Asheria 21th, 2200 MC

The Next Day, Early the Morning, The 3 Countries, along with representatives from Silesia, Yuzan of the Izumo Union, Drust, Thracia, Crimea, and Nordis had joined quickly in an emergency UNO (United Nations of Odgard) meeting, at the request of the King ever since the attack a few days ago. Everyone agreed that they are to Hold Joint Military Exercises with their neighbors, with now the rising threat of regionalism, since the surprise attack on the capital. On another note, Aeneas and Mineva had secretly signed a deal to cooperate together and send spies to Surveillance to inform Sir Fleiss of the possible threat that the Mana Institution could hold in the future. Surveillance's Fleiss would receive the info of the Jupitar Incident from Prince Aeneas, and must find a connection or something suspicious. 

A few days later, They would accept the deal and would be a highly classified investigation amongst 3 NATIONS to crack down a crime forged by a potentially dangerous individual...Should the Brandenburg Government find out, It would spell war. 

After the meeting, Everyone shook hands and it was finally time to go back to their homes. This meant the same for the Midgardians and Asahis. 

Everyone at the Calydonese Army waved their hands goodbye as the 2 armies left.

Aeneas smirked and shouted, “See ya, Princess!”

Mineva shouted back, “Cringe!”

Cormac then spoke up: “Safe travels, Milady! May Odin shine his light upon you.”

Mineva smiled. “Thank you, Sir Cormac! I hope to see you again!”

Aeneas then smiled gently at the princess.
“It was great seeing you again. I'll keep in touch.”

She then looked at him and then pouted.

“Hmph. See ya...”

But deep in her...The feeling was definitely mutual. Although she herself didn't know how she felt for him, one thing was for sure...She was really glad to see Aeneas doing well after so many years without seeing him.

Dylan replied, “I wonder if we’ll see them again….”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we all will,” said Oliver.

Duchess Mabel then shouted gleefully, "Take care, Aenida Order! I expect great things from you all."

Everyone laughed and cheered.

An hour later after they  all left...Something approaches the Aenida Order.

Reinhardt then approached Aeneas, coming from the Castle. 

“I have some urgent news. It looks like we aren't gonna relax anytime soon….”

“What happened?”

“I’ll explain once we’re at the meeting room….Everyone, follow me!”

“So What’s happened, Reinhardt? Who and what is it this time?” replied Aeneas.

Reinhardt was reading the papers, but even he was a little confused.

“That’s the part that worries me right now...According to these reports today, There were reports of a couple of ships off the Daphnel Ocean southeast...and based on the direction it's going, it’s almost like it’s headed down to one of our port cities down south. This was discovered at the Suozi' Yu Islands since it was seen from there."

“You think it’s the Empire? The Suozi'Yu Islands are in between Calydon and the Forbidden Realm, which is right next to the empire,” said Aeneas.

Bruno then speaks up. “If I may, Milord…?”

Aeneas gave him a thumbs up in approval.

“I think there’s a chance that it’s not even from the empire….What if it’s from somewhere else? Like perhaps it could be cargo from Thracia or Drust. You know that they could pass by the Middle River that divides the West from the East."

Reinhardt then shakes his head. "If that were the case...then they would have spotted them earlier."

Alonso then asks, "What do you mean?"

"That's because...The Boats were spotted on the SOUTH side of the islands, not the north."

....

 Cormac then responded, "The problem here is that the Daphnel Ocean is dangerous, due to the risk of being attacked by Pirates. But...With this information...If This is Thabes... At worst, maybe it's a plot again, like the incident a few days ago.”

Oliver then askes, "What if it's Vallia, the Foreign Continent?"

Everyone then looks at him. 

Aeneas shakes his head and responds, "No...No way. We told them any nation of Vallia is not allowed to come here politically but...Civilians? I see!"

Reinhardt then reminds him with another detail regarding Vallia.

"But...We haven't had a situation like that since over 100 years ago!"

Aeneas was worried.

Reinhardt then spoke up. “In any case, we should definitely wait and see what-”

“No….Something tells me We have to investigate these ships as soon as possible,” said Aeneas.

Everyone quickly looked at Aeneas with a flabbergasted expression.

“But Milord…” continued Cormac.

“No...I know what you’re gonna say….and I’m not saying I disagree with Bruno, Oliver or You…..But still. It’s our responsibility if someone gets hurt or at worse, dies. We have to at least investigate just to be safe….Don’t you all think so? I don't want any tragedies...especially if it's from Thabes. We have to go as soon as possible to assure that nobody gets hurt.”

Solomon then spoke up. 

“His Highness is correct. The best course of action would be to go to the scene as soon as possible and once the ship is within our range of sight, we surround the ships and investigate the interiors. If there are pirates sneaking around, we will be ready to take care of them with all of us there.”

Aeneas snapped his fingers at Solomon and smiled. “Wise words, Bird Lady!”

Solomon smiled back.

Aeneas then asked Reinhardt something that concerned him.

“Now, here's the problem...Where do you think the ship will head to?”

Everyone stood silent for a few minutes until Reinhardt noticed the country's map, and went quickly over it...

After a full minute, He went over to Aeneas to give his answer with confidence.

