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~~((The Mother's Day Special -- page 10 of 14))~~
The reason Garovel thought Harper Norez would be sent to Melmoore was because he'd heard that the Surgeon Saint was currently operating there. And if everything else the reaper had heard about Frederick was true, then that meant that Melmoore was one of the deadliest war zones in the world, right now.

Which unfortunately made sense.

That country had been invaded on two different fronts, north and south. Technically, Vantalay was much worse off, as it was fighting four different countries simultaneously, those being Czacoa, Yena Maria, Naos, and Lyste. However, Vantalay had also been the aggressor in that conflict, while Melmoore was simply defending its own borders. Plus, Czacoa, Yena Maria, and Naos were all tiny nations, not much larger than Atreya.

But then again, perhaps it was wrong to judge their military strength by the amount of land they possessed. Garovel mentioned as much. Historically, larger nations held far more power, having access to a much greater pool of resources. But in the modern age, it wasn't always so cut and dry, anymore.

By all accounts, that little country called Czacoa was putting up quite the fight. Everyone seemed to think--given Vantalay's comparative size and first strike advantage--that Czacoa was doomed, but so far, it was apparently holding firm.

But of course, the war had only just begun.

As for Atreya itself, Hector was observing some interesting developments in the situation here. Clearly, the general public was uneasy with so many terrible things going on abroad, but it hadn't slowed the growth of the Darksteel National Bank.

In fact, that unease might've actually been increasing it.

That was what Amelia Carthrace seemed to believe, anyway. In this time of great turmoil, the people were looking for stability wherever they could find it. And many of them were hanging their hopes squarely upon Hector's shoulders.

It was almost becoming a problem of its own, actually, because the Bank had begun to draw attention from Atreya's neighbors.