《Silks and Ash》 Prologue01 Eight navy seals sit in a non conspicuous SUV with tinted windows in the residential part of Dubai. The SUV looks like its a escort of some rich guy going out for a drive which is normal in these parts. ¡° Overwatch this is Jericho we are in position do you copy over ¡± Captain L¨®pez whispers into the intercom ¡° Jericho this is over watch you are free to party over ¡± a female voice replied a few moments later ¡° Copy that over watch Jericho moving out over¡± Captain L¨®pez replies swiftly ¡°Mason and Douglas you take left side; Johnson and Bart you two take right side; Kingston you''re with me we''ll take point ; Faraday and Welshman you take the backside we move in after everyone''s set is that clear¡± [ L¨®pez ] ¡°Sir yes sir!¡± [ everyone ] I know this is a late introduction but my name is lieutenant Ashton Mason. Currently I am about to end a war or make it worst depending on how the enemy reacts to having their leaders killed. I moved to the left side privacy wall of the giant compound I check my ammo and safety one last time and private Douglas does the same. ¡°Bravo team set¡± [ Bart ] I hear a call sign over the intercom so I also call out ¡° alpha team set¡± [ Mason ] The other teams call out after a few moments ¡°Weapons hot let''s go introduce ourselves to the new Neighbors¡± [ L¨®pez ] After I hear that I get out the periscope to check if the coast is clear. I see a guard going around the corner and another one takes his place three minutes later giving us a short window each to get up and hide. It''s a good thing these ass holes like to live in luxury and there''s no barbed to mess with when the coast is clear I attach a grappling hook and climb up and over and hide behind the tall bushes to my right, just in time as the next guard comes around checks around a little then goes on his way. After Douglas comes over we search around for an entrance and finds a servants entrance for the help we don''t have to worry to cameras because the latest stealth tech developed just for this mission that makes us invisible to cameras don''t ask me how it works I''m just a grunt that Specializes in war tactics and sabotage the only things I can build are guns, swords, and muscle cars. Once we''re in we report to L¨®pez then we move in we find two guards fucking a maid we take out our silenced glock 19 and on a countdown from three we take down. The guards and the maid with shots to the heads we don''t want her screaming or alerting anyone. Afterwards we hide the bodies in the incinerator we take the guards uniforms and move around the compound looking for the target, while also placing explosives around the place. After thirty minutes of looking we hear over the intercoms a report from another team. ¡° This is delta team we have found the targets in the south courtyard we count fourteen tango¡¯s¡± [ Faraday ] ¡°alpha team moving in¡± [ Mason ] After entering the south courtyard we call in and tell our position to our squad mates so we wouldn''t get mistaken for enemy soldiers. ¡° All teams are set Overwatch we need evak as soon as target is neutralized do you copy over¡± [ L¨®pez ] ¡° Copy that Jericho black hawks are in route over ¡° [ Overwatch ] ¡°Roger that over¡± [ L¨®pez ] ¡° Okay boys light em up!¡± [ L¨®pez ] yelled startling everyone in the courtyard And that''s just what we did. Can you imagine those bastards faces as their own guards started shooting at them. I mean here they were sitting discussing their next attack and then bam bullets to the face. As you would expect alarms went off we collected all the Intel from the table and with the Intel charlie team extracted from the enemies computers we have all their bases so we can kill the rest of these bastards before some yahoo decides he wants to escalate things by using these guys a martyrs. We all move to the southern wall we all grapple over and run to the black hawk have a couple beers go back to the state''s fuck some bitches retire to some lake and grow old right? Well that was the plane but I got shot just as we made it over the wall my squad rush over to carry me to the black hawk and before I breathe my last breath I push the detonator blowing compound to Kingdom Come. I black out just as the hatch door closes when I come to I''m being rushed to an operating room I see the sexy nurse that I flirted with every now and then she has tears in her eyes as she tells me that I made it back to base and that it will be alright. To bad I couldn''t reply because I died before we could get to the operating room. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The next thing I knew I was in a white room with a man and woman standing next to each other. The man wore an expensive black suit that looked seamless like it was made of one piece of fabric the buttons on the suit looked like crimson diamonds. The man''s features looked like beautiful war god not to handsome that he looks like a girl and not too brutish to make him look crude but a strange mix of both that looked like this is what true masculinity is. He had hair that shifted thru every hair color imaginable. But did not look strange it gave the feeling that this is how hair was meant to be. The goddess on the other hand was indescribable she just looked perfect. Like if you were to describe your perfect women that''s her and if your preferences changed so did her looks. I tested this by thinking my perfect woman was a ugly and she changed to that but she still felt beautiful like no matter what she was perfect. I settled on a sexier version of Sofia Vergara you''re probably thinking impossible but think all natural breast and ass ,tone feminine muscles with a very revealing cocktail dress. They both had an aura that made one want to bow down but before I could move I was told to take a seat at a table that appeared inbetween us after sitting it was the man that spoke first. ¡° Sup I''m the god of this dimension and this beautiful woman here is the god of another dimension it''s a pleasure to meet you and I''m sure you have lots of questions I''ll answer them as I can read your mind as to save time as I have a world to end, first the answer to the question which God am I the answer is all of them my personality and appearance is what ever you mortals believe I am if you came a million years ago I would look like the sun if you came during the Roman and Greek times I would have been a group of God''s Zeus and all those guys also Odin and Loki would be there also. Second yes you are going to be reborn in a world of swords an magic an no you will not be given an instant win abilities you will be however give complete knowledge on a feild of magic and because I already know that you will pick enchanting you will be give that. I will also give you blacksmithing knowledge to also the magical equivalent of modern machinery knowledge as well. Third why you well simple it was random and she kind of wants to see some chaos in her world as the humans there lack imagination as they are stuck in the middle ages. Fourth no you will not stay a man and yes you will keep all your memories but don''t worry in the country your going to the strong get to decide their fate and as long as your strong you can have as many lesbian relationships you want so don''t slack if you don''t want to be some man''s plaything well not that you''ll have to worry cause you''ll be the prim minister of war daughter. Oh and fifth the reason I don''t help all the poor and helpless is because if I did what was the perpous of me giving you all free will I''ll just make you all dull robots with out a personality but no I gave you all a chance to rise to greatness. And sixth did your mission end the war the answer is yes but the allies broke apart and a bigger war started and in the end I have to end the war or the world so you all won''t kill your selves off. That''s all I''m answering and don''t even try talking to her cause she won''t answer as we''re only allowed to interact with people who died in our dimension so if you won na hit on her you''ll have to die in her dimension. Now off you go.¡± [ God ] After he is done with his very long speech the goddess grabs me and the next thing I know I''m screaming at the top of my lungs while an old lady hands me to a ruthless looking man with black hair and a scar that goes from the right side of his upper lip to the bottom of his chin. Suddenly the man''s smiles and holds my like I''m the most precious thing in the world and says to me. ¡° Oh my dear Charlotte your beautiful! Please grow up strong and noble to become my heir as I had to kill the last one for being a spoiled wast who could only rely on his status like some noble from the capital. Psht¡± [ Father ] Note to self work very very hard and never piss off father... Ever! Chapter 1 Authors note Here''s the first chapter of my new novel please comment and tell me what you liked and disliked and if you want me to keep her a loli or make her into a bombshell. ---------------------------------------- Hello my name is Charlotte Herba Formerly Known as Ashton Mason navy seal. When I found out I was no longer a man but a little girl I vowed to be the Manlius girl in the world and I''ll have beautiful women harem muhahahaha. *cough* back on topic. This year I am three years of age , and I am the cutest loli in the world with my golden eyes and silky black hair that I keep in a ponytail that still reaches my back. I refused to wear dresses much to my mother''s dismay instead I chose black military suit that you see I even added all the medals I earned even the medal of honor which I''m sure I earned after that last mission and if I didn''t I did now hahahaha. I completed the look with black iron toe boots. I could make steel but I want to wait till I can personally make it. My father liked the look so much he started copying it with a more masculine look as my mother wouldn''t allow mine without a lot of lace and frills. Three years have gone by in flash. In those three years I have learned a lot it turns out my dad is the most powerful person in the whole Pallidas empire which gives him the right to be emperor under the law of the Empire but my father does not want it. When asked why he said something that I thought was only said in my old world which was. ¡° absolute power corrupts absolutely¡± [Father] So like his father and their fathers and mothers he became the prime minister of war otherwise known as the the ¡°nobles guillotine¡± because as prime minister of war he can kill any noble that has become corrupt even the emperor. To ensure that the family stays uncorrupted family law states that any one that gives into power and greed is to be killed immediately. ¡°We are not loyal to the crown we are loyal only to the country and it''s people.