Areth examined the gazes directed at him. The first thing he noticed was the extraordinary level of respect. Everyone in this room regarded him as their leader, and their loyalty was beyond question. Because of that, Areth had to act like one. He needed to know when to silence them and more importantly, he needed to understand their natures thoroughly. Fortunately, in the game he had sunk hundreds of hours into, he had practically memorized most of these characters.
Aurelia, the princess of the angels, was an exceptionally kind woman, especially when she was alone with the man she loved, where she revealed a surprisingly sweet side. Aside from being somewhat old-fashioned, her greatest flaw was her awkwardness in interpersonal matters. In certain situations, she simply did not know how to respond, or how to disagree without hurting others. After all, as a divine princess, she had spent a long time detached from the outside world.
Vargreth was an entirely different matter. He was the lord of harsh, volcanic mountains, a man of deeply conservative and devout faith. To him, Areth was not merely a leader, but a god worthy of worship. Areth's possession of demi-divine blood played a role in this, but ultimately Vargreth's devotion came from the unbreakable heart of a true believer.
As for Morvethra… she was a far more complex character. She wasn't a bad woman, just outspoken and intensely passionate. Exceptionally powerful, she delighted in challenges. Yet her loyalty was unquestionable. Like everything else in her life, she experienced love at its extremes. Because she loved Areth, her devotion would never waver, not even for a moment.
Every individual in this room had a distinct personality. One of the reasons Blood Banner was so popular was its diverse range of characters. And now, as real beings, those personalities were real as well.
And yet, Areth cared for each of them. He knew their strengths as well as their vulnerabilities. He knew which words would wound Aurelia, which glance would provoke Morvethra, which hesitation would test Vargreth's faith. He knew all of it by heart. That was precisely why he could not afford the luxury of standing here in silence.
He slowly swept his gaze across the room. No one spoke. No one even dared to breathe too loudly. This silence was not born of fear, but of expectation.
Areth drew a deep breath.
"Right now," he said in a calm but final tone, "we may be very far from the world we know… We may even be somewhere entirely different. We do not know what kind of enemies, creatures, or kingdoms we will face. That is why, from this moment on, each of you must get along with one another and never turn your backs on each other."
His voice did not rise. It did not need to. Every word settled into the minds of those present like a heavy stone.
Aurelia lowered her gaze. It was clear she was listening with her heart, though she was still weighing how she ought to respond. Unusually, Morvethra remained silent, which was an unmistakable sign that she had become serious. Vargreth's eyes were closed, his lips moving faintly as he turned Areth's words into a prayer within his mind.
Areth paused. He wanted them all to feel the weight of the moment.
"I am ending this meeting now," he continued. "But before you disperse, know this… You are my family, and I will ensure that no harm ever comes to you."
He neither raised nor softened his voice. It was resolute, clear, and absolute.
Aurelia's shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly. As a princess, she was accustomed to being protected, but not by palace walls or divine doctrine. For the first time, she felt that someone would protect her not for her title, but for her very existence. Her lips parted as if to speak, but the words caught in her throat. Instead, she inclined her head slightly.
Morvethra took a deep breath. The fire in her eyes had not faded, but it was more controlled now. Areth's words had awakened a sense of being claimed, protected. It excited her so much that she briefly wanted to drag him straight to bed, but she restrained herself. The faint smile at the corner of her lips was as dangerous as it was sincere.
Vargreth turned toward Aurelia with visible regret. He wanted to apologize, but this was neither the time nor the place.
At that moment, Areth opened a portal beside him, stepped into it, and vanished from the throne room.
As soon as the portal closed, a brief sense of emptiness filled the hall. The air felt heavy, as though the space itself had grown accustomed to Areth's presence and now did not know how to exist without it.
Aurelia lifted her head, her eyes instinctively drawn to the spot where the portal had disappeared. Her heart was still racing. She replayed his words in her mind, each time with the same weight.
Family.
In the sacred texts, it had always been an abstract concept. But just now, for the first time, it had become real. She took a quiet breath and steadied herself.
Morvethra let her arms hang loosely at her sides. The impulse was still there, suppressed but alive. What Areth had left behind was not desire, but responsibility. She narrowed her eyes and smiled.
"As always," she said with a half-mocking tone, "he manages to leave us alone at the worst possible moment."
Her words were light, but beneath them was acceptance. Areth had left because he had things to do. And that, more than anything, defined his leadership.
Vargreth exhaled heavily. He glanced briefly at Aurelia, then looked away. The apology he wished to speak knotted in his throat. His faith had taught him patience; he would speak when the time was right.
"Lord… Areth," He murmured inwardly, this time not as a prayer but as a vow.
Everyone in the room felt the same truth, even if unconsciously: Lord Areth was quite simply the best leader they could have found. He was intelligent and unimaginably powerful, but most importantly, he truly valued them. Some of the lesser-minded creatures in the room were already in tears because of his words.
