《Transcendence?》


 1. ~Prologue~

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    Author''s Comment:


    I was asked about reading my work on other sites.


    The answer is simple: Currently I am not active in any other networks than royalroadl.com. Only here, I correct mistakes and errors.


    If you read it anywhere else and have to pay for it, or have to deal with an annoying amount of advertisement, You Are Being Betrayed.


    You would do good if you make other people in that network aware of it. This is a free project of mine for the purpose of having fun. And if people try to make money with it you shouldn''t bother visiting their website.


    The only one whom I actually allowed to have my work on his website is Armaell who invested the time to compile them into pdf.


    (http://armaell-library.net/author/andur</a>)


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    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


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    ***Arcane Academy, Eastern Plains***


    -What a stupid looking chandelier.-


    Hell. I am thinking this for the tenth time! The director should stop his stupid speech and hand out our diplomas!


    I have way too much time to look around and think about this cursed world. Right now I am in the Eastern Plains which belongs to no one in particular. It''s just a deserted region that consists of rocks, sand and more rocks. No interesting minerals, no people, and almost no living organisms.


    So it is the perfect place for the most esteemed magical academy in this world. It''s a multinational institute with the financial backing of several countries. Everyone is sending their most talented magicians to this place.


    There are five big nations which are mostly at peace with each other.


    First is the Mislow Kingdom to the west. It''s a striving country with good access to all needed resources. Not that there is much that''s needed anyway.... but I will explain that point later. Mislow is feared for their mind magicians. They are masters of illusion and trickery.


    Once they were invaded by one of the other powers and trapped the biggest enemy army in a self repeating loop of its environment while marching though a big open field. The whole enemy army started to walk in circles for weeks until they died of thirst right next to a big lake. The Mislow military didn''t draw a single sword.


    Then there is Norfolk in the north. It consists of mountain ranges and from what I heard they have an everlasting winter up there. They mostly trade food in exchange for ores and other materials they mine in their mountains. It''s a loose conglomerate of tiny nations, kingdoms and principalities.


    They don''t have any military power compared to other nations. That''s because they have no real unity. But they are left alone because of the harsh environment up there. It''s much easier to trade than to subjugate them. Their only central governing power is the Jarl. He is something like a king, though he has less power.


    It''s much more likely that any army that''s sent to Norfolk would die of hunger and cold than in a fight. Even though it''s true that Norfolk has a weak military, their territory is huge! You need weeks or months to march an army from one city to the next. On top come the mountains which just add to the problems.


    The Jamaian Union is to the south. It''s another big thriving country which is the most similar to a democracy in this world. They are renowned for their fire magicians. It''s said that their mightiest arcane wizard created the Eastern Plains by burning a whole country to cinders during the last big war.


    That was a few hundred years ago, so no way to tell if the story is true or not.


    Then we have the Island Nation of Mist. They are strange people with long ears and a high build. They are very different from the humans on the main-continent. They control almost all islands on the great sea and are very xenophobic people.


    Even though they control the trade on the ocean, they don''t interact much with anyone else. Their ships moor in a port to sell and buy goods and then they disappear on the great Sea again.


    Last but not least there is the great Phenex Empire. They completely control a whole continent which is five weeks to the south by ship. Admittedly, the Phenex Empire is only the size of a third of the main continent. They are still bigger than any other nation.


    And they are ruled by a supposedly immortal Queen since a few hundred years.


    Now for something that''s shared by all nations. They despise technology! Everything has to be done by magic. And therefore, being able to use magic in this world is equivalent to having power.


    People who are able to use a reasonable amount of magic are nobility by default. Someone without it is a peasant and treated accordingly.


    The big noble families consist only of the most powerful magicians. Of course it''s in the interest of nobility to suppress any technology and knowledge about science. It keeps the untalented worker class at bay.


    Something which I really despise. Not that I would care for anyone besides myself. But I love technology and machines. It''s my hobby! Yet I am forbidden from following my interests in this world. It''s infuriating!


    If it wouldn''t have serious side effects I would slit my throat right here and now to start my next life. That''s because I am someone who remembers his previous lives. I am quite old actually. From what I remember I have lived a few thousand different lives so far.


    But there is a problem with reincarnation. If you die too early, you lose memories. That''s not exactly pleasant and it already happened quite a few times to me already. Sometimes you are just unfortunate and die as an infant for example. That''s the worst case. It blows a serious hole into your memories. Mostly you lose your oldest memories. But if you are unlucky you can also lose somerecent ones. And that''s really unpleasant!


    So I will never commit suicide for a pathetic reason like that. Even if the reincarnation is really shitty like my current one.


    I am the third son of high nobility from the Mislow Kingdom. Even though I was born into nobility I really hate this world. The biggest reason is the ban on technology. The second biggest reason is that I hate my family.


    My father and my mother don''t give a shit about their children and see us just as resources. When I was old enough to walk, they threw me out of the house and locked me up in an educational facility. The people there knew just two things. Training and sleeping! So I never really learned to know my parents until I was ten.


    That was when I was taken back home to be -introduced- to the people which should be called my family. But what followed were just brutal and inhumane training lessons. It didn''t matter how good I was. If I managed to achieve something, my father simply made it harder the next time.


    Maybe he was annoyed that his third son is more capable than his first son who should inherit the house. Mother was always indifferent towards me. But I have to admit that she kept me alive during my infant stage.


    It actually is very bad for a noble house to have multiple capable heirs. The nation''s laws are very strict in that regard and are designed to protect the magical heritage. If there are multiple capable heirs, the noble house has to be split between them in order to ensure that both bloodlines are kept alive.


    That''s something my father doesn''t want to happen under any circumstances. Having a big and powerful noble family split up would result in two smaller noble houses which aren''t under his control any more.


    In short, my family is the worst I can remember throughout all my reincarnations.


    It was a blessing that I managed to sneak out of the house when I was twelve. I went directly to a testing facility which belonged to the Arcane Academy. There I took a test for the Arcane Academy and got a sponsorship.


    So the brutal training had at least some worth. When the letter from the Arcane Academy arrived, my father fumed and beat me half to death. I may have had knowledge above my age but that doesn''t mean that I could put up a fight against someone who was in the prime of his time.


    In any case, it was worth the beating. After my potential was officially acknowledged by the Academy, my father had no other choice than to let me go. Magic ability equals power in this world. And hindering his own son in climbing the ladder of power would have looked very bad for him.


    His house would have looked weak. And that''s something that cannot be allowed in a world where all powerful bloodlines are eyeing each other with daggers behind their backs.


    While there are no wars, it is far from peaceful. The climb and fall of a noble house can be decided by a single weak family member.


    A few years have passed since then. And as long as I was protected by the Arcane Academy, I could live my life in relative freedom.


    Though it should be a place that seeks knowledge, the Academy isn''t any different in its pursuit of the status quo. You are allowed to seek any knowledge that''s in line with the general world-view. But should you be found to dabble in technology or science, you can be sure to face dire and most likely final consequences.


    ¡°Ascathon!¡±


    Someone elbows me into the side. ¡°It''s your turn in any second now! Don''t zone out while looking at that creepy chandelier. Seriously!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha... sorry. What would I do without you mom!¡± I smirk at Kane who is the only person who is friendly with me. Because of the whole house splitting issue, it''s uncommon for a noble family to send someone else besides their first son to the Academy.


    Everyone tried to hold their distance from me during my time here. They don''t want to be involved in any trouble by being associated with me. Kane is the only one who didn''t care.


    He is the son of a merchant house and filthy rich. He isn''t very talented in magic but his family sent him here with money despite that. It gives a lot of prestige to have someone graduating from here.


    Kane has short brown hair and dark brown eyes. He could be called a little chubby if you take just a quick look at him. But I know that he is just built very sturdy.


    ¡°Ascathon Arenzien!¡± The headmaster calls for me and I stand up. I walk with long measured steps through the rows of chairs with students. It''s a big hall and there are about two hundred graduates.


    When I arrive at the podium, the headmaster hands me a certificate, which acknowledges my successful graduation from the Arcane Academy.


    ¡°You managed to graduate with flying colours. Seven perfect scores on your seven main fields of study. That''s remarkable! By the Academy''s tradition, it will fulfill a wish for a student who managed five perfect scores. So what do you wish for Ascathon?¡±


    The Headmaster looks at me with inquiring eyes.


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    I smile at him. That''s the moment I was working for. The Academy should have the power. ¡°I wish to cut all ties with my family. I want a new family name of my own. Never again I want to be mentioned together with the house of Arenzien.¡±


    A murmur rises throughout the students and the director screams them down. ¡°SILENCE!¡± Then he looks back towards me. ¡°You realize that you throw away a name with history and power? Life will be much harder without it. It can also be seen as a serious insult towards the house of Arenzien.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care.¡± I grab the certificate out of the directors hand and press my thumb onto it while infusing my mana into it. This acknowledges the document from my side.


    The headmaster waves his hand and another document appears in it. It starts to glow while he sets up another document. ¡°Then so be it. The Academy will change your name into....?¡±


    ¡°Ascathon Asceron.¡±


    ¡°Ascathon Asceron. You are a free noble mage from now on. No family ties. No ties to any other noble household.¡± He hands the second document to me and I sign it in the same manner.


    I bow slightly and turn around to leave with a grin on my face. This life belongs to me from now on! Just one thing left to do before I can start to build up a place for myself.


    After a few steps I am back at my seat and sit down again.


    ¡°The Fuck!? You really did it! I can''t believe it! I know you told me but I still didn''t believe it! Fuck! They will kill you! You know that? You just insulted one of the mightiest families of Mislow! They will send assassins in scores after you! Fuck!¡± Kane starts a tirade while whispering.


    ¡°Friend? Could you deposit all my money divided by three in three magical pouches and bring them to me after this event.¡±


    ¡°Of course I can. You should be fast and try to hook up with another nation though. You aren''t safe in Mislow any more! Stop that stupid grin! Gods, Fuck. I still can''t believe that one of my best friends just committed suicide.¡± Kane straightens his robe with a concerned face.


    Kane made quite some money with my help during the years at the Academy. With his family ties and my knowledge, I managed to create quite a fortune. That happened through the selling of new magical techniques and spells, which I remembered from my earlier reincarnations.


    If you manage to create a completely new spell, you can sell the knowledge for quite some money. Of course the sum is dependent on its usefulness. If the spell has considerable military value for example.... it''s easily worth a principality or two.


    The time flies by without further big commotions. At the end of the ceremony I get up and walk outside to get some fresh air. It''s easy to leave the big auditorium in which the ceremony was held.


    Just walking outside and down the hallway is enough. The campus outside is neat and clean like a park. There are many students here and it is buzzing with life. Considering that the Arcane Academy has students from all over the world its size is huge. It''s actually a small city with everything you can imagine. From stores to restaurants and offices.


    I fold the acquired papers which document my freedom neatly and place them inside a holder with other important documents. Ascathon Asceron.... the name has a nice ring to it. And this stupid world will start to ~fear~ it soon enough!


    ¡°Look who we have here. The stupid Arenzien who gave up his family''s protection. What do you intend to do now, idiot?¡±


    My expression drops. I can''t help it. That voice is a serious mood killer. I turn around to the rude person with the name of Celestial Jasmine. She is the only person who interacted with me on an almost daily basis besides Kane.


    Dark black hair and metal blue eyes. A nice face and good figure. If she wouldn''t poison the air with her words as soon as her cute lips part I would have a crush on her.


    But where my relationship with Kane is one of friendship, Celestial is my worst enemy. She belongs to a very high social standing within the Jasmine House from the Mislow Kingdom like me.


    As for her problem with me. I have no idea. She never lowered herself to the point of telling me the reason. Her family has some issues with mine from what I heard. So it''s likely that she was indoctrinated by her parents to despise everything with the name Arenzien.


    ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about. I see nobody with the name Arenzien here.¡± I give her a smug grin while I scratch my chest. Ah, good. I didn''t forget to put on my amulet. It''s a little artefact which grants me passive protection against curses.


    Carrying around something like this is a risk. But it''s worth it. Celestial cursed me more than once with stomach aches and diarrhoea until I created the amulet. I am not sure how the nobility would react towards someone who can create artefacts like my amulet. Better for them to know nothing about it.


    ¡°You still belong to those bastards. The change of your name doesn''t make a difference! Just make sure to hide in the deepest hole you can find. If I ever catch you outside the protection of the academy ¡­.¡± She leaves her sentence unfinished with a smug grin and turns to walk away.


    That was a murder threat! Not possible to interpret it in any other way! Haah. Why does this life have to be so troublesome. I did nothing bad in this world. I just belong to a family of assholes.


    ¡°ASCATHON!¡±


    *Sigh*... I just tried to wait here and enjoy the sun until Kane arrives with my money. And why do those idiots who have personal problems with me always approach from behind?


    I turn around again and see my father with my two older brothers. They are coming my way and mother is with a little sister behind them. A whole trolley of guards is following them.


    Do they want to start a war?


    ¡°What do you think you are doing!? Throwing away your family name like that in public! It''s like the name of our house isn''t worth a damn! Do you know what you just did!¡± The guy who is supposed to be my father stands in front of me while screaming for everyone to hear.


    The ten guards formed a circle around me during the tirade.


    ¡°I perfectly understand my situation. I cut my ties with you guys. Goodbye and have a nice life. I will walk my own path from now on.¡± I wave my hand to father who turns red like a tomato. Ah, what a sight. I waited about twenty years for that moment.


    ¡°IF you are that willing to disgrace our family, then you have to be able to deal with the consequences! Right now you are just some small noble with no house and no reputation! So I will show you what our name is capable of! Guards take him! We are going!¡± Father gestures into my direction and the guards start to move.


    Aaahhh.... so that''s what the name of Arenzien is capable of? Abducting someone in broad daylight against his will to have him disappear in a dark corner? But I am disappointed. Father always rambled about the worthlessness of commoners in war.


    Yet he sends normal guards against me. I wave my hand at the six guards who are approaching from behind to attract their attention towards it and then a flash of light blinds them. Being unable to see anything they stop. All of them are armed with spears.


    After a few seconds the first one recovers and blinks while looking at his comrade. ¡°AAAAAAA!¡± He starts to scream and rams his spear into the side of his neighbour.


    Another one recovers and storms like a mad bull into another guard which was forming the circle earlier.


    The first retracts his spear and starts to search for another prey.


    Then the four guards in front of me change their direction in an attempt to stop their six hallucinating comrades from killing themselves. A wild close combat fight is the consequence.


    The conclusion is that after a few moments none of the guards is standing any more. Well. One of them is uninjured, but he is on his knees and crying like a little kid.


    I never broke eye contact with my father during the entire time. I just felt what was going on behind me by sensing the disturbances in the mana flow.


    Never again old bastard. I am no twelve year old child any more.


    Suddenly my second oldest brother raises his hand and a ball of fire flies towards me. Cheap! A little concentration and a cushion of air tightens around my hand. With a smack of my hand the fireball is returned towards its caster who howls up as his left foot is hit and catches fire.


    My oldest brother summons a water ball and stops the fire. Then he turns towards me and hisses. ¡°I really hope you know what you are doing!¡±


    ¡°I am defending my rights against a group of people who are weaker than me.¡± It''s a matter of fact. They are weak compared to me.


    Then father raises his hand towards me and I feel something like an illusion spell forming around me. But it doesn''t matter. It''s very similar to a curse, so my amulet starts to act and automatically shatters the forming bonds of mana.


    I show him my tongue and the middle finger while his expression darkens. I don''t know why but that gesture is universal to all worlds I ever lived in. ¡°Hahahaha. The great mind magician. Head of the Arenzien family failed his magic spell.¡±


    After clapping by hands I start a little provoking dance, but father just turns around walks away.


    ¡°How boring! Is that all the Arenzien can do? Guards, a fireball and a failed attempt at illusion magic?¡± I call after my previous family but they don''t let themselves be provoked.


    It''s for the better. I guess the personal police of the Arcane Academy is already on its way.


    ¡°You are surely trying really hard to get assassinated Ascathon.¡± Kane advances towards me from the side with three small pouches. He arrived earlier, but it looks like he hid in the crowd. ¡°Here is your money. I hope you use at least half of it to hire an army of capable guards. I don''t want to lose a good friend..... and a treasure box.¡±


    ¡°That''s all I am to you in the end?¡± I grab the pouches and store them away in my coat.


    ¡°What will you do now?¡± Kane looks after my family with a distressed face. ¡°They are still your blood relatives you know? Was it really okay?¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°It was bound to happen sooner or later. It''s good that it happened here. I had to show them that they need to start a full blown fight in order to drag me off. A few buildings would have suffered and that''s something father wouldn''t be able to sweep under the carpet. I just wonder how they got here so fast? I guess they were already waiting for me in order to drag me home.¡±


    Then I start to smile over the whole face. ¡°And for my plans. I will go and buy my own principality!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha... it should be enough for a small one.¡± Kane looks at the dead guards and the crying guy. ¡°So you are trying to tell me that your father can sweep something like that under the carpet!?¡± He waves at the scene. ¡°What did you even do to them?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°I just showed them a few truths about themselves. Their greatest enemy? Their greatest hope? That which they hate the most? And their greatest fear?¡±


    .

 2. ~A bet?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


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    ***Arcane Academy, Eastern Plaines***


    Then I turn towards Kane and hug him. ¡°Goodbye ~mother~! I hope you will do well. We may not see each other for a while.¡± Hehehe. I know he hates that.


    ¡°Let go! You are creeping me out idiot!¡± He pushes me away and waves his hand and me. ¡°Be sure to send me a letter when you settle down. I hope to hear from you soon!¡±


    I pat his shoulder without saying a word and turn towards the opposing side of the plaza. While I walk I start to skip a little. New life here I come! Even if I get assassinated, so be it! From now on I will work on doing what I want.


    In front of me on the other side of the plaza is a circular portal. It''s a teleportation device which connects important places throughout the whole world. The fee to use them is expensive. But it would also be costly to make a long journey by conventional means.


    As I reach the Gate I flip a coin towards the magician who is controlling it. Those devices need constant guidance by a qualified person. Otherwise you could end up somewhere you don''t want to be. ¡°The Norfolk Capital! And fast! I have an appointment!¡±


    That''s not entirely true, but at least the magician starts to wave his hands at the gate with complicated gestures and some glyphs start to glow.


    Even though technology is despised, some artefacts are tolerated because of their practicability. And if they can be only used by noble magicians it''s all the better. Something like my amulet which works for everyone would get me into jail asap.


    The Gate glows up and a snowy city comes into view on the other side. I nod towards the magician who is controlling the Gate and step through.


    Cold! Brrr! I cast a protection spell against the cold by mumbling a few words. Something like that is children¡¯s play.


    The architecture of the Norfolk capital is very different from the Arcane Academy. The overall height of the locals is a little taller than in Mislow but I guess it''s okay. The ethnical differences on this world are very subtle.


    The greatest differences can be seen between people of different noble bloodlines. I don''t want to call it inbreeding, but marriages between closely related families are seen very often. Anything to keep the heritage pure and attain the strongest magicians.


    The houses here are big and made of wood. There are very frilly and complicated designs on the roofs. I guess it isn''t much of a problem to build a city out of wood up here in the north. The threat of a big fire isn''t that big. There is snow everywhere so water is close at hand.


    I start to walk through the snow and towards a carriage. Well, it''s more like a sledge with skids. It has no wheels. I guess that makes sense in a country with eternal snow. The gate is located on another open area inside the city. But there are always carriages waiting close to them. Only people with money use the Gates.


    So it''s logical for carriage drivers to wait close to them. After arriving at the carriage, I jump onto it and pat the shoulder of the sleeping driver. ¡°The Jarl''s Hall! Pronto!¡±


    The sleepy driver nods and swings a whip at the big and sturdy horses. They are fat monsters with long hair. I doubt that they feel much of the whip through their fur.


    Yet it seems like the driver is working really hard to keep them going. He is whipping the lazy animals during the entire trip because they stop as soon as he ceases to motivate them.


    After twenty minutes we arrive at a big round building with multiple floors. The driver stops while panting and with sweat on his forehead. Actually the whole trip seems to have taken a greater toll on the driver than the animals.


    ¡°Not a fun job, is it? Wait here. I will need you later.¡± I smirk at him while I press a coin into his waiting hand which is actually enough for an entire day of working.


    He nods without saying a word. It would be hard for him to speak properly anyway. Well, he has time to catch a breath until I come back.


    I hop from the carriage and walk towards the building.


    Then I take a closer look at the big building. It''s the first one which is made of stone. Maybe other people besides the Jarl aren''t allowed to build with stone? The decorations are nice and there are many fighting scenes with mythical beings on the walls.


    As I arrive at the big gates, two guards are blocking my path. ¡°The Jarl doesn''t give audiences at this time.¡±


    I arch my eyebrow. ¡°So when does he give audiences?¡±


    ¡°When he wants to.¡± The guard snorts at me.


    Hah... I see. So they probably have commands to let nobody enter who isn''t known to them? I sigh. ¡°Could you inform the Jarl of my presence and that I want to offer him something valuable?¡±


    The other guard shakes his head. ¡°We aren''t allowed to leave our posts for minor disturbances.¡± He gives me a stupid grin. It''s clear that they don''t want me here.


    Then my eyes fall onto a big golden bell at the wall besides the left guard. ¡°What''s that thing good for?¡±


    The guards grin vanishes. ¡°That''s to be used when important people arrive to call an escort. Don''t dare to....¡±


    But I already tipped the bell with telekinesis and a loud *gong* is heard. So much for that.


    One of the guards draws his sword. ¡°What do you think you are doing!?¡±


    ¡°Calling the escort?¡± I ask them with an innocent expression.


    The guard steps forward when the door opens and a guy in very expensive clothing takes a look outside. His eyes sweep over me for a second and then he snaps at the guards. ¡°What''s wrong? Who is that? Have you guys forgotten your orders?¡±


    I take the lead before the guards can answer. ¡°My name is Ascathon Asceron. I came here to see the Jarl. There is something I want to offer him. I circumvented your guards after they told me about that bell. There isn''t much a commoner could do against a noble anyway.¡± I bow a little.


    ¡°So you are that Arenzien..... want to plead for protection here? You are still from Mislow. Why do you think that we want to trouble ourselves with you.¡± The expensive guy snorts.


    ¡°I see that this information travels faster than I had imagined.¡± My smile doesn''t waver.


    ¡°It''s only common sense to watch the graduation ceremony of the Academy in order to identify future allies and enemies.¡± The expensive guy opens the door and waves me in. ¡°And if someone has a full score, you should at least hear him out.¡±


    I step through and the door falls shut behind me. But not before the expensive guy threw a final remark at the guards. ¡°And you two idiots! Don''t brag about the bell! Otherwise every roaming magician will tap it to disturb the Jarl! I will cut your payment today!¡±


    Then the expensive guy leads me inside towards a throne room with a fat monster on a big stone-throne. He is fed with snacks by several blonde beauties. Whoa! What a life! I wonder if he can roll down a mountain if someone manages to carry him up.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    There are several guards to the walls and the expensive guy walks up to the Jarl and whispers something into his ear. Despite being someone who loses easily to his desires, the Jarl thinks a long time while looking at me before he starts to speak.


    ¡°So what does a noble from Mislow want from me?¡± He waves a hand and the blond beauties pack up and leave.


    ¡°I want to buy a principality from you.¡±


    The ridiculous proposal silences the room for a few long seconds.


    ¡°BWAHAHAhahahAHAHAHAR. Who do you think you are! Why should I sell my property to a foreign noble!¡± The Jarl snaps.


    ¡°I am a very powerful magician who cut his ties with his past. And I want a place where I have my peace and can be alone. You happen to have many such places. So I came to you with the money to buy one of them.¡± I grab one of the magical pouches out of my coat and toss it towards the expensive guy.


    Then I draw a map out of my folder with documents and unfold it to show it towards the Jarl. ¡°I want this place. The mountain valley which is located close to the great Sea. And the whole area with the mountains around it. I want full reign there. In fact, I want to be left alone as much as possible. I would even pay taxes for that.¡±


    The expensive guy tilts the pouch and a flood of platinum coins starts to pour out of the pocket dimension. They are the hardest currency that''s available in this world. It doesn''t stop until a sizeable pile of them is on the desk besides the Jarl.


    ¡°One thousand platinum coins in exchange for full rights over that area.¡± I wave the map at the expensive guy who comes towards me and grabs the map from my hands to give it to the Jarl.


    The Jarl arches his eyebrow at the map. ¡°Even if I could sell you the property of my people. What do you want with that place? There are less than a hundred thousand inhabitants in the whole area and just a few small run down villages. The whole area would need two lifetimes to pay that much money in taxes.¡±


    ¡°But it''s huge and the only access to those valleys is by the river from the great Sea or a few mountain passes. Perfect for someone who wants to be alone. And less people to govern means less trouble! If you are still concerned about selling your country to an outsider, I will make a bet with you.¡± I produce another document from my folder.


    The Jarl gives me an inquiring look.


    ¡°We will sign this buying contract. I get full rights and the area belongs to me. But in case of the death of my noble house, everything I own will go back into your possession. It''s a really nice bet for you. Think about the hordes of assassins which will be after me soon enough. My old family will send them, the enemies of my family will send some of their own. And those who want to harm you will send their assassins too!¡± I take a long breath.


    ¡°Why should my enemies send assassins for you?¡± The Jarl looks a little perplexed now.


    ¡°Think about the situation! How will it look if you sell that area to me? Wouldn''t it look like I am your ally? You would never sell that much land to someone you don''t trust. Even if it''s worthless. You can only win in this bet! And even if I manage to survive and establish a thriving household, there is more money than you could ever hope to get from that land within your lifetime.¡± I wave both of my hands at the pile of money.


    The Jarl tries to change his position but fails miserably. ¡°You are a devious one. You forget to mention that I would have to pretend that you are my ally too. I wouldn''t be able to talk bad about the one whom I sold my country''s land. Otherwise people would start to ask questions.¡±


    ¡°Of course I would always ~honour~ my new homeland and the Jarl! Someone should never bite his benefactor.¡± I bow deeply with a smile.


    The fat Jarl looks at me for several seconds. ¡°I know that you have something in mind with that land. Don''t think of me as an idiot just because I am fat! I just can''t hold back while eating. You probably thought about a way to use it to great benefit. And you throw me these peanuts in the hope to snatch something valuable from under my nose!¡± The Jarl waves his hand at the pile of coins and my face crumbles a little. But just a little.


    ¡°But you know what? As long as it''s worthless to me I may as well sell it to someone who can use it to great benefit? Who knows. Maybe your future taxes will be more than what I collect now from that land.¡± A contract appears in the hands of the Jarl.


    The expensive guy takes the contract and brings it to me. Then he points towards the door and two guards grab me from both sides to pull me outside.


    ¡°Thanks for the audience!¡± I call out while the guards drag me away.


    After leaving the throne room I hear the Jarl''s voice who is calling after me.


    ¡°Don''t die too soon! I want to get an idea how to use that area at least!¡±


    A minute later the guards have me at the front door again and I am thrown outside in a high arc. Fortunately the landing is soft because of the high snow. It still hurt my dignity though.


    The two guardians at the Gate watch me with malicious-joy.


    I ignore it and take my first look at the document which I got from the Jarl. It''s a letter of attorney which makes me the owner of the area which I specified. In addition it''s a certificate of nobility for Norfolk which gives me all rights and responsibilities over the specified area...... including paying taxes.


    ¡°~Strike!~¡±


    By jumping up and screaming I surprise the guards at the gates. Then I kneel down and grab a little snow from the ground to form a snowball.


    I swore to myself that I will do whatever I want in this life! And that''s something that just came to my mind! Nobody points a sword at me!


    *Patsch*


    A skilful throw and the guard who drew the blade against me earlier is hit directly in the face. I turn and run while I hear the hard wheezing of heavy armoured men behind me.


    The carriage driver who brought me earlier sees the armoured men behind me and starts to whip his horses. He has good instincts and knows when it''s better to be somewhere else.


    I get a grip on the carriage by a hairs breath and let myself being pulled with it. The heavy breathing guards behind me give up their pursuit and can just listen to my laughter while I disappear in the streets of the Norfolk Capital.


    ¡°MWAHAHAHAHAHA!¡±


    .

 3. ~Mercenaries?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk Capital***


    I am on the carriage again. I could count my negotiations with the Jarl as a complete success. His letter gives me more than I bargained for. Originally I thought that he would sell me the land just with a very complicated contract.


    Instead he gave me complete rights as a noble of Norfolk on a whim. Of course it''s just for as long as I remain in control of those lands but it still allows me to act in the way I wished for.


    That brings me to my last business in this city. I tap the shoulder of the driver. ¡°Who are the best mercenaries in Norfolk?¡±


    The driver tilts his head while thinking for a second. ¡°The official version goes with the Polar Cutters. They have the most men and are involved in almost all businesses regarding mercenaries.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°But I don''t care about people who are good in selling their reputation. I want to know who are the ~best~.¡±


    The driver smiles. ¡°If it''s unofficial then you need most likely the Icewolfs. They have the best warriors. But there aren''t many of them. And they are very picky with their contracts.¡±


    After nodding, I gesture the driver forward. ¡°Icewolfs it is.¡±


    The driver nods and the whipping starts again. Aaahh.... I have to introduce a real method of transportation to this world. The sun is already setting and it starts to darken around us while the driver whips the horses in a steady pace.


    Half an hour later we arrive at a run down building with a big shield over the entrance. ¡°Den''s Icewolfs¡± I read aloud.


    The driver nods while I get off of the carriage. ¡°Den is the leader. I will wait here?¡±


    I nod and enter the wooden house. Inside I get almost overwhelmed by smoke and the smell of beer. Several big and burly men are drinking and laughing on multiple tables. It looks like I ended up in a tavern.


    With a smirk I head towards the bar. ¡°I want something strong!¡±


    ¡°Only for members of the house small one.¡± The barkeeper continues to polish one of his glasses.


    ¡°And how about an employer?¡± I sit down on a bar stool and smack my second pouch onto the bar.


    The burly barkeeper finally decides to give me a beer. ¡°I am Den. And I don''t take contracts from young upstart nobles.¡±


    I grab the bottle and take a sip of the beer which tastes awful. It probably showed on my face because Den snorts at me and continues to polish his glass.


    ¡°I am young and I am an upstart. But I have money! And I want to live. I am here because I heard that you guys are quality over quantity.¡±


    ¡°Then you heard right. But my statement still stands. We don''t work for pushovers!¡± Den shoves the pouch back towards me.


    I take it and store it away again. ¡°Then who tells me that you guys aren''t the pushovers here?¡±


    ¡°Drink up and leave before I throw you out. The Icewolfs aren''t working for high and mighty nobles. Solve your problems yourself with your spells.¡± Den answers with despise in his voice.


    I shake my head. ¡°I doubt that some weak commoners would be able to throw the high and mighty Ascathon out of their house.¡±


    Den grabs me by the collar and I crush my bottle on his head in response. He doesn''t even blink as he pulls me over to his side of the bar with one arm.


    The next thing I know is that the world is turning wildly around me and with a hard impact I find myself between the remnants of a broken table. Hadn''t I buffed myself by infusing mana into my body I wouldn''t be able to get back to my knees so fast.


    ¡°Fight! Fight! Fight!¡±


    The group of burly men around me starts to scream and cheer.


    Den is already in front of me when I look up and his foot places itself perfectly on my chin. I feel the impact even though I strengthened myself.


    Being lifted to my feet by the impact, I try to steady myself. The burly men start to form a tight circle around us and Den starts to shower me with a series of kicks and punches. Den is clearly using mana to enhance himself.


    When I finally manage a counter-attack Den evades and I hit one of his followers instead. After taking the blow directly to his chin, the burly man falls to the ground like a felled tree.


    The room becomes silent.


    ¡°Ups. I may have put a little too much force into that one.¡± I scratch my cheek. ¡°Maybe I should really find some other mercenaries. I need some really good people. Someone who can be hit unconscious by a weak magician like me isn''t what I need.¡±


    Den points a finger at me. ¡°Get that self righteous bastard! We will show him what the Icewolfs are made of!¡±


    Then I am grabbed by a horde of burly men who move much faster than I had them imagined to be able to.


    ¡­..


    ¡­...


    ¡­....


    ¡°So have you learned you lesson now?¡± Den stands with crossed hands in front of me.


    I am bound to a chair with my hands behind my back. They took their time to give me a proper beating. My face feels like mush and must be twice the size as normal.


    ¡°Ii...th thhink... th...so...¡±


    ¡°Can we throw him out now, boss?¡± One of the burly men turns towards Den.


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    ¡°Take his money first!¡± Another calls out.


    ¡°Thh .. Thh.. ¡­ iefff¡±


    ¡°What did you call us?¡± Another one shoots a deadly glance into my direction.


    ¡°Thh... hh... thhhug....¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t learn it boss! Should we continue the beating?¡± -Thief


    ¡°I don''t know. My hands are sore. That guy has unbelievable endurance. It''s like hitting rock. Look. All my knuckles are swollen and bloody.¡± -Thug


    ¡°They aren''t just swollen Tony. I think they are broken. Your hands look strange.¡± -Thief


    ¡°Oh really? Hmm. Yeah, you might be right.¡± Tony starts to set the broken bones in his hand with unpleasant crunching sounds.


    ¡°You always amaze me! Try to find a doctor and lift that curse to feel no pain. It''s dangerous I tell ya.¡± Den shakes his head at Tony.


    ¡°But so far it was a really helpful curse.¡± Tony continues to set his bones while all burly men look with pity at him.


    I better keep my mouth shut. Just trying to speak already hurts like hell. To imagine that this guy kept hitting me despite my use of stone-skin is quite remarkable. The other mercenaries just took a few blows at me and stopped.


    Aaaah.... I should have tried the quantity over quality approach. It looks like the Icewolfs have a deep grudge against nobles.


    *Crush*


    A window is broken and someone jumps into the big room. At the same moment the door flies open and several hooded figures storm into the room. Whoho... are those assassins? They are fast! The day didn''t even come to its end and they are already starting the first try.


    ¡°mmh.... rom..m... rope!¡±


    Unbind me you burly men! I need my hands free! There are about ten assassins who are staring at the burly men.


    ¡°There he is!¡±


    One of the hooded figures throws a knife at me but it gets blocked by one of the burly men. F... Fast! Are they on drugs? How can a muscle monster like that move so fast.


    ¡°Stop that! And you will pay for that window!¡± Den screams at the hooded figures and everything begins to move!


    All hooded figures start to throw fireballs at us while the burly men begin to move. A few of them change into grotesque hairy humanoids with fur and sharp teeth! Werewolf!


    The werewolf-curse is very old and was used during a past war to create common soldiers which are able to stand up against magicians. It grants high resistance against all kinds of magic while enhancing the body.


    A downside is the bad smell and the hairy body. On top comes that many people aren''t able to control the curse and turn into rabid animals.


    Den grabs me together with the chair and carries me outside while the whole building starts to catch fire. His men are tearing the assassins apart in the meantime. A hundred werewolfs against ten assassins can''t be called a fair fight.


    Once outside I get thrown to the ground while Den watches in horror as his guild goes up into flames. Slowly his men start to leave the building. Some are gnawing at the parts of dead assassins.


    Then I get grabbed and pulled upright while a hundred angry werewolfs are looking at me like I would be the next meal. ¡°Look at that! Our hideout! Who do you think will pay for that! And which bastard is after you! Can''t they wait for you to be alone and slice your throat in a dark alley!¡±


    ¡°mhm.. I... hire...¡±


    Den shakes me like a doll. ¡°Hire? Us? Didn''t you just see what we are?¡± He snaps the ropes which bound me to the chair like nothing to prove his point and starts another round of shaking.


    ¡°Ffine....perffect....hire... aalll....¡±


    The burly men around me start to laugh and Den shakes his head. ¡°I can''t take this any more. Is this guy really serious?¡± He grabs a small vial out his pocket and throws it into my lap.


    A high grade healing potion! Thank the gods! I unplug it and down the content. A few seconds later I feel my jaw snap into the right position which makes speaking much easier.


    ¡°I will hire all of you as bodyguards. I don''t care if you are werewolfs or not. Actually I ~love~ it! That''s a wonderful bonus!¡± I grin at Den. At least as much as it is possible in my state.


    ¡°Just who is after you to be that desperate?¡± Den crosses his arms.


    ¡°Just the whole House of Arenzien. And maybe the House of Jasmine.... And the enemies of the Jarl. Did I forget someone? Hmm. Those should be the most important ones for the moment.¡± I scratch my cheek while grinning at Den.


    Den covers his face with his hands and sighs. ¡°How long do you think you can pay us? We aren''t exactly cheap you know? Being a werewolf and immortal doesn''t exactly cause us troubles with money you know?¡±


    I grab the pouch out of my coat and pour a few coins into my open palm. Then I hold the coins and the pouch towards Den.


    ¡°Like I said. I hire all of you. For as long as I live. Are a thousand platinum coins enough for a hundred immortal werewolfs? I don''t plan to live forever you know? It should be enough if you keep me alive until I die of old age.¡±


    That night I acquired a hundred big, burly, hairy ~watchdogs~ to guard my property.


    .

 4. ~New Home?~ ....and a chair.

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    So this is my new home! A collection of old wood-houses at a river which comes from the mountains. There are about ten thousand inhabitants in the City of Sarn. It''s the biggest city... hrm... village on my land.


    The Sarn-Village is the only bigger one because it has access to the sea.


    Actually Sarn isn''t just a single valley. It''s a fjord which was created by a glacier. The following erosion of the mountains created a small maze of valleys which lead towards Sarn-Village.


    There is a single river that comes from the mountain-range which encloses the main-valley. To enter the valley you either have to use one of the four pass-streets which lead over the mountain-range. Or you come over the river by ship.


    Besides Sarn-Village there are quite a few small settlements throughout the whole valley. But none of them are worth mentioning.


    Altogether there should be about a hundred thousand commoners here. Including women, children and old people. So less than fifty thousand who can really do some work. This will be a bother. Probably I should think of even less. Twenty or ten thousand workers in the whole valley should come closer to reality.


    The others are either too young, too old or occupied with keeping the infrastructure running. First I will have to shut down this place against the outside world. That means taking over the local guards and enforcing strict security on the pass-streets.


    I ponder above the problems while I am followed by a hundred burly men and Den. Walking down a street, I am heading towards the town hall.


    Until now the people here governed themselves because the Jarl didn''t bother to waste his time. But that will have to end.


    Further forward is something like a central plaza with a big building. Of course it is made of wood. I snicker while I think about the villager who called this a town-hall.


    A few steps take me across the plaza and I enter the town-hall, followed by Den and his burly men. A cute little female secretary is trying to stop me from entering through another door but one of Den''s men blocks her.


    Beyond the next door, I find ten old and middle aged men in a round room with a moderate size. They are sitting at a round table and an old geezer is in a big and comfortable chair. He looks like the leader.


    ~I always wanted a chair like that!~


    ¡°Who are you to disturb an important meeting of the elders.¡± The old white haired wobbly geezer sneers at me.


    ¡°What are elders?¡± I arch an eyebrow at the group.


    ¡°We are governing Sarn in place of the Jarl. And we have some important matters to discuss, so get out. Sarah! Why did you let those men inside.¡± The geezer wails at the secretary who is looking frightened around the corner.


    He didn''t see the hundred burly men with full armour and weapons in front of the building yet.


    I sigh. ¡°If you don''t change your tone towards me, I will burn you to a crisp. And for who I am. I am the one who owns your asses! The Jarl sold me this whole desolate place. Call me Ascathon Asceron.¡±


    The expressions of the group turn sour and the old geezer jumps out of my chair to wobble in front of me. ¡°We have a democracy in this valley for over a hundred years now. I will be damned if suddenly someone from outside barges in and turns our society upside down.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I hate that guy already. He didn''t introduce himself and I want his chair! Correction! He was sitting on ~my~ chair!


    ¡°I am the first elder! I governed this valley for half of my life!¡± The geezer snaps back.


    ¡°What are your qualifications besides being old?¡± I scratch my chest while I think about the situation.


    ¡°Huh? What qualifications? I was voted into my office by majority!¡± The geezer starts a tantrum in front of me.


    ¡°So all you can do is talking big and waste the time of people who are stupid enough to listen to you. ~Not needed.~¡± I wave my hand at one of my burly men and the old geezer is picked up at his collar and carried outside.


    Hah. ~Nice~. I walk towards the big chairs and let myself fall into it. Then I take a look at the remaining nine men in front of me and fold my hands in front of my chest. ¡°So what are ~your~ qualifications.¡± I look at the first guy to my left.


    A short game of questions and answers follows. Several guys are carried out of the town hall by burly men and in the end just three persons sit in front of me.


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    ¡°Randuin. I speak for all fishermen, dockworkers and merchants. I studied economics at the merchant university in Westerhagen. I also manage the taxes and their use.¡± Randuin strokes his white hair. He has a small figure and looks like he isn''t eating properly.


    I nod and look towards the next guy.


    ¡°Sammael. I am in charge of the city guards and the customs offices. I got my knighthood at the Norfolk Capital. Then I was charged with keeping order here and never left my post since.¡± Sammael is in his best years and looks like a competent city guard. His hair is blue and he looks healthy.


    Then for the third guy.


    ¡°My name is Rostock. I studied architecture and management in the Academy. Unfortunately my magic talent isn''t that big, so I went back to my birthplace after I was done. I am in charge of the towns affairs, from waste-management to city planning.¡± Rostock is a middle aged guy with a big belly. He has to be a very healthy eater. But I hope he won''t share the same fate as the Jarl.


    I frown at those words. ¡°You guys did everything on your own? What''s with the other seven grandfathers. This town looks so desolate. I already thought that I would find nobody in the least bit capable here.¡±


    ¡°All they ever did was talking and postpone decisions.¡± Randuin mumbles towards himself.


    ¡°It''s not like they ever understood what they were talking about. I am just sitting here because I have to.¡± Sammael shakes his head.


    ¡°There isn''t much I can do about the city without money......¡± Rostock looks at the desk in front of him with an unhappy expression.


    I sigh. ¡°How much are the taxes?¡± I take a look at Randuin.


    ¡°Ehhm. We take just enough to pay the Jarl and keep the city going. The small rest went into the pockets of us elders for their administrative work.¡± The former elder becomes a little smaller under my eyes.


    ¡°You are a studied man.¡± I smile at him. ¡°From now on the taxes will be high enough to satisfy the Jarl, plus keeping the city going, plus having a bonus for new projects. And no more pocket money besides what you deserve for a days work.¡±


    I grab my last pouch and count two hundred platinum coins onto the table. The eyes of the three former elders almost pop out of their heads.


    Then I shove the money towards Randuin. ¡°Add that to the city''s capital. I want that money used for infrastructure. And ~only~ infrastructure. If it''s used for something else, I will ~nail~ you onto the roof of this building for everyone to see until you are frozen.¡±


    Rostock is the next. ¡°From now on you have money. You heard me. Infrastructure! And I want schools! Enough for every child and young citizen who is willing to learn something new. Hire teachers. Get Blacksmiths. Alchemists. I want a functioning city. And every child between six and twelve has to go to school from now on. Get some capable people to help you.¡±


    I look at Sammael. ¡°If I see a child on the street or working somewhere I will ~nail~ you to the roof. Then for the pass-streets. I want a firmer grip on them. Build some control stations there and take taxes for using them. There are some filthy rich regions behind the mountains. They are walking in and out of our valley to use the port while paying nothing. I want two percent in taxes for everything that enters or leaves the valley.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have enough trained men for that.¡± Sammael shakes his head.


    ¡°Then hire and train them. Den and his men will help as teachers if necessary.¡± I wave to Den and he nods.


    ¡°Then there are some minor issues and orders. New laws and so on.¡± I take a stash of papers out of my folder with documents and separate it into three piles. Each of my new subordinates gets a pile. ¡°I want that done. Ah, and before I forget it. Improve this town-hall. I want personal quarters here. Buy and demolish those run down shacks around it if necessary.¡±


    I wave my hand to dismiss the three men and soon I am alone with Den.


    The burly werewolf just arches an eyebrow at me. ¡°You go for the whole hog. A hundred and forty years I''ve been in this world and I can tell you this. The thing you are trying to do will create a lot of enemies. More enemies than you have now. I find it hard to believe that someone as young as you would throw away his life that easily.¡±


    I grin at Den and fold my hands in front of me. ¡°Would you believe me if I told you that my soul is immortal? I just decided that I would always do what I want. And if I die, I will simply start anew! ~Hahahahaha!~ Living is no fun if you do what others want from you.¡±


    I lean back and enjoy my ~chair~.


    .

 5. ~Nightmares.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    It has been a few weeks since I started to take care of Sarn''s affairs. The work on my new property is in progress and I took a room in one of the better hotels. To be exact, I booked the whole building to have my watchdogs nearby.


    Another point on my list was the letter for Kane. I hope he will lend me a little of his expertise to get this village running faster. His family has good connections on top of that. Having connections is never bad. And if this place gets known to a lot of people it''s even better.


    There are quite a few things I want for this valley. But first I need money and power. Enough power to do whatever I want. The others shall scream and throw their sticks at me. As long as I can step over them it shouldn''t concern me.


    It''s night and the bed is quite comfortable. Maybe I should take it with me when my new house is finished? I instructed them to build quite a large basement too. So it could take a while.


    I need a place to conduct my experiments and start my research.


    Of course the citizen were a little confused about the sudden change of government. The elders made quite an uproar. That wasn''t helpful in the least. In the end I had them arrested for causing civil disturbances.


    Well. I had expected that they wouldn''t act smart and keep their mouths shut.


    At least the people calmed down after a few days when it became clear that my arrival would bring new life to the city. The three former elders which I kept in their offices are doing acceptable work. It''s becoming clear to the citizens that things will change for the better.


    And I kept the secretary which is called Sarah too. She is such a shy, little thing. Just right to vent my frustations by teasing her. The guards frighten her and she is sneaking around like a shadow all the time. If you surprise her from behind she jumps half a meter into the air.


    Anyway... I will take a nice nap now. The Icewolfs are guarding the inn, so I should be safe.


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    The reformatory doesn''t allow free time. I learn, I train, I eat, I sleep. An endless circle. When will it end? Why am I here? More than five years. I just know my room and the classes. Why did my parents bring me here? Did I do something wrong?


    No, I am barely five years old! There is nothing I could have done at that age! They just don''t care about their children.


    I learn, I train, I eat, I sleep.


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    It''s dark. It''s a dark room and my father is hitting me with a metal rod. I am not fast enough in breaking the mind of the prisoner. I don''t know the man, but his resistance is quite strong. Every time I fail to draw out information my father hits me with enough force to break something.


    ¡°The mind has to be stronger than the flesh!¡±


    He screams and heals me with healing magic. Then the procedure starts anew and I fail again. My mind feels muddy and I am tired. It is impossible to win a duel of the mind while being so tired.


    But father has no mercy. It goes on and on and on.....


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ¡°Please go out with me!¡± I hand her the flowers and a letter. She has beautiful black hair and metal blue eyes. Ever since we started to take the same classes, my eyes were locked on her.


    So I made up my resolve and confessed. I couldn''t bear it any more.


    She smiles at me with her beautiful lips and takes the flowers from me. Then I get kicked with a swift motion and two fingers stab for my eyes.


    I scream while I feel hands on me and the world starts to spin. She threw me?


    *Crush!*


    Was that the window? THIS IS THE SECOND FLOOR!


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    It''s the final exam for this year. This is important to keep my studentship! My belly aches while sweat runs down my forehead. Oh, the pain. Someone cursed me with stomach-aches! And quite strong ones at that!


    But I can''t run for the toilet or the infirmary. If I blow this test I will be sent back home! That can''t happen! Never!


    I start to write while pearls of sweat drop on my sheet of paper. Then I hear a snicker which draws my attention. A few rows to the left is a girl with black hair. She is laughing while looking at me.


    The bitch cursed me!


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    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    I open my eyes! It''s dark. I am drenched in sweat. What a night! A nightmare! Fuck this world. I lived more lifetimes than I bothered to count. This fucking reincarnation still took a heavy toll on me.


    Graah. It smells mouldy and I am lying on the hard ground. Did I roll out of my bed while I had those dreams?


    *scratch*


    Something scratches on my window and I roll under my bed without thinking. Someone is trying to enter my bedroom? Assassins?


    It''s too dark. I cast a spell to enhance my vision. There is no artificial light in this world of magic. Most people aren''t able to cast their own light spells, so the cities are darker than someone from a world with technology would imagine it.


    The darkness is complete. There is no moon tonight and it was cloudy when I went to sleep.


    *scratch* *click*


    Someone opened the window! It starts to get cold very fast, but I don''t move. Someone starts to whisper.


    ¡°He isn''t here!¡±


    ¡°Maybe another room.¡±


    ¡°That can''t be, I watched the windows for days. He is sleeping here!¡±


    ¡°Then he went out to take a piss?¡±


    I see two pairs of feet besides my bed. Those assassins are quite good to climb the facade of the inn like that. If I hadn''t had such a bad sleep tonight.


    While I sneakily crawl closer, I ready a paralysis spell. Mwahaha! I will teach them! Nobody wakes Ascathon Asceron up! And they are trying to kill me!


    I will take my time with them. Two precious ~test-subjects~!


    ¡°We should....¡±


    My hands shoot out towards their feet and blue sparks dance between my fingers and them. The paralysis spell renders them unable to move while they are still able to sense their surroundings. It''s like a precise cutting of the spinal cord.


    Both of them drop to the ground like having their strings cut.


    And now for the fun! ¡°Mwahaharharharhar.....¡±


    ***Assassin''s POV***


    Suddenly everything went limp and I dropped to ground! What''s this shit? What happened? Damn I hit my head. It takes all my might to turn my head and take a look around.


    Were we attacked? It''s too dark and I didn''t sense a thing. Was this room a prepared trap?


    I look around and then my gaze falls onto the dark gap between the bed and the floor. Two red glowing eyes stare menacing at me!


    S... s.. Something is under the bed! Then it suddenly starts to crawl forward in a creepy way! A human shouldn''t be able to move like that!


    ¡°Mwahaharharharhar.....¡±


    ***Den''s POV***


    ¡°HIAAAAAAAAAARGH!"


    I shoot up. A scream of pure terror tore the night apart! It came from upstairs! Ascathon''s room! A few steps take me to the stairwell and I take three stairs at a time!


    Did I just loose our employer? I told him that his actions would create enemies! I reach his door and see a puddle of blood coming out from under it.


    Other members of my pack arrive and I open the door while expecting to find a dead corpse.


    But on the other side I see a scene which no mortal should see! Two hooded figures are pinned to the floor with magical chains of light and a creepy guy in a pyjamas is standing in the middle of the room. There is so much blood everywhere!


    Two red gleaming eyes turn into my direction and I feel like something very old just set it''s eyes on me. Maybe the young noble didn''t lie after all when he told me that his soul is immortal.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°I... I just thought... maybe you need something?¡±


    ¡°A knife would be fine.¡±


    I nod and throw the dagger from my belt towards -gleaming eyes-. ¡°Anything... else?¡±


    ¡°I will call if I need something.¡±


    I nod and slowly close the door. Then I look towards the men who were looking over my shoulders. They all have pale faces and disturbed expressions.


    ¡°You heard him! Guard that door. And place someone under the windows from now on!¡±


    .

 6. ~A Friends visit.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    It has been a few months since the assassination attempt. It got strangely quiet afterwards. There were no further attacks. Unfortunately I didn''t get any useful information from those poor souls. They were hired by a person who hid his identity. So no clue about my enemies.


    My new residence was completed too. It actually became a small fortress in the end. There had to be enough room for my guards and the staff after all. And I wanted enough space for myself too.


    So much work was done and I am still just about to start. The travelling merchants are starting to bring information about the world to this forsaken place.


    Since I put taxes on the roads and the port I have a good and stable income too. The wealthy regions behind the mountain-range can''t afford to travel around it to ship their goods in another port.


    They are dealing mostly with metals and wood. So having something heavy like that transported over great distances becomes more and more problematic with each kilometre.


    Then there are those rumours around the world. It looks like a war is about to happen soon. That''s disturbing me because this world has been without wars for over seventy years now.


    There are reports that some merchant fleets disappeared close to the Phenex Empire. On the other hand it''s hard to believe that a big nation would sink a merchant fleet without a word. It''s more likely that they got into a storm and were lost on the Great Sea.


    And the Nation of Mist started to voice their unhappiness with Norfolk''s increased usage of the shipping routes around the main continent. Though they still hold the monopoly over the high sea, Norfolk is starting to ship their goods by themselves while keeping close to the coastlines.


    Last but not least I got really bad news from Mislow. Some ambassadors were judged guilty for violating a religious belief and executed on the spot while talking to the Jamaian Union. The king of Mislow was enraged and blamed Jamaian for it, he threw some Jamaian consuls into the prison.


    The Jamaian Union retaliated in kind and started some small raids at the border. Both nations are arming up now. It''s just a question of time before the situation could explode into a full blown war.


    All this caused quite some unrest within Mislow and some of the bigger noble families started to move. It''s said that some houses fell into disregard with the king. Others were wiped out by their competitors. It would be funny if my loved family belonged to the casualties.


    Unfortunately there is no exact information because of the closed borders.


    ¡°There is someone requesting to see you.¡± Sarah, my secretary looks around the corner. She has brown hair and brown eyes. Her expression is a little frightened and she always tries to hide behind something. I want to know what I did to cause such a behaviour from her side.


    ¡°Send him in.¡± Then I stash away the reports which I was working on. A few seconds later I see a very familiar face.


    ¡°Kane!¡± I jump up and hug my only friend. ¡°It took you quite some time to pay me a visit! You just wrote some letters so far.¡±


    Kane pats me on the shoulders while smiling. ¡°What are you talking about? I just didn''t bother to visit because there was no Gate in this collection of barracks!¡±


    I blink my eyes. ¡°Sarah, since when do we have a Gate?¡± Gates aren''t cheap! And the qualified personnel to keep them going isn''t cheap either!


    Sarah lenses around the corner. ¡°Rostock deemed it necessary in order to lure people with high qualifications to the town. He said that those high and mighty wizards would never come here by carriage or ship.¡±


    Kane shrugs his shoulders. ¡°That point at least is right. Your little city is two weeks from the next Gate! Did you expect me to travel for four weeks, just to make a little house visit?¡±


    ¡°Grah. Well. I admit that Rostock has a point, but Gates are not cheap you know?¡± I scratch my cheek while thinking about the situation.


    ¡°He wrote an entire essay for you in order to explain his reasons and forecasts for the profitability of the Gate. He said that it may not earn as much money as it costs. But the prestige of having a Gate alone would bring many needed people to the city. Didn''t you read the report at all?¡± Sarah points to a big fat folder of papers on my desk?


    I grab it and start to skip through the document. ¡°Ah... that... I thought it was a report on our annual income and ignored it.¡±


    Sarah shakes her head and leaves the room.


    Kane starts to grin at me. ¡°You are the same genius as ever. At least your secretary knows how to keep an eye on things.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, how are you and your family doing anyway? I heard that there are troubles all around the world.¡± I take something to drink from my personal bar and offer it to Kane.


    ¡°The world is becoming a little darker but we are doing fine. Mislow is a black hole when it comes to information. Luckily my family isn''t really tied down by too much responsibilities. We always firmly believed in being able to pack up and leave old things behind.¡± Kane shrugs his shoulders.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°That said! Don''t you want to get out of here for a while? Let''s go for a little fun! That''s what you have the Gate for!¡± Kane leaves the room while signalling me to follow. ¡°On top of that you ran away at the day of our graduation. We couldn''t have a proper party at all. Let''s use the Gate, I already know the perfect location.¡±


    I ponder over it for a moment. ¡°Sure, Why not?¡±


    ***Jamaian Union, Atten, Slave Market***


    ¡°And why exactly are we here?¡± I look around the slave market with disgust while I follow Kane. Two of my burly guards are behind us while towering over almost everyone else. There were already multiple attempts to buy my guards from me. This world is making it to the top of my list of most despicable places to be born into.


    There are people from everywhere in all ages here. All of them are displayed like cattle with slave collars around their neck. Slave traders are screaming their offers and various rich looking people are inspecting the ''goods''.


    As soon as I have a nuke, I will throw it onto this place to clean the world of it.


    ¡°To search a wife and various attendants for you of course, hahaha.¡± Kane continues to lead the way. After we ate and drank in a fine restaurant at the Arcane Academy, he led me here. I could have thought of a better place to end the day.


    ¡°I hope you are joking. I don''t need something like that.¡± I answer with disdain in my voice.


    ¡°Then what will you do at the great Ball of Fellmar. The Jarl will have all nobles of Norfolk to attend. You are a part of them now. It would be bad if you went there without courtship.¡± Kane starts to walk faster as a big building comes into view.


    Ah, I totally forgot about that. ¡°I hope he won''t invite me.¡±


    Kane shakes his head. ¡°All nobles of Norfolk are invited by default. And even some from foreign countries to form alliances. It would be very strange if he wouldn''t invite you. On top comes that this special slave market isn''t held very often. There are just really high class ''goods'' there. Including people with noble blood who lost their status.¡±


    ¡°You sound like someone with experience.¡± I look onto Kane with different eyes now. You never learn enough about people. We have reached the building now. The entrance is guarded by two bulky men.


    ¡°Hah. Well. I have experience. And I know that you despise this trade. But please acknowledge that I am better than most people who buy here. My employees are paid and can leave as soon as they have worked off their debt. So I consider it more like hiring personnel.¡± Kane waves his hand at a guard of the big building. ¡°Two masks please!¡± A bag of money leaves his hands.


    ¡°I am sure that their ''payment'' is very moderate.¡± I mumble to myself while the bouncer hands two white masks with creepy smiling faces to me and Kane. My guards get black masks with angry faces.


    ¡°Of course it''s moderate! I want to earn money!¡± Kane advances into the building while I follow him.


    ¡°Are you sure it''s okay for me to be here?¡± I am actually a little concerned for my safety.


    ¡°Because of the problems between Jamaian and Mislow? Nah... You underestimate the power of the Academy! And you are an acknowledged noble of Norfolk now. Jamaian has no trouble with Norfolk.¡± Kane shakes his head and enters a big room with many chairs and tables. There is a podium at the other end.


    Then he takes a seat at one of the tables which is close to the podium. There are other people with masks in the room. The clothing of everyone looks very neat and expensive. My outfit is very cheap and plain compared to theirs. It''s something I got accustomed to since I lived in Norfolk. The cold weather makes anything fancy impractical.


    Kane starts to speak after I join him. He is reading a card which was lying in the centre of the table. ¡°There are thirty people on the menu! Look there is a merchant from the Nation of Mist on the list. I think I will take that one. If he gives me a valuable advice I may let him go earlier.¡±


    I just shake my head while Kane continues to look through the list. How did I get into this.


    ¡°Look hehehe. There are three noble women from Mislow here. Seems like they got captured during the border actions. Are you sure you don''t want to buy a mistress or two?¡± Kane points at the list.


    I shake my head. ¡°No, thank you. Why should I want someone in my house who has every reason to stab a knife into me at the first opportune moment?¡±


    ¡°Well. Your loss. Two of them are a little too young for you anyway. Seven, thirteen and twenty two.¡± Kane places the list in the centre of the table again.


    ¡°I will burn this place to cinders after you are done.¡± They really abducted some children from an enemy nation?


    ¡°~Don''t do that. It would take a while before I could make some profit here again.~¡± Kane pleads to me with his hands in a praying position.


    .

 7. ~Slave-market?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Jamaian Union, Atten, Slave Market***


    Then a fat guy with golden chains hanging from his entire body enters the podium and starts to speak. ¡°Today we start an auction again! The buyers are the white faceless. All faceless have the same rights here. The last bidder wins. In a case of discord. If a faceless demands a duel from another faceless it has to be accepted. The winner gets everything regardless of the losers rank and prestige.¡±


    The fat Goldy continues to rattle about how matters are handled here for a while and then the auction starts. First are the men on the list. There are nobles, warriors, academics.


    ¡°Seriously. Which idiot would buy a high ranking sword-master? You look into the wrong direction for a single second and your head rolls over the ground.¡± I snort while another slave is led from the podium and towards his buyer.


    ¡°Those bracelets on them are real slave-rings. If they kill their master, they will die a dreadful death. On top it stops them from using magic in any form because it constantly draws the mana out of them. Then there is the pain. The master can induce pain into the slave by simply wishing for it.¡± Kane explains the golden bracelets on the slaves.


    Then it''s time for the guy which Kane wanted to buy. The merchant seems to be in the prime of his age. A good muscled body, white hair and long ears. All people from the Nation of Mist have long ears. They are easily identified by them. Is that guy really a merchant?


    Kane starts to bid and I can''t keep to myself. ¡°Look at his body! Are you sure that''s a merchant? Aren''t you buying more than you bargained for?¡±


    ¡°Even better!¡± Kane continues to bid until all other competitors signal that they don''t want to continue. He paid the proud sum of one hundred gold coins in the end. For that amount of money a normal citizen could live two lifetimes in luxury. This guy will have to work hard to earn his pay.


    The white haired guy is led towards Kane and my friend presses his thumb onto the slaves bracelet. Then a pouch of money wanders into the waiting hands of the slave-trader.


    I don''t pay much attention to the rest of the auction as I eye Kane''s acquired ''merchandise'' with suspicion. The slave is aware of my staring eyes and prefers to sit down on the floor besides Kane. He is trying very hard to watch the floor in front of him.


    All slaves are very lightly dressed. They just have something like pants and that''s it. Is it to rob them of their dignity?


    Then the auction continues with the female slaves. Most of them are fine women. Again, lightly dressed.


    At last the slave-trader announces three noble women from Mislow. ¡°Then we have three females with the most precious bloodline of mind magic from Mislow. They were caught deep behind enemy lines by our raiding parties. So I hope that you appreciate the effort. Everyone here should be aware of the worth of such a trophy. First is a thirteen year old girl."


    The bidding starts and Kane places a first offer. I lean over and whisper to him. ¡°What are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I can sell her back to her family for big money.¡± Kane whispers back.


    The bidding continues until a very expensive clothed guy steps in. He also has a golden mask unlike us. All other competitors stop to bid and after a few more attempts Kane stops too and shrugs his shoulders. ¡°The golden mask means that he is a regular and very, very rich.¡±


    ¡°You still tried though....¡± I watch as the girl is led towards the guy. She isn''t wearing much. It would be right to call her clothes a lingerie. It''s in bad taste to see something like that on a child.


    ¡°I hoped that he wouldn''t be into little girls, but he does seem to have ''that'' preference.¡± Kane looks with pity at the girl.


    Then another little girl is led into the room and I squint my eyes at the sight. Dark violet hair. The round face of a little doll. She is petite and shivers like someone who fears for something worse than death. A flashback of a very unfortunate scene flashes through my mind.


    My father was screaming at me while my brothers were looking at me with disdain. I never had much contact with my family, but at least I got information that I had gotten a little sister. Behind them is my mother with the exact same little girl tugging at her skirt.


    The bidders start to give their offers.


    ¡°Ten!¡±


    ¡°Fifteen!¡±


    ¡°Eighty!¡±


    ¡°Two hundred!¡± Again the guy with the golden mask silences the room with his offer.


    The slave-trader already draws his breath to announce the end of the placement of offers.


    ¡°Five hundred.¡±


    Kane looks at me with a surprised expression. ¡°I didn''t expect for you to be...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°A thousand!¡± The guy with the golden mask looks towards me.


    ¡°Five thousand.¡± I counter with a cold voice. If one of my brothers or my parents would have stood on that podium, I may have laughed at them. But my sister hasn''t done anything wrong to me till now. She may be the only family in this world which I should care about.


    ¡°One Platinum!¡± The golden mask leans back and looks for the slave-trader to end it. His bet is doubling my offer. In this world a platinum coin is the hardest currency in existence. Two hundred of them gave a serious boost to my city. A thousand can buy a cheap principality.


    One hundred copper are one silver. One hundred silver are one gold. And ten thousand gold are one platinum. I sold a really dangerous military spell from another world to the Nation of Mist in order to get three thousand Platinum. They struck me as the ones who would use the spell most likely just for defence.


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    ¡°Ten platinum.¡±


    After my last bet the room is silent. No slave is worth ten platinum. Even if it''s for prestige. The golden mask signals that he isn''t bidding any more with an angry gesture.


    The little shivering girl is led toward me and I gently take her hand with the bracelet to press my thumb onto it. I guess it would be bad if I showed that I was somehow related to her.


    Then I place her in a seat next to me on our table. ¡°Sit. And be quiet.¡± She nods with tears in her eyes.


    The golden mask is still eyeing me while the last girl is led onto the podium. I immediately recognize her. What a world to find ~her~ in this place. I start to snicker behind my mask while Kane gasps beside me.


    ¡°Celestial Jasmine! Why is she here!?¡± He whispers into my ear while I try to control myself. My reaction seems to frighten my little sister.


    ¡°Who cares.¡± My voice becomes a little dangerous while I think about all the hard times and the pain she inflicted on me. Celestial, complete with a slave-ring and completely at my whim! I need her! I need her! Having her in that state is worth every price!


    A few lecherous bidders start to scream their offers. It''s clear that they are after that body. I stay out of it for the moment. There isn''t much sense in offering small sums together with the scum.


    ¡°One thousand!¡±


    Again, the golden mask attempts to end it with a sum which seems ridiculous to the other bidders. Celestial scanned the room with her eyes during the entire auction. As her eyes fall onto the little girl which was bought by the golden mask earlier, her expression lightens a little.


    ¡°Ten platinum.¡±


    The room becomes quiet again. The golden mask looks at me and I actually feel a hateful aura coming from him.


    ¡°Twenty platinum!¡±


    ¡°A hundred platinum.¡±


    Celestial''s expression went from eased to dark during the entire exchange. Does she have ties to the little girl who was bought by golden mask?


    The golden mask draws my attention by throwing his desk over while his black masked attendants stepped backwards.


    Sigh. Now he is coming over. What does he want?


    ¡°Take your last offer back!¡± He points at me and my guards draw a step closer.


    ¡°Why should I? It was stated at the beginning that everyone has the same rights. If I want to offer more than you, I will do it.¡± I lean back in my chair. Too bad that he can''t see my provoking smile behind my mask.


    ¡°I hope you realize that I have this golden mask for a reason!¡± The golden mask starts to whisper and Kane starts to tug at my clothes.


    ¡°I don''t care. I want her. Fuck off!¡± I shove Kane''s arm away. I can already imagine what he wants to tell me. Probably this guy is so respected by the other bidders because he just takes what he wants if he doesn''t have the money. A duel. The winner gets everything. I guess?


    ¡°Then I challenge you! Your slaves! And your life!¡± Golden mask draws his sword while I signal my guards to step back.


    ¡°Oh, man! Oh, man!¡± Kane covers his face with his hands and his slave arches an eyebrow at him.


    I stand up and walk towards the golden mask while dragging my chair behind me. Golden mask gets into position and I immediately throw the chair at him.


    It''s a slow throw which is just aimed into his general direction. Suddenly the sword of golden mask ignites with blue flames and small fires start to dance around him. He starts a skilful slash at the chair.


    I point my open palm at the chair. ¡°BURST!¡±


    The chair disintegrates into hundreds of small splinters like being hit by a shock-wave to charge forward. The splinters tear through golden mask like shrapnel.


    ¡°HIAAARGH¡±


    Golden mask jumps forward while slashing blindly at me. The fire on his sword expands and I cover my right arm with a dense cushion of circulating air.


    I repel his sword with my protected right arm and stab at his chest with my left while concentrating mana into it.


    ¡°Hrgh.hh...hhh.....¡± Golden mask twitches for a second while my hand digs into his chest and encloses itself around something soft which is beating furiously.


    Then I place my foot on his belly and shove him backwards. He stumbles a few steps while looking at me. I see his eyes behind his mask wipe open before they fall onto the beating heart in my left.


    *Thud*


    He fell backwards and doesn''t move any more. A sharp pain stings in my right arm. Now that the adrenaline starts to lose its effect, my mind returns towards my body.


    My right arm is badly burned. Seriously bad! I am looking at raw flesh! But I can bear the pain. My father did worse to me during my training.


    Golden mask is.... was an excellent fire-mage. To burn through my protection like nothing.... what would have happened if I hadn''t used a protective spell? But Golden mask made the mistake of offering his heart in exchange for an arm. A deadly mistake.


    I concentrate on a healing spell and watch the skin crawling up my arm like in a slow motion horror picture show. After a few seconds my arm is covered in new pink skin. It feels a little tight and strange but it will do for the moment.


    Then I look for the slave-trader and point at Celestial and then at the teenager who was bought by golden mask. I am doing it with my bloody left and the beating heart in it.


