[center][h2]The Kingdom of Ancent[/h2][/center]
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"Report! Sonia the Alchemist and Anastasia the Adventurer had returned!"

"Good. Let them in."

"And they seem to bring an unfamiliar group of people with them."

"Hmm, an unfamiliar group of people, you say? What do you mean? Well, no matter, I am sure they would explain everything. Come on now, bring them in."

"Yes, my liege!"

The guard quickly retreated after giving another bow, his armor clanging as he half-ran towards the big door on the other side of the room. He then told the other two guards standing there to open it, allowing Sonia and Anastasia to enter. It seemed the two had been waiting on the other side of the door.

As usual, the two didn't bow or kneel in front of the king, a privilege reserved to only the most important and distinguished persons of the country.

"We're back!" Sonia announced cheerfully.

"And we brought you some souvenirs!" Anastasia chimed in with a grin.

"Souvenirs? You mean..."

"Yes, the people we just rescued," Anastasia replied.

The two then explained everything that had transpired, how they came from another world and how they were stranded in the middle of a monster-infested land with no chance of escape. And now, they seek asylum and protection in the kingdom, a place where they could live safely.

"Hmm, I'm fine with letting them stay, but..."

"But what Your Majesty?" Sonia interrupted. "If it's food, I am confident that we have more than enough to feed them," she said with a determined look.

"Are you sure they're... oh, nevermind. We'll deal with it when it happens. Very well. I approve of them staying in our kingdom. For now, they would work on the outlying farms as manual labor. They would share houses with the locals until we finished constructing makeshift houses for them. Of course, they are free to choose a different occupation if they so desire."

And with that, the meeting was adjourned. Anastasia split up from Sonia as she was going to spread the order of the king around. Sonia would be the one handling the refugees for now.

Their plan was immediately foiled however when unexpected guests came out of nowhere, bringing an army with them uninvited and unannounced right into the kingdom's territory.

The refugees would have to wait for now. This was far more important.

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When they arrived, the angelic army had already arrived right in front of the gates. Citizens of the kingdom were either hiding or fleeing, with some brave, curious, or just plain foolish souls gathering to see what was going on. The refugees were also there to witness the event.

"Oh, great Human Kingdom. Our Divine Mother Ilias has sent us out in search of true, righteous folk, so that we might unite under one banner and stand as one against the Darkness. Do not be alarmed by our weapons and numbers, this is a delegation of peace. We come in our Goddess's name, in hopes that you might answer her call and accept her Light into your hearts," the one who seemed to be their leader announced in a booming voice.

Joining them was the leader of the Ancent Knights, Boris. He stood there stoically, looking at the angel horde, his stance ready to draw his sword and leap in combat in a single move.

And then, he spoke.

"What business do you have with our kingdom?" he shouted back. His voice couldn't rival that of the angel's voice, but it could still be heard just fine with the people present. "If you wish to propose an alliance, then you speak with our king, and by sending a messenger, not an army like this." His voice was stern, with a hint of anger in it. Clearly, he didn't trust them at all.

Anastasia had the same idea. She already began calculating which angels she had to take care first if a fight broke out. With that many of them, she wouldn't hold back. She would use the bullet Sonia gave her the other day.

Sonia herself on the other hand, thought the other direction. If a fight broke out, she had to evacuate the civilians and the refugees as quickly as possible. At least she had to buy time until the rest of the kingdom's forces came. She still had a couple of elixirs with her but wasting them all would be foolhardy.

Hmm, angels. They were all winged people flying on the sky. They looked really majestic and divine for sure but they still shared a common weakness that most winged creatures shared.

She would use that against them.

[@Black Alice]