¡± Is the family motto that is brain branded into us since young. Many ambitious youths of the family have been killed because they looked down on the commoners and started acting like as the family likes to call them gilded trash of the capital. In fact our family almost wiped out all those ¡°noble¡± houses for the way they treated the commoners, until they finally relented and stop treating them like slaves. Now they treat them with a tolerable am out of disdain. But as you guessed it those of the family must treat them as equals, this is because we came from a family of farmers. We do this to not disgrace our forefathers and mothers who struggled to get use where we are. My idiot of a brother forgot this, because he spent most of his time in the capital with all the other nobles sons, there he slowly turned into one of them. And so in accordance with family law my father killed him. It would have been different if he was young as he could have been taught but this all happened when he was eighteen, and as they say you can''t teach an old dog new tricks. I''ve also what it means to be strong in this world, in simplest of terms it''s everything to do with the word power. If you have an abundance of knowledge you are strong, if you have tons of money and you have the power to protect it you are strong, and the most obvious is if you are skilled in combat you are strong. Knowing all this I wanted to been seen as strong as soon as possible and knowing that no assassin would ever come for me as my father would kill everyone In the capital just to get the culprit. How do I know this? Because he actually almost did it when some noble woman sent assassins after my mom because she was ¡°unworthy¡± as a commoner but unlucky for her she was sold out by not only the assassin but her family before any attempt was made that''s how feared my father is. Because of that incident that resulted in the woman''s death and the breaking of multiple nobles arms and legs just to make a point no one dares send assassins to our home. Knowing all this I said my very first words at the tender age of 7 months and at age 1 I used magic¡­. Well used is a very loose term as I only succeeded in making a small mana push and passed out shortly after. With all this coming from a less 1 and a half year old baby, least to say my parents were ecstatic that this child wouldn''t be trash. But I regretted my haste action shortly afterwards, because my father was hell bent on making sure I would not grow up like my brother instead of praise I received training. My first ¡°toy¡± was a wooden dagger that I would train with from morning till noon. Then it was general education I opted out of math because what modern day person can''t do simple multiplication hell I even taught the teacher algebra and geometry. That was also a mistake because I was then made to look over the houses finances to check if the math added up. I can see why there''s a such thing as an evil genius with all the pressure coming from people you would want to blow some stuff up. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. And if you''re thinking why don''t you hide your genius well I can''t because I hate doing things I don''t need to like going to math class when I can do college algebra. This also went with reading class which I opted out off. The only classes I enjoyed were my dagger training and tactics. I started using sambo, Krav Maga, and pak silat in my fighting style and with it came you guessed it more fucking training. I wasn''t beating grown men in my training but I was showing so much promise that my father up my training time. In my tactics class I was schooling my teachers with the teachings of Hannibal, Sun Tzu, and Alexander the great, of the old world and the advance tactics of modern war I was unstoppable in Theory. That was until my father came and destroyed all my hopes and dreams of having a perfect record. The man was a monster in the field of tactics. He set up plans and counterplans so even if his main force is destroyed he would still be able to beat me. He even started using my own tactics against me. He adopted my mages as artillery and the use of tactical retreats to put me in a kill box that he set up at the beginning! I''ll beat him one day. I swear it! But enough about the past let''s talk about the present. Right now we are just out side of the capital. We were going to the capital to meet the emperor and his family. Oh did I forget to mention the most important part after what happened with my brother my father moved the family back to one of our territories in the north. The fucking Freezing north where if you''re a wimp the environment forges you into a badass. The reason you may ask ¡°To get our youth away from the filth in the capital¡± as my father said. It was so bad that people forgot what the color green looked like. I know I almost did and when I saw the first patch of green grass I jumped out of the moving carriage and started kiss the grass repeating ¡° I love you grass please don''t leave me, don''t let me go back to the freezing north.¡± My father scolded me something terrible I''m still shaking but I regret nothing! ¡°Viva la grass!¡± We finally made it to the gate we could have used our status to get to the front , but you how my family is everyone is equally important and if you beg to differ three feet of iron will change your mind. ¡° Prime Minister Herba it is a pleasure to see you this evening. Please excuse my rudeness as I have to ask, but what business do you have in the capital¡±;[Guard1] the guard is sweating buckets as he ask my father what his business is. If it wasn''t for my father''s making mandatory that the guards must thoroughly check everyone that enters the capital the guard wouldn''t even have stopped us. ¡° Oh no problem at all we are just going to meet the emperor and his family and introduce little Charlotte to the princess so they can be friends¡± [ Father ] my father replies with a smile. Soon after everything was checked and cataloged we enter the capital. The capital looked like a mix of western Gothic and Roman architect. Even to me from the modern world this is simply breath taking. Thirty minutes latter we reach the castle. The only thing I can say is Damn! The size and style makes the Palace of Versailles look like a shack. It had columns that reached 40 meters in the air with platforms on top of those columns with different castles on top of them. It made the whole thing loom like a floating city instead of a castle. I asked my father if it was safe to have the platforms in the air like that couldn''t enemies just destroy the columns. What he told me that many have tried. Apparently one time an army made it inside the capital, and fired high grade magic at them for two whole months and the columns didn''t even shake. Instead what happened blew my mind all the mana that was fired at the columns blasted out wiping out that entire army. It seems that the columns absorb mana to use as a weapon incase of attack. Interesting I wonder if high grade explosives can level the place I''ll keep that in mind if I ever want to take over. Hmm it seems we made it inside the castle while I was thinking dangerous thoughts. Well let go see the emperor. Chapter 2 We walked thru the palace halls, escorted by what I assume is this country version of knights. The knights escorted us till we reached a large garden on one of the platforms. Sitting in a recliner that looked like a throne was a man looking to be only 25 years old with black hair and purple color eyes next to him is a bombshell off a woman with white hair 36DD breast and crimson eyes. She looks like she can lay waste to an entire world with her smile alone. It¡¯s decided if the emperor daughter looks anything like her mother I¡¯ll make her mine no matter what, even if I have to conquer this country. We make it to the pair as I was off in my day dream. The man stands when he see us coming over he has a goofy smile on his face, like he just saw his partner in crime. I was proven by what happened next that made me lose my poker face. ¡° Charles!, I still owe you for what happened last time! ¡±[ Father ] My usually stiff father replies like a man who¡¯s remembering a crazy night with his friends. ¡° Lighten up Gus , how was I supposed to know the boy couldn¡¯t hold his drink and would start to dance naked.¡± [ Charles ] The man whom I assume is the emperor who we are here to meet replies back like a guilty friend who¡¯s trying to get out of it. When the three of us meet in the middle my father and the emperor give a very powerful handshake like they were arm wrestling. They looked like brothers in arms meeting up for the first time in years which they just might be see how this country culture is set up. ¡° How have you been brother I haven¡¯t seen you since you were here last month for the bimonthly meeting.¡± [ Emperor ] he looks down at me ¡°Oh and who might this adorable little thing be¡± I stand at attention Old habits are hard to break and when they''ve been driven into for 20 years that''s how long I was in the military I was 38 when I died by the way. ¡° Sir My name is Charlotte Herba.¡± [Charlotte] ¡° Oh hoho a little solder isn''t she from the look at her eyes it''s like she''s been war zones most of her life how the hell did you raise her¡± [ Emperor ] ¡° She''s my pride and joy she''s the embodiment of everything our house stands for if only that first bastard was just bit like her.¡± [Father] My father looks down in disappointment as he remembers my brother. ¡° It wasn''t your fault he was poisoned by luxury. Something I have to fight everyday, it''s a good thing I have you to keep me in check or I would be like those pompous pricks.¡± [ Emperor ] ¡°Daddy Daddy look what I made¡± [???] A little girl with white hair and purple eyes comes running towards us. She is wearing a blue and pink dress with lots of frills. In her hands she was holding a crown made of flowers. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡° Aluma what do you have there is that a crown for me it''s a bit small though¡± [ Emperor ] The little girl giggled and said. ¡°it''s not for you it''s mine so I can be just like mommy and daddy¡± [ Aluma ] You may be wondering why doesn''t the princess have a crown well this is because the crown is not inherited it is give to the strongest or who the strongest decides is the most worthy. This is the case with my father he did not want the crown but thought that the crown should go to the second strongest the current emperor. It turns out that most of the heads of the Herba house have always been the strongest but have kept the crown in the royal family because just like our house the royal family have laws that prevent corruption, and there''s always us to keep them from getting away. ¡°It''s beautiful honey why don''t you teach Charlotte here how to make them or show her around the garden.¡± [ Emperor ] Okay Daddy! Come on Charlotte let''s go play!¡± [ Aluma ] The little girl dragged me around for three hours. First we played tag ,then we made crowns, then we braided each others hair then she showed me all her favorite flowers. I never knew playing with children could be so exhausting. I mean where does she get all that energy. I kept smiling and interacting with her like a normal kid my age. I made sure to not have my usual serious face on as not to bore the girl after all she is my future wife hehehe. So I have to be her prince charming or princess in this case. After three hours are up my father calls me to leave. Waving goodbye to Aluma and her family we make it back to our carriage, and leave towards our territories. Back in the carriage I ask my father a question that''s been bothering me for awhile. ¡° father I thought you said that all the nobles are trash why is the emperor and his family different¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡° It''s because the emperor was trained and raised in our family the third emperor started this tradition when he gave us the right to kill the emperor his words were that the emperor needs the threat of a knife at his throat to stay on the right path. As for the raising in our family home its because our family is incorruptible we kill all bad buds at there source and we are almost brainwashed into staying on the right path to protect this kingdom and it''s people.¡± [ Father ] ¡°Oh and speaking of which Aluma will begin living with us at the age of 5 so train well so you''ll stay a head¡± [ Father ] Hmm so that''s why father and the emperor seemed more like brothers than Superior and subordinate. That just leaves one last question. ¡° How did brother get corrupted?¡±[Charlotte] Chapter 3 Augustus POV: My name is Augustus Herba I am the prime minister of war for the Pallidas empire for 200 years my family has held this position. Ever since founder of my house worked his way up from a simple farmer to an Archduke. Now you may be wondering how could a simple farmer rise thru nobility. The answer is simple with his sword in hand and across multiple battles. In the Pallidas empire strength is what decides your standing in society. We of the Herba house strive for strength the weak are sent to the farms where our family began to build strength and determination. To the other nobles we are a cold and ruthless family. We hate the abuse of power so much we kill our own when they too start to abuse their power. It may be cruel but it must be done to ensure that we do not become the very thing we hate. The third emperor appreciate our rule and resolve so much he implemented inside the royal family. This is why we respect and hold them dear to us. The emperor also added something unthinkable to our position sort of a fail safe so that the royal family stays true. The power invested in us was that if the royal family ever stop ruling for the people and the country and instead for the nobles and coin. We are to immediately kill and replace the ruler of the time as long as there is an heir to thr throne. This also means that we can never except the throne even if we are the stronger family. This is because we are the sword that must be at the emperors throat no matter which family is on the throne we will always be there to keep them on the straight line. There were some in the family who intentions were pure but to extreme. They thought by killing all the corrupt nobles that the Empire would be better off ,and by controlling the emperor from the shadows was the only way. To say the least they were dealt with. I have said it once and I will say it again ¡° absolute power corrupts absolutely¡±. The task we have under took is a dangerous on and the greatest evils are always paved with the good intentions of the pure. This is why we are so cruel to our selves so we will never become what we hate. There are no exceptions to family law not even my son was spared from this. He was an exceptional talent in the field of business. He was a favorite for the next prim minister of finance. The other nobles could not allow that so they sent their sons and daughters to poison my son''s mind filling it with dreams of grandeur, saying that the common folk were beneath him, and that he shouldn''t work so hard he''s a noble so he should have fun while he can. I watched him slowly turned from prideful son of the Herba house, to the same trash of the other house holds. So by family law he had to be killed I almost didn''t do it but he made his choice when he raped one of the maids he fancied. So I personally killed him and struck his name from the Herba family tree. But he did not die alone I made sure to kill those bastards sons and daughters that poisoned my son''s mind to show them not to fuck with my family. I was determined to forget about him when my second child was born. My beautiful baby girl we named her after my wife''s late mother Charlotte. When she was born she didn''t cry not until the mid wife slapped her bottom twice as she didn''t flinch for the first one, it was then that I knew she would grow up to become greatness. As the months leading up to her birth I moved us away from the capital and into our third territory frigid north. My only two regrets were that I was no longer able to meet my good friend and sworn brother in arms the emperor Charles Flamma and my daughter seemed to grow up cold like the environment she was born in. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Although she was a genius saying her first words before she was even one years old and then being able to walk soon after. I knew I had to forge her so she wouldn''t grow arrogant in her genius. So I never praised her and I just added more training and higher standards. I did this because arrogance breeds mediocrity. At first I thought she would fail and become down to earth but she just blew right thru everything we threw at her. I gave her a dagger and a trainer the strongest man under my command, and instead of crying and giving up she made her own deadly style that if the soldiers that she trained with didn''t get serious and use their height advantage they would lose. So I up the difficulty and had her training partner the trainer that I assigned to train her in the basics. Do you know what happened after that the trainer became the student he learned her style and now every one in the army is learning it. Not only is she a monster in the form of combat she revolutionized the field of math. She came up with what she called algebra and used it to fix some major issue we had with our accounts after my failure of a son started stealing from the family. We didn''t even know about it untile she cheaked the books her self. She would be the perfect son if she was a boy. Me and my wife wish she was more girlie she refused to where a dress and instead designed an outfit with a blazer and pants I don''t know why but it just screamed military. My wife didn''t allow it with out a lot of frills and lace. But that didn''t mean I couldn''t wear a more masculine version of it I added more belts to the outside and armor on the inside. I also started to wear my sword on my hip I felt it competed the outfit but my daughter begged to differ she designed a hat with a bill and the hat itself sloped at an angle towards the back. The hat also had a bird with it''s wings spread out made out silver on thr front of the hat. After everything''s said and done the attire looks very intimidating. I plan to make this the attire to the upper echelons of the military when the not in armor. Except the Hat my cute daughter designed it just for me. If only she showed that beautiful smile off more she only shows it me and my wife. To remedy this I plan to take her to the capital ,to meet the emperor daughter the princess that way she will have a friend her age in which she can smile with more. So I packed up mine and Charlotte''s belongings my wife''s not coming because she''s in her latter phases of pregnancy and is not fit to travel. When we make it to the capital and meet the royal family I couldn''t believe how successful this trip was. They became friends almost instantly I''ve never seen her smile and laugh so much. If only we could stay a few more days and I''m sure they can become life long friends. But a last I have to make it back to my wife to be there for her. My good brother the Charles sensing my dilemma suggested having Aluma stay with us and train with Charlotte when she turns five. This is the same thing the last emperor did with Charles and ultimately what made us such good friends. On the way back to the territory I told Charlotte the good news. She seemed excited. Everything was going great untile she asked the one question I''ve always dredged. ¡° How did brother get corrupted?