    ¡°~Bring them. They are mine.~¡±


    .

 8. ~Enslavement?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Jamaian Union, Atten, Slave Market***


    This place is detestable! All these people with their creepy masks. What did I do to end up in this world? Even my life before being a slave wasn''t the best.


    I was born into the house of Jasmine and while my parents clearly cared for me, they still forced a horrible training regime onto me. The family consisted of my father and my mother. Then there were my little brother and Liandra, my little sister.


    At my tenth birthday the world taught me the reason for my merciless training.


    The night was dark when they came and tried to murder everyone. Assassins! They got my youngest brother in his sleep and my mother was heavily wounded. I was fortunate that one of the maids stumbled upon one of the assassins. She paid with her life but the commotion woke me up.


    I managed to hide with my little sister until help arrived.


    And although we could save my mother. My brother was already dead. Even though all the training, I love my family. Losing the younger brother I always cared for was a hard blow to me.


    I should be able to get over all this. So much experience in different lifes. I have an immortal soul after all! There are more than a thousand lifetimes in my memory. I experienced bad situations manifold! My fate in this world still tore at my heart.


    They said that the Assassins most likely came from the house of Arenzien. They are mortal enemies of my parents and assassination attempts aren''t out of question.


    My parents always urged me to take a groom from a powerful house to ensure our position. I always refused.


    Then the world decided to play another trick on me. I had graduated from the Arcane Academy. I thought it could only go upwards from there. But not too long ago our estate was attacked out of nowhere. Hundreds of warriors charged at our mansion. My father told me to take my little sister and run.


    It was a warlike situation an everything fell into disarray and chaos.


    I did as I was told, but we got caught. It was a Jamaian raiding party of five hundred warriors with horses and carriages. Apparently they penetrated deep into Mislow territory to make noble prisoners.


    I blamed myself since then for being too weak! And an idiot! Maybe things would have been different if I did as my parents had told me.


    A few days later while sitting in a carriage behind the bars of a cage it dawned onto me. We were going to be slaves. There were others, but we were kept separate. They realized that we belonged to a magic bloodline. That''s why they attacked our estate in the first place.


    After a week they threw another little girl into our carriage. She was even younger than my little sister and crying all the time. It took me a day to get a name from her. Violetta Arenzien! I had to fight the impulse to strangle her right then and there.


    But a small child and a crybaby couldn''t possibly be made responsible for the actions of her parents. This became even clearer as she told me about the intense and horrible training by her educators.


    After a two months long journey we ended up in Atten, the biggest slave-market in the Jamaian Union. Apparently we were intended to be sold to the richest of the rich.


    That''s how I came to be on this podium. I hoped that someone would buy all three of us together. Somehow I came to feel responsible for the little crybaby Vio.


    The entire exchange between the two creepy fellows with their laughing masks took less than two minutes. My feelings changed between hope and despair as I feared to be torn apart from my little sister.


    Then the quarrel between the two monsters evolved into a duel. Apparently the Jamaian Union is very lenient in the handling of conflicts between its citizens.


    The fellow with the white mask brutally murdered the golden mask. He didn''t use any flashy spells like the golden one. But he still showed unbelievable skill.


    While invoking wind magic for protection on his right, he cast arcane magic on his left. Both were the simplest spells in existence. But to cast them at the same time during a fight for life and death takes incredible skill.


    I didn''t realize what was going on until golden mask fell backwards and blood sprayed everywhere. He had blocked my view until that moment.


    Then I watch in horror at White-mask''s wounded arm. His right arm is just a fleshy something! But White-mask doesn''t scream or topple over in pain which would be normal. He just watches his arm with... curiosity? Then the skin starts to grow! Is he using high level healing magic on himself!?


    How old is he? For someone to cast this spell without incantation! It took me a few lifetimes to learn something like that!


    The room is completely silent until White-mask points at me and my little sister with a damn beating heart in his hand!


    ¡°~Bring them. They are mine.~¡±


    Two slavers grab me from each side and I am brought before White-mask. I try to resist the rude treatment and one of the Slavers hits me. I feel blood running down my cheek. Fuck this bracelet! I can''t use any magic! Whenever I try to draw mana from within, it disperses and is sucked away!


    I am brought in front of him and forced to my knees. He presses his thumb onto my slave-ring to activate the magic system. The same happens for my sister. At least we are together. Maybe we will find a possibility to escape.


    I hug my little sister while White-mask is counting a pile of platinum coins into the waiting hands of the slave-trader. So much money for two girls and me? I hope that keeps him from hurting us.


    Short of the last coin, the White-mask stops and closes his pouch.


    The slave-trader arches an eyebrow at him. ¡°Sir? You missed the last coin!¡±


    ¡°The ''goods'' were delivered in a damaged state.¡± He points at my bleeding cheek.


    The slave-trader turns expressionless. ¡°Then heal her! Something like that should be nothing to you after what you displayed here.¡±


    White-mask stores his pouch away. ¡°I paid a hundred platinum coins for that woman. Do you want to tell me that this scratch isn''t equal to one platinum?¡±


    The slave-trader''s expression turns sour while he looks at the slaver who hit me earlier. I guess the bastard won''t have a good time from now? But that slave-trader surely is a greedy bastard. To crave for that one last platinum coin after receiving a sum like that!


    After washing his hands in a bowl which was brought by a slave, White-mask turns toward another masked guy and starts to whisper something. Two huge guards are towering behind them. Are they northmen? I never saw someone that big in this world before! But I heard stories about the people of Norfolk. Some of them are giants, towering at least two heads above anyone from the southern lands.


    Suddenly I feel a warm hand on my face and realize that White-mask moved to my side and placed his hand on my cheek while I was looking for the guards. A warm feeling spreads in my cheek and the pain fades away.


    Then White-mask takes Vio at her hand and gestures for his guards and us. ¡°Follow.¡±


    We are taken outside and I follow them with Liandra at my hand. I wont let her go!


    The other white masked fellow joins us with a slave from the Nation of Mist. Then we are led across the slave market with fast and purposeful steps. Our new ''masters'' didn''t take off their masks like the others when they left the building.


    The slavers around us are eyeing me with greedy expressions and I realize for the first time in a while that I am practically naked!


    Bastards! If it wasn''t for that slave-ring, I would start a massacre right here and now!


    I adapted to this existence too fast! It has been less than two months since I got captured and most of the time was taken up by the journey to Atten.


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    After a while we arrive at a Gate! No seriously! Where will they take us? Is it even farther away from Mislow? I have to find out what happened to my parents!


    One of the big burly guards taps my back to urge me forward while the masked men are paying the Gatekeeper. It probably wasn''t meant harmful by the muscle brain but the impulse still propels me a step forward.


    Then White-mask takes Vio onto his arm and carries her in his right while she is hugging his neck in order to not fall off.


    He turns and reaches for Lia with his left. ¡°No.¡± I hug my little sister. If we are separated now I don''t know what to do!


    ¡°If you wish for her to freeze. Then so be it.¡± The White speaks while I see the scene behind the Gate switch towards a snowy town with wooden buildings. It''s night-time on the other side. Just the moon provides enough light to guess the scene.


    I let go of Liandra and White-mask takes her hand. I see a blue light encasing all three of them. An environmental protection spell.


    White-mask turns and walks through the Gate, followed by his companion and the male slave. I follow too and behind me the guards.


    COLD!


    Fuck! Fuck! It''s so cold! That bastard didn''t protect me on purpose! Was it because I spoke up against him without being asked? I am trying to cover myself but the cold keeps draining the warmth from me!


    I start to hop in order to protect my feet! It feels like they will freeze to the ground if I don''t move for too long. White-mask just looks at me. Is that malicious joy? Bastard! Bastard! Fuck you!


    ¡°Sis!¡± Liandra calls out for me but White-mask holds her hand with an iron grip. Then he turns and starts to walk. The burly guards shove me forward and I follow.


    At least there aren''t many people on the streets. The few who come close enough to see my naked figure look away with disturbed expressions. This place seems to have more decency than Atten.


    After a short walk, we arrive at a big estate. There are many guards like the ones behind me. White-mask leads us inside and we enter something like a reception office. A small petite woman is sitting at a desk and looking curiously towards us.


    I am standing shivering and with chattering teeth within the office. My toes actually started to turn a little blue during the short walk and a burning sensation starts to spread from my feet.


    ¡°Sarah. Prepare three rooms at my private quarters and clothing for them. They are not allowed to leave the estate under any circumstances.¡± White-mask starts to give orders to the woman called Sarah.


    ¡°Y... Yes!¡± She jumps out of her chair and gestures for us to follow. I stagger after her while my feet rebel with every step.


    After Sarah led us deeper into the complex, she signals for Violetta and Liandra to enter two separate rooms and wait there. I take a look inside and both rooms are spacious with beds and writing tables.


    The next room is for me and Sarah takes notice of my feet for the first time. ¡°Oh my! I will immediately get some enchanted clothes for you! Did you walk here without an environmental protection spell!? No, come and take a warm bath first.¡± She grabs my hand and leads me towards a bathroom with a bathtub of hot water.


    ¡°Everything is enchanted here! The water is always warm. I will bring you some clothes!¡± Sarah runs off and leaves me alone in the bathroom.


    ¡°Well. I guess it could be worse.¡± I take another look around and stagger towards the bathtub.


    As I sink my feet into the warm water, they start to burn like fire! Ah, how stupid! Never treat half frozen limps with warm water! But I don''t care! A bath! A bath after two months of being sprayed with cold water! And no lecherous watching eyes! Tears well up in my eyes and I silently start to weep inside the water as the full weight of the last two months hammers down on me.


    After half an hour Sarah shows up again with clothes. They are simple and without decorations. But they fit and offer protection against the weather. For the first time, I get a chance to talk to her.


    ¡°Where are we?¡±


    Sarah blinks. ¡°You are in Sarn. We are located in Norfolk, close to the coast. I need to lead you back to your room. I still have to take care of the little girls.¡±


    I follow Sarah back towards my room. That''s when I realize that there aren''t enough people here. This is a big mansion! ¡°Aren''t there any other attendants here? Where is the rest of the nobles?¡±


    ¡°There are no attendants besides the guards and a few employees who come for cleaning duties from time to time. I don''t live here either. And master was always alone since he came here. I don''t know of any family.¡± -Sarah


    I arch an eyebrow at that information. But Sarah seems to be truthful. After she led me back to my room, she leaves again to take care of the kids.


    While I am alone I use the time to take a look around. Outside are some burly guards patrolling the area around the mansion. How many of them are there!? It will be hard to escape without magic.


    There are some books in the room. The cupboards and lockets are all empty. I take one of the books and start reading. It''s a cheap book about history. I sigh.


    After an hour Sarah shows up again and leads me towards a staircase. ¡°Up and the first room left. The master awaits you.¡± She turns to walk away and I follow her with my gaze.


    ¡°Aren''t you coming too?¡± I call after her. I don''t want to be alone with that White-mask fellow.


    ¡°My free time is overdue today! And I don''t want to be too close to master. So I will go home. Have a nice day!¡± Sarah sounds like she just threw someone to the wolves and dashes off.


    Without any better idea I walk up and enter the first room. It''s a big and spacious living room with two sofas facing each other and a low desk between them. A warm fire is crackling in a corner to my left and I see snowflakes dancing outside the window.


    My sister is facing towards me with her lips pressed together into a small white line. She always does that when she doesn''t know how to act.


    With their backs towards me are a guy who is patting Vio''s head while reading a book to her. The white mask is on the desk between them.


    Violetta turns around and looks at me. Her face is bright and happy. It''s the first time I see her smiling. ¡°Big sis, Celes! Look. It''s brother! Brother saved us!¡± She hugs the arm of the man and smiles brightly at me.


    Then the guy turns around with a smug grin on his face. It''s that son of a bitch from the house of Arenzien! Dark hair, grey eyes and a sharp face which isn''t exactly unpleasant to the eyes.


    ¡°YOU!¡± I step forward but a wave of pain stabs into my mind and I collapse to the ground. Liandra jumps up and runs towards me.


    ¡°No violence! Or I will do that.¡± -Ascathon


    Another wave of pain starts to shoot through my mind and my body begins to spasm uncontrollably.


    ¡°Muahaha! Oh, I wished for that! This investment already paid off a thousand fold.¡± I look up and see a gloating grin on the bastards face.


    ¡°Brother! Don''t be mean! Big sister always took care of me!¡± Violetta intervenes with her brother.


    The expression of the bastard turns into a warm smile and he pats his sisters head again. ¡°I am sorry. This sister and I have quite a bad history. But if you wish for it I won''t hurt her as long as she doesn''t do any harm.¡±


    .

 9. ~Three pets!~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ¡°I am sorry. This sister and I have quite a bad history. But if you wish for it I won''t hurt her as long as she doesn''t do any harm.¡± I pat my little sisters head while I fight the urge to unleash another wave of pain on Celestial.


    Haah. What have I gotten myself into? This morning everything was fine and now I have to take care of three pets.


    And I can''t even have my proper revenge against Celestial because my sister grew fond of her. I don''t want to destroy the new impression my little sister has of me.


    For the moment I am the shining hero who came to save her.


    It took about an hour to convince her that I am not the monster my parents made of me. From what I heard, her fate wasn''t really better than mine. Though her impression of mother wasn''t as bad as the one I got. I hope she doesn''t get the idea to go back to our family.


    Yeah, I guess they survived the raid on their mansion. If I learned something during my reincarnations it''s that bad people never die when they should. They are like cockroaches. Crawling out of some sewer when you already believe them dead.


    I watch Celestial as she struggles towards the sofa with Liandra''s help. Hooo, those slave-rings are really effective. Though it was a little let down that she didn''t scream. How stubborn does someone have to be to keep silent in a situation like that.


    Well, I just have to look at myself if I want another example for being stubborn. ¡°That reminds me that you are still just eight Vio. You will need a proper education.¡±


    Violetta starts to shiver. ¡°I don''t want back into the facility brother.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t mean that torture chamber! I meant a proper teacher. I will get a home tutor for you. Unfortunately I don''t have a proper school for you in my city.¡± Yeah, at least no safe one. I am afraid that the people who are aiming for my life could get the idea to switch towards an easier target.


    ¡°-Your- city?¡± Celestial has a doubtful expression on her face.


    ¡°That''s right! Call me Master! Or Lord. I am a noble of Norfolk now and this whole area from one mountain to the next belongs to me!¡± I turn the book with the map towards Celestial and draw an imaginary circle around my principality.


    I showed it towards Violetta earlier.


    When Celestial realizes that the area isn''t small at all, her eyes almost pop out of her face. ¡°Whom did you kill for that!¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°I bought it. And the money I got from the Nation of Mist. They were very happy about my new spell.¡±


    ¡°Th.. Then send us home! Our parents surely are worrying about us!¡± Liandra calls out.


    I shake my head. ¡°First, I don''t want to. I paid a large sum of money for you! I want that money back before you go anywhere to get yourself killed! Secondly, I can''t. There is a complete lock-down on Mislow. They closed their borders and shut down their Gates in response to the Jamaian raiding parties.¡±


    Celestial''s expression turns grim as I explain the situation. I continue talking while I stand up and walk towards a tray with food. Then I roll it to the table and lift the metal cover. I had it made earlier and the rune-system inside the metal kept it hot as long as there was enough mana in the environment.


    ¡°Both countries are arming up now and I bet that the war will start as soon as someone twitches into the wrong direction. The king of Mislow isn''t happy about Jamaian''s attempts to steal the bloodline for mind magic.¡± I start to serve them the food which consists of a little meat and rice. Nothing special but for someone who was a slave for two months it should be heaven.


    While I can almost imagine the drool coming from their faces. I sit down again. ¡°Please eat. I don''t need anything.¡±


    Then they dig in while forgetting about any manners. I guess they forgot about their own hunger due to all the stress at the auction?


    Just Celestial keeps staring at me and I can''t stand it. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so nice?¡± -Celestial


    I pat Violetta''s head while she is wolfing down a piece of meat with her bare hands. ¡°Because little sister has taken a liking to you.¡±


    She keeps staring at me.


    My expression turns a little sour. ¡°If I would want something from you I would use the slave-ring instead of dabbling with your food.¡±


    ¡°Maybe..... or you are a pervert who likes little girls?¡±-Celes


    I fight the urge to zap her while she slowly starts to eat and I watch Violetta licking her plate clean. ¡°Those are quite some manners you learned from being a slave.¡±


    Vio turns red and puts the plate back on the table while arranging the tableware in a proper manner.


    ¡°You don''t have to be so tight around me, I don''t care. But try to control yourself while guests are present.¡± I stand up and take the plates away.


    ¡°I will go to sleep now. Please don''t try to leave my property. It''s for your own safety too. There were already quite a few assassination attempts on me and I am sure that the mansion is being watched. I guess that they would like to take the opportunity to harm someone who is close to me.¡± I take the tray and walk away.


    ¡°Since when are we close?¡± -Celes


    I turn around and smile. ¡°I am living here alone for a few months now. No regular interactions besides the guards. And now I come back through the Gate with three girls. After some investigation, they will find out that one of them is my little sister and the others are a former schoolmate and her little sister. What will they think? Even though my parents aren''t likely in trying to kill a daughter whom they could marry off to another house. Others will jump at the chance. And it''s unlikely that anyone knows about our ~relationship~ Celestial.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Both children snap their heads in unison at Celestial with questioning gazes which demand answers.


    ¡°Relationship!¡± ¡°~Relationship?~¡±


    I turn with a grin while I try to burn Celestial''s expression into my memory!


    Then I leave the room and walk towards the kitchen. I like to cook from time to time, so I had one made for me. After I throw everything into the automatic cleaner, I turn again and head towards my basement.


    Everything in my house is enchanted in one way or the other. I couldn''t stand the medieval life any more. Although everything works with magic, I guess I would have a hard time to explain everything if the Inquisition from the Academy would show up.


    Magical artefacts are seen with suspicion. They require extensive scientific knowledge about the world. A properly educated archmage from the academy would scream for blood after spending a little time in my house.


    But I hope that it won''t cause a problem if someone just takes a fast look. Sarah didn''t complain about anything so far and I tried to make it look normal. She hasn''t that much magic ability and never visited the Academy. So she has no idea of what''s within the capabilities of a normal noble mage and what''s not.


    In my basement I open the heavy iron door to my laboratory. It can only be accessed if you draw the correct symbol onto the door. I chose an omega, symbolizing the end. Because the stuff behind this door will end the ignorance in this world.


    Behind the door are various machines which I started working on. They are all hybrids between magical and scientific knowledge. Although I emphasized the point that everyone should be able to use them. Most of the people in my valley have no magical abilities.


    But once my dabbling in forbidden knowledge becomes known to the world my subjects will have to be able to stand up and fight for themselves.


    For the time being most of the artefacts here are for agricultural purposes. The biggest weakness of my principality is food. We are dependant on external sources. So I will have to introduce greenhouses. That requires an extensive glass production first, which I already instructed my employees with.


    Then the machines and light-sources to create the needed environment. There are plants and animals up here which thrive despite the cold weather. Unfortunately none of them are a proper food source.


    Then I will work on a fleet of fisher-boats. I am not sure but on most other worlds the cold oceans were rich with maritime life. If we could get proper access to that food source I would have one problem less.


    I enter another room in my basement and close the door behind me. Then I turn towards my test subject which is chained to the wall on the other side of the room. He is gagged and starts to wriggle in his chains as he sees me.


    Den informed me of his capture when i returned home.


    ¡°Dear friend. I am sorry that I couldn''t talk to you earlier. You see, my men explained to me that you were lingering close to my property for a long time. Suspiciously long. So they decided to catch you for further investigations.¡± I grab a chair and pull it in front of the man to sit down.


    By closing my eyes I begin to concentrate on his mind. But he seems to be trained in evading mind magic. So I start to probe his memories with brute force while he twitches a little in his chains.


    Looks like he doesn''t have much magic power...... He was sent by the Phenex Empire? I stab a little deeper and see flashes of his school life. Too deep. A little later....


    *******


    I am standing in a long row with other people. We are at a port and not far away are the merchant ships which will take us to our destination. The ships carry a familiar flag. A highly decorated general starts to walk up and down in front of us.


    ¡°The immortal Empress wishes for information about the main continent! Gather every detail like you have learned. We need to know their population centres, their magical knowledge, resource locations. Investigate their noble families and their abilities! Everything that''s valuable for the coming w....¡±


    *******


    "AAaaahh!"


    A sharp pain stabs into my mind and I fall out of my chair. What happened? Why? Ow, man! My head hurts like it''s splitting apart!


    I grab the chair to right myself and realize that my test subject is hanging limp in his chains. His head is bend in an awkward angle.


    Did he break his own neck to avoid the interrogation! Ow! Bastard! Being in someone¡¯s mind while he dies isn''t pleasant at all.


    Graah! Everything is spinning! Impossible to cast healing magic like that.


    I get to my feet and touch the prisoners chest in order to feel for the elusive something which is called the soul. It''s there! A fading light which always evades my grasp.


    This mystery called soul. I want to decipher it! Why am I the only one who remembers his past lifes? Am I damned to wander the eternity forever alone? Why is everyone else allowed to take the easy way out while I am not!


    I reach for the fading light but then it''s gone completely.


    ¡°Come back you bastard!¡± I scream at the dead body! Suicide is cheating! Fucker!


    For someone to break his own neck against those chains deliberately! Next time I have to bury them in sand.


    I turn and stagger back towards the exit. Headaches! That will cause me quite some headaches! Oooh... tomorrow will be such a pain! The magical backslash of the death of a mind always has nasty side-effects.


    Maybe I will stay in the bed tomorrow......


    .

 10. ~I am the villain?!~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    Great! Just Great! I am lost!


    This mansion is a fucking maze! Three floors and more rooms than I cared to count! What does he need so much space for? I thought he lived alone?


    When I awoke this morning I thought to myself that it wouldn''t be so bad to know the layout of the mansion a little better.


    Well. Let''s see. I will just try to walk back the way I came. Originally I just wanted to explore the mansion to get a feeling for it. But then I must have taken a wrong turn without noticing it.


    So annoying! And yesterday was annoying too! Liandra and Violetta continued to question me about my time at the Academy until late in the night.


    In the end they looked at me like I was the villain and told me to apologize! Haaah....


    Well. Sorry for being angry! My little brother was assassinated by his family and he walks up to me and proposes like nothing happened!


    But from my current knowledge I may have been in the wrong. I overreacted and I even kept playing bad tricks on him while he never retaliated. Which I found strange.


    In hindsight it wasn''t strange at all. He visited the Academy against the wishes of his parents and couldn''t count on their support. He lived off of his studentship alone and if a commotion had happened and he had lost it he would have been forced to leave the Academy.


    I may really have to try to apologize to him. If that''s even possible after all the time in the Academy. Waah. He will never forgive me for that even if I tried in all earnestness.


    How should I know that he had almost no contact with his parents besides being trained to death in a dark training room? But Violetta''s story about her youngest brother still makes me sceptical.


    Her father just emphasized that Ascathon was a monster. In which way? How can a ten year old instil such a fear in a grown man that he starts to vilify his own child?


    Shouldn''t he have been happy to have a son with outrageous talents? But when I look around at what he accomplished in this world I have to admit that I was a sloth in this reincarnation.


    I leaned back and hoped that I would achieve happiness by simply living from one day to the next. It didn''t work out in the end. And now I even have a slave-ring attached to me.


    That means no magic! What else can I do? Medicine? Biology? Martial Arts? Nothing which would be helpful in my current situation against those muscle guards.


    Maybe I could deal with one of them by crushing his marbles but the others would get me for sure. They have the habit to run around in groups. And whenever I come close to a window they are there. It''s like they are smelling me!


    No, first I have to find a way to get rid of that slave-ring. Or to find a way to work around it. Let''s see. The ring activates when I start to manipulate mana. But how does it discern that I am consciously manipulating it and ¡­. hmmm.


    Does it react to my outer magic system? That means if I am just using my inner magic system I am fine? But it''s unbelievably hard to use just one magic system alone. It''s like moving just one segment of my finger while holding the rest completely still.


    I still try it and my mana gets immediately sucked away.


    Sigh. This might call for quite a bit of training.


    ¡°Can I help you, Mistress?¡±


    I jump at a rough voice directly behind me and turn around. One of the big burly guards is towering behind me. How did he get there? Sneaky bastard!


    ¡°~Hahaha.~ I may have lost my way.¡± Then I realize his usage of the word mistress! ¡°AND I AM NO MISTRESS!¡±


    The big guardsman snorts. ¡°I am Den. I am the captain of the guard. You ended up in the guards-barracks while -loosing your way-. Follow me, Miss ~no mistress~. Should I call you slave instead if you prefer that status? I will lead you back to Ascathon''s quarters.¡± The big guardsman turns and walks away.


    I quickly catch up to him. What does he think who he is? Did he think I was lying? ¡°These are barracks?¡± Can''t be! Those were really high quality living rooms.


    ¡°Ascathon is paying very good in exchange for our service.¡± A small smile rushes over Den''s face.


    ¡°I see....¡± I follow Den who is towering at least three heads above me without further words. When we arrive back at my quarters we find Liandra and Violetta there.


    ¡°Sis! We need you.¡± ¡°Brother isn''t doing well!¡±


    Both of them run up to me and grab my arms. They start pulling me towards the staircase.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± I follow them up the stairs and along the corridor towards a roomy bedroom. Is this Ascathon''s room?


    ¡°Brother is sick! Look!¡± Violetta runs towards the bed and crouches down on the floor. She is pointing under the bed.


    I go to my knees and take a look myself. H.. Holy shit! ¡°Why are you down there!?¡±


    ¡°Ff....Fuck off!¡±


    Ascathon is under the bed with a pale face and pearls of sweat on his forehead. He is shivering with his whole body an is hugging a pillow.


    Den takes a look under the bed beside me. ¡°A shitty night again?¡± He talks to his master in a very casual manner.


    ¡°Ccc.c.c Count on...it.¡±


    ¡°Is he doing that often.¡± I look towards Den.


    Den shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Now and then he has nightmares. Freaks him out like hell. He will get better. Just takes him a while to recover.¡±


    ¡°That can''t be caused by a mere nightmare!¡± I point under the bed. ¡°A mere nightmare doesn''t cause ague.¡±


    ¡°Does it have something to do with the dead prisoner in the basement master? You intended to interrogate him last night.¡± Den looks under the bed again and asks something outrageous.


    ¡°Mam..m.. Magical...b...backlash...just...t..time.. will be fine!¡±


    Then the puzzle-stones fall into the correct order and form a picture of the situation.


    ¡°ARE YOU AN IDIOT!?¡±


    I scream and start to crawl under the bed. ¡°Magical backlash and a dead prisoner! Were you in his mind when he died?! That''s dangerous! It''s like receiving a huge shock or trauma. You could get a circulatory collapse from that!¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Then I grab his hand which is cold like ice and start to pull.


    ¡°Ii....I...said Fuck! Off!¡±


    Ascathon doesn''t seem to be happy with the thought of me helping him and I consider to let him freeze and die under the bed. Could be a fitting end for my -master-.


    But suddenly I am grabbed at my feet and pulled out from under the bed while pulling Ascathon with me. Den decided to lend a helping hand.


    Literally -one- helping hand. He pulled both of us out with -one- hand.


    Ascathon is still shivering in a foetus position with his pillow while Violetta starts to pat her brothers shoulder. ¡°He will be fine?¡±


    ¡°Sure! If he doesn''t cool down too much and gets a heart attack! Can you put him into the bed please?¡± I look towards Den who follows my order.


    A minute later we have the big baby in his bed with a sheet over him. ¡°You should be fine if you don''t freeze yourself to death under the bed.¡±


    I turn towards Den. ¡°Is there something like a kitchen somewhere? He should get something warm.¡±


    ¡°I found one earlier!¡± Liandra charges out of the room and I follow her towards a big orderly kitchen. After searching the shelf and cabinets for a while I managed something like a soup on the stove......


    Liandra was just watching me the entire time. And suddenly it strikes me like a hammer. ¡°Liandra? Do you think that anything is strange here?¡±


    My little sister just tilts her head. ¡°I just thought that I have never seen so many magical artefacts in one place. And all of them are so convenient! Just think about those boxes which are hot or cold inside! Why didn''t we have something like that at home?¡±


    Liandra points at the fridge and the stove. Yes, unfortunately she has no real concept of kitchen-work because we always had servants for that.


    But I realize that I am not standing in a kitchen from this world! This is no medieval kitchen! This is something straight out of a technological realm! Who built these artefacts? Could it be someone who remembers his past lifes like me?


    It would be the first time to find someone like myself! I thought that am the only one!


    A few minutes later I grab the pot with soup and a plate to carry it back to Ascathon''s room. A genius who aced the Academy''s curriculum like nothing?


    Someone who is called a monster by his parents..... or someone who failed to act properly for his age?


    Back in Ascathon''s room I find out that Den is gone. Violetta is sitting besides her brother on the bed. At least it looks like he stopped to shiver.


    I set down the soup with the plate beside the bed and look at his pale face. ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Violetta, Liandra. Please go outside for a while. I need to talk about something with your brother.¡± I signal towards the door.


    ¡°No.¡± Violetta puts on a stubborn look. Liandra pulls her from the side and whispers something into her ear.


    Then Violetta forms an ''o'' with her mouth and crawls from the bed to run outside with Liandra. What the heck!? I hope my little sister didn''t tell her something inappropriate!


    I turn towards Ascathon. ¡°I will come straight to the point. I saw your kitchen!¡±


    He arches an eyebrow at me.


    ¡°Are you a person who remembers his past life?¡± I continue while crossing my arms in front of my chest.


    ¡°Yes. Why?¡± He continues to look at me with doubtful expression.


    ¡°Really!? I am too!¡± Marvellous! That''s the first time that I meet someone like me! I draw closer to him while he gets a little farther away. ¡°H... How many lifes do you remember? Did you ever meet someone else like us!? I have so many questions!¡±


    I start to rattle down all my questions while he answers with short precise sentences.


    Then I give him the plate with the soup and keep talking about my previous lifes like a dam broke loose. I talk and talk and talk.


    After an hour I stop and remember that I wanted to do something else too. ¡°Eh. On the other hand your little sister told me about your family and your relationship with your parents. If all that was true then I was in the wrong the entire time. I know that it''s hard and I don''t deserve it but please forgive me.¡± I bow my head to him.


    ¡°Haah. Fine, just stop to talk like a machine gun. I am sick you know....¡± He looks into the ceiling and I realize that his expression became more and more tired during my tirade.


    I hold out my arm with the slave-ring towards him. ¡°Now that we know each other better, could you take that off?¡± I beam a smile at him.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°~Excuse me?~¡±


    ¡°I found out that you are a thousand years old under that betraying beautiful body. You just lost a thousand cuteness points as a pet!!¡±


    ¡°~Pet!?~¡±


    ¡°Who knows what skills you possess and if you meant what you just said! Maybe that slave-ring is the only thing that keeps me alive! So, No. Forget it!¡±


    ¡°~Hah?~¡±


    ¡°On top I paid a hundred platinum coins for you! Earn that money first and then we talk again. I don''t care if you do it with work or in the bed.....¡±


    ¡°~B...BED!?~¡±


    ¡°Don''t play shocked, you are more than old enough to know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°GYAAARRRRRRR!¡±


    I jumped at him and then the slave-ring activated. That day I spent twitching in pain on top of him while he moaned in pain under me.....


    And no, it wasn''t because we did something with each other...... unfortunately it looked that way to Liandra and Violetta who thought that we were making out while they peeked through the keyhole of the door.


    .

 11. ~Memory: Fear the bubbles!~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Nation of Mist, Fjen-Harbour***


    ¡°Why am I even here?¡± I am the first Sky-General of the Nation of Mist! It is a bad joke that I have to attend a stupid demonstration like this. Why are we even listening to outsiders?


    The sun is standing high and it is hot. A wonderful day with a calm sea. I watch out at the Great Sea and enjoy the view.


    My adjutant is following me while I walk up and down the pier. ¡°And why am I the one who has to wait for them!¡±


    The proud Nation of Mist is losing its edge! When I think back to five hundred years ago. We sailed the Great Sea and knew the layout of the world before anyone else.


    We could take care of our own problems!


    Nobody else has our long lifespan. So we are able to take a different approach and look at the great picture. A hundred years ago nobody would have dreamed of buying a magic spell from someone from the main continent.


    But the elders start to fear the Immortal Empress. The Phenex Empire became more and more aggressive within the recent years. It''s all because of that damned Immortal Empress of theirs.


    If they have a wise and immortal leader, even the short lived humans from the main continents can become a threat.


    Of course there are their mages who live a little longer because of their affinity to mana. But who cares if someone like that lives for a hundred, two hundred or five hundred years.


    We people from the Nation of Mist just have to lean back and wait for their natural demise. The Immortal Empress on the other hand is stretching her evil fingers for us since a few hundred years ago and there is no sign that she will die any time soon.


    From our reports she should be a normal mainlander. But her magical affinity is unbelievable high. That''s at least what our spies could tell us.


    She unified the smaller continent and formed the Phenex Empire within a few hundred years. Now it looks like she is changing her aim outside. The main continent and us should be her next target.


    She even started to build a sizeable fleet of ships. It''s not yet at a threatening level but it will be in a few years. The resources and the workforce of the whole continent are in her grasp.


    Last year she started a military expedition to learn the locations of our islands. We managed to beat her fleet but the price was high. The new ships of the Phenex Empire are a good match for our own war ships.


    And they had new spells for oceanic warfare which surprised us completely.


    I guess the elders are frightened. That''s why they jumped at the chance when we got an offer for a new military spell from the main continent.


    ¡°Sky-General! They are here.¡± The adjutant points towards three people who are coming from the Gate. Our Gates aren''t connected to the network on the main continent. So it''s quite a hassle to create a connection between one of our Gates and theirs.


    The new arrivals are a grey haired old man and two boys of about fifteen years. The grey haired man is called Nathan Lenarch. He is the head of one of the biggest merchant houses on the main continent.


    Our merchant fleet can''t land in a single port without having to do trade with one of his businesses.


    ¡°I see. So the one who wants to sell us something is the well known Nathan Lenarch. I am the Sky-General of the Nation of Mist.¡± I shake the hand of the old man.


    ¡°Nice to make your acquaintance. But I have to disappoint you. I am just the mediator. The one who wants to sell his knowledge to you is this young fellow here. Let me introduce you. This is my son, Kane Lenarch. And this is his friend who wants to earn some money, Ascathon Arenzien.¡±


    Is this a joke? I look at the two boys who are smiling at me. ¡°I am sure that you will explain yourself fast. The Sky-General hasn''t much time for jokes.¡±


    The boy with dark hair and grey eyes steps forward. ¡°This is no joke. I want to sell you a military spell for naval use.¡±


    ¡°How should a child like you get his hands on such a spell. And whom did you get it from!¡± I look at the kid with an annoyed expression.


    ¡°I developed it myself. So I am the only one you could buy it from.¡± The boy smiles at me with a knowing expression.


    ¡°I see.... So what do you want for this rumoured spell of yours? I will give you the benefit of the doubt because the Lenarchs are with you. Military classified spells aren''t found often.¡± I look out onto the sea.


    ¡°Three thousand platinum coins in hard cash!¡± The boy answers fast and with precision.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind boy? Do you even know how much money that is!?¡± I snap at the child.


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    ¡°Enough to buy a principality or a few cheap ones? If not I would have to ask for more.¡± -Ascathon


    ¡°Boy. No spell is worth a principality!¡± I shake my head at the boy.


    ¡°If the spell can overthrow the balance of naval power in this world, then it''s worth that much and even more. Be happy that I am coming to you first. How much is your naval superiority worth to you?¡± -Ascathon


    I tilt my head at the child. Of course our naval superiority is worth everything to us! Our fleet is our protection. We have no army. If our navy was beaten we would be helpless. ¡°Then prove it!¡±


    I walk towards the shore and point at a small model of a warship. It''s about five metres long and has all protective enchantments of the real thing. It''s anchored about thirty metres out in the sea. ¡°Sink that ship!¡±


    After I heard about this appointment I had this small model made. I doubt that a single mage will be able to break the defensive barriers after fifty of my mages poured all their mana into the seals.


    It''s a model. But it should be next to indestructible! And maybe I can try to steal the spell if he tries to sink the model for a few times. That would save our Nation some money.


    Ascathon shrugs his shoulders and turns towards the model. He makes a few fast gestures into the air and points one hand at the miniature ship.


    Voiceless incantation!!? At that age?


    The sea is calm and I realize that some bigger bubbles start to rise around the model, but that''s it. ¡°Hmpf. You are trying to burn it? That''s the great spell? What a joke. The ship is protected against strong temperature changes. So you won''t affect the crew with something like that. And there is no harm in boiling water around a ship either.¡±


    Ascathon smiles and suddenly the whole area around the ship starts to boil. The bubbles increase in numbers and size until the water around the ship turns almost white and foam starts to form.


    Then, from one moment to the next my model tilts and is gone!? I watch the boiling sea agape where the model swam perfectly fine a few seconds ago!


    My model simply sank without any reason!? How can that be!


    ¡°And if that wasn''t flashy enough for you. All you need now is a little spark.¡± Ascathon flicks his finger.


    *BOOOOOM*


    A huge fireball explodes at the spot which was previously occupied by my model and a shock-wave throws me to the ground. My ears are ringing and I look around. Everyone else was taken off of his feet too.


    People are lying on the ground or on their knees all around.


    ¡°~Mwahahaha!~¡±


    I crawl to my knees with ringing ears while the mad kid beside me is lying on his back and laughs.


    ¡°Oopps. I underestimated the strength. It''s hard to control the size of the explosion.¡± Ascathon stands back up again. ¡°So? How much do you want to pay for a spell which can sink any ship?¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what will happen if someone else gets his hands on a spell like that!? How does it even work!? There were just bubbles in the water! That''s all!¡± I stand back up again.


    ¡°Oh. I guess that whoever has this spell controls the seas of this world? And who cares how it works? It works! That''s the point.¡± Ascathon looks at me with questioning eyes.


    ¡°Even so! A few bubbles! That''s all it takes? We won''t pay three thousand platinum coins for bubbles!¡± This is a joke!


    ¡°Then we will go and sell the spell to someone else.¡± Ascathon turns and walks back to the Gate. What''s wrong with this kid!? No! Wait!? What''s wrong with me!?


    What if he sells that spell to someone from the main-continent? Or worse!? What if he sells it to the Phenex Empire!?


    ¡°W... Wait! Stop! That''s blackmail! What will you use all that money for anyway!?¡± I grab the kid at his clothes. Urgh. To do something like that as the proud Sky-General! I am acting like a beggar!


    ¡°I will use it to live like I want!¡± Ascathon turns back to me and crosses his arms in front of his chest.


    ¡°F...Fine. But we want assurances!¡± I give the kid a forced smile.


    ¡°Which ones?¡± -Ascathon


    ¡°You sign a magical contract that you won''t give that spell to anyone else and we pay you the three thousand platinum coins.¡± Nobody else is allowed to have a spell like that!


    Ascathon gives me a huge winning smile.


    ¡°~Deal!~¡±


    .

 12. ~Tutor and reality.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    Having two secretaries isn''t bad at all. I lean back in my chair and place my feet on the table while reading a report.


    Sarah is dealing with people at the reception and Celestial kneels at a small desk beside the entrance.  She is checking the tax-reports for me.


    I organized the desk especially for her to emphasize her lower position compared to me. And to humiliate her. A little bit of teasing should be allowed.


    It''s very convenient to find such a well educated hand. And she seems to have a gift for it! She is faster than me. ¡°You are really sure that you never worked as a secretary in your previous lifes?¡±


    She just glares at me and continues writing.


    Too bad. ¡°Well. If you continue at that rate you might have earned zero point zero zero one percent of your worth at the end of your life.¡± Muaha, yes! Work for me until I die of old age. And forget holidays!


    Someone knocks at the door and takes a look into the office. ¡°Are you Ascathon? I am here to apply for the job as a tutor. My name is Stefan Sung.¡±


    An old guy with white hair and the aura of an academic takes a look into the office. I stand up to greet him. ¡°Yes, I will get straight to the point. What is your competency?¡±


    The old guy takes a curious look at Celestial and winces at the sight of her slave-ring. Then he turns towards me. ¡°I worked my entire life at the Academy as a magical researcher. I feel confident to teach basic knowledge and magic.¡±


    He hands me a sheet of paper which turns out to be a certificate from the academy. I take it curiously. ¡°Why aren''t you still working at the Academy? It''s strange for someone like you to apply as a home tutor.¡± Then I find the reason for his leave on the certificate. ¡°I see. You investigated new knowledge.¡±


    The expression of the old guy drops and he takes his certificate back. ¡°I was thrown out because I asked too many inconvenient questions about scientific methods and artefacts. I understand that someone like me is unfit to teach untainted minds.¡± He turns and walks out of the office.


    Seems like he already tried at quite a few places to find work. If you are thrown out of the Academy for a reason like that you are socially dead and your career is finished. This must have been quite a blow to him.


    I look out of the office. ¡°Sarah. Give the man a room and a contract. He is working full time as a tutor for Liandra and Violetta from now.¡±


    Stefan turns around with a surprised expression.


    Then I call for Liandra and Violetta who should be playing upstairs. Seconds later I see both of them rumbling down the stairs. ¡°Liandra, Violetta. This is Stefan. He will be your tutor from now on. If you don''t follow his orders I will think up a suitable punishment!¡±


    I turn towards Stefan. ¡°You teach them everything you know. If you need materials, books, items. Just give a list of the needed stuff to Sarah. Did I forget something.¡± I scratch my cheek while I think hard.


    Stefan raises his hand to the height of his chest with a forced smile.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I give him a curious look.


    ¡°How am I supposed to teach a slave magic?¡± Stefan smiles at me.


    I blink while I think about his words. Then I look at Liandra and Violetta. ¡°Ah! I forgot!¡± I point a finger at their slave-rings and concentrate.


    *snap* *snap*


    Both slave-rings split open and drop to the ground. I bend down and pick them up. Then I place both of them in my pocket.


    ¡°No slaves. Family members. If you hurt them I will nail you onto the roof and measure the time it takes you to freeze solid.¡± I step back into my office and close the door, leaving a shocked Stefan behind. Liandra and Violetta are grinning at him with strange expressions.


    Inside my office I feel Celestial''s gaze on me so I turn to face her. She is smiling cutely and holding her hand with the slave-ring towards me.


    ¡°Forget it! Puppy-eyes don''t work on me.¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    I walk back to my chair and sit down again.


    ¡°Have you heard anything about Mislow?¡± Celestial starts to fiddle with her pencil. She has an agitated expression and looks down at her tax-reports.


    ¡°I haven''t heard anything. And it''s unlikely that the borders will be opened any time soon.¡± I grab the report again and start to search for the point where I was interrupted.


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    ¡°But there has to be a way to get a message through! I need to know what happened to the rest of my family after the raid!¡± -Celes


    ¡°The only hope for you is that there are some nobles from Mislow at the Ball of Fellmar. The Jarl throws a big party in about a month. He will most likely invite people from everywhere.¡± I snort when I think about the problematic event.


    Probably it will be very chaotic. After all there will be nobles from Mislow and Jamaian present. They will jump at each others throats like bloodhounds.


    And the Phenex Empire will greatly benefit from the continued discord between the two most powerful nations on the main continent.


    ¡°Will you attend?¡± Celes looks at me with hopeful eyes.


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°I doubt that I will be able to avoid it after I informed the Jarl about the coming invasion.¡±


    ¡°What invasion!?¡± Celestial jumps up.


    ¡°The Phenex Empire is using the current weakness of the main continent to enlarge its sphere of influence. They sent already a lot of spies with a few merchant ships. My guards accidentally captured one of them and I ripped the information out of his mind. But he preferred to kill himself before I could get anything substantial.¡± I explain the state of the world to Celestial with a bored voice. ¡°Don''t worry. I think we still have a few years of peace. His memories didn''t sound like Phenex has already a huge army ready.¡±


    ¡°And you are sitting here with your feet on the desk and reading reports!?¡± Celestial calls out.


    ¡°Hahahaha... do you want me to go out there and play hero? I have done that far too many times. Who cares? Especially you should be able to understand that. I was a hero, I played the demon lord, I conquered the world, I saved the world and I destroyed it. That''s how often I already went through all this. And do you know what I learned!?¡± I hit my fist onto the table and Celestial twitches.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter! There will always be a next story and another world to save! Just grab the few things you hold dear and protect them as long as you can! And who knows for certain that the Immortal Empress is a bad thing? Maybe she is a better ruler than those stupid governments of the main continent?¡± I lean back again. ¡°Maybe it''s better if she conquers all countries.¡±


    Celestial clenches her fists. ¡°That''s a very sad viewpoint. It''s sickening me that it comes from someone like me! We have power! We have a responsibility!¡±


    I throw the report onto my desk and look at Celestial. ¡°You have power? Look at you! All your reincarnations and you ended up with a slave-ring. If you weren''t extremely lucky you would have been used as a breeding mare for some mortal idiot. You would have most likely died in the bed while giving birth to another bastard. In your next life you would have sworn to make it better. Remembering your past lifes doesn''t make you any stronger than the lucky bastard from next door!¡±


    Celestial turns red. ¡°Lucky!? I am working for an ignoramus like you! If I wasn''t in this stupid mansion and surrounded by a hundred guards then I could have fled ten times already! How am I ¡­...¡±


    This idealistic moron! I will show you why you are lucky!


    ¡°~To your knees.~¡±


    Celestial falls to her knees with a fearsome expression in her eyes.


    ¡°~Turn your back towards me and bend over.~¡±


    Again her body moves against her will and tears well up in her eyes.


    Then I stand up and walk towards her to whisper into her ear. ¡°That''s why you are lucky! Because someone else would have used the slave-ring''s potential! Just poking you with a little pain is nothing! How does it feel to have no control over your own body!?¡±


    I can''t believe that she never came across one of those cursed artefacts. They exist in many worlds. Once I received one right after my birth. That special resurrection was pure hell.


    ¡°~Release.~¡±


    Celestial drops onto her small desk and wipes the tears from her eyes. Then I turn and walk back to my chair. ¡°When will you be done with the taxes?¡±


    ¡°Today.¡± She looks at me but strangely there is just pity in her eyes. ¡°Those nightmares, that personality and that world-view. I hope that you will sometime have a life which will make you forget whatever horrid memories are responsible for that.¡±


    .

 13. ~Destiny?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ¡°Kukukuhrhrhr!¡±


    I can''t help but laugh in an unsightly manner while standing in the kitchen to prepare some food. It has been over a month since Ascathon saved us. At least that''s how my ~master~ sees the situation.


    He will be in for a nasty shock when I show him my new ~trick~. Having the stupid slave-ring on me forced me to find a possibility to work around it.


    Right now I am kneading a silver spoon like modelling clay in fingers. The metal feels so soft! I finally managed to operate my inner magic system without activating my outer one.


    The slave-ring doesn''t even twitch. Ascathon will be in for a nasty surprise. I just have to find a way to get that thing off of me now! We were warned not to remove them because it would kill us. Obviously it can only be done with the approval of the master.


    Unfortunately I realized that it became harder to activate my outer magic system with every hour of training to use just my inner magic system. Will I lose the ability to activate it completely?


    Who cares. This new power is marvellous! I was never that good with magic spells to begin with. I was only able to visit the Academy thanks to the hard training of my parents. But this..... it feels like it just came to me naturally!


    Am I actually a genius at manipulating my inner magic system without ever realizing it?


    By circulating my mana directly through my body without dispersing it into my environment I got an unbelievable physical boost! And by forming a thin layer of mana directly on my skin I have a very formidable protection.


    I tried stabbing my own hand with a knife but the tip simply broke off!


    Maybe I will wait for a good moment to maximize the shock on Ascathon! Then I will do ~this~ and ~that~ to him! ¡°Kukukuku.....¡±


    ¡°Big Sis is being scary.....¡±


    I turn around and see Liandra and Violetta leaning around the corner of the entrance to the kitchen. After a few seconds I have my expression back under control. ¡°Good that you are here. Food is ready soon. Where is Ascathon?¡±


    ¡°He hid in his basement again, behind that big iron door.¡± Violetta pouts her cheeks while complaining. It''s obvious that she isn''t happy about him hiding there. She wants to spend more time with her brother whom she idolizes in a strange way.


    I sigh. I guess it''s natural. From Liandra''s and Violetta''s point of view we are a happy and harmonic family by now. She never experienced being a family in this manner.


    ¡°Then you start to eat. I will go and get him.¡± I grab a good heavy metal scoop and leave Liandra and Violetta behind in the kitchen while heading towards the basement.


    After some time of investigating this mansion the layout is very well known to me. I even stalked Ascathon for quite some time and finally learned the trick to opening the door to his secret laboratory.


    He doesn''t know that I already took a very good look at it. If I would tell on him and give the Academy some hints he would end up behind bars very fast. But I don''t want to end it that way.


    In the last month I came to know him a little. He is a sadist and a loner. Whenever he has time he hides in his basement. Probably to work on a machine to throw this world into chaos.


    I am no idiot. Even I realize that his machines are meant to change his principality into an industrial stronghold.


    Then there are his nightmares and the bad personality. But I guess he can''t help it. He is a serious case of PTSD. I don''t know how many bad reincarnations he had until now but I guess that they weren''t nice experiences.


    Arriving at the iron door to the basement I lose no time and start to hit it with my scoop. This creates loud ringing sounds. It''s the method of choice to get the caveman out of his cave.


    After a minute of pounding the door with increasing speed it opens and Ascathon takes a look outside.


    I cross my arms in front of my chest. ¡°Food is ready!¡±


    He sighs and closes the door behind him. It automatically locks and Ascathon follows me without a word to the kitchen where the four of us have dinner.


    While eating a thought strikes me. ¡°Didn''t you say something about a Ball of Fellmar!? Shouldn''t it be held soon?¡±


    Ascathon shakes his head. ¡°It was delayed because some nobles from other nations didn''t have time. It''s held in another month from now.¡±


    ¡°Why should it be delayed because of that?¡± Liandra doesn''t understand the reasoning.


    ¡°The Jarl wishes to talk to all powers of the main continent. He doesn''t take the actions of the Phenex Empire lightly. After I informed him about my lucky encounter with the spy he had his army make a complete clean up of the capital. They found a handful of people without proper papers and after interrogating them, my warning was proven.¡± Ascathon continues to chew on a piece of meat.


    I am a little taken aback. ¡°How did they find those spies so fast!?¡±


    Ascathon shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Those with power have their ways. I guess they simply ransacked everyone who looked for a second too long at them and threw them into the prison for further investigations. By doing that in the capital they had to find one or two Phenex spies if the situation was serious. That they found anyone at all proves that Phenex is getting down to do business.¡±


    We continue to eat in silence and I keep sitting in the kitchen while I think about the implications of my situation. Even if I run from here now. Where should I take Liandra? Mislow is at war with Jamaian.


    I can''t drag her off into a war zone in search of our parents. For all I know they might be dead. And I have neither money nor allies. Then there is the issue with the border. We would have to cross it illegally.


    It''s not sure how far Ascathon would go in hunting us down but I guess that Norfolk would become dangerous territory too. And it''s not like he mistreated the kids in any way...... besides losing his temper with me after I provoked him.


    When I look up I realize that it''s already night. A strong snowstorm is dancing beyond the window. I totally lost the track of time while zoning out.


    Quickly I take the empty plates and place them inside the cleaner. This house disturbs my sense of time with the good lights! I have to get used to it again. Up until now the best illumination I got was provided by magical spells. But they couldn''t be kept up indefinitely and you always had to recast them.


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    After I am done I walk back towards my room. It''s down the stairs and I have to pass Ascathon''s room in order to get to the stairway. But when I want to activate the lights in the corridor by waving my hand they don''t activate.


    Strange. I walk further and find a dark figure in front of Ascathon''s room. ¡°Ascathon! Are you playing with the lights? They don....¡±


    *shwish!*


    I instinctively twitch when the dark figure waves one of his arms in a throwing motion and something hisses past my head just by a few inches.


    Then the dark figure draws a blade which is flashing up in the dim light and dashes towards me while running up the side of the wall.


    I activate my fighting aura. That''s what I decided to name my new ability. The blade flashes into my direction but somehow it feels like it''s moving in slow motion! Is that another effect of enclosing myself completely in mana? Did I get faster? I did it never before on that scale.


    With great care I pick the blade out of the assassins hand.


    But suddenly the assassin is enclosed in a reddish light and starts to move faster again!? A small dagger shoots forward and scratches across my chest! My aura protects me and I feel that no harm is done.


    The assassin lands behind me. Did he use a fighting aura too in order to speed up? His red aura is feeling similar to mine. But it''s crude and badly executed. I feel his mana leaking into the surroundings and disperse without any use.


    Again the assassin jumps forward and I sidestep his blade while performing a high kick. My heel connects with his forehead and I can feel something snap.


    The assassin is blown away like a doll and rolls along the entire length of the corridor until impacting the wall at the far end of it.


    Assassins! Bad memories well up in my head and I turn while screaming. ¡°Ascathon! Liandra! Violet!¡± I kick the door to Ascathon''s room open but I find the inside empty.


    Then I run down the stairs while taking three staircases at a time to find another group of people in front of Violetta''s room! One of them has something that looks like a small unconscious body over his shoulder.


    I jump right into the surprised group of four and go directly for the person with the body.


    A roundhouse kick deals with one of them and I thrust my left right through the chest of the kidnapper! He didn''t deploy an aura like the one from before and so I pick the unconscious body from his shoulder while jumping backwards again to gain some distance.


    Slowly I place what I found to be the unconscious Violetta on the ground and turn towards the other two assassins.


    They are still shocked and staring at the two dead bodies when a voice stops me in my tracks.


    ¡°Don''t move! Or she is dead!¡±


    I turn and see that a third assassin came out of Liandra''s room. He is holding her hostage with a knife at her throat. She is looking at me with pleading eyes and a fearful expression.


    ¡°I won''t let you go!¡± I voice my unwillingness to let them leave! If they leave with Liandra they will kill her for sure! Are they from Arenzien? Obviously they tried to abduct Violetta!


    ¡°You will step as...¡±


    But the assassin is interrupted as the shadows around him suddenly start to move in the dim light and his eyes distort in fear.


    ¡°He is here! The second gr...¡±


    One of the shadows leashes out and cleanly decapitates the assassin who was holding Liandra hostage. I jump forward and draw the blade from her throat.


    The remaining two assassin turn to flee down the corridor but a dark figure with glowing red eyes blocks their path. Then the shadows start to grow! The figure with the red glowing eyes twitches in an unnatural way that reminds me of a horror movie and falls on all fours to crawl towards the two assassins.


    They turn again and run towards me and Liandra who is completely silent and shuddering in my arms. But the darkness catches up and engulfs them. Everything turns completely black.


    I can''t see anything and just the screams of the two remaining assassins can be heard.


    Then everything is back to normal. I am back in the corridor with the shuddering Liandra in my arms and the unconscious Violetta beside me. The lights turn back on again and I see Ascathon with Den and two of his men coming down the corridor.


    Ascathon is limping and bleeding from his side.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I look towards him and Den. But the big guard walks forward and heads towards the stairs with his men.


    ¡°We will check the upper floor to see if there are still more of them!¡± The guard leaves a short remark and heads upwards.


    Ascathon slides down the wall with a pained expression and pats the head of the unconscious Violetta. ¡°I just used a spell to let them see what they feared the most. Funny that they are afraid of darkness and shadows.¡± He starts to snicker.


    Then I realize the wounds in his leg and at his side. Did they ambush him with another group? I crawl up to him and try to stop the bleeding. ¡°What are you doing? Heal yourself!¡±


    ¡°Their blades are enchanted with anti-healing magic. I have to wait until the effect wears off. Don''t worry. The wounds aren''t lethal.¡± He grins at me.


    I rip his trousers into rags to stop the bleeding with them.


    ¡°Did you finally wake up to my charms?¡± He asks something strange and smirks at me.


    I stop for a moment. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Then I realize that his eyes are glued to my chest.


    ¡°You know.... a woman is exposing her alluring features towards me while ripping my clothes from my body.... there aren''t many ways to interpret....¡±


    *SMACK!*


    Ascathon slides unconscious to the ground while I cover my exposed chest with one hand. The assassin from the first fight must have torn my clothes with his dagger!


    Uwah! I could howl right now! That bastard got the full menu and I didn''t even notice it! Grrrrrr! And that look on his face! He really is just out for my body!


    One moment! Didn''t he have the slave-rings from Liandra and Violetta with him?


    I quickly rummage through his pockets and a devilish smirk steals itself onto my face as I draw one of the slave-rings out of his clothes.


    ~Time for payback!~


    *Click*


    .

 14. ~Together?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    I slowly open my eyes and find myself looking at the ceiling. Was the last night a bad dream? A big group of assassins ambushed the mansion and some managed it past the guards. They injured me while I was heading for my room. But I managed to fight them off. And then... and then... she slapped me!


    ¡°Oh, you are awake! Tch! I wasn''t completely ready yet! I spent so much time to think about my first commands for you. But I still wanted a little more time to find the perfect formulations.¡±


    By turning my head I find Celestial on a chair beside my bed. She is smiling at me with a broad grin. It wasn''t a dream? I begin to touch my body here and there but there is no pain. No injuries!


    ¡°I had Stefan heal you up. You weren''t conscious.¡± Celestial looks at a sheet of paper in her hand. ¡°Let''s see.... where should we start.¡±


    At that moment I realize the golden bracelet on my wrist and a shudder runs down my spine. What the heck happened while I was asleep!?


    ¡°~Take off my slave-ring!~¡± Celestial points at me with a winning smile.


    The same moment she spoke those words I feel the slave-ring starting to meddle with my mind! But I gracefully avoid the attempt of the stupid artefact and manage to divert the command into taking a glass of water from the small night-table beside my bed and offer it to Celes.


    She takes the glass of water with a baffled expression and stares at it for several seconds.


    I smile at her. Don''t think that a lifetime with one of those cursed artefacts didn''t force me to find ways to deal with them.


    ¡°I suggest you try again! Take off my slave-ring! Huh? Why couldn''t I put any power into my voice?¡± I try again while emphasizing every word. ¡°Take Off My Slave-Ring!¡±


    Now she gives me a strange grin. ¡°I already anticipated that and tried to give you some orders to protect myself. I did it while you were sleeping, so I wasn''t sure if it would work. It seems like it worked to order you that you can''t order me to take off your slave-ring.¡±


    ¡°~Love me for eternity!!!~¡± Again she points at me with a triumphant expression.


    Wah! That airhead really tried to do something hilarious! ¡°Fool! Impossible commands don''t work of course! ~Love me for eternity!~ OF COURSE THAT DOESN''T WORK!¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡± She skims through her list. ¡°~Get me and Liandra a proper citizenship and enough money to live on our own!~¡±


    Again! ¡°-I understand. A hundred copper coins to shop in the city.-¡± I smirk at her. ¡°You know? Everything that requires a prolonged physical action from me is easy to divert.¡±


    ¡°Argh!¡± Celestial throws her list to the ground and stomps onto it. ¡°~Then tell me your true feelings about the first time you confessed to me!~¡±


    ¡°-I love you.-¡± I hold my damned mouth in an attempt to stop the words from leaking out. But the slave-ring works too fast to intercept such easily and fast answered requests! What the fuck is going on in her head!?


    Celestial actually turns a little red?


    But I can play this game too! ¡°~What do you think of me?~¡± With this I will uncover your true nature!


    ¡°-A pitiful hermit who lost his way and abandoned society because he was hurt far too often. If we had met under different circumstances I may have helped him.-¡± Now she is the one who tries to shut up herself.


    Uh!? I didn''t expect an answer like that.


    Then she glares at me. ¡°~Why did you save us?~¡±


    ¡°-I couldn''t bear to see you as the slave of some barbarian.-¡± What the heck did just come out of my mouth!? Did she break the bracelets somehow? Again! ¡°Don''t pry into my unconscious thoughts! ~Stop to treat me like an enemy!~¡± Hah! That one worked!


    ¡°~What do you think of me now!~¡± Celestial shoots another question at me.


    ¡°-The most beautiful woman I have ever seen.-¡± My mouth acts on it''s own!


    What!? Damn! My command was too general! And why did I answer that way!? ¡°Stop this airhead! Who knows what will happen if you continue with such ridiculous requests! This is dangerous! What if things escalate?¡±


    ¡°Then take off my slave ring! Or I will say something really ridiculous!¡± She threatens me!


    ¡°I still don''t trust you.¡± I shake my head.


    ¡°~Let''s always be together!~¡± She gives me a triumphant smile.


    ¡°-~Let''s always be together!~-¡± Damn! Damn! Why did I repeat that like a robot! I hate slave-rings!


    Again the words came over my lips before I knew it! ¡°Stop it! Those artefacts are dangerous! Who knows what could happen to us!¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    She just holds her arm towards me with a determined expression. ¡°You should be more interested in getting rid of that ring than me. After all you should be more hindered by it. I can still do this while you can''t perform your magic any more.¡±


    After drinking her glass of water she crushes it in her hand and grinds the shards to dust! What the Fuck!? I reach for her slave-ring and hold mine towards her. ¡°At three!¡±


    She nods.


    ¡°One.¡± ¡°One.¡±


    ¡°Two.¡± ¡°Two.¡±


    ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Three.¡±


    Both of us are freed from the rings. But before I can react she snatches the one I was holding out of my hand and starts to scrunch up both rings like paper!


    ¡°Finally! That''s the end for the last two of those cursed things! And now for something else!¡± She gives me a dangerous smile.


    I draw my blanket higher as if it would be able to protect me from that woman!


    ¡°I want a proper citizenship for Liandra and me! Even though you are a bastard, I realize that you are a civilised person at heart and crave for relationships with others! Otherwise you wouldn''t have saved your little sister.¡± She folds her arms.


    ¡°There is just that issue with the law...... otherwise I would have organized something like that long ago for Violetta.¡± I shake my head.


    ¡°And the issue is?¡± She starts to tap the floor with her foot impatiently.


    ¡°Err... well. You are either born in Norfolk or you get your citizenship from the official sources in the capital. That could take years if ever! It is much more unlikely to get one now with war looming over all of us. The only other possibility isn''t within my reach.....¡± I shake my head.


    ¡°Which is?¡± Celestial furrows her eyebrows.


    ¡°Well. You can marry someone with a citizenship. Then his citizenship will extend to you. The same goes for adoption. But I can''t adopt Violetta or Liandra because you can only adopt a child if you can provide a family with two legal guardians. I am alone, so that''s not possible.¡±


    ¡°Then I will become your wife and we adopt Liandra and Violetta. Who knows how long the borders will stay closed? It''s better to plan ahead!¡± Celestial comes to a ridiculous conclusion!


    ¡°What!? That''s not possible! You are my.... ¡± I sit up but her cold glare silences me.


    ¡°I am an opportunist. There could be worse reincarnations than taking a husband who confessed his love to me and thinks of me as the most beautiful woman in the world.¡± She smiles at me while I feel an aura of doom emanating from her! ¡°I had the entire night to think about the situation. Under the current circumstances I am willing to accept a marriage of convenience. ¡±


    ¡°That wasn''t...¡±


    ¡°~Yes?~¡±


    Awww... Hell! That was before I got to know your personality! Of course she is still beautiful.... as long as you don''t get to know her. Why does it feel like I could lose my head if I say those things loud?


    Celes grabs my hand. ¡°Think about it. Whom else could you take? Especially with that secret basement of yours..... what would the Academy do if that secret would get out too early. Could you even trust someone else besides me? I was keeping your little secret safe for a few months by now.¡±


    My face got a little pale during her speech and my blood pressure fell to dangerous levels.


    ¡°And if you don''t believe me..... ~Omega~. And think a little about your little sister and mine. What''s one lifetime to us? Wouldn''t it be nice of us to give them a nice family-environment to grow up in?¡± She gives me the finishing blow.


    I force a smile onto my face. ¡°Shi......Sugar cat. When would you like to hold the marriage.¡±


    ¡°Ohoho... I don''t know honey bear. As soon as possible. Of course I would like to have complete rights to your estate in case of an unforeseen death. The assassins seem to walk in and out of your mansion like well known guests.¡± She encases my hand with both of hers and it feels like a vice took hold of me.


    ¡°So far they only entered but never came out again.¡± I smile at her.


    ¡°Whatever. Come, we have to tell the family!¡± She grabs my hand tighter and pulls me out of the bed.


    We find Liandra and Violetta in the study. They are with Stefan. He is currently teaching them math from the looks of it.


    ¡°Violetta, Liandra! We have happy news for you!¡± Celestial places my arm around her and hugs me from the side. ¡°We are going to ~marry~!¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± -Liandra


    ¡°That means we stay together forever!?¡± -Violetta


    ¡°C...Congratulations!¡± -Stefan


    ¡°Y..yes. That means you can stay..... forever.¡±


    I smile down at the kids who jumped up and hugged us from both sides.


    .

 15. ~Convenience?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ¡°Shalala.....¡± I skip along the corridor towards the office while humming a really childish tune. Freedom! No slave-rings any more.


    Well. Relative freedom. I have to marry that stupid hermit to gain a citizenship for myself and the kids. Haaah... nothing comes without a price.


    At least I get a big house and a lot of money with a principality too. So even if there is no love, it has benefits, many benefits!


    Who ever said that you have to work hard to gain power in every reincarnation? Just find a powerful husband and take his stuff! Mwhaahahaha!


    ¡°You have a really dangerous expression on your face Miss Celestial.¡± Sarah smiles at me when I enter the reception.


    ¡°Really!? That must be the power of ~love~!¡± I smile at our... my secretary.


    ¡°It looked more like the grin of a tiger who just slew a really fat pig.¡± Sarah is giving me a straight forward answer without holding back.


    It has been a day since the announcement of my marriage. Sarah wasn''t happy with the situation at all. She likes the kids but thinks that I am some kind of black widow.


    ¡°Is that so? I guess it can be seen that way.¡± I tap my chin with my left index finger.


    ¡°I think the proper term is gold-digger.¡± Sarah continues her fearless statements while smiling at me. Does she have a problem with my path out of slavery!?


    ¡°Do you have a problem with a former slave who turned the tables on his master?¡± I smile at Sarah while trying to look harmless.


    ¡°I am just curious which leverage you have on him. Master is a very dangerous fellow but he did many good things for the whole region. It would bug me very much if he became unhappy in the end.¡± Now Sarah''s smile becomes a little dangerous.


    Ooh... ¡°Do you like him!? You should have said so earlier! That hermit is just so grumpy because he has nobody who looks out for him!¡±


    ¡°No. I would never marry someone out of my league.¡± Sarah answers with unwavering confidence. Um.. Why did that sound as if she was superior to her master?


    ¡°I am just not happy if someone who did a lot of good for the people of this town would end up with a poisonous snake in his bed. Even if he did everything for his own benefit.¡± Sarah''s states her view of me even more clearly.


    ¡°We don''t know each other for long. How about giving me some time to prove myself?¡± I open the door towards the office and take a look inside.


    Sarah follows me with a stash of papers. ¡°In hindsight I will watch you for a little while. You seem to look out for the children at least. Here are the reports. And your table arrived.¡±


    There it is! A brand new big table for me alone! It''s standing beside the entrance to the office. No children-table with fifty centimetres of height any more! My former table is leaning against the wall on the other side. I grab the stupid miniature table which I got from Ascathon.


    *Crack, Crack, Crack, Crack*


    Four legs are snapped off.


    *Snap!*


    *Snap!*


    Here we go! Neatly folded for waste-disposal!


    I hand the remains of the stupid table to Sarah whose expression suddenly dropped. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°You... you folded the table like a sheet of paper!?¡± Sarah gasps.


    Kukuku... Should I feign ignorance? ¡°What''s the difference? Paper or table... both are made of wood.¡±


    Sarah grabs the remains and leaves the room. I think I could get used to teasing her. Then I start to take control of the office. That hermit underestimated my administrative abilities!


    First I have get a grip on the economy of this principality. Then I can increase the income and financial power to a reasonable level. And when the money starts to flow I can start to investigate the war between Mislow and Jamaian.


    Up until now I was dependent on Ascathon''s informations. There is no acceptable news-network in this world. If Ascathon wants to learn something new he has to take the Gate to the capital and talk to the Jarl or some other noble who deals with external affairs.


    Listening to merchants is the other possibility but they never know anything beyond general knowledge of a countries situation. If you want to get political information you need to go to the source.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.For real information you need your own network of spies! And spies want money! So I will pep up the finances of this stupid principality first.


    I already had a glimpse at the tax reports and from what I saw there we don''t use all our possibilities.


    It''s good that Ascathon went to the capital to get some needed documents. This gives me the entire day to overhaul this office! With no further ado I throw myself into the work.


