According to what Sequoria had explained to Lucas, the Tournament of the Golden Trees was an annual event held in this capital. Its main purpose was to showcase the strength of the kingdom's warriors and the officials who governed it. While participation wasn't mandatory, it was common for ministers to take part.
Since registration was open to all, fighters from other nations often entered to prove their prowess.
The victor received not only a significant cash prize but also the right to challenge the queen in battle. This particular reward had only been added after Alberia's ascension to the throne; during Sequoria's reign, the prize was instead the opportunity to spend an entire day with the queen. This year, the preliminaries were scheduled to begin in ten days.
"The king of our closest ally, Leore, had already informed us by letter that they had summoned the soul of a new hero, after the previous one completed his mission two years ago and chose to travel the continent. So this new hero is coming here to compete in the Golden Tree Tournament?" asked Sequoria.
"That's correct, Lady Sequoria," Fortore confirmed. "He also mentioned that on the day of his arrival in the capital, he will come directly to the palace to meet the beautiful queen he's heard so much about—and to offer a gift as a symbol of continued alliance between our nations."
"Excellent. That's very good news," said Sequoria, clearly pleased.
It was good news for Lucas too—albeit slightly nerve-wracking. Ever since learning that other people from his own world had been summoned here, he'd been eager to meet one, especially since these individuals were said to be historically significant. 'I hope it's someone I recognize…' he thought with anticipation.
"Did the hero happen to mention his name, Fortore?" Lucas asked curiously.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. He did give me his name, but it was long and unfamiliar, so I forgot it. Normally, I'd ask my men if they remember, but when I met the hero, I was alone," Fortore said apologetically.
"I see… well, if the name was that complicated, there's not much you could do," Lucas replied with mild disappointment.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Scuro cut in, his voice steady and filled with conviction, "but Fortore likely forgot the hero's name not because it was complicated—though that may have contributed—but because the hero was a man, not a woman."
For a brief moment, Lucas thought Scuro was joking. It was hard to believe that the captain of the most elite military unit in the kingdom could be so... selective with his memory. But then he noticed something troubling: everyone else in the room, including Fortore's own knights, nodded in agreement with Scuro's statement.
'Seriously...?' Lucas thought, bringing his right hand to his face in disbelief, sinking into a brief moment of quiet exasperation.
Sensing Lucas needed a moment to collect himself, Sequoria smoothly resumed control of the discussion.
"Fortore, during your mission, did you observe any suspicious movements along the border with Oscuora in recent weeks?" she asked calmly.
"No, Lady Sequoria. In fact, everything was unusually quiet. The only traffic across the border consisted of merchant carts. We saw no military drills, not even border patrols approaching our territory," Fortore reported, his tone darkening.
"That's strange," Sequoria muttered, thoughtful. "According to our last reconnaissance report, Oscuora was conducting military exercises near the border almost daily—as though preparing for war. And now you say they've gone completely silent…"
"Exactly, Lady Sequoria," Fortore affirmed.
Sequoria nodded, mulling it over. After a few seconds of reflection, she turned toward the Minister of Defense. "Scuro, do you have any thoughts on why this might be happening?"
"With only Fortore's report, it's difficult to say," Scuro admitted. "But if Oscuora has indeed halted all activity near the border, it may indicate a serious event unfolding internally that demands their full attention. I'd need more intel before forming any concrete theory."
"I understand," Sequoria said. She turned her gaze back to Fortore. "Then, Captain Fortore, as soon as you have the time, write a detailed report of everything you observed during your mission and deliver it directly to Scuro."
"Certainly, Ms. Sequoria," Fortore replied, bowing respectfully.
Thankfully, after that sentence from Scuro — leaving aside the fact that his eyes remained far too focused on his breast—Fortore had conducted himself like a proper knight. Even though his gaze occasionally drifted… regrettably, it seemed that the new target of his wandering eyes was now Sequoria's own formidable bust.
Still, Lucas had managed to recover from his earlier dismay.
The mystery surrounding the sudden change in strategy by the kingdom of Oscuora was mildly concerning, but the absence of any signs of an impending war was undeniably reassuring. Lucas knew he wasn't ready—at least not yet—to lead an army into battle.
"Anyway, good work, Fortore. I imagine you're tired after the long journey back. Go get some rest," said Lucas with a warm, sincere smile.
"Thank you, our radiant queen. I am truly sorry to stop admiring your divine figure, but since the request comes from you, I shall gladly comply," Fortore replied with a theatrical bow before standing and turning to leave the throne room.
"Hold it, Fu!" Aislyra shouted, her voice a mixture of amusement and irritation. "If you think I'm going to let you leave without any form of punishment after you spent the entire audience ogling my sister's and mother's chests with those lecherous eyes, you're out of your mind!"
She leapt forward with impressive speed, landing right in front of Fortore to block his path.
"So, since it's been a while since we last dueled, how about we do it now, in front of my sister, so I can give her a good look at your 'beautiful' face after I've beaten it into a pitiful mess," she added, grinning.