¡± [ Charlotte ] Chapter 4 Authors note: thank you for choosing to read my story please tell me if there are any mistakes or if you have any suggestions or questions about the story. ________________________________ Two years after hearing what happened to my brother, and the birth of my younger brother Maximilian Max for short , I decided to speed up my plans. First I gathered all the beggar children and orphans in our territories it took a very long time to convince my father to allow me. I just told him it was better than them living on the streets without a future. He finally agreed after I used his only weakness puppy eyes. The amount of children we gathered were 10,000. The amount of wealth and resources our family had this amount was nothing we could feed and house 100,000 more and our accounts would still be in the green I know I did them my self. Even though our territory is one of the most prosperous in terms of civilian wealth and happiness, being on the borders of our an opposing nation scrimmages are not unheard of, and war orphans are a common occurrence. After all of the children gathered and briefed on their current situation, they were split into groups. They were split into soldiers and none soldiers. The ones that didn''t want to fight were made into ether blacksmith apprentices or intelligence workers. When my father heard about what I decided to do with the children he praised me for the first time because it seemed that I was getting ready for when I earned my place as the next head of the house. I should probably explain right? Well it''s a known fact that every noble house has it''s own personal troops, even back in the old world this was a fact, this is so every house can protect its land. Our house is a little different every head of the house has its own personal army. The army is dissolved and drafted in the country''s army after the old head steps down. The army size can not exceed 50,000 combatants this means actual fighters, as for support troops there isn''t a limit only the amount you can afford to have. In total I had 2,000 soldiers in training under my command, 5,000 spies in training, and 3,000 blacksmiths in training. To say the least when everything''s said and done I will have a powerful war machine. I plan to forge my brother Max into the perfect administrative for the three territories which are each the size of Texas and California combined least to say I don''t want to deal with it. It''s fairly common as of now the territories are being run via proxy by my aunts and uncles. The head or rather the prime minister of war position is held by the oldest or most talented in the field of combat in the family. This will obviously go to me especially since I''ve been filling my brothers head with I''m the sword of the people and he has to be one of the shields to protect them from the nobles. In these two years I haven''t just been building an army, I''ve also been working on enchanting. The first thing I''ve been working on creating was oath magic. It''s basically an enchantment on one''s own mana supply and since everything in this dimension is made of mana no one is immune to this magic. If a person breaks their oath or lies while taking the oath their very own mana will catch aflame and will not stop until all the mana has been burned up. I tested this magic on death row criminals after they were shown what happens when one breaks or lies while taken the oath they all changed their ways and was released into the general public. A total of twenty three released convicts burned in the streets as they were in the process of breaking their oath and because mana fire doesn''t spread or hurt anything that wasn''t made from the same mana source there wasn''t any harm to other civilians. Now that isn''t to say fire made from mana is harmless it''s just different types of magic fires behave differently, a fireball spell fuses the casters mana with world mana there for allowing the magic to hurt others but keeps the caster safe, the casters mana acts as an ID so the world mana will not harm the caster but too little or too much personal mana and the caster will be harmed. That is to say if it was just the caster''s own mana or just pure world mana the caster can be harmed just the difference between the two is that pure world mana damages everything while using only personal mana only harms the user. These are the reasons mages are so sought after. The second this magic was completed my father employed immediately. All the nobles were forced to take an oath stating that they have never and will never betray the country, and will never use their power suppress the people. Five nobles died after they stated that they have never betrayed the country, and two others tried to resist saying the oath, least to say they were forced to say it or risk family annihilation. Those two also died after saying that they have never betrayed the country. It was a good thing these nobles had relatively low positions in government and their betrayals were easy to find and remedy. Stolen novel; please report. I received a very large amount of gold and allowed two request. The first request was full control over everything and anything I created or discovered. The second request was saved until I needed it in the future. Also to ensure the other nobles can''t still and abuse the oath magic I made it so only I can make it. I achieved this by using different runes than what this world use for enchanting. I learned from the massive data base on enchanting that is my brain, that the runes themselves doesn''t matter as long as it is a language that you yourself can understand it will work. Knowing this I was tempted to just write in English ,but being a navy seal in my past life it was encouraged to master multiple languages. So then I was tempted to write in Arabic it''s one of the most beautiful languages and arguably the most complex along with some other languages such as all of the asian languages. But I wanted something even more complex, so I went with fantasy language for a fantasy like world. If you were a fan of J.R.R Tolkien''s the hobbit or lord of the rings series you would recognize this language from the beautiful elves. The language was so complex unless you had a translator''s guide and years of practice you would never be able to decode it if you just saw some of the words. My squad mates and I only learned it because we were bored and thought it was beautiful ,and it was a good way to write messages to squad mates without anyone else knowing what the hell it means. Enchanting itself was a lot like basic coding. It mostly consisted of if than statements and function checks. For the oath magic it was a simple if blank is false then burn personal mana of blank and if blank turns false then burn personal mana. It was very simple and effective. There were more advanced ways of enchanting such as being very specific like how fast you want blank to move when X amount of mana is applied. I plan to use this type of enchanting latter on for future projects. One of my favorite things to happen in these two years that was almost overshadowed by the birth of my brother and everything that happened so far, was Aluma started living in our home in the north every day I would play and teach her everything I knew I took it very slow so she wouldn''t get overwhelmed seeing as she is a normal five year old child. My plan is to make her see me as perfect and as her hero as little girls often develop crushes on those they admire especially since I''m the only one our age that she interacts with. Although I would never do anything or make any moves until she''s fully developed and mature there''s no harm in planting seeds for the future. Just because I''m stuck in the body of a girl doesn''t mean I have to love men, those who think that are either sexist or an idiot, because if that was the case then how does lesbians exist. I will live as a man till the day I no longer exist i can''t because say till the day I die because I''ve already died once and come back I don''t want to jinx it. And with the way these gods operate they can change your life because they felt like it. Most of my next projects will have to wait till I''m older such as guns and cars. As stated earlier I will use the more advanced version of enchanting fore these. A project I can start now is the production of steel and because of the request I was granted I have full control of it and with oath magic the blacksmiths that I use can''t speak a word of how it''s made to anyone. I even made sure they can''t right it down. All those years fighting terrorist and counterintelligence has made me very paranoid and for good reason, one of the blacksmiths tried to write down the method to sell to other countries or nobles. I don''t believe I have to say this but all 10,000 children were made to take oaths stating that they will never betray my house or the country we serve and it''s people. This was also adopted in the country''s main army and even the emperor was made to take an oath. The great thing about the oath magic is that I only needed to make one eye of truth ( what I named the oath magic circle ) for each department of government this is to speed up the oath taking process. I even made one for the judicial branch for civilians ,but this one doesn''t kill it just gives them a painful shock if they lie or break the oath to tell the truth and the whole truth. All in all everything moving smoothly towards my secession as head of the house when I''m old enough. _______________________________ Authors note #2 Was the ending of this chapter too abrupt? Chapter 5 Authors note: Shorter chapter this time only by a few words though . _______________________________ After my invention of steel my father came to me. ¡°Charlotte I demand you give us the production method of creating steel.¡± [ Father ] ¡°No¡± [ Charlotte ] but I refused ¡° Are blinded by your childish greed to keep your toys¡±[ Father ] he thought I was possessed by greed. ¡° Are you an idiot? Do you still think of me as just a child, you want me to give something that I worked tirelessly to create. Tell me would you tell a master chef to give up his most prideful recipe just because you liked it? If you did you would be no better than those trash in capital. A real nobleman would hire the chief because he has the right to his own property. Just like a chef''s recipes are his strength so are my production methods this is the exact same reason I requested full control of everything I create and discover because. All of you would rush at my inventions like a pack of starved dogs. If you all want more steel produced send more blacksmiths and more ore and minerals. Of course the blacksmiths must be under me and they will have to be bound by oath.