    Several hours later I discovered Ascathon''s chair for myself. It''s really comfortable with thin elastic steel bars. The normal chairs in this world are big, massive, unmoving hulks and made of wood.


    This comfy armchair stands in a real contradiction to that. I could get used to this. While I read one of Ascathon''s reports I start to seesaw.


    At that moment the door opens and Ascathon enters. He looks into my direction and spots me in his chair, at his desk. Hopefully soon to be my chair and my desk.


    He points a scroll towards me. ¡°My chair! Get Out!¡±


    ¡°Why? I did all the office work today! I don''t see a reason why I shouldn''t be allowed to use it too!¡± I smile at him.


    ¡°The chair is where I draw the line! Out, or I will rip this!¡± He threatens to rip the scroll? Don''t tell me those are the marriage documents and the adoption form! Noo! My principality!


    I jump out of the chair and take the scrolls. Ascathon looses no time to reclaim his position with a grumpy expression.


    Meanwhile I start reading the scrolls. Everything seems to be in order and as agreed upon.


    Ascathon already signed the magical document and infused his mana into it. Almost all documents of value in this world work like that. It''s impossible to fake such a signature.


    Eeeh... how lazy.... if I would give this to someone else I could marry the hermit to ~anyone~. If that wouldn''t be fun! Should I trick Sarah into signing it? Or Den! ~Yes~! Den and the hermit are a perfect match!


    I should found a marriage-bureau. Maybe I will do that in my next life.....


    Aaahhh.... But if I do this there will be no principality for me. Sometimes you have to bite into something sour to appreciate your life.


    I sign the document and smile at Ascathon. ¡°Dear husband! Have you already thought about a place to hold a proper ceremony and spend our honeymoon?¡± Ah, it''s so fun to tease peo....


    Ascathon draws two other papers out of his pocket and slams them on the table. ¡°One week on an abandoned island in the Nation of Mist. A ship captain whom I know will hold the ceremony.¡±


    Eh!? Why would he think of something like that under these circumstances? Is he the romantic type? Why would he?


    ¡°Don''t get the wrong idea! I did it just for Liandra and Violetta. Do you have anyone you would want to invite.¡± He looks at me with a questioning gaze.


    Eh? Ehm? ¡°Let''s see... most of the people I know are affiliated to Mislow and Jamaian. So, no? Unless they open the borders all of a sudden.¡±


    Ascathon shakes his head. ¡°Won''t happen. That means I will just invite Kane and his girlfriend, Den, Sarah and Stefan. There is no need for our staff to sit around on their asses while the mansion is empty.¡±


    ¡°Kane? Where did I hear that name before?¡± I mumble to myself while I think hard.


    ¡°A little smaller than me. Brown hair, rich merchant....¡± Ascathon starts to explain when I remember the person who was always hanging out with him in school.


    ¡°Ah! I know! The creepy guy whose family is involved in all sorts of dubious trading actions and businesses which are very close to being illegal!¡± I snap my fingers as I remember the rumours about that guy.


    Both Ascathon and Kane were loners. They never tried to associate themselves with anyone else.


    ¡°Even if a trade is close to being illegal, it doesn''t mean that it is illegal.¡± Ascathon defends the honour of his friend.


    ¡°Who would have thought that you two are close enough to keep contact even after your graduation.¡± I smile at the hermit.


    The hermit sighs. ¡°Well, you should thank him for being such a creepy fellow. It''s thanks to him that I was at that slave auction to walk into my own doom.¡±


    ¡°Ah... now a lot of things become clear to me. I asked myself for quite a while why you were there! Let me guess. He was the other masked fellow. I ask myself if he knew beforehand that I was there.¡± I tap my chin while speaking loud.


    Ascathon''s expression turns dark and he starts to mumble.


    ¡°I will have little private talk with him when I see him again.¡±


    .

 16. ~Shipboard?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Nation of Mist, Great Sea***


    ¡°This is blackmail! Blackmail I say! Who in the whole world gets the idea to have a marriage on board one of my ships! Having me as the pastor!¡± The Great-Sky-General of the Nation of Mist is going on a rampage in front of us.


    We are on one of his ships. Our staff is already safely on board. Just Kane is a little late. He is the only one who had to travel here from somewhere else. There are twenty sailors besides us on board to control the ship.


    ¡°Calm down Fingulf. I just ached to see you again! You look good by the way. The years aren''t seen on your face at all.¡± I smile at the Great-Whatever and grab his hand to shake it.


    ¡°Hah, we from the Nation of Mist live much longer than you guys from the main continent. I will not look much different when you die in your beds of old age.¡± Fingulf snorts and holds his nose high in the air.


    ¡°You have some funny friends, dear.¡± Celestial smirks at the general.


    ¡°I am no friend of this weapons trader! If he wouldn''t threaten me to sell military spells to other nations I wouldn''t even be here!¡± Fingulf continues his rant.


    ¡°Yet you eagerly bought my products.¡± I grin at the angry man.


    ¡°That was before I knew that you could shake those spells out of your pockets like candies for kids! I thought I would be safe if I forbade you to sell that spell to anyone else!¡± Fingulf shakes a fist at me.


    ¡°Ahahaha.... don''t be so hard on me old man. I am just trying to survive like everyone else.¡± I start to laugh a little.


    ¡°Yeah. I saw that when you graduated. You tried really hard to give an opening to everyone who has the slightest reason to harm you.¡± Fingulf shakes his head.


    ¡°Heyhooo. I hope the ship won''t sail without us!? I beg for permission to board the ship.¡±


    I hear a voice from the pier and take a look over the guardrail. Kane is standing down there with a familiar woman at his side. ¡°Sure come on board!¡±


    The merchant whom he bought at the slave market is also present.


    ¡°Hey! This is my ship!¡± Fingulf jumps to my side but his sailors already started to lower a small stairway to the pier. They already noticed that everything I wanted would happen anyway.


    Kane climbs the stairway with the woman right behind him. ¡°You lucky bastard! I would have never thought that you would find someone who is willing to take you.¡±


    I force a smile onto my lips while Kane grabs my shoulders and hugs me.


    ¡°Where is your future wife!¡± Kane looks around while ignoring Celestial at my side.


    Ah, that''s right. I didn''t tell him the name at all. Probably I wanted to suppress reality. ¡°Hrm.. Kane. This is my wife, Celestial Asceron.¡± I put my arm around Celestial''s back and on her shoulder from the side.


    Kane just stands there for a second with his mouth with open. ¡°C...C.... HER!?¡± He points at Celestial while looking at me like a mad man.


    ¡°~YES!~ Me!¡± Celestial hugs me from the side while faking her perfect smile.


    ¡°Yes. It''s a long story with you at it''s very beginning.¡± I smile at Kane who takes a step backwards.


    ¡°Yeahahahaha.... I see! We have to talk about many things..... But First! This is my girlfriend! Her name is Tanith and I simply love her. Do you remember the silent girl in our class who always had her hair hanging into her face? Colour me surprised when I met her with her hair... ugh...¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Tanith elbowed Kane without any reservation and an aura of doom around her. ¡°Shut up or you will be thrown to the fishes.¡±


    Then she turns towards us. ¡°My congratulations. From what I saw and heard about you two on the campus I would have never imagined that you two would end up marrying. But I guess the quarrel of lovers is the renewal of love.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Celestial answers with a chipped voice.


    ¡°Oh! That reminds me! Have you heard the latest news about Jamaian?¡± Kane starts to rummage around in his pockets. ¡°Where do I have it. It has been even in the newspaper of the Jamaian capital.¡±


    Then the pulls a carelessly ripped piece of paper from his pocket and waves it in front of me. I just read the headlines.


    -Prime minister''s son murdered during rescue of Mislow-prisoners!-


    -Jailhouse bombed by foreigners! Big fire lays waste to the entire building. Culprits are still on the run.-


    ¡°Colour me surprised. I have no idea what that means.¡± I shrug my shoulders and look at Kane who turns the paper around to read for himself.


    ¡°Oh. I guess you don''t know. Prisoner is the nice Jamaian word for slave. And Jailhouse is obviously used for the slave market! Does it get clearer now!?¡± He waves the paper at me with an angry expression. ¡°I asked myself why we had to leave so fast after you bought those three!¡±


    I look up into the sky while I think hard. ¡°Ah. Now I remember!¡±


    The slave-merchant behind Kane starts to giggle and shakes his head. ¡°He is really like Fingulf described.¡±


    ¡°Well. I was a little mad at that auction house. So I left a little timed spell in that water bowl when I washed my hands. I guess starting a level seven fire tornado inside a dry desert city got a little out of hand, hahahaha....¡± I laugh while Kane smacks his forehead.


    *smack*


    Celes gave me a light smack on the back of my hand. ¡°What would you have done if it became a big fire! Thousands of innocent people could have died!¡±


    ¡°I guess I didn''t think that far at the moment, sugar cat.¡± I fight for control while I try to imagine the consequences of a big fire in that city. ¡°But to think that golden-mask was the son of the prime minister?¡±


    ¡°Haah. Another faction which wants to see your blood doesn''t matter I guess.¡± Kane folds the paper into a plane and throws it into the sea.


    ¡°Why is that other slave with you by the way?¡± Celestial throws a curious look at the slave-merchant behind Kane.


    ¡°H...Ho....How can you call our prince a slave!!!¡± Fingulf explodes.


    ¡°Prince!?¡± I furrow my eyebrows at the guy behind Kane who starts to scratch his cheek.


    ¡°Well. I guess I have to introduce myself. Raegnir, the first prince. I was on a journey to see the world when bad circumstances threw me into that horrible situation as a Jamaian slave. Luckily I was bought by Kane and could convince him to check on my identity with the Nation of Mist. I just came here to pay a short visit to my rescuer.¡± Raegnir smiles at us.


    I shake my head. ¡°I am sure that Kane got at least his money back?¡±


    Kane gives me a thumbs up. ¡°Like I said! You just have to find the right person to buy. Those auctions can get you really big money.¡±


    Fingulf draws our attention by gesturing towards something like an altar.


    ¡°Can we hold the marriage now? I have to sail my fleet into a big fight next week and there is some logistic planning to do.¡±


    .

 17. ~Yes!~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Nation of Mist, Great Sea***


    Fingulf starts pushing us into the direction of the altar and I get a dreadful feeling that I experienced this once before. Is this what people call a deja vu?


    Raegnir leaves the ship in a haste as the seamen start to launch the ship. We will head towards a small island on the horizon. Celestial links arms with me and starts to smile.


    ¡°Fingulf. Are you sure it''s okay to hold the wedding now? Isn''t this a little abrupt?¡± I try to stall the inevitable but Fingulf doesn''t care.


    ¡°It''s better to do it now while I can still jump into the sea and swim back!¡± Fingulf steps behind the altar and grabs an old book.


    ¡°The others are still under deck!¡± I smile at my perfect counter argument.


    ¡°No worries, we are all here.¡±


    I turn around and see Den with the other coming from below. Damn. Someone must have called them.


    ¡°We gathered here on this day to celebrate the marriage of Ascathon Asceron and Celestial Jasmine. May they be happy together and blessed with luck by the gods. Is there anyone here who wants to object this bond.¡± Fingulf takes a look around but everybody is silent.


    Then he starts to speak again. ¡°Well, I have to warn the bride in that case. Do you know the personality of this guy? Are you aware of wha.......¡±


    Somehow Celestial''s grab tightens down on me and I feel a really dangerous aura at my side. ¡°Mr. Fingulf. I ~am~ aware. So please continue.¡±


    ¡°.... ah... sure. So may you be blessed by the gods. May you love and treasure each other in times of pain as much as in times of pleasure. So do you take this worthless guy as your husband, miss Celestial?¡± Fingulf looks towards Celestial.


    Hey!? Did he just call me worthless?


    ¡°~Sure!~¡±


    Then he looks towards me. ¡°And do you take this woman as your wife?¡±


    Actually I have to think about this for a little longer. It could be that I am getting cold feet? What if I happen to meet her in another life? Will she hold me responsible for this one?


    Then I feel my arm being twisted onto my back. Aaaahh! ¡°It will break!¡± *snap* Graah! Forget that! It''s dislocated!


    ¡°YES!¡±


    ¡°Then I declare both of you as husband and wife until death may part you. You may kiss each other now.¡± Fingulf closes the book and runs towards the rail-guard to make a perfect jump into the sea. He actually looked a little frightened? I wonder what Celestial''s face looked like?


    *snap* Ooohh... thank you! She set my shoulder right again. That bitch! I turn towards her to say something not very nice. But my face is grabbed and pulled down towards hers.


    ¡°Mmmm?¡±


    Hah? What''s wrong with her? What''s she doing with her tongue in my mouth!? Ah, that actually feels nice.


    I am pushed away again and Celes smiles at our guests. ¡°~So shall we eat now?~¡±


    A small storm of applause and clapping is heard from everyone and we head under deck where the best cook I could find made some nice food for us.


    ***Celestial''s POV***


    It''s mine! My own principality! I had to convince him in the end but everything went according to plan. What did he even hesitate for? Stupid hermit! Right now we are standing on the deck and are looking at the approximating island


    God, he is still rubbing his shoulder even after we have eaten. ¡°Dear, how is your shoulder?¡±


    ¡°You dislocated it!¡± He gives me a scornful expression.


    ¡°I am so sorry, but it took you so long to answer. I feared that you might have gotten cold feet. Do you want me to give you a massage when we arrive at the island?¡± I take another bite from the fish-sticks in my hand.


    They are very good and I reserved an entire plate of them just for myself.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Aw. Come on. You don''t have to be grumpy. Even if it is a marriage of convenience we will have to deal with each other somehow.¡± That''s right. We have clean up many things between us.


    ¡°Haah. Fine. Then tell me how you wish to redeem yourself.¡± Ascathon looks into the sky while the seamen are anchoring the ship. There is no pier and we will have to go on land with a small boat.


    ¡°Even if you say it like that I wouldn''t know? I guess you will simply have to tell me your wishes. Mine should be obvious since I already forced you into that marriage.¡± I smile at Ascathon while I take another bite from the fish-stick.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°You want money and power to protect your little sister and search for your parents.¡± He sighs. ¡°I just want to do what I want in this world. Nobody should be allowed to tell me what I have to do.¡±


    I take another bite and look into the sky myself. ¡°You will have to rule the world in order to do that. Otherwise there will always be someone who is able to cause problems to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I never would have thought about that.¡± Ascathon claps his hands together with an astounded expression.


    ¡°......fine... Then we will take over the world. Just for the fun of it. Should be an interesting game. Especially with the Immortal Empress on the other side of the table.¡± I shrug my shoulders and grab for the last fish-stick on my plate.


    But my fingers just scratch over an empty plate.


    ¡°mmm..mm... Those are really good.¡± I look to my side and see that Ascathon is chewing with full cheeks while giving me a satisfied grin.


    ¡°Th... That was mine!¡± I feel a vein popping on my head.


    He gulps and my last fish-stick is gone. ¡°You will turn fat if you eat too much of those anyway.¡±


    ¡°You will compensate me for that fish stick.¡± I stab my plate at his chest while I am talking to underline my words.


    ¡°Fine. Fine. Whatever. Look. They are done. We can go to the shore.¡± he points at a few small boats which are close to the ship.


    Some minutes later we are at the shore and can inspect the small villa which is located on this island. From what I heard it belongs to Fingulf.


    It''s a nice little house with just enough room for everyone. After I am done with inspecting our accommodation I realize that everyone else is gone.


    Some minutes later I find them on the beach in various states of relaxing. Kane and Tanith are taking a sunbath together while Den and Sarah are playing with a ball. Stefan is reading a book.


    Liandra and Violetta are building a castle of sand and Ascathon is sitting a few meters from them while doing something like a meditation exercise.


    I join Liandra and Violetta with their sand-castle. It got already an impressive size. ¡°Wow. You are already pretty far. How about me helping you two? I am am actually a master of building sand castles!¡±


    Both of them look at me. ¡°That would be pretty nice! Actually we decided to have a match against Ascathon.¡± Liandra pats the ground beside her and I join them.


    ¡°A match? What are the rules?¡± I look at Ascathon who is just sitting there.


    ¡°Both sides have an hour to build a sand-castle. When the time is up we start the fight. Each side has to destroy the other side''s castle. Allowed are just fist-sized water ball-spells.¡± Violetta gives me a short explanation of the rules.


    I wince at the last rule. I am no good at spells any more since I started my new training. ¡°We will win! I may not be able to cast spells with you, but we will build the strongest castle ever!¡±


    Both of them cheer and we start building. An hour later we are done. Ascathon didn''t twitch a single muscle since then. ¡°Looks like we will win by default.¡± I smile at Liandra and Violetta.


    Suddenly the ground starts to shake and I hear a crazy laugh behind me.


    ¡°Mwahahaha! Fear me mortals! Behold the might of the great demon lord!¡± Ascathon raises his hands in a theatrical gesture and a magic circle appears at his feet.


    Then the ground under him starts to move and lifts him higher and higher. I watch agape as a gigantic sand castle is forming under his feet while lifting him to a level about five meters above us.


    ¡°Tremble with fear mortals! I will show you the difference between you and me.¡± Dozens of fist sized water-balls appear all around Ascathon.


    ¡°Noooo!¡± ¡°NOO!¡± ¡°Noo!¡±


    We throw ourselves in front of our castle as the bombardment starts.


    ***Phenex Empire, Capital***


    ¡°What do you mean with -intercepted-!?¡± I scream at the shivering mortals to my feet. ¡°Why do I, the Immortal Empress, have to deal with everything by myself!? Is it too much to win a single naval victory against the Nation of Mist?¡±


    One of my generals crawls closer. ¡°Your highness! We are doing everything in our might. But they are simply superior to our naval forces. Somehow they always find our fleets and disturb our advance. And their spells are simply too strong. Our strongest ships simply sink and vanish in the depths of the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Haah... I guess I will have to take action myself....¡±


    .

 18. ~No!~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Nation of Mist, Great Sea***


    ¡°I am wet!¡±


    No seriously! The water is everywhere! Ascathon bombarded our castle with water-balls until it fell. I doubt that he held back in any way.


    It took me an hour to get the sand out of my hair! Haah... at least I can take a nice nap now. I leave the bath after putting on my nightgown and throw myself onto the bed of my room.


    ¡°Nice ass... was that an invitation?¡±


    I turn around and pull the blanket over my body while shooting up. Ascathon is sitting on the couch with a big and heavy book in his hands. ¡°What are you doing in my room!?¡±


    ¡°Our room.¡±


    ¡°My room!¡±


    ¡°There aren''t any more rooms in the mansion. We have to share.¡±


    ¡°Then stay on the couch. If you touch the bed I will rip off something important!¡±


    He shakes his head and continues to read his book while I eye him with suspicion. But after half an hour I get tired and lie down to sleep. It was a busy day after all.


    While trying not to think about the guy in my room I drift off to sleep.


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    ¡°AAAaah!¡±


    I shoot up and am standing in my bed one hundred percent awake. Assassins? Why the scream!? What''s going on?


    The stars and the full moon are bright tonight and the big windows let just enough light inside the room to make my surroundings visible.


    Then I become aware of a dark figure wriggling on the floor. Haaah.... It''s the stupid hermit with his nightmares again! Does that mean that I won''t get a single night of sleep while I am on this island!?


    I jump from the bed and try to shake the idiot awake. ¡°Hey. Wake up!¡± But after shaking him it seems that his bad dreams just became worse because he starts to wriggle and moan even more.


    Geez. What to do? Should I hit him to grant him eternal sleep? Suddenly his arms shoot out and hug me to pull me down to his side. Seriously? I start to wriggle myself out of his grasp. I am no hugging doll!


    ¡°Don''t leave me...¡±


    He mumbles something while his breathing smooths and his expression becomes relaxed again. Haah... I can''t bring myself to wake him up now.


    I untangle myself from his embrace and walk back to my bed. So tired. Just a few more hours of sleep. That should do it.


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    ¡°AAAaah!¡±


    I am upright in my bed with my arms raised sluggishly for defence. So tired! Where is the enemy!?


    Then my eyes fall onto a wriggling person on the ground and my mind catches up with the situation.


    For a few minutes I stare grumpily at the guy on the floor while I ponder about my options. Then I stand up and shake him like before while dangling a pillow in front of me.


    *snatch*


    ¡°Don''t leave me...¡±


    Like expected. I turn and throw myself onto the bed. Just an hour of sleep... just one hour...


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    ¡°AAAaah!¡±


    I yank up again with burning eyes and feel anger welling up from deep inside me. This is the worst wedding night ever! My eyes wander to the wriggling figure on the ground.


    The pillow is a metre beside him. I stand up and loom above him while considering my options for the third time.


    If this goes on I will get no sleep at all.


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    ***Ascathon''s POV***


    Aaah. That was the best night of this life. The nightmares stopped at some point and I had a good dreamless sleep. I open my eyes while the gears in my head slowly start to turn again.


    Then I realize that something is definitely strange. Shouldn''t I be lying on the hard couch? Why am I in the soft bed while lying on my back?


    And why is that black haired devil using me as a body pillow while hugging me from the side?


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°What the fuck happened last night?¡± I start mumbling to myself while some pearls of sweat appear on my forehead? Did we do it?


    ¡°Shut up or I will crush you....¡± Celestial mumbles while strengthening her embrace and pressing the air out of my lungs.


    ¡°What... WHAT HAPPENED?¡±


    Celestial looks up to me with bloodshot eyes and tears on her face. ¡°You will take responsibility!¡±


    ¡°Res... pon...si...bility?¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You know what you have done!¡±


    Nooo! I don''t know! What did I do in my sleep!? Did I blow it? Were a few years of frustration bad enough to loose my control?


    Kane told me that I should use the situation and fuck her until neither of us could stand any more. Then I should make a run for it and disappear under some stone for the rest of my life. But I am not a guy like that!


    Will I be a papa? With HER as mama!? What did I do to deserve this fate!?


    ***Celestial''s POV***


    It has been a few days since our first night and our small trip is coming to an end. Even though it was pretty horrible I could somehow turn the situation to my favour.


    I didn''t mean my first words after waking up like that and the horrible sleepless night just added to my appearance and his misunderstanding.


    Though I didn''t bother to clear the misunderstanding up after he came to the wrong conclusion. This gives me even more leverage on him.


    It''s actually strange that he fell for the oldest trick in the book. Just sleep with a guy and act like something really horrible happened in the morning.


    He will go ballistic and lick your feet. Kukuku. I might have secured the upper position in this relationship.


    I hum while I walk back towards the big living room. But upon arrival I realize that nobody is there. Strange. I didn''t find anyone throughout the whole mansion?


    There is just a little paper on the desk. Hmm...


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Dear Celestial,


    I arranged a sneaky departure while you were taking a bath. The others are deceived by illusion-magic. They think that you are safe and sound with us on the ship.


    Thanks for always taking so long! It''s really reliable.


    Don''t think of me as a fool. I found out that you weren''t really pregnant and planned my revenge ever since!


    Maybe a few weeks on an isolated island will bring you to terms. Enjoy being beached for a while. I think I will find a way to explain your disappearance to Violetta and Liandra.


    Maybe you are lucky and Fingulf decides to visit his vacation-island. Though I doubt that because you frightened him so much. I will inform him about the demon who is sealed on his island.


    Sincerely yours,


    Your dear husband!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ¡°~Kukukukuku......~¡±


    ***Ascathon''s POV***


    I smile delighted while I see the island vanishing on the horizon. My little scheme worked out perfectly. Even now everyone thinks that Celestial is in her cabin while dealing with sea-sickness.


    ¡°That''s strange.¡± A seaman at my side points towards the horizon and reaches for a telescope at his belt.


    As he points towards the island I see a fast closing cloud of white exploding water. I squint my eyes with a feeling of dread as I spot a figure in front of the explosions!


    It''s Celestial! She is kicking the water with such force that she is actually running on it! Holy....


    A moment later she reaches the ship and jumps on deck with a perfect somersault, landing right next to me.


    I force a smile onto my face. ¡°Hi, dear! How unexpected to see you again so soon...¡±


    She turns and grabs my clothes while smiling and lifts me a few centimetres into the air.


    ¡°....Kukukuku... ~Dear~ We have to talk!¡±


    .

 19. ~The cart before the horse.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    I am staring at Celestial. And she is staring at me.


    No idea how it came to be that we have this staring contest but it just turned out like that after we arrived back at my mansion.


    Strangely enough she didn''t hit me after I tried to beach her. She just told me that we would talk later and then we didn''t bother to talk with each other any more.


    I was just about to go to sleep when the door opened and Celestial waltzed inside with a pillow and a blanket under one arm, closing the door behind her.


    Right now I am lying in my bed while Celestial is sitting beside me with her pillow in front of her.


    ¡°What are you doing here.¡±


    ¡°Sleeping.¡±


    ¡°You have your own room.¡±


    ¡°Married couples sleep together.¡±


    ¡°We are no ordinary married couple.¡±


    ¡°You will have ~nightmares~ again.¡±


    ¡°That has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°But sleeping with someone makes them go ~away~. And you were less grumpy recently.¡±


    ¡°I tried to beach you.¡±


    ¡°I lied to you so let''s call it quits.¡±


    ¡°I still don''t get your reason. Knowing you, you must have an ulterior reason for this!¡±


    She starts to smile. ¡°The nights are cold and lonely in this forsaken place.¡±


    I turn towards the wall. ¡°Whatever. I am too tired for this.¡±


    But a hand grabs my shoulder and I am yanked onto my back. Then Celestial grabs my arm and stretches it to the side and hugs me while using my arm as a pillow.


    ¡°I am no...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    I shut up while I consider my options. I could go to sleep without nightmares. Maybe. Even I realized during our honeymoon that sleeping with someone seems to stop my nightmares.


    I could throw her out of the bed and get slapped.


    I could get a nice feel from her and get slapped.


    I could leave the bed and get followed.


    Option one still sounds as the most compelling one.


    Then I look down at her sleeping face. She is a fast sleeper! It''s somehow really relaxed now. Well. Probably it''s better to sleep. Just a few days until the Ball of Fellmar.


    I shouldn''t be tired when I have to talk to all those idiots.


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    *Slap!*


    My eyes fly open and I look at Celestial who is sitting on top of me. It seems like it''s early in the morning because it''s still dark, but not as dark as it would be in the night.


    I touch my burning cheek and focus on Celestial. ¡°What''s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°It''s bugging me!¡± She folds her arms and glares down at me.


    ¡°What''s bugging you? And how am I at fault.¡± -Me


    ¡°It''s our eighth night. Yet you didn''t even try to touch me!¡± She stabs her index finger into my chest. ¡°Is everything working properly? I start to fear that something is wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°Hah?¡±


    ¡°Having a strange fetish is okay with me you know? I have seen the weirdest things so you can''t creep me out.¡± She grabs my hand and places it on her well formed bust while placing her other hand on my forehead to feel my temperature.


    Then she starts to move on top of me in a way that should probably be arousing. But I can''t help it. This whole situation is creeping me out! What''s wrong in her head!?


    After getting no reaction she stops and folds her hands again. ¡°Are you sure that everything is okay ~down there~?¡± She points down towards my groin.


    I point towards her head. ¡°Are you sure that everything is okay ~up there~?¡±


    She stops to move and forms a fist while smiling. ¡°Come again?¡±


    ¡°I just find it strange that''s all. I don''t understand your thoughts at all.¡± I pull the blanket higher to separate us.


    Her expression drops. ¡°I see. I see. You are one of that rare breed who prefer relationships with mutual feelings. Unexpected to find a guy like that in this world. But on the other hand you are reincarnated too. So you aren''t really from this world.¡±


    I shove her from me and get out of the bed. A few seconds later I have changed into my normal clothes and walk towards the door. Did I hurt her pride by not trying to do anything to her?


    That''s a funny thought in its own. So by doing nothing I frustrate her?


    ¡°Ascathon!¡±


    I turn and look back to Celestial who is still sitting in the bed.


    ¡°I have decided! I will flip your switch!¡± She points at me with a confident expression.


    While shaking my head I leave the room.


    The rest of the day turned out to be really annoying. Celestial followed me on every step while taking notes on everything I did. Be it eating or working. I even had the feeling that she noted down all my facial expressions! At some point I even snapped and asked her what''s that all about.


    She just mumbled something about a medical record and psychoanalysis. Stupid. How does she intend to -flip my switch- by taking notes about my daily life.


    Right now I am working in my lab while trying to make a simple lamp which can be used in my future greenhouses. At least Celestial is a little helpful by handing me some tools when I need them.


    All those doctors and psychologists are just charlatans. How can you analyse the mind of someone without actually having a connection to it! It would require hundreds, thousands of years of experience for that!


    Oh.... I turn towards Celestial who is scribbling in her small notebook. ¡°Say Celestial. What were you doing in your previous lifes. You know.... as a hobby for example. You know... like me. I always end up researching physics, magic, maths and stuff like that.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Celestial starts to gnaw at her pencil while thinking. ¡°Most of the time I end up with biology, chemistry or medicine. But psychology is interesting too. I am not that good with magic or technology.¡± She gives me a meaningful grin and a shudder runs down my spine.


    *snap*


    She closed her little notebook with force and walks for the exit. ¡°I think I have enough data. We will see each other later.¡±


    I watch her while she leaves the room. Should I make a run for it? Will she pull a strange stunt on me? Should I prepare an escape route?


    I start to gnaw on a nail while I watch the magic circuit in front of me.


    An hour later I leave my lab and walk towards the kitchen. I am hungry. But I find Violetta and Liandra at the door. ¡°Hey, what''s up you two? How are your studies going.¡±


    ¡°Big sis threw us out of the kitchen.¡± Violetta points inside and when I take a look I find out that my kitchen suddenly transformed into something like an alchemy lab!?


    Celestial is standing with her back towards us in front of several brewing and bubbling pots. She is snickering while the room is brightened by light in different colours as the covers of the bottles are chattering up and down.


    Witch!


    That''s the only thing which comes to my mind! She is a god damn witch!


    I close the door silently and grab Violetta''s and Liandra''s hands. ¡°We will eat outside today. How about the inn down the street? I heard that they have a few new recipes for seafood.¡±


    Both kids are starting to shine while I walk down the corridor with them.


    The city''s food resources got a wider range since I started to build a big fleet of fishing-boats. Well, it isn''t just my merit. Celestial has a hang for administrative work and her changes to my plans seem to further my goals.


    So I didn''t say anything against it. Though I would really like to know what''s going on in her head right now!


    ¡­...


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡°Yawn...¡± Whoa... I am tired. The kids kept trying all sorts of food until I dragged them back home by force. I brought them to their beds right away.


    Afterwards I inspected my kitchen but Celestial was gone. The kitchen was in order and clean. Nothing hinted at the strange scene I witnessed earlier today. It was disturbing! Very disturbing.


    Aren''t witches supposed to be messy, old and ugly little hags? I turn towards my bedroom to go to sleep.


    Upon my arrival there I witness another strange scene. Celestial is lying on her belly in the bed and snores like a lumberjack. She wears really dangerous clothes which can be almost seen through!


    Where the heck did she get those! Well, sorry. The snoring is destroying the atmosphere completely! She has a big box in both hands. Drugs? Well sorry. I surely won''t eat anything you made after witnessing that scene in the kitchen.


    I pull the blanket over her and lie down. ¡°Good night.¡± I mumble while I drift off.


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    *Slap!*


    What!? Who attacked me!?


    ¡°You ignored me!¡±


    My eyes focus on Celestial who is sitting on top of me. I take a deep breath and close my eyes again. ¡°It''s not hard to ignore a snoring muscle monster.¡±


    ¡°~Then how about this!?~¡±


    A familiar godlike smell enters my nose and I open my eyes again. It''s chocolate! God I love chocolate! And the smell is coming from the box under my nose. Chocolate is my favourite food! Oh how I hated this world when I found out that there are no cacao beans!


    I lunge into the box and a piece of chocolate wanders into my mouth. Oh! How I longed for this! Twenty three years without chocolate! I think there may be even some tears in my eyes.


    Then the memory from the kitchen strikes me like a sledge hammer! And it''s the box from earlier! ¡°You didn''t poison it or something like that?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡±


    Celestial sets the box aside. Then she leans down and presses her bust into my face. ¡°Do you feel something?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    I just have to think about your personality! That''s more than enough! Take that hahaha....


    ¡°Sigh... It may take a little longer than expected. I didn''t have the right equipment. Well, we will simply wait for a while.¡± She leans down on my chest while supporting her head with one hand and pouts while looking at me.


    ¡°What did you do!?¡±


    ¡°Just a little aphrodisiac.¡± She grins at me and I swear that I could imagine two horns sprouting from her head!


    Then a shudder runs down my spine and I feel something moving between my legs. Damn! ¡°I... If you would excuse me. I have to step out for a second.¡±


    I wriggle out from under her and leave the bed.


    ¡°Are you sure you don''t want me to ~help~ with that?¡±


    By looking back I see her irresistibly writhing around on the bed and freeze for a second.


    ¡°You know. I already deduced that you are quite addicted to chocolate. I doubt that you could find anyone in this world who is able to create a substitute. Of course I could be your supplier. If... you... would make..... ~some~...... ~concessions~.¡± She picks a piece of chocolate and eats it while grinning at me.


    Grah! Witch!


    I turn and lock the door. This could take a while.


    Then I rip the clothes from my body and mount her while pressing her down in the bed. She starts to answer my kisses and I lose myself in her embrace while our bodies begin to move on their own.


    An eternity later I lie panting on top of her while we embrace each other. ¡°That stuff is too strong. It felt like a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t want you to run off and relieve yourself.¡± She smiles under me while she starts to move again. ¡°Can you go another round?¡±


    ¡°I still don''t get why you are doing this.¡±


    ¡°~Sometimes you have to put the cart before the horse.~¡±


    .

 20. ~Choosing clothes.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Fellmar***


    ¡°This is unacceptable!¡±


    I am trying the sixteenth ball gown while Ascathon is looking at me with a bored expression. We are inside an exquisite shop for clothing in Fellmar.


    ¡°Could you decide soon? The Ball of Fellmar is going to start soon.¡± He points at an antique hourglass in a corner of the shop.


    ¡°I can''t go like this! This looks ¡­ like... like...¡±


    ¡°A bikini?¡±


    ¡°Thanks. That''s the nice word for it. Get me a decent ball gown!¡± I snap at the saleswoman who seems utterly confused.


    ¡°But... I don''t understand the problem. That''s the best traditional gown we have.¡± The saleswoman seems honestly confused.


    Ascathon starts to chuckle in the background. He has no problems with the traditional clothing for men of Norfolk. It looks like a strange combination of a smoking and a robe.


    The traditional clothing for women on a big festivity seems to be nothing more than a bad joke. I smile at the saleswoman. ¡°I won''t show off my entire body to lecherous old men. So get me something that doesn''t freeze me to death.¡±


    ¡°How about going with traditional clothing from Jamaian.¡± Ascathon waves at another row of clothing which is meant for festivities. Unfortunately Jamaian tradition is the polar opposite of Norfolk clothing.


    ¡°I don''t even understand the logic behind it. Is it to torture the female population? The warm country dresses you up for winter and the cold country dresses you for summer?¡± I start mumbling while I look at the ski suits from Jamaian.


    That''s when the saleswoman comes back with something like a china dress. It''s a set with a fan and a big hair needle. ¡°Here! That''s the latest fashion from the Academy. It shouldn''t be a taboo to wear it on the Ball of Fellmar.¡±


    Ascathon just raises an eyebrow. ¡°You have to cut the walking slit higher.¡±


    Sometimes I really want to know what''s going on in his head. I guess that''s the best compromise between swimming suits and ski suits.


    ¡°Why? It should fit fine.¡± The saleswoman looks sceptical at Ascathon.


    ¡°If she kicks someone it will rip!¡±


    Hooh... nice thinking.


    ¡°Why should you kick someone at the Ball of Fellmar!?¡± The saleswoman is shocked.


    ¡°Cut it higher. I may have to kick my husband.¡± I wave for the saleswoman to do as ordered.


    ¡°Haah.... so it''s that kind of relationship.... and they looked so good together....¡± The disillusioned saleswoman leaves the room again.


    I guess our relationship isn''t really the best. After the issue at the island I decided to try it inverted. Physical relationship first. Then acceptance. Then love.... maybe. Haaah... I hope I don''t make a big mistake with this.


    Well I guess a stable and secure life is better than love. All my other options are worse.


    ¡°That reminds me. Why didn''t you object at all when I wanted to join you?¡± I look at Ascathon who is loafing on a chair in the corner.


    ¡°Mmh... It''s required for noble landlords to bring their own companionship. If you come alone it either means that you have some kind of problem or you are some powerless nobody. Not that I would care. But the other indication is that you are single and willing to take everyone who offers himself.¡± He signals me a very obscene gesture to emphasize his point.


    My expression drops a little. ¡°I see. So you see me as an insecticide against all those lonely feme sole.¡±


    ¡°It''s in your interest to ward off any pushy characters.¡± He smiles at me.


    I purse my lips when the saleswoman enters the room again. She has the china dress in her hands and I start to change myself. They were really fast with adjusting it!


    This world has almost no sense of shame in regards of nudity in certain areas. If you would ask a salesman for a changing room, they would look at you with big unintelligible eyes.


    I grab the fan and the saleswoman helps me with the matching hairpin. I wish this world would have acceptable mirrors. But the most you can find even in high-spec stores like this are polished copper plates. So i turn to look into the biggest one at the wall.


    Hooh...? I could get used to having my hair like that. It''s out of the way and i don''t have to cut it. And the hair needle could have ~other~ uses.


    Anyway. Those copper mirrors distort the image and the colours. So it''s always good to have a second opinion. When I am done I look at Ascathon. ¡°Stand up. How do I look.¡±


    ¡°Why? You look fine. Like a real ~sugar cat~.¡± His expression becomes lecherous but he quickly follows my order when I start to smile.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°~Stand still. I have to test this dress.~¡±


    *Swish*


    I place a perfect Mawashi geri at the point where his head had been a second ago. But I strike just air because he ducked away at the last moment. It all happened in a split second.


    ¡°Ohoho... You got faster ~honey bear.~¡±


    ¡°I already expected violence ~sugar cat~. Please don''t use lethal force next time. If I hadn''t dodged my head would have popped like a melon.¡± He straightens his jacket.


    ¡°Of course I would have stopped. I would never harm the provider for the family.¡± Maybe..... But a little bump on your head would have been a suitable punishment for that creepy grin of yours.


    Then I look at the saleswoman who turned pale at our exchange. Or was it my usage of the expensive dress? ¡°I will take it. My honey will pay.¡± I snap the fan in front of my grinning face and leave the room.


    The store is subdivided in different compartments. There is the one for festivities which I was in. Then there are other doors which lead to different ones. All are connected by a central sales area.


    I take a look out of the window and watch the snow-storm. What a depressing country. I wish there would be more sunny days.


    A minute later Ascathon joins me while mumbling to himself. ¡°I don''t understand why a piece of cloth is that expensive.¡±


    He walks towards the exit and I quickly catch up and link arms with him. ¡°Don''t forget to cast environmental protection honey.¡±


    ¡°Hahah... I would never forget that.¡± He grabs the handle of the door and leads me outside while a blue shimmering bubble encloses us to form a shield against the snowstorm and the cold.


    I wouldn''t really need it because of my new skill. It''s a perfect protection against any harm. But my dress would suffer without Ascathon''s help.


    We silently walk down the streets of the biggest seaport of the continent. Fellmar is known for it''s size and the amount of ships which are coming and going.


    It was chosen by the Jarl because the journey to this city is the easiest for most nobles. He wants to create good relationships with other nations after all.


    ¡°When will you start to introduce the new techniques and greenhouses to your principality by the way? I am of the opinion that we should move faster.¡± I strike a conversation with him to kill time.


    ¡°You think? I thought of changing everything slowly and little by little to draw as little attention as possible.¡± He grabs my hand and interfolds his fingers with mine. I guess that''s meant to be an intimate gesture?


    I smile and draw closer. ¡°But the more time others have to get aware of the new techniques and machines, the more attention our principality will get. They hear about a new machine. So they will take a closer look. Then they see the lenient ruling. So they will sent the inquisition of the Academy. Then they find even more strange things. Maybe they will want to take a look at the source of all those new things.¡± I take a deep breath.


    ¡°All our changes and laws shouldn''t draw any attention by themselves. But all the new techniques together with all those changes on how our normal population is treated will surely activate some red lights in their heads. News travel slow in this world if they aren''t carried by nobles or merchants.¡± We start closing in on a big shimmering palace. The Jarl hasn''t feared any cost to make the Ball of Fellmar a spectacle.


    ¡°So I think it would be nice if we wouldn''t have to worry about a hypothetical inspector if he turns up in two years from now.¡± I end my train of thoughts and Ascathon starts to hum in thoughts.


    Then he shrugs his shoulders. ¡°It''s a nice opinion. The question is if we really have that much time until an investigation starts. Or if we just trigger it earlier by following such a path.¡±


    ¡°That''s why we have to control the trigger.¡± I start to grin.


    ¡°Controlling the trigger!?¡± Ascathon arches an eyebrow while thinking about my words.


    ¡°Do you think the Jarl would be willing to grant you a little more freedom and a little protection in exchange for your intelligence about the Phenex Empire? A war is coming and your principality could be a decisive factor in the coming war if left alone.¡± I snuggle a little closer once more. ¡°And a war can be long and gruesome.¡±


    Ascathon starts to grin while we approach the big entrance door to the Ball of Fellmar.


    ¡°And who knows? In the end? Maybe they will find out that the puppy which was left off the leash can''t be controlled any more?¡±


    .

 21. ~The autumn of the Immortal Empress.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Great Sea, Ocean of God***


    ¡°Great Sky-General! Our scouting group has spotted the Phenex-fleet just a few miles ahead. They have a huge ship in the centre of their formation.¡± One of my officers informs me of the situation while pointing out a spot on the map.


    We were in a state of cold-war with the Phenex Empire for the last decade. They tried to gain the upper hand in naval combat multiple times by now.


    But every time our fleet utterly destroyed them. It''s thanks to that weapons-trader that we didn''t have to fear for our naval superiority within the recent years.


    I would never admit that openly. The naval force of the Phenex-Empire is on par with the Nation of Mist. If it weren''t for the new spells we would have to fight with them on equal terms.


    And I don''t rule out the possibility that we could lose such a fight.


    ¡°What''s with the big ship in the centre of their formation? They usually don''t rely on size....¡± I start mumbling to myself and the officer starts to interrogate someone from the scouting party with long range communication magic.


    Then I turn to one of my other assistants. ¡°Give orders to our fleet. We disperse and attack them with long range spells. Don''t take any risk and stay well away from them.¡±


    I turn back to the previous officer who immediately starts to give me his report. ¡°There are no obvious abnormalities with the big ship. It has about the same size as our flag-ship... maybe a little bigger. It is showing the Imperial-banner with golden and black colours unlike the normal white and black phoenix.¡±


    ¡°That means there is someone very high ranking on that ship.¡± I close my eyes to think. We already faced very high ranking generals from the Empire. None of them had the importance to fly different colours.


    So someone from the imperial family? But the Empress is a single ruler. To our knowledge she has no family and no heirs. Did she come out of her palace to lead the fleet herself?


    But why should she take matters into her own hands after so many years? Is she really as strong as the rumours say?


    Back then when she unified her continent it was said that she took out her biggest opponent with a single spell. Not only that but a sizeable part of the opposing army was wiped out too. The survivors were so terrified that they simply surrendered on the spot.


    Well. From her lifetime alone I can tell that she has to be a monster. The lifetime of any being is determined by it''s affinity to mana. If a totally untalented mainlander has a lifetime of about seventy years, someone with average magical power should life for about a hundred to a hundred and twenty years.


    An exceptional mage from the main continent may even manage to scratch two to three hundred years.


    Luckily we people from the Nation of Mist aren''t really bound to that rule because everyone of our population has a strong affinity to mana even if they aren''t good with magic.


    But the Immortal Empress has already lived for more than six hundred years! We aren''t sure if it was always the same Immortal Empress or if someone simply took over her position.


    Though if it''s really true, then she has to be a genuine monster. Someone with so much magical power could be a real danger.


    I start to walk up and down on the bridge of my command-ship. Should I call for a temporary retreat? But how can we determine if she is really on that ship? Isn''t a battle the only possibility to force her to take action?


    My questions are answered by a bright light on the horizon. The officer who held the communication line with the scouting party drops to his knees and starts panting. Pearls of sweat appear on his forehead and his expression is one of pure pain.


    Magical backlash. I go to one knee beside him and grab his shoulder. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°The scouting party had just started to use their long range spells when.... . There was just a bright flash of light. And then everything was gone.....¡± The officer pulls a grimace.


    ¡°Sit down and rest for the time being. You have done well.¡± I stand up and take another look at the map in front of me.


    I can''t believe it. Eight ships. Gone in a split second!


    ¡°Give orders to the whole fleet. They have to attack them from as many directions at once as possible. Everyone has to focus on the big vessel in the centre of their formation. If we can take out the Immortal Empress they will loose their only means of attack! See to it that all ships are splitting up far enough. Don''t give her a nice target like the scouting group!¡± I signal to one of my assistants.


    Then I watch the battle unfolding with a grim expression. It''s infuriating but as the commander of a whole fleet you don''t have much to do after you decided on a strategy and announced the start of the operation.


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    My assistants keep updating the map in front of me as the informations come in. Our ships are represented by small blue stones and the enemy vessels by red ones.


    It''s in the hands of the ship captains to fight the battle and carry out my orders to the best of their abilities. I am just here to observe the action and decide if it is necessary to change the strategy or to call for a retreat.


    I watch grimly as the symbols for our ships are taken off the map. From time to time my assistants can announce that an enemy vessel has been sunk. But it happens just in rare cases.


    Those strange flashes of light brighten the horizon even during the entire night as I keep track of the battle action. If my guess is true and the Empress is casting those spells all by herself ¡­.. she is beyond a monster. Maybe a demi-god would be more accurate.


    A naval battle between fleets is usually slow and can take hours or days. But not this time. Our superior magical scouting techniques and the good weather are to our advantage. The imperial fleet is sailing against the wind while our ships are attacking with the wind in our backs.


    That makes it impossible for the imperial fleet to run. Unless they decide to retreat and sail back the way they came.


    On the other hand I have a problem, should I decide to call for a retreat myself. We could sail against the wind ourselves or decide for a breakthrough. There is also the possibility of evading to the sides.


    But that would lead us into strong oceanic currents. The ocean of god is a certain part of the great sea and has its name for a reason. It has very calm waters and it stretches roughly between the two bigger continents.


    If we should decide to sail to the sides, the imperial fleet could follow us to force us into the strong currents which are circulating to both sides of the ocean of god.


    It would take us two months to get back to our islands..... and our blockade on the smaller continent would be broken.


    We aren''t protecting the main continent because we are the nice guys. It''s just because the mainland wouldn''t stand a chance against the Phenex Empire. They are too concerned with fighting their own little wars.


    And who would be the next on the list after the mainland? It would be us of course. And the Nation of Mist wouldn''t stand a chance if the Empress had the resources of both continents in her hands.


    The time flies by and slowly the sun appears on the horizon. Unfortunately I can no longer close my eyes before the situation as the morning dawns. The engagement started with one hundred and ninety four ships in the imperial fleet.


    Our fleet accounted to two hundred and eleven ships. During the night we lost seventy four ships. The imperial fleet is down by about thirty ships.


    Their fleet has taken some losses but it''s just a dent compared to ours. Maybe we have stalled their plans for the main continent but I don''t believe it.


    Fifty two of our losses can be counted on those white flashes. So the Immortal Empress alone is responsible for the most kills in this conflict. If we keep this up we will face a complete defeat.


    I have to decide on a route of action. Unfortunately I don''t feel confident in breaking through the empires fleet. Even if the last white flashes were smaller I can''t count on the exhaustion of the Empress.


    Probably she simply decided that it isn''t worth to use a blow at full power to deal with a single vessel.


    I am not confident to run from them against the wind either. The imperial ships are a little slower than ours because they are build more bulky. But not by much.


    While clenching my teeth I look at the map. If we are unlucky and hit a slow current the imperial ships could catch up to us. And our blockade has been broken in any case. The mainland is on its own from now on.


    Even if we start running now we will probably still loose quite a few more ships. From what I see there are at least twenty to thirty ships which aren''t in a good position to run and disengage.


    ¡°Tell the fleet to turn south. We are retreating.¡± I continue to stare at the map while I speak those words. I can''t remember a time when the proud Nation of Mist had to retreat from a naval battle?


    What a shame! I am the first general who calls for a retreat! My assistants around me have disturbed expressions but they can judge the situation for themselves. They are old enough and experienced like me.


    ¡°Tell those who are in impossible positions to fight and cover our retreat. We have to save as many ships as possible. We will need them after we had proper time to investigate the situation and found an answer to that new imperial spell.¡± I turn and leave for my cabin. We need to find a way to protect our ships against that white flash! Or at least a possibility to get close enough to deal some damage of our own.


    .

 22. ~The dance.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Fellmar***


    ¡°Why are they looking at us like that?¡±


    Celestial takes a look around the great hall in which the Ball of Fellmar is held. Many nobles are staring at us without trying to hide it.


    I smile broadly. ¡°They are staring at -me-. First because I left my homeland, which accounts to outright betrayal. Second because I am one of the few who ever got a wish granted by the Academy. ¡­..and third group is obviously ogling your body.¡±


    Celestial puffs her cheeks and starts to mumble. ¡°If anyone tries to touch me I will rip out their eyeballs and shove them up their.....¡±


    I nod while I lead the mumbling Celestial towards a bar to get something to drink. ¡°It''s so refreshing to have such a ~nice~ companion.¡±


    ¡°Why did that sentence feel like pure sarcasm?¡± Celestial grabs my arm tighter while I fight to keep my smiling face.


    Of course it was sarcasm! Well. Breath in. Breath out. Everything is fine! I am still able to do anything I want in this world.


    Getting a cheeky and dangerous wife is just a little unforeseen circumstance. I can deal with her taking over my principality! No problem! At least she seems to have some skills in managing a country. I am not interested in administrative work anyway! Let her do the annoying part.


    I just want to do my research. Having power and money is just a means to an end. Researching magic, science and building my machines is my primary goal.


    Taking care of Violetta is another concern of mine. And as long as this scheme works out it''s fine.


    And how often do I get the chance to meet someone else who remembers his past lifes? I lived so many lives, I don''t even remember most of them. It gets a little boring if you are caught in this loop for so long.


    Yet I never met someone like me. Geez. Why does she have to be such a.... . Well. I guess if you live that many lives you get a little strange and opportunistic. I can remember that I still had some ideals a few hundred years ago.


    Hmmm. I guess you start to distance yourself from your whole life. After all you know that everything will change as soon as you die. You die and boom! Different family, different world, different culture, another annoying language.


    I take one glass of some strange liquid from the servant and sip at it while observing the hall. There are huge windows with coloured glass on all walls. The magical powered light sources behind them dive the whole area into a strange combination of colours.


    Everyone is dressed differently because there are guests from multiple different Nations.


    All invited guests have their own tables and there is a big dancing floor in the middle of the room. From what I heard the Jarl decided that the first part of the evening should be reserved for talking between the leaders of the different nations.


    So we will be spared from having to deal with the really big fishes.


    ¡°Sigh. Too bad that this nice room will be most likely blown to bits.¡± Celestial takes a look around with a sad expression.


    ¡°Blown to bits?¡± I arch an eyebrow and take another look around.


    ¡°There are nobles from Mislow and Jamaian here. How long do think will they need to start a fight?¡± Celestial tilts her head while looking at two groups.


    Now I too realize that the nobles from Mislow and Jamaian are forming two camps. I snort and take another sip from my glass. ¡°Then let''s try to not get involved.¡±


    ¡°We could go to the dance floor and have a little duel.¡± Celestial steals a glance at the few couples who occupy the dance area.


    ¡°Hoh? A duel? Whoever steps on the others foot first wins?¡± I start to walk towards the dance floor while pulling Celestial after me.


    ¡°I thought more about going as fast as possible and whoever can''t keep up looses.¡± Celestial follows with agitated steps.


    ¡°Actually that sounds even better. Of course I am allowed to use magic. Aren''t I?¡± I glance at Celestial.


    ¡°Of ~course~. It would be no fun otherwise.¡± She smiles.


    ¡°ASCATHON!¡±


    I am halted in my advance as someone calls for me from the side. ¡°Oh please! He is still alive. I had hoped he was buried nine feet deep in some mass grave.¡± By turning my view to the side I see my father and my mother advancing towards me.


    ¡°Your parents?¡± Celestial takes a wild guess. Hm. Maybe not so wild as she may have recognized some family resemblance.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Yes. Ignore them. Let''s go to the dance floor.¡± I take a step onto the dancing area which is slightly elevated over the normal ground.


    I pull her towards me and start to dance while I move us away from my family. I hope they aren''t rude enough to start a commotion in the middle of the dance floor. And indeed my parents remain at the edge of the dance floor while staring holes into us.


    ¡°Don''t you feel anything for them at all?¡± Celestial looks at me with a sad expression.


    This question angered me. Why is she prying? ¡°I have even more reason to hate them than you. Besides. Someone who tortures his own child shouldn''t be counted as a parent. So why should I love any of them.¡±


    I quicken my steps while applying a magical enhancement spell to my body. I will have to pull some tricks in order to keep up with Celestial.


    ¡°So it is true? You don''t allow yourself to be involved with them any more? But which came first, Ascathon?¡± She places her head on my chest while we dance to the music. She goes even faster and I fight to keep up.


    ¡°What do you mean? Which came first?¡± I look up at the chandelier while wondering about her reason for asking about my past.


    ¡°Did they mistreat you first? Or did they realize that you don''t love them?¡± Her response carries obvious dismay.


    ¡°I was a little child when they threw me into some kind of training camp. So I couldn''t have done anything to them that would justify their actions!¡± I spit the words out of my mouth and we keep dancing.


    ¡°I just thought that they may have realized that you were different from their previous children and felt... frightened?¡± Celestial tilts her head while thinking.


    I shake my head. ¡°I still don''t think that it''s correct to forsake your child without trying to confirm the problem.¡± Again I increase our speed to a level where lenient talking becomes almost impossible.


    Half an hour later the music stops and the musicians step out to take a little rest. ¡°Haah. I guess I have to face them now.¡±


    I turn in their direction and see that they are already advancing towards us. Celestial steals herself closer to me and puts my arm around her shoulders. Then she smiles brightly at the incoming enemy while hugging me from the side.


    ¡°Ascathon! How dare you! Treating us like that after everything you did! And even holding Violetta hostage!¡±


    I sigh. ¡°May I introduce you. These are Tendril Arenzien, my father. And Irda Arenzien, my mother. Here we have my wife, Celestial Asceron.¡± I point at Celestial with my free hand.


    ¡°You married a slave?¡± My mother has a shocked expression on her face. She may fall unconscious at any moment from her expression.


    Oh? So they have some information about me? I wonder how well informed they are.


    ¡°We are here to take Violetta back!¡± My father is unconcerned by my introduction.


    I shake my head. ¡°I fear that nothing can be done about that. I legally bought the slave you call Violetta and adopted her. She is Violetta Asceron now.¡±


    My father''s eyes almost pop out of his head. ¡°YOU!¡±


    But I interrupt him. ¡°Scram! You sent assassins after me and tried to abduct Violetta. You should finally realize that I am not one of your minions! You are nothing more than dirt on my shoe! I have my own principality and more land and money than you ever attained in your whole life.


    ¡°Belonging to a magical bloodline isn''t about money.¡± Tendril snaps.


    ¡°Is Violetta doing fine?¡± My mother finally asks the one question they should have asked first.


    ¡°She is doing fine.¡± I don''t let my heart waver and change my expression to a smile.


    ¡°Violetta is the only one who can continue the house of Arenzien! You have to give her back to us.¡± My father spurts out another ridiculous line.


    ¡°Why should I care for your house? Were my brothers killed in one of the raids for you to be that desperate?¡± I shake my head.


    ¡°They will both fight in the war with Jamaian. We don''t have high hopes that they will survive.¡± Mother answers with a sad voice.


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°They are the first and the second sons of the house of Arenzien. If they can''t take care of themselves nobody can.¡± My voice is filled with sarcasm.


    ¡°You know that they are nowhere as capable as you.¡± My mother bows and turns to walk away, ignoring my father.


    Tendril looks after her and then towards me and spits on the floor. He follows my mother with long steps.


    ¡°Well. Looks like we have to find someone else to get information about my parents.¡± Celestial looks after them with a disturbed expression.


    .

 23. ~Son in law!~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Fellmar***


    ¡°What do you think of calling our dance-duel a draw?¡± I ask my husband after confirming that Tendril really intends to leave. But i get no answer.


    Ascathon keeps staring at the spit on the ground like frozen while Tendril walks away. I poke his cheek with one finger but I get no reaction.


    Did this gesture of ultimate despise by his father short out his brain. Why is he so affected by it? I thought his father tortured him.


    I want to know what''s going on in his head. Somehow his expression seems really conflicted?


    Suddenly he raises his arm towards his father and one of the many female servants throughout the ball room trips spectacularly. She was walking close to Tendril and her plate with food and drinks flies forward in an unnatural arc.


    *Splatter!*


    Tendril just stands there with his back towards us while the servant starts to prostrate herself in front of him. Some people around him start to chuckle while looking at his unfortunate state. Then he turns towards us and shoots a hateful glare while I am able to witness the mash of food and drinks all over his clothes.


    Ascathon starts to grin while Tendril leaves the hall.


    ¡°You are such a child.¡± I smile while looking at him.


    ¡°I don''t think that you are any better.¡± Ascathon keeps watching until Tendril has left the room.


    ¡°Soo.... anyone else whom we could ask about Mislow?¡± I look around while searching for someone else to talk to.


    ¡°I think that Kane and his girlfriend could be around here somewhere. You should be able to find them. I will go for a little walk and ask for an appointment with the Jarl.¡± He smirks at me. ¡°Try to bear the loneliness while I am gone.¡±


    ¡°If you think that it''s necessary to make an appointment? But I guess the Jarl is a busy person. Better to make one sooner than later.¡± I kiss him on his cheek to startle him which works perfectly fine.


    Ascathon walks away while wiping at his cheek like some dog just licked over his face. I walk my own way while searching for some Mislow nobles who could be pried for information.


    The whole area for the ball is actually really huge! I didn''t realize it earlier but the huge room which we entered first is just something like a starting stage. It has the size of about fifty metres in length and width. But there are even more rooms like this!


    After walking a short distance I find out that another exit leads into another room and from there yet again into another one. They should have drawn a map for this event! Well. I will just walk through all of them fast to get an overview.


    So I start walking fast and with purposeful steps.


    It looks like each hall has a purpose. The first one we entered was mostly reserved for dancing. Then I found one in which food was served in huge quantities. Another one was filled with people who tried their best to entertain the guests in various ways. There were various items on display too to look at. Everything had the purpose of entertainment.


    The fourth hall I enter seems to be mostly occupied by people who are talking to each other. So I decide to stay there. It''s easier to talk to someone who is obviously looking for interactions than to disturb someone who is occupied with something else.


    I walk up to a pair of women who look like nobles from Mislow. ¡°Hi, are you two from Mislow?¡±


    One of the women turns towards me with questioning eyes. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that you have some informations about the house of Jasmine? I had some friends there and our contact broke off completely when the borders were closed.¡± I smile at them while trying to keep a straight face.


    ¡°Jasmine? I am not sure but weren''t they located close to the Jamaian border? I think many noble families who lived there suffered quite a bit. I heard some bloodlines even completely perished.¡± The older of the two women starts a useless rant without any actual information.


    ¡°I see. Do you happen to know someone who could have some detailed information?¡± Maybe there is some high big cheese around who has concrete knowledge?


    ¡°You could try to talk to Marquise Grez, he is an official ambassador. He should be in that group over there.¡± The younger lady points towards a group of old men at a table in the corner of the room.


    ¡°Then I will try it over there, thank you.¡± I leave both of them behind and head for the table which was pointed out.


    As I approach them in an obvious manner, two of the five men on the table set their attention onto me. ¡°Please, excuse my intrusion. But I am searching for information about the house of Jasmine. I was told that Marquise Grez could help me?¡±


    One of them has a pipe in his hand and is busy with puffing small rings of smoke into the air. He takes the pipe out of his mouth and answers with a deep voice. ¡°I am Grez. Why to you seek information about that house?¡±


    ¡°I am the daughter of Arduin Jasmine and Idala Jasmine. When the raids started I was abducted by a Jamaian raiding party and couldn''t go back nor get information because the border was closed.¡±


    The old geezer arches an eyebrow and his jaw drops. ¡°Wait a second!¡± He places the tips of his left hand''s fingers at his temple and concentrates. A communication spell? After a few seconds he removes his hand again. ¡°Just wait here with us. Your parents should turn up in a few minutes.¡±


    They are here? ¡°They are alive? Both?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Both of them are alive. They came here to search for information about you and your sister. Unfortunately your estate got completely destroyed. Actually Mislow is currently trying with all its might to get to know the whereabouts of all abducted individuals.¡± Grez draws another breath from his pipe. ¡°What about your sister?¡±


    ¡°She is fine. Why are you trying find them that hard?¡± It can''t be that the government got nice and helpful all of a sudden?


    ¡°For hundreds of years the bloodline for mind-magic was an exclusive trait of the nobles of Mislow. And now the Jamaian barbarians are trying to attain it by abduction and murder. How can the king watch this happening while doing nothing? Every abducted person with even the slightest possibility to pass on this trait to the next generation has to be accounted for.¡± Grez shakes his head.


    It''s still strange. ¡°But isn''t it unlikely that the Jamaian Union can create a stable population of mind-magicians with just a few abducted individuals?¡±


    ¡°You underestimate them. We are searching for over a thousand people who disappeared during the initial raids. I am not talking just about members of acknowledged bloodlines. They abducted everyone who had even an ounce of magic ability. Even if they can create just a single generation of mind magicians who are loyal to them it would be a huge win in their war effort.¡± Grez shakes his head again.


    ¡°Celestial!¡±


    I am hugged from behind and I immediately recognize my mother''s voice. Then I am forcedly turned around and hugged again. ¡°Hi, mom.¡± I pat my mother''s back while I smile at my dad who also turned up.


    ¡°We are so glad that you are safe.¡± He hugs both of us while smiling. My mother is crying tears of joy.


    ¡°I am sorry dad. I guess I got caught.¡± I can''t think of anything else besides apologizing. ¡°But Liandra is fine. Though she stayed at home, so you can''t see her immediately.¡±


    ¡°Home?¡± My mother finally stops ruining my dress with her tears. Aahh... whatever. At least they are safe.


    ¡°Ah. Yeah. She is in Sarn-Valley. I have a huge mansion there.¡± I smile broadly at them. Both are looking at me with dumbfounded expressions.


    ¡°Maybe we should try to have this conversation elsewhere. There will be much to talk about and we shouldn''t disturb the ambassador any further. He was so nice to take us with him onto this ball to search for information.¡± My father smiles and nods at Grez who smiles back at us.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I am more than happy that we didn''t just find informations on their whereabouts.¡± Grez waves with his hand and starts to suck on his pipe again while taking out a fat notebook with names. He ticks two names from the list.


    My father leads us a little farther away before hugging me himself. ¡°I am glad that you are fine. But how did you end up in Norfolk after being abducted by Jamaian!¡±


    Oh... well how should I explain all this? This could actually become a little hairy. There isn''t really a good way to inform them of everything that happened. ¡°Haah... that''s a long story. But to make it short. The Jamaian slave traders sold me and Liandra as slaves. We were bought by Ascathon, a noble from Norfolk. He kind of saved us.¡±


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    ¡°You were enslaved!?¡± Mother''s expression immediately turns gruesome. ¡°Where is that bastard! What did he do to Liandra.¡±


    Urgh. That came across completely wrong! ¡°Nono. No slave any more. See? No slave-rings.¡± I smile at my mother showing my hands to her.


    ¡°They put slave-rings on you two?¡± Fathers expression turns dark too.


    ¡°Yes. But now they are off. We are free people again. I was doing fine.¡± No reason to go on a rampage.


    ¡°We have to thank this noble then. If he saved Liandra and you out of good will, then he has to be thanked.¡± Mother grabs my hand and smiles at me.


    Um. That''s not the entire truth either.


    ¡°What''s his name?¡± My father smiles at me.


    ¡°Um. His full name is Ascathon Asceron.¡±


    Both of my parent''s expressions suddenly become fearsome. ¡°The Arenzien!¡± ¡°The Arenzien!¡±


    ¡°Ah. So you know his previous family name.¡± Aaah. It will be a pain to change their opinions!


    ¡°Of course! We know of all members of that accursed family!¡± Father snaps.


    ¡°But he left that family and the country. And he actually doesn''t like any of his relatives except his little sister.¡± I try to smooth the waves.


    ¡°That makes him a traitor too! My poor daughter! Did he defile you!? You can tell everything to me.¡± My mother hugs me again.


    ¡°He... didn''t... exactly... defile... me.¡± Oh my god! Why did my mind just blank out!? How can I turn this conversation into a positive direction!


    ¡°He did! I will murder that....¡±


    ¡°Husband!¡± So. Now it''s out. Better to drop the whole bomb at them and clean the mess later.


    ¡°Hus...¡± ¡°...band?¡±


    ¡°~Yes.~ I married him. So please refrain from doing anything to your own son in law. He is a noble from Norfolk by the way, so you would create some diplomatic issues too by doing so.¡± I smile at them while my mother fights to keep standing with my support.


    ¡°Why?¡± My mother asks with a whiny voice.


    ¡°Didn''t you guys always say that I should marry someone with power to save our house and ensure our safety? Well. I decided that marrying someone with power and gaining a citizenship would be better than staying a person with no legal rights.¡± I nod at my perfect explanation.


    ¡°We still have to see him to judge for ourselves!¡± My father folds his arms in front of his chest. His face tells me that he already made up his mind about the hermit.


    ¡°You don''t have anything to fear. I wear the pants in our relationship!¡± I stand proud in front of my father while proclaiming this line.


    ¡°We will see... where is he?¡± My mother sighs and starts to walk towards the exit.


    ¡°I parted with him at the entrance. He wanted to get an appointment with the Jarl to further the development of our principality! It shouldn''t take that long to make an appointment. So maybe he is already searching for me.¡± I smile at them. I may as well try to sell some of Ascathon''s good points. Like having money and power. And being smart and having a high morality.


    ¡°He has a principality!?¡± Dad''s expression drops a little. Maybe he just lost a little confidence?


    ¡°The whole of Sarn-Valley with about a hundred thousand inhabitants!¡± Hah! Maybe that will change their opinion of my choice.


    I lead them slowly back the way I came while looking carefully around. It''s still possible that we could miss each other but I hope that Ascathon would also take a direct route. So we should meet each other.


    While I walk I decide to pile on with Ascathon''s pros. The better my parent''s impression of him, the less worries they should have. ¡°And he is actually a very nice and emotional person.¡± He always has nightmares when I don''t sleep with him.


    ¡°And he is reasonable too. If you have some good arguments you can always convince him to help you.¡± A little blackmail here and there and he will even marry you.


    ¡°And while he is really strong, he can be gentle too.¡± Yes. When he saved me he gently ended the life of that idiot who tried to buy me and Liandra.


    ¡°His skill in the bed is ~godlike~!¡± Ah! Damn! I got carried away. Their expressions turned fearsome again.


    ¡°And........¡±


    ¡°KYAAAAA!¡±


    I was just about to enter the next hall when a scream destroys the atmosphere and a few people come running into our direction with pale faces and horrified expressions. It should be the hall which was filled with entertainers and various exhibits.


    A few steps take me to the entrance and I peek inside the room.


    What I find is a murder scene. No. It''s closer to a massacre because there are multiple victims. I see seven bodies in total and there are stains of blood everywhere! I slowly walk forward while I observe the scene. There are actually a few nobles left within the room. They look around with dazed expressions but they don''t look scared. Seems like the violence was restricted to a certain group of people.


    All corpses seem to be Jamaian nobles. There is one who seems to have been wounded and actually managed to crawl a few metres towards the exit before a sword nailed him to the floor, right through his heart. The trail of blood makes his struggle evident.


    Another two seem to have killed each other with their bare hands. It looks like they actually tried to peel the flesh off of each other while being in an all or nothing struggle for life and death! They are still entangled on the floor like two maniacs. A puddle of blood is forming around them.


    One is sitting on the ground while leaning towards the wall. The wall has a human shaped dent!


    On the far side of the room I see a hideously burned and charred corpse which looks like it was trying to reach a small pool with a warning of dangerous fishes above it. I guess it wouldn''t have mattered if he had reached the water or not.


