Chapter 367: Chapter 367 : A Suitable Replacement

Alex found himself back in his world.

On a street of Avaloria.

People walked with their families, chatting and laughing freely under the midday sun. Shops were open wide, vendors calling out prices with cheerful voices, customers haggling good‑naturedly over fresh produce and gleaming trinkets.

The smell of fresh bread, roasted meat, spiced street snacks, and blooming flowers from nearby carts drifted through the air, mingling with the faint metallic hum of mana crystals.

Zenith Academy cadets patrolled the area in neat formations, their uniforms crisp and spotless, eyes sharp and vigilant, hands resting lightly on sword hilts, ready to respond if another danger appeared from the shadows.

Parents led their children toward schools, holding hands or carrying small bags, voices filled with encouragement and laughter. Roads hummed with hover‑cars gliding past in orderly lines, their engines purring softly, lights blinking in rhythmic patterns.

Everything looked peaceful—almost like the war and chaos had been nothing but a fading nightmare, replaced by this vibrant normalcy.

Alex looked around slowly, taking in the bustling life.

“Well,” he murmured, a quiet satisfaction in his voice, “I guess all that sacrifice… did matter after all, huh.”

Then, walking along the street amid the crowd, he saw a familiar figure.

Lucas Evans Avaloria.

For some reason, there was a scar running down Lucas’s face now—faint but impossible to ignore, a thin line of pale tissue cutting across his cheek like a reminder of battles fought.

Lucas’s breath hitched when he spotted Alex. He stopped in his tracks abruptly, nearly bumping into a passing vendor. “What are you doing here…?”

Alex smiled easily. “Oh, prince. What have you been doing all this while? I haven’t seen you since I took the throne. And how did you get that scar?”

Lucas just stared at Alex for a moment before answering, his posture straightening. “I was guarding the borders as a prince. It was my duty… so I did what was required of me.”

“Is that so, huh,” Alex said softly, eyes flicking to the scar. “Guess you’ve been through a lot too.”

Suddenly, Alex flicked his finger.

A portal opened right beside him, swirling like a vertical pool of liquid space, edges shimmering with unstable energy.

“Come with me,” he said.

Lucas’s eyes widened in alarm. He took a step back, hands raised. “L‑Look, dude… I’m not your enemy anymore.”

Alex appeared in front of him in a blur and kicked him straight into the portal.

“Too late,” Alex said, stepping in after him as the portal snapped shut with a sharp crackle.

When the portal closed—

Lucas found himself inside the throne room of the Avalorian Empire.

The grand hall stretched out endlessly before him, pillars of white stone lined with intricate golden inlays rising majestically toward a vaulted ceiling painted with vivid scenes of Avaloria’s history—kings crowned in glory, legendary battles won against impossible odds, treaties signed under starry skies.

Sunlight poured through tall crystal windows, scattering prismatic rainbows across the polished marble floor etched with protective runes.

Rows of elevated seats curved gracefully along the sides of the hall, reserved for nobles and high officials, each one adorned with the embroidered crest of their noble house, banners hanging limp in the still air.

At the far end, on a raised platform reached by a short flight of wide steps flanked by lion statues, stood the throne itself—massive and imposing, carved from a single block of dark crystal veined with silver and gold, draped with the Avalorian banner fluttering slightly from some unseen draft.

Lucas’s breath hitched sharply. “Alex, don’t kill me. You can take the throne. I’ve seen what you’ve done for all of us… and honestly, I think you’re more suited for it.”

He clenched his fists tightly.

“I always saw the throne as absolute authority,” Lucas continued, voice low and earnest. “Something my father held… something I thought I wanted.”

“But after Father died, and when the war started, I fought in it myself. I saw what it meant firsthand.”

“Now I truly understand what kind of responsibility it is—the load that every king has to carry every single day.”

“Power doesn’t matter without the people you’re supposed to be ruling… and making their lives better.”

He exhaled slowly, shoulders relaxing.

“Now I understand the value of peace.”

Alex listened, a faint smile spreading across his lips. “Look at you, talking like a grown‑up.”

He waved a hand. “And don’t worry, I’m not gonna kill you. I’m just here to say that I’m tired of this boring part‑time job you call being a king.”

