The Roth Empire had been in existence for 102 years, and this day was the 45th birthday of the fourth king of the Roth Empire, Andre Edward.

  Compared to his three predecessors, Andre had held the throne for far longer than them. He had ascended to the throne at just 15 years old, and his exceptional political ability allowed the Roth Empire to become more and more powerful, earning it a higher status in the context of the entire Norland Continent.

  Even the powerful and populous orc race hadn’t been able to gain the upper hand in their battles on the border of the empire. On the contrary, they had even lost territory on the border during Andre’s reign thus far. Even though countless warriors of the Roth Empire had given their lives during those battles, the king received widespread support from all of the officials and citizens under his rule.

  The humans no longer needed to bow their heads in the face of trolls and demons now, and the warriors were more than happy to give their lives to ensure that this remained the case.

  As such, Andre was most definitely going to earn himself a place in the history books of the Roth Empire as one of the greatest kings who ever lived.

  He was only 60 years old—still an infant in the eyes of the other races, whose members enjoyed far longer lifespans than humans. However, his 60th birthday was very much an event that was worthy of celebration in the eyes of the entire empire.

  There had been rumors that the king’s health had been on the wane recently, and he might not be able to make it to his 70th birthday. As such, this birthday banquet had been organized to be an especially grand and prestigious occasion.

  The palace was spotlessly clean and glimmering under the sunlight. Guests from all races were present, each sitting alone with a small table placed in front of them.

  The king sat on his throne with his head of gray hair draped over his shoulders. The countless wrinkles all over his face made him appear older than his actual age, but his brown eyes were still bright and piercing. He was like a keen-eyed hunter appraising his prey, giving off a sense of majesty and prestige that set him apart from the average old man.

  Sitting on either side of him were Josh and Sean, who were wearing blue and golden robes, respectively. Beside them were Irina and Richard.

  Richard’s expression was quite strained as he appraised Irina, who was sitting across him. Irina’s assault on Brent had spread panic and horror throughout the entire Magus Tower, yet they had no choice but to pretend as if they were oblivious to the identity of the culprit.

  Josh was also most definitely aware of what Irina had done. The incident from three years ago had taken place as the child she had birthed with Alex had completely pushed Josh over the edge, thereby leading him to do something so deranged and drastic.

  Irina was eating sunflower seeds with a calm expression, and she didn’t even take as much as a single glance at Richard. Instead, she was peeking at Amy out of the corner of her eye. Amy was joyfully munching on some small pastries, eating like an adorable little squirrel. Irina felt as if her heart were about to melt at the sight of her adorable display.

  Is he really cooking for the king today? He’s not going to have his cover blown, is he? A hint of concern appeared in Irina’s eyes.

  Josh was also sitting beside Richard diagonally across from Irina, and he also wore a rather complex expression.

  He was the first one to have been made aware of the fact that Irina had arrived in Rodu. However, she deliberately skirted around him to travel to the Magus Tower and interrogate Brent instead of asking him about what had happened three years ago. Her actions suggested that she no longer trusted Josh, and that she had been alerted to certain details regarding the incident that had taken place three years ago.

  Josh set aside his complex emotions as he withdrew his gaze from Irina and turned toward Sean.

  Sean just so happened to be turning his gaze toward him as well, and their eyes met. Both of them smiled and nodded at each other before looking away again.

  It’s about time Father chose a final heir after this birthday banquet. Sean, it’s time for us to settle this once and for all. Josh clenched his fists before relaxing them again, maintaining a carefree smile the entire time.

  The rest of the guests present were all representative ambassadors from different races. During the king’s past birthdays, only the ambassadors that were stationed at the Roth Empire attended his birthday banquet. However, on this occasion, all of the races seemed to have sensed that this birthday was more meaningful than others, and they had all sent extremely important figures to attend the banquet.

  The elven race had sent their only princess, the orc race had sent the second elder of their tribal alliance…… All of these guests were extremely renowned throughout the entire continent, and it was a great gesture of respect toward the king of the Roth Empire that they had been deployed to attend his birthday banquet.

  Krassu and Novan sat behind the representatives of all of the races. Principal Novan was the representative of Chaos City, and he was also a powerful 10th-tier great magic caster, so he was naturally held in high regard.

  As for Krassu, even Richard could sit across from Irina, so there was certainly no one who was going to begrudge his seat in the royal palace.

  In fact, the king had even invited him to sit beside Richard as equals, but Krassu had turned down the offer. As such, it could be seen that Krassu’s position in the king’s heart was not inferior to Richard’s.

  Further behind Krassu and Novan were the dukes and officials of the Roth Empire. Many of them had brought their family members along with them, so the entire cavernous palace had been filled with tables and chairs, creating an extremely lively and bustling scene.

  The king raised his hand, and all of the chatter within the palace quickly died down. He looked around at all of the guests with an almost stern expression as he said, “I’ve very glad that everyone was able to come here and attend my birthday banquet today. During the past century, our Roth Empire has coexisted in harmony with all races……”


  Everyone listened in silence to the address delivered by the most powerful king on the Norland Continent. The power of the humans had propelled them to the very pinnacle of the Norland Continent, and their massive population coupled with their unmatched intelligence gave them limitless potential.

  All of the other races had to admit that the human race was no longer the feeble force it had been many years ago.

  Among their ranks, there was an insanely powerful human magic caster who was capable of bludgeoning a giant dragon to death with a single swing of his staff. At the very least, no one present in the royal palace dared to claim that they could defeat him in a one-on-one battle.

  As for Amy, she was happily enjoying the little pastries on the table in front of her, and she was surreptitiously making faces at Irina from time to time.

  Huh? Teacher Luna is also here! This is really bad! Who is Father going to choose now? Amy suddenly caught sight of Luna sitting nearby, and her little hand froze just as she was about to place a bean paste cake into her mouth.

  Luna was also looking at her with an amused smile on her face. Amy really was a little foodie; she was always eating wherever she went.

  Thinking back to two years ago, when Luna had first met Amy, she had been wearing old and ragged clothes, and could barely even walk properly. Now, she was wearing a gorgeous little purple dress with her hair tied up into a pair of pretty little braids, sitting in the royal palace of the Roth Empire. Her transformation had been quite a staggering one.

  Just what had happened to Mag during these past few months? Even she was stunned by the transformation that he and Amy had undergone during this time.

  Luna’s smile widened even further as she thought to herself, Mr. Mag is a really fantastic person, and Amy is also a good little girl; they deserve all the happiness in the world.

  Teacher Luna looks so beautiful when she smiles, and she’s so good to me, but Big Sister Irina is also really good…… I don’t know which one to choose anymore. Amy took a bite of the cake in her hand before stuffing the rest into Ugly Duckling’s mouth with a conflicted expression on her face.

  “Luna, you told me that Mr. Mag will also be attending His Majesty’s birthday banquet today; where is he right now?” the elderly man sitting beside Luna asked with a smile.

  “He should be in the palace already, but we might not be able to see him today.” Luna shook her head with a smile as she said, “He’s a chef today, not a mathematician.”