    Someone is hanging heels over head from the slowly spinning chandelier at the ceiling. Various cuts and bruises are covering his body. How he got up there is a mystery to me.


    Then I see a pair of feet looking out of a big barrel which was used earlier by an entertainer to demonstrate his escapology.


    *Smack* *Smack* *Smack* *Smack*


    A silent, rhythmic and a little wet sound draws my attention towards a spot which was previously hidden by a table which is tilted sideways.


    Someone is sitting on top of an eighth Jamaian corpse which is lying on its belly with all limbs spread out. He is working very hard to hit the head of the unresisting person into the ground again and again. The mangled head looks a little dented which probably is at fault for the wet sound that is created by the action.


    I feel my parents following me while I walk slowly closer.


    The person who is committing the desecration of the corpse has a knife sticking out of his right shoulder blade and deep red blood is soaking the traditional Norfolk clothing around the wound.


    As I step closer I draw his attention and he turns around.


    ¡°Hi, ~sugar cat~. Did you have a nice evening?¡±


    Ascathon smiles at me with a laceration on his forehead above his left eye. The wound is bleeding pretty heavily and obstructing his view.


    ¡°H...~Honey bear~? What are you doing?¡±


    Ascathon has a really relaxed expression. I never saw him like that before. It''s actually a little frightening. He doesn''t seem to feel his wounds at all.


    ¡°Just using the opportunity to relieve some stress. Oh, maybe I should introduce you. That''s the brother of a certain Jamaian idiot whom I had a little argument with at a certain slave auction. He tried to avenge his deceased family member.¡±


    Ascathon smacks the head of the body into the ground a final time and a crunching sound can be heard as the skull finally yields.


    .

 24. ~The law.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Fellmar***


    ¡°I saw everything from the beginning to the end. The eight dead Jamaian nobles were the attackers. They walked up to that person and one of them stabbed him from behind with a knife. He fell to the ground and then they surrounded and started to kick him. But after some seconds something like an explosion blew everyone away. Then the assaulted person got up and fought back. It was so gruesome and everything happened very fast. I took cover behind a table. Just a few seconds of magical combat were enough to create this scene.¡±


    Another eye-witness gives his report to the grumbling captain of the guard who is taking notes.


    The guards arrived just a few seconds after Celestial. They sealed off the whole area and started to interrogate everyone. By that time I had already dealt with the bastards who attacked me without a word from behind.


    What can I say to my defence? I simply snapped and murdered them any way I could? They babbled something about revenge and that I killed his brother. By listening and making a few guesses I came to the conclusion that they were related to Mr. Golden-Mask.


    The captain forces a smile onto his face and turns towards me. ¡°Looks like you acted in self-defence Ascathon Asceron. You can go for the time being. But please refrain from leaving the country until this case is closed. And try to stay away from the Jamaians who swore blood revenge against you.¡±


    My head jerks up. ¡°Really? No trial?¡±


    ¡°I don''t see why I should waste my time with a judge if there are so many witnesses. And whom you killed during an honour-duel in a country on the other side of the continent is no concern of mine.¡± The guard stores away his notes and walks away. With the retreat of the guards an army of servants starts to clean up the mess.


    Eh!? They simply left? No bureaucratic paper storm? ¡°I ~love~ this country! The weather is nice. The people are reasonable. And now I find out that their judicature is fast and just!¡± It took the arriving guards just half an hour to interrogate all witnesses.


    Case solved and documented.


    Celestial and two other people were standing close to me while I had to answer the questions of the guards. Somehow Celestial doesn''t look happy. Everything ended well, so why the sour mood? It was just a little problem.


    I already healed my wound and the bruises but.... ¡°~Sugar cat?~ Could you pull that knife out of my shoulder? It itches and I am not flexible enough to do it myself.¡±


    ¡°~Sure.~¡± Celestial reaches for my shoulder and pulls the knife out of it with a swift movement. I feel a stinging pain but my passive regeneration spell finally starts to work properly and the pain slowly fades away. I had numbed my feeling for pain by cutting several nerves with telekinsis.


    I am a little afraid of this technique, so I don''t use it very often. It''s very helpful during a fight because you become a berserker who is able to ignore his wounds. The downside is because of what happens if you fail to execute it right.


    In one of my past lifes I royally messed up and severed something at the wrong point. It interfered with my spell-casting too and so I ended that life in persistent vegetative state while slowly dying in my bed. Not a happy memory.


    There is also a problem if I stay too long in this state. The nerves could heal on their own and it would become very hard to heal them up correctly again.


    But the pain is finally gone. So I turn my attention towards Celestial and her companions. ¡°So why the heavy atmosphere?¡±


    ¡°~Honey.~ These are Arduin Jasmine, my father and Idala Jasmine, my mother. Mom, Dad, this is Ascathon. My husband.¡± Celestial links arms with me while smiling.


    Hmm. Parents? Parents in law? ¡°Hi.¡± Oooh. Too bad I haven''t invented a camera yet. Their expressions are genuine.


    ¡°Why don''t we take this discussion elsewhere and give him time to clean himself.¡± Idala smiles at Arduin.


    I look down at myself and realize that my right side is bloody all over. Celestial wisely stuck to my left which is still relatively clean.


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    .


    An hour later I acquired another suit and am cleaned up. I am in the dining area at a table with fine food to have a discussion with Celestial and her parents. Celestial is placed beside me with her parents in front of us.


    ¡°I won''t approve of this!¡± Arduin shakes his head in denial.


    ¡°I have no...¡± Celestial pinches me from behind to shut me up. It feels like she used a forceps. But I know very well that she did it with her bare hands.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°But I love him ~daddy~. You won''t be able to break us up. Besides. Liandra likes him too. And she treats Violetta like her little sister. The two of them are inseparable.¡± Celestial takes my hand to make a point.


    ¡°Violetta?¡± Idala looks at us with a questioning gaze.


    ¡°My little sister. She will become nine this month and she already memorized most basic spells.¡± I smile. It''s actually close to being a genius if you aren''t someone with memories of a past life. So I can be proud of my little sister.


    Arduin draws his breath to start a tirade but he is cuffed into his side by a smiling Idala. Her smile makes her look like a demon.


    ¡°Then you will forgive me if I take a look at this family-life of yours. And I want to see Liandra.¡±


    ¡°So you approve?¡± Celestial hugs me from the side while I try to keep a straight face.


    ¡°Unfortunately the war with the Jamaian-Union has ruined our family. They burned our estate to the ground and killed most of our servants. The remaining ones fled or looked for other employers because our land is too close to the border. It''s effectively inside a war zone. Nobody wants to live there. We can only be thankful if Liandra and you have found a peaceful place to live.¡± Idala smiles at Celestial.


    ¡°Why don''t you stay with us? The mansion is big enough and there is plenty of room. And Liandra surely misses you two.¡± Celestial calls out.


    ¡°Ooone moment! Two more pets weren''t.....¡± Another pinch by Celestial shuts me up and Idala''s smile becomes even more fearsome.


    ¡°Pets?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. It''s just his strange way to think of anyone besides himself. His world-view is actually a little twisted but I am working on that.¡± Celestial waves her hand at her parents.


    ¡°Twisted? I don''t think that it''s ...¡±


    ¡°~Honey bear?~ Did you get your appointment with the Jarl by the way?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I even talked to him already and he listened to my proposal. He said that he would decide after talking to the other leaders of the country. But that''s not...¡±


    ¡°You were fast.¡±


    ¡°Well. It''s the Ball of Fellmar and he didn¡¯t have much time. I just made a suggestion and gave him the proposal in written form. But th....¡±


    ¡°So we are ~done~ here?¡±


    ¡°Haaah... yes. But don''t you want to see a little more of the ball?¡±


    ¡°We are already here for more than three hours and though I found my parents, my husband got almost killed because we have no guards with us. We danced, we talked, we looked, so I say we go home while there are no further problems.¡±


    ¡°I can''t change it. If it would be allowed I would have brought our own guards with me. But unfortunately there is a ban on weapons and guards all over Fellmar during the ball.¡± I shake my head.


    ¡°Yet those Jamaians showed up in force and had weapons with them. I say we head straight for the Gate and go home.¡± Celestial doesn''t deviate from her decision.


    I sigh and stand up. Celestial links arms with me again and we head for the Gate. Her parents follow us without saying a word. At the entrance Celestial stops and holds me back. ¡°Please be so nice and cast elemental protection.¡±


    ¡°Sure, how could I forget.¡± A blue bubble surrounds us and we step out into the snow.


    ¡°Celestial! Haven''t I told you to always train your spells? You shouldn''t rely on others. Hone your skills whenever it is possible. You need the practice.¡± Arduin starts to nag from behind.


    ¡°Ah, I am sorry dad. But I found out that I am simply not suited to be a spell-caster. I started to train my inner mana manipulation. Since I focused on that field I became worse and worse at casting spells.¡± Celestial snickers while we walk.


    ¡°No way! Do you intend to become a complete sloth Celestial?¡± Idala has a shocked voice.


    ¡°Unfortunately her inner mana manipulation makes her a monster.¡± I say that while remembering a certain someone running over the water with physics alone on her side. Most magicians can''t even dream of accomplishing something like that.


    ¡°We will start our training again. There is no getting out of this!¡± Arduin threatens his daughter with a finger.


    I will have to watch him while he casts spells at her. It would be interesting to know if he manages to force her to evade.


    .

 25. ~Our house.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ¡°We are here!¡±


    We lead my parents towards the entrance of Ascathon''s property. Four burly and big guards step aside as they recognize us. It''s a clear night in Sarn and the stars sparkle above us.


    A small walk takes us to the entrance of the mansion and we enter the reception room. Sarah is at her desk like always.


    ¡°Sarah! Look. I found my parents. Could you get everyone and ready a room for them?¡± I walk over to Sarah who stores a few documents away.


    ¡°Liandra will be overjoyed.¡± Sarah walks off to get the kids.


    Then I turn back to my parents. It only just occurred to me, but they were awfully quiet since leaving the ball. ¡°Mom, Dad? Is something wrong? You were so quiet.¡± I try to smile to them to soften the mood.


    ¡°Ah. It''s nothing dear. It''s just that this mansion seems awfully big and there seem to be no servants?¡± Idala voices her thoughts while looking around.


    Ah. I guess in another mansion from a noble family you would be greeted by an army of servants. That''s not the case in the house of Asceron..... for certain ~reasons~. I guess that this will become another problem!


    I realize now that Ascathon is smirking at me while standing behind my parents. They can''t see his expression because they are looking at me. Damn. I was so happy about finding my parents that I didn''t think this through. And Ascathon didn''t bother to mention anything.


    He is looking at me like asking how I intend to explain his house to them!


    ¡°Yes. Ascathon doesn''t like servants. So there are just us, the kids, their tutor Stefan, Sarah who is our secretary and the guards who live in a separate part of the mansion.¡± Covering it up could work for the time being but my parents will surely have thoughts of their own.


    Both of them take a look back at Ascathon who immediately changes his expression to indifference. ¡°I am simply not comfortable with too many people around. And I don''t like having someone do something for me which I can do on my own. There are just some cleaners who show up once a week.¡±


    ¡°This still looks like it costs a lot of money. How much did you spent on the small army around the mansion and this principality.¡± Arduin asks Ascathon a bold question.


    But the hermit just shrugs his shoulders. ¡°A little more than two thousand platinum coins. I didn''t bother to count.¡±


    ¡°He didn''t bother to count.¡± Idala turns towards me and smiles.


    ¡°Well. Let''s go to the living room. Sarah will need some time to prepare a room.¡± I lead them into our private area of the mansion.


    Inside the living room we find Den, Stefan and the kids. Stefan is teaching them magic while using Den as the target.


    They are trying to enchant Den which is bound to fail. As someone with the werewolf-curse on him, he has unbelievable high resistances. I found out about Den and his people only just recently.


    He mentioned it like talking about the weather at one point. Until then I had trouble trying to understand the strange abilities of the guards. They were faster than their size suggested. Their senses seemed to be better than those of a normal humans. It all made sense in that moment.


    ¡°Mom! Dad!¡± Liandra sees Idala and runs into her arms. Arduin starts to pat her head. I wait for the moment of reunion to pass and then I introduce our employees.


    ¡°May I introduce you? That''s Stefan. We hired him as a teacher for the kids. And that''s Den. He is the captain of the guards. Stefan, Den. These are my parents Idala and Arduin.¡± Just as I speak those words Sarah enters the room.


    She bows respectfully towards us. ¡°As I see you already found the others by yourself. I prepared one of the bigger private rooms. It''s the one right next to the study.¡±


    I nod while smiling. ¡°This is Sarah by the way. She is our secretary. Please feel free to ask her if you wish for anything.¡±


    While I introduced everyone Violetta sneaked up to Ascathon and looked with interest at Idala and Arduin.


    ¡°And this is my little sister. Violetta.¡± Ascathon smiles while patting Violetta''s head.


    ¡°We will excuse ourselves then.¡± Den leaves the room and Stefan follows with Sarah. I guess they thought about giving our reunion some space.


    ¡°It was a long day. Why don''t we sleep over everything? I have to admit that I am a little tired.¡± Ascathon excuses himself while my parents follow him with their eyes.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.Idala is still hugging Liandra and I decide to follow Ascathon''s example. ¡°I will show you your rooms. We will talk about everything tomorrow.¡±


    So I lead my parents to their room. ¡°This house is more like a dream out of a wonderland than a real house.¡± Arduin gives me a questioning look.


    I turn towards my father. ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°The whole house has lights at this hour. How much concentration does it take to maintain this?¡± Arduin looks towards the light at the ceiling.


    ¡°Ahaahaha. My husband is a collector of magical items. I will explain everything to you in the morning. I guess this really feels like wonderland to you. For the time being you just have to know that you can control the lights by waving your hand over these controls at the walls.¡± I demonstrate it to them.


    ¡°Ah. And the baths have running water and the bathtubs are enchanted to keep the water warm. So don''t fret over it. I will see you in the morning.¡± I leave the room in a hurry to avoid further questions.


    Then I head for Ascathon''s room. He is already in the bed and looks like sleeping. So I use the bath and get changed. When I get back I find Ascathon with that stupid smirk again.


    ¡°Tomorrow I will be entertained quite a bit. I am looking forward to how you will explain my house to them. They will go through the roof when they find the kitchen. Or when they take a closer look at some of the clocks and realize that they don''t have just a decorative purpose. Or when they realize that the whole house is fitted with lights. Will they run towards the Academy or is their love for their daughter greater?¡± He rolls onto his back and takes a look at the ceiling.


    ¡°I trust my parents. They are good and loving people.¡± I enter the bed too.


    ¡°If you say so.¡± He is still looking at the ceiling.


    I wait for another five minutes but I get no further reaction from him. Our relationship is still too cold in my opinion. Nothing has changed about us. Just because I found my parents it doesn''t mean that.... haaah.


    ¡°I am frustrated!¡±


    ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°A beautiful woman is lying right next to you. And you don''t even try to do something! ¡­.. again....¡±


    ¡°I am not in the mood....¡±


    ¡°I may ~lose~ my mood to cook chocolate.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    The next morning I awake with Ascathon lying on top of me. I roll the snoring hermit to the side and sit up. I wish I could get him to go on the offensive for once.


    That''s when I realize that he has a certain reaction which is bound to happen sometimes in the morning. He is still snoring while deep in his sleep. ~Hmm.....~


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    ¡°I feel raped!¡±


    I leave the bath and the hermit looks at me with a mourning expression while complaining. ¡°Don''t mope about it. Be happy to be awakened in such a nice manner.¡±


    When I wink at him he shakes his head and I leave the room.


    A few steps take me into the kitchen where I find my parents with disturbed faces. Liandra has a bottle with water on the cooker and Violetta is sitting on Idala''s lap like she belongs there.


    Aw... crap.


    ¡°Good morning daughter. Don''t you think that there is much explaining to do?¡± Arduin looks at me with a forced smile.


    ¡°Yes. Why are these artefacts violating more laws than I could have ever imagined being violated in a single lifetime?¡± Idala takes a piece of bread with marmalade from the table.


    ¡°Well. Cool stuff. Isn''t it?¡± I take a seat myself and Liandra places a few cups with tea on the table. ¡°Ascathon built them. He is good with stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°I am led to believe that he isn''t a good influence for you.¡± Arduin winces while looking into his cup of tea.


    ¡°Do you have any idea what will happen when the Academy finds out. These kids don''t deserve such a risk. They seem to be completely unaware of the dangers.¡± Idala takes a bite from the bread.


    I think long and hard before I answer. ¡°I am aware of it. I am also aware of the coming war. And between all the options which are available to me, this is the best one. Besides.... ¡±


    ¡°~We will rule the world soon enough anyway.~¡±


    My father spurts his tea all over his food while my mother starts to choke on her bread.


    .

 26. ~Loyalties.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    I am in my basement with a bowl of chocolate pieces in my hand. A spinning globe of glass hovers in front of me and it''s one of my newest creations. It has the size of a football which makes it about adequate for my purposes.


    The globe is a spying tool which enables me to have my eyes and ears anywhere I want within a certain radius. For the time being it has a very limited range. But it''s enough to follow the people in my mansion.


    I was watching since this morning when Celestial dropped the bomb of world domination on her unsuspecting parents. They took it as bad as I had suspected. The kitchen turned into a living hell and I noted to myself to be careful around Idala. She has some pretty scary techniques. In the end though, to my amazement they didn''t run directly towards the academy.


    Not yet at least. Though they insisted to stay in this mansion to have a close eye on Celestial and to protect Liandra.


    Watching through the globe is similar to a real life tv-show. So I lean back while enjoying the view.


    Celestial is on the training ground in our garden. She is driven by her wish to utilize her new technique to the fullest. A big chunk of rock is her target and she is thrusting her flat palm towards the rock which actually creates small shock-waves.


    Is she trying to create a fake Palm of Buddha? You were watching too many movies dear. On the other hand... those shock-waves are pretty impressive on their own. I don''t want to stand in front of her while she is doing that.


    Oooh! Daddy is incoming from behind! Watch out witch!


    ¡°Celestial. We will restart your training today. What are you even trying to accomplish by casting those shock-waves?¡± Arduin folds his hands and stares at Celestial.


    Fool! She wasn''t casting anything! She just executed a purely physical movement while slowly moving and thrusting her hand towards the rock and explosively releasing all her power at the last instant. That was simple brutish strength!


    ¡°Sorry daddy. But I guess casting spells doesn''t fit into my training schedule.¡± She smirks at her father.


    ¡°Then prove it! If you defeat me I will acknowledge that you are right to concentrate on that new technique of yours.¡± He enters a fighting stance.


    ¡°Whenever you are ready daddy. I wanted a training partner anyway. Ascathon isn''t an interesting opponent.¡± Celestial raises a hand to signal her readiness.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Arduin arches an eyebrow.


    ¡°He always makes excessive use of barriers and other tricks to avoid head to head combat when I drag him out to train with me. It''s a little annoying.¡± Celestial shakes her head.


    I would be flattened like an insect if I wouldn''t do that brutish witch! And who in his right mind would step in front of a train to stop it if he could simply sabotage the rails!


    Daddy just shrugs his shoulders and attacks with a fireball. It''s smoothly executed and followed directly by a swiftness spell. His body blurs and he reappears behind Celestial who is casually wiping the fireball out of the air with her bare hand.


    Then Celestial turns and charges towards Arduin. At that moment though he has his next spell ready and a small tornado lifts Celestial into the air.


    Whooo! Nice thinking. I underestimated my father in law! Up there, her brutish strength is useless and by using wind-magic he avoided the problem of her magical defence.


    I guess he is aware of the passive resistance which is offered to someone who practices his battle-aura.


    But Celestial isn''t defeated and starts to execute her technique from earlier in fast succession which blows her out of the little tornado.


    She makes a perfect landing and charges for her father again.


    Arduin doesn''t bother with mind magic and after a few words a dense wall of earth is raised between them. I admire his resourcefulness.


    Mind magic is a very restricted and dangerous art. If you don''t execute it properly, it fails and you have to face a magical backlash. The same goes if you try it on someone who is powerful enough to block it.


    So you are very foolish if you use mind-magic in combat without being one hundred percent sure that you can overpower the mental defence of your opponent.


    Celestial is unconcerned by the wall and blows right through, stopping her foot just an inch in front of Arduin''s face.


    ¡°So what do you think father.¡± Celestial smirks at Arduin.


    ¡°I will rethink my opinion of this technique. Though you still have a little work before you if you want to use it in actual combat.¡± Arduin''s image wavers and disappears while Arduin''s real self appears about five meters to the left.


    Hooh! My father in law created a fake image of himself during the fight. I didn''t realize when he did it. On the other hand my globe doesn''t give me an accurate and realistic view. Seeing something purely as an image with sound is quite a loss compared to the real thing.


    ¡°You were just hiding! That''s the same as Ascathon! Don''t you....¡±


    Celestial continues to complain but I switch the channel. Watching the bickering scene is no fun. I hope she never develops a way to see through tricks like that. She will be the ultimate enemy of a mage.


    Maybe I should start to develop a technique to stand up to her. Being bashed up because you are physically too weak is no fun at all.


    I find another interesting channel. Stefan is correcting the homework of Violetta and Liandra while Idala is watching him intensely. The old scholar obviously isn''t comfortable with it.


    After a few seconds he looks up. ¡°You have a question Mrs. Jasmine?¡±


    ¡°I just asked myself why someone like you isn''t on his way to the academy right now? I heard about the reasons for your leave.¡± Idala leans back in her chair.


    Stefan shrugs his shoulders. ¡°I am a curious guy. But I am no stupid guy.¡±


    Idala shows surprise. ¡°If you would explain that further?¡±


    Stefan places his pencil on the desk. ¡°I was ruined by the Academy. Then I looked for a new job. But with a bad reputation by the Academy you are doomed. I had given myself up when I came here. But Ascathon gave me a new purpose. How could I bite the hand that pulled me to my feet again?¡±


    ¡°But couldn''t you redeem yourself if you mentioned this house to the Academy? The Inquisition is fearsome, you know?¡± Idala arches an eyebrow while trying to make sense out of the old scholar.


    Stefan begins to chuckle. ¡°I don''t fear the Academy or the Inquisition any more. They are barbarians without any knowledge. What I fear is the owner of this house!¡±


    He stands up and walks over to the big grandfather clock at the wall and opens it. ¡°Did you realize what these things are?¡± He looks at Idala.


    Now she shrugs her shoulders. ¡°They are artefacts which show the time?¡±


    Stefan chuckles once again and points at the magic circuits inside the clock. ¡°Those are magic circuits. And they are more sophisticated than everything I have ever seen. Do you know the biggest secret of the Academy? The holy grail of artifice?¡±


    ¡°The Gates?¡± Idala looks interested now.


    ¡°Yes! The Gates! The creation which is said to be the biggest blessing and the greatest threat of magic. The reason why the academy abolishes almost all artefacts. But the Gates are children''s toys compared to this!¡± Stefan stabs his finger wildly at my magic circuit without touching it.


    ¡°But it''s just a thing that shows the time?¡± Idala looks confused.


    Stefan closes the clock again with great care. ¡°All spells can be reduced to their most basic elements. You know that? Even the greatest military-spells can be cast by an appropriate magic artefact. Even a commoner could use these artefacts if they were made with that purpose in mind.¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Idala nods, so Stefan continues. ¡°The gates are thought to be the epitome of magic devices. They are stuffed with magic circuitry to the brim! And even then it requires a highly skilled magician to control them. But they are just child''s play compared to this ¡­.technology.¡±


    Ooops. I guess I should have held back a little more. Combining logical circuitry and magic circles is a little too obvious.


    Stefan points at the clock. ¡°That''s not knowledge from our world. The one who created this clock could probably build a Gate that fits into my fist! And that leads us back to your first question.¡± He corrects his glasses.


    ¡°Would you piss someone off to whom the Academy''s Gates are nothing more but mere sticks? If he would go out into the world and publish this knowledge our world would topple upside down and burn.¡±


    Idala looks concerned now. ¡°Not from this world?¡±


    Haah. I guess I will have to talk with all of them. If I let this go they could get some stupid ideas.


    I switch the channel again and find Liandra and Violetta. They seem to be up for some mischief. One of them is freezing the ground with a thin layer of ice while the other is calling for Sarah to come and take a look at something.


    Geez. These kids. Such a stupid prank. Sarah could get hurt. I will have to scold them afterwards. So I throw another piece of chocolate into my mouth while I watch the tragedy unfold.


    But as Sarah slips she surprises me by making a perfect landing and catching her fall with a single hand.


    Liandra claps her hands and turns towards Violetta. ¡°See? I told you that she is some kind of martial artist!¡±


    Neither of them realizes the creepy horror which is looming over them. Violetta and Liandra are grabbed at their earlobes and pulled down the corridor. Probably to suffer even worse punishment by a direct family member.


    That saves me the need to play the bad guy. I switch off my globe and stand up to deal with something else. The globe is working fine for the time being. Maybe I will work on the range if I have time.


    There is still my training in soul magic. I want to finally solve this problem of mine. After a few steps I reach my personal training room. It''s completely empty except for a very complicated magic circle on the ground.


    It''s something that should help me to unlock the mystery of souls and I am working on it for several lifetimes now. I take another bite from my chocolate and set the bowl down. Of course outside of my magic circle.


    The circle itself is a really complicated pattern which i carved into the floor and filled up with metal.


    This thing is actually very delicate and combines the heights of all my scientific and magical knowledge. Even I don''t have a clue of what would happen if I would randomly change the conditions by involving a foreign element into the ritual.


    So I place myself at the centre of the circle which represents the mind. This whole thing is meant to strengthen my soul and to intensify my awareness of the higher realms.


    A short burst of mana activates the circle which glows for a second and stops again. It''s not in the least spectacular or noteworthy. But that''s not the goal at all. After taking another look around and checking everything I close my eyes and start to concentrate.


    Slowly I begin to shut out my surroundings and my senses. They are just bothersome information at the moment.


    After what felt like an eternity I start to realize a web of paths all around me. They are distant and I am not sure what they represent. I often tried to get a hold of them but they are even further out of my reach than a soul.


    I concentrate on the green flames all around me instead. They symbolize souls and I can actually feel their presence. Though I never managed to actually get a hold on them until now. If I try to take a look inwards I think that my own soul is a black flame.


    Not sure what the difference in colour means. I already managed to explore my own soul and create some exercises for manipulating it. Relax and stretch out to cover as much space as possible. Concentrate and focus on a single point.


    Maybe those exercises will help me in the future but for the time being I think that my grasp on them is good enough. So I turn back to my original training session and concentrate on manipulating the green flames.


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    I am at it for a while when I realize a red flame which is approaching me. Strange. That colour is new! And since when are those flames coming towards me on their own?


    Further away I realize that a yellow flame starts to circle us. Now it definitely gets freaky! That never happened in my exercises before! Maybe I should stop for today.


    But then I realize interesting differences in the two new flames. The red one seems strong and vital like my own. The yellow one seems dormant and weak like the green ones.


    Still wondering over this event I suddenly realize that the red flame is entirely too close! I try to wake up but it doesn''t work!


    In a panic I lose my cool and try to shove the foreign soul away with a burst of will and emotion. But instead it''s suddenly drawn towards me!?


    Ah!? Damn! Emotions are the key!? And I always tried to shut my feelings out!


    They yellow one is also drawn in and there is no time to marble any further about this event. I am not happy about my new insight as the red and yellow souls start to mingle with my own. I see pictures and places. Memories. This is wrong! Those memories are not my own!


    Shoving. Fighting. Separating! Myself! The other. Different! Can''t lose myself!


    It feels like I am struggling for an eternity but finally the fight ends as I lose my consciousness.


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    I wake up with something soft in my face. It''s hard to breathe! And it smells like Celestial''s perfume!


    ¡°Ow. My head hurts! What happened?¡±


    ¡°Mmem! Imdmimomt!!!!!!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Sorry, sorry.¡±


    The darkness is lifted and I can finally take a look at the misery. Celestial is on top of me and the bowl with chocolate is broken beside us. The pieces of chocolate are all around in the circle!


    ¡°What the fuck happened!?¡±


    Celestial looks confused. ¡°I don''t know. It''s dinner time and I went to get you but you didn''t come even after knocking the door for two minutes. So I looked for you and found you here. Meditating like dead in this dark room. I shouted but you didn''t react. When I took a step forward I tripped over something.... ah... the chocolate!¡±


    I cover my face with my hands. ¡°I was executing a ritual to research soul magic!¡±


    ¡°S... S... SOUL MAGIC! Did something bad happen!? I remember a really horrible outer body experience!¡± Celestial starts to touch herself all over.


    ¡°How the fuck should I know!? You stumbled into a magic circle which even I don''t fully comprehend because I took a lot of guesses! Let''s hope that headaches are our only problem! Are you still you? Your memories? What about the third soul which was drawn in!?¡±


    Celestial freezes up. ¡°No... I think... I am me?¡±


    Then she looks at me.


    ¡°Which third soul?¡±


    .

 27. ~Grandfather and Grandmother.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    Ascathon is sitting directly in front of me with an earnest face while holding my hands. After a few minutes he buries his face into my lap and starts to laugh like a maniac.


    ¡°Kukuku...hahahaha.... hihihihi!¡±


    I am astonished by his strange reaction and start to pat his head. ¡°Heey. Is it really that bad? Come on. It can''t be that bad. It was my mistake. I shouldn''t have tripped over that bowl. I will never again set a foot into your lab.¡±


    Then he stops and sits up again. ¡°There are good news. And there are bad news. And then there are news which are neither good nor bad.¡±


    My expression drops. ¡°The good news at last please.¡±


    ¡°Ok. The ritual went seriously wrong which resulted in our three souls being mixed and mashed together. The result is something which would be best described as a soul-bond between the three of us. I don''t know the exact implications yet but most likely we are somehow bound together for ~eternity~!¡± His expression is really accusing.


    ¡°Et...ternity?¡± Forever? Always? Even the next life? ¡°And what''s with the third soul?¡±


    ¡°The other news is that there is a parasite inside your body!¡± He points dramatically at my belly. ¡°This is a problem that concerns just you so I deemed it less ......¡±


    ¡°Parasite!? What!? Which sort!? How can a parasite have a soul!?¡± This whole event took a heavy toll on me!


    And now a parasite?


    My head is spinning!


    What horrible sorts of parasites are there in this world?


    ¡°Yes. It''s the intelligent sort which can only be removed with dire consequences for our morality. The other choice is that you will slowly swell up as it is growing inside you. Then one final day you will burst open and it will leave your body. There will be blood and it hurts like hell. But a few healing spells should be able to fix you up right away. The whole story will be very messy and leave some permanent marks on your body. Afterwards it will leech on you until it finally grows big enough to be thrown out of the house.¡±


    He raises a box with a lens and points it at my face.


    *Klick*


    A shutter opens while a flash of light blinds me.


    I blink my eyes while the gears in my head finally start to turn again and I realize that he is making fun of me!


    *SLAP*


    ¡°It''s yours too! How can you call it a parasite!!!¡±


    I cover my face with my hands. ¡°Haaah. I thought I had always kept track of it. How could I make such a stupid mistake. I wanted at least a few more months as newly weds! I even made some medicine to stop it from happening!¡±


    Ascathon rubs his red cheek while he pulls a sheet of paper out of his camera. ¡°Actually it didn''t really surprise me. You are like a succubus when you get frustrated. And I don''t know how good your medicine is but I don''t expect much from the raw materials which are available in this world.¡±


    He starts smiling and shows me the picture. I look like I got told that I am going to die. Completely shocked. ¡°I improvised this camera but it works better than expected! You can show this to the kid when it''s old enough. Don''t forget to mention that it was the moment when you learned about your pregnancy.¡±


    I glare at him. ¡°That''s why I said that I had hoped for a few more months.¡±


    ¡°Well. The last news is that it looks like we all got away with no permanent mental damage. Our memories and personalities all seem to be intact. We won''t know for the child but it should be fine too since we got away without obvious damage.¡± He stands up.


    I get out of my chair too. ¡°Let''s go and eat dinner. We are seriously late by now.¡± This is horrible. hopefully this soul-bond wont become a serious hindrance in the future. Ascathon doesn''t seem to be worried about it.


    ¡°Ah, I forgot. Stefan has a suspicion about me having knowledge beyond this world because he took a look at my clocks. He shared the knowledge with your mother and she will probably talk about it with your father. We should think up a good explanation for them.¡± He casually drops another bomb on me and I turn.


    ¡°Knowledge from another world? Those were their words?¡±


    He nods with vigour. ¡°That''s true. They are probably thinking that I am some kind of demon or god by now.¡±


    I sigh and turn to walk to the kitchen.


    Inside the kitchen I find my parents. The kids are already done with their food and gone. Only my parents seem to have taken their time with eating. Their plates are still filled and they look with suspicion at Ascathon as he enters the room.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°It''s nice of you to wait for us. Unfortunately it took longer than expected.¡± I sit down and start to eat my cold food.


    Ascathon takes his place beside me and starts eating too.


    ¡°We have thought about many things Celestial.¡± Idala looks at me with suspicion. Eeeh? Why am I the target of mistrust now?


    ¡°These artefacts aren''t of this world according to Stefan.¡± Arduin looks at Ascathon.


    ¡°Since when can you cook?¡± Idala arches an eyebrow at my direction and I stop chewing.


    Aw. I guess I was never taught to cook. ¡°I learned it when I was a slave. And I had a few months of training while living here.¡±


    ¡°We remember our past lives.¡± Ascathon mumbles the hilarious truth while stuffing his mouth with food.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I look at Ascathon with a shocked expression.


    He shrugs his shoulders. ¡°What''s the problem. Tell them the truth. It''s ten times better than what they probably imagined by now.¡±


    Arduin starts to look like he has a real headache now. ¡°Please explain that further.¡±


    ¡°Celestial was a big burly wrestler in her.... hgn!¡±


    I immediately cuffed him into the side. Then I smile at my parents. ¡°Sorry. But it''s like he said. We both have memories of our past lives. He is a really old scholar despite his looks. That explains his expertise with machines, artefacts, magic, science.... and stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°And she is a genuine witch! Despite.... hgn!¡±


    ¡°Try ~again~!¡±


    ¡°She is my most beloved ~sugar cat~! And her knowledge in alchemy and medicine tops everything that''s available in this world.¡± Ascathon is holding his belly now.


    ¡°You are not Celestial?¡± Idala looks a little destroyed now.


    Aw. Damn. These situations are the reason to never tell someone normal about reincarnation. I stand up and walk over to hug my mom. ¡°I am the same Celestial as always. There was just a little secret that I kept to my own. It doesn''t change anything about you two being my parents. And Liandra is my little sister.¡±


    ¡°How did you two find each other? Are there many... reincarnated people?¡± Arduin looks at me and Ascathon.


    ¡°Luck! I actually never met someone like me before this life.¡± I smile at Ascathon.


    ¡°Misfortune. There have to be very few of us. And for me to end up with someone like ...¡±


    I glare at him another time and he shuts up. Then I turn to my parents again. ¡°Mom, dad. Please acknowledge that we know what we are doing and that there are no problems with our actions. Everything should be fine in the end.¡±


    Both of them still have troubled expressions. But they look a little relieved.


    ¡°And you should come to terms with being called grandmother and grandfather!¡± Ascathon swallows the last bite of meat from his plate.


    Idala''s and Arduin''s heads snap back in my direction and I don''t know what else to do than to smile. ¡°There is still time. So no need to rush.¡±


    ¡°My baby!¡± Idala starts to sniff with tears in her eyes. ¡°A few months ago I thought that our house would perish and now I find out that she has grown up and I will actually get to see my grandchildren.¡± Idala hugs me with tears in her eyes.


    Huh? Mom? Are you happy or sad? That''s nothing to cry about. I pat her back and realize that Ascathon is grinning at me with a stupid expression.


    ***


    It took me until late at night to explain everything to my parents but I think that they got to terms with my revelations. They still were pretty sad that I hadn''t told them anything about myself until now.


    After wishing them a good night I walk with a tired face towards the bedroom. The stupid hermit found a reason to excuse himself halfway through and ran off. Curse him!


    I throw myself onto the bed as I am when I arrive and close my eyes. Good night. Stupid world.


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    ¡°Hah! There you are!¡±


    I open my eyes and see that Ascathon came out of the shower. ¡°Traitor!¡±


    He walks over and jumps onto me. Wait? What? I am turned over and he starts to undress me. ¡°What''s wrong? Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I just feel like it and it doesn''t matter by now any.....¡±


    I don''t let him finish his sentence and press my lips onto his instead.


    .

 28. ~Opening Concert.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Jamaian Union, Jondul-Harbour***


    Finally! Finally! The world is going to be ~mine~!


    I watch the progressing bombardment of Jondul-Harbour. It''s one of the bigger port-cities under the control of the Jamaian Union.


    It''s night and the coast is illuminated by flashes of light. My generals were ordered to do this as fast as possible. Time is of the utmost importance while the Jamaian troops are still occupied with Mislow.


    This port offers the best starting point for my invasion. There was the possibility to choose between Mislow and Jamaian because both of them are weakened by their rivalries.


    I chose the Jamaian Union as my first conquest. They control more land than Mislow and therefore they were forced to place more of their military closer to the border.


    My invasion force is coming from the sea which means that the Jamaian troops are completely out of position. According to my generals we should be able to take this city before the enemy can even think about starting to move.


    Then we can establish a toehold to conquer the whole main continent! According to my spies we should be able to conquer the most important economical cities of Jamaian before they can withdraw from the Mislow border.


    They will march back and find their cities taken by my forces. In front of them will be their own fortified cities. Behind them the Mislow army.


    The Jamaian Union is already doomed before the war even started. Then we will have a little talk with them. They will either yield and add their forces to my own or we will crush them without fail.


    Of course the rulers of this country will have to swear loyalty to me with a magical contract. I won''t allow any disobedience.


    After Jamaian is under my control I have to decide between Mislow and the Academy. It''s hard to judge which one will be the easier prey.


    Mislow has its troublesome mind-magicians. So I guess that invading them with normal troops would take too much of my time. I will have to wait for my personal elite forces to do this smoothly.


    Unfortunately I didn''t dare to bring them with me because I first had to win a decisive victory against the Nation of Mist. If I had lost my fleet together with my personal troops it would have been a huge setback.


    Then there is the Academy which is a whole city with more magicians than you normally get to see in a whole army. Conquering them will be tricky.


    I am strong and powerful but I am not stupid enough to try to fight that many magicians at once. The Academy could prove to be my worst enemy so far.


    There is Norfolk too. They control a huge area but I don''t think that they are of any importance in this equation. Their army is next to non-existent and once I am done with either the Academy or Mislow the others will fall one by one.


    I watch the coastline which is illuminated by fire.


    Another big explosion lights the night and I can witness one of the tallest visible buildings being torn to pieces.


    One of my generals bows to me. ¡°The watchtower has fallen Empress. We will start to land our troops now.¡±


    Idiot. As if I wouldn''t have seen that for myself! ¡°See to it that we get the city and it''s inhabitants intact. I don''t want to see a useless smouldering ruin in the morning.¡±


    He nods and turns back to concentrate on the battle.


    Somehow I wish that there would be some other immortals. It''s boring to deal just with those useless short lived people. The guys from the Nation of Mist are a little amusing but they aren''t aware of the true reality of this world.


    If they would remember their previous lives at least. I sigh. I was cursed with wandering eternity until I was blessed with this body.


    My attempts to create the ultimate and everlasting peace failed on several different worlds until I arrived here.


    Either I failed in establishing a lasting peaceful society once I had conquered the world, or I always died before I could conquer it completely.


    A single lifetime simply isn''t enough for a goal like that. But my declared goal is to create the perfect society. Everlasting peace all over the whole planet!


    I am simply sick of being reincarnated into one warring world after the other. Therefore I will create my own world of eternal peace. If the universe won''t give me what I wish for I will create it on my own.


    It took me quite some time to forge a society which will always strive for the ultimate and everlasting peace. The Phenex Empire will make my dream come true.


    Unfortunately it''s impossible to achieve peace without beating the lesser individuals into submission. The elements of a society which yearn for chaos and freedom have to be suppressed.


    If I learned one thing during my existence, it''s that freedom means war. If everyone is allowed to do what he wants it leads to anarchy. On the other hand too much oppression also sparks war.


    It''s my goal to find that delicate path between freedom and oppression. And then I have to find a way to have it last forever.


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    But first I need to get control of this world. There are no other forms of society allowed. Or otherwise people would always wonder if there was a different path.


    ¡°We captured the Gate my Empress.¡± Another one of my military officers bows to me.


    ¡°Good. See to it that we can make good use of it.¡± I smile at the good news. Capturing one of the Gates was another of our primary goals.


    I didn''t have them on my continent. They are valuable military assets and having one of the enemy Gates is a huge bonus for me. Through the Gates I have access to every important city on the continent.


    Maybe I am lucky and they are even connected to the Nation of Mist? Those accursed imitations of elves have hindered my plans for long enough.


    It was a pleasure to crush their fleet in the Ocean of God. They are quite crafty when it comes to magic. I didn''t expect them to have such tricky spells, because the Academy is thankfully prohibiting the level of technology in this world.


    Although we crushed their fleet I still lost about forty ships. It''s slowing my advance a little, but if I take some action by myself it should be fine. Though their spells suggested that they have at least some scientific knowledge. Hmmm. Is there another power on the playing field?


    Or have they invented those spells by accident? Many great inventions are the product of an accident. But why should someone play with creating bubbles under a ship?


    Were they playing around? I can''t think of any reason for such an experiment.


    Well. It should be solved soon enough. If they suddenly turn up with another new spell I think it''s safe to say that another power is at work. If nothing happens it must have been a fluke.


    But what would it imply if there is another power? The Academy? No. They are restricting knowledge. On the other hand their most trusted Inquisitors could be well educated.


    Another immortal like me? That would be huge news. If I could get him on my side I would have something to fight my boredom.


    In any case. The situation at the Academy will decide my next move. I will have to wait for my spies. They should start to arrive through the Gate very soon.


    I didn''t dare to sent many spies to Mislow. If they had been caught too early it could have created a disaster.


    Most of my spies are operating in the Academy, Norfolk and Jamaian, where they organized themselves in cells.


    ¡°~Get my spy-master. I want to hear her report.~¡±


    One of my officers nods and walks off. Two minutes later my spy-master Tjena arrives. She is one of the persons I trust the most. Normally she has a very confident expression while facing me. But this time she looks agitated.


    ¡°My Empress. I wasn''t able to talk to everyone yet. If possible I would like to wait a little longer until I can be sure of my information.¡± She bows to me.


    I arch an eyebrow. ¡°Speak of everything you learned until now. I won''t hold you responsible for being the messenger of bad news.¡±


    ¡°It looks like our spy network was uncovered a few weeks ago. The major powers started big searching operations and caught quite a few of our operatives. We get only spare reports from the Academy and even fewer reports from Mislow.


    Which had to be expected because Mislow is at war and we hadn''t that many spies there to begin with. But we got almost no reports from Norfolk. And according to our few survivors Norfolk was the first nation which started to search for spies on a great scale.¡± Tjena bows slightly.


    ¡°I thought Norfolk has almost no military? And they don''t have mind magicians!¡± This is a little confusing to say the least!


    ¡°Norfolk has a very simple society with small villages. Even in the major cities you are bound to arouse attention as a foreigner. Their common ranks have a tight tradition and a wrong word can give you away. It looks like they found one of our spies by accident and got enough vital information from him to justify something which can be called a witch-hunt.


    Without a doubt they caught and interrogated many innocents too. But as a result the North is close to a blank page to us.¡± Tjena doesn''t look happy at all.


    I tilt my head in thought. ¡°That''s a very thin explanation. How can you justify a spy-hunt on such a scale just because of a single caught spy. He would have had to blurt out the scale of our operation and be believed. That''s simply unreasonable.¡± I shake my head. Are the people of Norfolk maniacs?


    ¡°It''s possible that he was picked apart by a mind magician.¡± Tjena bows to me. ¡°There is the house of Asceron in Norfolk. It was established by Ascathon Asceron who apostatized himself from the Kingdom of Mislow and joined Norfolk as a free noble. He managed this by graduating the Academy with almost perfect scores and was granted a wish.¡±


    ¡°~Hoooh? Almost perfect scores? And no loyalty towards his birthplace? That must be a very strong and independent individual.~¡±


    .

 29. ~From day to day.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ¡°Please!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Just one bite!¡±


    ¡°You will get fat!¡±


    ¡°I will train my body!¡±


    ¡°You are consuming chocolate, like other people would eat bread! That''s not healthy!¡±


    ¡°But I can''t help myself.¡±


    ¡°It''s unhealthy! And let go of my hips. Hugging me like that while kneeling is cheating!¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    Celestial has to be swayed to make chocolate for me! I can''t go without it any longer! We are in the kitchen and she is cooking while dragging me around. I am hugging her around the waist in a vain attempt to persuade her.


    Idala is sitting at the dining table while reading a book.


    Celestial has me on a one week long withdrawal by now. ¡°One week without chocolate! It''s cruel!¡±


    ¡°You got an entire bowl for the whole month and you consumed it in ten days! Do you have the slightest idea of what will happen to your body, if you keep eating chocolate in this manner.¡± She walks over to the fridge, while dragging me along.


    I know exactly what will happen if I keep this up.


    ¡°I will reincarnate?¡±


    *Smack!*


    Ow! She gave me a clout. That''s going to become a bump!


    ¡°I saw to the proper implementation of these *greenhouses* with Stefan!¡± Arduin enters the room and stops while watching us.


    Then he turns towards Idala, who shrugs her shoulders. ¡°Don''t look at me. They''ve been like that for half an hour by now.¡±


    Arduin shakes his head and takes a seat beside his wife. Both of them started to help with governing my principality. At least they are trying to help in exchange for free lodging and food.


    In essence it''s a perfect arrangement for me. I keep playing with my toys to ensure a steady stream of new devices, which are beneficial to our infrastructure. Fortunately this world has magic, so I am able to create most devices by using short-cuts. In a purely technological realm it would require a profound industrial base and resources for something like a properly working engine.


    I can avoid many of the problems which would occur in a world without mana.


    It''s also helpful that my rule is absolute. If someone from the higher class gives an order to the commoners, they will adhere to it without questions.


    ¡°A dictatorship is convenient when it comes to the implementation of a new order.¡± I talk to myself while thinking over all the new things, which were accomplished in Sarn.


    The Jarl was on fire for my proposal to create a research- and development-centre for warfare in Sarn. Of course everything is completely walled in and top secret. The topography of my principality is another positive factor and helped my proposal.


    Naturally he had a valid reason for giving me this much freedom. The Jamaian Union fell practically over night into complete disarray when the Phenex Empire invaded.


    It''s another benefit that he keeps feeding me with the latest news of the world.


    It was completely unexpected, even to me. I had thought that we would have a few more years at least. But it looks like the rumoured Immortal Empress took action herself.


    Norfolk and the Academy tried everything to get a hold on the spies. Mislow started a search too, but they continued to fight Jamaian when they found just a handful of agents. The Jamaian Union didn''t heed our warnings at all and kept their offensive stance towards Mislow.


    The division of the main continent is proving to be its downfall. I don''t see how they can mount a proper defence if they don''t start working together immediately.


    It''s like a twist of fate for Jamaian to be the first target of the invasion. When they heard of the huge fleet which took their most important harbour cities, they turned and marched with all their forces to their capital.


    Well. If you think about it, choosing the Jamaian Union as the first target was obvious. Much land, many people and slaves to free. Of course they will praise you as the messiah who brought their freedom.


    The best way to start a great scale invasion is to have the support of a sizeable amount of the population.


    The invasion practically ended the war between Mislow and the Jamaian Union. It remains to be seen if the Jamaian Union is able to fend off the attack.


    Mislow on the other hand is busy with fortifying its borders and walling itself in. They have no reason to help their enemies. Norfolk is too far away to send help. Even if the Jarl wanted to help, he wouldn''t be able to.


    The few troops he has would have to march through Mislow, or through the desert which is controlled by the academy. Mislow wouldn''t allow it and the desert isn''t easy to pass with a big army.


    The Academy will surely send a few of its mages and assist with magical knowledge. But I doubt that it will be enough. There are reports that the naval fleet of the Phenex Empire already set its sails to destroy important cities along the coast line.


    Because nobody ever thought about challenging the Nation of Mist on the sea, there is next to nothing which can oppose the Phenex-fleet.


    I suppose that the Phenex Empire has a few more transports with new troops on their way too. Their first wave was just enough to conquer some important ports.


    Or maybe they were weakened? Who says that they didn''t clash with the Nation of Mist? Then the Nation of Mist must have gotten a bloody nose.


    Haaah. If my theory is true, then the stupid Sky-General will grant me a visit soon enough....


    ¡°Ascathon, it''s getting creepy. Let go and let''s eat.¡±


    I return to reality and take a look at the food on the dining table. Haaa. Probably Celestial won''t give in, so I let go of her and crawl to my seat.


    At least it''s one of her best dishes. Rice with spiced meat and salad. The taste of the spiced meat is well rounded and perfectly to my liking.


    When I am done with half of my plate, I realize that we have two missing persons. ¡°Where are Liandra and Violetta?¡±


    ¡°Grounded in their rooms.¡± Celestial stabs her meat like killing it a second time.


    ¡°For?¡± What have they done now? It''s becoming worse and worse with them since they tried to trip Sarah.


    ¡°They trapped Stefan inside a self repeating illusion of a corridor! The poor guy ran in circles through the mansion for half the night!¡± Idala grumbles while giving me an update.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Arduin is surprised. ¡°They are able to pull off a high level spell like that? That''s incredible at their age! Even if they worked together!¡±


    ¡°That''s not the right reaction! The illusion-loop is a military spell for a good reason! I wonder who taught them something that dangerous.¡± Idala squints her eyes while looking at Arduin.


    ¡°No. I am innocent! I used most of my time to help with the principality! When could I have taught them?¡± Arduin shakes his head.


    I stop chewing when all eyes wander to me. *Gulp* ¡°Why aren''t you looking at Celestial?¡±


    ¡°~Inner mana manipulation honey. How could I teach something which I can''t do myself? And I am too responsible to do something like that.~¡±


    This is way too convenient for her.


    ¡°Don''t roll your eyes like that! You taught them! How can you teach something like that to children.¡± Idala snaps.


    ¡°Okay. Okay. I admit. I may have taught them a few spells for self-defence.¡±


    ¡°A.... FEW!?¡± Idala is shocked.


    ¡°~Which!?~¡±


    Why has Celestial such a dangerous aura all of a sudden? ¡°Liandra is quite good with illusion-loops, so it was probably her. Both of them have average skill with the slicing-cyclone-spell and Violetta is actually quite good at creating illusions of herself. Then I taught them a few tricks to bypass the mental defence of someone and a little telekinesis to pop something important in an enemy''s head.¡±


    Hmmm. What else? ¡°Oh. Yesterday we started to train techniques for absorbing mana from our surroundings and other people. It''s never bad if you have possibilities to refill your mana as needed, or to steal your enemy''s mana.¡±


    ¡°If their progress is good, I thought about teaching them Inferno. It''s never bad to have a last resort spell to annihilate everything around you.¡± Hah! See? I am a wonderful teacher! Of course my students are smart too, but it''s actually hard to teach stuff like this during my free hours.


    ¡°Hoho? Maybe I will join in on those inferno lessons!¡± Arduin looks expectant.


    ¡°If you teach any more dangerous spells to them I will personally ~re-educate~ you.¡± Idala looks fearsome now.


    ¡°Try it! I will teach the kids proper self-defence. It''s my estate and my house ...¡±


    Celestial grabs my hand from the side and I face her.


    ¡°~Honey?~ You realize that Liandra is thirteen and Violetta nine?¡± Celestial looks very calm and radiates a calm aura.


    Suddenly her grip on my hand becomes tighter and tighter. ¡°So..... would you please consider their age? See to their proper moral education before teaching them something to eradicate whole cities! ~If you do your work properly, I may find some chocolate which is hidden away.~¡±


    Hmmm. Teaching morals isn''t as much fun as making things explode or twisting someone''s mind. But if I get paid with chocolate.... ¡°They will have a higher moral standard than me.¡±


    At that moment the kitchen is entered by Sarah with a certain person in tow. Sarah bows to us and introduces our guest. ¡°Excuse me. But the ~Great-Sky-General-of-the-Nation-of-Mist~ didn''t want to wait and wished to talk to the ~weapons-trader~ immediately!¡±


    Fingulf leans around the corner and peeks into the kitchen. ¡°There you are! We need to talk!¡±


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    An hour later I am informed of the crushing defeat and the regular clashes between the Nation of Mist and the Phenex Empire.


    ¡°I hope that you realize that -white flashes- doesn''t exactly help in creating a defence. White flashes can have many causes.¡± I shake my head. Fingulf obviously expects me to restore their naval power over night.


    ¡°We''ll pay every price, if we can keep the Phenex-fleet away from our islands!¡± Fingulf looks a little desperate. ¡°You want another three thousand platinum coins? We''ll pay! Just name the price!¡±


    Idala and Arduin gasp when they hear about such a sum being offered casually.


    ¡°Currently it looks like only the Immortal Empress is able to cast this spell. We can hold our ground with the ships we have left. But if she decides to take personal action another time.....¡± Fingulf has a grim expression.


    I scratch my cheek while thinking about the situation. ¡°You already have very good barrier-spells on your ships. So whatever that -white flash- is, it overwhelmed those barriers. Either by bypassing or simply overpowering them.¡±


    ¡°Without knowing anything about the spell, it would be foolish to give you something that adds to your defence. In the worst case your enhanced defence would be overpowered too. Wait here.¡± I stand up and walk into my basement to get five of my vision-globes.


    They are earlier versions of the one which is able to spy anywhere. To make it short.... it would be appropriate to call them magnifying glasses. You can''t look through walls and don''t hear any sound through them.


    But they should be perfect to aim spells at larger distances on sea. The Nation of Mist would be able to pick off enemy ships as soon as they appear on the horizon. I place all globes in a box and add a basic manual on how to create them.


    Then I walk back to my kitchen and find Fingulf at the dinner table. He has a blue eye and Idala is tending to it with healing magic. Celestial and Arduin are gone.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I asked the demon why she became so fat.¡± Fingulf states this as a matter of fact. Then he looks towards me. ¡°My condolences.¡±


    I smile and place the box on the table in front of Fingulf. Then I present the globes to him. ¡°These are better versions of spy glasses. You simply hold them in front of you and infuse your mana into them. If you use them to aim your spells, it should increase your range enough to stay out of their reach.¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°As for staying away. I will leave that problem to you.¡±


    Fingulf''s eyes start to gleam. ¡°Those Phenex bastards will never see us if we don''t want them to! How much?¡±


    I start to smile. ¡°How about a few shipments of metals and raw materials for my principality? My industrial base has to become better. I will leave the amount to you. Of course I expect that you will judge a fair price on my globes.¡±


    .

 30. ~Fall of a nation.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Jamaian Union, Jamai-Capital***


    Jamaian is a very hot country. Not a desirable conquest at all.


    ¡°It''s actually a little funny to see them hiding behind their walls.¡± I am positioned on one of the bigger dunes around the city of Jamai. The countryside around Jamai consists of desert and rocks. I wonder why they decided to have their capital in this bleak region.


    Jamai is the capital of the Jamaian Union and it''s currently under siege by my troops, which are spread out all around my observation point.


    Someone organized a nice straw-chair and a wooden desk for me. A big umbrella is providing shadow for me. It''s surely nice to be a ruler.


    Two servants are fanning air in my direction. They have big fans which are made out of white feathers to accomplish their task.


    It''s nice that the feathers match with my white hair. But it reminds me that it lost it''s natural wonderful pink colour a few hundred years ago. It''s the curse of magical power.


    Having such big reserves of mana is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Your body will change bit by bit if you use your power regularly.


    My spy-master Tjena is sitting on a stool just three metres away. She is busy with rummaging through reports.


    ¡°Don''t worry too much over it. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.¡± I nip on some juice, which I cooled down with magic.


    ¡°It''s still infuriating! How could I overlook that a mind magician is lurking around in Norfolk. We lost many good spies!¡± Tjena removes another name from her list of operatives.


    ¡°When you sent them to the main continent, you couldn''t have known. He was still in the Academy at that time. The spies in Mislow and the Academy got special training against mind magic. So you sent the lesser trained individuals to Norfolk. How should you have anticipated that someone from Mislow would immigrate to Norfolk? It would have never happened if not for that wish.¡± I shake my head


    ¡°~More importantly.~ What do you think about them?¡± I point to the slowly approaching delegation from Jamai. They finally decided to talk with me, but only after several attempts to chase my army away.


    I reduced their troops with every new attack. Something which I originally wanted to avoid. Those soldiers are needed to refill my own ranks.


    Tjena starts to fiddle with her brown hair. She has a slender build which adds to her charm as a spy. I tried several times to call her a ninja, but she doesn''t like the call sign.


    ¡°My honest opinion? Execute them now and let us assassinate the ruling class of Jamai. They will probably try to kill you. Their society is deeply patriarchal. It''s the greatest insult to them to be sieged by you.¡±


    ¡°On top you gave them the chance to surrender before killing a tenth of their troops. Another big insult in their culture. And you told them to stop slavery. Slavery is so deeply anchored in the Jamaian culture.... it would be the same as telling our people to forget about all our traditions.¡± Tjena shrugs her shoulders.


    That''s troublesome. Just by trying to be nice I insulted them? Stupid culture. I will make sure to abolish their traditions as fast as possible.


    After some minutes five fat men and ten servants arrive at my place at the top of the dune. They had to climb the dune on their own. All of them are heavily decorated with golden necklaces, rings and other shimmering stuff.


    I smile while looking over them with careful eyes. Finally the one with the most golden necklaces steps forward.


    ¡°I am the first minister of the Jamaian Union. We demand the retreat of your troops!¡± The ugly brute starts to state his demands.


    ¡°And I wish for your complete ~surrender~. All political power will be given to me, or I will eradicate your troops and take what I want with force. I hope you will consider that I don''t like being here. It''s hot and I am sweating. That''s getting on my nerves.¡± The servants start to fan harder after hearing my words.


    The prime minister thinks for a few seconds.¡°Then what about a political marriage to save face in front of the other countries.¡±


    I start giggling. ¡°Do you really believe I care about what others think about me? I unified a continent when you weren''t even born and you wish that I marry someone who wasn''t born by then either?¡± This guy has a problem in his head.


    ¡°So it is true?¡± The minister''s expression turns sour and he turns to one of his colleagues.


    There is no need for them to hold a useless chat. ¡°So you will surrender? Or not?¡± This is becoming really troublesome.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The fat minister turns back into my direction and grabs something under his clothes. I immediately erect a barrier around the delegation.


    ¡°For the Jamaian Union!¡±


    Not a second too late. He pulls a shining dagger out of his clothes in stabs it into his own chest in a smooth motion. He didn''t hesitate at all!


    Tjena jumps in front of me in a well meant gesture. But there is no need for protection. I am confident in my barrier-spells. It has been proven during countless assassination attempts.


    The minister starts to scream while his whole body catches fire. It''s like he is becoming a living flame. Sparks and ash are flying all around while the minister jumps forward and collides with my barrier. But it''s like he was running into a solid wall.


    Some of the sparks hit other members of the delegation, who catch fire too and turn into flames themselves! It''s a chain reaction and there is no escape for the people inside the confined space of my barrier.


    ¡°What a nasty spell...¡± I watch in awe as the whole delegation is consumed. I increased the strength of my barrier when I realised that this spell feeds on everything it touches.


    No a single sound can be heard while the inside of my barrier turns into a scene from hell.


    A howling inferno starts to rage. ¡°Quite a feat to cast inferno with a human sacrifice as an amplifier.¡± Tjena admires the wavering plasma inside my barrier.


    ¡°If your highness hadn''t been here the army could have been annihilated.¡± Tjena bows to me.


    I sigh. ¡°It''s annoying me a little that your judgement was accurate. I guess I will have to do this the hard way.¡±


    The Inferno-spell inside my barrier loses its power and just a dark smoky atmosphere remains inside. I release the barrier and clear the smoke with a wind-spell.


    The ground where the delegation stood turned to glass and not a bone remains. ¡°At least they spared me a bloody sight.¡±


    ¡°Tell the troops to advance and take the city.¡± I wave for one of my officers to sound the signal.


    ¡°The big building in the centre is the parliament. Their highest officials and leaders are most likely there.¡± Tjena mentions this not without expecting something from me.


    I close my eyes and gather my mana while imagining a small ball of light on my finger tip. After having gathered enough, I open them again and point at the big city gates.


    The spell is unleashed and a ray of pure white light turns the gate and a large part of the city wall into dust. The city''s barrier hadn''t even time to flicker.


    Pointing at the parliament I activate the spell a second time and the building vanishes. ¡°There, ~done~. Any other wishes?¡±


    Tjena shakes her head. ¡°No, thank you. That saved me much work. It''s better for the enemy leader to die during the fight, rather than being executed afterwards. Executions always leave a bad taste in my mouth and it doesn''t look good to the public.¡±


    I watch my troops advancing into the city. Then I clap my hands as I remember something important. ¡°That reminds me! What do think about sending five ships to Norfolk? I want this Ascathon captured and brought to me.¡±


    Tjena shows surprise. ¡°Why? Of course we could do that. But why should we abduct a single person?¡±


    ¡°Eh!? It''s not a good idea? But I was interested in him....¡± I gnaw at my nail while looking at Tjena.


    Tjena shrugs her shoulders and pulls out another paper. ¡°I don''t think that a married guy would take it lightly to be abducted by someone with your reputation.¡±


    Eh!? ¡°Married? Why! You didn''t mention that before!¡±


    Tjena sighs. ¡°I didn''t think that you were interested enough to try to abduct him.¡±


    ¡°It was just a whim..... but you are right that a married person wouldn''t take it lightly..... What about bringing his whole family then? Send the ships and prepare for guests!¡± I point my index finger at Tjena who jumps aside.


    ¡°Yes! But dispel that first!¡± Tjena starts to scribble something into her notes.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, sorry. I guess casting this spell in such a contained form isn''t enough to use up my power.¡± I fire the remaining gathered mana into the sky to get rid of it.


    A ray of light stabs the sky and parts a cloud.


    Then I watch the conquest of Jamai in silence. The fighting and dying is the job of the common soldiers. To me it''s just another small battle in a long series of battles.


    .

 31. ~Commoners vs. Magicians.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ¡°Warships! Five ships!¡± ¡°They are almost here!¡±


    My office is stormed by a group of panicked fishermen. They are all talking at the same time and I wince at the sudden fuss.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Celestial screams. She is sitting in front of her writing table at the entrance. The group goes silent. ¡°You! From the beginning! In chronological order!¡±


    ¡°What does chr... chrono... mean?¡± The fisherman I pointed out confirms my expectations of a fisherman''s average IQ.


    ¡°From the beginning!¡±


    ¡°Ah. We were fishing at sea, when we saw five warships appearing on the horizon. They had a red phoenix on their sails! So we immediately set our sails and came back here. Fortunately the tide was on our side, so we may have a little time left before they are here.¡±


    One of the younger fishermen finally manages an understandable report.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I smile at them. ¡°There is no need to panic. Our defence should be able to deal with them. You may go.¡±


    I wave them out of my office. After thinking for a second, I stand up and walk outside. There I find Sarah, who is dealing with the fishermen. ¡°Sarah, find Den and tell him to come to the main entrance with a carriage.¡±


    ¡°We need to avoid a panic.¡± Celestial is right behind me.


    I turn around to face her. ¡°You need to sit down. I will take care of this.¡± Celestial is in her ninth month and in no condition to run around in tight situations!


    ¡°Don''t tell me what to do! I will not sit around while my home is in danger!¡± She walks past me with confident steps.


    ¡°~Sugar cat?~ Please be reasonable! Look at yourself! I promise that our defensive weaponry will shoot just ~once~ and everything will be dealt with!¡± A pregnant woman shouldn''t run around outside! Especially in that cold weather.


    But Celestial ignores me and walks outside. I hurriedly run after her while casting environmental protection on both of us.


    I am one hundred percent sure that five ships won''t pose a problem. The village of Sarn is located at the end of a long fjord. There are steep cliffs to each side of it. The fjord is approximately two kilometres in width at most.


    If someone wanted to attack Sarn, he would have to sail up the fjord. Or he would have to anchor at one of the cliffs and climb up. That''s something that not many people are able to accomplish.


    The other choice is to attack from the land. But then you would have to get past the mountains.


    So the first thing I did was to fortify the roads which lead through the mountains. My whole principality is as close to a fortress as it could get.


    My second obvious goal was to ensure the safety of my port. So I built a series of defensive watchtowers along the fjord.


    Anyone who sails into the fjord would be under threat of taking fire from both sides. Those five ships really pose no threat at all!


    We arrive outside of my property where I find Den on top of a carriage waiting for us. The carriage is of course created in Norfolk-style with skis instead of wheels.


    Den helps Celestial up the carriage. ¡°I already heard about the ships. Should we sink them immediately when they get into range?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°No. Wait until they entered the fjord. I want to be sure of their identity first. And if we wait, we could get all of them. I don''t want them to report back to the Phenex Empire.¡±


    Den nods and starts to whip the horses. After my first encounter with this pigheaded race of draught animals, I am certain that there is only one place where they belong.


    And that''s the soup pot! When I can introduce the first engines, it will be the end of these stupid animals!


    Den navigates us through Sarn and up on a road which was carved out of the cliff to the left side of the fjord. I want to see the enemy ships before they are sunk.


    Maybe something important can be deduced from them. Den is consulting his subordinates during the entire trip. I created some simple communication devices for all my personal guards.


    Additionally we installed fixed ones into all watchtowers and custom offices. Everything that''s important to defend my borders is connected. The most important thing in warfare is communication and information.


    After a few minutes we arrive at one of my watchtowers. Hmm. Maybe I shouldn''t call it a tower. It''s just a well camouflaged position for observation. Others are hidden all along the fjord to both sides.


    There are twenty people in white and gray military uniforms here. The uniforms are perfect for this environment. The soldiers here are our common troops and Den trained them with his men for two months. Everyone who was able to survive that has my respect.


    All of them swore a magical oath to protect my family and my principality. It''s a little clich¨¦ to do something like this, but the world works that way.


    In addition all of these observation points are armed with a railgun. It''s practically just a long steel tube with magical circuitry. A ten centimetre round is inserted into one end. Then it has to be aimed and an infusion of mana activates the spell, which sends the metal slug on its way.


    Even commoners can do that. Every person in this world has a certain amount of magical power. It''s just that the common population hasn''t enough control over their power to cast proper spells.


    And they don''t have much of it. But if all twenty people who are stationed here work together, their power amounts to one real magician.


    I get down from the carriage and walk over to the commander of the outpost, who is waiting for us. ¡°How is the situation?¡±


    The brown haired guy with a scarred face bows. ¡°Four of them entered the fjord. The fifth is waiting at sea.¡±


    ¡°Close enough to sink the ship?¡± Damn. Those guys from Phenex seem to have a brain. They don''t commit all of their forces and keep someone back to run home with information.


    ¡°I am not sure. From the reports ... it could be that we manage to sink them. But they are very far away. Even if we use a globe for aiming, the most we can hope for are just a few lucky hits.¡± Den sums up his information.


    One of the soldiers hands a spyglass to me and I walk over to the railgun. The gunning crew assembles around it to infuse their mana into the artefact.


    I was just in time, because as I raise the spying glass, I see four ships entering the fjord. They are big vessels. A fast adjustment on the spyglass''s scale enables me to measure their length.


    Wow. The leading vessel has a length of about one hundred and fifty metres. That''s really big for a sailing ship. I wonder how much crew such a thing needs?


    There are high bulwarks, which are probably meant to protect the sailors. Five masts are distributed along the ship. Another switch for the zoom gives me a better view. The deck is filled with soldiers. They are probably readying themselves to storm my city as soon as they hit land.


    ¡°What do they think they can accomplish with four ships?¡± This makes no sense.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Maybe just a raiding party? They are probably trying to probe Norfolk''s abilities? I heard about many attacks along the coastline.¡± Den offers me an explanation.


    ¡°It doesn''t sound right. Why here? We are too high up in the north. And they had to know exactly where Sarn is. I don''t think that they are sailing up our fjord out of a whim. There are hundreds of river mouths along the coast. Do we have a spy in our city?¡± I grab the spying glass tighter.


    ¡°It''s possible that there are still some spies. Maybe they have navigational information from somewhere else?¡± Den shrugs his shoulders.


    ¡°Should we open fire sir?¡± The commander asks us with eagerness.