“I’m going to resign in a few days, so I need a suitable replacement.”

He grinned at Lucas. “What do you say? Are you up for it?”

Lucas stared at him, astonished beyond belief. Words refused to come.

After a moment, he finally managed, “A‑Are you serious?”

Alex shrugged. “I was unsure before. But I also know my girlfriend is a lazy bum like me, so she won’t accept the role of queen.”

“Alden is hopeless.”

“Ethan is too naive. I don’t trust him much with a throne.”

“On the other hand, you, my friend… seem to have changed a lot. Looks like the war did something good to you.”

Lucas sighed. “What do you expect? I’ve seen my friends die before my eyes. My soldiers getting slaughtered… and I wasn’t powerful enough to save them.”

“Good,” Alex said quietly. “Always keep those things in mind.”

“Because I will forfeit the throne soon, and I’ll announce you as the new ruler. So get prepared.”

Lucas shook his head. “I don’t have words… After all you did for this nation, you’re just going to leave everything behind?”

Alex walked toward the throne and sat on it casually, one leg crossed over the other.

“I never wanted the throne,” he said. “I always only cared about a few people. But since they live their happy lives here, I had to step up to protect that happiness.”

“That’s why I took the throne—not for some breathless cause, not for power.”

Lucas smiled faintly. “Is that so, huh… Well, I can say you did a better job than anyone else could’ve in that situation.”

“I know,” Alex said lightly. “So bow before me, commoner.”

Lucas chuckled despite himself. He straightened and gave a proper bow.

“That’s more like it,” Alex said.

He rose from the throne and handed Lucas a folded paper.

Lucas took it, confused. “What’s this?”

“That’s my resignation letter,” Alex said.

Lucas unfolded it and began reading.

His eyes widened. “This… this is a mana contract.”

The conditions were written clearly:

1. The signer shall devote his life to becoming a king who protects his people above all else.

2. The signer shall never betray the citizens of Avaloria, regardless of profit, threat, or personal gain.

3. The signer shall always place the interests and safety of the people before his own comfort, ambition, or pride.

4. The signer shall rule justly—never abusing authority, never turning a blind eye to corruption, and never allowing the strong to trample the weak.

5. The signer shall strive, until his last breath, to guide Avaloria toward peace and prosperity, and if he ever willingly abandons this duty, his life and power shall be forfeit to the contract.

Lucas lowered the paper, a small smile forming. “You want me to sign this, don’t you?”

Alex shrugged. “I do want my replacement to take care of the empire I built with my sweat and blood. And I don’t trust blindly in anyone.”

Lucas began laughing.

He pressed his thumb against the contract, channeling mana.

The paper glowed, then dissolved into motes of light that swirled around him before sinking into his body.

He dropped to one knee and bowed deeply. “Your Highness, I will do my best.”

“I’m sure you will,” Alex replied. “Because even if you don’t—you’ll die.”

Lucas’s mouth twitched. “You sure make it harder to like you, you know.”

“I know,” Alex said. “But people still like me.”

“And that,” Lucas said dryly, “is a mystery that’s hard to understand.”

“Indeed it is,” Alex agreed.

He stretched. “Alright, I have lots of work to do, so goodbye.”

Another portal opened beside him, swirling with darkness and light.

Before stepping through, Alex glanced back at Lucas. “You know, I always found you the rightful candidate for the throne. But the only quality you didn’t have of a king was that you were too selfish, corrupt and unreliable.”

“But now that you’ve solved that problem, I’m sure you’ll become a good king.”

Lucas straightened. “I will try my best to live up to your expectations.”

“I’m sure you will,” Alex said.

He disappeared into the portal.

Left alone, Lucas exhaled and looked at the empty throne.

“And the mystery is solved,” he murmured. “The reason Why people like him is because… He’s too good to the people he trusts.”

Meanwhile—

Alex found himself inside the elven kingdom.

Outside the palace, Azrael and Alden were waiting, arms crossed, watching the gates. They were waiting for the others to arrive so they could all leave together.

Suddenly, a portal opened beside them.

A hand shot out from inside—

And dragged them both into the portal in one swift motion.

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