"They what!" King Glor's loud voice echoed throughout the garden, the flowers nearby slightly fluttering.
"Shouting won't change the situation..." Aphrodite rolled her eyes, combing her short red hair with her fingers.
"You said you sent S-class adventurers... and now they're all dead?" The King sighed, attempting to ease his tone.
Aphrodite could only shake her head, not knowing what to say about the S-class party that had been completely massacred.
"Glor... we really need that Hero. The invading force's strength is beyond what we have expected..." she said.
"I have just received a report on the expedition. They should be at sea right now, sailing to the Alliance. With the help of your adventurers, the borders can handle the pressure, but what do we do about Robus?" The two stared at each other, their brains racking for a solution on how to stop a Demon Lord.
"How about using 'that'?" Aphrodite asked.
"No, it's the only reason that wretched Demon King hasn't shown his face yet." The King shook his head, immediately discarding the idea.
After a moment of silence, the King asked, "From the pace Robus is flying at, how long will it take until he gets to the group?"
Aphrodite then closed her eyes, starting a few calculations based on how fast the demon had reached her adventurers from Yelt Castle.
"The demon will reach them about a day before they get to the Alliance." She opened her eyes, giving the estimated response she found.
"There might be a way... but we'll need the Archmage to set up an intercontinental link. I need to know whether he can be trusted or not." The King turned to Aphrodite, expecting a report on the other task he had previously given her.
"Your Highness." Aphrodite lightly laughed, exaggeratedly bowing as she passed a rolled paper to him.
The King took the paper, giving the mature beauty a second look as he unrolled the report.
Upon reading the report's content, the King's eyes immediately widened. "This... how authentic is this?!"
"You know how the Thieves' Guild works: underhanded but reliable. Unfortunately... they will give me the cold shoulder for a while... I lost one of their precious assets." The mature beauty sighed, recalling that one short adventurer that brought more problems to her even in death.
"Keep this matter between us... If the populace were to know that a member of nobility turned traitor..." the King said gravely, burning the report into ashes.
"Another secret of yours I'll have to take to the grave." Aphrodite rolled her eyes, stepping out of the cabin.