    I bite into my lip. The fifth vessel which stayed out at sea is still bothering me. I would like to sink it too. But things are as they are. The ships should be too deep inside the fjord to turn by now. They are committed. ¡°Give a thirty seconds countdown to all watchtowers. Then fire at will. The leading ship is the first target. Pick them off one at a time as they are coming.¡±


    The commander nods and walks over to the communication device.


    Again I take a look at the ships. The hulls are littered with protective runes. I hope that I didn''t overestimate my guns. I could sink them with my bubble-spell. But that would defeat the point of this exercise!


    This is the perfect opportunity to see if my troops of common soldiers with magical artefacts can stand their ground against magicians. For hundreds of years this world was dominated by mages. You either have magicians in your army, or you are doomed.


    Maybe this will be a turning point in history? Those who can use their wits shall rule the world, not magicians.


    The gunning crew is now kneeling around the weapon, while infusing their mana into the base plate on which the railgun is mounted.


    ¡°3¡±


    ¡°2¡±


    ¡°1¡±


    ¡°FIRE!¡±


    *Thhing*


    A gush of wind and a disappointing sound is everything. No big Boom. No smoke like in the good old times. At least it was loud, because of the compressed air.


    Railguns from all over the cliffs open fire and the main vessel''s barrier spells light up. The runes on the whole ship start to glow and transform it into a swimming disco.


    Some railgun rounds are deflected into random directions and hit the cliff and the water. But others penetrate and punch holes into the ship. Our elevated position ensures that those holes are under the waterline.


    In addition every hit creates a shower of splinters and the deck of the leading ship becomes a red gory slaughterhouse within seconds.


    But the ship isn''t sinking as fast as expected. I click my tongue. Wood has its benefits. ¡°Next ship!¡±


    The concentrated fire turns to the next vessel in line. The battle started just seconds ago and my gun crews shot just about three times each. With about thirty watchtowers in firing range that equates to ninety shots.


    My railguns take four to five seconds to reload. So we are firing since ten seconds.


    We had a few misfires and some shots got deflected by barriers, so I guess that we hit the leading vessel about forty times in those ten seconds.


    Even if they are able to recover their morale after such a surprise, I doubt that they are interested in something else than to plug the holes in their ship.


    Some fireballs start to rise from the three following ships, but they are few and without aim. The enemy is firing blind because our positions are well camouflaged. Our weapons also have the benefit of being hard to spot. We don''t give away our position while firing.


    I once took my time to ride up and down the fjord on a fisher boat. Every watchtower which was visible with my naked eye was greeted with a shower of icicles.


    The fireballs impact the cliffs harmlessly and create smoking craters.


    Once again I count down three salvoes of our cannons and order a switch to the third ship.


    In the meantime the first ship toppled over and started to sink. Men are jumping into the icy water. They won''t live long. The smarter ones, who are trying to stay on board as long as possible, may live a few minutes longer.


    ¡°INCOMING FIRE!¡±


    One of the rising fireballs actually turned into our direction. Either a really lucky guess or we got seen. The gunner who is aiming our cannon reacts fast and turns the cranks to aim the cannon like a maniac.


    *Thhing*


    The fireball explodes prematurely.


    Nice thinking. I wouldn''t have thought that my railguns could be used like that. The gunning crews spent weeks while training with them on the other hand. They know best what they can accomplish with their weapons.


    Then I turn my attention back to the ships. The third ship is burning and has a huge hole on it''s deck. Probably they were unlucky and a mage who was casting a fireball was hit.


    ¡°Next!¡±


    The last ship in the line is actually trying to turn, but the big and heavy vessel isn''t able to change its direction so easily. It is torn apart by concentrated fire from all railguns.


    Okay. Let''s sum that up. The battle took a little more than one minute. One ship sunk. The second is still floating but it doesn''t look like it will stay afloat much longer. The third ship is burning and the fourth is usable just as firewood by now.


    The fjord is filled with floating bodies. I grumble at the sight. ¡°How many troops did they cram into a single ship!?¡±


    ¡°If my estimation is right there are about four to five hundred soldiers on one ship.¡± Den gives me he his judgement.


    So two thousand people? How do they feed them during the voyage? The toppled ship gives me the answer. There seem to be six decks under the waterline, which adds to the total tonnage of each ship. It must be still awfully tight on these ships.


    And the flotation depth should make them slower than their counterparts from the Nation of Mist.


    I turn to the commander of the watchtower. ¡°Congratulations on writing history. You fought and won a battle without a single magician in your ranks.¡±


    The commander starts to grin.


    ¡°Get some fisher boats to clean out my fjord. Otherwise the fishermen will bring us dead Phenex soldiers as a new species of fish tomorrow. And try to capture that floating vessel and some survivors if possible.¡± I smile and the members of the gunning crew start to grin.


    Then I realize that Celestial was standing behind me the entire time. She is looking a little pale. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°~It took more than one shot!~¡±


    Haaah!? That was just a figure of speech! Why is she nailing me down to it now? ¡°~Sugar~. You look a little pale. What''s wrong?¡±


    Celestial''s lips become a thin line.


    ¡°~I think my waters broke!~¡±


    .

 32. ~New Life.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Somewhere***


    Great! I survived almost everything. This horrible world constantly tried to kill me. Bad living circumstances, assassinations, catastrophes, war. But to die in the end by a poisoned trap is ¡­ but it''s always like that. You don''t pay attention for a single second and you are a goner.


    The city around me is dead since long ago and the ruins are already being captured by nature.


    Being the last elf on this planet wasn''t funny anyway. Why did this war with the beastmen start anyway? I don''t remember.


    Who cares, it''s just another life in an endless chain of lives. Recently I have had a streak of bad luck with my reincarnations. I am always born in bad living circumstances. Is the universe punishing me for something?


    I look down at the spike in my side. It''s the type with barbs. Nasty. My body is thin and bony. It shows that I hadn''t a proper meal for weeks. Kukuku. Maybe I should have tried to eat one of the beastmen, who were hunting me for days.


    Somehow I wouldn''t feel repelled to eat another thinking being right now.


    Maybe I can take one of them with me. My heartbeat is erratic. This body wont go on for much longer. Although I am dying, there is a bright side to it! Another life, another roll of the dice!


    I snap two grenades from my belt and pull out the safety pins. Sitting onto the activation spring should stop them from blowing up.


    This world has no magic, but it''s a realm with average technology. Now that''s done. The first of these creatures which moves my body will me blown to smithereens. I close my eyes and wait for my death. The poison is known to me. It''s acting very slow and I saw many friends die to it.


    I start drifting off when a sound from nearby draws my attention. With one eye and a blurry view, I see a beastman coming in my direction.


    He belongs to the cat tribe and has a long nasty knife in one hand. ¡°Elf. You ran long enough. The hunt is at an end!¡±


    I smirk while he grabs me at the collar and lifts me up with one hand.


    ¡°~Hahahahaha. Life number one thousand and seventy eight! I am coming!~¡±


    ¡­....


    ¡­...


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    .


    ***Nowhere.***


    Darkness is all around me. I can see paths of light. And many coloured flames are floating all around me. I am not a fan of out of body experiences.


    Strange. This never happened before in one of my previous reincarnations. Did something go wrong this time? Maybe I died too early?


    I noticed an uncomfortable loss of memories when I died as an infant once. Is committing a form of suicide also bad?


    All flames around me have an unhealthy green colour. Hey, those are different. There is a black and a yellow one. Looks like I am circling them? Definitely strange, but I have no control.


    I am pulled in! No. What''s going on? Those memories. Not my own!


    ¡­


    But it feels ¡­ somehow ¡­ warm.


    ¡­....


    ¡­...


    ¡­..


    ¡­.


    ¡­


    ..


    .


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    Aw! Damn! Switch off the lights!


    Why do you always have to be blinded by light as a newborn? There are voices too, but they are hard to understand. I have water in my ears. It''s unpleasant as hell, so I start to scream at the top of my lungs.


    My hearing is as bad as my sight at the moment. The closest voice seems to be female. But I feel that I am handed from one person to another. Maybe I will risk a look with one eye. Even if it''s bright as hell.


    Wow. A cool black haired beauty with steel blue eyes. Are you mommy? She looks young. I will try my cute baby smile on her.


    ~Ooof!~


    Okay! Okay! You are mommy! Confirmed! But please don''t crush me! Brute! Oh god, thanks. I survived.


    ¡°Look Ascathon! She is so cute!¡±


    I can understand the language! Nice! I learned it already on another world. That solves quite a few problems. Mother hands me to a guy of about her own age. Dark hair and grey eyes. Uwah! Don''t look at me with such a nasty expression! Aren''t you my father!? He looks really mean!


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    But you look a little beaten up. There are bruises all over your face. Coming directly from a fight? Let''s try the cute little baby smile on you.


    ~There!~ Hah! The corners of your mouth twitched! I saw it!


    ¡°How should we name her?¡±


    Please no stupid name like Gundula! Please be good parents! I can deal with poverty and everything else! But give me at least an acceptable name! A strong one!


    ¡°She looks like her name is Ursula.¡±


    NoOOO! Dad is a meanie!


    ¡°Definitely not! Look! She doesn''t like it! How about Seraphine? Seraphine Asceron? Sera Asceron for short? How does that sound?¡±


    That''s a good one! Whoever that was! I like you! I like that one!


    ¡°It sounds acceptable Idala. And it looks like she likes it.¡±


    Dad hands me to another person. It''s an older woman than mom. Maybe the grandma?


    ¡°You like Sera? Don''t you? What do you think of your grandmother''s idea!?¡±


    Great one! Idala! Grandmother! One hundred points! I am in your debt! But somehow I am really tired. I will excuse myself for the time being.


    ¡°Too bad that she is born during times of war.¡± Grandmother has a really sad voice.


    Wait war? I am awake now! So this is a bad reincarnation again!? Grandmother hands me back to my father.


    ¡°No problem little Seraphine! Daddy is really powerful! My troops and I slaughtered two thousand enemies to celebrate your birthday! Let them come!¡±


    Aah. So daddy has troops? Am I a princess? Cool! No, wait. You used the word slaughtered way too casually! You may be a worse dad than I originally thought!


    ***


    It has been three weeks since my birth and I am still an immobile lump of flesh. My only possibilities to interact with the world are screaming and baby speech.


    At least my hearing and my vision aren''t as hampered as before. By being carried through the mansion and meeting my other family members, I found out that we are very well off.


    The mansion is big and stylish. Although there are no servants. But maybe having servants is not a custom in this world. There are many guards. They seem competent and trustworthy.


    My family members and the few employees are all nice people. I even seem to have two big sisters. Maybe I can gain some benefits by manipulating them.


    But there is one problem. My parents don''t love each other. Even an idiot could have noticed that by now. They are tolerating the other party but there seems to be no true love.


    That''s bothering me! Could they have had a political marriage? Maybe I should do something about that. Like playing matchmaker? I am in the perfect position for that.


    A pair often is forged together by their offspring. And I have a few hundred years of experience! Beware! ~Here comes the angel of love!~


    At least I have to make them stay together until I am old enough to survive on my own. Well. How should I go about this?


    Daddy is somewhere else most of the time, while my mother is working in the office. She always takes me with her. So my only chances are during the evening or the morning hours.


    Maybe I should start to scream until daddy is holding me. Then I will be silent and happy. Mommy will get jealous and they will have to deal with each other.


    Ok. That sounds good. I will scream if either of them isn''t around. When they realize the pattern, I will have to think up something new or keep going.


    It depends on their reaction. Maybe they will come to terms with each other, if they have to take care of me together.


    It''s time to stop working anyway. So starting my plan right now should be okay. And I have to start to act like a baby anyway!


    I gather the air in my lungs ¡­


    ¡°WUAAAAAA!¡±


    .

 33. ~Inquisition.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    Gods!


    I swear, this child is killing me!


    Over the centuries I thought I had become a really wonderful mother. But here I am helpless!


    ¡°Daddy will be done with his work soon! So please stop crying, mommy and daddy will play with the little princess soon. No need to cry, here look. Isn''t that an interesting doll?¡± I wave Sera''s doll around in her field of vision to distract her from crying.


    We are in our bed chambers and I am waiting for my husband. Please! Be done with your work soon!


    Sera isn''t impressed. I had screaming children, who had the strangest reasons for crying. But this one is the first who is only satisfied when both of her parents are in front of her.


    And she is cheating! That trembling jaw and the tears look simply too miserable!


    ¡°I am done with work today!¡±


    Snap. The mouth is shut. Smile. Grin. The transformation is abrupt and complete. She hears Ascathon''s voice and everything is fine. I cover my face inside the pillow beside Sera. We are lying together on the bed.


    ¡°You are late! She cried for three hours straight! My ears are still ringing.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I couldn''t help it. The construction of the new ship needs much of my time. No matter how good some of the new workers are, there are things which I have to teach myself. My techniques are unfamiliar to them. So how was your day?¡± He sits down beside me and lets Sera play with his hand.


    ¡°The shipments of raw materials are helping our economy a big deal. Fingulf wasn''t stingy. I think that we can call our principality independent by now. The defence already proved itself, so we can slowly start to think about dealing with the other powers. The Phenex Empire is bothering me. Are you sure that you got everything out of the prisoners?¡± I look at Ascathon and start to play with Sera too.


    ¡°I picked the highest ranking ones apart myself. They had orders to capture us. There is no doubt about that. The question is why the Immortal Empress took an interest in us? Maybe she got word that I started the spy hunts?¡± He shakes his head.


    ¡°There are so many spies and assassins around. It isn''t strange that she found out who uncovered her activities. But why capture us? Anyone could have uncovered her spies. It makes no sense to pay so much special attention to us.¡± I smile at Sera.


    ¡°Unless she suspects us to be more than we seem to be. Do you smell that?¡± He pulls a grimace and I take Sera to clean her.


    ¡°Don''t tell me that you don''t ...¡±


    ¡°I know! Just clean her up. I will open the window for a while, even if it gets cold.¡± He interrupts me and steps on the balcony.


    I take my time with cleaning Sera who is strangely silent. Hmm. Shouldn''t she scream because papa isn''t in her sight?


    When I am done, I find Ascathon on the balcony. It is a spacious one with a length of ten metres and a depth of about five. So I wrap Sera into a fluffy blanket and join him. ¡°You will catch a cold if you don''t cast elemental protection.¡±


    ¡°Schhh ... we have uninvited guests. Be sure to keep Sera safe.¡± An icicle forms in front of him and he flicks his fingers towards the shadows in the garden under our balcony.


    The shard of ice follows the command fast and disappears into the shadows. I step backwards, closer to the entrance, while activating my battle aura. Assassins again? They didn''t try anything for quite a while.


    For a second nothing happens. Then two shadows run towards us and jump onto the big balcony without much effort.


    Ascathon steps in front of us and a shimmering barrier appears in front of him. It''s not like I needed any protection. He is overdoing it.


    ¡°Quite a strange way to greet the Inquisition.¡± One of the dark figures speaks and throws the icicle from earlier in front of Ascathon''s feet.


    ¡°I greet trespassers how I deem it fit. Whoever it may be.¡± Ascathon''s voice is cold and dark.


    ¡°No need for such ill feelings. We just took a look around your principality. I must say that I never saw so many laws violated until now. Especially those ''railguns''. They alone give us enough justification to execute you on the spot.¡± The rough voice breaks a little because of a coughing fit. ¡°I hate this land. The cold creeps into your bones, regardless of the protection spells you cast.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.¡°It''s unavoidable if you sneak through the darkness for an entire night.¡± Ascathon has a happy tone now.


    ¡°In any case. We must take you with us. Someone like you can''t be allowed to do as he pleases.¡± The second dark figure begins to move but several icicles start to form around Ascathon.


    ¡°I don''t want to. And I can''t have my child and my wife travel through this weather.¡± My husbands voice is cold again.


    ¡°You are unfortunately in a bad position. If you scream for help, we will eliminate you right away. And you are alone, while we are two. How do you intend to defend your wife?¡±


    A few seconds of silence follow. Then everything happens at once. Ascathon''s icicles shoot towards the enemies. A golden barrier deflects them and the two shadows start to move.


    One of the inquisitors confronts Ascathon, while the other ignores him and heads directly for me and Sera.


    But Ascathon doesn''t pay any attention to him. I guess he judged that I can deal with one of them on my own. In a split second I decide to play the weak victim to utilize my advantages.


    ¡°~Kyaaaa!~¡±


    I kneel down while shielding Sera with my body. The Inquisitor is encouraged by my play and runs next to me with a knife in his hand. The weapon is glowing and runes are engraved all over it.


    He reaches with his free hand for my upper arm and grabs it roughly.


    That''s going too far! And he is wide open! This guy isn''t trained very well. Or is he a newbie in the business? With all my force, I bounce upwards and place a perfect uppercut on the inquisitor''s chin with my free left fist. My right arm is occupied with holding Sera.


    But it looks like I overdid it. I feel bones break and the person is lifted high into the air. A fine shower of blood is sprayed all over me. Fortunately there is no ceiling above the balcony. I see the body disappearing into the direction of our garden.


    Unfortunately I can''t see very far in the darkness. Even with my heightened senses it''s hard to see something.


    In the meantime Ascathon traded a few blows and spells with the other individual. As the inquisitor realizes that he misjudged the odds, he jumps from the balcony and disappears into the night while dodging and deflecting a shower of icicles.


    Ascathon jumps from the balcony himself in pursuit and the shadows swallow him.


    ¡°Haah... should I follow them?¡± But I can''t protect Sera from the cold with my battle aura and Ascathon didn''t cast environmental protection on us.


    I look down at my silent baby and realize that I am not the only one who is sullied with blood. ¡°Aww. Look at you!¡± I try wipe the drops of blood out of Sera''s face and close her gaping mouth with two fingers.


    But the mess got just worse. Wiping blood away with a bloody hand isn''t a good idea.


    ¡°~I guess we both need a shower.~¡±


    ***


    It''s morning and I place a plate with breakfast in front of Ascathon. ¡°You shouldn''t be so moody. Everything went well. Except for the mess in the garden.¡±


    The bloody trail from our balcony across the garden is still blemishing the view. It''s the first time that I wish for a little snowstorm.


    ¡°It sucks. The rat got away! It''s bothering me! And probably he is running to the Academy right now to snitch on us!¡± He starts to mash up his food.


    Wah. That doesn''t look tasty at all any more.


    ¡°How did he get away from you in the first place?¡± I think that''s a mentionable feat on its own. I sometimes spar with Ascathon and to get away from him isn''t easy at all. He has something like instant teleportation and searching spells which enhance his eyesight.


    ¡°I followed him through half of the city until arriving at the fjord. There he jumped into the water and was gone.¡± Ascathon shrugs his shoulders.


    ¡°Isn''t the water cold!? How long can you survive that?¡± Whoa. Nobody in his right mind would jump into the fjord!


    ¡°That''s what I thought too, so I didn''t follow. But I ordered Den and his men to search for him. Though I don''t have much hope.¡± Ascathon starts to chew his mush.


    I tilt my head while thinking. ¡°Then let''s hope that the Academy doesn''t have too much resources to spare for us while facing the Phenex Empire.¡±


    Ascathon stops chewing and swallows. ¡°I wonder how they will explain to the Jarl that two of their investigators entered a restricted area and attacked one of his nobles?¡±


    .

 34. ~Moving in.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Jamaian Union, Jamai-Capital***


    I am mad! In fact my anger boils so hot, I seriously want to incinerate someone right now. But I guess that wouldn''t be befitting of a queen.


    The reason are those Jamaian slaves! They are so stupid, they aren''t usable for much more than to serve without thinking.


    Probably I am too hard on them. The Jamaian tradition of slavery is a long and efficient one. In my long life I never encountered something like it.


    Honestly. I organized rebellions with slaves, the same goes for changes of power and war. But the slaves I encountered here aren''t much more than moving bodies.


    Even after freeing them of their slave rings, they know nothing else than obedience. The problem was already anticipated by me, but I didn''t think that it would become so huge.


    In fact my people and I are overwhelmed by the logistic problems of controlling Jamaian. I had thought that the freed slaves would become an assisting factor.


    Instead they became a huge hindrance. Forging the remains of the Jamaian Union into something that might be controlled could take me two or three years. Originally I planned less than one year for this task.


    The Kingdom of Mislow is using the time to fortify its borders. It might become a very problematic issue to conquer them.


    In addition this stupid admiral in front of me looks like he will bring me really bad news, judging by his expression.


    ¡°~Go on.~¡±


    ¡°... The Nation of Mist got a new weapon! They suddenly outrange our longest range spells by a serious margin. Several of our raiding groups, which were sent along the coast, got intercepted. We can protect our supply lines from the Phenex Empire. But that''s just because the Nation of Mist lost a huge part of their fleet.¡± The admiral throws himself to the ground.


    I cover my face with my hands and say nothing.


    ¡°You may go.¡± Tjena dismisses the admiral who retreats hastily. I listen while his steps disappear in the distance.


    We are currently holding residence in a luxurious villa. It belonged to one of the former rulers of Jamai. I am sitting inside the library at an expensive table.


    ¡°It will work out in the end, my Empress. You are immortal after all.¡± Says Tjena with a soothing voice. She is searching through the books and documents in this room.


    I draw a deep breath to cool my head and look up. ¡°It''s not that easy Tjena. The world just got a lot more complicated. I may not be able to achieve my goal.¡±


    ¡°How can you say something like that. It would create chaos if the public were to hear you speak those words.¡± Tjena hastily walks to the doors and closes them.


    ¡°I already suspected that there is another player in the game Tjena. When the Nation of Mist got their new bubble-spell a few years ago, I thought they simply had luck on their side.¡± I shake my head at my own stupidity. ¡°There is another immortal on this world. And he is assisting the Nation of Mist to keep the balance of power.¡±


    Tjena has a surprised expression now. ¡°Could you explain that further.¡±


    ¡°When we started to stretch our influence towards the sea, the Nation of Mist opposed us with all its might. But they shouldn''t have been able to hamper our efforts for that long without help. This world didn''t advance in technology or magic knowledge for hundreds of years.¡± I close my eyes while I think.


    ¡°The Nation of Mist shouldn''t have been able to stop the whole Phenex Empire. But they defeated us on the Ocean of God again and again. And that''s because they suddenly got a new spell!¡± I lift one finger in a lecturing manner.


    ¡°Then I took action myself and changed the balance of power. And Suddenly! They had another new trick, which restored the balance of power! I am willing to believe in luck for the first time. After all times of war are times of technological progress. But two times is no coincidence. They went to someone for help! And he lent them his knowledge!¡± I smile at Tjena.


    ¡°And why must that someone be an immortal?¡± Tjena looks at the ceiling while thinking.


    ¡°Because just we immortals have access to such vast amounts of knowledge in this world! Of course it could be a very smart and witty guy too. But I don''t think that someone like that could avoid clashing with the Academy. And the the Academy is hell-bent on limiting knowledge.¡± I start to gnaw at my fingernail.


    ¡°So why won''t you simply show our mages some tricks like that disintegration ray.¡± Tjena''s smile vanishes when she looks at my face. ¡°Forget that suggestion. I don''t know why, but you seem to think that it is a really stupid idea.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Sorry Tjena, but you have no idea. This could create havoc. Let''s assume that I teach my special spell to my subordinates. Who says that the other immortal wouldn''t do something like that again?¡±


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    Tjena''s expression becomes a little sad. ¡°You think that he might know more than you?¡±


    My shoulders drop. ¡°Who cares if he knows more than me?¡± I shake my head. ¡°He could know ten times more than me, it doesn''t matter. If we start an arms race, the world might be destroyed. We don''t even have to be extraordinarily smart for this.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    I smile at Tjena. ¡°~~Oh.~~ ¡­ So the question is. How do we identify this other power? And either negotiate with him, or put him away.¡±


    Tjena tilts her head. ¡°~Negotiate? You?~¡±


    Argh. I feel my face becoming hot. ¡°I never met someone like me before! So I would like to have a decent talk with him to determine if he poses a danger!¡±


    *Knock*


    Tjena walks to the door and opens it. A ship captain with many stars and medals on his uniform enters and throws himself to the ground. They always do that when they have bad news. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°We sailed to Sarn like you ordered. There we decided to send four of the five battleships up the fjord to attack Sarn and capture the targets. My ship stayed on sea to report back in case something unforeseen happens.¡± He pauses for a second.


    ¡°The fjord was a trap. Our four ships were attacked with an unknown spell. All of them sunk or were damaged too heavily to flee. It took about a minute.¡± Then the captain is silent.


    I look at Tjena and start to smile. ¡°~Those are really good news!~¡±


    ¡°They are?¡± The captain looks up with a confused expression.


    ¡°Please explain this new spell to me in detail.¡± I urge the captain to go on.


    ¡°Unfortunately we don''t know much. The spell threw projectiles with unbelievable power at us. The barriers of the battleships could defend against a few of them, but they broke under the concentrated fire of several attackers. They seemed to be able to cast the spell really fast too. Less than ten seconds in my opinion. When we investigated the coastline with clairvoyance magic, we found several well hidden positions with strange artefacts. They were long metal tubes with magical circuitry. Probably they have something to do with the new spell.¡± The captain looks down again.


    ¡°You may go.¡± I wait until the captain is gone. Tjena closes the door behind him.


    ¡°You think that we found your hidden power?¡± She turns towards me.


    ¡°Isn''t it strange that he possesses something that''s forbidden by the Academy? He even used the Academy for his own goals. Of course he may be just a puppet too. But I think that we should get some hints from him at least.¡± I start to tap the table in front of me with one finger.


    Tjena''s expression turns sour. ¡°Even so, it sounds like we need the whole army to deal with him.¡±


    ¡°No, just my special unit. And my most trusted advisor.¡± I look at Tjena. ¡°My best spy will go to Sarn and investigate this place. You will take a look around. And if you get a hold of something that can be used as a bargaining chip, you bring it to me. I will go to the Academy in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Such a mission could take months! And you can''t go to the Academy! What if you are found out? And what do you want there?¡± Tjena is shocked.


    I wave my hand. ¡°Don''t make such a fuss, it will be just a short trip. I will use one of the captured Gates, so my trip will be much shorter than yours. I will be back before anyone realizes that I am gone.¡±


    Tjena stops moving. ¡°How?¡±


    I explain happily. ¡°You see. Every Gate has a code, which is recognized as a certain place. The Gates themselves aren''t very smart. It''s up to the operator to allow the connection. The only question is if the code is recognized as valid or not. Of course there can''t be two versions of the same code inside the network. That stops anyone from cheating the system.¡±


    Tjena''s expression drops. ¡°And you happen to know such a code.¡±


    My expression becomes high and mighty. ¡°Don''t think that this old granny ignored the entire world while forging the Phenex Empire. About two hundred years ago, I infiltrated the Academy and entered some fake codes into their system. They should still be in their check-books.¡±


    ¡°Fake codes?¡± Tjena looks at me dumbfounded.


    ¡°Codes which are recognized as valid, but have no real Gate assigned to them. All we have to do, is to change the codes of one of our captured Gates.¡± I smile.


    ¡°A few hundred years ago ¡­ why should they still be used?¡± Tjena has a doubtful expression.


    ¡°The check books are huge encyclopedias with nothing but codes. How many Gates do you think there are on the whole continent? If a random mistake happens, it can be found. But my entries weren''t random, they were complete datasets. So they shouldn''t have been noticed.¡± I stand up.


    ¡°That doesn''t explain what you want from the Academy!¡± Tjena follows me.


    I smile. ¡°~Meeting a friend.~¡±


    .

 35. ~Crawl, crawl little caterpillar.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    First hand! Second hand! Leg one! Leg two! One, two, one, two!


    ~Mwhahahaha!~ Guess what, you nasty world! I can crawl! Bow to me! From now on I can move on my own!


    I have found out a lot about this world. First, unfortunately I am no princess. But my parents are nobles of some sort!


    Second, there is magic! Hell, yes! My last world didn''t have enough mana. That was quite a blow to me, because I am really good at magic.


    Third, my parents are monsters! Yes! Monsters! When those inquisitors turned up and attacked us, I thought I was a goner. It was my first bad experience in this world. Mom started to scream and played the weak maiden. But when the inquisitor grabbed her, she showed her true colours.


    The strike almost decapitated the guy. I learned one thing in that moment: To never, ever make mom angry. The blood sprayed everywhere. Since then I was happy for every day without being crushed by her strength.


    Dad wasn''t less frightening. He summoned icicles out of thin air and tried to nail the second inquisitor. But the guy was quick. It looked like a dance while he was evading the projectiles. When his friend went ballistic, in the true meaning of the word, he decided to run.


    My mouth was gaping wide open while I watched the entire scene in shock. The gears in my head finally started to turn again when mom closed my mouth with two fingers and clumsily tried to clean me up.


    She didn''t even flinch because of the blood.


    Since then I became more subtle in my attempts to play matchmaker for them. If they find out that I am not a normal baby and played with them ¡­ I don''t even want to think about it.


    Hahaha! Finally! I arrived at the corner of the bed! Uh, oh.... it''s only half a metre, but it looks damn high.


    I will have to use a little magic to float down safely. So let''s concentrate! Spell for floating, formation, cast! And roll over like a ninja to throw myself off the bed!


    *plop*


    Outch. That didn''t go very well. The mana reserves of this body are still too small. At least the fall was softened. So now the next exercise! The bookshelf. I need something to read or I will go insane. Being caught in a baby''s body with an adult''s mind is like you get crippled and can''t do anything yourself.


    One, two, one, two, ¡­ almost there!


    The door opens and mom steps inside. For two heartbeats we stare at each other. ¡°Kyaa! Sera! You can crawl!¡± Mom runs over and grabs me.


    Damn! I was so close!


    ¡°But how did you get down from the bed? Did you fall off? That''s dangerous. I need to get a cot for you.¡± Mom looks at the bed in dismay.


    Noooo! Don''t put me behind bars! I am not a criminal!


    ¡°Bubu... aga?¡± There! Take a look at my big pleading eyes.


    ¡°~Oh, you are so cute!~¡±


    Urgh ... bad idea! Don''t crush me!


    ***


    I am behind bars! ¡­ again.


    Damn all worlds with such devilish customs! I fought a dire battle to escape the cage several times with my mother as the jailer! This went on for three weeks now.


    She even tried to use the other people of the house as babysitters. But they all gave up very fast after I escaped them a few times.


    Each time I got a step closer to the bookshelf. But it was never enough. Dad doesn''t speak up to her, he just looks at me with pity in his eyes.


    Her cage improved each time. The newest version is actually lidded! With a lock! Mother ¡­ you amaze me. I may not be able to escape this time.


    The door opens and mom enters with a new person.


    ¡°I am so happy that we found someone! You can''t imagine what a problem child she is. You turn your head away for a single second and she is gone.¡± Mom points at me.


    ¡°There she is. Hello sweety! How are you doing?¡± She kneels down in front of the cage and starts to fiddle with the lock. ¡°This is the new nanny! Her name is Tori.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I glare at mom and the new person. Tori is skinny and has brown hair. She isn''t exactly a beauty, but she doesn''t look bad either.


    Right now Tori is looking at me with a forced expression. I am sure that she isn''t sure of what to think about this situation either, isn''t she?


    The cage is opened and I am handed to Tori. ¡°Isn''t that nice sweety? No more cage from now on. Tori will be always there for you.¡±


    Mom looks at Tori. ¡°I will be working from seven to four. It would be nice if you take care of her during that time.¡±


    Tori nods and mother leaves us alone. For a few awkward moments I stare at the new nanny. She looks at me with a pitying expression.


    Then she looks around in the room. Her eyes fall on the shelf with the books. ¡°I guess we will be reading books. Nothing else we could do here.¡±


    One Hundred Points!


    ***


    Daddy''s secret laboratory is scary. I am almost one year old by now and I spoke my first words. For the time being I keep it simple. Otherwise I would freak out my parents. Tori doesn''t have time today, so daddy took me with him. Although I doubt his judgement. You can''t bring a little child to a place like this. There are lots of dangerous tools and artefacts!


    At least he has me always on his lap while playing with magical circuitry. He is very adept at creating artefacts and I learn quite a lot just by watching him.


    I even got him to explain what he is doing by asking with my favourite word, ¡°How¡±.


    Right now he is working on a small amulet. It looks really nice and is made out of gold. There is a heart shaped ruby enclosed inside the frame.


    Though the ruby is currently removed. It just hides the magic circuitry inside the golden socket.


    ¡°Done!¡± He snaps the ruby back into position and fuses the frame with fire magic. Then a delicate golden chain completes the amulet and he fits it around my neck. ¡°You always have to wear this from now on okay? It will protect you.¡±


    I give him a questioning gaze, but he doesn''t explain it further.


    While he continues to work absent minded on another circuit, I decide that this is the perfect chance to play a little matchmaking.


    I will use the innocent nature of a child for this! Kekeke ¡­ I am good! ¡°Mom too?¡±


    He pats my head. ¡°Of course my dear. Why do you even ask?¡±


    You are so dense! Concentrate on me for a second! ¡°Mom love dad!¡±


    ¡°Oh? How did you get to that conclusion?¡± He turns me around and places me on the table in front of him.


    ¡°Said!¡± Curse it. I am already stretching the limits of what a one year old should be able to do! But daddy seems a little dense in that respect. Well, he is a mad scientist after all.


    ¡°Why should she say that she loves me?¡± He tilts his head and looks at the ceiling while thinking.


    Haaah. Ok. Another try. ¡°Sweet presents. Yummi!¡± There! That should strike your interest you chocolate fanatic!


    ¡°Sweet presents? But why? A present for me?¡±


    Omg! Don''t tell me that he forgot! Be glad that you have a daughter who thinks about everything! ¡°Wed ...¡±


    ¡°Wet? She is wet? What the hell is she teaching you?¡±


    Haaah? How can your brain be so useless!


    ¡°... ding!¡±


    ¡°Wed ¡­ ding ¡­¡± His expression drops.


    You are really useless you know? You really forgot your own wedding anniversary? Really?


    He places me on his lap again and wipes the magic circuit from the table. A small bar of gold and raw materials for a magic circuit are grabbed from the shelf above his working table.


    ¡°We have to make some extra nice jewellery for mom okay.¡±


    Yes, yes. Be glad that you have me as a judge! I hope you put some extra effort into this. It was quite hard to coax mom into making chocolate for you.


    And now I find out that you surely forgot your first wedding anniversary! And now the second one too! Mom will never start to think better of you, if you forget something like that!


    .

 36. ~Opposing forces.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Eastern Planes, Arcane Academy***


    ¡°I feel really old today.¡± A short stretching creates some really horrible sounds in my creaking bones. ¡°Can you make this short? After three hundred years, you really feel your age. I might retire soon.¡±


    My office is a small, but comfortable room. I don''t like it big. Just show-offs have big and expensive offices.


    I carefully watch the head of the Inquisition in front of me. Norent Grant. He is a really young magician who hasn''t even reached a hundred years. I think he is in his forties, but his talent enabled him to rise to the top.


    The two powers within the Academy are the Inquistion, which is trying to limit the available knowledge, and the Academy itself, my office. We are trying to teach all young mages to control their powers.


    The Inquisition fears that too much power might destroy the world. So they limit knowledge wherever possible. But it''s the easiest to keep the commoners away from the well of wisdom, so they are hit the hardest by the Inquisition''s actions.


    I am not a fan of it, but everything has a price.


    ¡°Headmaster Sagittarius. I need all information you have about a certain Ascathon Asceron. And about Celestial Asceron. Formerly Celestial Jasmine.¡± Norent places his fingers on the writing table of my office and leans closer.


    ¡°Ah. That one? You said Celestial Asceron? He married? Hahahaha. I hope they''ll send their child here. There is much to be expected from their offspring. Although I don''t understand how they got together, they hated each other like water and fire.¡± I smile. The world is still able to amuse me. On the other hand, water and fire are able to create an explosion together.


    ¡°This is no joke headmaster! They violated a few of the most important laws against technology! And they killed one of my inquisitors when he tried to arrest them.¡± Norent bangs his fist onto my table and I wince. There is no need to damage my furniture.


    ¡°May I see the report of this ¡­ event?¡± I stand up and walk to one of my archives at the wall. I have everything filed in chronological and alphabetical order. A few seconds of searching produce two records of the specified persons.


    Norent refuses my request. ¡°You know very well that our reports are secret. I can''t give them to someone outside of the Inquisition!¡±


    I press the two useless records to my chest. ¡°Then I have to inform you that it''s the same for the Academy''s files. But I may be able to offer you a trade ¡­¡± I am acting like my reports have really important information on the matter.


    But I know that that''s not the case. When Ascathon got his certificate, I investigated the person and his whole surroundings myself. There was nothing extraordinary during his entire time at the Academy. Just an ordinary person who suddenly got perfect scores on his final exam. I thought he found a possibility to cheat in his test.


    Though there was no proof of that.


    Norent''s jaw starts to work and I shiver at the sounds he produces through that action. This guy needs to get his emotions under control. Finally Norent nods and throws a report from his folder onto my table.


    I hastily grab the report and hand Norent the records to finalize the deal. Then I start reading and take a seat in my chair. Norent starts to look through my files too.


    Ten minutes of silence follow.


    ¡°Fascinating!¡± ¡°Useless!¡±


    When Norent reaches over to get his report back, I pull away to get it out of his reach. ¡°Nonono ¡­ Not so hasty. A deal is a deal.¡±


    ¡°Your files are useless, old man!¡± But he sits back on his chair.


    ¡°You learned that he is a smart fellow, who was either able to cheat at his final exam, or played a game with his teachers for the entire time he was at this institute. And that his wife isn''t less mysterious.¡± I smile and store Norent''s report away.


    ¡°Anyway. We have to deal with this.¡± Norent looks at my records with a grumpy expression.


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°I don''t see how. The Academy may have a strong influence on Mislow, Norfolk, The Nation of Mist and Jamaian. But your investigators overdid it by attacking a noble out of the blue! The Jarl is protecting the Sarn-Valley under the premise that the military power, which is being built there, may be needed against the Phenex Empire.¡±


    After a deep breath I continue. ¡°Don''t you think that the downfall of Jamaian and the Phenex Empire should get our attention instead of this small principality? And even if you lost an inquisitor, they were stupid to even try to get close to someone who can build such artefacts.¡±


    Norent looks up and glares at me, but he says nothing.


    ¡°Your people screwed up. I don''t even know how you intend to explain this to the Jarl. We need Norfolk. The Phenex Empire isn''t moving for now. But that''s just because they took a bigger bite than they could chew. At some point their reinforcements will arrive. And then we need every help we can get. That includes Norfolk. If we anger them and they decide that the Phenex Empire is the better choice, then we have a huge problem.¡± My lips twist in amusement while looking at Norent''s new expression.


    ¡°They wouldn''t!¡± Norent shakes his head.


    ¡°Why not? The Jarl is a smart and liberal minded fellow. And he is greedy, not only in his eating habits. He embraces the new and takes chances. Just look at his actions. He accepted someone into his nation, who turned his back on his home country. He even gave Ascathon full rights as a noble of Norfolk. Now he protects the Sarn-Valley as a secret research centre.¡± I smile at Norent, who became a little pale.


    ¡°I would think up a really good apology if I were you. The Immortal Empress is a dangerous enough entity all by herself. If we have to fight on two borders, we will lose for sure.¡± I look down at my table and sigh. ¡°By losing Jamaian so easily, we may have already lost. Our unity is simply too loose to oppose her.¡±


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    Norent snorts and stands up. ¡°Then the Inquisition may have to show the other powers what we are capable of.¡± He turns and leaves my office.


    Hot headed youth. There are things in this world, which you can''t even imagine. I stand up and grab my cane. Enough work for today. And this will come with me. Norent''s report wanders into my robe.


    I leave my office and head home. This world is on its best way to a really big war. The Academy will have to decide soon where it stands. Unfortunately that seems to exclude the Inquisition.


    And there aren''t just the big nations at work here. Some very old beings pull the strings behind the curtains. The only one who is easily recognizable is the Immortal Empress. Others may be rising at this moment ¡­ like Sarn.


    Then there is the Nation of Mist. Those guys are simply too patient! I don''t trust them at all. The only one who is maybe able to see their plans is the Empress.


    And the Kingdom of Mislow is too passive as well. I don''t understand what''s going through the heads of those mind mages.


    Why can''t an old mage like me live the rest of his life in peace.


    The sun is low and I enjoy the last rays of light while walking down the main street.


    After a few minutes I arrive at home. A wave of my hand opens the door and locks it behind me after entering the house. ¡°Hmm. Humm.¡± My house is already dark. It''s sad that I live alone. My wife died already two hundred years ago. She never had that much magical potential, so her lifetime was smaller than mine. I still loved her until the end.


    After her death I had some meaningless encounters with other women. Nothing serious. I enter my living room and set my cane aside. Time to read this report thoroughly. A wave of my hand summons a light globe and I sent it towards the centre of the ceiling.


    Then I walk towards my big comfy rocking chair which faces the window.


    ¡°~Hiii. How were you doing all those years?~¡±


    ¡°HaaAAAH!¡±


    I jump at least half a metre into the air and turn around. Someone broke into my house? There are dozens of barriers and detection spells! I should have felt something!


    In the couch beside the entrance is a beautiful woman with white flowing hair. She looks young and has a well proportioned figure. She is wearing a white and black dress with golden strings weaved into it.


    ¡°Jazira! You almost caused me a heart attack! I am too old for this!¡± I grab the backrest of my rocking chair to support myself.


    ¡°~Ah.~ Sorry, Sagittarius. It seems that the time left its mark on you.¡± Jazira, the Immortal Empress, smiles at me.


    ¡°And you haven''t aged a single day!¡± I turn my rocking chair to face her and drop into it. ¡°Why do I have the honour of such an important visitor? Are you here to conquer my humble institution alone?¡±


    ¡°~Hahaha.~ Not today.¡± Jazira waves at me with a dismissive gesture. Hopefully I will be dead when she comes to conquer the Academy.


    ¡°I am here because I want information.¡± She leans back and crosses her legs.


    ¡°Aaand why should I help someone who intends to conquer the world? Even if that someone is a former lover of mine?¡± I start to rock with my chair back and forth.


    ¡°~Because.~ I think that someone like me is pulling at the strings of fate for this world.¡± She has an even broader smile now. ¡°And I want to find out who it is.¡±


    I stop rocking. ¡°Another immortal? Like you?¡±


    She places the tip of one finger on her lips. ¡°Not exactly like me. I am already for a long time on this world. I think the one I am talking about is a new arrival. Do you know the name Ascathon?¡±


    My expression falters a little and she claps her hands. ¡°So you know him! You are still so easy to read. Nothing has changed since we were together.¡±


    ¡°You think he is an immortal?¡± I look at the ceiling. ¡°That would explain his knowledge. He didn''t cheat at his exam.¡±


    ¡°I am fairly sure of it. Unless he is a very sly genius who hid his abilities for his entire life. I want to find out about his goals.¡± Jazira leans forward.


    ¡°Why don''t you sneak into his house and ask him? Maybe he''ll give you an answer.¡± I pull out Norent''s report and throw it to Jazira, who grabs it with ease.


    ¡°If he really is another immortal, I would like to face him with as much knowledge as possible. He may be a dangerous existence after all.¡± She flips up the report and starts to read.


    ¡°What could be dangerous to you!?¡± I shake my head.


    ¡°Memory loss, damage to my soul, death. I don''t intend to start all over again.¡± She didn''t look up.


    I wait for a few minutes in silence.


    Jazira smiles and closes the report. ¡°How ~cute~. They are playing family.¡±


    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± I smile at the dangerous being in front of me.


    ¡°A little.¡± She stands up and hands the report back to me. ¡°And now I am sure that he is someone like me. To build greenhouses in Norfolk. Looks like he intends to overthrow this world''s order.¡±


    I arch an eyebrow. ¡°I see the potential in his principality. But to overthrow the world order? By building fields in the north? You meant those fields with ''greenhouses''?¡±


    Jazira bends down and kisses my forehead. ¡°My lovely Sagittarius. Such a powerful mage. You are older and wiser than most on this continent. Yet you fail to comprehend the power behind an idea.¡± She turns and walks outside.


    ¡°I will lock the house behind me! You don''t have to stand up.¡±


    .

 37. ~To conquer the world.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ¡°Kane! It has been a long time!¡±


    I laugh and hug my friend. Kane came for a visit and he brought his girlfriend Tanith too. I signal them to enter the mansion. ¡°You should visit me more often! So much is happening in the world and you leave me all alone here.¡±


    Kane shakes his head. ¡°Aren''t you aware of the hard times we are facing? Especially for us merchants. Everyone suspects me of being a spy. There are stricter controls at all borders. The guys from Mislow even intend to introduce something they call a pass. Without it you can''t enter or leave the country! Well, it''s better than a complete shut down of the border.¡±


    After a few steps I lead our guests into the living room, where I find Celestial playing with Sera. Kane stops and points at the child. ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Didn''t I mention it in my letters? That''s Seraphine Asceron. My daughter.¡± Did I really forget it? There was so much to do.


    Kane palms his head. ¡°Not a word! We really didn''t see each other for an eternity. Writing letters is just too inconvenient.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Kane. Hello Tanith! Greet them properly Sera. Uncle Kane is a friend of ours.¡± Celestial helps Sera to her feet. She still can''t walk properly without help.


    ¡°~Hello.~¡±


    ¡°She is so cute!¡± Tanith drops to the ground beside Celestial and hugs Sera.


    I shrug and leave them to their merry time. ¡°So you said the world is becoming a frightening place? Even more so a reason for me not to leave my principality. I am tied down by many strings.¡±


    ¡°Don''t joke with me! Your principality isn''t less frightening! Carriages without horses? Boats without sails? There are lights in every house of the city? And what''s up with those glass constructions which I saw from afar!?¡± Kane stabs his finger into my chest.


    ¡°That''s nothing. You should see my army! Mwhahaha!¡± I take a seat on the sofa.


    ¡°You know that the other powers will go crazy when they find out what''s going on at your mountain? Fortunately you are able control who is coming and going.¡± Kane places himself in front of me.


    ¡°Yeah, ¡­ But tell me. How is it looking for you?¡± I nod while Sarah enters the room with a few drinks.


    ¡°The only ones I can trade with are the guys from the Nation of Mist and Norfolk. Mislow is a big black hole in my finances and the Academy was never a good trading point. They may be powerful, but the only possibility to reach them is a Gate. It''s crazy, no matter how you think about it. Which idiot builds a city in the deadliest desert on this world?¡± Kane waves his fist.


    ¡°Someone who wants to show that he can accomplish everything with magic?¡± I smile.


    ¡°Ha, Ha. Anyway. It should be obvious that I can''t trade with Phenex and Jamaian since the war broke out. On top our naval merchant fleet is being reduced day by day. Either the ships are destroyed by Phenex warships, or the captains refuse to set sail.¡± Kane has a miserable expression now.


    I grin. ¡°You want faster ships? Ships which can''t be caught?¡±


    Kane''s expression becomes doubtful. ¡°You mean like those things without sails in your harbour? Do you know what will happen if I enter any port beside yours with such a vessel?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn''t have to enter a port. And you could arm your merchant fleet.¡± Again a ridiculous suggestion from me.


    ¡°Hah? My company is for trading! Merchants don''t fight.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has to defend himself. And it''s time to announce our presence to the world anyway. What do you think about doing a little advertisement for my new products?¡± I smile at Kane.


    ¡°New products?¡± The merchant inside Kane awakens.


    ¡°I plan to take over the world! But I won''t do it by force for the most part! The army just exists to defend my right to do what I want.¡± I sip on my glass.


    ¡°He plans to take over the world. He has a right to do what he wants.¡± Kane starts to mumble to himself. ¡°So what are your -products-?¡±


    ¡°Artefacts! For whatever you want. Name it, we give it! Carriages without horses? Lights which work on their own? Boxes which cool your food. Plates which make fireplaces unnecessary.¡± Hah! World! Beware! The modern age is coming!


    Kane looks at me like I am a maniac. ¡°And you are sure that you can defend yourself from the other countries? And what''s the use of a box to cool your food?¡±


    Ah. I forgot that this world''s people don''t know how to conserve food by cooling it. ¡°~Sugar cat?~ I will be in the kitchen for a while. I have to show Kane some of our products.¡±


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    ¡°Sure ~honey bear~.¡±


    I walk outside and Kane follows me with a gaping mouth. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I look back while walking.


    ¡°You called her sugar cat! And she called you honey bear! What''s wrong? Aren''t you hating each other? The child alone shocked me! I thought she had raped you! This didn''t sound like you were playing it! And ¡­ and the atmosphere was so pink! What happened to you two?¡± Kane follows me while waving his hands.


    I stop for a moment and scratch my cheek while thinking. ¡°To tell you the truth, I am not really sure. But I think our relationship improved a lot since Sera joined us. Hm ¡­¡±


    ***


    ¡°Zzzzzzzzz ¡­¡±


    We are back inside the living room and Kane is playing with my magical shaving tool. There are just shaving knifes in this world and I am horrible with knives. Every time I tried to use one on myself, I ended up with cuts. Afterwards the bath always looked like I had slaughtered a pig.


    So my only option have been time consuming visits at a barber. Something I always disliked. So the magical shaver was one of my first creations when I started to live alone.


    ¡°We are surely able to sell this.¡± I can perfectly imagine Kane''s eyes turning into gold nuggets right now.


    ¡°So what do you think? Will you carry my ideas out into the world?¡± Flooding the world with harmless devices is the perfect path to undermine the Inquisition. They will make a joke out themselves, each time they say something against my products.


    Kane''s expression becomes serious. ¡°Of course I want the assurance to be the only one who is allowed to trade with those goods. And I will need a certain percentage of the sales for transportation, profit and marketing.¡±


    I smile and give him a thumbs up. ¡°But don''t forget that I want resources and money. My industrial base is eating the raw materials faster than I can acquire them.¡±


    ¡°Why are you putting so much effort into your forges and sawmills? You already have twenty times the amount of what I would expect from a city of Sarn''s size.¡± Kane looks a little confused.


    ¡°Because wars aren''t won by men. Wars are won by industrial superiority!¡± I nod at myself and smile.


    ¡°Kane?¡±


    Kane starts to chuckle. ¡°We will see ¡­ we will see ¡­¡±


    ¡°Kane!¡±


    Tanith calls out for Kane, who wasn''t paying attention. He straightens and turns towards his girlfriend. ¡°Yes, my love?¡±


    She has Sera on her lap. Apparently Tanith was playing with the girl the entire time, while we were talking. ¡°I want one too!¡±


    Kane becomes a little pale and his expression drops. ¡°Want what?¡±


    ¡°A baby of course! No, two are better. If you put some effort into it, we might even manage three.¡± She smiles and turns back to Sera, who grins a little strangely into Kane''s direction.


    Did she have a hand in Tanith''s decision? No, that isn''t possible. She is too young and can barely speak a few words. Though that expression was definitely strange.


    ¡°M ¡­ My love! That''s a really important decision! Maybe we should discuss that when we are alone. That ¡­ are ¡­¡±


    ¡°Preparations!¡± I whisper from the side to assist him.


    ¡°That''s right! There are preparations to be made! Such a decision can''t be rushed!¡± Tanith and Celestial are looking at Kane like he is scum.


    Sera is perfectly imitating them from Tanith''s lap.


    ¡°Why don''t you stay here tonight? We have several guest rooms.¡± I nod and smile at everyone. Kane looks at me like I am his saviour.


    The gaze of the three furies wanders into my direction.


    ¡°There are even double beds.¡±


    Kane expression drops again. I am sorry brother! But I can''t have Celestial mad at me!


    My eyes meet Sera''s.


    ¡°And I think the walls are sound proof!¡±


    ¡°TRAITOR!¡±


    .

 38. ~First Adventure.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ¡°~Shananana.~¡±


    Being able to read books on your own is the ~best~! If someone would ask me what the worst thing about reincarnation is, I would answer that it''s the time as an infant. Even if you get taken care of, lying around as nothing more than a lump of flesh for the greatest part of one year is torture.


    Torture I say!


    At least Tori saved me by reading books to me all day long. When she opened the first book to read it for me, I got a huge shock.


    I may have known the language, but the writing was completely different from what I had seen before. All my attempts to reach the bookshelf were useless from the beginning. I couldn''t have read anything anyway.


    But by following the lines which Tori read to me, I got the trick behind it very fast. Though it took me a while to make clear that I wanted to sit on her lap. Supposedly to watch the pictures.


    Suddenly the door is opened and Tori steps inside. ¡°Ah! Look at you! Why do you always create such a mess with the books! You are such a fidgety child.¡±


    ¡°~picture!~¡± I point at one of the pictures in my book.


    She sighs and starts to sort the books back into the shelf. Sorry, but I think it would be awkward if I sorted a book I read back into the shelf.


    ¡°How did you even get up there?¡± She places a book back into a shelf which is three times my height above me.


    Ooops. Please don''t become wary of me. I got that one with magic, that was lazy of me.


    I decide to ignore her and look back into my book.


    Tori kneels down in front of me and offers me a cookie. ¡°You want one. It''s delicious.¡±


    Oi. Why does she have such a conflicted expression? Is it because of the cookie? Eat it yourself if you like it. ¡°nno!¡±


    My book is way more interesting than a cookie.


    ¡°Then we have to do this the harsh way.¡±


    Huh? Why did her voice suddenly become so fearsome? Tori stabs her index finger at my forehead. I instinctively try to evade but this body isn''t able to do so!


    Killed by the nanny! Damn! That was a first ¡­ and I was doing such a good job with mom and dad.


    ¡­ everything goes dark as I loose my consciousness.


    ***


    I open my eyes and try to move. But it''s dark and the air is stuffy! Am I inside a bag? Seriously? What''s going on? I feels like I am being carried.


    ¡°Tori?¡± ¡°Tori?¡± ¡°TORI!¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡±


    The bag is opened and I see Tori''s face. Uwah! She looks a little haunted. Right you are! If mom and dad find out what happened ¡­ mom will dissect you!


    Tori gets me out of the bag and I realize that she dressed me with thick and furry clothes for children. And the second thing is ¡­ that we are in the wilderness.


    For real? I got abducted? Tori is still carrying me in a princess carry while running at full speed and jumping over obstacles. Is she something like a ninja?


    What should I do? Um. Does that mean that Tori is an enemy of mom and dad? I guess a normal child would start to cry.


    ¡°Mom?¡±


    Tori doesn''t react. Such a bitch!


    ¡°MooooOOOmMM!¡±


    ¡°Silence! Or I will put you to sleep again!¡±


    Urgh. I am not sure if being put to sleep is better than being awake and see what happens to Tori when mom and dad catch her.


    What can I do? What can I do? Damn! This body is too weak! Should I try to attack Tori with magic? A well aimed telekinetic strike may do the trick and severe her spinal cord.


    But if I fail, she will be warned. And I will be alone out here. Wherever I am.


    While I fight for a decision, a small hut is coming into view and Tori slows down. We seem to be high in the mountains, which tells me that I was out cold for a long time.


    Tori slows down to a walk and sets me down on a fallen tree beside the hut. There is a steep snowy meadow under the hut and I look around while Tori starts to rummage through the stuff inside.


    She doesn''t seem to fear that I would run away. Probably she would catch me in no time if I tried to run.


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    Her strange silence is awkward. But I guess there is no point in trying to explain anything to me. She thinks of me as a one year old child. Nobody you could hold a conversation with.


    Should I try to reveal myself? No. Bad idea. That would give away my only trump card.


    I watch while Tori assembles a para glider on the snowy meadow! The fuuuck!? Since when does this world have such concepts? In this world I never heard of flying before.


    After she is done, Tori starts to lash me to her chest like a caterpillar. I still don''t say a word and Tori skilfully uses the meadow as a runway.


    Urgh! Did I ever mention that I am afraid of great heights? It can''t be helped, I start to squirm in fear and Tori shuts me down again.


    ***


    HOT! So hot! I think I will get a heatstroke! It''s dark and the air is bad! One moment! That feels like a deja vu.


    The bitch bagged me up again! And she gagged me up too this time!


    ¡°Tjena! You are back! Took you long enough. How is the situation in the north?¡± I hear a female voice.


    Tori''s voice answers. ¡°Something is definitely going on in Sarn. There are strange artefacts wherever you look and even the commoners have access to them. But it will take a lot of time to inform you of everything.¡±


    ¡°Then please stick to the most important points for the moment.¡±


    ¡°Very well. It actually hard to find something to start with. I will go with the Asceron household first.....¡± From there follows a lengthy explanation on my family and how Ascathon seemed to be the source of the inventions.


    ¡°Hmmm. That seems to prove my theory. It looks to be much worse than I thought. He is really trying to advance the world by leaps and bounds. Anything else?¡± The voice doesn''t sound exactly happy with the report.


    ¡°Yes. I brought something of value to Ascathon. As you ordered.¡± I feel my bag being lifted and placed somewhere else not exactly gentle.


    Then I am being unpacked again and look straight into the eyes of a smiling beautiful woman. She has white hair and wears a really stylish dress.


    Her expression drops as she recognizes me, or better ''what'' I am. She looks at Tori whose real name seems to Tjena and then the white haired woman headpalms herself.


    I take a look around and realize why it''s so hot. Outside the window I see desert and a big city. The room around me looks like an office. There is a writing table with a chair, a couch is in the corner of the room and multiple shelfs with books are at the walls.


    The white haired woman in front of me points a finger in my direction and an accusing gaze wanders towards Tjena.


    ¡°Please explain ~THAT!~¡±


    ¡°You said that I should bring something of importance to Ascathon as a bargaining chip. His daughter was the ideal choice. Small, easy to carry and important to both, him and his wife.¡± Tjena answers without any remorse or hesitation.


    The white haired lady gives me a forced smile and pulls the gag from my mouth. ¡°Haaah. Tjena ¡­ Tjena. What should I do with you. How can we have a normal discussion with them after abducting their child. You are so smart most of the time. How can you get such stupid ideas occasionally.¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t a good idea? I thought that we could blackmail him to do as we want, as long as we have his daughter as a hostage.¡± Tjena looks confused.


    ¡°Tjena! Abducting someone''s child is a sure fire recipe to direct their wrath at you. Even I know that.¡± The white haired lady starts to absent mindedly pat my head.


    Maybe I should push some tears out and start to scream now? It feels like an opportune moment!


    ¡°M...¡±


    The white haired woman turns her attention towards me. ¡°M?¡±


    ¡°MmmamaaAAAAAAA!¡±


    Tjena starts to raise her hand with a pointed finger and I immediately shut up. Okay. That wasn''t a good idea. But I press out some tears just in case.


    ¡°Tjena? What do you intend to do with that finger?¡± The white haired woman looks a little angry now.


    Tjena''s expression becomes a little doubtful and she thinks for a second before answering.


    ¡°Shut her up?¡±


    *Smack*


    Whoa! The white lady gave her an epic clout! Tjena is wriggling on the floor. Then the white lady turns back towards me.


    ¡°~Haaah. So what do we do with you?~¡±


    .

 39. ~To the rescue.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Jamaian Union, Jamai-Capital***


    ¡°~Haaah. So what do we do with you?~¡±


    The white lady sits down in front of me and looks deep into my eyes. ¡°~Who are you?~¡±


    ¡°Sera ¡­¡±


    Uwah. Somehow she has a very strange look in her eyes now. I look at Tjena to avoid the eye contact.


    ¡°~And how old are you?~¡±


    ¡°She is a little older than one year.¡± Tjena answers for me while she is still on her knees and holding her head.


    But the white lady ignores her. ¡°~And your real age?~¡±


    I think a few pearls of sweat are forming on my forehead right now. Did I make a mistake somewhere? Where did I screw up to arouse her mistrust. ¡°... age?¡±


    ¡°Empress, she is just ¡­¡± But Tjena is interrupted by the white lady.


    ¡°No. She is not. The way she looks around is too purposeful for a one year old. And when you threatened her, she immediately went silent. A one year old wouldn''t be able to control herself like that once she started crying. And a little child like that wouldn''t accept a gag either. Her whole behaviour suggests that she is much older than she looks.¡± The white lady''s smile becomes a little dangerous and I look to the ground.


    ¡°So? How old?¡±


    Damn! I guess there is no point in denying it. ¡°I don''t know exactly. About one thousand lifetimes?¡±


    Tjena''s mouth falls open. ¡°You played me!? The shelf! All the time you did it with purpose! But she is a baby! She can''t be that old!¡±


    ¡°I told you about reincarnation. Didn''t I? She is an ~immortal~. You may have done well in the end, Tjena. Probably she was the driving factor behind the rise of Ascathon''s principality.¡± The white lady nods to herself.


    ¡°But she wasn''t even born by then!¡± Tjena has a valid argument against it.


    The white lady tilts her head. ¡°So we have two immortals? What are the chances for that? I never met someone like me and now I meet two on this world? They even belong to the same family? The odds against that are just too high!¡±


    She takes another look at me. ¡°You should take off that fur. You will get a heatstroke. And later we''ll talk.¡± Without my consent, she starts to undress me. ¡°Tjena, get some servants to take care of her.¡±


    Tjena nods, opens the door to the office and calls for assistence.


    ¡°Can I go back home? Mom and dad will turn around every stone to find me.¡± I look at the white lady.


    She shakes her head. ¡°After finding out who you are, I can''t let you go. I have a goal for this world and someone like you could seriously hinder my efforts.¡±


    ¡°Mom and dad are scary you know? If they find out where I am, they will ¡­¡± But the white lady interrupts me.


    ¡°I am not afraid of mortals. And forgive me if I crush your bubble, but even if you are an immortal, compared to me you are nothing more than an infant. Your parents may be talented, but a mortal is still just a mortal. I have to find out the secret behind their knowledge.¡± The white woman starts to gnaw at her fingernail while two female servants and three guards enter the room.


    Shit. I want to go home! Unconsciously I reach for my amulet and hold it tight. This sucks ¡­ my happy life with mom and dad is going to become unreachable at this rate.


    Dad said that the amulet would protect me! But nothing happens, even if I infuse my mana into it. Crap.


    The first servant touches me and suddenly a powerful wave of mana erupts from my amulet and wanders into the servant who freezes up like a statue.


    Everyone inside the room felt the strange wave of power and all eyes are set on me and the servant who is touching me on my shoulder. Then the servant''s numbness stops and she starts to look around like not knowing where she is while trying to get a grasp on the situation.


    ¡°Arrest her!¡± The white lady is the first to speak and points at the servant. One of the three guards steps forward and grabs the blond haired woman at her upper arm.


    The woman says nothing and smiles at the guard. With a casual and relatively slow movement she reaches for the knife in his belt, draws it and stabs the guard.


    All three guards are wearing chest pieces and leather armour. Full body armour doesn''t seem to be practical in this climate, so their armours are very light and protect only vital spots.


    The woman stabbed the knife into the weak spot below the chest armour, where the leather trousers start. The guard looks down in shock. Obviously not fully comprehending why an obedient slave suddenly attacked without remorse.


    The smiling blonde twists the knife and draws it out of the guards side.


    That''s the moment when the room unfreezes and everyone starts moving! The other guards draw their swords and the other female servant runs out of the room while screaming.


    The blonde who touched me steps forward to attack the next guard, but the other two guards are warned and the next target parries the knife with one armoured hand.


    A thrust of the sword impales the woman right through her chest! In a vain attempt, the dying blonde reaches for the guard''s arm while falling over.


    Everyone is still stunned while the guard retrieves his blade from the dead servant. The guard who was stabbed earlier is kneeling on the ground while trying to stop his wound from bleeding.


    After having retrieved his weapon, the guard who killed the blonde draws his own knife and embeds it into the throat of his unwounded comrade who let his guard down after the servant was taken care of.


    The unsuspecting victim goes to the ground with blood spurting from his mouth. The other wounded kneeling guard watches in utter disbelief as his friend''s sword flashes down on him.


    A cleanly severed head rolls over the floor and the remaining guard runs towards the white lady who starts to raise her hand.


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    But Tjena gets in between and stabs a knife, which suddenly appeared in her hand, right into the guard''s chest. The blade sinks into the armour like through cloth.


    ¡°Tjena!¡± The white lady raises both hands and a shimmering barrier appears around her aide and the guard.


    Tjena walks backwards while the guard crumbles to the ground. Then she turns around to face the white lady.


    ¡°Everything is okay. You can drop the barrier.¡± Tjena smiles.


    ¡°Tjena?¡±


    ¡°Yes? My Empress?¡± Tjena still smiles like everything is okay.


    ¡°How did you end up in my service?¡± The white lady doesn''t drop the barrier. She has a worried expression and comes a step closer.


    ¡° ¡­ ¡± Tjena remains silent.


    ¡°Tjena!¡±


    ¡°She isn''t here¡± Tjena takes another look around until her eyes find mine and she smiles. ¡°I want my daughter back. Right this instant, before my wife decides to pay you a visit.¡±


    ¡°How!?¡± The white lady takes a step backwards again.


    ¡°Mind magic of course. Combined with a little soul magic. Weaker individuals can be played like puppets if you pull the right strings. It works by sending your soul through an appropriate transmitter into another body.¡± Tjena starts to scratch her chin and looks down at her body. ¡°I may have to introduce myself. I am Ascathon Asceron. And I think you are the Immortal Empress?¡±


    ¡°Release Tjena!¡± The white lady starts to shiver in rage.


    ¡°Of course! Right after you return my daughter. Looks like I took over exactly the right person. She seems important to you.¡± Tjena smiles and starts to play with her knife. ¡°If you don''t, I might do something to this body.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn''t! What will you do without a body!¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I never tried this before. There are various safety measures, which should send me back to my original body.¡± Tjena shrugs her shoulders. ¡°Who cares. If everything goes wrong, the worst thing that happens is reincarnation.¡±


    That means? Dad is a reincarnated person too!? And mom!? Ah ¡­ some of their discussions finally make sense now!


    The Immortal Empress says nothing. Then her gaze wanders towards me. Oh! No! You won''t harm a child!


    ¡°Don''t even think about it!¡± Tjena stabs her knife into her own leg without flinching. ¡°I can kill this body any time!¡±


    The Empress''s mouth opens and shuts a few times without a word. ¡°Fine. But you have to release Tjena!¡± She drops her hands and the barrier vanishes.


    ¡°It''s always a pleasure to negotiate with reasonable people.¡± Tjena turns around and limps towards me. I get taken under one arm. While the other still holds the dangerously sharp knife. ¡°If you would be so kind as to show me a Gate?¡±


    A forced smile appears on the Empress''s face. ¡°Of course. I have my own Gate in the courtyard.¡± She waves towards the door and leaves the room with Tjena following.


    ¡°You know whom you are holding under your arm?¡± The white lady starts a discussion while we walk slowly through her mansion. Just a few steps after leaving the office, we are surrounded and escorted by soldiers.


    ¡°Of course. The little princess is my important daughter.¡± Tjena''s voice is happy and without doubt.


    ¡°So you don''t care about having an immortal as daughter? When did you find it out?¡± The Empress looks at us with surprise.


    ¡°Since she started talking and reading books of course. She is a devilish little monster, but so far she has done me more good than bad. She was especially useful to find out why Tjena came to spy on me. She is really good at evading mind magic. I let her be to find out what she is after. But to abduct my daughter out of the blue ...¡± We arrive in the courtyard and head towards the Gate. Just one magician is taking care of the artefact. ¡°By your question I assume that you are a reincarnated person too? You were really lucky with that body. I may try to duplicate that power.¡±


    ¡°And how old do you happen to be?¡± The Empress''s smile looks still extremely forced while Tjena sets me down in front of the Gate and waves the magician aside.


    ¡°To be honest, I stopped counting long ago. What does it matter? If you have been everything that''s possible, you don''t care any more. King, hero, demon lord, good guy, bad guy. Everything becomes void in the end. There is only one thing that you can do in the end.¡± Tjena smiles while operating the controls and magic circles on the Gate. ¡°Do what you want and be happy.¡±


    ¡°And what is it that you want to do?¡± The Empress folds her arms in front of her chest.


    ¡°Doing my research without interference! I want to know why we are remembering our past lives while everyone else doesn''t.¡± Tjena gives the Immortal Empress a frightening look. ¡°So don''t interrupt my business.¡±


    She infuses mana into the gate and a connection is being built up. The person who steps through the Gate is very well known to me. ¡°~Mom!~¡±


    ¡°~Hi, Sugar cat!~¡±


    Celestial picks me up and gives Tjena a disgusted look. ¡°Couldn''t you have picked another body? It freaks me out if you call me like that while being in that form! And I would have liked to beat that woman black and blue.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I already stabbed her as punishment.¡± Tjena raises her bloody leg and points at the wound.


    Mother looks around and then her eyes set onto the white lady. ¡°Be glad that my daughter doesn''t seem to be hurt! I would have dismembered you otherwise!¡±


    My mother turns around and walks through the Gate. I am able to look back over mom''s shoulder while being carried. Not being able to control myself, I smirk and wave goodbye to the Empress.


