Strongest Kingdom: My Op Kingdom Got Transported Along With Me

Alix pulls a small vial from his coat—a deep violet liquid swirling inside like smoke caught in water. He unstoppers it and presses it gently to her lips.

"Drink," he orders.

Karnessa obeys without question. The potion is bitter, sharp—like metal and herbs mixed with fire. But within seconds, warmth spreads through her limbs. The shaking slows. The chill fades. She breathes more evenly.

Her voice comes weakly. "That… was a mana potion?"

Alix nods once. "A high-grade one. You needed it."

Karnessa watches him, silent for a moment. Then she speaks, her voice low, almost hesitant.

"…Master, why?"

Alix looks at her.

"Why are you helping me?" she asks. "I'm… I'm a monster. My whole life, I was treated like something to be shackled or sold. This is the first time I've ever seen a human treat a slave monster like this."

Alix doesn't answer immediately.

Then, slowly, his hand rises—and brushes across the side of his face.

The illusion fades.

The shift is subtle at first. Then startling.

The human skin disappears like dust swept away by wind, revealing a form beneath that pulses with quiet power—silken dark horns, his skin carrying a faint shimmer like moonlight on obsidian, and his eyes… glowing, sharp, and impossibly ancient. Not human.

Karnessa stares.

Her breath catches.

The first thing that blooms in her stunned mind isn't fear.

It's awe.

He's beautiful.

Not in a delicate way—but in the way storms are beautiful. Power wrapped in grace. Worn like armor. For a heartbeat, she forgets what she was even asking.

Alix meets her gaze, calm and unflinching.

"I'm not a human," he says simply.

Karnessa's lips part, but no words come. Her heart thunders in her chest.

"You were expecting cruelty," Alix continues. "Because that's all the world gave you. Shackles. Cages. Whips. Chains."

She nods slowly.

Alix tilts his head. "Then remember this, Karnessa—if monsters are born in cages, I was born in fire. And I don't burn for humans."

She swallows hard. "Then… what do you burn for?"

Alix's gaze lingers on the forest, the last of the dying light catching the edges of his horns. His voice, when it comes, is quiet—almost too soft for a warlord, too honest for a master.

"I burn for all the monsters that have suffered in this world," he says. "For those who were hunted, branded, discarded just for existing. I burn for them."

Karnessa stares at him, lips parted, throat tightening.

Alix's eyes shift to her again—calm, unwavering. "And for those who still suffer… I will become something the world can't ignore."

Karnessa bows her head, shoulders trembling—not out of fear or pain, but from something deeper. Something she's never had before: someone who understood. Someone who saw her not as a beast, not as a tool, but as one of his own.

"…Thank you," she says, barely a whisper.

Alix stands and offers his hand. "Come. That's enough for today."

Karnessa looks at his hand, hesitates for only a moment, then takes it.

He pulls her up with ease, steadying her as she stumbles slightly on weak legs.

As they walk back through the forest trail, Alix lifts a hand and waves it across his face. A ripple of light shimmers over his skin—his horns vanish, the shimmer fades, and the calm, cold mask of his human illusion returns. No trace of what he truly is.

Karnessa watches the transformation from the corner of her eye, lips pressed into a thin line. The shift is still strange to witness—how easily he wears the skin of the enemy.

But she doesn't question it.

They reach the outer gates of the city just as the sky begins to dim with the onset of dusk. And immediately, they feel it—tension, thick and choking, woven into every corner of the street.

The guards at the checkpoint aren't their usual bored, half-sleeping selves. They're alert. Faces pale. One of them nearly drops his spear when a horse snorts behind him.

Inside the walls, it's worse.

People rush past them with sacks and crates, children clinging to mothers, carts stuffed with blankets and food. A pair of merchants argue loudly over the price of passage. A noblewoman slaps a stablehand for "delaying her escape." Soldiers bark orders—some to civilians, others to each other—but even they look unsettled, their armor rattling too loudly with every step.

Karnessa leans closer to Alix. "What's happening?"

Alix doesn't answer yet. His gaze scans the crowd—then locks onto a pair of commoners standing near a water well, speaking in hushed, hurried tones.

He walks past them slowly, letting their voices carry to his ears.

"…It's true," one man says, clutching a sack to his chest. "The monsters from outside continent breached Elmorin's border this morning. The capital didn't even last a full week."

"No way," his friend replies. "Elmorin has three tier 6 combatants!"

"They said the monsters didn't care. Just tore through everything. They're heading here next."