¡± [ Charlotte ] but I ensured him with reason. My reasoning was that the production method was mine and as it''s creator I can decide whether or not to spread it, because everyone has the right to personal property and strength, and that the production method was my personal strength and property. I was more than happy to teach it to others as long as they took the oath of the forge( what the blacksmiths decided to name it.) After my father heard me compare him to the trash for what he was attempting to do he calmed down. ¡° I may have been hasty in my greed for more steel. But try to understand if we can equip all of the country''s soldiers with steel armor and weapons we can finally stop the other three nations from attacking us and finally push them back¡± [ Father ] If I look at it from my father''s side. As the prime minister of war if he can procure more steel a lot of his problems can be solved. The reason our nation is so bent on personal strength is because we are surrounded by enemies three sides and water on the fourth. Our nation has almost every climate and an abundance of resources. The size of our nation is as big as all of Asia and Europe combined. The only reason we can reach the capital in such a short time is because our northern territory is closest to the capital. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. All other noble houses have to take a month at least to reach the capital this is also the reason the meetings at the capital is bimonthly and not monthly. This is so all to address problems in the territories and keep an eye on other noble families. All of my family''s territories are on the front lines so my father, my aunt Evora, and uncle Henry ( my aunt and uncle are left in charge the east and southern territories respectively.) are always having to get rid of raids. ¡° I understand but I can not give up the production method but I can create a way to speed up and produce more steel but I would need over 80 percent of all the iron ore and over 90 percent of all the firebricks in the country. I can also send the steel out to be manufactured into weapons in armor.¡± [ Charlotte ] After my father heard about my plan he went to the prime minister of finance to procure funds for my steel mill. It took 6 months to get the steel mill up and running.The steel produced in the mill is the property of the country but the the mill itself ,workers, and the method used are all under my name the country also has to pay me for the use of my mill and workers. I enforced the work shift and days off policies in all my facilities. The workers also received 3 paid sick days a month. I also invented enchanted respirators that run on a mana crystal that powers the purifying enchantment. This is how other mages power the continuous enchantments. This is also how the oath enchantments work a crystal is put on the edge of magic circle so that the enchantment is powered. Currently I am working on a way to work around the use of crystals or how to produce them. But back on topic the steel mill is based in our northern territory ,and is miles away from any border or village. This is to insure that the forstenshire empire can not sabotage the plant and villages do not get sick from the plant even though there are air purifying enchantments on top of the smoke stacks one can never be too careful with people''s lives. The steel mill itself looks like an industrial park from industrial period but less pollution and waste. If you all are wondering how I know how to make steel I used to work in a steel mill in my younger years, I was also an Apprentice blacksmith. I have to start staying on topic. The steel mill produces well over what the country can use so I buy all the excess steel and I store it for future use. Hmm maybe I should start my gun project. Chapter 6 part 1 Authors note : Shorter chapter today if you want the chapter by latter today you will have to give me ratings please be gentle (# ¡ã-¡ã# ) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3rd person pov Just like that 10 years went by in flash. Charlotte in these 10 years has advanced technology to tolerable level with the knowledge she had. She created water pumps ,filtration plants,sawmills and ships she gave away the blueprints to all of all them, she also encourage the people to come up with ideas of ways to use the saw meals and water pumps. With the creation of the sawmill the lumber industry rocketed off and because it was public knowledge on how they worked multiple lumber firms appeared. This created competition the competition created a market and a market created jobs. One type of industry created by this market were shipyards with the sawmill cutting large planks of wood became easy making it so large ships could be created. this in turn created the commercial fishing trade. It also opened up trading routes to nations further south than the country of plains who are currently in a hostile relationship with Pallidas empire. It also goes un said that this also goes unsaid that this also helped with the war effort. The military used the ships to drop off troops along the coast off the country of plains , with attacks on two fronts the country couldn''t take it and lost 30 percent of its territory and is slowly losing more. Present Pallidas empire capital: In the Royal palace Charlotte is walking the halls towards the royal ballroom. She is dressed in a white military formal uniform similar to the formal uniform of the U.S Navy but hers is more flashy with a black outline going up the seems of the arm the outline is also around the cuffs the outfit is completed with a sword on her waist and the pelt of black and white tiger hanging from her shoulders. Reaching the door of the she pushes it confidently with one hand. Today is the day of her coming of age ceremony. The day when she is formally introduced as adult, and she can join the military and start her career, so she can rightfully inherit her father''s position. ¡°Duchess Charlotte Herba has arrived!¡± [ announcer] All the nobles attending looked toward the door. Charlotte walked in looking confidant not sparing a single glance at any of the nobles. She continued walking until she reached a certain table. At the table sat the princess Aluma. ¡° May I have this dance my princess¡± [ Charlotte ] Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Charlotte reached out her hand to princess Aluma. ¡°*giggle * yes you may prince charming¡± [ Aluma ] Aluma accepted the hand and stood up. ¡° I told you to stop calling me that¡± [Charlotte] They began to walk towards the dance floor classical music is playing thru out the ballroom. ¡° But what else would I call my prince charming?¡± [Aluma] ¡° Then shall I call you my wife¡± [Charlotte wispered in her ear] ¡°*blush*. Stop that! Not here,We can''t be together until my coming of age ceremony¡± [ Aluma ] Making it to the dance floor the pair began to waltz through out the dance floor. The two have been practicing for months and the two performed flawlessly. The nobles who have never seen such an elegant dance were speechless. ¡° But I can''t wait I want my delicate flower now¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡°*blush*¡± [ Aluma ] The two continued to dance like they were the only two in the world. Soon the emperor and his wife joined then soon after Augustus And his wife also walked to the floor. ¡° I must say out of all your inventions to date this dance is one of my favorite¡± [ Emperor ] The emperor waltzed up to the pair. The pair realized at that moment that they were not alone on the dance floor. ¡° Father, Mother how do you know how to dance¡± [ Aluma ] ¡°*giggle* oh darling did you two really think you could hide your little practice sessions? The only place you can hide is in Charlotte''s little lair, where only she can enter because of that nasty door , it kills anyone that isn''t her. We even tried going in with a bit of her hair the only thing left of that spy was the lock of hair the rest of him was ashes in the wind.¡± [ empress Tatiana] ¡°We watched her teach you the dance and learnt it our selves it''s a beautiful dance perfect elegant true nobles.¡± [ empress Tatiana ] The trio danced till they were to tired to continue. The party continued it was time for the main event. ¡° It is now time for the main event. Is there anyone who contest Charlotte right to nobility. If so speak now but know that if you challenge her it will be a duel to the death and if you lose she will receive all that you own as will you if you defeat her.¡± [ Emperor ] ¡° I challenge her right!¡± [???] Charlotte pov: Out of the crowd comes the person I would never want to fight. That person was my Father! Chapter 6 part 2 Authors note : This is the end of the first arc it took me awhile to be happy with the fight scene I had to play it out with my sparing partner to check if the fighting sequence made sense and was possible. _______________________________ 3rd person pov : ¡°N-no I won''t. I refuse to do this I concede my right to nobility¡± [ Charlotte ] Charlotte stuttered over her words as she threw down her sword. ¡° It''s not that simple once the challenge has been issued there are no refusals. You will fight me you will kill me and then you will succeed me.¡± [ Augustus ] ¡° No! I will serve in the army then I will succeed you.¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡° Charlotte sweet Charlotte do you even know how you are suppose to succeed me. No matter how long you serve in the military, no matter how many achievements you get, we will always end up back here battling to the death. The only way to get the position of prime minister of war is through battle. I was once in this same predicament as you, but it was later in life on the day of my wedding to your mother, my father came to me saying that I was now ready to take over. I refused and refused but in the end it didn''t matter because he left me without a choice. So now I will leave you without a choice¡± [ Augustus ] Augustus began to remove his coat and unsheathed a dagger from his shoulder sheath. Seeing this Charlotte did the same to defend herself, but the dagger she unsheathed was a long karambit that had a hollow ground edge on the main blade and a secondary edge on the back of the tip of the karambit. The satin finish of the blade gleamed in the light. There was also a faint blue glow along the edges. The karambit was enchanted with a mana edge that allowed the knife to cut steel like butter much less bone. ¡°P-please father let''s stop I won''t succeed you okay lets put the knives down¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡°No if you do not fight you will still be killed this to temper your resolve so that in the future you will not hesitate if a family member falls into greed¡± [ Augustus ] Augustus rushed towards Charlotte his stance was low, he aimed the dagger at her solar plex. Charlotte sidesteps to the left and pushes his hand away from her, she takes a step with her right foot, as she does she does a punching motion with her right hand(the one with the karambit ), she also twist her wast to add speed and power to the punch. The blade tip stops at his throat. As she does this Augustus is not idle borrowing the momentum from Charlotte push he slings his dagger towards himself and catches it with his left hand and thrust the dagger at her side, the blade stops before it peirce her flesh. This took awhile to explain but it happened in an instant. The crowd could not follow the fluid movements it was like one moment they closed in on each other the next they were in a stand still. ¡° Can we stop this now I can''t beat you right now we''re even in strength so I can''t succeed you¡± [ Charlotte ] Charlotte pleads looking into her father''s eyes. He just gives a mocking smile. ¡° We haven''t even started. Look I evenchose your specialty so I can fight you at what your strongest at.¡± [ Augustus ] ¡° Stop the bullshit I know that close quarters is your preference, why should we keep going? Give it a couple years then we can fight,okay? just not today. Please?¡± [ Charlotte ] The two backed up from each other, nether taking there eyes off the other. ¡° Sorry baby girl but I have to fight yoh in my prime, while I can still walk on my own two feet. You see it seems I''m dieing I only have two maybe three years. I''ve caught the crystal veins.¡± [ Augustus ] Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Crystal veins was a terrible disease. No one knew how any contracts the disease and there is no know cure. The disease as it''s name implies turn the victims veins in to fragile crystal that can break at anytime causing the victim to bleed out from the inside. The transformation of the veins is a slow but agonizing process that takes two or three years after the symptoms first appeare. The disease is not contagious as a person can live with there family till they die and no one else will get the disease. It was first believed to be contacted from blood but after years of testing that was proven to be false. ¡°Yyyour lying! Your just saying that so I will fight you.¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡°You can believe me or not but yoh will fight me¡± [ Augustus ] Augustus removes his left glove showing small red crystals growing on his palm. The air in the room turns still the nobles begin to whisper among themselves. ¡°Now will you stop being a child and give me my last fight. Let me die as a warrior like my father before me.¡± [ Augustus ] He reverses his grip on the dagger and continued the fight. ¡°I understand¡± [ Charlotte ] Charlotte pov: What''s going on? How did it come to this? I still remember my youth how my father would run to me telling how the war effort was going. ¡°Charlotte we took korves bay today, those bastards didn''t even know we would be there! Hahaha it''s all thanks to you my little angel. Did you know that we use to be vassals of the country of plains. We couldn''t so much as take a shit without their consent. It''s always been my dream to show those bastards who was boss,and now thanks to you my dream came true¡± [ Father ] I wiped my tears from my eyes and get ready for my father''s attacks. He starts off with a left hook with the dagger in hand I block it with my right and slice down with the back edge cutting off a chunk of flesh from my father''s inside forearm. He switches to his right holding his dagger. I can hear his voice of the past yelling at me. ¡° You fool! You had the chance to take his arm or cut major arteries. In battle never miss those chances.¡± [ Father ] ¡®Yes father I won''t do it again ¡® [Charlotte''s thoughts] We continue our fight he blocks my blade with his unarmed left hand and stabs towards my stomach with his right, I block with downward swipe of my left hand , I then snake my right hand under his arm and uppercut with my knife tip towards his chin, he back steps dodging the blow the does a backwards spinkick with his right foot, I switch knife to my left hand I catch his leg with my right and cut off his leg below the knee cap with a uppercut from my left hand before he can use the momentum to kick with his left off balance he falls to the floor. ¡°It''s over you can no longer fight and I will not fight a cripple¡± [ Charlotte ] I look coldly into his eyes. Then he does something I never thought he would do in this situation he laughs. He laughs so hard his voice rings throughout the ballroom. ¡°What''s so funny have you finally lost it oldman¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡°I''m laughing because you made the same choice as I did and my father before him and so on. It''s just I wasn''t as cruel as you I just cut his tendons so he couldn''t walk,but you took my entire leg!¡± [ Father ] This bastard he''s tempting me to cut out his tongue. ¡°Alright everyone I give you the new prime minister of war may the ashes of war clear your path¡± [ Emperor ] ¡°May the ashes of war clear your path¡± [everyone ] And just like that my bloody fifteen came to an end and I was the new head of the Herba house and the prime minister of war. To sick to write today. I''m sorry there wasn''t a chapter today I was stuck in bed. I could barely walk much less write. I will try to do a double release or just a longer chapter tomarow to make it up to you guys and girls. Side chapter: My sisters scary Authors note : If anyone is from Brazil I do not mean to a fend you by when max says " I don''t know what a Brazilian is but it sounds deadly " I was speaking about the martial art and how dangerous it is. --------------------------------------- Maximilian pov: My name is Maximilian, but I go by Max, I am the second son of the great Herba house. Sense the time I could think I''ve admired my sister. She''s smart, beautiful , and strong as hell. But she acts more like a man than as a girl. How you ask well for one she refuses to wear girl clothes her exact words were ¡°I''ll die before I willingly put on a dress, and I''ll kill anyone that tries to make me.¡± She also hates anything a noble woman is normally supposed to like such as tea party''s and knitting. She would rather spend her time in something she called the weight room. Inside the room is a lot of things she calls exercise equipment. Every day her and the knights under her are to ¡°workout¡± for two hours. When she comes out she looks exhausted and sweating all over the place. One time I asked her why she was doing this if it seemed so hard she just flexed her arm showing off her toned muscles saying ¡° I have to be the strongest so these bitches won''t step up¡± I had no idea what the hell she meant. Well that was until some noble came asking for a spar. The noble thought that because of how my sister looks she was weak. Even though my sister can lift a fully grown man with one hand, she looks like any normal girl a skinny delicate flower, with her luscious black hair that is kept in a long high ponytail, her rich golden eyes that make the highest polished gold look dull, her small nose and small pink mouth, all of this with her snow like skin combined makes her look like a ceramic doll from the capital. That was just her face her body also looks like what the noble girls wish they had with corsets and girdles, with her narrow waist small chest and long long legs. All of this with her looks she looks like a moon goddess. But that''s just an illusion if you catch her in training clothes in something that she calls a sports bra and shorts you will see the power behind the illusion. She has abs that looms like valleys, her chest is small because of the muscles on it, her legs and arms look like well forged steel. (A.N think someone like Kailash Persaud Google her) When the noble man came to fight, he was probably thinking he could get feel of my sisters body or make her submit to be his wife, that was huge mistake. He spoke some nonsense about how he would hate to hurt her pretty face, so he will only wrestle, what an idiot my sister has a wrestling style so vicious she kill you while she''s on her back and you''re on top. She called it Brazilian jujitsu, I don''t know what a Brazilian is but it sounds deadly. Back to the idiot he rushed my sister going for her waist at a low angle, but before he could get close my sister delivered a lightning fast punch to his nose, then a palm strike to his ear, she then wraps her hands around the back of his neck she then kneed him four times switching legs after each hit, then she threw him on the ground by twisting her waist and pulling down his head with her hands still clenched behind his neck, after he was on the ground she dropped her knee into his solar plexus ,then sat on his stomach with each of her knees on either side of him, then came the pounding. She punched his face till he was knocked unconscious. It was then I understood what she meant so the bitches were the nobles and stepping up was them challenging her. After that nobles came to challenge her for a month straight and they all left unconscious some even with a broken arm before the fight started because his hands were wondering. After all these fights me and the soldiers under her started working out like crazy but we kept in mind my sister''s warning having muscles was fine, but having bulky muscles was not allowed, so we focused on strong lean muscles as per her training regime. Making sure not to over due it because it could be more harmful than good. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. I now also knew why she ate so freaking much, it was all the fucking exercise she does. I ate a half a cow a fucking half of a cow. When I was 9 she started training me in hand to hand combat, if that''s what you want to call torture. She would teach me how to unarm an attacker with a sword with my bare hands. I repeat my BARE HANDS! First she was nice and kind teaching the motions nice and slow. First step is to get into your opponent''s guard before he can complete his swing or after you''ve dodged his attack whatever the situation calls for really. Then you grab his sword arm at the wrist so you can keep the sword away from you, then pull his arm, now here''s where things get tricky if you stopped his swing before hand as you pull his arm you will turn your body so your back is facing him while his sword arms elbow is on your shoulder then pull down breaking the elbow. But if you dodge the attack before you pull the arm place your leg behind their back leg, then pull the arm while pushing your shoulder in their chest this will get them off balance causing them go fall you will then stomp on the sword arm breaking the arm. This works on everyone, but my sister because before you can stomp her arm she has you in some weird hold where the sword edge is at your throat. I''ve said it once and I''ll say it again I don''t know what the hell a Brazilian is buts I know it''s deadly. Then came putting it to practice she would use super thin and light sticks that she could swing really fast and expected me to be able to disarm her. I was hit till I had red marks all over my body, then after half year of this I was finally able to disarm her both ways of course we didn''t actually break arms and such we stopped at the last step before breaking. Then after that I was put with the soldiers and we each ran the drills with practice swords. I found that the swords moved insanely slow. I disarmed a veteran soldier on my first try. She then taught all of the soldiers this technique. She then taught us her fighting style. I was more bruised then before. Then after all that abuse I still had to study how to run a territory. I had to learn geography, agriculture, politics. The politics was fun I learned from my sister to always get any deals in a contract that I created on oath paper something only members of our house have and we have to take an oath just to get any from my sister. She really doesn''t trust anyone besides me my mother and father and Aluma. But even we have to take oaths when we get anything she thinks is dangerous in the wrong hands and we have to keep them under an oath lock which only unlocks to those who took the oath to get them and if the person did not take the oath a loud alarm goes of and paralyzes the one trying to take them. Now you might be wondering why not try to become the prime minister of war like my father. Well if you were listening my sister crushes anyone who ¡°steps up¡± she also coined the phase ¡° run up get done up¡±. She said that to my cousin when he challenged her at the houses family meeting. The poor bastard can''t even look at her without crying. So least to say I''m not going to go for that position. Another thing that''s weird about my sister is she talks very briskly she will only tell you what you need to know. Mostly like a summary of events that happened. My favorite phrase she says is when a noble gets jumpy and wants to lash out at her, Is ¡°what you feeling frogy? Then jump frog.¡± Yeah my sisters scary. --------------------------------------- Warning do not try the acts detailed in this chapter I am not responsible for any injuries obtained by you or anyone that have tried the acts detailed in this chapter. Team shadowmouse assemble! Calling out to all the fans of silks and ash. I would like some help when I write I sort of get tunnel vision, I know what I want to happen and I know how I want the story to go so I focus on the Mc more than the side characters and as a result my story seems hallow even to my self. A reader pointed out to me this and gave inspiration for the latest chapter but even that chapter had a bit of tunnel vision. The readers name was Zekean so I would like other readers to point out things and help me move the story along. An author on this site once wrote a book is a conversation between the writer and the reader. I agree fully with this but it takes more than one to have a conversation so come talk to me. Tell me everything you find wrong with the story anything you would like to see. Chapter 7 part 1 Sitting inside the prime minister''s office doing paperwork work about the ongoing war effort. It has been a month since I''ve taken over my father''s position. In this month I''ve unveiled my greatest ¡°invention¡± yet firearms. If you have ever heard of the word musket you should hopefully know how they work, right? Well if not it basically works by packing gunpowder in the barrel of the musket, then stuffing a lead ball down the barrel packing it down so pressure applied to the powder, is spark is applied to the gun power and because pressure was applied to the powder it explodes the gas and heat exits the way of least resistance which happens to be the barrel this causes the lead ball to rocket out of the barrel and into whatever you''re aiming at. This is the same way a bullet works just a lot more pressure and a protective case. It is also the bases of my magical firearms. So 4 years ago I had an idea what if I just use air pressure in a bullet case to shoot the round. So I made a case, and at the bottom of the inside, I made a air gathering enchantment; the enchantment was activated by a mana stone on a spring instead of a firing pin, that launches when the trigger is pulled, the spring is reset after the lever action is engaged. I based the gun design after henry ¡°yellow boy¡± 44 mag lever action, the gun is known for its golden receiver and octagon barrel the inside of the barrel is round of course complete with rifling so the projectile spins and therefore stays accurate. And guess it worked, well actually but it takes to long to gather enough air mana to fire the bullet, from the trigger pull to the actual firing. So then I thought why not just keep it simple like a musket. Instead of trying to make a bullet, I just made the projectile a lead spike with a flat bottom just like the projectile from a modern bullet. Instead of gun powder I used an very, very small but powerful explosive enchantment, same yellow boy design as the last one. This time I wasn''t so sure about it not exploding in my face so I loaded it attached a string to the trigger and hid behind a protective barrier, with Aluma and Max. ----------------------------------------------------------- 4 years ago 3rd person pov. ¡° I don''t know about this sis are you sure this is safe?¡± [ Max] Max asks with a unsure tone ¡° I agree with Max is this safe Lotte¡± [ Aluma ] Aluma says right after In a scared tone. ¡° Will you two shut up the last one woke this one will be the same¡± [ Charlotte ] Charlotte reassure the two in a confident voice. ¡° I mean it''s simple the enchantment should explode forwards just like...This!¡± Charlotte pulls the string and immediately after a loud explosion rings out and gun parts fly at high speed everywhere in the workshop. *Gulp* the three are perfectly in sync after looking at the damage workshop. Cold sweat runs down Charlotte''s spine as she thinks about if she was actually holding the gun. ¡°mmm maybe if I weaken the enchantment¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡° Or just stop this crazy experiment¡± [ Aluma ] ¡° I second the motion¡± [ Max] ¡° Overruled! You can both just leave, just don''t expect to get back in, and no matter how much you beg, I won''t be able to hear you. The workshops soundproof besides the emergency bell I can''t hear a thing, and you guys won''t be able to hear anything.¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡°No don''t kick me out¡± [ Aluma and Max ] The pair pleaded to stay. ¡°Fine you can stay, but you too have to stop ganging up on me¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡°Yes ma''am!¡±[Aluma and Max ] ----------------------------------------------------------- 3 months later (still in the past) ¡°Experiment number 563 ¡°strength enhanced steel and weaker enchantment¡± beginning in 3,2,1 pull!¡± [ Charlotte ] You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Charlotte spoke into a recording device that had a simple record sound and playback enchantment. *Booom!* a loud explosion rang out like many times before rang out in the workshop. ¡°damn another failure maybe I should focus on the enchantment itself¡± [ Charlotte ] ----------------------------------------------------------- 2 years later( 1 year before the present ) ¡°Experi¡­.experiment number 14,784 begin In 3,2, just activate the enchantment!¡± [ Charlotte ] Charlotte screamed in a frustrated voice. Aluma and Max have long stop coming to the workshop. *Boom!* a familiar sound rang out. ¡°Damn it no matter what I do the enchantment always explodes outwards, this would be great I''d I was making grenades, I need something to contain or funnel the explosion forwards, mmm maybe if I put a containment enchantment around the explosion then work on leaving just part of it open.¡± [ Charlotte ] With renewed vigor Charlotte began to work, she sketched up multiple designs. She searched through out her extensive knowledge of enchantments that the gods gave her. ----------------------------------------------------------- 2 months later ¡°Control circle experiment number 231 begins in 3,2,1 please work!¡± *Booom!* a familiar sound rang out but this time without all of the smoke and debris. ¡°Damn another fail¡­ Oh shit it worked! it fucking worked! Thank a mackerel fucking a donkey it fucking WORKED!¡± [ Charlotte ] Charlotte danced through out the workshop, screaming at the top of her lungs that it worked. Good thing the workshop was soundproof or everyone inside the castle would be able to hear her. ¡°Now to put it in a gun in shoot but first let''s add another control circle just in case¡± [ Charlotte ] Charlotte walked towards her work bench that had gun parts on it a pile of broken gun parts in a corner next to the table. 2 hours after she started working she was at the firing rang inside of her workshop. ¡° Now starting gun firing test in 3,2,1 fire!¡± [ Charlotte ] *bang* a loud crisp sound of a gunshot rang out. ¡°Success hahaha now the .308 round is completed time to up the power so that I can mak a .50 cal haha¡± [ Charlotte ] Although the design of the gun is of a henry .44 mag Charlotte decided to go for a faster round because speed beats armor and the enemy were using thick iron armor. Although a .44 mag can break the armor it would not have enough power to continue through the person, so she chose a .308 instead of the heavier slower .44 round that is usually in those guns, obviously the barrel was a different size then the original. ----------------------------------------------------------- Present Charlotte pov : Thinking back on the memory I wish I had known I would need a control circle to funnel the blast. That would have saved me so much trouble. ¡° Miss they are ready for you.