Yori's voice, usually a calm, reedy sound, was a frantic, high-pitched shriek of pure terror.
"Yori, calm down," I commanded, my good mood evaporating like a puddle in a heatwave. "What is it? Did Kevin try to redecorate the throne room with black velvet again?"
"WORSE, MY LORD! FAR WORSE!" he wailed. "A new Demon King! An invader! From Oyabe! They appeared without warning, right on our southern border! They have already breached the first two sectors!"
A cold knot of dread formed in my stomach.
Oyabe. That was a major prefecture. A different league.
"What are we dealing with, Yori?" I asked, my voice now sharp, focused. "What's their strength?"
There was a sound of shuffling papers, and then Pixia's voice, tight with academic panic, came over the line.
