The Herb King



Because of Aethelwolf's presence, Gozgel was forced to retreat with heavy injuries. The Underworlder army also retreated to the far corner of the Northern Region. They no longer dared to provoke the allied army so the Regalis Continent entered a short period of peace. 

The allied army temporarily disbanded, but they still occasionally sent some scouts to the Northern Region to observe the movement of the Underworlders. However, they just quietly built a new base in a small area of the Northern Region. Their army didn't show any signs of movement. 

Initially, Aethelwolf wanted to attack them while Gozgel was still recovering from his injuries. However, Xymera was also severely injured at that time. It would be difficult for him to kill Gozgel without Xymera's help and the guy might even escape if he was cornered. Left with no choice, Aethelwolf could only retreat to the Barden Territory with his troops. 

***

A year has passed since the battle between the allied army and the Underworlders. The people temporarily forgot about the danger lurking within the continent. 

At this moment, Aethelwolf was walking with his two wives, Samira and Julie. That's right. He married Julie Irish of the Urgel Household a few months ago. He was even secretly hooking up with Amishta, the Barbarian Empress. He also often goes out with the Empress of the Azure Phoenix Empire. In short, he was living the dream life for the past year. 

"How did you think of all these ideas? After following your plans, the scale of our business expanded at a frightening speed. We have even infiltrated the market of the various empires!" Julie Irish muttered while holding Aethelwolf's arm. She was no longer wearing her veil. Her exceedingly beautiful face was fully revealed to the world. Her long crimson hair flowed down like a waterfall and her starry eyes were filled with boundless charm. 

Aethelwolf shrugged at her words. "I'm a genius. That simple." He laughed lightly at the end of his words. Only Xymera knew that he was not someone from this world since he still haven't told his wives about his true origins. 

Samira and Julie Irish rolled their eyes at him. 

"By the way, how is our territory progressing?" He asked.

Julie stared at Samira upon hearing this question. Samira was responsible for the territory's matters so she knew more things than her. 

"We followed your suggestion and created a new currency that is exclusive to the Barden Territory. At first, the people are hesitant to use it, but after a month of circulation, everyone started to exchange some of their old currencies for our Barden Dollars. The value of Barden Dollars also steadily increased after the recent advertisement of our local products. Next is the children's school and..." Samira reported to him in detail. 

Aethelwolf told them about all sorts of ideas he got from his old world, including information related to education, healthcare, governance, and even technology. However, he filtered the technological ideas he broadcasted to the public since there were some dangerous technologies that might destroy the continent. One example of which was the nuclear weapon. He didn't know what sort of monstrous creatures would emerge if such a weapon was fired accidentally. To prevent sensitive technologies like that from spreading, he strictly chose the people responsible for working in the technological research team. He also placed some of Albert's subordinates in these teams to ensure that there would be no information leak. 

The Barden Territory entered a rapid development in the past year. Many high-rise buildings were created and the weapon system of the territory was also upgraded into something more advanced. Back then, only magic cannons and some prototype artilleries were used. Now, territory already possessed more advanced weaponry like surface-to-air magic missiles, anti-aircraft magic artilleries, and many more! Each soldier was also equipped with Magic Rifles powered by Spirit Crystals! Aethelwolf's army could now be called a proper modern army. 

The trio arrived in front of a building. It was a school for children below the age of six. In this school, the kids were taught about etiquette, knowledge, and many things that children should learn. Everyone was against this idea at first because they believed that the kids should learn to become fighters as early as possible. However, Aethelwolf strongly insisted to establish the school. He knew how important it was for children to learn more knowledge about the world. He also believed that it was also a great place to brainwa- ahem... to establish a sense of belonging to the kids. 

"Greetings, King Aethelwolf, Queen Samira, and Queen Julie Irish." The guards of the school greeted them respectfully. 

"Where is Madam Melissa?" Aethelwolf asked the guard. His mother was the dean of the school. It was the most appropriate position for her since she was quite talented in teachings kids and managing a group of people. As for his father, he was the Governor of the territory and his authority was only second to Aethelwolf! 

"The dean is in her office." Replied the guard. 

"Alright. Thanks." Aethelwolf and the two women headed to the office of the dean. Along the way, they encountered many children between the ages of three to six. They were happily cleaning the school grounds with little tools specifically made for them. The kids thought that they were only playing with their teachers and classmates so they joyfully cleaned the school grounds with their tiny equipment. 

"Such cute little kids." Samira and Julie chuckled while looking at the children. 

Soon, the trio arrived in front of the dean's office.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Aethelwolf gently knocked on the door.

"You may enter." He could hear his mother's gentle voice inside the office. He pushed the door open and saw Melissa sitting behind the desk with a small stack of documents placed in front of her. She was carefully checking each school document with a face filled with passion. 

"Dean Melissa, we apologize for coming into your office abruptly. I hope you don't mind." Aethelwolf smiled as he walked towards his mother. 

Melissa lifted her head in shock when he heard this voice. "King Aethelwolf!" She wanted to stand up, but a gentle force made her unable to stand up.