91 Chapter 91 Domain Management Department
91 Chapter 91 Domain Management Department
Zion’s tone grew thoughtful. “The only problem is that the good witches are incredibly elusive and secretive. Still, they might know something about the curse and these artifacts. And while connecting with the Sacred Lands might be nearly impossible, what about the mermaids? Maybe they could help us in some way.”
As they walked slowly back toward the office, leaving the cleanup to the warriors, Levi listened carefully and took mental notes. He knew Zion was laying out contingency plans, but the reality wasn’t so simple. Forming alliances with other races–especially the witches and mermaids–wasn’t just difficult, it was almost unheard of.
Mermaids were sea–dwellers with their own domain and enemies. They had little interest in the affairs of land dwellers and rarely involved themselves in conflicts outside their territory. As for the witches, though natural enemies of the dark witches due to the inherent clash in their existence, they were fiercely independent and extremely reclusive. They didn’t trust outsiders and cherished their peace and
seclusion above all else.
Still, despite the odds, Zion was right–they had to try. There was too much at stake to leave any path unexplored.
“What did you say? The rogues have been acting strangely around the Midnight River Pack?” The Alpha King, who was presiding over the court meeting, furrowed his brows as he listened to the report from one of his aides.
Standing just behind him was Addison, recently returned and dressed in an assistant’s uniform, her appearance slightly altered by a subtle disguise. Her return was still a closely guarded secret, and with so many aides and department heads present at the meeting, it was crucial to keep her identity hidden for now.
This arrangement allowed her to begin attending court sessions discreetly–to observe, learn, and prepare for the responsibilities ahead. After all, aside from being the heir apparent, what better role would grant her access to such high–level meetings than serving as the Alpha King’s personal assistant?
To avoid drawing too much attention to her, the Alpha King had tasked Elric with casting a disguise spell on Addison. Now, she appeared as a young human male- shorter than the average adult werewolf, but still tall enough to convincingly pass as a
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young man.
With her head lowered and quictly following behind the Alpha King’s secretary, no one paid her much attention. The court members simply assumed she was another aide and went about their business as the meeting commenced.
Just this morning, the Communications Department forwarded another report about rogue attacks. Normally, when such reports are received from a pack, they are passed on to the Domain Management Department. This department is responsible for tracking issues submitted by packs across the domain–such as famine, drought, or rogue activity.
The department head and their team would then review and cross–reference the report with data from neighboring packs to assess whether the issue is an isolated case or widespread. Each report is rated based on its urgency and potential threat. For instance, if a pack reports a severe drought that threatens their harvest and their ability to pay tribute, the Domain Management Department treats it as a critical matter. They investigate whether nearby packs are similarly affected, determine the cause, and look for possible solutions. If similar reports have already been received from surrounding areas, the matter is escalated in priority and addressed immediately. After all, the department cannot afford to spread itself too thin and must balance its attention across multiple pressing concerns from different packs.
It just so happened that a drought in the southern corner of the domain had already affected three packs. After sending investigators, it was discovered that a nearby lake was drying up. Rain hadn’t fallen in the region for over eight months, and the surrounding packs had relied heavily on the lake’s dwindling water supply to sustain their livestock and crops. Desperate and running out of options, they submitted a formal report before the situation could worsen.
The Domain Management Department immediately escalated the issue to the Alpha King, who responded by dispatching mages to cast an artificial rain over the affected lands. However, this emergency intervention came at a high cost–both financially and
in manpower.
As if that weren’t enough, a/locust infestation struck the western region, and a plague broke out in the north. One crisis followed another, overwhelming the Domain Management Department and other supporting branches. At that point, they were so, swamped with urgent matters they were running like spinning tops.
91 Chapter 91 Domain Management Department
As a result, the rogue activity report from the Midnight River Pack was deprioritized and left to pile up. Rogue attacks were common across many packs, and with everything else going on, the department saw it as a lower–priority issue. Besides, by now, most had noticed the Alpha King’s subtle hostility toward the Midnight River Pack–his deliberate actions to isolate them had not gone unnoticed. Word of it had already spread, so officials assumed it would be fine to delay responding to their
report.
Normally, rogue attacks were considered routine incidents and treated as standard cases. However, if such attacks occurred two or three times in succession, their priority and level of concern would be elevated. When a report was received from a pack, it would typically be marked as pending until more relevant information could be gathered. This meant waiting to see if another report would come from the same pack -or a neighboring one–within a three to six–month–window.
Th
If no follow–up reports were received within that timeframe, the initial case would be categorized as a typical incident. The report would then be filed away in a designated folder and eventually transferred to the Archives Department, which was responsible for storing and safeguarding all official records.
Unfortunately, by the time they realized the rogue attacks had escalated into a serious threat, it was too late. Only then did they rush to submit an urgent report.
Now that the anomaly had been recognized, the Domain Management Department was growing increasingly uneasy. After all, it was unheard of for rogue attacks to occur every single month. What made it more concerning was that the Midnight River Pack had already submitted another report–before the month had even ended. This pattern clearly indicated irregular rogue behavior, especially since no neighboring pack reported anything similar. The isolation of the attacks only deepened the mystery.
Addison, upon hearing the name Midnight River Pack again after three years, subtly ‘lowered her eyes, her lashes fluttering with the faintest hint of emotion. No one noticed the quiet shift in her demeanor, but for a brief moment, a ripple of unease disturbed her composure. Still, she quickly composed herself, pushing the feeling aside and returning to a calm, rational state of mind.
“What do you think about this?”
The Alpha King turned his head slightly to the right, casting a sidelong glance at
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Addison, who was standing quietly at his side. His expression remained unreadable, almost disinterested, as he posed the question. The aide had just finished reading the entire report aloud, detailing the unusual frequency of rogue attacks from the Midnight River Pack.
Despite the number of reports, there was nothing particularly alarming–no large–scale casualties, no unusual descriptions–yet that very lack of detail made the situation feel all the more peculiar. Why were the rogues persistent if nothing substantial was attracting them to that pack ground?
The Alpha King wasn’t just asking out of curiosity. He wanted to gauge Addison’s insight, to see how her mind processed the situation. Was her ability to analyze still as sharp as before? Or had her time in captivity dulled her edge? Her reaction now would
be a small but telling test.
After hearing the Alpha King’s question, Addison took a moment to think seriously, pushing aside her mixed feelings about the Midnight River Pack. Instead of viewing them as people with personal ties to her past, she regarded them through the lens of a landlord evaluating tenants occupying her land.
Addison had lived in the Midnight River Pack for three long years, and during that time, she hadn’t simply existed–she had worked hard to improve their lifestyle and lay down a solid foundation for Zion. By the time he took over, all he had to do was build upon the groundwork she had already laid, making his leadership easier and more effective.
Because of her firsthand experience and deep understanding of the pack’s territory, terrain, and defensive systems, Addison could visualize the situation unfolding as the report was read. And the more she listened, the clearer it became: the Midnight River Pack was hiding something.
There were inconsistencies–gaps in the report that didn’t quite add up–and it felt deliberate, as if key information was being withheld from the Royal Court. Ironically, it was those missing pieces that were crucial for understanding why the rogues were acting so erratically and how best to respond.
Complicating matters further, the Midnight River Pack was stationed at the bord between werewolf and vampire territory. It was entirely plausible that the rogue activity was being influenced by external forces–either driven toward the pack by vampires or herded like sheep to cause trouble for the pack. With so many possible
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scenarios and too little verified information, Addison knew there was only one logical course of action: they had to send someone to investigate the situation directly.
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