¡± [ soldiers ] A soldier comes inside my office and reports nervously. ¡°Thank you I be there in a moment¡± [ Charlotte ] The soldier shivers when my eyes meets his. Ever since my coming of age the soldiers have become scared of me. When I asked why they just looks away and start stuttering. I was on my way to a war meeting addressing the situation in the west. The Versalis empire was fighting our empire to a stalemate, Versalis empire has the biggest collection of mages. Even with firearms with both fighting at a distance, and our empire''s forces are trying to get used to a new weapon these two factors balance out scales of battle. I reach the war room and pause before opening the door I take a deep breath. Well I guess it''s time for my first war meeting. Writers block is haunting me Sorry for the lack of up dates writer''s block has kidnapped me, it won''t let me go I''m having trouble pushing it in the direction I want it to go. Should I add other races like elves and dwarves. What do you guys and gals think new races or just stick with humans? Chapter 7 part 2 After walking into the room, I survey the 6 other people in the room. Each of these 6 people are vips in the military. They are all the head of a specific department in the army. They are 1) Lucius Xerna: head of mage division 2) Rose Ming: head of the scouting/ intelligence division 3) Fargas Lux: head of the 4th division captain of the royal guard. 4) And the last 3 are eyes of the emperor, they are zealots towards the crown even without an oath they would never betray the crown, they are are in control of the most powerful surveying spell ever created and only known by them until the next three are trained. The spell was created by the first emperor a chosen like myself but he chose the knowledge of spells. I learned this after being inducted as the minister of war, along with other top secret information. When I learned this I was tempted to just come clean, but before I could speak I was put under oath to speak only the truth when asked a question while inside the ceremony hall. This is how it went Question 1 are you a chosen? My answer was yes Question 2 do you have a way to end the war? My answer was yes Question 3 can you end the war quickly? My answer was yes. Question 4 what is it? My answer I will not tell you. Question 5 why not? My answer it will end to many lives. Question 6 If ordered to will you do it? my answer was no. Question 7 Are you loyal to the crown? My answer was hell no. Question 8 are you a trader? My answer was hell no. Question 9 what are you loyal to? My answer this country and it''s people. Question 7-9 are the questions that are usually asked without an oath to every new minister of war is asked when they are inducted as the new minister. So long story short every high official that was there knows I''m a chosen. Some of them screamed the gods love our country personally I think they did it because they were bored. Back on track each of the ¡°eyes¡± overlooked a major enemy country. This would be great and any country from the old world would kill for this spell but there are limits to the spell. It can only overlook an area where someone wearing the mark of the emperor is. Everyone in the military has one ( I don''t have one as I am on equal ground with the emperor. ) Sound can not be transmitted so a spy can''t just infiltrate a country''s court and an eye can just hear everything instantly. It used a lot of mana to use so only those with huge mana pools can learn it. The mark doesn''t disappear after the bearer is dead so even if the army is wiped out we can still see what the enemy is up to. Eyes display what they see on a table from a top down view. Making it so we can see the entire battlefield and with the phones I created for the generals so that we can speak to them giving orders from the capital. Looking at the table we see our forces fighting the Versalis empire. ¡° Lucius can earth mages dig a hole from where the third battalion is to the left wing of the enemy?¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡° Sure they can but it would take about an hour and the enemy would reinforce the ground beneath their feet so a pitfall won''t work.¡± [ Lucius ] He says with a full of himself attitude. ¡° I''m not trying to make a pitfall what if we start in the woods to the left and exit on their left wing how long would it take¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡° you''re not? If we start where the 5th battalion is it would take 20 minutes tops. I still don''t understand what nonsense you''re going on about.¡± [ Lucius ] I ignore him and press the phone to call one of the generals. ¡°General Tulo send a group of earth mages to the 5th battalion have them dig a tunnel big enough for 2 battalions to walk comfortably 30 givs away from the enemy''s left wing, have the 5th and a swordsman battalion follow them and attack from the tunnel also send two barrier mages with them so the gunmen can safely send cover fire for the swordsmen so they can get close.¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡°Understood will do.¡± [ Tulo] ¡° What are you doing! The mages are under my command, how dare you order them around like they''re your subordinates!¡± [ Lucius ] This guy is getting annoying I should probably cut him down to size. ¡°First of all you are MY SUBORDINATE, and all of your subordinates are MINE as I am the MINISTER OF WAR! If you dislike this leave but leave your life at the door as you know the punishment for leaving your post without being relieved. Stolen story; please report. Also with your outburst I can have your head as this is the first time I will forgive it only because of your insight in magic. But know this I will kill you next time unless you have valid point or argument we will be with each other for a long time. So please let us get along¡± [ Charlotte ] ¡° What can you know of war you''re just a little girl who just became an adult chosen or not you were probably some civilian.¡± [ Lucius ] My face went cold once I heard him call me a civilian and that I know nothing of war. I slowly get up and walk towards him. ¡° I''ve seen battles that will make your Bitch ass shit yourself. Have you ever walked down a road and pass a civilian only to have that very civilian blow himself up taking out one of your best friends. Then right after a group of enemies comes to finish you off causing you to leave your friend there on enemy soil to never be buried, then you find the bastards strung up his body so everyone can see what they did to him. Have you ever had to watch as not only his body was strung up but they violated it also.¡± [ Charlotte ] I close in on him he tries to cast a spell. ¡°Sure magic is devastating I''ve watched the battles of this world. But you all use of it is primitive at best. Look at the nation of mages they only stay in the back firing off huge spells. But what if they kept moving firing off small but deadly spells , then they could use less mana, and fire more spells, and they would be harder to pin down.¡± [ Charlotte ] I block the wind blade he fires at me with a mana devour enchantment it like the name eats mana so even if the spell hits before it can damage the mana that makes the spell is eaten. The enchantment is on my clothes but it''s effect is set in sphere about a meter in front of me so just in case the spell can still damage me it won''t. ¡° I have a lifetime of battle under my belt, I died in battle protecting my country and ending a war. So don''t ever ask what I know of war. Because in my world war is an art that we''ve practiced since we came to be.¡± [ Charlotte ] I said this as I grabbed his neck prepared to break it. ¡° Charlotte stop this was a test to get more information on you and your old world¡± [ Charles ] The emperor came in from the door that I came in from a few minutes ago. ¡°Please forgive me minister but unlike you I am a servant of the crown.¡± [ Lucius ] ¡° Minister the mages have made it to the designated area the gunmen are attacking the enemy side their formation is failing what are your orders?¡± [ Fargas ] Ignoring the king for more pressing matters I look at the battlefield. The enemy left wing is falling apart so just like I thought there sending swordsmen to the left from the right because the mages can''t use AOE attacks. They are forced to use smaller spells, but they have to deal with the barrier and the swordsmen. But the gunmen are attacking covering the swordsmen. So they have to weaken there right. But the swordsmen are taken out by the rest of our army as they close in. ¡°General Tulo send two cavalry units to the right side one armed guns and the other with halberds. Guns leading the charge.¡± [ Charlotte ] The cavalry with guns are on a magical beast called a bonko it''s like a triceratops but it doesn''t have horns and is looks more like an armored rat than a lizard. They have a fan like crest that protects the driver allowing a second rider to shoot freely from it''s long back. The cavalry smashes through the right wing causing the mages to scramble. ¡° Call back the cavalry units and send aid to the 5th though the tunnel and send the rest of the cavalry down the middle tell them quick sweeps and get back to base repeat this 3 times and attack the right side again then send in infantry to the middle in a Crescent shape and in circle them¡± [ Charlotte ] In one short hours the battle was over by dividing their attention the camander didn''t know how to react if we didn''t have guns that can ignore their barriers this would have been a very drawn out battle. The bullets have the same devour enchantment that my clothes have,but it only activates after the bullet reaches maximum velocity. Now combine that with fast moving calvary and swordsmen the enemy had no idea what to do. ¡°Now did you need anything else your highness.¡± [ Charlotte ]
Sorry for the sloppy wall of text royalroad didn''t take my bullet points