The Times Have Changed

Several days had passed since news of the eastern front's victory arrived. In the southern region, where channels for relaying information were relatively well developed, more and more news was spreading between cities and villages.

On street corners and in taverns and card rooms, almost everyone eagerly discussed the recent astonishing and exhilarating news, the past of the Ansu Royal Family, and the future of the Cecil Empire. On this land, even the most ordinary citizens would offer their own opinions on such matters, no matter how laughable or shallow those opinions might be.

Stone City, a tavern in the merchants' district. Bright Magic Crystal Lamps dispelled the dusk's gloom, rows of bottles on the bar shelves had been polished until they gleamed, and the liquor within shone invitingly beneath the lights. A small rectangular machine, shaped like a cabinet, stood beside the bar, playing the simple, bright, cheerful country tunes beloved by southerners.

A beam of light fell across the nameplate atop the little machine, where the words "Kord Household Solutions Company" gleamed on the brass surface.

A man in work clothes sat before the bar. Taking the beer mug the bartender handed him, he raised it slightly. "A toast to getting off work."

"Joe, have you read the recent papers?" A tall, thin man seated beside him spoke casually. "The royal family has reached its end— even the king stepped down on his own."

"It was inevitable. Didn't Mr. Godwin say so? Royal Authority is finished. After this war, the whole kingdom was unable to hold on. If not for our southern army's rescue, the north would probably have been completely done for. The royal family couldn't control the situation anymore, so what else could they do but reorganize..."

"That's true. The papers said the eastern Holy Spirit