Fortore maintained his elegant demeanor and answered with a smug smile, "If Her Majesty permits, I gladly accept your challenge, Ais. But let me correct you on one thing—my face remains beautiful even when it's bruised."
"Okay…" Aislyra muttered, slightly thrown off by the absurd confidence, but she quickly recovered and turned to Lucas. "There's no problem, right, Your Majesty?"
"Of course not," Lucas replied, genuinely excited to witness a duel between two of his kingdom's strongest warriors.
"Excellent. Then let's head to the training ground of my Royal Knights," Fortore said.
Aislyra nodded in agreement, and the two of them, accompanied by the rest of the royal knights and the three ministers, began walking toward the exit of the throne room. However, they paused when they realized that Lucas, Sequoria, and Katerina weren't following.
"Excuse me," Lucas said in a calm, regal tone. "There is a matter I must discuss privately with my mother and Katerina. Please go on ahead—I'll join you shortly."
The group nodded in acknowledgment and left the throne room. Among them, only Aislyra seemed to fully understand what the matter might be. The guards of the throne room, without needing any instruction, quietly exited as well, recognizing that their presence would interfere with a private conversation.
Once only Lucas, Katerina, and Sequoria remained in the throne room, the former queen gently said,
"You want to know more about the heroes, don't you, my son?"
Lucas's eyes widened slightly.
"Yes... but how did you know? I'm sure I didn't show it on my face."
Sequoria smiled warmly.
"It's not obvious. It was a mother's instinct."
"I see..." Lucas replied, a bit uncertain. He then gathered himself and asked,
"Anyway, how do these 'heroes' work? When Katerina was explaining the basics of magic to me, she mentioned a type of magic called 'History Magic,' which can only be used by people from my world who left a mark in history or legend—basically, important historical figures. I assume that's what Fortore was talking about. But aside from that, I know almost nothing."
"Exactly," Sequoria nodded.
"Users of History Magic are always classified as heroes. Though rare, there are exceptions—like you—where the deity responding to a summoning chooses the soul of an ordinary person rather than a famous figure."
Lucas nodded again, following attentively.
"But why do the deities summon people from another world in the first place?"
"Usually, it's not the gods themselves who initiate the summons," Sequoria explained.
"It's the countries that pray to them, asking for a hero during times of need. The gods then respond by selecting a soul and placing it into a body prepared by the summoners. However, each kingdom or city-state is allowed only one hero at a time."
Lucas's eyes widened again.
"So the hero's soul is placed into a... corpse?!" he asked, clearly uneasy.
"Usually not," Katerina replied calmly.
"To house a new soul, a body must be in perfect condition, and the original soul must have only just departed. Because of that, most countries use homunculi—artificial beings created through magic. These have no soul or consciousness and are thus ideal vessels."
That explanation certainly reassured Lucas, but it also sparked another question.
"Homunculi?"
"Yes," Katerina answered.
"Homunculi are artificially created lifeforms made with alchemy and magic. With the right materials, they can be crafted to resemble any race. However, hero vessels are usually made to resemble humans, since—based on what we know of your world—humans are the only species there capable of using advanced magic or reasoning at a high level."
"I see. So how does it work once the hero is summoned? Are they forced to fulfill the summoning request?"
"No," Sequoria said gently.
"The hero has complete freedom to decide. If they accept the mission, they're typically granted citizenship and, upon completion, a great reward—often a large sum of money or land. However, if they refuse, they're still allowed to leave freely. They're given enough resources to survive for at least a few weeks, but they're also exiled from the country that summoned them, which allows the kingdom to summon a new hero."
Lucas's expression tensed. "So they're not forced, but heavily encouraged to comply..." he muttered, thinking to himself, 'Wait—if I'd refused to pretend to be Alberia and continue her role as queen, would I have been exiled?'
Sequoria answered as if reading his thoughts. "Exactly, son. But don't worry. Even if you had refused, we had no intention of exiling you. We would have allowed you to abdicate, and you would have been free to live however you wished. Our kingdom rarely summons heroes—you're a very special case."
"That's reassuring... but how did you—" Lucas began to ask.
"Obviously," Sequoria interrupted with a playful smile, "thanks to a mother's instinct."
Lucas sighed and said, "One last question—I don't want to keep the others waiting. Why is it only the hero's soul that's brought to this world?"
"There are several reasons," Sequoria replied.
"Even for a deity, transporting an entire body across worlds is difficult and dangerous. There's a great risk of damage. As Aislyra explained, when a new soul enters an empty body, the mana within that body doubles. And using only the soul allows the gods to summon figures of historical importance without disturbing your world's timeline."
"I see," Lucas said with a nod.
"So it's difficult to transport the body anyway, and the soul brings benefits on top of that."
"Exactly." Sequoria smiled warmly.
With a satisfied look, Lucas rose from the throne.
"Thank you both so much for the explanation, Mother. Katerina, let's go—Aislyra and the others are waiting."