“....Definitely Southeast to our territory.  If I had to guess where exactly...it’s probably gonna sail near the Town of Wangcheng….That’s near the border between us and House Lupus….and an important city.”

Alonso was nervous for a moment. 

“Those bastards…. We gotta be extra careful,” replied Bruno in anger.

“It will take us about nearly 4 to 5 days to get there by horse….But If we can count on Bruno and Oliver’s skills, we could get there in just 2 to 3 to just days at the minimum,” said Reinhardt.

Oliver spoke. “That should be more than enough time...We will be arriving before the ships do at that speed.”

Reinhardt then spoke up. “Alright, It’s decided then. Our next mission is to investigate these shady boats that are near our home! Meeting Adjourned!”

In the next hour, Everyone was getting ready to leave the capital to head southeast: to the coastal town of Wangcheng. Aeneas gathered a force of 5000 knights from the capital and nearby towns.

However, As He was walking quickly to the South Gates of the Capital...Meanwhile, by the area, A man in a cloak takes off his hoodie. He was wearing a mask to cover his eyes. He has short blue hair but with a tall build.

"Now then...Although I enjoy traveling, It's unfortunate that this order comes from the Emperor. The City is quite large, I say. But Still, I wonder what's with the army force they're gathering over here. Wait, does that mean..."

He then sees Aeneas walking in his direction. 

"...I know I was told not to interact with anyone but...That's Lord Aeneas of Calydon...I must know How he is like for myself. Because..."

The Masked Man then walked towards Aeneas and approached him.

"Uh, May I help you? I'm sort of in a hurry."

The Masked Man then said, "Calydon...What do you believe from it?"

Aeneas was perplexed.

"I...What?"

"Do you...love your home? Why?"

Aeneas was confused at the way he asked his question and at first, wasn't willing to tell how he felt to a stranger...but...He decided to be honest.

"Of course I do. I guess even people outside of Calydon know that I left my home at one point when I was little, huh?"

The Masked Man did not reply, but asked: "Why come back? Do you love your home?"

Aeneas could not understand what the stranger was getting at but...deep in his heart...He felt like He was talking to his old self. So...He answered:

"I...left my home for my own selfish reasons. I blamed myself for many things. Even now, I have some doubts but...

Reinhardt was always there for me. Always."

The Masked Man smiled. "Oh?"

"He was always behind me, encouraging me to go forward...and through my difficult times...I was able to thrive not just because of him, but everyone I met as well through my journey."

Aeneas then looked at the masked man with confidence.

"Think of it this way. You find a crate of apples from a vendor. But They're all look bad, or probably even rotton. At first, Most people would just walk away. But...As ridiculous as It may sound...Reinhardt was there next to me, telling me to look for the right one. I look harder and harder...until I find a beautiful and clean apple, amongst the mess."

The Masked Man then asked, "And What happens next?"

Aeneas smiled. "My point is...No matter the despair we go through...It's so easy to look at the worst. But...Even if there's a 99% chance at facing the worst....There will always be the 1%. That small difference, although small and even impossible...It could change your life...if you put in the effort. And...I'm not saying we have to do it alone. We...have people that we know and love. They...make our world a lot greater. Because as a Family...We can make the 1% possible. You could say....We can do the impossible together. That's How I feel about Calydon. We are strong...together. And...Every country should follow this aspect as well."

The Masked Man then laughed. After he calmed down...He then smiled at Aeneas and apologized.

"I did not mean to disrespect you sir. But...I understand and see you really did loved your mother, did you not? You sound almost like her too. But...Now, I have no doubt that..."

He walked forward behind Aeneas then patted his Shoulders, whispering:

"You'd really make a good King. I think You can do it."

Aeneas then felt a chill down his spine and the man placed something on his hand. 

"Keep this. It's a gift. I overheard everything you said back in the meeting when you became Prince Regent a few weeks ago."

!!

"If you really want to achieve such an ambitious goal...read that piece of paper I gave you...and share it with your best friend. But Do not mention me at all, or else."

Aeneas then asked, feeling a chill down his spine.

"Who...are you?"

"A person worth a lot more than you can imagine right now. Goodbye, Prince Aeneas."

Aeneas then quickly looked behind him...and there was nothing but a crowd of people walking towards their destinations. 

"I...What does this even say...?"

He looked at the paper and it reads:

"Yuno will come after you."

Aeneas shudders. He then quickly puts the piece of paper before looking around one more time before running towards the southern gates, to meet up with his crew.

Meanwhile, At the top of a building, The Masked Man, with his mask off, stares at Aeneas.

"Hope...So, It really does exist."

He then smiled brightly.

Everyone met up with Reinhardt and Aeneas at the south gates of the capital city.

“Ok, So Here’s the plan. We are first going to pass by the city of Astrarias, spend the night there while getting intel from Wangcheng, and then blitz our way past the Tianshan Highlands. Afterward, we will arrive at our destination. Did everyone get that…?”

Everyone was dozing off or doing their own thing.

“WERE YOU GUYS EVEN- Ugh...Never mind. Now then...If you may be so kind, Sir Bruno and Sir Oliver…..”

“On it!” They both said.

By adding extra speed to the horses, They left the country and there started their journey to the town of Wangcheng.