---------
Meanwhile, in his own chambers, Areth lay face-down on the bed, his massive body sprawled across it, his face buried in the pillow as he hurled curses into the fabric.
"Damn it… You're my family? What the hell was that? Couldn't I have found something more embarrassing to say?" he groaned. "Thank god I can teleport wherever I want while we're still on the flying island, just like in the game. If I had stayed there a second longer, I would have died of embarrassment."
Inside Areth was nothing more than an ordinary modern man. Having held leadership roles only a handful of times in his life, the experience was deeply humiliating for him. He was just an unemployed young man imitating what he had seen in movies, anime, and books.
After swearing into the pillow for a while longer, Areth finally turned his face upward and stared at the ceiling. It was not a normal ceiling. Or rather, it was but it was as unnecessarily grandiose as everything else in the game.
"I was just a guy who woke up late, couldn't function without coffee," he muttered. "What am I supposed to do now?"
He hadn't thought about it until now, but every character he had just faced in the hall was powerful enough to level cities in the modern world. Some of them, especially the more... problematic ones, would have posed a catastrophic threat if they had existed on Earth.
How was he supposed to lead beings this absurdly powerful?
Areth sat on the edge of the bed. His enormous body nearly crushed the frame as it creaked beneath him. His hands rested on his knees, his head bowed. There was nothing left of the unshakable presence he had displayed in the throne room. Here, unseen by anyone, only his true self remained.
In the modern world, leadership meant spreadsheets, meetings, half-hearted motivational speeches. At worst, a few feelings got hurt. Areth clenched his teeth.
The promises he made. The sentences he could never take back. Words that would be taken as divine truth, never to be spoken lightly or in jest.
"If I try to lead them, I could die," he muttered.
Then he paused.
"…Could I die?"
He frowned. "I'm a dragon with divine blood. Can I even be killed?"
In the game, it was technically possible but in its latest version, there was no one who could kill Areth. Having collected every side-content reward, priceless equipment, and experience point, he had become an unstoppable force in the final hours of the game.
And now, inhabiting that body, the young man had a realization.
"How does it open?" he wondered.
There was no console here. No interface to click his spells. Deep down, he prayed that casting spells aloud would not be required. Then the most cliché answer came to him.
Imagine it.
Magic through imagination.
Areth straightened up and focused on the spell he was most curious about.
Storage.
Not an offensive or defensive spell but more important than either.
He closed his eyes.
There was no screen. No menu. No notification sound. Yet he clearly remembered the sensation, the reflex he had used hundreds of times during the game. The reliable space that opened in moments of need. A place of ordered chaos.
Storage.
"Okay," he said quietly, more composed now. "Think. Just think."
He formed a single image in his mind: a black void, an oval裂 glowing faintly with blue light along its edges, opening into a seemingly endless space.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Areth was just about to curse when the air in front of him suddenly crumpled. Reality itself trembled, as though an invisible hand were tearing it apart. Then, silently but unmistakably, a portal opened.
It was oval. It looked like a void with no depth, yet pale violet and blue light spilled from its edges. The air grew cold. Even the room's grandeur faded into insignificance beside it.
Areth's eyes widened.
"…It opened."
He froze for a second. Then an expression he hadn't worn in a long time appeared on his face.
Pure joy.
"Thank god," He said this reflexively, then paused.He frowned. "No, wait. Seriously… thank god."
Standing before the portal, a thought occurred to him, and his smile tightened.
"Please," he whispered, genuinely praying this time. "Let everything be there. All of it: The armour, scrolls, potions and rings, even the useless items I kept because they were 'rare'."
He slowly extended his hand toward the portal.
The moment his fingers passed through, the world changed.
His vision split in two. Although his physical eyes could still see the room, his mind, through his hand, could see inside the portal.It was not sight so much as knowing.
And what he perceived was...
Chaos.
Perfect, orderly chaos.
Countless shelves. Endless, interconnected, layered spaces, all of them full 1. Weapons. Armor. Jewels. Books. Scrolls. Items labeled legendary, mythic, divine. One corner contained nothing but potions, hundreds of bottles sorted by color. Another held rings, necklaces and talismans, each bearing names he recognised.
The Dragon King's Spear.
Potion of Temporary Immortality.
The Clock That Etches Time.
And, of course… thousands of items he didn't even remember, kept because "they might be useful someday."
Areth's breath caught.
"All of it," he whispered. "It's all here."
He pushed his hand a little farther in. His awareness deepened. The storage space seemed to recognise him, presenting the items he used most frequently, as well as the most dangerous and forbidden ones, to him.
And then he noticed something else.
This space was no longer just a game mechanic.
The items were alive. Their power was suppressed, but palpable. Some of them trembled, as if they had noticed him. A few, in particular, felt as though they had been reunited with their rightful owner.
Areth withdrew his hand. The portal remained open.
He leaned back and let out a short, uncontrolled, relieved laugh.
"Alright," he said. "Alright. This is good. I've got nothing to be afraid of anymore."