Someone nearby slams a window shut. A woman runs by with tears in her eyes, dragging two children.

Another voice—a man, younger—bursts out loudly in frustration, "What the hell is everyone doing?! Why are the monsters advancing so fast?!"

His companion answers with bitterness, shaking his head. "Because we're nothing to them. All those powerful kingdoms, the hidden forces, the empire, they're just watching. Letting the smaller ones get chewed up."

"They're probably hoping we wear the monsters down first," another man growls, spitting into the dirt. "Then they'll sweep in, take what's left."

Alix listens quietly as the crowd's unease unfolds around him like a tide of whispers and fear. His hands remain in his pockets, expression calm—but his eyes sharpen.

Karnessa watches too, her brows furrowed. She leans closer and murmurs, "Is… is it really that bad?"

Alix doesn't answer right away. He lets the moment breathe, lets the chaos speak for itself.

Then, gently, he says, "We should leave this city."

Karnessa blinks. "What? Now?"

He nods once, gaze still forward. "It's already started. The fear, the blame… soon there'll be riots. And after that—blood."

"But where—?"

"The teleportation gate," Alix says. "We'll use it before the price triples."

Karnessa nods, swallowing her questions. They walk quickly, weaving through the frantic crowd, past shouting vendors and families huddled in alleyways. Soldiers barely notice them—too distracted by their own fear to care about a cloaked man and a quiet girl.

As they near the teleportation plaza, a man in front of them slams his fist into a wall. "This is madness," he snarls. "They're just going to leave us to die!"

"No one's coming," another mutters. "The nobles have already left the kingdom."

A woman nearby sobs into her hands. "We should've left last week…"

The teleportation plaza is up ahead—a wide, circular space lined with marble pillars. A huge rune circle glows faintly in the center, guarded by mages in ceremonial robes. But even here, there's shouting. A long line of desperate nobles and merchants stretches out from the gates, all waving gold and demanding priority.

A robed mage raises his voice, face drawn with stress. "One thousand gold coins per person! Double for immediate transport! No exceptions!"

The crowd roars in protest, but no one leaves the line.

Alix reaches into his coat and pulls out a pouch. The soft clink of heavy coins inside is lost in the noise.

He leans toward Karnessa. "Don't speak. Let me handle it."

Alix steps forward, the noise around him a muffled blur. He makes his way past the long line without hesitation, moving with the quiet confidence of someone who expects the world to part for him. Karnessa follows closely, head down, heart thudding.

A guard moves to block them. "Hey—no cutting. Get in line like everyo—"

Alix opens the pouch.

The gleam of gold hits the torchlight—stacked platinum-rimmed coins, heavy and unmistakable.

"Four thousand," Alix says flatly. "Immediate transfer for two."

The guard blinks, then glances at the mage.

The robed man at the circle looks over, exhaustion in his eyes—until he sees the payment. He straightens at once.

"Step into the circle," he says quickly, motioning them forward. "We'll send you through now."

The crowd erupts behind them.

"What?!"

"Four thousand?! That's robbery!"

"Why the hell do they get to go first?!"

Alix ignores them all. He takes Karnessa's hand and pulls her gently into the glowing array. The rune beneath their feet flares brighter, humming with ancient energy.

Karnessa squeezes her eyes shut just as the light swallows them.

—And then—

The scent of lilacs.

Cool air.

Open space.

They arrive with a soft pop, their feet touching smooth white stone. Karnessa stumbles slightly from the shift, but Alix steadies her.

She opens her eyes.

Before them rises a new city—tall silver towers glinting in the fading light, roads paved clean and orderly, banners fluttering in the wind bearing the mark of the sunhawk: the royal sigil of the Kingdom of Arath.

Alix's eyes scan the city with a measured calm. He takes in the wide boulevards, the elegant bridges, the noble crests carved into the buildings.

Then he says quietly, "Do you know what kingdom this is?"

Karnessa looks around, her gaze trailing over the banners and marble towers. "It's the capital city of the Kingdom of Arath, Master," she answers.

Alix hums. "Arath… alright."

They begin walking down the stone steps leading away from the teleportation plaza. The square behind them buzzes with new arrivals—nobles, merchants, refugees. Guards stand tense, trying to keep order.

Alix speaks again, his voice casual. "How many portals do you think we need to go through before we reach the Bregion Empire?"

Karnessa blinks at him. "I… I don't have a clue, Master. I've only heard stories about Bregion Empire."