiting for objections, I dove out the window without any mask or cloak to hide my identity.

I ignored the cries behind me. There was no time. I pushed through the skies, faster than sound, the wind tearing past me, fire in my veins.

Finally, I saw the battlefield.

Explosions cracked through the air. The clash of steel and spell rang out in chaos below.

And there, in the center of it all—Kai. Disguised as Ace. Fighting alongside a group of battle-hardened knights, using swift water magic to take down enemy mages.

And he wasn’t alone.

The three princes—war-forged and powerful—stood with him. They moved as a unit, backs against one another.

Kai used the water slicers to tackle the mages that were attacking the Princes while the three themselves were able to handle their sides pretty well. It was clear that most of the attacking mages were heading straight to Eric but he was able to fend for himself and Rune and some of his knights were watching his back apart from Kai.

I watched with an icy expression as the battle kept going, it wasn’t an easy feat to hire so many strong mages to attack someone. The Golden Serpent must have used it as a last resort to get rid of Eric before he returned to the capital to claim his rightful place.

Suddenly, Davian who was fighting among others whipped his head up looking straight at me before frowning and looking at Kai who was fighting there.

I pulled the black scarf up to cover the lower half of my face and lowered myself to the trees as I spotted one messenger perked up on a branch.

He almost fell off as he sensed me landing on the same branch but I used telekinesis to grab him.

He frowned as soon as he saw me, "M-Master? Wait, if you’re here then who’s that?"

I looked at Kai who was holding up pretty well, though that didn’t ease my anger at all.

"Report." I commanded coldly and the messenger shuddered.

"Tha-That... I saw the entourage of the Princes arriving this morning, b-but then they were attacked by these mages and... And since none of us could handle them so, I tried to connect to you and then when you... Picked up, I told you all about what’s going on before you said that you’ll be there...?"

Till the end of it he seemed confused himself and I sighed as I connected the dots and looked at Kai.

"Hang on to this tree and once everything is done, capture the Mage’s who are alive and bring them to Ryujin," I said before I leapt off letting my wings carry me.

I casted the invisibility spell and created a huge water ball along with the spikes, some mages noticed the growing mana above them and looked up to see the water spikes shooting down impaling them with precision. Some of them tried to run but I splashed the water ball over them before freezing them and then turned my head to look at Kai who looked up.

I used telekinesis to lift him up in the air.

"Whoa!" He gasped and the three Princes also grew shocked as they saw him floating.

I brought him up to me and grabbed him by the waist, my invisibility spell extended to him and I removed the earcuff that turned him into Ace.

"Ma- Master?"

"Be quiet." I spoke coldly and he hung his head.

"We’re returning home." I announced icily and he stayed slumped over as I held him by his waist letting him hang under my arm as I flew back to Ryujin.

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