While Wolfe was working on spells for the Demon King to work off his sentence, things at home had gone from tense, to worrisome, to downright strange.
The United World Army hadn't retreated from the Frozen Wastes, but they also hadn't advanced into the Grand Dutchies, despite holding the advantage at the moment. Instead, what the Witches of Forest Grove were intercepting on the radio amounted to mostly infighting and power struggles.
From what Cassie could tell, the Mana Beast had broken loose and was rampaging on another continent, while its offspring here celebrated. That had led to rumours among the soldiers that the Saints were in ill health, which had been amplified by the fact that nobody had heard from them.
The residents of the Fae Forest suspected that something much more drastic had happened, as they had all felt Wolfe's desperation as he pulled a massive amount of mana from everyone before he disappeared.