    ¡°~Bye!~¡±


    .

 40. ~Revelations.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Jamaian Union, Jamai-Capital***


    ¡°~Bye!~¡±


    My daughter finally disappears through the Gate with Celestial, so I quickly manipulate the controls to close the doorway to Sarn.


    ¡°Finally! You can''t imagine how much my wife pestered me because our baby was gone. She was about to come here and wreck the city.¡± The doorway closes and I clap my hands. ¡°Well, that''s done!¡±


    The Immortal Empress gives me a scary look. ¡°Will you release Tjena now?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Sure. The spell will be cancelled soon anyway. Why don''t we use the time to talk? What do you want from me anyway?¡± I take a seat on the ground and smile up towards the Empress.


    ¡°I want to create a unified and peaceful planet for myself to live on. I am sick of wars and conflict, so I am currently working on creating a peaceful society.¡± The Empress smiles at me.


    ¡°Huh? Forgive me. That sounds ridiculous after pulling off an invasion and killing thousands.¡± I smirk at the Empress. But she isn''t offended.


    ¡°I''ll admit that my method is a brute force attempt. But I tried it in a peaceful manner already. Being nice doesn''t work. Those stupid mortals are caught in an eternal loop of hate and revenge.¡± She makes a dismissive gesture. ¡°The only possibility to break this circle, is to force peace on a few generations until the young aren''t indoctrinated to hate by their elders any more.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I see. It may work, as long as you play the controlling factor.¡±


    ¡°I already proved that it works. Look at the Phenex continent. It''s unified and peaceful, while the powers of the main continent are still fighting among themselves. You may not believe me, but I didn''t ignite the war between Mislow and Jamaian.¡± She looks a little agitated now.


    She may have had the time and possibilities to spark the war. But as long as I don''t have proof of that I will believe her for the time being.


    ¡°I see. That still doesn''t explain why you are interested in my principality.¡± Unless she recognizes the reasons for my actions.


    ¡°Of course I am interested in someone who could oppose my goal. And you will cause chaos by continuing to follow your current path. I don''t want that. And the other powers will try to stop you anyway. It would be much better if we could find a common ground.¡± She is trying to gain an ally?


    ¡°A common ground? As in being allies? Because I won''t play servant to anyone. And what other powers are you talking about?¡± I am a little confused now.


    She starts to smirk. ¡°Oh, please. I am around for such a long time and all I managed to do was taking control of one continent? Of course there are powerful forces at work on this planet. First and foremost are these long eared bastards from the Nation of Mist. They might act nice and peaceful, but in their hearts, they are like everyone else.¡±


    ¡°When I first started to build up my navy, the Nation of Mist attacked our fleet while we tried to cross the Ocean of God. All ships were sunk without a word. That was about three hundred years ago. Ever since then they continuously got in my way. I am sure that they have goals of their own. You should take everything they say with a grain of salt. After all their elders are very old people too. I am sure that some of them aren''t much younger than me. Maybe some are even older.¡± The Empress pulls a strange face.


    ¡°Then there is Mislow. Yes, they aren''t offensive in their actions either. But think about it. Mislow seems to be a very small country compared to Norfolk and Jamaian. Yet they stopped every attack on them since hundreds of years without fail. And their ruling family is one big mystery. Nobody ever met any of them. You can only talk to them through their ambassadors.¡± She pulls another strange face.


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    ¡°And then there is the Academy! Have you already taken a closer look at the two opposing powers within that institution? They are constantly on the verge of eliminating each other, yet nothing ever happened over centuries.¡±


    The Empress finally stops her preaching and looks at me with expectant eyes.


    I furrow my eyebrows. ¡°So you want to say that there is someone controlling those powers behind the scenes? For hundreds of years? What''s the purpose? And why are you so talkative suddenly? You must realize that I take everything you say to me with suspicion.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine! As long as you take the words of everyone else with suspicion too. And I don''t know their goals. But I can see that they are searching for something. Just realize that there are other very old existences hiding in the shadows. If my preaching stops you from giving anyone a weapon which would tilt the balance of power too much, it was worth my time. I am doing this because I came to the conclusion that I can''t stop you outright.¡± She gives me another forced smile.


    ¡°I see. I must admit that this story of yours is new information for me.¡± I scratch my cheek while thinking about her words.


    ¡°Then I propose that you start to read some historic documents and collect more information. You would be a too powerful tool in the hands of those other forces.¡± Now she looks down on me with disdain.


    ¡°You call them just forces? Don''t you know anything of them, are they reincarnated people too? And why don''t you think that I am one of those puppet masters? After my entrance, the suspicion would be justified.¡± I tilt my head.


    ¡°~Hahaha.~ No. That''s a cute idea, but no. First I don''t think that they are immortals, because they never showed themselves to the world. They are hiding like frightened mice, while trying to manipulate everyone from the shadows. An immortal wouldn''t fear for his own life like they obviously do. Second, you aren''t trying to hide anything and you have a clear history of being born just a while ago. And you are acting like an elephant inside a porcelain shop.¡± She shakes her head.


    ¡°Hmm. I see. If that''s so, then thank you for the warning. But there is still the issue with Jamaian.¡± This story is still strange. ¡°Shouldn''t those forces act, because of your invasion?¡±


    The Immortal Empress has a disturbed expression. ¡°That''s what I don''t understand either. I think that those forces were at work on my continent and interfered at some level, until I had conquered it. Then they simply retreated. That''s the strange part. To a certain point, they seem to intervene with some things. So they are trying to stop anyone from gaining too much power. In my case however, they simply gave up after some time. I thought that my invasion would provoke at least some action from them. But nothing.¡±


    ¡°I see. So they don''t act to protect a certain country. Maybe they are some sort of organisation?¡± I close my eyes. ¡°Well. Unfortunately this talk has to end for now. My grip on this body starts to slip. But I will think about your words.¡± I grin at the Immortal Empress who gives off a relieved sigh.


    ¡°Please tell Tori, or Tjena ¡­ whatever her name is. She is fired! And if I find her sneaking around in Sarn, I will use her as material for my ~experiments~.¡±


    The Empress''s expression drops as my vision darkens and I feel my soul being pulled away on a wave of mana, which is ejected from my former host.


    .

 41. ~Home sweet home.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    I open my eyes as I regain my consciousness. The world is ¡­ upside down? How strange? Didn''t I lie down on the ground in my lab when I left my body behind to save Sera?


    Someone is carrying me through the snow? I see houses to my left. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Good. You are back.¡± Den puts me down and I realize that Celestial is beside us with Sera in her hands.


    ¡°I ordered him to carry you to our Gate.¡± Celestial smiles at me while hugging Sera, who is wrapped in a blanket. ¡°After you told me your plan, I thought it best to take your body with us. Just in case. We are on our way back to the mansion.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I see. Well, I can use the time to inform you of my chat with the Immortal Empress.¡±


    ¡°Chat?¡± Celestial squints her eyes. What the hell is she thinking now? I quickly evaluate what I said, but I find no flaw in my statement.


    ¡°~Daddy has eyes for the beautiful white lady.~¡± Sera''s squeaky voice erupts from the blanket and my jaw drops. How? No! Forget that!


    ¡°What the hell!? I was in the body of a woman at that time! I couldn''t have gotten it up, even if I wanted to!¡± This accusation is ridiculous.


    ¡°That''s exactly the point! Your new spell is perverted, dangerous and immoral! You are forbidden to use it from now on! You are only allowed to use it in emergency situations.¡± Celestial starts to walk faster.


    ¡°Haah ¡­ can I explain now? The issue is this ¡­¡± And so I start to describe my discussion with the Immortal Empress.


    ***


    Later in the evening I am sitting in our living room and reading a book. I am in a big and comfortable chair, while Celestial is on the couch with Sera on her lap. She is teaching her daughter chemistry and medicine at the master level.


    We had a long discussion about the Empress''s reasons for telling me a story like this. But without exact information it was impossible to verify the truthfulness of her words. So the decision on how to act was postponed until we had time to investigate the matter.


    Fortunately Celestial volunteered to have a closer look at the facts. I would have gone insane if I had to search through stacks of historical records. The great me isn''t a fan of brooding over past events.


    We also had a lengthy discussion with Sera. Originally we didn''t plan on revealing ourselves to her. It was fine as long as she kept playing the baby. We intended to watch her closely to get an idea of her personality.


    I found out about Sera''s odd behaviour, when I observed her through my spying globe. By then I was really surprised when she suddenly floated down from her bed, crawled to the bookshelf and started reading. Her complete undoing were the books, which were on too high positions for her to reach. They floated down from the shelves and placed themselves neatly in front of her.


    Of course our course of action was influenced by the other residents of my mansion. We had hoped that Sera would become a little older before we had to explain that she wasn''t a normal baby.


    However, now that she found out about us, she is prattling like a parrot. She probably won''t hold back in revealing herself to everyone else too. It''s a simple consideration. She has us, so she won''t get shunned or thrown out of the house because she is seen as a freak.


    Ergo, no reason to hold back. I can''t blame her. Playing an idiot is something I fail in almost all of my restarts. And it''s annoying like hell.


    Liandra and Violetta enter the room and run up to Celestial and Sera. Their tutor Stefan is teaching them until five in the evening. According to him, the two of them have much potential.


    ¡°You saved her!¡± Violetta hugs Sera while smiling. Liandra is patting Sera''s head. There was a big uproar in the family, when Tori vanished with the baby. Celestial was nagging me to get her back asap, instead of waiting to see where she was taken to.


    Celestial''s parents were also furious. I guess they will be relieved when they come back. Unfortunately their presence is absolutely necessary to supervise the implementation of the new greenhouses.


    While they may not fully understand the principles behind my projects, they are great at organizational tasks. So be it in supervising new undertakings like sawmills, smitheries or greenhouses, both of them became indispensable.


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    ¡°I don''t understand a single word of that stuff. Why are you explaining something complicated like that to the baby?¡± Liandra has a confused expression on her face while Violetta looks at Celestial''s cryptic notes with dismay.


    ¡°~It''s actually not that hard Liandra. These are instructions on how to create an antibiotic solution. That''s a medicine which works against most illnesses and it can be extracted from mould.~¡±


    Liandra''s and Violetta''s jaws drop. Violetta is the first who recovers. She tugs at Liandra''s sleeve. ¡°Little sister can already talk and knows so much. We''ll fall behind at this rate! Let''s go and wake up Stefan to teach us more!¡±


    ¡°Hn.¡± Liandra stands up with a gloomy expression and leaves the room, followed by Violetta.


    Liandra and Violetta had a sheltered upbringing. They probably have no idea what a one year old should be able to do. ¡°Shouldn''t you have properly explained the situation?¡± I gaze at both of them who are still sitting on their couch, relatively unconcerned.


    ¡°They got a little lazy recently. I think it''s good if they come to the wrong conclusion. Working harder won''t be bad for them.¡± Celestial shrugs her shoulders.


    ¡°~I will crush their pride someday, if I want it or not. So it''s better to do it now, while they can still adjust.~¡± Sera''s tone is way too happy. She seems to like teasing her elders.


    I sigh and continue reading my book.


    Half an hour later my parents in law finally burst into the room and hug the abducted child and Celestial from both sides.


    ¡°I am so glad that your baby is back my dear! I was worried so much while imagining all the horrible things that could''ve been done to her!¡± Idala has tears of joy in her eyes.


    Sera looks up from Celestial''s notebook and causes a shock to her grandparents. ¡°~It wasn''t so bad grandmother. The Immortal Empress is actually quite civilised.~¡±


    ¡°Did ¡­ Did she just talk? A complete sentence?¡± Arduin''s left eyebrow starts to twitch and his expression is frozen.


    ¡°I am a reincarnated person like mom and dad. But you don''t have to worry about it. According to them I am quite young. Seems like a thousand lived lives doesn''t count for much under immortals. Please keep calling me Sera grandmother. And I can finally thank you for suggesting a good name. Dad''s proposal was really horrible.¡± Sera finally stops her speech and smiles innocently.


    ¡°Aaah ¡­¡± Idala simply falls backwards while becoming a little pale.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Celestial catches her mother in the last second before she fell from the couch.


    ¡°Is it the heritage? Two reincarnated people will bear another reincarnated one? But they said that reincarnated persons are really rare ¡­¡± Arduin starts to mumble to himself.


    ¡°I guess we simply won the lottery four times in a row.¡± I smile and try to change the topic. There is no need to worry them with my failed experiment, which was probably at fault for the current situation.


    ¡°Four?¡± Idala looks at the ceiling with a dead expression. Celestial had her lie down on the couch while Sera was patting her grandmother''s head and cooling her with a light breeze, which she summoned with magic.


    ¡°The baby is using magic ¡­¡± Arduin''s expression says that he has given up on any sanity in this mansion.


    ¡°The Immortal Empress is an immortal too, at least that''s what she calls reincarnated people.¡± Sera shares her information with Idala and Arduin.


    Celestial follows with a very long explanation on the facts as we know them. It takes her an hour until all of her parent''s questions are answered.


    ***


    ¡°So that''s the reason why nobody could oppose her. These are really bad news for the rest of the world.¡± Arduin shakes his head.


    ¡°At least it doesn''t look like she will be able to attack Norfolk any time soon.¡± Idala has Sera on her lap and hugs her while thinking.


    I shrug my shoulders and smile. ¡°We''ll simply deal with one thing at a time. First are Kane''s merchant ships and our goods to change the world. All we have to do is to keep an eye on everything and advance cautiously.¡±


    .

 42. ~Survival of the smartest.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Mislow Kingdom, City of Mirrors ¨C  Capital***


    ¡°... Sagittarius do this. Sagittarius do that. We need your help with the fortification spells. Please help us with the new spell. Nobody else but you can go on this diplomatic mission ¡­¡± I shake my head while looking down from my carriage.


    The streets of the City of Mirrors are neat and clean. There is nobody who looks like he belongs to a lower class. Everyone is dressed in fancy clothes. This is the capital of the Mislow Kingdom.


    I realize that there aren''t any old people like me or children. Well, maybe there are a few elderly people, but their numbers may be a hundredth of the entire population.


    The reason is the unbelievable pressure on your body and mind in this place. You can feel that this city is dangerous. There is a rumour that someone who crosses the whole city from one end to the other turns insane.


    There are mirrors all around me. No place, where you don''t have to look into a twisted image of yourself.


    Everything is for the purpose of honing your mind. The mind magicians created this city to train their skills. Only the smart and strong willed people manage it. If someone has a weak will, he can easily lose himself in this place.


    The streets are arranged like a maze. The mirrors have the purpose to confuse and distract. If you don''t pay attention for a single moment, you might end up running into a mirror, where you believed a long and wide road to be.


    There are also confusion spells embedded in most of these hellish items. Some may show you reality, others display horrible visions of a future self. I guess the whole city can be seen as an artefact. A growing and changing one, because every generation of magicians adds their own unique touch to the city.


    Survival of the fittest has a warped meaning here. It''s Survival of the smartest. Everyone cares just for himself, people who aren''t able to cope with this place are expelled and discarded. Useless material.


    That''s why there are no children or elderly here. Most of them are put into special facilities to prepare them for Mislow''s harsh nature, or to get rid of them.


    ¡°Could you stop mumbling like that, geezer? Are you sure that you are in the right place?¡± The carriage driver interrupts my train of thought and I look and him.


    Even the commoners are impudent in this place. ¡°Don''t get cheeky with me! I''ll morph you into a mouse if you talk to me like that a second time! And I talk to myself as much as I want! After all I am paying you, so shut up and drive!¡±


    The driver still looks at me like I would be a mad old man, but he doesn''t talk back and concentrates on the streets once again.


    I change my mind and concentrate on my goal here. It''s just a small visit to the house of Arenzien. That stupid Norent Grant persuaded me to use my status and come here and gather information.


    Normally I wouldn''t follow a request by him. But since Jazira, the Empress has shown interest in this Ascathon, it would be very unwise of me to leave the matter as it is.


    ¡°We are here old man. The house of Arenzien.¡± The driver stops and points at one of the bigger buildings at the side of the road. It has seven floors and towers over its neighbours. There are no gardens in the City of Mirrors, so one building is neatly joined to the next.


    I take my time to get down from the carriage. Jumping is only for the young. When I am finally on the ground, I grab into my pocket and hand one silver coin to the driver. Then I hold out my hand, expecting the appropriate change.


    But the man snorts and spurs his horses. I barely avoid to be pulled to the ground by the carriage. Did I just get cheated? Several seconds go by until I finally make up my mind.


    My finger points at the carriage and a wind gust hits it from the side, tilting it over and breaking the two left wheels. The driver falls off and slithers over the ground until a wall stops him.


    Ho! Watch out. I may be old, but my finger is still deadly! The driver is wriggling on the ground in pain, so I guess he isn''t dead. Maybe he will learn something for the future.


    So I turn and walk slowly to the big entrance of the Arenzien''s house. On the big double door is a luxurious golden door knocker. It''s a stylized dragon with a chain around its neck. There are two long claws on each leg and the mouth has very sharp teeth.


    A fine piece of art, but to place it on a door which is open to the public is stupid. Won''t someone steal it? There has to be more to this thing than what is visible to the naked eye.


    I reach for the chains, which are obviously used to alarm the owner of the house. Suddenly the golden door knocker starts to move and the dragon snaps for my fingers. It misses just by an inch because it''s attached to the door.


    Reaching for it slowly and cautiously saved my fingers!


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°HiissssSSSS¡±


    The fucking thing hissed at me!? ¡°I will teach you! Nobody hisses at Sagittarius, the great Archmage and Headmaster of the Academy!¡± I grab my cane with both hands and start beating the dragon with all my might.


    *Knock* ¡°Hiss¡± *Knock* *Knock* *Knock* ¡°Hiss¡± *Knock* ¡°Hiss¡±


    What! The fucking lizard grabbed my cane! ¡°Give that back! Little monster!¡± I start twisting and place both of my legs on the door while pulling. Some passing people smirk at me and I realize my position.


    I look like an old geezer who is trying to do something inappropriate to the door! So I reconsider my approach and place one leg on the door to pull in an appropriate manner. But suddenly the door knocker lets go and freezes back into it''s original position.


    I stumble a step backwards. Luckily I didn''t fall, something like that could end badly at my age. A butler looks at me and waves to come inside.


    So I enter while cautiously staying away from the door knocker and look at the butler. ¡°No questions asked?¡±


    The butler shakes his head. ¡°Everyone who manages to knock on the door without serious injuries is worthy to have an appointment. I will announce your arrival. Mara will lead you to the drawing room.¡±


    A middle aged female servant bows to me. So I follow her into a spacious room with couches, tables, a bar and various bookshelves. I place myself on a comfortable couch and wait for the owners of the house.


    Just a few seconds later, a man and a woman appear. The man has dark hair and grey eyes. The woman has brown eyes and violet hair. I immediately recognize them from the descriptions.


    ¡°Tendril Arenzien and Irda Arenzien. We welcome the Headmaster of the Academy to our house. What can we do for you?¡± Tendril starts the introduction and I nod.


    I try to smile. ¡°I thank you for the welcome. But unfortunately it''s about a matter which you will most likely dislike. It''s about your son.¡±


    Both of them place themselves on the couch across from me. Tendril starts to speak. ¡°I guess you mean Ascathon.¡±


    I bow slightly. ¡°If you could enlighten me on his person. There are some issues between him and the Academy.¡±


    Tendril pulls a grimace. ¡°The Academy protected him. Why are there suddenly problems.¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Times change and circumstances change. He is breaking many laws on scientific research and the creation of artefacts. And an Inquisitor got killed while investigating his principality. The Jarl is protecting him, but we would still like to gather all the information we can.¡±


    ¡°We don''t know anything ourselves. Since he started to control his borders, there isn''t much information on how he is doing.¡± Irda looks at the ground with a sad expression.


    I stroke my long beard while thinking. ¡°That''s not an issue. I am not interested in his current circumstances. I want to know about his childhood. His personality. How was your impression of him while he was in your care?¡±


    Tendril bristles with anger, but after a few seconds he starts to talk. The story I get told is quite unique and without doubt a big lie for the most part. But Irda''s expressions tell me everything I need to know. She isn''t a good liar. Even if she is just sitting beside her husband, her facial expressions tell me the whole story without a word.


    So they sent Ascathon into one of those facilities, when they got scared of his abilities. And furthermore they seem to know nothing of importance about their own son. ¡°Hmmm. He hid his true nature well, while he was at the Academy. It''s sad that you two don''t know much.¡±


    ¡°Have no worries, Headmaster Sagittarius. The Arenziens tend to deal with their own shame.¡± Tendril''s eyes are hard and unforgiving.


    I get to my feet with the help of my cane. ¡°Ohohoh. I think it will be hard to lay a hand on him. And his wife is dangerous as well. She was the one who killed the Inquisitor when he threatened her child.¡±


    ¡°Child?¡± A faint smile rushes over Irda''s face. I decide to dig a little further.


    ¡°Oh? I guess you didn''t get the information yet? They have a daughter. She should be about one year old.¡± I study Irda''s face very carefully, but I can find nothing. Her expression froze into an expressionless mask.


    Then I realize that she changed totally when her husband looked into her direction. I purse my lips. So it''s that type of relationship.


    ¡°Well, I will excuse myself. I stole enough of your time.¡± I turn and walk towards the exit.


    There is still some unfinished business with that door knocker!


    .

 43. ~The sky above.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Nation of Mist, Lirwin Island - Capital***


    ¡°Raise your head Sky-General. Someone with your accomplishments doesn''t need to bow down in front of this Council.¡±


    I look up and into the eyes of three elders, which belong to the Council. They are the rulers of the Nation of Mist and their wise guidance spared us from any foreign influence for many years.


    All of them wear masks to symbolize that they have given up on their own identity to serve the Nation of Mist with all their effort. There is one woman and two men in front of me. The voices of all three sound very old, which is remarkable for someone from the Nation of Mist.


    More than once I was tempted to unmask them, just to see if there are wrinkles on their faces. Most mainlanders get wrinkles when they become old. Will someone like me get them too?


    ¡°Your description of the situation is concerning. We may really have to act in order to stop any further bad developments.¡± The second elder talks openly.


    The third elder nods. ¡°These new artefacts from Norfolk don''t just undermine our trading by avoiding our merchant ships. They produce new ideas within the population of the main continent. If we aren''t careful, the world might change to our disadvantage.¡±


    The first elder shakes her head. ¡°Maybe we should rethink our politics and change our stance. The world hasn''t changed for a long time. We have forgotten that only those who can change with it will survive.¡±


    She points at a stash of documents in front of her. ¡°Nathan Lenarch and Kane Lenarch have their fingers in this business. The house of Lenarch has trading connections and influence all over the main continent. They aren''t bound to a certain country. If we anger them, it might as well be the end of our trading fleet.¡±


    Slowly she looks from one person to the next. ¡°We are dependent on the resources from the main continent. And there aren''t many nations to trade with. Jamaian is gone. Mislow has reduced its trade and the Academy doesn''t have to be mentioned. The principalities and kingdoms of Norfolk are the only ones who keep supplying us. If we anger the house of Lenarch, we might as well surrender to Phenex.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know this Ascathon. Didn''t you buy a few military inventions from him yourself? Could we talk to him and bring him to reason? And how fast can we deal with him, in case he doesn''t act according to our wishes.¡± The third elder looks at me.


    ¡°How long until a few of our ships could be stationed in his harbour?¡± The second elder''s voice is a little too eager in my opinion.


    ¡°The weapons trader is certainly a reasonable fellow. But he is also someone who has his own mind. I don''t think that he will stop his actions because we ask nicely. On the other hand, we shouldn''t anger him by doing something ill-considered. We have our hands full with the Phenex Empire.¡± I look at the three people in front of me, but the masks make it impossible to read their expressions.


    ¡°You want to say that one principality would pose a problem to our fleet? That''s preposterous! He doesn''t even have any mentionable warships. Just a small fleet of fisher boats!¡± The second elder''s voice sounds unbelieving.


    ¡°I would like to point something out. Everything the weapons trader sold to us was very powerful. His ideas tilted the balance of power considerably, twice! And to me it looked like he considered everything he gave to us as mere toys. So what happens if we try to use force and he uses something that he considers a weapon? Will we have enough of our fleet left to deal with Phenex?¡± I shake my head to make a point. ¡°I don''t think it''s a good idea to stab him in his back, after he provided us with the tools, which were necessary for our survival. Doesn''t the royal family have any opinion on this matter? They surely wouldn''t allow such an action anyway.¡±


    ¡°That''s the point. The king said that he had a vision about the future. It foreboded that only darkness lies in front of us. So we are considering our options to stop this from happening.¡± The third elder''s voice is grim and hard.


    I tilt my head in confusion. ¡°Forgive me, my words aren''t meant as an insult to the royal family. And the king is a very powerful divine seer. But all divination magic has to be used with great care. There are countless possibilities for the future. Even someone like me, who hasn''t the ability of foresight, can see that there are many paths which could lead to war and our doom.¡±


    The elders shouldn''t take a harsh action because of one vague bad prophecy. Especially if nobody is able to know the result. ¡°Sometimes it''s smarter to wait and explore each path with scouts, before deciding on a course of action. So let''s use our connections to investigate the state of affairs on the main continent further, before deciding on a course of action.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°That''s a wise argument Sky-General.¡± The first elder sounds a little relieved. Did she expect me to call for war?


    ¡°I wouldn''t have become the Sky-General if I would act without caution.¡± I bow to the three elders.


    ¡°That would be all for the time being. You can leave now. There are still matters to discuss between us elders.¡± The second elder signals for me to leave and I excuse myself.


    After the big door is shut behind me, I finally draw a deep breath. The inner politics of this nation are a pain in my butt. And the elders are also hard to control from time to time. They are too unpredictable and have too much power.


    That''s what you get if you have multiple people with different opinions. Everyone is pulling into his own direction and in the end you get half-assed solutions.


    I wonder how this nation worked before I got into a position of power to influence the elders. It''s unbelievable, I really had to cover for the stupid weapons-trader. They would have given orders to attack Norfolk if I hadn''t spoken against it.


    Such an action would have sparked a full fledged war for sure. Ascathon has the protection of the Jarl. Norfolk may be just a loose conglomerate of principalities, small nations and kingdoms. But all of them answer to the Jarl and if one of them is attacked, they would surely stand together and cut their trade with us at the very least. That action alone would break our necks, because Norfolk is the only nation left, which provides us with much needed iron. I wipe some sweat from my forehead.


    This discussion was surely going into that direction before I stated my opinion.


    Maybe the king''s vision wasn''t so wrong after all. Haah. I start walking slowly and leave the hall of elders behind me. There are multiple powers at work in this country. First there is the royal family. They may not have any real political power, but their divination is known to the whole nation. The advice of a member of the royal family is seen as absolute.


    Then there is me. The Great Sky-General Fingulf! I control the navy which represents the military power.


    And lastly, we have the elders. They may be good when it comes to peaceful considerations and keeping an eye out for the population. But god save us, when they get the idea to act any further. It''s good that the military power isn''t in their hands.


    ¡°You look concerned, Sky General. Did something bad happen at the meeting?¡± My attendant suddenly speaks up from the side. He was my aide for many years by now. I didn''t even realize that he sneaked up on me.


    I think I am a little too distracted. ¡°It went well. Considering our current situation, you can be happy if there isn''t an all out war. Those elders surely would be up for it. But I think I talked them out of it.¡±


    My attendant nods and looks back at the hall of elders behind us. ¡°Are you sure that it''s alright to keep peace at all costs?¡±


    I make a dismissive gesture and wave for a carriage which is coming closer. ¡°There is no benefit in fighting over nothing. And attacking Norfolk would be even worse than fighting over nothing. We would be forced to conquer Norfolk, or at least their harbours. Our Nation can''t exist without metals for our ships. And if we attacked Norfolk, they would stop to trade with us.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand why the elders act suddenly like Phenex isn''t a problem any more. Sure, Phenex isn''t doing much for now. But that will change as soon as they get Jamaian under their full control! Their train of thought is just too irresponsible.¡± I shake my head.


    My attendant nods while the carriage driver stops in front of us. ¡°I finally realize that you are a too stabilizing element within this nation.¡±


    ¡°What? Argh ¡­¡±


    I look towards my attendant while a burning pain spreads through my side. With a grimace, I look down and widen my eyes. A dagger is stuck between my ribs and blood is running down my trousers.


    My attendant starts to smile. ¡°Sleep now, general. You have done your job.¡±


    A cold and burning feeling spreads through my body and I fall to my knees. Is the dagger poisoned? ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because God has spoken to me!¡± My attendant smiles broadly at me. His face is distorted and he wears a really insane expression.


    I feel anger and sadness welling up inside me, a gesture of my fist unleashes all my magical power at the man whom I thought to know very well.


    My attendant raises a barrier, but it is blown away like paper. I am not a general without reason. My friend is flung into the air and lands a few metres away. His body is twisted and broken.


    I fall on my back as my vision blurs and the last thing I see is the concerned face of the driver, who jumped down from his carriage to check on me.


    And I thought, I would die in a great battle . . .


    .

 44. ~Opportunity.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Jamaian Union, Jamai-Capital***


    ***The Immortal Empress***


    *Crack!*


    I throw the broken feather into a big box with broken feathers. It''s proof that I worked too much today. Either that, or the quality of Jamaian feathers is really poor.


    ¡°Next one!¡± I hold out one hand and a servant places another feather in it. The female servant is standing behind me with a box, which is filled with writing utensils.


    Today I am in a particularly bad mood. I feel the anger boiling up inside me with every new report I sign. The stupidity of some humans is limitless.


    ¡°Do these guys really think that I am stupid!? That Jamaian noble is trying to cheat me with this report! Those numbers are totally wrong!¡± I hit my head onto the desk. ¡°Maybe I should start some public executions like in the first days of my Empire.¡±


    The servant behind me is becoming a little stiffer. It''s hard to be the ruler of a vast nation. A fast movement of my pencil and the cheating report is marked as useless. It will be sent back to the noble who made it.


    After thinking for a second, I draw a little gibbet into a corner of the report to motivate the creator.


    In that moment, the door to my office flies open and Tjena limps inside. She is carrying a big bag despite her injury. Tjena still has a slow healing wound from the abduction incident. I forbade anyone from healing her with high class healing spells.


    So everything that''s left to Tjena is the low level fast regeneration magic, which she can use herself. I actually did it to punish her. She should remember this for a long time, because she royally fucked up during that incident. First with the abduction and secondly by jumping in front of me!


    There would have been no problem, if I had caught the guard alone inside my barrier. Instead she had to jump at someone, who was clearly affected by a weird spell.


    This Ascathon is actually really dangerous, I''ll have to be very careful when dealing with him. And the aura, which was emanated from his wife felt also really dangerous. That''s in line with the report, which I read at the Academy.


    Argh, to think that there could be a family of three immortals on this world! I am really at a big disadvantage right now.


    The door is closed behind Tjena by a guard.


    ¡°Mislow is advancing with their troops!¡± Tjena is breathing heavily. Did she run here with her bad leg?


    I place my feather on the desk. ¡°Then it''s fortunate that our supplies and the reinforcements from Phenex arrived.¡±


    Tjena shakes her head. ¡°But they aren''t attacking us! At least not with their main forces!¡±


    My brain freezes for a second. ¡°Haaah?¡± That''s not logical! ¡°Then who is the target? Everyone else should be their ally!¡±


    ¡°They are marching against Norfolk!¡± Tjena signals me to wait. ¡°And there is more! One of our ships spotted a fleet of thirty ships from the Nation of Mist and they were headed towards Norfolk too!¡±


    My mouth opens and closes a few times while I try to restart the gears in my head. ¡°What''s wrong with those guys! Did they turn nuts!? Why are they fighting each other without reason!?¡±


    ¡°Apparently this is the reason. Artefacts like these are sold all over the continent by the Lenarch merchant house. The Nation of Mist and Mislow could have felt threatened by this.¡± Tjena empties her bag on my desk and looks at me expectantly.


    I can''t help it and pucker my forehead. Then I grab the artefact, which looks like a hair dryer from a technological realm. Oh, it''s so long since I saw stuff like that. I totally forgot that some convenient items like that exist.


    A small infusion of mana produces a hot stream of air. A button on the device is obviously for the temperature and the stream of hot air turns cold. That''s convenient, especially in this climate.


    At a glance, I recognize a shaving tool, a desk light, pocket lamps and various other devices. I start cooling myself with the hair dryer, while inspecting the other items. My view falls onto a REAL PEN! I am saved!


    ¡°~Hahahaha ¡­ HAHAHAHAHA!~¡±


    Tjena looks at me like I am mad. She obviously doesn''t get the joke behind it.


    I hold up a pocket light and shove it into her face. ¡°~Look! They even carved -MADE IN SARN- into the wood!~¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.My precious aide shakes her head. ¡°This is serious! Those things will turn our whole world upside down! And they are cheap enough to be bought by almost everyone. And even commoners can operate those tools! Just the lowest classes of servants may not be able to afford them.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Ascathon flung the gauntlet into everyone''s face !¡±


    ¡°Then what shall we do!? This is a unique opportunity to take action! They gave us an opening!¡± Tjena shakes her fists at an imaginary enemy. ¡°And maybe it would force them to pull back their forces!¡±


    ¡°Why should we want that they pull back their forces?¡± I arch an eyebrow at Tjena.


    Tjena turns red. ¡°I have no right to say this, but I don''t want that little Sera gets hurt.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to worry. If someone can build something like this, ¡­¡± I point at the artefacts on my table. ¡°... he can build tools for war too. In fact, I believe that they will get a bloody nose.¡±


    By holding the pocket lamp under my face and infusing mana into it, I hope to create a fearsome impression.


    ¡°~The ghost of knowledge escaped from his prison! And there is no possibility to imprison something like it again!~¡±


    ¡°~BWHARHARHAR!~¡±


    I switch off my little light show and sigh. ¡°I guess I will have to change my plans. The world may start to advance rapidly from now on.¡± Then I realize Tjena''s dumbfounded expression. Probably I went a little too far with my little act.


    While smiling, I hold the pocket light towards the servant beside me. ¡°Take that and put all your will into it to shine. Imagine your power flowing into the artefact.¡±


    The servant takes the artefact with a curious expression and looks at it. Then the pocket lamp begins to shine. It''s not as bright as in my case, but the provided light is decent enough to see in a dark room.


    ¡°~Have you ever used your magic or cast a spell before?~¡±


    The servant shakes her head and hands the artefact back. I turn towards Tjena. ¡°See? Now all those weak magicians know what''s possible. They were never before able to cast a spell and suddenly a whole new world is open to them! Do you think that they will hold still if someone tells them that they aren''t allowed to use tools like that?¡±


    Tjena pulls a grimace and shakes her head. ¡°That will create a civil war! Even amongst our own Empire!¡±


    I sigh. ¡°No, it won''t. We will allow artefacts like this. The circumstances changed a little. I guess it''s easier to deal with those who oppose the new world order than to suppress ninety percent of our population.¡±


    Tjena opens her mouth, but I signal her to shut up. ¡°This isn''t just an issue between magicians and non-magicians, or commoners and nobles. There will be many magicians, who embrace these new artefacts. Just think about the many people who have the potential, but didn''t have the strong mind to use their powers correctly? Or those who weren''t willing to put much training and effort into honing their skills? They will be on the side of the commoners. And there are actually many people in that category.¡±


    Tjena slowly nods after thinking about it for a second. ¡°It will still shake our society. Everything is designed to maintain the status quo. This creates trouble to no end.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think that we can put this idea back into Ascathon''s head. You said that these artefacts were distributed all over the continent at once? That was without a doubt a complicated logistical effort.¡± I pull a face and look down on my reports.


    ¡°On the other hand, we may really use this opportunity.¡± A smirk wanders across my face as a bold course of action comes to my mind.


    ¡°What are your thoughts, my Empress?¡± Tjena arches an eyebrow.


    ¡°We can''t attack the Nation of Mist right now. Our navy is busy with holding the current stalemate. We can''t attack Mislow either, because their borders are still heavily fortified. And we can''t attack Norfolk, because it''s too far away.¡± I tilt my head and look at the ceiling. ¡°Wouldn''t this be the perfect opportunity to take control of the Academy? It''s just one city, so the added logistical effort would be marginal.¡±


    Tjena nods. ¡°With our reinforcements, it should be possible. Especially with your elite troops.¡±


    A ferocious smile forms on my face and I point at Tjena, who ducks away.


    ¡°Then assemble the troops! We will try a surprise attack through the Gates! ~Why are you on the ground?~¡±


    Tjena struggles to get up again. ¡°It''s just a conditioned reflex! I can''t forget what usually happens to something at which you point your finger!¡±


    .

 45. ~No assistance needed.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Nord-Capital City***


    ***The Jarl***


    ¡°Why do I have to deal with this?¡± I try to get into a more comfortable position, but I am simply too fat. ¡°And what kind of stupid reason is that!? Self defence!?¡± I wave the declaration of war around. ¡°They attack us purely out of selfish reasons! I hope they freeze to death while marching through our territory!¡±


    I am on my throne while being tended to by my wives. Life is hard if you have to be taken care of.


    ¡°They are simply frightened of this new toy of yours. Don''t you think it''s time to discard him?¡± My second wife helps me into a better position.


    ¡°You should realize that you burned your fingers this time.¡± The beautiful third wife speaks up while cleaning the nails on my left hand.


    ¡°I didn''t burn my fingers! I made more money through Sarn than in the last ten years together!¡± I became a nursing case long ago. To my great shame, I have to admit that I wouldn''t be able to deal with my cumbersome life without my wifes.


    But despite my body, I am still looking down on most other humans. ¡°Those guys really think that everything is good and fine, as long as they don''t attack any other principalities of mine! But I can''t let them do that! What about my reputation!? Do you think that anyone would give a shit about me as a Jarl, if I would lean back and do nothing!?¡±


    ¡°One hundred and sixty four years! That''s how old I am! And I am still being annoyed by people with half my brains. I forged the warring states of Norfolk together when I was nineteen! Back in those times I simply beheaded everyone who spouted nonsense at me!¡± Yes, those were good times back then. And I could move on my own!


    ¡°We know that you will always come to the right decision dear. We are simply trying to help.¡± My first wife pats my cheek.


    ¡°Haah. I know. I am just angry because humans don''t understand anything else but violence. The only cure for idiocy is death. Maybe the mind magicians from Mislow are right with their brutal policy.¡± I shake my head.


    At that moment, the door opens and a familiar person enters the room. He walks in front of me and bows.


    ¡°Long time no see, Ascathon Asceron. You know of the army from Mislow?¡± I bend a little forward to get a better look at my best entertainment. Watching this fellow made my bleak life a little more colourful. Being a politician is simply too boring. But this fellow is really interesting. Everything he touches becomes something unexpected.


    ¡°I heard, and we are preparing to defend. Fortunately you didn''t allow them access to a nearby Gate.¡± Ascathon smiles and looks up.


    ¡°Well, it''s the only form of protest I am capable of. My army is in the capital and it would be a pain to send them through a Gate to assist you. They would have to face Mislow while abandoning all tools of war which are bigger than a man. That means no carriages and no dragons. Our tamed dragons are our biggest advantage against Mislow. Dragons are too stupid to be distracted by mind magic once you let them loose on the enemy.¡± I scratch my itching belly.


    ¡°It''s almost impossible to move an army through Norfolk without supplies. I hope you understand.¡± I arch an eyebrow while looking at the man. He didn''t change his smile during my entire speech.


    ¡°There is no problem. It will take them more than three weeks to arrive in my principality. Fortunately this form of warfare is really slow, compared to sending messages through a Gate. I will prepare a surprise for them.¡± Ascathon''s voice sounds confident, but I am not convinced.


    ¡°Are you sure that there is no need for me to act? I could still send a few elite troops. They can''t defeat that army on their own, but they would be a help.¡± I squint my eyes while thinking of my possibilities.


    *zzzzzzzzz* My third wife is done with cleaning my fingernails and is now polishing them with one of those marvellous artefacts from Sarn.


    ¡°There is just one question on my mind. Why aren''t you concerned about my course of action? Everyone else seems to overreact because of my presents to the world.¡± He waves his hand at the small polishing tool in the hands of my third wife.


    ¡°Ha! Now you are downplaying the situation just a little bit! Don''t think that I don''t see what this will lead up to. There will be many changes to the world and who knows what else you are planning. But it''s true that I am not concerned.¡± I grin with glee.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The man in front of me tilts his head in confusion. Obviously I have to explain further.


    ¡°Haah. Look at me. I am unable to move on my own. There is no chance that I could ever win against someone in a fight. My magic may be strong, but it can''t be compared to a great magician, as I never trained my abilities. Being the Jarl takes up a lot of my time.¡± I lean back again. ¡°I accomplished everything I have with my head and through manipulating people! There is no difference between a human with an artefact and someone who can use magic directly.¡±


    I tap my head. ¡°These artefacts can''t take away what I have up here. They are no concern of mine. Just a new tool to be used in the big game.¡± I turn my head towards the map on the wall of my hall. It''s a map of my nation.


    ¡°Are you sure that there is no problem? The army from Mislow numbers about fifty thousand people. I heard that at least three thousand of them are magicians. That''s quite some fire-power. On top they will cross through eight to eleven principalities and small kingdoms. It depends on which route they take.¡± I sigh.


    ¡°While we may be a nation to outsiders, we aren''t as unified as other countries. I gave orders to everyone not to assist Mislow. Unfortunately I have no doubts that some nobles will be awed by the big army, which is crossing through their property. They will think that there is nothing to lose and assist them with short-sighted actions. Like adding their forces or supplying them. You may face an army of sixty thousand. That''s more than half of your population.¡±


    ¡°Then all my men will have to fight with all their effort! All one thousand eight hundred and ninety three of them! Plus my personal guard, that will amount to almost two thousand men. I think this will work out.¡± He nods while scratching his cheek.


    ¡°You know that the whole situation looks like I will win the bet, don''t you.¡± I pat my belly while being surprised at this man. He is a mystery to me.


    ¡°Aahh ¡­ the bet. No, I hope that you won''t win it for a long time. Although it bugs me that I may have to show the world what I am capable of. They will see Sarn with different eyes after their armies are crushed.¡± He purses his lips and shrugs. ¡°They will mourn that they didn''t take Sarn more seriously.¡±


    But my ears peak up at what I heard. ¡°Armies? As in ¡­ multiple armies?¡± I take a drink from my armrest.


    Ascathon arches an eyebrow. ¡°Ah, I guess you couldn''t know. There are thirty ships from the Nation of Mist on their way too. Ha! In the worst case, I''ll have to split my forces. Maybe it will become a little hairy after all.¡±


    *Pfffff*


    I can''t help it. This surprised me! I spurted everything over myself and my third wife. ¡°Ah ¡­ I am so sorry, dear!¡±


    ¡°It''s understandable. If you''ll excuse me? I will go and clean myself.¡± She has a dangerous expression while leaving the room. I guess I will get no special time from her tonight. Well, there are still number one and number two!


    No! Forget that! That''s not important! ¡°THIRTY SHIPS!? They can lay waste to the entire northern coast with that much fire-power! And your city has a harbour! So they have access from the sea! No wait! Why are they attacking too!? Don''t you have good relationships with them?¡±


    Ascathon sighs. ¡°Unfortunately I don''t know that myself. I just know that they are coming my way. Their reasons and intentions are a mystery to me. But I will prepare for the worst case. Better safe than sorry.¡±


    I nod slowly while looking at this strange fellow. ¡°Well, If you are so sure of yourself, I will lean back and watch how this situation will evolve. You may go now. I am sure there is much for you to do.¡± ¡­ and I have to clean myself. That will become an ordeal.


    Ascathon smiles and bows. Then he leaves the room with happy steps, actually skipping a little. That guy has some screws loose.


    He could be ¡­


    ¡°Please bring me a document. I have to dictate something important. And this order has to be secure against forgery. And get that snotty bastard who should be my aide! Where is he hiding again?¡±


    .

 46. ~A fleet?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°Strengthen the inside with more clay and bricks. It has to withstand the high temperature. And don''t seal the openings to blow air inside by doing so!¡± Really. Some things you have to do yourself.


    ¡°Yes, master. The chimney will be done soon.¡± Worker ''B'' runs off to instruct the others.


    I smack my head. ¡°It''s NOT a chimney!¡±


    The people on this construction site are killing me. It''s really annoying to instruct them on how to build a blast furnace.


    ¡°Wow! That''s a big chimney! But you forgot the house!¡±


    I recognize the voice behind me and I turn around. ¡°Please, Kane! Not you too! It''s a blast furnace! To melt iron! It''s not a damn chimney!¡±


    ¡°To melt iron!? That big? What the hell do you want to build? How does it work?¡± He looks in awe at the twenty metres high furnace.


    ¡°Nothing in particular. I simply want to increase my iron production. It will be needed for many things in the future.¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°You can never have enough metal.¡±


    I grab a blueprint and show it to Kane. ¡°See? There is the chamber inside. From the bottom, you blow air upwards to increase the temperature. From the top, you throw iron ore and coal into the furnace. It''s a continuous process. These recirculation pipes reuse the hot air which is coming out at the top and lead it back down to preheat the new air. On the bottom, you get some useless slag and raw iron, which can be refined easier by smitheries or other following processes.¡±


    ¡°You fill the whole thing with iron ore and coal? Ah, that''s why you needed so much. But won''t it be a problem if you shut it down? I mean, there must be much molten stuff inside?¡± Kane looks curiously at the furnace.


    I shake my head. ¡°You don''t shut it down. It has to be running continuously, day and night. That''s why I needed an ensured supply of coal and iron ore first. If you shut it down, it''s easier to destroy the whole thing and build a new one than to clean it out.¡±


    Kane nods. ¡°But I am here to talk to you about that army from Mislow. Shouldn''t you be more concerned about them than about this thing?¡±


    I close my eyes. ¡°They will be dealt with when they are in striking range. So in the meantime, I want to invest my time in doing something useful. Like getting this damned thing running.¡±


    Kane snorts. ¡°Is there some kind of problem?¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Not really. It''s just annoying that I have to watch over every little detail on new construction sites. Simple workers who can read are too rare, so I am setting this up with commoners only. And they keep calling it a chimney, that''s what bugs me the most.¡±


    ¡°Well. It''s a chimney. It''s a hollow tube with an air inlet at the bottom and a fire inside.¡± Kane folds his arms in front of his chest and smiles at me.


    I pull a grimace and look at him like he is dirt.


    ¡°~Chimney! Ahahahaha ¡­~¡±


    Sera is laughing from above my head. She has been riding on my shoulders for quite some time now. I had to take her with me since everyone else had no time to take care of her.


    ¡°No! Blast furnace!¡± I sigh and store the blueprint away. ¡°It will take them some time to enhance the walls. Why don''t we go and take a look at my fleet?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! The fleet. Sure, why not? But I first I wanted to inform you of our great success! We managed to distribute the new artefacts evenly over the whole main continent. There is almost no one who doesn''t know about them. And we made a big profit by doing so.¡± Kane is shining over his whole face.


    I nod. ¡°That''s good. Unfortunately, the trade will go down now. The other countries besides Norfolk will surely shut down your trading companies.¡±


    Kane shakes his head while still smiling. ¡°That''s no problem. I already anticipated that. We are prepared to switch completely to black market trading and smuggling once that happens. Unless they shut down their borders completely, we will still be able to trade.¡±


    ¡°~Black market ¡­ smuggling ¡­~¡± Sera looks down at Kane with new eyes.


    ¡°Don''t you have a cool uncle!? I will become an underworld boss, just for your father.¡± Kane hits his chest with a broad smile.


    ¡°It''s not like you weren''t involved in illegal trade before. And don''t teach my daughter bad words!¡± I grumble while walking with Sera riding on my shoulders.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The harbour is a little far away to walk there by foot, but the time passes quickly because of Kane. He has news about what''s going on in the world and I listen eagerly to the minor details.


    Unfortunately, there is nothing which could hint at the reason for the activities of the Nation of Mist. These elves are too secretive.


    It takes us about twenty minutes to get to the harbour. My fleet is stationed in the dry dock at the beach. There are twelve wooden ships with sails. Eleven of them are identical to each other and smaller than the twelfth ship. All ships are mounted on wooden frameworks for the time being.


    The whole setting is as lively as a beehive, as many people are working all over the place. Workers are hammering, painting, polishing and accomplishing many other tasks.


    The small ships have elegant long and sleek hulls. Strangely enough, some of the sails actually extend to the sides. With their length of about sixty metres, they seem relatively small, compared to the one vessel which is bigger.


    The big ship has a length of a hundred and fifty metres, which is more than twice the size of the smaller ships. The hull is bulky and there are big outriggers to the sides. The ship is clearly not from the same designer. All ships are armed to the teeth.


    ¡°What do you think of my little fleet?¡± I look at Kane, who has a dumbfounded expression.


    Then he looks at me. ¡°I am sorry, but I think you are doomed.¡±


    I arch an eyebrow and look at my beautiful ships. It took me three weeks to design them! ¡°What''s wrong with them.¡±


    Kane points at the small ships. ¡°They look nice, but the rigging of those sails doesn''t work at all! They will hang into the water! And those hatches are under the waterline! I wouldn''t want to be on those ships while they are being launched!¡±


    He points to the big ship. ¡°And that big one looks like you stole it from Phenex! Their ships have the same design! It has the same issue with the hatches!¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°That shouldn''t pose a problem, they are intended to fly after all. Who would want to sail a slow sailing ship, if you are are able to float through the skies.¡± I wave one hand at the clouds above us.


    Kane jaw drops while looking at the ships.


    I walk closer while trying to avoid the workers, who are swarming around the ships. ¡°And you are right about the big ship. We managed to capture a ship from Phenex and repaired it.¡±


    The workers are still busy with giving my vessels the final touches. Like finalizing the painting and the interior equipment.


    As we come closer, I can finally show Kane the long tubes at the bottom of the ships, which are acting as jets. I used a combination of wind and levitation magic on my vessels. When I am done with explaining the idea of forcing air through a metal tube to use it as a jet, I smile at Kane. ¡°I think we should become quite fast if we forgo the decoration.¡±


    ¡°Decoration?¡± Kane is still looking in awe at the vessels.


    ¡°~The sails of course.~¡±


    ¡°~Who needs sails on vessels like these?~¡±


    Sera suddenly joins the conversation and Kane''s jaw drops another degree. ¡°Did ¡­ did ¡­ she ¡­¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Hahaha, isn''t it strange how fast children learn nowadays. You look away for just a second and they can already talk in complete sentences.¡±


    Kane points at Sera on my shoulders. ¡°You ¡­ you ¡­ realize that they shouldn''t be able to talk at that age!?¡±


    I keep my smiling mask. ¡°I was a fast learner too. Actually I am quite happy about her potential. She will become a great genius! Hahahaha. That reminds me, how is your wife doing!? ¡±


    Kane shuts his mouth. ¡°She isn''t my wife, yet. But the baby should arrive soon.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°You can''t do that my friend. You have to marry her, I will even do you the honour if you allow it! What do you think?¡±


    Kane expression becomes a little dangerous. ¡°I won''t forget who is at fault for this disaster!¡± His eyes wander to Sera.


    ¡°~I just smoothed the way!~¡±


    ¡°What about marrying her to your child if it is boy? She should take a little responsibility after all!¡±


    Suddenly my ear gets grabbed and twisted hard, but I ignore the pain.


    .

 47. ~Departure.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°NO!¡±


    ¡°Please Celestial! Be reasonable. I want you to stay here and coordinate the defence against Mislow. It''s not necessary that both of us go with the air fleet.¡±


    My left eyebrow is starting to twitch in annoyance. Celestial doesn''t want me to leave with our ships to intercept the fleet from the Nation of Mist.


    She actually stopped me in front of the entrance to my mansion and demanded that I stay here.


    ¡°I wont allow that you run off alone to throw yourself into danger!¡± She shakes her head while standing in front of me.


    ¡°Ok! Then you command the air fleet and I stay here with Sera. That''s the other possibility.¡± I turn to walk back inside but Celestial grabs me from behind.


    ¡°I don''t want you to! It ¡­ it will be dangerous! And there is no need for you to be with the fleet. Shouldn''t they be fine on their own?¡± She looks at me with a disturbed expression.


    ¡°Hah!? Most of them don''t even know how their own ships work. And we have no experienced commanders either! So someone has to be there to ensure that nothing goes fatally wrong. Besides, we have no idea of the other side''s intentions! Maybe someone with authority has to be there to negotiate. It''s still the Nation of Mist. We can''t shoot at them without justification.¡± I fold my arms in front of my chest. ¡°And someone has to hold the position in Sarn. Your parents might be able to help, but they aren''t nobles of Norfolk. On top our enemies timed their arrivals. So if we don''t act, they will attack us from the land and the ocean at the same time.¡±


    Celestial looks at me with a doubtful expression. ¡°And you think that you are such a good commander?¡±


    ¡°You are looking at the great demon general Zod! Three hundred years of experience against the forces of light!¡± I stay a little straighter until I remember whom I am talking to.


    ¡°Three hundred years isn''t very old for a demon ¡­¡± Celestial expression becomes sceptical. ¡°How did you die?¡±


    ¡°I crashed my flying command fortress into the angels'' capital city and eradicated their forces. When I emerged from the rubble, I died. I don''t know what killed me that time. A blinding light came down from the heavens and I reincarnated.¡± I look down at the ground.


    ¡°And you want to command air ships!?¡± Celestial is screaming now.


    ¡°Fine. Then you go.¡± I turn to the entrance and see that Sera is listening in on us while using the door to keep standing.


    ¡°But I have even less an idea of how your ships work!¡± Celestial holds me back by my clothes.


    I turn around again. This game is becoming a little tiring. ¡°Fine. Then I go.¡±


    ¡°YOU! ¡­ Do what you want!¡± Celestial stomps off into the mansion and I see Sera headpalming herself.


    ¡°Is it that time of the month?¡± I look at Sera who drops flat on her belly and moves no more.


    She starts to mumble, while lying on the ground. ¡°Keeping them together will be a job for the rest of my life ¡­¡± Then she looks up. ¡°~Listen idiot-dad.~ You both are individualists and dull like stones! Mom is afraid of losing you, so this should have been the scene where you hug all of us and tell us goodbye and that you love us! AND THAT YOU WILL COME BACK AT ALL COSTS!¡±


    ¡°I never told her that I love her. Why should I start now?¡± Now that I think about it, we are already married since quite a while and I never told her that I love her.


    Sera sits up and holds her head with both hands. ¡°Then why are you married? Why did you have me?¡±


    ¡°Because it was the most convenient way to get a citizenship for everyone. And she blackmailed me a little. And you were some kind of -planned accident- by her.¡± I click my tongue. ¡°Although it didn''t surprise me after screwing her like that.¡±


    Sera has a dead expression now. ¡°I see. I am an accident ... I guess there is still much work to do. First I will have to talk to mom to get the whole picture. Goodbye daddy, beat that fleet fast.¡± She waves at me and starts to toddle back inside.


    I shrug my shoulders and walk to the carriage in front of my property. Hopefully Sera won''t meddle too much in her parents'' affairs.


    She is clearly trying to improve my relationship with Celestial. Although I have to admit that she already managed a big deal, I doubt that I will ever have real feelings of love for Celestial.


    My mind blanks out while thinking about the complicated situation in our family. When I return from my daydreaming, I am in front of the dry docks.


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    Okay. Better to turn back to the important stuff. I decided on intercepting the fleet from the Nation of Mist. The reason is that the fjord may be heavily fortified, but those ships are still able to deal serious damage. I don''t want them to play target practice with my watchtowers.


    When Phenex attacked us, the watchtowers did a fine job. On the other hand it has to be mentioned that we had to concentrate all our fire power on a single enemy vessel to break their barriers.


    I investigated the barrier techniques of the captured Phenex ship. The ship''s barriers broke, that''s a fact. But the barriers broke only because we attacked from all directions at once. Obviously the designers sacrificed adaptivity for strength.


    So as long as all our attacks would come from the same direction, we wouldn''t be able to scratch the barriers with our railguns. But the barrier management on the Phenex ship tends to pour most of the power into the barrier, which is currently under attack.


    A flaw, which wasn''t a big deal on sea. The practice of sailing directly into an enemy fleet doesn''t seem to be used in naval warfare. Going by that knowledge, it should be similar to the Nation of Mist.


    I could hope that they fall into the same trap as the Phenex fleet, but that would mean that I am forced to shoot it out at close ranges with them. Something I am not confident with, because my watchtowers don''t have good barrier protection.


    Because of that, I want to intercept them at their waiting position. Their fleet actually has already been in striking distance for quite a while. But they were waiting for the army from Mislow to arrive, because they were faster than them.


    This gives me a hint on their relationship. They aren''t moving independent from each other.


    I jump from my carriage and walk towards the waiting ships. The big converted hulk from Phenex will be my command-ship.


    If we manage to sink the fleet from the Nation of Mist and turn around immediately, then we should arrive in time to help with repelling the army from Mislow.


    It''s a good thing that my fleet of fisher-boats are very useful in detecting foreign ships which are coming close to Sarn. There are about six hundred river boats with new engines. I forced their production after the incident with Phenex.


    Normally, a fisher boat would have to be sailed or rowed. But I designed a small and cheap motor which acts on the same principle as my air jets. Just with water.


    We simply converted all existing boats and stuck one of the new motors onto them. They are still very slow with twenty miles per hour.


    On the other hand that''s quite fast if you don''t have the wind on your side. They spotted the fleet from the Nation of Mist already weeks ago. The reason for this early detection is that the fishing fleet isn''t fishing blindly. They are always spreading out from Sarn in search patterns. So it''s not by chance that they found the enemy fleet.


    I walk up a ramp to board the Resurrection. That''s the new name of the Phenex ship. I found it quite funny to see the hulk being repaired after being pounded by dozens of railguns.


    ¡°Commander on board!¡±


    Some people snap to attention, but I smile and signal them to relax. Den did quite a good job on training our military. I have to ask him about his past if there is time. The werewolf curse was created to make better use of normal people in warfare. That means that Den and his men were in the military once.


    I turn around and look at the two shadows, who are always lurking close to me. I already forget to notice their existence sometimes. The guards are never far when I am not inside my mansion.


    A higher ranking officer greets me with expectant eyes. ¡°The orders?¡±


    I smile. ¡°Lift off. We are going to meet the guys from the Nation of Mist.¡±


    The officer smiles and walks away to give orders to his men.


    I walk closer to the railing and have a good look at Sarn. It doesn''t feel real if I think back on how this city looked when I first arrived here. The place is buzzing with life and new buildings like sawmills and smitheries are being built everywhere.


    The biggest change are the green houses, which are covering a great area around Sarn.


    The ship shakes a little when it lifts off. There wasn''t much noise, because we are currently using just the new levitation magic. The air jets will come into action later to propel the ship forward.


    A wide grin starts to creep onto my face while the first flying ship of this world makes its entrance. I see people looking up in awe, as the fleet turns and heads out to meet the enemy.


    .

 48. ~Finding the enemy.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Northern Ocean***


    ***Ascathon***


    Water! As far as I can see. Fortunately, I have a few seasoned seamen to do the navigation for me ¡­ and hopefully we don''t fall into the water. The sea is cold up in the north.


    The bridge of my command ship is big and gives a nice view in all directions. It''s basically empty. There is just a chair in front of a board with magical circuitry, it is placed at the front window. The pilot is the only job which requires a real magician on this ship. Manipulating the complicated circuits to keep the vessel flying is no easy task.


    I didn''t have the time to adapt the controls for non-magicians. Controlling levitation magic with magical circuits alone is actually pretty hard to do. Non-magicians are only able to apply power to a circuit or not. I would need to design a logical circuit which is manageable for non-magicians.


    That''s time-consuming and annoying. I will wait for a young smart head to get the idea.


    In the left corner of the room is a table for the navigator and in the middle is a big table with a tactical map for the commanders.


    The guys who are responsible for engineering have their own table close to the exit. They are after all the ones who come and go at the highest frequency.


    I turn to the captain of the Resurrection. ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°The core is fluctuating a little, but it should work out. We will meet the fleet from the Nation of Mist in about an hour.¡± He answers.


    I nod. ¡°If there is that much time I will go and take a look at the engine room.¡± I turn and leave the bridge. At the corridor, I take a stairway which leads me deeper into the ship.


    The ship has four decks with the engine room at the third. I decided to place the most important part of the ship in its centre behind as many barriers as possible.


    After a short walk, I arrive in a big room. A crystal as tall as a man is levitating in the centre of the room while shimmering blue. It is made of piezoelectric glass.


    A technician is working on the circuits of the board in front of the crystal. He is probably adjusting the management of mana. My crystal engine is using the big piece of glass as a focus point to gather mana.


    It''s similar to a generator, but of course the technology has its perils. Glass is very easy to break. A crack in the big crystal could cause a catastrophe. On the same accord, it could be damaged by holding too much energy.


    I look over the shoulder of the technician who is trying to tune the oscillation of the energy within the crystal to reasonable levels.


    He is using the buffers which are holding the crystal in place to accomplish this task.


    ¡°If the oscillation is that big, you could introduce a new wave which is a reversed copy of the current one. Then both of them will negate each other.¡± I smile at the guy whose face became pale when he looked around. ¡°It''s just a suggestion.¡±


    The guy nods and does as told. A wide grin forms on his face when the hated vibration finally stops.


    I nod. ¡°Good work. But don''t forget that glass breaks if the frequency is ~too high~.¡±


    His smile vanishes and he starts to concentrate on his task again. After looking at the crystal for a moment, I continue my tour while checking on the various devices which are most important to keep the ship flying.


    There is still much to do if I want to create a new world order. Everyone''s knowledge has to be raised in order to counteract the prejudice against technology.


    I start to work on one of the buffers which keep the crystal afloat. Before I know it, someone calls out to me and I look up.


    ¡°The enemy fleet was sighted!¡± One of the officers salutes to me.


    I nod and leave my work behind, realizing that the technician was looking over my shoulder. I hope he learned something by watching me.


    The officer leads me back to the bridge where the captain is waiting. Everyone turns around and salutes to me. Even though I don''t hold an official grade in my own military, everyone knows that my orders are absolute.


    I don''t want to be a warrior for freedom. Being a dictator is fine too. And the people of this world don''t know anything else anyway. If I would propose elections, I would most likely end up with something like the council of elders.


    Pah! It was a nuisance to shut those pests up.


    ¡°We see them through our orbs. They haven''t changed their course, so I assume that we haven''t been found out.¡± The captain points out a point on the tactical map.


    ¡°Good. Unfortunately, they haven''t stated their intentions towards us. And I know one of their generals. It would be a pain in my ass if we killed him by accident.¡± I sigh while I realize the disturbed look on the captains face. ¡°What? It would be awkward if I killed the guy who held my marriage.¡±


    The captain bows. ¡°That goes without saying. So we will head directly for them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but keep a high altitude. I don''t want to be in the range of their magic.¡± Then I grab one of the orbs for far sight and step outside onto the upper deck.


    A chilling wind is blowing here, so I cast elemental protection on myself and step closer to the railing. By relaxing my mind and infusing mana into the orb, I get a vision of the enemy fleet. They are sailing in a tight formation towards Sarn.


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    I spend a few minutes to investigate each ship in detail. Then I decide on the vessel which is most likely the leading ship. It''s the most colourful and has more and bigger flags than the others. A small phantom spell should be the easiest way to accomplish my task of talking to the commander of the enemy fleet. And it''s unlikely that their passive barriers will be activated by a weak spell like that.


    So concentration! Imagine the proper magical circle. Incantation!


    ***


    A look around confirms my new location. Hah! Looks like it worked properly. I am on a ship on the ocean and multiple long-eared seamen are gawking at me. Having someone appear out of nowhere was probably not the best thing for their sanity.


    I poke my finger into the eye of the closest seaman. He doesn''t even blink as my finger passes right through his eye and into his brain. Yep! The spell is working properly. I created an ethereal body which I can operate like my own. It''s similar to being a ghost.


    After pulling my hand back, the seaman faints and pure chaos erupts all around me.


    "Ruun!" "A Ghost!" "AAAA!"


    Everyone is trying to get away from the monster. Weaklings ¡­


    The guy isn''t even hurt. He fainted on his own! And someone like that is in the military.


    Another look around confirms that the deck around me is void of people. They formed a proper line of defence against me with their weapons ready. I walk towards them and an arrow passes right through me.


    ¡°I want to speak to the one who commands this fleet.¡±


    An elderly guy with pointy ears passes through their ranks. ¡°That would be me. How dare you to infiltrate our vessel with a spell like that!¡±


    I bow a little. ¡°Sorry that we can''t shake hands, so a little bow must suffice. I am just here to ask why you are sailing towards my city. Thirty battle ships look a little ¡­ threatening.¡±


    ¡°Ah. So you are Ascathon. They told me that you know quite a few tricks when it comes to magic. We are on our way to stop you from undermining the foundations of this world. And in case you don''t listen to words alone, we brought the power to force you.¡±


    The elderly guy stands a little straighter while proclaiming this to me.


    ¡°Those words sadden me. What became of the good relationship with your people? Didn''t I help you several times? And where is Fingulf? I want to speak to the Sky General!¡± I look at the faces behind the elderly man in search of my special friend.


    ¡°Fingulf isn''t the Sky General any more. There was an assassination attempt on him and he got poisoned. I am the new Sky General and I follow the orders of our government.¡± The elderly guy looks straight into my face.


    The Sky General! Assassinated!? ¡°I hope that''s a bad joke! Fingulf held my marriage. That''s how close we are. Tell me what happened.¡±


    The elderly guy purses his lips. ¡°It was one of his aides. We don''t know why, nor who was behind it. Fingulf is barely alive, but he is bedridden and it doesn''t look like he will ever be himself again. The doctors said that he wont be able to move his body ever again. The poison destroyed some important nerves.¡±


    Grah! What the hell? I look down at the deck while thinking. Was that unknown force at fault? Did they take Fingulf out of the equation to insert this elderly guy into his position? He talks like he is absolutely loyal to the government. So Fingulf wasn''t loyal? Or was he just not easy enough to control?


    ¡°I see that you knew Fingulf better than most. So how about stopping your childish actions and visiting him at his sick bed? We could escort you there.¡±


    I look up. ¡°That''s something I cannot do. As the lord of Sarn, I have responsibilities to my subjects. Standing down and giving up everything which they accomplished isn''t right.¡±


    ¡°So we have to solve this with force? That''s sad. We will try to kill as few innocent civilians as possible.¡± The elderly guy shakes his head.


    This guy wants to joke with me? ¡°I hope you won''t be burdened with the moral decision to attack civilians. In return I will give you a chance. Turn this fleet around right now and I won''t sink your ships. There isn''t anything I could do to help a ship in distress. So if it would come to it, you will be on your own.¡± I keep eye contact with the elderly person


    But the guy just snorts. ¡°I hoped that you wouldn''t give in. That way I can improve my status with the council of elders.¡±


    I close my eyes and drop my head. ¡°It''s sad that many people will die today. But I guess there is no other choice. Your fleet can always turn around if you want to give up. I wont chase you.¡±


    A mental command cuts the connection with my phantom and I open my eyes. A fast look around confirms that I am on the chilly deck of the Resurrection again. The globe is still in my hands.


    The news of Fingulf''s unfortunate fate is disturbing. Maybe I will go and take a look at him when I have dealt with the current crisis.


    Back inside the bridge, I place the globe at its place on the desk. ¡°The negotiations failed ¡­ I guess it''s time to decide on how to attack them.¡±


    .

 49. ~Air against water.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Northern Ocean***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°How about using our railguns from directly above them? If a single hit gets through, they will have a big problem.¡± An officer makes the first suggestion.


    ¡°Unfortunately I think that we wont penetrate their barriers if we attack just from one direction.¡± I tilt my head.


    ¡°Then we fan out as far as possible and pick off one ship at a time like in the fjord. The other possibilities are our mana-bombs, or good old magic by our few mages.¡± The captain states our options.


    Unfortunately it''s true that our possibilities to attack the enemy are limited. And I want to hold the mana bombs back. They are big pieces of glass, which are performing the same task as our ship''s engine.


    To be truthful, they are the failed products of our attempts to create a small mana based engine. The glass wasn''t cooled properly from its molten state. So the crystalline structure is faulty. Something which could lead to a catastrophic explosion. Of course the properly working ones have failsafe mechanisms.


    I intend to start those engines up and throw them onto the army of Mislow. They don''t have to last longer than a few seconds until they break on the ground.


    The big explosions would have the maximum effect on a tightly advancing army.


    It would be a waste to throw them on this naval fleet, because of the barriers. ¡°I am afraid that their barriers could withstand the explosions, unless we get a direct hit. We need the mana bombs against the army from Mislow. We will run out of ammunition if we try to stop all fifty thousand of them with our railguns alone.¡±


    ¡°We don''t have to use our bombs like that. We could rely on our barriers and fly deep enough to be sure to hit. If we use our railguns to shoot not directly at them, but into the water close to them, we can create a curtain of water to give us cover. The impacts from the railguns produce really big splashes.¡± The captain makes another suggestion.


    I scratch my cheek. ¡°I like that plan. But we will improve the cover part by adding a little of my own magic. I will cast a spell which will create a small fog bank around the enemy fleet. We should be able to see the masts of their ships while their own vision will be seriously hindered.¡±


    Yes, obstructing their vision is necessary, especially because they have globes too. Although they are the simple versions, they have the same effective range for spells as us. ¡°I will start to weave the needed spell. I hope we can settle this fast, our people need us in Sarn.¡±


    I turn to one of the engineers. ¡°Bring one of the smaller cores to the deck. I guess I will need a little more power to cast this spell.¡±


    The engineer nods and runs off. He returns a few seconds later with a big chunk of glass. A complicated web of magical circuitry is replacing the function of the big machines of the ships core. ¡°That''s a nice one. I was always a fan of miniaturisation.¡±


    I grin at the engineer and grab the core with the size of a head out of his hands. Then I turn towards the captain. ¡°I will be occupied with the spell, make sure to stop our attack if something unfortunate happens.¡±


    The captain nods while I step outside again. Having a direct view on my target area is a big bonus if you have to cast wide area magic alone.


    I orient myself towards the enemy fleet and the core in my hands comes to life with a blue light. Creating a fog bank on sea is easier than on land because of the huge amounts of water at my disposal.


    The power of the core flows through my being and I throw a thin web of mana over the enemy fleet. A slight manipulation of the bonding energy between the water molecules does the trick.


    A thick fogbank starts to appear around the enemy ships while I continue to channel mana into the spell.


    While my fleet starts its attack, I see fireballs rising from the enemy ships and heading into our direction. I guess we were still seen in the end. But the fireball spells are slow and our railguns start to pick off the incoming attacks.


    I pour more mana into the spell and the core between my hands starts to pulse unhappy. I am drawing more mana than it can collect from its surroundings.


    The enemies continue to shoot their spells blindly and I watch as one of them gets a lucky hit on one of my ships. But our ships aren''t defenceless either. The barrier of the ship''s defence lights up and deflects the big explosion.


    Our ships disperse to pick their own targets by orienting themselves on one of the many sails above the fogbank.


    While passing through a curtain of fireballs, I feel my spell suddenly being affected by a foreign influence. I feel my control slip and force more power into my spell. But the opposing pressure is overwhelming.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I add my own power to the spell in order to avoid having it break at a critical moment. My fogbank is kept in place by a pure effort of will. If I would let go of my spell, the strong wind would clear the fog within seconds.


    Probably it was foolish to think that people from a seafaring nation wouldn''t know spells to control the weather on a small scale. Or am I fighting against someone else?


    Our ships finally pass over the enemy fleet and flowers of red light start to bloom under us. They dropped their payload at the last possible moment.


    Suddenly I feel a surge of power from the core in my hands. It''s like something is channeling the power back into my device by force. If this goes on the core will overload!


    Probably it was my own fault for having such a thought. My bad foreboding became true the very instant I thought about it. Cracks appear on the surface of the crystal.


    I throw the crystal over board while using as much telekinetic power as possible to propel it down into the enemy fleet.


    *BOOOM*


    A red orb starts to bloom under us and I grab the railing to keep standing as a powerful shockwave shakes the entire ship.


    Finally our attack run ends and we leave the enemy fleet behind us. I still see fireballs rising from the lifting fogbank. But there is no way to tell on the effectiveness of our attack until the fog is completely gone.


    So I turn and walk back inside the command room. The officers are busy with getting information from our other ships while the captain is bent over his tactical map.


    ¡°How was it.¡± I walk closer and take a look at his notes.


    ¡°One of our ships reported that they flew directly into a group of those fireballs. Their barriers broke and they have a huge hole in their hull. Luckily it isn''t something which is threatening their ability to fly. But their barrier was overloaded and fried all runes at the front of their ship. We can''t take them on another run like this.¡± The captain grimaces as he ticks off one ship from his inventory of usable pieces.


    I nod and smile. This guy has a high position and a smart head, but he still needs to get used to real war. This shows that my military consists of people who are new to the business. Welcome to reality. ¡°This sounds good. We flew just a hundred metres over their heads and got just one of our ships damaged. If you take into account that they have twice our numbers, we got out of this unbelievably well.¡±


    He thinks for a second and nods. ¡°You are right. Mourning over a damaged ship isn''t right if we don''t know what we did to the enemy.¡±


    I smile ferociously and wait together with the others for my fog spell to lift completely. A few minutes later we are sure of the situation.


    One of our ships got heavily damaged, but in return eight enemy ships are completely gone. Three are drifting in the sea while lying on their side. They will probably sink in time.


    It can be seen as a good result, but I had hoped for much more. We are seriously short on mana bombs. Each of our ships carries just about ten to fifteen of them. We left our harbour with a hundred and fifty six bombs and invested forty six bombs in this attack.


    ¡°If we do this two more times, we could defeat them at low risk.¡± I start talking to myself.


    ¡°But then we would have used up most of our bombs. There would be nothing left for the army from Mislow.¡± One of the officers voices the downside to this course of action.


    ¡°There is still another possibility of defeating them at low risk.¡± I look at the ceiling. ¡°But it will take us some time. We could pound them with railguns from afar. Slowly and carefully. Just one shot every ten minutes. Day and night until their shields fail.¡±


    ¡°You want to utilize the weakness of fuelling their barriers with their own powers instead of a core. If we don''t let them sleep, we should get through at some point. They can''t stay awake forever.¡± One of the technicians muses over the possibility.


    ¡°Can''t they rotate with staying awake to power their barrier?¡± The captain looks a little confused.


    ¡°If they are using barriers which are similar to the ones from the Phenex ships, then they can''t. Their barrier spell provides automatic protection in a perfect sphere. That''s extremely power consuming and they have no cores. Most of them will have to be awake to fuel the barrier. And we have just proven that their barriers are even stronger than the ones from Phenex. They have higher magical abilities, I guess they weren''t economical in using their power.¡± I explain the situation further. ¡°I expected more damage, so that means that their barriers are even stronger.¡±


    ¡°The question to me is ¡­ has Sarn enough time to wait for us?¡± I look around while everyone''s eyes are focused on the tactical map.


    .

 50. ~Fortified.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley, Southern Col***


    ***Sera***


    ¡°He said that he would be back by now!¡±


    My mother is running in circles, while carrying me with her. We are at the southern col to check on the state of our defences. Although when I look at our situation, there is nothing to do.


    The enemy will have to advance on a narrow mountain road with the mountain to their left and a steep cliff to their right. The road is about ten metres wide. It is not an easy task to get fifty thousand men through such a bottleneck.


    Father was right when he said that it will be almost impossible for them to pass the col. As long as we don''t lose this position, there should be no problems.


    ¡°And why am I taking my baby with me? I seem to be a little stressed recently.¡± Mother continues to talk to herself.


    ¡°You took me with you because I said that I may be able to help.¡± I grumble while being held like a teddy bear.


    ¡°You are a baby, what could you know.¡± Celestial takes another look down the mountain. A long line of people is advancing towards us. The train of wagons, men and animals is darkening the road at the foot of the mountain. Quite impressive if you think about it. We are looking down on them from a height difference of a little more than nine hundred metres.


    ¡°I fought a long and cruel war in my previous life. Doesn''t that count?¡± I look up and try to get a glimpse of her face. ¡°Playing the baby is just a temporary job of mine.¡±


    Celestial sighs. ¡°There are still so many of them! They must have gathered some reinforcements from somewhere else. Like Ascathon feared.¡±


    ¡°That''s another point I wanted to talk about. Daddy said that I was an ~accident~ and that you planned it.¡± Suddenly mom''s grip gets a little tighter. It seems like she knows what I am talking about.


    ¡°¡­ That''s a matter between the two of us!¡± She smiles with closed eyes at the sky.


    ¡°We still need to talk about it! But for the moment let''s think how to improve our defence.¡± I look down at the mountain road.


    ¡°I don''t see how they intend to attack us. They will either have to climb the mountain, or use the road. We have everything covered with our railguns and if they advance too far, we can blow up the road with a mana bomb.¡± Celestial muses over our possibilities while looking at the array of railguns which are pointing down at the road.


    There are also about one thousand and five hundred of our soldiers up here. They are almost everything we managed to mobilize. The rest is occupied with holding positions throughout the rest of our principality.


    All of them are equipped with hand-held versions of our railguns. Ascathon hurried their production and they look very crude compared to real guns. In addition they built fortifications at our positions and enhanced them with portable devices to create barriers.


    ¡°I guess it would be smarter to think about what our enemies are able to do, instead of being satisfied about the things they can''t do. For example, they could send small teams of special forces over the cliff to attack us from behind. They don''t have to fight us up front.¡± I look up at Celestial again. ¡°It would be smart to use our guards to keep an eye at the mountain around us.¡±


    ¡°You mean because they are werewolfs? That''s right. Their good senses make them perfect scouts. Having them fight with the regular troops could be a problem, as they would get in each others way.¡± Celestial looks at the eighty burly men and Den.


    The captain of our guard is actually a big help in commanding our regular troops. They regard him as their highest authority because he and his men trained them.


    Celestial walks up to the big guy and informs him about our concerns. After hearing us out, Den nods and strokes his beard.


    ¡°You have a point. That''s surely something they will try. I will send forty of my men to scout the area around us. Although I strongly believe that they will go with standard battle tactics first.¡± He looks down at the advancing army.


    ¡°Hoh? You have military experience? How do these battle tactics look?¡± Celestial asks eagerly.


    Den gathers his thoughts for a second and answers. ¡°First they will test our abilities by sending regular troops as cannon fodder at us. If that doesn''t work, they will try to add in their mages with long range attacks. And finally an all out charge at us, but I have confidence that something like that won''t become a problem.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t sound like battle tactics at all!¡± Celestial calls out in shock.


    ¡°~?More like total disregard of human life.?~¡± I can''t help it and add my gibberish to the conversation.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°It''s not like they need any tactics. They should be able to run over us by using their numbers alone. But I am confident that they will fail in doing so. When I was still in the military, I discovered something which I call casualty-shock. It doesn''t matter to soldiers how many people are behind them. Once they have to climb over the bodies of their fallen comrades, everyone starts to think that the other direction may be the better choice.¡± Den folds his hands and smiles.


    I don''t know what to think. Did Den end up in a situation like that? It sounds gruesome!


    ¡°And you think that you will be able to drive them off by inflicting so many casualties?¡± Celestial looks at the railguns.


    Den nods with vigour. ¡°Of course! I had those things tested against a herd of wild animals! The impact itself isn''t a problem, but it creates enough shrapnel to shred everything around. Even if they don''t break and run, at some point, they will start to trip over their fallen comrades. The road isn''t very wide.¡±


    He looks back at our camp. ¡°I am more concerned about their mind magic. They could defeat us without our knowledge if they pull a weird trick. That''s why I asked your parents to keep an eye on this position and warn us. They are mind magicians too, so I hope that they can warn us, or interfere with an attempt to manipulate us. It''s sad that Celestial lost her ability for mind magic.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then I guess I will have to help in another way!¡± Celestial turns and walk away, while carrying me with her.


    She is heading towards the medical quarters of our troops. I guess she has something in mind? ¡°Mom? What are you planning?¡±


    ¡°Nothing my dear, I will just take a look at the substances which are at my disposal.¡± She has a strange expression in her face.


    After a short walk, we arrive at a big tent and step inside. An elderly doctor and a few assistants are taking note of different fluids in jars. Opposed to what someone may think, this world has medicine.  There isn''t always a highly skilled magician around to cast healing spells.


    And only the best healers are able to cast magic which is able to deal with illnesses which are caused by germs.


    ¡°~I need the stuff here for a while. Please wait outside.~¡± Celestial shoos the personnel out of the tent. Her orders are followed immediately. The people of this world are fast to follow orders if they are given by a noble.


    Celestial takes a look around and places me on the worktable. Then she starts to rummage through the bottles while sniffing and occasionally taste testing the contents. I watch her with curiosity while she sets up a big bottle on a fire and starts to pour seemingly random bottles inside it.


    I approach to take a look at the bubbling mess inside it. ¡°That doesn''t look very tasty.¡± I already had the chance to watch Celestial making chocolate on several occasions.


    Since then I am certain that mother must have been one of those real witches I always heard about. The bottle starts to emit a fluorescent light and mother''s expression becomes a little scary.


    Yes, I can perfectly imagine her with a long nose and some warts in her face while being bent with a buckled back over her pot. She surely was one of those beings in a previous life!


    ***


    Five syringes. That''s all we got from Celestial''s experiment. I doubt that this will be enough to stop an army of fifty thousand. Even if it''s the best poison in the world. How does she intend to administer it?


    We join Den at the pass-road again. He is still occupied with organizing the building of barricades. Celestial is playing with the syringes skilfully in one hand. I marvel at her skill.


    On the other hand, she would never play with the dangerous looking green stuff if it would really pose a threat?


    Arriving beside Den, she places me on the ground and starts to massage her shoulder. Den turns around and looks at her. ¡°What are you intending to do?¡±


    ¡°~Just administering a medicine to the enemy.~¡±


    She flicks her hand into the direction of the enemy army and the first syringe is gone. Number two, three, four and five follow in short order.


    ¡°~Hopefully that takes care of most of the vermin. You should have it much easier now.~¡± She smiles at Den and picks me up again.


    Den arches an eyebrow and looks at the army which is coming up the pass-road. ¡°That green stuff ¡­ was that poison!¡±


    ¡°~Probably.~¡±


    ¡°You can''t do that! We didn''t even have proper negotiations!¡± Den shouts outraged.


    ¡°~I am not interested in negotiating with someone who shows up with such a big army without invitation.~¡±


    .

 51. ~Green Goo.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    Just4info:


    I am a little busy at the moment, because I have to do the work of other people ... lazy bastards.


    So if my updates are a little irregular at the moment it just means that I have literally no time for my hobby.


    *headdesk*


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley, Southern Col***


    ***Celestial***


    It was already late at night when my weapon started to act. I am standing beside Den while watching the road on which the enemy is climbing up the mountain.


    Fires are lighting it and from time to time big explosions catch my eyes. We can hear cries of terror as the whole enemy army seems to be engaged in a fight for life and death.


    ¡°They are so noisy. I don''t want to imagine how loud it is down there.¡± I shake my head as another big explosion lights the road in the distance.


    ¡°I originally anticipated that they would arrive in the evening. What the hell was that green poison?¡± Den looks at me with a doubtful expression.


    ¡°A woman has her secrets! Wait until morning. I will go to sleep for now.¡± So I turn and walk back to my tent where Sera is sleeping.


    ***


    I yawn and open my eyes. It''s early in the morning and there is already light outside. Probably I should check on my experiment.


    After taking a look at the sleeping Sera, I head out. Later she will meet up with my parents, so I instruct the guards in front of my tent to escort her there. I didn''t bother to change into my sleeping clothes last night, because it was highly likely that we would be attacked.


    I find Den still standing at his observation spot. He has a nice view on the pass-road, so I join him and take a look at the battlefield at the foot of the mountain.


    There are craters from high class magic all over the place. The area is blackened from fire and the advancing row of enemies is pent-up. Two big green blobs are obstructing their path.


    ¡°They already killed three blobs, but these things are though bastards. What the hell did you create!?¡± Den looks at me accusingly.


    ¡°~Slimes.~¡±


    ¡°Those are no slimes! They are at least thirty metres high and growing as they eat people!¡± Den points down at the two blobs, which are hunting the foot soldiers of our enemies. Rows of mages are casting attack magic on them.


    ¡°Working as intended. They have high magical resistance and are almost immune to physical attacks. On top they don''t know anything else but eating. So they can''t be influenced by mind magic. It''s the perfect weapon against Mislow! ~Hahahaha!~¡± I fold my arms in front of my chest and wait for praise.


    ¡°They eat people!¡± Den shouts at me.


    I tilt my head. ¡°Well, that''s what they are intended to do? Once there isn''t enough food in their reach, they will die. Their metabolism is very fast. So I guess the other three weren''t really defeated, but didn''t catch enough soldiers to eat. And why are you suddenly having moral issues with that? You werewolves tend to take a bite from assassins too.¡±


    Den shakes his head. ¡°This is this and that is that! We can''t do anything about our urges, but you let something like this loose!¡± He stabs his finger down at the two blobs.


    ¡°It''s better than poisoning the whole area. I don''t want to do permanent damage to the environment. My solution is actually the most ecological one!¡± I smile at Den who seems to give up.


    ¡°Whatever, you and your husband are both monsters. At least you bought us a lot of time ¡­ and reduced the enemy army.¡± He sighs.


    ¡°Any idea how much damage we inflicted on them?¡± I look down as one of my blobs suddenly stops moving and starts to whither away. ¡°Ah... I guess they found out that running away does the trick.¡±


    ¡°It''s impossible to say. They were marching in a long column on the road. It could be anything from a few hundred to a few thousand.¡± Den says.


    ¡°I could make a few more blobs. But I guess they would be seen too early during the day. The ones I threw at them yesterday had the cover of the dark to grow larger. They are very weak while they are still small.¡± I look at Den.


    He nods enthusiastically. ¡°There is no need for more of those things. I am sure that we will manage to hold them off until the air fleet arrives.¡±


    I shrug and turn my back on the remaining blob to take a look after Sera.


    ***


    Five hours passed and the enemy is finally in range of our guns. Of course we could have shot at them earlier. But we have no explosive shells and shooting our precious ammunition without maximum effect is stupid according to Den.


    The pass-road is winding itself up the rocky mountain until it finally arrives at our plateau. We decided to start shooting at them when they reach a part of the road which is about five hundred metres under us. It''s a good visible spot, so it''s perfect to decide when to start shooting.


    I am just a silent watcher because I leave the management of our army to Den. But the effect of our railguns is devastating. The advancing column of enemy soldiers literally disappeared in a cloud of dust and splinters as our guns took their first shot.


    ¡°They will bring some magicians forward to cast barriers. Otherwise it will be just target practice for us.¡± Den takes a look at the situation by using an orb.


    ¡°Are you sure that we have enough ammunition for all of them? Somehow I doubt it.¡± I point at the big military camp which is growing at the foot of our mountain. There are so many enemies, they are using almost all available space.


    ¡°I hope that the air fleet will arrive before we run out of ammunition. My people are trying to contact them, but they seem to be out of range of our devices. The communication equipment covers just a distance of one or two days on a horse.¡± Den grimaces at the inconvenience.


    I watch in silence while the advancing troops are bombarded by our railguns. After half an hour they finally get assistance by a few mages. Barriers are starting to deflect our projectiles.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    But their advance halts several times, as a few mages crumble under the onslaught of projectiles. It took them an hour to bring a group of magicians forward, which could finally create a barrier to withstand our attacks.


    Magical warfare changes the art of war completely. Everything adds up to who has the strongest barrier. Normal soldiers who advance without the protection of a mage are dead meat. For the moment we are pressuring them, so they can''t counter-attack with offensive magic of their own.


    But this situation can''t keep on forever. I am sure that they are currently chasing their mages to the front lines. Once they have gathered enough people to erect satisfying barriers, they will start to cast fireballs and other spells at us.


    Fireballs are the standard offensive spell among magic practitioners. But there are other possibilities, like mind magic. Something which can be countered only by my parents. I think that I could fend off a spell on myself, but I couldn''t do anything to help anyone else.


    ¡°I think it''s time for us to blow up the first part of the road. It will slow their advance and it will be hard for the mages to keep up their barriers once they have to climb over rocks, instead of leisurely walking on a road.¡± Den mutters to himself.


    I smile at him. ¡°I will leave that decision to you. I will go and take a look at how my parents are doing with their protection spell in the meantime.¡±


    Den nods and I turn to search for my parents. Probably they are in their tent.


    *BOOOM*


    An explosion shakes the ground and I take a look back. A huge fountain of debris erupted at our targeted spot. Den gave the command to blow one of the mana bombs, which made a sizeable piece of the road hard to pass. I don''t pay it any heed and stroll forward.


    Arriving at the tent of my parents, I take a look inside and find them kneeling on the ground while working on a huge magical protection circle. ¡°You are hard at work as I see.¡±


    ¡°We may be able to ward us against mind magic, but there is no chance to stop them forever.¡± Idala whines while scribbling another set of runes with paint on the stony ground.


    ¡°Like your mother said, the situation looks dire! We should start to think about retreat.¡± Arduin is sitting in the centre of the circle to handle the area protection spell.


    ¡°How long do you think you can keep going? And where is Sera? Shouldn''t she be here?¡± I look around.


    ¡°She left with her two bodyguards to get something. We are a little occupied at the moment, so we couldn''t stop her!¡± My mother has a few tears in her face while saying so. ¡°Who in his right mind takes a child to a battlefield!¡±


    ¡°~It''s okay.~ I am back already.¡± I turn and see Sera with two guards. Both guards are carrying big glass crystals and some other junk. I think Ascathon uses them to supply his devices?


    What is she thinking? Running off alone through the camp? Even if she had the guards with her! ¡°What are you thinking to run off like that? Your body is too weak in case something happens!¡± I rebuke her.


    ¡°~Helping.~ Okay! You place four mana cores around the circle and connect them with the cables. And you help me to adjust the fifth one.¡± She starts to give orders to the guards.


    ¡°What''s that going to become?¡± I arch an eyebrow at Sera and the guards.


    Sera looks up while instructing the guard to cut open some wires around the fifth core and connecting cables to it. ¡°~Just a little power boost for grandpa.~¡±


    ¡°I already tried to use those things! It''s impossible to handle such a complicated spell and draw mana at the same time!¡± My father snaps.


    ¡°... That cable there and it''s done. That''s why I am adjusting them a little. For easy use. Good work. Now place it beside grandpa and be careful not to damage the circle.¡± She toddles after the guard, who follows her orders and leaves the circle afterwards.


    She pulls a set of needles from her pocket and attaches them to the five cables, which were freshly attached to the mana core.


    ¡°Sera? Why do you know so much about Ascathon''s machines.¡± I grind my teeth. This is bugging me a little! My daughter is becoming similar to her father! That''s a no go!


    ¡°~One year of sitting on his lap, three hours a day and watching him doing his work.~ I would be brain-dead if I hadn''t learned at least some things.¡± She steps in front of Arduin who has a worried expression.


    ¡°What do you intend to do with those needles!?¡± His voice became a little shrill.


    *Ziizzzllee*


    Sera tests two needles by holding them closer together and a blue arc of energy starts to dance between them. The tent is a little dim and the blue light creates an undesirable expression on my daughters face.


    ¡°I am just combining daddy''s technology with mom''s medical knowledge about pressure points. Be brave! This will hurt. ~Just a little ¡­~¡± And in the next second, she stabs a needle into each leg of my kneeling father.


    ¡°OW! Why so deep!?¡± He winces in pain, but he can''t move because he has to keep the magic going.


    Three more needles follow. Each close to the central nerves of the body. Then Sera faces the core and turns the power higher. ¡°~How is it?~¡±


    Arduin forces a smile on his face. ¡°Better, but I feel like a pincushion!¡±


    Sera raises her hands. ¡°~Muahaha. It''s cool to have a mad scientist and a witch as parents!~¡±


    ¡­ I have to do something about this child! ¡­


    .

 52. ~A battle without resistance.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Arcane Academy, Eastern Planes***


    ***Jazira, The Immortal Empress***


    ¡°Advance my troops! The victory will be ours! ~Nyahahaha!~¡±


    ¡°Please try to moderate yourself. The people will start to have strange thoughts.¡± Tjena rebukes me with a faint smile.


    I regain my composure and watch the Gate spewing out my warriors. Operation ~Sneak Attack~ was a full success! The plan was to use our access to the Academy''s gate-network in order to relocate our troops directly into the Academy.


    Normally nobody would think of using a Gate to move armies. That''s because you would have to leave everything behind which is bigger than a man. And Gates can be easily shut down if there is an enemy attack coming through them.


    Of course the Academy took precautions against such an invasion, but they didn''t put me into the equation. According to our plan, I stepped through the Gate to the Academy and disabled the guards on the other side immediately with a barrier.


    Then my troops followed in rows of two while silently running through the Gate. Everyone was instructed to keep silent as long as possible.


    We are playing our ace in hope to conquer the institution which controls the most valuable military asset on this continent. ¡°If this works out, the fight for world dominance should be almost over.¡±


    Tjena pulls a grimace. ¡°What about this Ascathon? Don''t you think that somebody who is able to play with the bodies of others like marionettes, is a serious danger.¡±


    ¡°One thing at a time Tjena. Don''t be so moody, he let you go after all. So we should at least be able to work out an agreement.¡± I cross my arms in front of my chest.


    ¡°If you say so, it doesn''t change the fact that I feel a little raped.¡± She looks down at her legs.


    ¡°It was your own fault. And I even healed your legs for this campaign. You are lucky. I would have waited for them to heal on their own otherwise.¡± I turn and start walking towards one of my generals.


    ¡°Her highness is wise and righteous.¡± Tjena''s voice is a little sarcastic, but I forgive her.


    The general of this campaign looks up as I approach him. ¡°My Empress?¡±


    ¡°I think we have enough people on this side of the Gate. Please continue the offensive in a more aggressive manner. It would be bad if we were caught on the wrong foot.¡± I want to be at the vital spots of the city before anyone has an idea that we are attacking.


    ¡°The objectives haven''t changed?¡± The general asks.


    I nod. ¡°The most important targets are the headquarters of the Inquisition and the capture of Headmaster Sagittarius ¡­ ~alive~.¡±


    The general nods and starts to give orders to his men.


    I smile at Tjena and start walking down the street, while placing my hands behind my back. ¡°It should be easy to capture Sagittarius. He is surely sleeping safe and sound in his bed.¡±


    ¡°There is still the question why you want him alive?¡± Tjena makes a point.


    ¡°Aaah. This old story. You see, about two hundred years ago ¡­ don''t look at me like that, I know that you weren''t born by that time ¡­ I infiltrated the Academy. To get access to their Gates. I spent about thirty years here.¡± I muse about the past for a second and continue.


    ¡°During that time Sagittarius courted me. ~Ah, he was so nice!~ He was in the prime of his time and I will never forget that bashful smile on his face.¡± I place a hand on each cheek and smile. Then my sight falls on Tjena, who looks shocked.


    ¡°You had an affair with the enemy!¡± She calls out and looks around fast. Seems like nobody heard her.


    ¡°Well. It lasted as long as it lasted. And he wasn''t the headmaster of the Academy at that time. We parted when he found out about my true identity. I had to depart suddenly. Of course they tried to find out what I did here during those thirty years. But I guess they wouldn''t know about everything I found out or did, even if they had kept proper records.¡±


    *VROOOOM*


    Suddenly a pillar of fire erupts a few buildings down the street. It climbs a hundred metres up into the sky before finally dispersing. I snap my fingers. ¡°Aw. Damn! They woke Sagittarius up! I told them to be as silent as possible.¡±


    Tjena''s eyes widen at the view in front of us. ¡°I have never seen such a huge fire tornado spell!¡±


    This awakens old memories. ¡°~Ahahaha.~ The good old Sagittarius. That''s like I know him! You can go and deal with some small fry Tjena. I will take care of Sagittarius.¡±


    I invoke a levitation spell before Tjena has a chance to answer and jump. The spell transforms my light jump into a long parabolic flight. The end of my jump places me perfectly on Sagittarius''s estate.


    The old man is standing between the remains of his house and a few of my soldiers are lying here and there in all sorts of positions. Sagittarius is wearing a fluffy nightgown and has a jelly bag cap on his head. ¡°I see, you are still wearing that tawdry stuff to sleep. It amazes me that it didn''t disperse to dust during the years ¡­¡±


    He turns around and looks at me. ¡°YOU!¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°~Yes!~ I personally came to greet you! And I brought my army too.¡± I clap my hands while walking closer.


    ¡°I see that! Stop wreaking havoc in my city!¡± He screams at me and starts to search through the rubble.


    ¡°But the one who created this destruction was you. My men have orders to bring you quietly to me. I am trying to do this as peacefully as possible.¡±


    He pulls his cane out of a pile of bricks and wood. ¡°I don''t care! Stay on your own continent! Why do you have to bother my peaceful life as the headmaster!¡±


    The sounds of explosions start to erupt around us as the fight for the city starts. My army was well instructed to strike at everything that could organize a mentionable defence. ¡°You became even grumpier since our last time. Waking you up from your sleep was never a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I have a right to be angry!¡± He thrusts a hand at me and a shower of icicles shoots in my direction.


    A wave of my hand melts the icicles away like they never existed. Then I am suddenly lifted from the ground by an invisible force and slammed into the remains of a close wall. The wall breaks down on top of me and I am buried under rubble. No harm done. I formed a barrier about one centimetre above my skin.


    I will let him vent his anger until he is tired. The bricks are easy to shove aside because the pile above me isn''t very high.


    Sagittarius assists me by blowing everything away with an air fist spell. I cling to the ground in order to not share the same fate. ¡°You are overdoing it a little old man!¡±


    ¡°I am overdoing nothing! I doubt that I even scratched you until now!¡± He strikes his hand towards the ground and I feel like the gravity just increased tenfold as I am pressed to the ground!


    ¡°How do you like that!? I designed this spell especially to bypass the barrier defence of an immortal.¡± He starts grinning.


    Okay. I think I may not be able to keep taking all the hits. ¡°Sagittarius ¡­ you are making me mad. Do you really think that this much could hold me down?¡±


    I release my power and a wave of pure mana erupts from my body, blowing Sagittarius and the last remains of his house away. After getting up, I follow the old archmage.


    ¡°Sagittarius? Where are you hiding? I am sure you aren''t defeated just because I showed you my whole glory.¡± I skip a little while walking into the darkness of the night. Away from the lights on the street.


    ¡°Sagittarius?¡± Did I blow him too far? It would be a pain to search for him. The sounds of battle are drawing closer while I look around and I see some frightened civilians running on the street.


    Then the night is torn apart by arcs of lightning. I find Sagittarius standing about ten metres to my side while throwing thunder bolts at me. But all of them bend shortly before reaching me. The air is reeking of ozone.


    ¡°~Hahaha.~ Such a basic mistake. You got the wrong polarity on your spell.¡± I point a finger at Sagittarius. ¡°Please don''t die, it''s hard to control this.¡±


    A flash of white light tears through Sagittarius and destroys a few buildings behind him. I am actually quite happy with the collateral damage. I managed to cast the spell without obliterating a huge part of the city.


    But Sagittarius'' body simply vanishes. I look around to find out what happened.


    ¡°That was just a distraction!¡± A voice comes from directly behind me and a lightning strike hits my position, directly from the sky.


    My shield wavers a little, but it''s fine. I sigh. ¡°It''s okay. You have proven that you are strong.¡± I wave my hand and the image of Sagittarius disperses.


    ¡°You shouldn''t fight it Sagittarius. It''s actually very hard for me to control my power. So it would be nice if you don''t push me over the edge and I end up ~obliterating~ your city.¡±


    ¡°It''s infuriating to be defeated by someone like you! You have no control over your magic! You just use raw power and that''s it!¡± Sagittarius appears three metres in front of me.


    ¡°~You are too harsh!~ My barrier is very good! And I am handicapped by my mana pool. In order to cast a neat little spell like you, I need to manage to pick up a grain of sand on a beach between two fingers. And that without picking up any other grains with it.¡± I wriggle my body a little.


    ¡°Urgh. I give up. Not even my gravity magic worked.¡± Sagittarius sits down on the ground while the sounds of battle around us are getting quieter.


    Suddenly Tjena appears beside me and kneels down. ¡°My Empress, the city fell with almost no resistance! We are busy with cleaning up the last defenders.¡±


    ¡°Already!?¡± I call out in amazement.


    ¡°We found almost no military personnel here. There were just a few at the headquarters of the Inquisition.¡± Tjena answers.


    I look towards Sagittarius, who looks grumpily to the ground. Then he starts to mumble. ¡°That stupid Norent Grant took almost all of our experienced forces to assist the campaign against Sarn. I warned him! But he paid no heed. Babbled something about the will of the gods and that Phenex wouldn''t be able to attack anyway!¡±


    It takes me a second to think about the implications.


    ¡°~Good for us.~¡±


    ¡°Bad for Sarn!¡±


    .

 53. ~Free fall.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley, Southern Col***


    ***Ascathon***


    It took us a little longer than expected to defeat the enemy fleet, but we haven''t lost a single ship in return. Three of our ships are badly damaged, but they are still able to drop their mana bombs on the enemy.


    The fleet from the Nation of Mist gave up and turned to sail home when we had reduced their numbers to eight ships. Or the reason was that we destroyed their command vessel. Probably we did them a favour by eliminating that slimy rat of a Sky General.


    I didn''t bother to hunt them down and set our course back to Sarn. Right now I am looking down on the ground to identify some landmarks. It''s a good feeling to have solid ground under my ship. At least we won''t drown in case of a crash-landing.


    The mountain in front of us should be the right one. We just have to circle around it to get our first view on the southern pass-road.


    ¡°Sir! We established a connection with the defenders of the Southern Col.¡± An officer calls for me from the bridge. I nod and head back inside.


    [¡­.chrr... are under heavy attack!]


    One of the younger officers is trying to adjust the communication device to get a better signal. He is doing what the handbook says, but it''s clear to me that he has no feeling for the device.


    ¡°I will do that.¡± I inform him and he steps aside. A few quick adjustments on the regulator solve the problem and I press the button for sending.


    ¡°Den, is that you? We are close, you don''t have to hold out for long.¡±


    [Good to hear from you. We will hold, but the problem isn''t us. Our scouts found out that the enemy has a group of about five thousand soldiers trying to bypass us. They are on their way to one of the Eastern Cols.]


    I purse my lips and press the button again. ¡°That''s no problem. We will split the fleet to go after them.¡± Then I take a look at the captain who listened to my conversation.


    He turns to one of his officers. ¡°Three undamaged ships. They have to follow the mountain-range further towards the Eastern Col.¡±


    [It would be nice if you came sooner than later. Apparently the mages of the Inquisition are also here. They are protecting the foot soldiers from Mislow with barriers while they attempt to overrun us. We already stopped two attempts, but our ammunition for the railguns is running out!]


    I smirk. ¡°Then you have to return to old, proved methods and slay them by hand!¡±


    [ ¡­ As you command. Wouldn''t be bad to reduce their numbers tho ¡­ ]


    ¡°We are soon there. Just watch the sky.¡±


    I turn to the captain. ¡°We attack as soon as we get in comfortable firing range. No need to hold anything back. Sarn is just half a day away with the ships. Even if we temporarily lose the col, we can return with our ships before they reach any important places. The Col hasn''t the same meaning for us as for them.¡±


    Everyone nods while I walk outside again. A look over the railing confirms that we finally circled around the mountain. It''s a pain in the ass to fly so deep. But I don''t want to risk my ships before they got some necessary improvements.


    Despite their ability to fly, they are still very roughly built. I am afraid that the strong winds higher up could damage the ships. Another point is that wind travels in different directions at different heights. We would fly slower if we climbed higher, because the wind would be against us.


    Then the col comes into view. And the enemy army at the foot of the mountain. They are attempting to overrun the col, like Den said.


    There are about forty to fifty thousand people down there. I see the banners of Mislow and the Inquisition. They are really bent on taking away what''s mine.


    I watch the pass-road being bombarded by railguns. But the foot soldiers of Mislow keep going. They climb up the mountain like ants, ignoring fallen comrades without any hint of stopping.


    Either they have a resolve like steel, or they are being manipulated by their own people. I guess it''s mind magic. It''s not necessary to manipulate the enemy in order to influence a battle decisively. You can also manipulate your own troops, making them believe that they are unbeatable, or that their own death is a reasonable price to pay.


    My fleet finally takes position over the enemy army. Red flowers start to bloom under us as the ships begin to unload mana bombs without holding back.


    Each hit deals a decisive blow, costing hundreds of lifes. The tightly packed army camp at the foot of the mountain is the perfect target. Unlike the naval ships, the Army can''t deploy barriers which are big enough to negate the damage.


    A ship covers a relatively small area compared to columns and columns of soldiers. They may be able to shield small areas, but they loose their foot soldiers by the hundreds in return. Another big point is that bombarding their camp will destroy their supplies.


    And once such a big army loses access to food and water, the battle is essentially over.


    I watch as the defenders of the Southern Col start to use their close range equipment and my gatling-guns join the fray. I devised them as the final defence of my mountains. The guns are dug deep into the rock faces and have a nice view on the pass-roads.


    Den has to be running very low on ammunition for his railguns. Otherwise he wouldn''t give away the well hidden positions of the gatling-guns.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The enemy finally takes notice of us and attack magic starts to fly our way. Fireballs, ice shards and a few thunderbolts. Fortunately we are a little too high for them to reach us. Unlike the nation of Mist, Mislow doesn''t have my sight orbs.


    We don''t even have to aim properly for the other side. Just shooting down into the general area is enough.


    Then my flagship rocks without warning and I am thrown to the deck. It didn''t feel like we were hit! Something else must have gone wrong! I jump to my feet and run into the bridge, where I find the captain screaming at two technicians.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    One of the technicians faces me. ¡°Something went wrong with our mana core. It is collecting more power than it can handle! One of the buffers blew up!¡±


    I am out of the bridge and running to the engine room before the technician is done talking. I designed the buffers extremely robust. They can''t blow up from one moment to the next!


    In the engine room, I find seven people trying to stabilize the mana core. A short glance at the engine gives me the full picture of the catastrophe. Not just any buffer blew up, it was the central one, directly under the core. A miracle that the core wasn''t damaged. The core pulses and vibrates ominously. A fatal failure is at hand if nothing is done.


    ¡°Get out, abandon the ship. You can''t stabilize this thing without the central buffer.¡± I shove one technician away from the central console and place my hands on the magical circuitry. It''s impossible to keep the control long enough with this crude mechanism.


    I release my mana into the circuits and take control while concentrating on stabilizing the core at least long enough to retreat.


    ¡°But the ship!¡± A technician calls out.


    ¡°Run now. We''ll build a new one. Take the parachutes and tell the other ships to pick you up before you hit the ground. There are some unfriendly guys down there.¡± I close my eyes and concentrate on the flow of mana inside the core.


    ¡°It should be no problem for me to stabilize it long enough to get the rest of the crew from board. Then I can jump off the ship myself with a levitation spell.¡±


    Slowly the technicians start to retreat and I can finally concentrate on the core. The damn thing is bucking and vibrating like a wild animal.


    I start to search for the problem because I can''t imagine that the loss of a buffer is the sole cause for the failure. The technician from earlier was right. The core is really gathering more mana than it should be possible.


    It''s practically being overloaded with power! I try to dissipate some of the mana into the surroundings, but it doesn''t help. So much raw mana! Where is this coming from? It''s almost the same as with the small core back then, when we attacked the fleet from the Nation of Mist.


    Something ¡­ Someone is interfering! Is it that hidden power which the Immortal Empress was talking about? How can they transfer so much mana into my core!? It would take dozens of magicians to accomplish such a feat!


    The ship rocks again and I feel weightless! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Did the circuitry for the levitation spell melt down? This is a really shitty situation.


    I place my feet on the console and push myself off towards the core. If I am going to die, I will at least solve this mystery.


    My hands touch the glass and I fuse my soul with the stored up power inside the crystal. Without further ado, I activate my clairvoyance spell from the orb of sight and power it with the mana from the core. I follow the flow of power with my mind to a far away place.


    There is a big table with four people in frilly clothes around it. I immediately notice the long ears. All of them emit an aura of power and self-confidence, like untouchable kings ¡­ or gods? On the table is a big map of the world. Two of them are women and two are men. One of the guys is holding an orb similar to mine.


    The two women are beauties, one has brunette hair and the other is small and almost childlike with red hair. The guys look athletic and both are blonde, while the one who is holding the orb is definitely older.


    He looks astounded at it, while the other three have worried faces. I realize that he is the one who is transferring all the power with the orb as a focus point!


    I gather all my power and concentrate on the orb. With and act of pure will, I force the orb apart and it splits within the hands of the old guy. I might as well use the chance to play with them, as long as I am on the longer end.


    ¡°I SSEEE YOU!!!¡±


    The air vibrates all around them and they look up with shocked expressions. Then my mind is torn back to the engine room, as the connection between the orb and my core fades away.


    I am still weightless, still falling while hugging the core. ¡°Hahahahahahaha.¡± A crazy laugh escapes my lips while I turn all the core''s power into a single point. I might as well take the whole enemy army with me by creating the ultimate explosion.


    This will also answer my question of what happens if you compress mana to its utmost density. I always speculated that it would result in a huge explosion, so I never tried it. A small part of me still fears death and so I erect a barrier and pour all my power into it.


    All that''s left to do is to wait for the impact, for death, for the next life.


    Sorry, Sera. I couldn''t come back like you wanted. I will miss teaching the little critter about my devices ¡­


    .

 54. ~One shall stand alone.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley, Southern Col***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°That one is dead too!¡±


    ¡°This one is alive!¡±


    ¡°Kill him!¡±


    ¡°Aaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Get all of those heretics!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ow... shut up! They are so loud. My whole body hurts. I feel like I got crushed by something really big ¡­ one moment! Now I remember! The ship! The core!?


    I open my eyes, but everything is dark. Is this the afterlife? Am I finally dead for good? No, there are voices. Sounds like the ship crashed directly into the enemy army. They are searching for survivors to finish them off.


    Crap, I can''t move my left side. ¡°Lumis!¡± A small orb of light dives my surroundings into a dim light. Looks like the ship is a complete wreck. I don''t recognize the engine room any more.


    I am inside a small cavity, which is about a metre in height and two metres long. My left arm and foot are crushed under the remains of the mana core. The piezoelectric glass is broken and not an ounce of power remains.


    The experiment was a failure. Looks like I have to rethink some of my theories about mana. Nothing blew up! I try to move and am rewarded with unimaginable pain. Then I place my left hand on the remains of the core and try to push, but the rubble doesn''t move.


    That''s when I realize that my left is cramped into a fist. So I slowly open it and see a shining blue light. A small crystal is glowing in my hand, no bigger than my thumb. I have never seen something like it before.


    It feels like pure raw power. Is that the result of my experiment? The mana which is forced to a higher density doesn''t search for an explosive release, but becomes solid? ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Who would have thought about that. All my calculations were wrong!


    I tap into the small shards reservoir of power and am almost overwhelmed by the pure force behind it. The rubble on top of me lifts by a mere thought and I crawl out from under it. Then I let the stuff go and it crushes down again, creating a cloud of dust which forces me to cough.


    For several minutes I lie there in the darkness and concentrate on a regeneration spell. Just the blue glow of the small crystal lights the cavern. I think about the implications of this new discovery. If I can reproduce these crystals, I can completely pass on the production of the dangerous mana cores.


    Again, I tap into the well of power inside my fist to quicken my regeneration. I hear bones snap into place and I feel the awful crunching, as fingers are bending back into their original position.


    In the meanwhile the sounds outside grow louder and I become aware of distant explosions. Probably my fleet is avoiding to hit the crash site.


    I wait for another five minutes until I am sure that the healing spell has done its work. Then I sit up and concentrate my senses on the outside.


    There are people swarming around my ship. I feel their auras like small small flames dancing all around me. It''s somehow strange, did my senses get sharpened by this accident? No, it wasn''t an accident! It was sabotage!


    But now I know the faces of this mysterious enemy. Their little game can''t go on much longer! ¡­ If I survive. Again, I bath in the power of the small shard in my hand. What should I call it? It looks like a crystal, but it''s pure mana. A mana crystal?


    But I am getting distracted. The flames look like soul-fires. Did I somehow achieve something by fusing my soul with the mana of the core? A strengthening? I reach out for one of the weaker souls, probably a mere soldier without any magical ability.


    The flame wavers a bit, but I can''t influence it further. Anyway, just influencing it from this distance is a tremendous feat, compared to what I was capable of before.


    Then I become aware of the strange web all around me. It''s known to me, though not with this brightness. Again I reach out for it but achieve nothing. I guess solving that mystery too, was asking a little too much.


    My attention returns to my current situation. Let''s think about it. I am caught in the middle of a huge hostile army and I got a sudden unexpected power upgrade. Hmmm. I clench the fist with the mana crystal tighter and start to grin with glee.


    ~Time to go on a rampage!~


    I wanted to vent my stress for a long time and now is the perfect chance! The last time I got to play was at the ball of Fellmar! That was ages ago.


    Without a thought, I tap into the vast power reservoir of the mana crystal and spread my hands while thrusting outwards. A shock-wave blows the wreckage around me apart and I get the first view on the crash site.


    My ship isn''t much more than a big pile of wood, looking like it''s ready for a bonfire. What did I expect after it fell from the sky. I was really lucky that the remains of the mana core formed a cavern for me. Maybe that was divine intervention too?


    A huge army is standing all around the wreckage like the sea. There are banners from Mislow and the Inquisition. Everyone''s eyes are glued to me.


    ¡°Looks like there are more than I can handle.¡± I tap my chin in thought. The crystal may be a huge power reservoir, but there are still tons of enemies. Well, I can''t do more than as much as I can. And if I think too long, they will get over their shock.


    ¡°Then let''s start the battle for survival!¡±


    I call out as loud as I can and jump down into a sea of spears and other weapons while wrapping myself in a barrier. The enemy soldiers actually scrambled to clear my landing zone! Was my entrance really that frightening?


    Without losing any time, I whirl around and cast Inferno. There are no allies nearby, so I will train my best area of effect spells.


    A pentagram appears under my feet and a circle of fire appears around me. Then the ring of fire starts to grow fast and expands as it touches and burns the soldiers around me. Inferno is a nasty magic, because it feeds on everything it touches and consumes not only physical materials, but mana as well.


    But there are many mages under the army and here and there are pockets of properly shielded survivors.


    The wreckage of the ship behind me became a proper bonfire and I start my next spell while beginning to run. Attack magic is being activated all around me as the enemy mages start to wake up.


    ¡°Lumis Lux Eternal!¡± Take that! A small sphere of light forms above my palm and I thrust it upwards. Then I drop to the ground and squeeze my eyes together while shielding them with my arms.


    Everything is dark, but then a bright flash turns my vision red. The spell is so bright that I am not able to shield my eyes completely against it while facing the ground. I feel my skin burn where it is exposed to the light. A heavy sunburn is the least I can expect from camping directly under my own spell.


    Explosions and sizzling sounds erupt around me. My enemies misfired their spells after being blinded by a light, brighter than the sun.


    I look up and a few dots dance through my vision. Even though I prepared myself, the spell still almost fried me, so I cast regeneration on myself to get rid of the itchy feeling on the exposed parts of my skin.


    A look around confirms that almost all of my enemies in the surroundings went blind. They are stumbling and crawling around like in a zombie movie. ¡°In the land of the blind, the one eyed man shall be king! MWAHAHA!¡±


    I start hurling fireballs and ice shards around. Fired up by my attacks, some idiots start to cast magic blindly. Soldiers start to stab their weapons around in fear of being the next victim. Utter chaos breaks loose as enemies who weren''t blinded start to deal with the rogue elements.


    Suddenly an ice shard hits me in the chest. The impact drives the air out my lungs and I am thrown backwards. But my barrier prevents serious damage. I land on my back and take a few breaths before sitting up. I shouldn''t get overconfident.


    Three familiar faces greet me. It''s Tendril Arenzien, my father. Andrus Arenzien, my older brother by two years is to his left and my second older brother by three years is to his right. His name is Areth Arenzien.


    I pat my chest to get the dust off. ¡°That was dangerous! You could have killed me if I hadn''t been protected by my barrier.¡±


    ¡°We will end this now! Once and for all.¡± Tendril points a hand at me and I feel his mind trying to invade my own. I evade the attempt by concentrating on myself. A basic exercise for mind magicians, but actually a very complicated task.


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    ¡°You know that I don''t really care about what you think father? I suspected that you might join this war. But to think that both of my brothers are here too. It''s almost like a family reunion! Just the female members are missing.¡± I get to my feet again.


    ¡°We will take good care of your slave wife.¡± Areth grins at me with a slimy expression.


    ¡°And your daughter will surely be fun.¡± Andrus joins him on an even lower level.


    Did he just threaten me with hurting Sera? Unforgivable! I thrust my hand at them and a storm of ice shards is unleashed. They disperse in perfect synchronisation and avoid my attack.


    Attack magic is coming my way from three directions and I simply rely on the power of the mana crystal to form a protecting barrier. I hit Areth with my shower of ice shards and they pass right through him. Clones? Phantoms?


    I close my eyes and search for their souls. Obviously I got caught in some kind of mind manipulation. There are no soul-fires where they were beforehand. Instead there is one ¡­ Andrus!


    A vicious grin appears on my face and I turn, jumping a step forward while wrapping my left hand in mana. Slashing at the empty air in front of me, I feel no resistance. Did I miss?


    But then I look at my hand which is red with blood. And it''s not mine. The air starts to blur and reveals Andrus, who drops to his knees in front of me. Looking down at his chest, he is staring in disbelief at the wound where my hand passed right through him.


    Then he drops to the ground and lies still. I close my eyes again and concentrate on my surroundings. ¡°~Come out, come out, wherever you are.~¡± I jump on my dead brother''s back and turn in a circle while trying to find my father and my second brother.


    They didn''t come out of their hiding after Andrus failed to sneak up on me. But they are good! Probably I won''t find them if they aren''t too close. Andrus was always a dumb idiot. That''s why father wasn''t afraid of him becoming stronger than Areth and overturning the house.


    I kneel down while trying to feel for my brother''s soul. But it''s already gone. ¡°He was the spare part anyway? No need to shed a tear for him?¡± I call out to provoke them. No reaction.


    So I grab my brother''s body at his ankle and start dragging him towards the big bonfire which was once my ship. ¡°You know. I always liked the tradition of burning the dead. You don''t have to look after something troublesome like a grave!¡± I talk loudly to myself.


    In Mislow there is a strong belief that you have to be buried with your face up into the sky. Otherwise you can''t meet the gods to go in to your next life. Of course I know that this is bullshit. But my family members don''t share this knowledge.


    After I arrive back at the bonfire, I thrust the body of my brother into the flames with telekinesis and place my hands in my pockets. Still no reaction. I guess he really didn''t mean anything to them.


    Probably I should think about which spell they need so long to cast. I doubt that they are idle while watching me. My only chance lies in breaking their mind magic. And the fight in the vicinity is dying down. So I don''t have much time.


    I concentrate on the souls around me. But whatever my father and my brother are doing seems to interfere with all my senses. Suddenly I feel a sharp pain on my upper left leg and look down. Something cut me!


    There wasn''t any indication that one of them came close to me! Damn this mind meddling shit! Another cut opens on my shoulder and I turn around to grab whoever is there. My hand wipes through empty air. I take a deep breath and devise a plan while drawing power from the small mana crystal.


    I start to channel the power of the mana crystal through my aura. If they are using mind magic, then they have to meddle with me through small, almost unrecognisable threads of mana. I just have to emit enough power to break those connections.


    My body starts to emit a visible outburst of power while I am draining the mana crystal. In the distance, I see a group of soldiers approaching and thrust my hand at them. They are blown away like toys.


    Then something breaks and it''s like fog is lifting from my mind! I turn and see my father with a raised sword in front of me. The sword swings down, while my hand thrusts upwards and catches the blade. The strong battle aura, which I am currently emitting, protects me from being cut.


    ¡°One moment is deciding.¡± I whisper at him and cast my favourite shadow spell. It''s a mind magic which lets the victim experience his ultimate fears. Everyone has something which he is afraid of, however irrational it may be.


    For a moment my mind is fighting with his. He is experienced and blocks my attempt, but I know his tricks. He used them countless times against me. During all this time I found his weakness, but I never dared to use it as a child. It would have most likely meant my death if I had failed.


    But there is no reason to hold back now. This is a battlefield and I am no child any more. So I stab my mind into his unguarded spot.


    Tendril''s expression becomes haunted, then he starts to scream. He turns in a circle and runs off into the big bonfire. ¡°That''s how the great master of the house of Arenzien meets his end.¡±


    I ponder for a moment over the death of my father and analyze my feelings. But there is no regret. A hated person, who tried to kill me, died. There is nothing more to it.


    I look around and finally find Areth standing in some distance. He is holding a sword like my father. A smile appears on my face and I walk into his direction. ¡°Why are you so hesitant brother? Shouldn''t you have helped your father.¡±


    ¡°Why should I have cared for someone like him? It''s only beneficial to me if he dies. Now I am the head of the family!¡± He smiles at me.


    ¡°Not for long!¡± I start to cast a wind fist to deal with the last nuisance, which is called my family. But from one moment to the next, my body goes limp and I drop face first into the dirt. What''s wrong with me!? I can''t move at all!


    ¡°Father was an idiot to go close to you after we managed to apply the poison. But he wanted to deliver the final blow himself.¡± I hear Areth''s steps coming closer.


    A kick from him turns me onto my back and he places the tip of his sword on my chest while standing above me. ¡°You know brother. To be honest I never really cared about what you do, or don''t do. You gave up on our house and went away. That was the best thing that could happen to me. So who cares what you do up here in the north.¡±


    ¡°Bastard. I will haunt you!¡± I press the words out from between my lips.


    He looks down at me. ¡°But right now you are the leader of a heretical group and there is much fame to gain by slaying you.¡± He raises his sword to stab it down into my chest.


    He is filling my field of vision and I curse him for having to see his ugly visage during the last moments of my life.


    *Thud*


    But then a big, man-sized stone hits him from the side! It''s unspectacular, but fast and effective. A dull sound marks my brother''s end. I force my eyes to the side and find my brother''s upper body completely crushed by a big solid piece of rock. Nothing but his feet are looking out from under the thing.


    Then another face appears upside down in my field of vision, completely filling it from above.


    ¡°~Hi, daddy!~¡±


    ¡°S... Sera?¡± What''s the critter doing here?


    ~I pestered mom until we went to look for you.~


    ¡°I said you aren''t allowed to crash your ship anywhere!¡± Celestial''s voice shrieks into my ears and I wince. ¡°Get up! We have to get out of here!¡±


    ¡°I can''t ¡­ poison!¡± I force the words out of my lips.


    Celestial gives me a quick check up, then she throws me over her left shoulder like a sack of rice while carrying Sera under her right arm.


    ¡°You are nothing but trouble!¡± She continues her rant while running at unbelievable speed towards the Southern Col.


    The bombardment must have thinned the enemy army considerably. There isn''t much which is obstructing her path.


    I mull over the situation while being given a lecture by Sera on how important it is to check for poison once you are wounded. She assiduously ignores the fact that I couldn''t have done anything about the poison anyway!


    .

 55. ~Vae victis!~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Nord-Capital City***


    ***The Jarl***


    ¡° ¡­ The army from Mislow got crushed. The same goes for the assisting forces of the Inquisition and various other feudal lords who assisted them. There are still about twenty thousand of them remaining, but they have no possibility to break Sarn''s defence. And without their supplies, they have no chance of laying siege to Sarn.¡±


    The spy-master finally ends his explanation and bows to me. So many things are happening at once and there is no chance of keeping complete track of them all.


    First the attack from Mislow, then the betrayal of those long eared bastards. And even the mages of the Inquisition joined the fray.


    My wives are sitting at my side. They listened too and have worried expressions on their faces. The third one is looking at me like saying ~told you so~. It bothers me. What should I have done? These are uncertain times and the long time of peace on this continent came to an end.


    I scratch my belly while thinking about the spy-master¡¯s words. And then there is this story about the attack on the Academy. If the reports about the attack by Phenex are true, then we lost another important location to the Immortal Empress.


    My second wife pats my hand from the side. She was always the most empathic one, she always knows when I have gloomy thoughts.


    Aaahh... why do all the other rulers have to be so stupid. To abandon your capital and take all your fighting forces somewhere else without knowing the enemy''s abilities. This Norent Grant must have a birdbrain without comparison.


    Surely my doors will burst open any second now and he will be here, starting a rant on how negligent I am. Probably he doesn''t even know what happened to his capital. I wonder how an inexperienced person like him became the head of the Inquisition.


    From the few times I met him, he seemed quite emotional too. He doesn''t have the qualities of a leader at all.


    *Bam*


    The doors to my throne room fly open and like I prophesied, Norent Grant is standing there. Sometimes I am afraid of my own foresight. My guards move immediately to block his path.


    ¡°Insolence! How dare you to block the path of the Inquisition!? Are you in league with those heretics, who defy the way of life we upheld for hundreds of years?!¡± He starts screaming at them and I signal the guards to let him come closer.


    ¡°Norent. I am sure you are aware that this isn''t your own house! And you are seriously stretching my good will after declaring war on us!¡± My voice echoes through the throne room.


    ¡°The Inquisition didn''t declare war on anyone! We are just aiding a rightful cause to stop the downfall of our whole world!¡± Norent answers with an angry voice.


    ¡°Yet your mages assisted the kingdom of Mislow! Which declared war on us! I have it black on white!¡± I grab a document on the table at my side and wave it at him.


    ¡°I wonder why I am even speaking to you! A homeless bastard, who even acted without a proper declaration of his intentions!¡± I am the one who is screaming now.


    ¡°The Inquisition isn''t homeless! How dare you to defy us! We control the Academy! Our city has the most knowledgeable mages of the entire world.¡± He is turning red now.


    I cough and grin at him. ¡°Oh, so you don''t know that the Academy fell to Phenex while you took all your fighting forces somewhere else?¡±


    Norent''s mouth opens and closes a few times like a fish. ¡°That''s impossible! The Academy is untouchable in the desert! And the Gates are well defended! The guards would shut the Gates down if a fighting force came through! Preposterous!¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Apparently you forgot that the ruler of Phenex is a mage beyond imagination. She got access to the Gate network and invaded your city after taking out your guards herself. My spies just reported it to me. Maybe you should think about implementing proper information networks.¡±


    ¡°How did you even get this information? We haven''t heard a word from the Academy!¡± He sneers at me.


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Maybe you are relying too heavily on the Gates? My spies always preferred to use other means of message transportation too. That being said. I repeat my question of why I am listening to you. From my point of view, you are nothing more than a terrorist.¡±


    ¡°Even if the Academy is temporarily in foreign hands, that doesn''t change the Inquisition''s cause! This is a holy war in the name of the gods! You will immediately command this Ascathon to lay down his demonic weapons and stop his heretical actions, accepting the cleansing of his entire principality!¡± Norent is becoming red like a tomato.


    ¡°No.¡±


    My answer is simple and final. It''s a waste of my time to talk with an animal like this. I wave my hand and signal the guards to remove him from my sight.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.Two guards grab him at his hands from each side. They lift him half a metre into the air and turn to start walking.


    ¡°Don''t touch me!¡± A sudden flash of light blinds me and both guards are flung away from Norent. They hit the walls with an ugly sound. ¡°I am the chosen hero of the gods! I received their divine blessing! And now I see clear about all of you! You Northerners were corrupted by the blasphemy of Sarn!¡±


    Other guards enter the room while the remaining ones ready their weapons and I raise my hand to erect a barrier.


    ¡°I will start with eliminating the demon''s head.¡± Norent turns towards me and the mages start casting attack magic at him, but he evades with an unbelievable jump and lands between the guards who tried to shield me.


    My third wife immediately conjures a fireball and throws it at Norent, who is dismembering my protectors like toys. Two swords of light appeared from nowhere in his hands. They cut through weapons and plate armour like they were made out of paper.


    The fireball of my wife is deflected by the weapons and impacts behind Norent. Then he jumps at us and I muster all my power, throwing my personal ice fist spell at him. The shard of ice hits him head on in the chest and he is thrown backwards, landing on his back in the middle of the room.


    But my spell isn''t done yet. Ice starts to enclose Norent in a tight embrace to rob him of his freedom.


    The Inquisitor doesn''t yield to his fate. With a mad fury in his eyes, he breaks free and slices the throat of a guard who tried to attack him.


    He thrusts his sword at another one and an orb of arcane energy shoots out and punches right through the guards chest. Then Norent turns towards us and summons another orb, which is flying right at me.


    I raise both my hands to put all my power into the barrier, damn this body and my weakness! The orb punches through the barrier, but from one moment to the next, my third wife is in front of me and blocks the spell.


    Then she topples over and blood starts to spread on the floor.


    ¡°Nooo!¡±


    I scream and throw another ice fist at Norent. The Inquisitor evades while running towards me and I throw myself out of my throne to look after my wife, who cared for me despite my body.


    Other guards try to block Norent, but the Inquisitor mows them down like grass.


    I grab my beautiful wife''s hand while my first and second wife are trying to hold Norent off and other guards enter the throne room.


    Norent kicks my second wife, who is flung away like a toy and slices at the first, gutting her. I summon an air cushion where my second wife impacts and cast an ice shard at Norent in defiance.


    The Inquisitor evades with ease and is above me in the next moment. His swords of light slice down at me and I try to protect myself with my right hand. But the hand is amputated like nothing and deep cuts open in my chest.


    Pain burns my entire being and I hear someone screaming in a strange mixture of pain and rage, until I realize that I am the one who is screaming.


    An arcane missile impacts on Norent''s back and throws him against a wall. New arriving guards are shooting attack magic in all forms at him, but a strange light is protecting him. Although the massive onslaught finally seems to show effect.


    Norent rolls to the side and gets to his feet, propelling himself forward and jumping through a window.


    Yeah! That''s right! Run from my guards you insane bastard. Whichever gods you are worshipping, they aren''t mine, nor the gods of my people.


    I smile while patting the face of my third wife and close her dead eyes with my remaining hand. ¡°Sleep well Wera.¡±


    Then my second wife is above me. ¡°Ibrahim! Oh, my Ibrahim. What has this monster done! Heal!¡±  She casts healing magic at me, but the wounds which were inflicted by those weapons of light don''t close. They must have a strong curse implemented in them.


    I grab my second wife''s hand and smile at her. ¡°Natasha, don''t cry. What about Adele?¡± My second wife shakes her head while her chin is trembling.


    ¡°You have to be strong now.¡± I cough and blood is coming up my throat while my vision is getting blurry. ¡°It''s not like we haven''t foreseen something like this. Keep calm and remember the parchments in my chamber? I am sure you will get this bastard and avenge us. You just have to use someone ¡­ who is stronger than him.¡±


    Natasha doesn''t answer and presses her cheek against mine instead. I smile and embrace her with my arm. There is nothing bad about dying. Except for the pain, but it doesn''t hurt as much as before. I will simply close my eyes and dream about fine women like Natasha, Adele and Wera ¡­


    ¡°Be strong Natasha¡­¡±


    ¡­


    .

 56. ~Aftermath.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley, Southern Col***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°The clean-up will take us quite some time.¡± I look down at the pass-road and wince. ¡°What a waste. This is a major trading route. Look at it now! It will take us months until a carriage can pass the col again.¡±


    ¡°If a certain someone had been faster, then there would be less damage. We had to bombard it to rubble in order to keep the enemy troops at bay.¡± Den throws an accusing look at me.


    I am currently sitting in a wheel chair. The fucking poison was strong, I still can''t move properly. Not even Celes could do much with all her medical knowledge. After she carried me back, she took some blood samples with her needles and cut some tissue samples off of me too! It took quite a while and I had the feeling that she was actually torturing me. Then she ran off to analyse them.


    I was placed in a camp bed in her tent. At least some guards could organize the wheel chair for me.


    So I headed out to take a look at the situation. There are still plenty of enemies left, but their supplies got destroyed during our bombardment. They are currently executing an organized retreat back the way they came.


    It doesn''t make any sense to me to hinder their retreat. They are leaving our land and that''s exactly what we want. There will be more than enough deaths on their way back. Reaching the next town by foot will take them about two weeks.


    Walking such a distance without food is harsh. I guess most of them will turn into bandits and rogue elements on their way back. Our intelligence says that the principality on our southern border assisted them with supplies, so I have no qualms about letting the retreating army loose on my neighbours.


    ¡°There he is!¡±


    I look around and see Celestial with Sera. ¡°Argh! No! Not again! Den, hold them off while I flee!¡± I turn my wheelchair and start turning the wheels with my arms.


    ¡°What''s wrong.¡± Den looks confused in Celestial''s direction.


    But I don''t get far. Celestial materializes out of thin air in front of me and I bump into her. Looking back, I see that Sera is waddling into our direction. Celestial''s skills become more frightening each day!


    ¡°What are you thinking!? To run around in a condition like that!¡± She grabs the grips of my wheel chair and turns me around. Back into the direction of the medical facilities!


    I grab the wheels and try to hold them with all my might. ¡°I am okay! The poison is weakening and I can move my arms just fine!¡± But Celestial relentlessly continues to push the wheelchair forward.


    I admit that I can''t win this fight and let go of the wheels. ¡°There is much to do! Why can''t I at least take a look at the current situation.¡±


    Den steps out of the way and I am brought back to Celestial''s private tent. Arriving there, she instructs the guards not to let anyone inside. Then she rolls me inside. The tent is actually nothing like a normal tent would be.


    It''s huge, luxurious and the room inside spans at least ten square metres. ¡°Celestial? Why are you so silent? If there is something you want to say, say it. I can take harsh news.¡±


    Sera follows us inside and the guards close the entrance to give us some privacy. I am rolled a little farther into the tent and then Celestial pulls the breaks of the wheelchair and walks around to face me.


    Suddenly she kneels down and gets into a dogeza-position in front of me.


    ¡°I am sorry!¡±


    ¡°Hah!?¡± What''s wrong!? Am I going to die!? No. That wouldn''t be so bad! Am I going to be paralysed for life!? I already experienced such a life! Please kill me if it''s that!


    ¡°I am sorry for all the times I mistreated you at the Academy. And for blackmailing you into the current situation, while always thinking of my own good! I will at least try to be a proper wife from now on! So please forgive me.¡± Celestial looks up again.


    I close my mouth which fell open during her speech. ¡°Hrm. I must admit, you surprised me ¡­ wait a moment! What does that have to do with the current situation!?¡± I point my index finger at Celestial. Something is fishy!


    Then I realize that her eyes aren''t focused at me, but at something at my side. My head snaps to Sera, who is standing behind me. She immediately hides her hands. Was that sign language? ¡°Sera? Do you have something to say? For example why your mother is acting strange all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°~No. I am just a moral help. Everything she says are her true feelings.~¡±


    I squint my eyes. ¡°Sure. But the woman I know as Celestial would never apologize for something like that.¡±


    ¡°~That''s why I am here! I had a long and serious talk with my mother. About the past, before I was born. And I deemed it necessary that she has to apologize.~¡±


    ¡°I see. But I still have the feeling that you found a weak point of hers. Tell me!¡± I look deep into Sera''s eyes.


    ~Daddy. Don''t you always say yourself that someone should never show all his cards. But you are deviating from the issue here. And that is to clear some things up. Celestial apologized. Now it''s your turn!~


    Hah!? This little critter! ¡°I have nothing to apologize for!¡±


    Sera shakes her head.


    ¡°~Haaah... that''s why I deem it necessary to become active. Dad. You treated mom like a slave for quite some time. And while you might think that it was a proper way to get back at her, it wasn''t okay! So apologize now, and then we can start to work on other issues.~¡±


    ¡°I hope you realize that you are talking to your father? There are some things which I can''t tolerate in our relationship!¡± I look down at Sera, who is biting on her lip while thinking.


    ¡°~I will tell everyone about the treasure box!~¡±


    My mind freezes. ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°~In your lab. Hidden under a stone slate. There is a box with a false bottom. And inside...~¡±


    I reach for Sera, but she evades with more grace than I would have believed possible and dances out of reach.


    ¡°~Do I have to speak further.~¡±


    I form a fist with my hand. ¡°Such an apology has no meaning!¡±


    ¡°~But it''s a start!~¡±


    Tch! I haul myself out of the chair and get down in front of Celestial. ¡°I am sorry for everything I have done to you! And I accept your apology!¡±


    ¡°What does she have on you!?¡± Celestial whispers to me.


    ¡°That''s a secret! In return I won''t ask what she has on you!¡± I whisper back.


    ¡°Isn''t it wonderful to leave all that old stuff behind you. And now we can finally talk about making up!¡± Sera pats our shoulders and smiles.


    I force a smile on my face. ¡°Good. Can you help me into my chair now? Have you found out anything about the poison by the way?¡±


    Celestial grabs me and places me back in the chair. ¡°It will take a few weeks. But with this you will make a complete recovery. You have to drink it.¡±


    A grey vial appears in Celestial''s hand and I take it. I pop the plug off and smell the content. ¡°Whoa! Shit. What''s that! It smells like old dead fish and something else!¡±


    Celestial smiles at me. ¡°~It''s medicine!~ Drink it, honey.¡±


    She surely made this stuff extra stinky and bad tasting. I gulp the content down while trying for it to make no contact with my tongue.


    Then Celestial brings me a glass of water, without being asked and I take it to get rid of the taste. Somehow I want to know what leverage Sera has on her. But do I need to know, as long as she is acting this meekly?


    I have to change the hiding place of my treasure box in any case!


    At that moment a bell is rung. One of the guards wishes to speak to us. Celestial walks outside while I continue to stare at Sera.


    ¡°I just want a harmonic family. That''s all.¡± She hugs my leg while looking up at me. That cheating! She is cheating and she knows it!


    ¡°We will see ...¡± I pat her head.


    Celestial returns. ¡°There is a captive. And the guards don''t know what to do...¡± Celestial has a disturbed expression.


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Didn''t I say that we take no prisoners? Throw him back out to the others. He can walk home!¡±


    Celestial nods. ¡°Yes, but she says that she is your mother. And she wants to speak.¡±


    ¡°Aw. Crap. Shit.¡± I scratch at my cheek with a disturbed expression.


    ¡°What''s wrong? That isn''t an expression someone should have when he hears about his mother!¡± Sera punches my leg.


    ¡°You have no idea. My side of the family consists of assholes, sadists and child torturers. Fortunately I got rid of most members of that family arm yesterday.¡± I nod while smiling and Sera is looking at me with a shocked expression.


    ¡°Really? Who? My parents will be thankful to you for eternity!¡± Celestial looks at me with question marks above her head.


    ¡°Well, I slit my second brother''s throat and my father burned in that big bonfire. And the guy whom you hit with that rock was my third brother, thanks by the way.¡± I continue to explain my family situation to Sera, whose jaw dropped during my confession.


    She looks down on the ground. ¡°I lost three birthday presents per year!¡±


    One moment! Why does she calculate relatives in birthday presents? What''s up with that reasoning!?


    Then she looks up again. ¡°But from what you explained my grandmother isn''t completely out of the picture. We will go and have a look at her!¡±


    Sera starts to toddle towards the exit and I turn my wheels to catch her. ¡°One moment! You stay here and I will talk to her! There are still issues! For example why she is showing up now!¡±


    ¡°For example because we are her only remaining relatives?¡± Sera smiles at me and I put her down.


    ¡°Anyway! I will talk!¡± I start to wheel towards the exit, but then Celestial starts to push me from behind and I place my hands on my lap.


    We are at an improvised prison tent five minutes later. Inside are four soldiers guarding a woman. She has brown eyes and violet hair like Violetta. She seems to be an older version of hers. I wave for the guards to leave and they file out of the tent.


    Celestial says nothing while standing behind me. Then I look towards my mother, Irda Arenzien. ¡°Hi.¡±


    She tries to smile. ¡°Hello Ascathon. How are you doing.¡±


    ¡°Like you see, father and my brothers got me into this chair. But the doctor says it won''t be permanent. Why are you here.¡± I look at her with suspicion.


    She sighs. ¡°I don''t know. Maybe because my foolish husband finally got killed because of his ideals and took two of my sons with him?¡± Irda starts to knead her hands. ¡°I know that I was never someone who deserved the name mother. But I want to see Violetta at least. Please.¡±


    I tilt my head. ¡°She is in Sarn.¡±


    Irda starts to cry in front of me. Hey, seriously? Don''t press onto the emotional button all of a sudden! She was never emotional in front of me before!


    Suddenly Sera toddles past me and starts to pat Irda''s hand. Didn''t we leave her back in Celestial''s tent!? I look behind me and find Sera''s personal guards at the entrance. They look apologetic at me, nonono can''t be! She got them too!? ¡°I like her. She can stay. Right daddy? I always wanted to meet my grandmother.¡±


    Irda looks a little shocked at Sera, but then she suddenly hugs her. ¡°You must be his daughter. To talk like that at this age.¡±


    I smack my forehead and sigh.


    ***


    What felt like several hours of talking led to Irda''s acceptance into my household. Sera had quite a few words to say in that matter too. I just wonder Celestial''s parents will react to that.


    Violetta will be happy without a doubt.


    .

 57. ~Testament.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ***Ascathon***


    I am finally back at home in my mansion. There is nothing more wonderful than being at home! Though we have a slight situation at the moment. The whole family is being gathered in our living room and we are having something like a family meeting.


    My mother''s arrival split the family into multiple camps.


    There are Idala and Arduin on the left side of the table. They have doubts about Irda''s intentions and I think that they would start a fight right here and now if Celestial wasn''t present. Then we have Violetta, Sera and Liandra on the right. They are on Irda''s side, who is sitting beside them. The fact that Liandra chose to speak up for Irda just adds fuel to the fire, but she isn''t aware of it.


    Liandra and Violetta are so close to each other that Liandra aided her adopted sister without thinking, which is seen by her parents as open betrayal!


    Then there is me and Celestial at the head of the table. We are trying to create something like a peace treaty. Celestial is trying to achieve peace by talking to both parties.


    But right now I am fed up with this entire bullshit talk. I guess the master of the house has to speak a final word.


    *BAM*


    I interrupt the heated discussion by hitting the big table with enough force to shake it. ¡°This is my house! And my principality! I allow who can stay here and who is thrown out! So this entire discussion is useless! If one of you freeloaders isn''t happy with another freeloader, he can leave through the door and take the Gate to wherever he wants. Preferably not coming back at all!¡±


    Nobody answers. I guess reminding them of their status as ~guests~ did the trick. The only ones who are smiling happily, are the kids.


    I guess you can''t shock children by labelling them as someone who doesn''t pay for his lodging.


    I look around, but neither Idala, nor Arduin, nor Irda keep eye-contact with me. So I lean back and fold my hands on the table. ¡°Now that''s done. I would appreciate it if there are no fights inside the family. Try to be ~nice~. I am a little edgy at the moment, because I am not in my best shape.¡±


    *Knock*


    The door opens and our secretary Sarah peeks inside. ¡°There is a courier with a message from the Jarl. He wants to be let inside, to speak immediately to the leader of the house of Asceron. His message allows no delays...¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Let him in.¡±


    Sarah nods and opens the door. Looks like the courier followed her to this room. An oddly dressed guy enters the living room. He has a big sealed parchment in his hands. Without a hint of insecurity, he walks in front of me and hands me the parchment.


    Looks like he knows me? I take the document and wait for him to leave, but he shows no hint of understanding my expectations.


    After a few seconds he decides to share his intentions with me. ¡°I have instructions to wait until I have personally seen to it that the message is read loudly and understood.¡±


    I shrug my shoulders and break the seal on the parchment. Then I start reading.


    ¡°To all noble leaders of Norfolk who own a principality or kingdom. Yesterday evening, at the seventh Sjen of the three hundredth and ninety fourth year of the unification of Sarn, the Jarl Ibrahim the Great was murdered by the leader of the Inquisition, Norent Grant. Everyone has to report immediately to the Jarl''s hall in the capital. Delays are not acceptable!¡±


    I turn the sheet of paper around to see if there is more, but that''s all. Then I look towards the courier. ¡°That''s a very bad joke!¡±


    The courier shakes his head. ¡°That''s not a joke at all. I saw the Jarl''s dead body with my own eyes. I will excuse myself now and report that you have received the message.¡± He turns and leaves the room.


    The Jarl dead? Murdered? Like Fingulf? What else will happen today? I place the parchment on my lap and start pushing the wheels of my wheelchair. ¡°Sarah! Den!¡±


    Sarah immediately looks around the corner again and I start to give orders without delay. ¡°I will be in the capital for some time. And I need Den with ten of his best men as escorts!¡±


    I wheel out of the room, leaving the family behind. Then my chair is suddenly pushed from behind and I look to find Celestial behind me.


    ¡°I am coming with you.¡± She starts to roll me towards the exit of my mansion.


    ¡°There is no need. I have Den! You should stay behind and keep our parents from murdering each other.¡± I object.


    Celestial shakes her head. ¡°No, I won''t let you go alone to the capital! End of discussion. Sera is there anyway. She will surely find something compromising under my parents'' personal items.¡±


    I sigh while I think about the problematic critter. Yeah, she is probably right.


    ***


    There are multiple tables inside the Jarl''s hall. All in all enough places for about a hundred people. There are still traces of a recent battle. People are arriving one at a time. It looks like everybody was ordered to report here like me.


    It saddens me a little when I look at the Jarl''s body in the centre of the room. It was enclosed in ice to preserve it for everyone to see. I recognize two of his mistresses beside him.


    There are still some seats left open, but I have the feeling that it can''t take long until everyone is here. From what I see, the entire upper class of Norfolk is present in this room.


    Norfolk''s territory is huge compared to the other countries. There are about fifteen principalities and ten small kingdoms which swore loyalty to the Jarl. The numbers of the principalities are changing frequently.


    It depends on whom the Jarl trusts enough to give him a principality. The leaders of a principality are like caretakers for the Jarl''s property. He can take his country back at any given time.


    The issue is a little more complicated in the case of the kingdoms. They joined the Jarl on their own accord when he unified Norfolk a few hundred years ago. Their leadership is handed down by succession.


    So there should be about fifty to a hundred people invited, depending on how many are following the request. Like in Celestial''s and my case, we came just with the two of us. But there are others who showed up with three or more people.


    There are mostly just guys with their women. Norfolk has a patriarchal society and there is no limit on partners. I look around while eyeing the beautiful wives of the other rulers until my eyes fall onto a particular pair of eyes beside me. Celestial is looking at me like an insect.


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    ¡°What? There is no rule against looking!¡±


    ¡°There is! From now on! You are doing it too obviously. At least try to hide it to a certain degree.¡± Celestial folds her hands under her chest, which emphasizes her bust in a fortunate manner.


    I don''t know if she did it on purpose or not, but the heads of several guys snap around to have a quick glance.


    ¡°There is no help for you. To look somewhere else while I am sitting beside you!¡± She closes her eyes and shakes her head. I roll my eyes and smile.


    ¡°You are right of course. But it''s simply my nature to wish for more than I have.¡± There! Take that and chew on that sentence.


    Celestial''s expression drops and she starts to chew on a fingernail. ¡°What did I do wrong!? Tell me! I will try to change it.¡±


    Now my expression drops. I didn''t expect that answer. I thought she would retort in kind and have a verbal duel with me. But nothing of the sort.


    ¡°Celestial, maybe you should consider to tell me what kind of leverage Sera has on you. That''s simply not your character. It baffles me every time you don''t shoot back at me.¡± I scratch my cheek and try to smile.


    Celestial grins at me. ¡°Then tell me what''s inside that box. It doesn''t suit you either to accept my help so easily.¡±


    I fidget around on my chair. ¡°What makes you think that I accept too easily?¡±


    ¡°When you went away with the fleet, you didn''t bend to my wishes, nor accepted my help. You are too proud to do that. You accepted my help with the wheelchair too easily since Sera threatened you with the box!¡± She smirks at me.


    ¡°The contents of that box can never be revealed! To nobody!¡± I place my hands flat on the table to emphasize how important the matter is.


    ¡°Then I can''t reveal my personal problems either!¡± Celestial looks away. Then she sighs. "We might have created a monster..."


    I look down onto the table. "It had to be expected. She is the be best of both of us..."


    We stay silent until the door to the hall opens and a fine woman enters.


    I recognize her as one of the Jarl''s mistresses. ¡°So that one survived, huh?¡±


    ¡°Wasn''t it obvious? There are only two bodies and the Jarl has three wives.¡± Celestial waves at the block of ice with the bodies inside.


    ¡°Hoh? You have done some research on the Jarl?¡± I smirk at her.


    ¡°Of course! I did a lot of research on this country! It''s necessary for managing our principality. I even know that the guy three tables to our right is Duke Erwin. He owns the principality on our southern borders and he has a grudge against you! After all there are about twenty thousand soldiers from Mislow sacking his villages at this very moment. And the guy with five women over there is King Naheel. He owns the biggest iron mines of the north! And his income went down by four percent since you put higher taxes on his goods.¡± Celestial smiles at me.


    I close my mouth. Ok. I admit it, she is the better ruler. Not that I care that much about ruling a principality. I just want to do my research. ¡°Is there anyone who doesn''t have a grudge against me?¡±


    She tilts her head while thinking. ¡°There are some. But they don''t have as much reason to like you, as those two have to dislike you.¡±


    I huff and watch the Jarl''s mistress, who has reached the throne and places herself on top of it. The throne is much too big for the graceful beauty with long straw coloured hair. Her body is not very curvy, but that only adds to her sharp facial features. Probably she could melt hearts if she decided to smile.


    Then she starts to speak. ¡°I am Natasha, second wife of Jarl Ibrahim the Great. And I am currently ruling Norfolk in absentia of the Jarl!¡±


    A murmur passes through the hall. Then someone calls out from farther behind. ¡°A woman can''t rule Norfolk! Why do we even have to listen to you! The Jarl is dead!¡±


    I look and find a dark dressed guy to be the source of the provocation.


    ¡°That''s King Sven Sveralk. He is one of the hardliners against the Jarl.¡± Celestial whispers to me.


    ¡°Because the Jarl had no children. Nor are there any living relatives by blood!¡± Natasha speaks loud and with a steady voice. ¡°And that''s why he left a testament behind. It''s signed and confirmed by six of the people who are present here today!¡±


    Natasha pulls a document with six seals out of her robe and raises it while looking around and six nobles raise their hands.


    I glance at Celestial. ¡°I suspect that those guys are loyal supporters of the Jarl?¡± Celestial nods without saying anything.


    Then Natasha breaks the six seals and starts to read.


    ¡°If this document is read to the assembled leaders of my principalities and kingdoms, it means that I am dead. And I left no proper heirs behind. But don''t despond, my devoted subjects! I have thought of everything.¡±


    ¡°This testament was created in anticipation of the current situation. And because I knew that you idiots would start to fight one another once I was no more. To be honest I never had any hopes that you guys manage something reasonable without me.¡±


    ¡°I forged Norfolk when I was young and resourceful. I beat all of you into submission until even the biggest idiot acknowledged my superiority! We had over five hundred years of war before I came and put an end to it!¡±


    ¡°So, to avoid history repeating, I thought long and hard about someone who is able to control a group of wild animals like you! So hear the choice of your Jarl. As I am now in full possession of all my mental and magical powers.¡±


    ¡°My heir is Ascathon Asceron and his house. All my rights, possessions and responsibilities belong to him from today on! He is the new Jarl! Of course taking over my position includes taking good care of my lovely wives! I will watch you from the next life.¡±


    ¡°If someone wishes to dispute this testament, he has to duke it out with my heir. Although I don''t have much hope for you guys to survive a duel with him.¡±


    Natasha purses her lips innocently and folds the document together.


    All eyes in the hall move to me and then to my wheelchair. Why are they looking at me like I am wounded prey?


    Then I feel killing intent close to me and my head snaps to Celestial.


    She has a bittersweet smile on her face and taps the table with her fingers.


    ¡°So you have two wives from now on, eh?¡±


    ¡°I am innocent!¡±


    .

 58. ~Tradition.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Capital-City***


    ***Celestial***


    ¡°I am innocent!¡±


    Should I really believe that!? Surely he negotiated for something like this with the Jarl! He had a strange connection to the Jarl! Why else would he be accepted as a noble from Norfolk!


    But even if he is innocent or not, I have to come up with something! I won''t share Ascathon with someone else! Me being part of a harem!!? That''s the end! I would arrive at the ultimate bottom of womanhood!


    Who in her right mind would be happy to see her partner getting intimate with someone else! And I am not lesbian either! I have a child with this guy for gods sake!


    What to do? Think fast before anyone gets over the shock of this revelation! On the other hand, nobody said that this Natasha is now his wife. The document just said that he has to take care of her.  But the dickheads in this room will surely interpret the testament with their own perverted thoughts.


    That''s it! I shoot up and my chair topples over. Ascathon rolls a little backwards in anticipation that the need to escape could arise. I point at my dear husband and smile.


    ¡°?~I challenge you to a duel for the position of the Jarl!~?¡±


    If the room was silent before, the silence is now complete! If I would drop a needle, I could probably hear the impact on the ground. A few pearls of sweat form on my forehead, as I think of the implications of my actions.


    I just broke several traditions. Like speaking up loudly during a discussion between men. Like challenging my own husband in public. Like trying to get into a position of power despite being a woman! Fuck this country!


    A few mixed feelings play over Ascathon''s face as he probably has similar thoughts. He looks down on his lap and starts to mumble. ¡°A principality is already troublesome to manage ¡­ how troublesome is the whole fucking nation?¡± Then a smile forms on his face and he waves with both hands towards the throne with Natasha on it.


    ¡°~Sure. Take it. You are the new Jarl. It''s all yours.~¡±


    ¡°Eh. Really? You have no problem with it?¡± I tap my lip with my index finger.


    He shakes his head. ¡°None at all! ~Sugar Cat.~ ¡­ erm, I should probably say Jarl!¡±


    Okaaay? Did he think about something I didn''t? I took this decision in the spur of the moment. But if I don''t go through with it now, it will have a serious impact on my reputation.


    So I walk quickly to the throne and snatch the testament out of Natasha''s hand. Then I grab the shocked girl at the collar and lift her out of the throne to place her beside it. ¡°You can be the new maid! I will need an assistant.¡±


    Then I take my place on the throne and smile at the people under me. This thing is really a little too big, I need to make it smaller.


    ¡°D... Don''t joke with us! First the Jarl''s concubine and now the slave-wife of someone who wasn''t even born in Norfolk?¡± King Sven Sveralk starts screaming with all his might.


    ¡°So you challenge me?¡± I arch an eyebrow and smile. That one will be the perfect example!


    He starts walking up to me while a shard of ice starts to form above his right hand. ¡°I don''t challenge you! I will remove you from that chair! And then we will finally start talking for real!¡±


    Sven thrusts his hand forward and the shard of ice flies in my direction, so I invoke my battle aura and stand up while ignoring the weak attack. The shard breaks upon impacting on my chest and I grab the throne.


    It''s big and heavy. Made out of big and heavy wooden trunks and iron rods, which are holding the whole thing together. The previous Jarl needed such a sturdy chair, otherwise he would have had to sit on the floor.


    The throne is the perfect weapon to fight magicians!


    Then I jump with the throne above my head and use it like a club, striking down at the offender! I hear a scream and the breaking of bones, as the heavy throne squashes King Sven Sveralk. After confirming that there is no more movement under the throne, I look around at the assembled party.


    ¡°~Is there anyone else who wishes to object?~¡±


    Some people turn and try to run for the door, but the huge and heavy doorwings fly shut on their own. A clicking sound marks them being locked and a huge metal joist falls into position to seal the gate completely.


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    Ascathon wheels slowly in front of the door and turns to face the assembled party. The wheels are jarring a little, which makes the entire scene a little bizarre. Especially because he isn''t using his hands and the wheelchair seems to move on its own.


    Then he smiles. ¡°The doors are locked until this issue is solved to my satisfaction. We can''t have a civil war at this moment. Phenex is solidifying its position and Mislow plus the Nation of Mist have proven that they are willing to attack us. No one will walk out of this room until everyone''s signed a magical contract to obey the new Jarl.¡±


    He pulls a stash of papers from his clothing and waves it at everybody. ¡°Fortunately, I always have the needed materials with me. Just in case, if should I need a few more employees.¡±


    ¡°We aren''t some commoners who can be bound with magical contracts! Who do you think you are!?¡± Duke Erwin decides to throw a fireball at Ascathon, but the spell hits a barrier and disperses.


    My husband sighs and places the documents on his lap. ¡°This could have been so much easier.¡± Duke Erwin is lifted into the air above everyone else. He is visibly fighting with the power that grabbed him, but the effort seems to be wasted.


    ¡°Whatever you do! You won''t break my barrier! I am confident to be capable of the best barrier spell in Norfolk!¡± Duke Erwin starts a rant while rowing through the air with his hands and feet.


    Ascathon smacks his head. ¡°The best barrier spells are useless if you can''t fortify yourself in a fixed position.¡±


    Then Erwin starts to spin. First slowly, then faster and faster at incredible speed, while screaming with a Doppler effect. The situation lasts for several seconds until the scream stops and a brown liquid starts to spiral away from the Duke, who blurred into a spinning something.


    The guests hastily got away from the affected area, while those who were hit are bemoaning their fate. Shortly after, the twitching and crying Duke floats to the ground. ¡°I will sign! I will sign...¡±


    ¡°Then please start to form a line and I will hand you the contracts.¡± Ascathon starts to hand out the contracts.


    Someone taps my shoulder and I turn to see Natasha eyeing me with fear. ¡°Are there possibilities to climb higher in rank than being a maid or secretary? You know, I am very good at managing this country...¡±


    I eye her for several seconds. ¡°I won''t share my husband!¡±


    Natasha nods. ¡°No need to share, he is all yours! Though I have to ask, you aren''t interested in women? No? Too bad. The expression says it all...¡± She shuts up after witnessing my expression.


    I look deep into her eyes, but I recognize no deceit. ¡°Fine. We will see what you can do. Of course that''s regarding affairs of the state and nothing else!¡±


    Natasha starts to smile satisfied, while Ascathon rolls towards us. ¡°I handed the troublesome stuff to someone who already signed.¡±


    ¡°I still want to know why the Jarl handed everything to you.¡± I fold my arms in front of my chest.


    ¡°Maybe I can help... Ibrahim always kept a multitude of documents and testaments in his chambers. Just in case that something might happen to him. He cared very much for his wives. So in case of his death, we should be able to deal with the situation to our benefit.¡± Natasha explains.


    ¡°Eh? So becoming my property is beneficial to you?¡± Ascathon smirks with a dirty expression, while looking at Natasha.


    Hmpf... Why does this sting so much! He shouldn''t look like that at other women!


    ¡°Ibrahim cared for us, but he was still a follower of tradition in some aspects. It was the best testament I had to choose from. The others either didn''t fit, or would have left me off worse. Ibrahim couldn''t see everything in advance. But he seriously thought that you would be able to prevent a civil war in case of his death.¡± Natasha starts to fiddle with her fingers.


    ¡°I see.¡± I turn to Ascathon. ¡°And now ¡­ why didn''t you object to me becoming the Jarl!?¡±


    Ascathon smirks and looks back at the assembled group of people. They are almost done with signing contracts. Then he hands me one of the contracts.


    I grab the paper and start to read. ¡° ¡­ bla ¡­ bla ¡­ complete obedience to Ascathon Asceron and his house!? They needed to swear to me!¡± I rip the paper and look at him. ¡°I am just a figurehead if it''s like this!¡±


    He shrugs. ¡°What did you expect? I am not carrying magical contracts with your name around.¡±


    ¡°Argh! I have been had!¡± I drop the papers and stomp onto them.


    "Well Dear, the devil is in the details."


    .

 59. ~What shall never be known.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley, Sarn***


    ***Sera***


    Sometimes I ask myself why I am doing all this. All the effort to force my parents closer to each other and they manage to thwart it the very moment they are alone.


    My grandparents even forgot to fight with each other for a while after Ascathon and Celestial returned. When they learned about Celestial''s new position as the Jarl, they almost got a heart attack.


    Celestial on the other hand doesn''t seem too happy with her new position. She has a constant eye on her new assistant Natasha, who turned out to be the former Jarl''s widow.


    I think that Natasha poses no danger to her position at all. That''s because I think that she is more interested in women than men. Is that a direct consequence of being part of a harem?


    Despite that fact my mother is treating Natasha like competition. Although the woman hasn''t shown any ambition to do something problematic. Probably mother is afraid that Natasha could actually try something on her.


    And Celestial hasn''t talked much to Ascathon since they came back. Both of them dove into their work to get the administration of Norfolk under control.


    They even already announced Sarn as the new capital! Being the Jarl gives you a lot of power I guess.


    Anyway... it''s time for drastic measures. I will play my trump card! First I will deal with mom and then with dad. I just need to play my hand properly and see to it that they don''t learn that I manipulated them. It has to look like I am actually conspiring with them.


    I arrive at my mother''s office and take a look inside. She is alone and sitting at her desk. Good! ¡°Mom? Could we talk for a while? I have something important to tell you.¡±


    She turns and smiles. ¡°Of course, dear. Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°I want to talk about dad. You two buried yourselves in work and didn''t talk much recently.¡± I walk closer and try to look into her eyes, but the edge of the desk is too high! Damn! My puppy eyes attack was foiled by a desk! I planned to look just over the edge to kill her with my cuteness!


    ¡°It''s nothing to worry about Sera. We are simply a little occupied at the moment. And he tricked me, so I have a little too much work at the moment.¡± She shakes her head and signs another document.


    I walk around the table and hold her shirt while looking up. ¡°But despite everything, he still really likes you.¡±


    Celestial sighs. ¡°Look, Sera. We talked over this again and again. It''s nice that you are trying to help in your own shrewd way, but ...¡±


    ¡°But I am sure of it! I even have proof!¡± I grab her hand to lead her outside. ¡°I will show you his greatest secret.¡±


    Celestial''s expression turns sharper. ¡°You will show me his weakness?¡±


    ¡°One of his weaknesses.¡± I lead her down into the basement, where his private laboratory is located.


    Celestial becomes a little anxious. ¡°I don''t think that this is a good idea. What if he catches us? I promised that I wouldn''t rummage through his lab ... since that accident.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine. He is outside to supervise a new project and won''t be back for quite a while. And I am the one who did the rummaging.¡± I lead her inside and into a small empty chamber.


    ¡°Didn''t he take better care of his stuff after you threatened him with the contents of a certain box?¡± Celestial looks around.


    ¡°He changed the hiding place and put several seals on the new location. But I was a good pupil and he underestimated me. I bugged him to learn of the new spot. To be honest, I wouldn''t have found it without this measure.¡± I place both hands on the ground and infuse my mana into it.


    A magical circle starts to form on the floor. Finally it covers the walls and even the ceiling.


    ¡°~~~That which has to be forgotten,~~~


    ~~~that which is the greatest treasure,~~~


    ~~~that which nobody should know,~~~


    ~~~my greatest weakness! Appear!~~~¡±


    A box starts to form out of thin air and finally materializes completely in front of me and the magical circle disappears. I grab the box and start to fiddle with the complicated locking mechanism.


    Celestial kneels down beside me. ¡°You know, that formula sounded like he really didn''t want anyone to know. Probably I shouldn''t...¡±


    But I interrupt her. ¡°Don''t you want to know a man''s ultimate shame? He even went through the trouble to hide this in an extradimensional space! And it''s even more important because he is your husband!¡±


    *Click*


    Celestial grabs the opening box and tilts it. The contents are emptied onto the floor and a pile of blueprints spreads in front of us. She grabs one of the papers and looks over them. ¡°Those are just construction plans. Airships, mana cores, railguns, ¡­ nukes!?¡±


    I grab the sheets from Celestial''s hand. ¡°Those are just distraction! The important stuff is under the false bottom!¡± I start to work on the box again. The false bottom is loosened by a few jabs onto the side of the box and I place it to the side.


    Then I dive with my whole upper body into the box, which makes Celestial gasp. ¡°No problem! It''s a magical box with extra space inside.¡±


    I resurface with a stash of pictures. There is a really stupid picture of mom on top of the stash. And there are pictures of everyone else in the family too. ¡°He has pictures of everyone in his household. And there are especially many of you!¡±


    Mother takes the stash with a complicated face. ¡°That was when I first learned that I was pregnant with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh... seems like I wasn''t planned. But I already know that.¡± Again I dive into the box and get another smaller box out of it.


    ¡°What''s that.¡± Celestial asks.


    ¡°Those are his emergency provisions! Just in case that you stop making chocolate for him. He stamped all of them with a date to eat. Up until now he stored away enough for about a hundred years. That''s if he eats just one piece a month, like planned.¡± I hand the little box to Celestial and she sighs. ¡°He won''t manage to do that. He is a glutton.¡±


    Next I fish a piece of cloth out of the box.


    Celestial''s eyes widen and she snatches the panty out of my hands. ¡°Why does he have women''s underwear inside there!?¡±


    I dive into the box and fish for the stuff which fills up almost the entire space. Panties, bras, sport dresses, swimming suits ¡­


    ¡°Th... th... THOSE ARE MY SILKEN PANTIES FROM SECOND GRADE!¡± Celestial roars. ¡°And my bra from when I changed for graduation!? It disappeared and I never knew where it had gone!¡±


    I nod. ¡°Actually all this stuff belongs to you. Your name is on most of the items.¡±


    Celestial jumps up with a red face. ¡°I will teach him!! To steal my underwear! That pervert!¡±


    I get up and hug her left leg with all my might. ¡°No! No! That''s a completely wrong reaction!¡±


    My mother stops in her tracks. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you see? Despite everything you did to him, he still yearned for you deep in his heart! Look at all this stuff! Didn''t he steal your underwear even long after the failed confession.¡± I point at the stuff on the ground.


    Celestial snarls as she looks around. ¡°And even long before that as I see now!¡±


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    ¡°Doesn''t that show his determination towards you? And if you still don''t believe it, look here.¡± I run up to the box and get a torn and worn book. ¡°Those are his old research notes!¡±


    I open the book carefully and browse to a certain date and start to read. ¡°Today I saw an angel. She has the most beautiful smile I ever saw in all my lives. My heart was smitten immediately.¡±


    A later date has another short mention of my mother. ¡°This year we got into the same class! And I finally learned her name! I can''t hide it any longer. If I don''t confess, she will probably find it out anyway. I stare at her like a lovestruck idiot, which I probably am.¡±


    Next. ¡°She threw me out of the window when I confessed and I broke some bones. It hurt like hell! But I didn''t know that her family is an enemy of mine. I curse my fate, probably I have no chance with her at all!¡±


    Celestial''s expression turns guilty.


    I smile. ¡°Today she played another bad trick on me! I hate that bitch! But I love her at the same time! Even if her attention hurts, I am still happy about it. At least she acknowledges my existence. That makes me somehow happy. Why does it still feel good to be hurt by the one you love. I am the worst. I am dirt.¡±


    Another page is turned. ¡°She cursed me! I was in bed for two weeks and couldn''t move! The doctor started to write a death certificate when Kane summoned one to the dorm! But thinking about her still made me happy. How can you love and hate someone at the same time? I may have to face it. Am I a masochist? Am I deriving pleasure from being hurt by those whom I love? But I absolutely hate my parents for abandoning me! Shouldn''t I have the same feelings for them? I have to explore this mental state!¡±


    I smile and close the book. Mother is on her knees, crying. ¡°I never wanted to hurt someone like that. Probably killing him outright would have been the better choice.¡±


    ¡°You... you can still make up for it mom!¡± I walk to her and pat her shoulder.


    ¡°How? How can you make up for eight years of pain?¡± Celestial hugs me and sniffs into my shoulders.


    ¡°M... Maybe eight years of ~pleasure and love~ would be a good start?¡± I point at a certain set of panties with a bra.


    ¡°~He said in his journal that he especially likes that type.~¡±


    ***


    Haah... dealing with mom was troublesome. I had to console her for two hours after my little revelation. I didn''t think that reading dad''s journal to her would be that effective. I even read some more passages afterwards to change her opinion of him.


    Of course some of them were completely faked by me. I got a little creative and added some short sentences to dad''s research journal. His habit to doodle down short notes made this very easy. Hopefully I didn''t lay it on too thick.


    Anyway. I managed to clean everything up before dad came back. And I managed to get the promise from mom to not reveal anything to him.


    Right now he is in the kitchen and eating some cold food. He was out till late at night to work on a new project.


    And mom is already sleeping in their sleeping quarters. The perfect chance! I walk around the corner while staggering a little.


    ¡°Sera! What are you doing here at this hour? It''s not good if you treat yourself like that at such a young age.¡± He looks at me with a concerned expression.


    I smile and nod. ¡°You are right, but I simply couldn''t sleep. Mom was very worried about you, always looking outside till late in the evening. I guess her worries rubbed off on me.¡±


    Ascathon huffs. ¡°Somehow I don''t believe this. You are playing one of your games again, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No! You don''t have to become angry. I will prove it!¡± I run up to him and use my puppy eyes, this time I won''t fail like with Celestial.


    ¡°Err... whatever. You should go to sleep.¡± He looks at his food with tired eyes and doesn''t even spare me a glance!


    NOOO! My puppy eyes failed again!


    ¡°I will show you. Come!¡± I grab his arm and start to pull until he finally decides to move.


    Five minutes later we are sneaking through Celestial''s office like a couple of burglars.


    ¡°Please explain something to me.¡± Ascathon grumbles behind me. ¡°Why do I have to crawl?¡±


    I wave upwards with my light spell and point at several hooks on the walls. ¡°Mom installed a trap against thieves and to protect her private notes. She spanned a very thin thread between those hooks. It''s running through the entire room and just touching it is enough to activate the trap!¡±


    ¡°And why should a thread alone be a trap?¡± Ascathon is dumbfounded.


    ¡°It''s spanned with so much force, even mom has to apply it with both hands! Just touch it and it goes *snap* and you will come apart like slaughtered cattle! Ever seen a tense wire rip?¡± I crawl further to a plank at the left wall of the room and hit it.


    The plank loosens and I pull it off. Then I reach inside and pull a notebook out. ¡°Those are her personal files!¡± I drop myself on Ascathon''s lap and open the notebook while he lights the sheets with a light spell.


    I open it on a certain date and start reading.


    ¡°I feel so guilty about everything! But I can''t take back neither my words, nor my actions. I guess remembering so many lives has a price. I feel like an old senile hag, who isn''t able to deal with changing circumstances. I already tried many different approaches to improve my relationship with Ascathon. But every time I try, I run into a wall or something else unfortunate happens. Can''t we just become a normal happy family?¡±


    I turn the page of the small book.


    ¡°Today I made some chocolate for him and he smiled at me. My heart jumped! I wish he would always smile like that. But when he stole a glance at Natasha, I wanted to pluck his eyes out of his head! Sometimes I wish he would put just a little effort into this, otherwise I am on the verge of giving up. There is only so much I can take.¡±


    I turn to the last page.


    ¡°Ok! That''s it! That''s my last serious try on making up! I will try to be a good wife, I will get into my best dress and give him the night of all his lives when he comes home! He will even get a full bowl of chocolate. And if he tells me just a single nice word, that''s enough! I don''t need more. Just one earnest nice word. Haah, I hope he won''t be too late tonight. What if he is taking his time in some brothel? I don''t want to think about it.¡±


    I stop reading. ¡°Ohohohoho...¡± Seems like my like excursion into the basement was a success.


    Ascathon sets me down on the ground and crawls towards the entrance. In the middle of the room he stops and turns around to whisper. ¡°If you''ll excuse me. It was nice and all, but I am needed somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Hey. We aren''t done yet!¡± I didn''t even get to the part which was completely made up by me!


    But he doesn''t turn and escapes... great! And what about me? You just left a little child alone in a room with a deadly trap! Where is your common sense!


    Hmpf. Well. No helping it.


    I guess all that''s left to do is cleaning up and covering my tracks. That means removing all the made up parts of his journal and her notebook.


    Oh, hell. This will be a looong night.


    .

 60. ~Its all a game.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Arcane Academy, Eastern Planes***


    ***Jazira, The Immortal Empress***


    ¡°~Hmmhmmhmm.~ ~Yes... that''s the right spot!~ ~Ahn...~¡±


    ¡°Stop it! You are doing this on purpose to humiliate me! Isn''t it enough that I have to massage your shoulders!?¡± Sagittarius calls out from behind me.


    ¡°Shut up. Prisoners shouldn''t complain.¡± I sigh with pleasure and take a look at the city under me. After having conquered the Academy, I took residence in the Inquisition''s headquarters. The building is basically a big tower which is looming over the city.


    My private quarters are at the highest floor of the tower from where I have a very good view on the city. Right now I am taking a sunbath on my balcony, while Sagittarius is taking care of my well-being.


    Iced fruit juice and a ventilator from Sarn are completing my bliss.


    ¡°I have to thank this Norent Grant for removing his military forces. I would have never imagined to get control over the Academy that easily!¡± I cross my legs in my deckchair and smile at the sun.


    ¡°The forces of the inquisition are still fighting somewhere else. They will return after dealing with Sarn. And everything you captured here are civilians and a city with almost no economic value.¡± Sagittarius points out that the Academy doesn''t have any mentionable trade or resources of its own. They are buying almost everything they have from others. The importation of goods has to be managed through the Gates.


    ¡°The prestige alone is important, Sagittarius! The knowledge that I hold one of the most famous cities is enough. What does the Inquisition intend to do? Counter invade through a Gate? My people are alert and we don''t underestimate the threat from the Gates.¡± I take my glass with cold fruit juice and hold it to my cheek.


    ¡°Besides, I don''t think that they can take Sarn. I confirmed recently that there isn''t just one immortal there, but three in fact!¡± I take a sip and smile.


    Sagittarius stops massaging me. ¡°Are you sure? That doesn''t fit the pattern at all ¡­¡± He pauses and starts to mumble something.


    I turn and look up at him. ¡°The pattern?¡±


    ¡°Ah ¡­ nothing. Just a stray thought.¡± The old man looks away and continues with the massage.


    ¡°~Sagittarius, whenever you are lying, you look away and put on a fake smile! So tell me everything you know on the matter, or I will rip the knowledge out of your brain.~¡±


    ¡°No violence! And I don''t know anything for certain. It''s just a ¡­ theory ¡­ of mine.¡± Sagittarius starts to stammer.


    ¡°~I have time.~¡±


    ¡°It''s about this mysterious force you were talking about from time to time, while we were still together. I didn''t like the thought of a super secret organization messing with my Academy.¡± Sagittarius grumbles a little.


    I nod. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°I researched everything and everyone. The Academy has access to much more information than any single nation. But I concentrated my research purely on historic events and political relations. And I think I found out why the actions of this mysterious organization seem so erratic.¡± Sagittarius pauses for a moment and I sit straighter.


    ¡°It''s not like I don''t believe that you found out something important, but I researched the matter for several years already.¡± I try to sound professional, but I would bite into my ass if he found something I didn''t.


    ¡°Well, you hadn''t access to the headmaster''s personal records. The whole problem lies with assuming that there is only one force at work. If you take a closer look at the incidents and sort them according to their outcome, you get four piles.¡± Sagittarius sounds very happy.


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    I fold my arms while I think. ¡°You want to tell me that there are four super secret organizations with different goals fighting each other? And all that for hundreds of years without anyone finding out? Without any rumour that they even exist!?¡± That theory is even more hilarious than the version with one secret enemy.


    ¡°They aren''t organizations. They are trying to assist in the creation of certain belief systems. And they obviously follow a tight set of rules while trying to do so. It''s almost as if they are playing a game.¡± Sagittarius whispers.


    I sit up and look at him. ¡°A game!?¡±


    ¡°Sccchh! I think that the four forces are the four original gods of this world. You know, the current belief systems are manifold. Every Nation has it''s own set of gods. On the other hand all those dozens of gods can be traced back to the four original gods. And I think that they are the ones who are manipulating us!¡± Sagittarius continues to whisper with a hunted expression. He really seems to believe in his words.


    ¡°Pfff! There are no gods. Believe me. I know it. I have seen the void between the worlds. And there is nothing besides the dead there.¡± I lean back again.


    ¡°Hoh, but I think that you are here because of them. You were brought here by Lidith, the child goddess of peace. Then there is Aneth, the god of war. Wynne is the goddess of life and Charon, the god of death. If I am right, those four powers are playing a never ending game of influence on this world. Each of them is allowed to take measures to influence normal people in subtle ways. But once in a while they can do something with real impact. Like summoning an immortal to this world, or choosing a hero, endowing incredible powers onto him or her. So far I have identified you and Ascathon as two of their main chess pieces.¡± He stops talking and steals the fruit juice from the table beside me.


    I keep silent while thinking about everything I know. Gods, hmmm. Somehow I don''t like the feeling of being used as a tool. ¡°If that''s true then they either fucked up while playing their game, or they entered the endgame.¡±


    Sagittarius stops moving and looks at me. ¡°S... Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Just for your information. After meeting Ascathon, I formed a very firm opinion of him.¡± I smile at the sky. ¡°And my opinion is that if we would go all out against each other, we could destroy this world several times over.¡±


    The old man goes pale.


    ¡°On top there is his daughter, who is an immortal too. And I think that his wife is the same. With this we already have four immortals we know of on this world. Three of them are on the same side. So this was either an unintended fuck up by the gods, or they changed their rules.¡± I purse my lips and look at Sagittarius.


    ¡°Indeed, this doesn''t fit at all.¡± He looks at the ground while being in thought.


    Tjena enters the balcony and bows to me. ¡°My Empress. There are disturbing news from the north.¡±


    I face her and signal to continue.


    ¡°The combined forces of the Inquisition and Mislow were defeated at Sarn''s borders. The remaining troops of about twenty thousand are currently in retreat back to the next city with a Gate. Sarn employed flying ships to accomplish this.¡± Tjena takes a deep breath.


    ¡°And the Jarl, Ibrahim the Great and two of his wives were murdered during an audience by Norent Grant. The Inquisitor escaped afterwards. His whereabouts are uncertain. We also don''t know where the main body of his remaining forces went.¡± Tjena bows to me again.


    ¡°The last issue is that Norfolk has already chosen a new Jarl. Celestial Asceron was announced to be the new leader of the nation. Apparently she killed a competitor to achieve this, the other nobles were forced to sign magical contracts to keep them under control.¡±


    I don''t answer for several seconds. Then I smile and look at Sagittarius.


    ¡°~So how does this fit into your theory?~¡±


    .

 61. ~Just as planned?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°~Do you want another piece of cake honey?~¡±


    ¡°?h, sure?¡±


    ¡°~Say *Aaa*.~¡±


    I am sitting at our kitchen table with Celestial directly beside me. Her personality changed completely from yesterday to tomorrow. She is even feeding pieces of chocolate cake to me.


    It can''t be that the little insight into her plans was everything that was needed? Sera just spilled ten sentences about her thoughts to me! Can it really be that Celestial is the type who completely forgets the past just over one successful night?


    My eyes stroll into Sera''s direction, who is grinning at us. I know that she pulled some strings! I simply know it! But should I really pry into the matter? To be honest, I like the meek, nice and loving Celestial. My instincts tell me that I could either be happy about the situation, or lose something important to me.


    On the other hand, having her sitting right beside me instead at the opposite side of the table feels strange. Her parents and the kids are looking at us like they have a ghost right in front of them.


    Just my mother is oblivious to Celestial''s changed attitude. She isn''t in my house for long enough to be aware of how unusual the current situation is.


    I used the time during the few weeks to talk to her a little more. From her point of view, she was just the obeying wife to my father. It wasn''t like she liked his actions, but she also never stood up to him. Unfortunately there are plenty of people like her.


    If you never stand up for yourself in your life, you will never find happiness. At least she seems to be a good influence on Violetta. Sera is also widening her influence on the other two youngsters in the house.


    Though that may be a little more troublesome than she anticipated. Violetta and Liandra dove into life threatening training exercises when they started to fear for their positions. That''s what they are telling everyone who asks them about their training.


    I am afraid to send them to a real school by now. They would probably be disappointed with their teachers and realize how far ahead of their own generation they are. Then they would surely become delinquents and establish a gang or something like that.


    ¡°I will excuse myself for now. There is still some work waiting for me in my laboratory. I want it done before Kane and his girlfriend arrive.¡± I smile at everyone.


    ¡°Kane and Tanith are coming!? I haven''t heard anything!¡± Celestial sits straighter and looks at me.


    ¡°Ah, I forgot to tell you. There was so much going on. And Kane had much to do himself. The chaos all around the world is a nightmare for his family''s trading empire. But he will most likely invite us to his marriage with Tanith. Their kid is almost one year old already. It''s a boy.¡± I smirk at Sera, who stiffens suddenly.


    Yeah... that''s right! You didn''t forget it. Let''s see if the boy looks promising.


    I turn, leaving the others behind and head directly towards my lab. At my destination, I enter the workshop for my big projects. In the middle of the room is my new armour. I lose no time and start working on the magical circuitry which is embedded between the metal plates.


    The armour looks like a strange mixture of a modern day fighting suit and a medieval full body armour. The face-mask has four blue glowing crystals instead of eyes. It looks dangerous and inhuman, but that''s intended. I want my enemies to fear me.


    In the centre of the chest piece is the blue glowing mana crystal, which was created through an accident. I put all my efforts into researching the circumstances of its creation. By now I am quite sure that I can create new mana crystals, but I am not ready yet.


    The magical power to create just one small mana crystal is enormous. I would have to fry another big mana core like the ones in my flying ships. The chance of a failure has stopped me from trying to do so. Maybe if I had a huge fleet of ships.


    But right now with enemies all around us, I don''t want to give up on a single ship. There is the problem with getting a firm hold of Norfolk too. The nobles might hold still for the moment, but there is no way to tell if I am not facing a civil war.


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    The need to beat them them into submission may still arise.


    I continue to work on my suit until someone taps my shoulder and I look up. ¡°Celestial. I didn''t hear you enter?¡± I look back to the entrance.


    ¡°You are too absorbed into your work. Kane and Tanith are here. Uwah! This thing looks really nasty! Do you want to become some sort of action hero?¡±


    I look at the suit. ¡°No way! It just happens to look that way. Everything is pure functionality!¡± Well,  except for the eyes. I made them look evil on purpose. ¡°Do you want one too?¡± I grin at her. ¡°Maybe with spikes and big knuckles to crush your enemies? I wouldn''t need to pay attention to its weight at all! You could carry armour with ten times the size of this one!¡±


    Celestial crushes my dreams by shaking her head. ¡°I want to be able to move! And my battle aura is more than enough protection.¡±


    ¡°Then weapons? Or do you always intend to crush our enemies with big and heavy objects?¡± I refer to my brother and the disobedient king.


    ¡°Crushing them with something heavy proved effective so far. And if you want to invest time in something for me, I would prefer two big daggers or short swords.¡± She grabs my hand and turns to leave while pulling me with her.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± I smile at her while following.


    ¡°Sera told me that you are intending to marry her off to the son of Kane?¡± She continues to walk and I finally understand where the wind is blowing from.


    ¡°And you don''t like the idea of an arranged marriage?¡± I conclude.


    ¡°No. Not for Sera. She did very much for us. It would be bad manners if we forced something onto her which she doesn''t like.¡± Celestial leaves the lab with me.


    ¡°I never said that I would force her into anything. She is an immortal like us and can make her own decisions. I was just teasing her. And if she has someone else to play with, her attention might deviate from us.¡± I try to defend my reasoning.


    ¡°You mean she would become less troublesome?¡± Celestial stops for a moment while thinking. Then she starts to walk again. ¡°You may have a point.¡±


    We enter the living room where I find Kane, Tanith and Sera. Tanith is on the couch with a one year old baby on her lap while Sera is beside her, looking at the baby with dubious eyes.


    Kane turns towards us and spreads his arms when he sees me. We hug each other.


    ¡°Long time no see. Can''t you finally change your headquarters to Sarn?¡± I smile at him after ending the greeting.


    ¡°That''s troublesome, my family always tried to have as many independent offices as possible. Maybe I will do it in the future. Norfolk seems to be the last peaceful place which is available to me. And I even know the rulers of the damn country now. Hahaha...¡± He laughs heartily.


    ¡°So you have heard?¡± Celestial folds her hands and smiles.


    ¡°Yeah. He told me everything. Actually he was quite happy about the outcome.¡± Kane nods and Celestial''s expression drops which causes him to change the topic.


    ¡°Actually, I am here to invite you two to my marriage with Tanith. I hope you still have the time for an event like that?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Celestial smiles at Tanith who waves at us.


    ¡°And there is one other matter in which we want your advice. It''s quite serious for us.¡± He turns and looks back at Sera and the baby.


    Don''t tell me that he has qualms about our little agreement? I understand that Sera is something like a princess now. But still.


    Sera looks towards us. ¡°I changed my mind. He is cute and after thinking over it for some time, I came to the conclusion that it''s better to start training them young. Changing their behaviour to your preferences early should be easier than to wait until they are adults.¡±


    Everyone looks at Sera who just spouted an incredible line.


    The baby looks at Sera from Tanith''s lap.


    ¡°I am not some kind of pet!¡±


    The room becomes silent after the baby talked and it''s the first time I see Sera with a shocked expression.


    Kane turns back to me. ¡°That''s the matter I need your advice with.¡±


    .

 62. ~My turn.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Floating somewhere above the Sea of God***


    ***Lidith***


    ¡°Then it''s my turn?¡± I take the dice from the game board and look at the game pieces on the table. The board is an exact copy of the real world under our feet. Several figures are representing my chosen ones, while others represent the champions of my opponents.


    ¡°Looks like that''s the case.¡± Aneth lolls bored in his chair, while looking at a set of cards in his hand. He is holding six cards at the moment.


    Wynne and Charon are also studying their hands. Wynne has seven cards at her disposal, while Charon holds four.


    I draw another card from my deck and check the five cards in my hand. I could influence a peasant, which isn''t very effective. Sometimes it''s very useful to take control of an unimportant person in the right moment. But I see no opportunity for doing so right now.


    Then I could grant my divine protection to someone. That''s actually pretty powerful, but I don''t want to waste the card on something unnecessary.


    My third card would allow me to talk to someone in person. Quite useful. Especially if you are forced to save an important person.


    There is one assassination attempt left. I am not a fan of using those, so they keep piling up in my hand until I find an especially despicable target.


    The fifth card allows me to permanently spy on a certain target. Quite useful, it''s necessary to put that card on all important persons. The fact that our little game has a mind of its own makes this card super valuable.


    The newly drawn sixth card turns out to be an enchantment. It allows me to grant my divine power to an item and thus creating an artefact. Aw... whom should I give it?


    I wish I would get another summoning card. Having more minions is always beneficial. I take another look at the game board, where the enchanted figures are slowly moving around, showing the locations of the persons they represent.


    ¡°Why does it feel like all of you are ganging up on ~meee~.¡± Even if they are denying it, I am sure of it! The recent attack by Aneth was proof enough!


    ¡°Look who finally realized what''s going on.¡± Charon shakes his head and knocks onto the table with his knuckles.


    ¡°Eh? You don''t deny it?¡± I look up flabbergasted and everyone is looking at me.


    ¡°You stole my champion! I put so much effort into his miserable youth! I wanted him to abhor this world enough to destroy it! I was so close to kicking him over the edge when you created the opportunity for him to escape my influence!¡± Charon shakes his fist at me.


    ¡°Well, sorry for being smart for once. You don''t always have to use your influence cards for your own champions. If you can turn someone around, then it''s legit!¡± I try to defend myself.


    ¡°You stole my champion too! And you already had a very strong one to being with!¡± Wynne puffs her cheeks and points at the white figure, which represents the Immortal Empress.


    ¡°Haaah? If I remember correctly, your champion was almost taken out by Aneth''s sneak attack! You abandoned her, saying that she was too weak and that you would summon a new one! I just influenced Kane to lead Ascathon to the slave market in order to pick her up! I collected something that was given up!¡± Yes! That''s right. She has no justification to be mad about it! And I thought that we were allied! How can someone like her assist Aneth and Charon?


    ¡°Then Ascathon got laid and you ended up with yet another immortal!¡± Charon says this like it''s my fault.


    ¡°Well, sorry. You all saw the circumstances. Maybe you shouldn''t have summoned a soul magician, Charon! It''s not my fault that you lost control of your own summoning.¡± I puff my cheeks.


    ¡°He wasn''t that strong at the beginning! I never thought that he would accidentally catch the soul of another immortal!¡± Charon grumbles and looks down at the board.


    ¡°From my perspective it looks more like you don''t have any control over him!¡± Aneth points an accusing finger at me.


    ¡°It''s perfectly fine! I even managed to steal two champions from you. It''s not justified to accuse me of having no control!¡± I fold my hands and look at the board.


    ¡°And now another one from that Kane and Tanith! That means that you have five immortals under your jurisdiction!¡± Wynne spews another accusation at me.


    ¡°That was legit too! I drew that summoning card! It was perfectly fine! And I deserved it! You guys took four of my worshippers out of the game!¡± Yes that''s right.


    Wynne almost killed Fingulf with her assassination attempt. Right now she has the most control over the Nation of Mist.


    Charon tried to kill Ascathon by manipulating the mana core of his flying ship. I had to use a precious protection card to save him from being killed in that crash.


    And Aneth killed the Jarl and two of his wives by using his hero. It turned out to be to my benefit in the end, but that''s just the nature of our game. You can''t control every aspect of the world.


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    ¡°I still don''t believe that it''s justified to gang up on me.¡± I mumble.


    ¡°It''s perfectly justified!¡± All of my opponents snap back in unison.


    ¡°You control the whole continent of Phenex! Just because you got that overpowered Jazira!¡± Aneth stabs his finger at my white figure. ¡°And you are currently taking control of Norfolk too!¡±


    ¡°It was very awkward that this Ascathon managed to trick me. Maybe we should abandon the game and deal with him. I don''t want someone on this world who is even more powerful than the Immortal Empress.¡± He looks at the other two.


    ¡°You can''t do that! That would be a violation of the rules! The rules are untouchable! You know what would happen otherwise!¡± I gasp. Charon is a maniac. He has been trying to destroy the world ever since we started playing a few thousand years ago.


    To my relief Aneth and Wynne nod in unison, thus denying Charon''s suggestion.


    Everything started when the four of us came into conflict with each other. One world isn''t big enough for four gods. At first we tried to enforce our will with brute force. But that turned out to be a very bad idea.


    When two divine beings fight with each other, there tends to be a lot of collateral damage. Aneth and Wynne ravaged a continent when they clashed with each other a few thousand years ago. I was barely able to stop them before they destroyed the world.


    Charon became troublesome at the same time. He started to spend his time killing people and causing destruction. I guess every god needs a hobby. Eternity is simply too long otherwise.


    Aneth finds joy in causing wars and conflict, so he stepped on Wynne''s feet while doing so.


    Wynne is something akin to a gardener. She is always trying to build something up and to cultivate nature.


    As for me, I had enough trouble with trying to protect the innocent mortals from them. That''s why I was really happy over her suggestion to play a game over the fate of the world.


    Somehow everybody agreed. Charon only did so under duress. The notion of having three gods gang up on him wasn''t his idea of fun. But I still wish that he would simply take a pathway to another world to cause trouble there. Then it wouldn''t be my business.


    Unfortunately all of us seem to regard this world as our home and while Charon is a maniac, his destructive urges are suppressed by us. Neither Aneth, nor Wynne nor I desire the destruction of the world. Though I think that Aneth and Wynne just see the world as their playground.


    So when we decided on playing a game, the next question was on which game we should play. After a long debate, which took almost a year, we decided on inventing a new game.


    Therefore we spent another twenty years on writing a rule book and collecting ideas from various other worlds. The outcome was a troublesome mixture of chess, various card games and table top games. Combined with using the real world as a playing field.


    And right now we are still playing the game. Nobody thought about implementing a time limit. It''s better than destroying the world in any case.


    Though right now I have a big problem. I thought that I was on the best path to finally winning once and for all. But if all three of them start to turn against me at the same time, I could lose everything I gained very fast.


    ¡°Hmmm...¡± Should I bestow my divine protection on Fingulf to have him take over the Nation of Mist? But right now he is relatively safe from attacks. The others ignore him, since he is bound to his bed and can''t influence the elders.


    Wynne surely pulled a bad trick on me with that backstabbing attack.


    Aneth still has the Kingdom of Mislow tight in his grasp. I don''t have much influence there.


    And Charon has a horde of minions, assassins and other followers all over the board. He lost three of his pieces when he tried to kill Ascathon though. I had to send Celestial to the rescue by influencing Sera. Luckily she doesn''t count as an influential figure yet, so I could instil fear of losing her father into her.


    She acted as expected and persuaded her mother to search for him.


    I have to be careful of every step. The worst outcome would be if they managed it to play the Immortal Empress and Ascathon against each other. That''s something Charon would do for sure if he gets the chance.


    First I will determine what I am able to do, so I throw the dice with thirty sides.


    ¡°Damn!¡± It''s just a twelve! So I have twelve casting points for this turn. That''s not very much. Most cards cost fifteen or more. There is just the spying card which costs ten and the talking card which costs five.


    I bite into my lip and finally decide to place the spying card on Sera. It''s a little early to put her under permanent surveillance, but I hope that it won''t be wasted in the future. Investing too much into a summoning while it''s still weak could come back and bite you in the end.


    The card turns into light and envelops the figure which represents Sera. I look towards Wynne.


    ¡°It''s your turn backstabber!¡±


    .

 63. ~First meeting.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ***Arran***


    Mother Tanith hugs me tight while I sit on her lap. This whole situation wouldn''t have happened if I had kept my mouth shut and pretended to be a normal baby. But mom caught me while I was reading one of her books. There would be no problem if I didn''t have the bad habit of reading aloud.


    So I exposed myself to my mother, who in turn spilled the soup to my father, who brought us here. Up until today I thought that dad and mom were normal merchants. But that''s obviously not the case.


    Apparently they can come and visit the rulers of Norfolk like good old friends. Today they dropped one bombshell after the other on me. We entered this mansion and got greeted by a hot beauty and her daughter, who turned out to be my fiancee! The mother was introduced as Celestial Asceron, the Jarl of Norfolk.


    Normally I hate worlds with prearranged marriages, but when I took a look at the hot device which was the mother of my fiancee, I thanked the gods for being lucky for once. Though I hoped that the princess in question wasn''t too spoiled.


    My hopes were crushed when Celestial returned with her husband Ascathon. The cute little girl opened her mouth for the first time after studying me with a calculating glare for quite some time.


    ¡°I changed my mind. He is cute and after thinking over it for some time, I came to the conclusion that it''s better to start training them young. Changing their behaviour to your preferences early should be easier than to wait until they are adults.¡±


    ¡°I am not some kind of pet!¡± I immediately snap back before realizing that the girl in front of me can''t be much older than me. That was an extremely calculating sentence for a little child.


    ¡°That''s my son, Arran. I wanted your advice on how to deal with this, as you are obviously in a similar situation.¡± My father Kane points at me with a forced smile.


    Sera is still looking at me with a shocked expression. But then she closes her mouth and starts to giggle. ¡°I see. I guess not everything can be as easy as I believe. Looks like I will have to invest a little more effort into you.¡±


    Gods. I think I found a really troublesome and manipulative woman. ¡°Are you a reincarnated person like me!?¡±


    ¡°I am. And my mom and dad are reincarnated too. They''ve lived many more lifetimes than me, so I still regard them as my elders.¡± Sera points at Ascathon and Celestial, who are now looming over me with the same calculating glare.


    Gods! It''s frightening when someone who is ten times bigger looks at you like that.


    ¡°Hi. That''s a first. Is this world something like a focus point for reincarnation? How old are you guys? I''ve lived one thousand, a hundred and four lifetimes.¡±


    ¡°One thousand and seventy eight.¡± Sera smiles and pats her chest. ¡°We are almost the same age!¡±


    ¡°Three thousand and four hundred and five.¡± Celestial smiles down at me with a dangerous expression. Probably she wants to point out that you shouldn''t ask women about their age.


    ¡°I stopped counting after a few thousand lifetimes. It gets boring.¡± Ascathon replies with a tired voice. ¡°So, would you care to introduce yourself. I am not giving my daughter to a stranger.¡±


    I gulp while looking into a pair of dangerous eyes. This guy would do perfectly fine as some kind of dungeon boss, or demon king.


    ¡°I am not a bad guy. I live by the rule to help, if it''s within my power. I am good with the sword and guns. Spells aren''t my forte, but I am confident in my battle aura and at infusing my mana into weapons.¡± I answer fast.


    ¡°Haah... hearing that from my baby is strange.¡± Tanith draws me closer and places her cheek on my head.


    Ascathon scratches his cheek while looking down at me, obviously in deep thought.


    ¡°So? What do you think? And could you explain this reincarnation story to your best friend?¡± Father Kane looks at Ascathon with a forced smile.


    My father''s friend covers his face with both hands and starts to rub while moaning. ¡°Okay! Here are the facts. Souls exist! Everyone has one. But some souls are stronger than others and able to carry the memories of previous lives to the new body. We came to call ourselves Immortals. That''s because we are simply reborn if our body is killed. I am one, Celestial and Sera too. The Immortal Empress is apparently an Immortal too.¡± He looks at me. ¡°... and your son is one. That''s why he is already able to speak.¡±


    Tanith sighs above my head. ¡°Somehow that''s a little too much for me.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you lie down on the couch, mom?¡± I ask her with a worried voice. Please don''t lose consciousness and drop me on the floor. That happened to me once already. Speaking of bad parents ¡­ Kane looks a little pale too.


    ¡°How many of you are on this world? Are there more?¡± I ask my elders politely.


    Celestial shakes her head. ¡°We five are the only ones we know of.¡± She looks at Ascathon. ¡°They should stay here. With the war and all those assassination attempts, there is no way of knowing what might happen to them otherwise.¡±


    Woohoo! I will get to see the hot device everyday from now on! Suddenly my cheek is grabbed and twisted harshly.


    ¡°Your expression! One minus point! At ten, I will give you a personal training session.¡± Sera puffs her cheeks.


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    ¡°Can we wait until we are sixteen? These bodies aren''t suited for such exercises.¡± I apologize to Sera. I am not a paedophile.


    My mother inhales sharply.


    *SMACK!*


    ¡°Ow ¡­¡±


    ¡°That wasn''t what she meant!¡± Tanith hit me. My mother gave me a clout! She never did that before.


    ¡°I will try to keep the jokes to a minimum from now on.¡± I mumble with a silent voice. Unfortunately I am still a baby and dependant on the ones around me.


    Sera hops down from the couch and smiles up at me. ¡°Let''s go and play somewhere else, while the adults do their talking.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I don''t see how that''s possible, unless you can carry me around with that body of yours?¡± I look down at the girl to my mother''s feet.


    ¡°~No problem! I will take him for a while, Miss Tanith. You adults can keep talking about adult stuff.~¡±


    I am somehow lifted from my mother''s lap and levitate half a metre above her. ¡°W ¡­ wait!¡± But Sera pays no heed to me and skips out of the room while I float after her.


    On the corridor she stops and sets me down to the ground. ¡°I just thought about showing you around the mansion! But it would probably be rude to do so without consent, so where do you want to go first?¡± Her eyes sparkle.


    This is a strange proposal! No matter how you think about it? You are concerned if I want to be shown around at all, so by letting me choose the location everything becomes okay? What if I want to stay with my parents?


    On the other hand, being shown around by my maybe fiancee isn''t that bad? ¡°Which locations are there to see?¡±


    Sera takes a thinking posture. ¡°Well, there is the survival parkour in my mother''s office. Or my father''s laboratory! We could play with one of his machines! There are the guards'' quarters too. I have an ongoing battle with Den on how far I can infiltrate his private quarters. Then we could avoid traps and guards in the garden. Or we could go and watch the deadly training exercises of Liandra and Violetta! They are trying to keep it a secret from me though.¡±


    I feel one corner my mouth starting to twitch. ¡°Why do all those options sound like they are life threatening?¡±


    Sera nods. ¡°I see, you want to do something that''s not life threatening. In this house. Well, lets see.¡± Her forehead starts to create cute wrinkles while she is obviously thinking very hard. She starts to play with her fingers after several seconds.


    ¡°There are no non life threatening activities within this mansion?¡± I ask after several more seconds of silence.


    ¡°~Nope.~¡± Sera smiles at me.


    ¡°What''s the least life threatening activity you can think of?¡± I continue the interrogation.


    ¡°Humm... Maybe reading books in the library? Though my dad forgot one of his research notes there and when I looked into it I almost got mindwiped, because he protected it against unauthorized usage.¡± Sera smiles at me with excitement.


    ¡°Is it safe if we just keep sitting here and do nothing? Except for talking?¡± Just sitting on this corridor can''t be dangerous.


    ¡°We can''t do that! Dad installed traps against assassins! If you stay too long in one spot, the corridor starts to do some strange things with your mind. Last month an assassin slit his wrists right here. I found him the next morning and asked my dad about it. He said that I should never watch the walls for too long while it''s dark. Though it should be safe in daylight.¡± She touches her lips like being not sure about that point.


    ¡°Then please move me to the next safest location.¡± I urge Sera forward.


    Suddenly her face brightens. ¡°I have a good idea! The kitchen!¡±


    ¡°Ah, good. Kitchen doesn''t sound very dangerous.¡± I nod and smile for the first time.


    ¡°Mom has just a few of her potions there. They shouldn''t be very poisonous. And in the big pot at the highest level lives something, but I didn''t muster the courage to check it out until now. We will explore that! With you, I have finally someone to watch my back.¡± She starts to toddle faster while levitating me after her.


    ¡°Potions? Poisons? Something that lives? What kind of kitchen are you talking about!?¡± I start struggling, but it''s in vain.


    ¡°Ah, I haven''t told you. My mom is a witch. And dad is a mad scientist. I was never so lucky with my parents!¡± Sera starts to hum while taking me along.


    The hot device is a witch? My world view is crumbling. I stop struggling and resign to my fate with a dead expression. ¡°Aye. Let''s explore the kitchen.¡±


    That day we had a life and death encounter with a slime, after knocking over the mysterious pot.


    We fought a small moving spider construct in Ascathon''s laboratory.


    Then we avoided traps in the garden.


    And we finally got caught and done in by Liandra and Violetta, who turned out to be something like the final boss of this mansion, according to Sera.


    That day I realized that my fiancee had a very hard childhood up until now. And when Kane and Tanith informed me of our prolonged stay, I came to the conclusion that I''ll have to share Sera''s fate from now on.


    Why is she so oblivious of her living circumstances?


    .

 64. ~Being a boss.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ***Violetta***


    ¡°It''s a pain in the ass to search for those two!¡± I complain to Liandra, while we walk along the hallway.


    ¡°You are right. I wanted to train my firestorm spell! Ascathon promised to teach me the next level if I prove to him that I have enough control.¡±


    ¡°What''s the next level of Firestorm? I am a little confused. According to our tutor, there is no next level of Firestorm.¡± Unless I heard something wrong. I am very sure that my memory is correct on that point.


    Though I am not concentrating on fire magic like Liandra. I am becoming a more traditional mind magician. Creating hallucinations and mirror images is my preferred usage of magic.


    ¡°He said that he would teach me a spell called Firenova! The name alone sounds awesome enough.¡± Liandra starts to hop a little.


    Right now we are on our way to the kitchen. We took a look at the library first, but there was no one there.


    I puff my cheeks. ¡°That''s unfair. My brother should teach me something with an awesome name too.¡±


    ¡°He taught you telekinesis! Isn''t that skill overpowered enough? I am still envious that you can levitate stuff around like nothing!¡± Liandra opens the door to the kitchen and freezes up.


    ¡°But the name isn''t cool.¡± I take a look at what caused Liandra to stop in her tracks. My expression freezes in place as I try to comprehend the destruction. The kitchen looks like a battlefield!


    The place is a mess! Pots are lying around and there are broken plates and glasses all over the place. In the middle of the room is a charred and half dead slime.


    ¡°Noo! Glutton!¡± Liandra storms into the room and hugs her pet. She created it herself under Celestial''s guidance. Her big sister is teaching her alchemy from time to time.


    I''ve always had an aversion for the slimy thing in Liandra''s hands. ¡°Don''t get so worked up about it. Glutton is a slime!¡± I get Glutton''s tilted pot from the shelf.


    Glutton is used by Celestial to dispose of the food leftovers and the pot is his home. I place the pot in front of Liandra and she puts Glutton inside.


    ¡°He will recover. He is just a little charred on the surface.¡± As a slime, he will regenerate in no time.


    ¡°Still! He feels the pain too! I will punish the one who did it!¡± Liandra starts to scan our surroundings for clues.


    I start to search myself until I find a clue in the form of small fingerprints of marmalade on a cabinet. ¡°I know only one person with such small hands!¡±


    ¡°We will get her!¡± Liandra throws a little food into the pot with Glutton inside. Then we rush outside to search for the wrongdoers!


    ¡°This will take forever. The mansion is huge.¡± I yield after forty minutes without results.


    ¡°We could use the globe in Ascathon''s laboratory.¡± Liandra suggests.


    ¡°Are you sure? Brother doesn''t like it if someone is using his stuff.¡± I weigh the benefits of using the device against the chance of being caught. ¡°But they caused chaos in Celestial''s kitchen. It''s probably better to catch them fast.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It''s for the sake of stopping the destruction spree.¡± Liandra heads for Ascathon''s laboratory.


    Arriving at the door, we already hear noises from inside. A metallic chattering and damped explosions! I head for the door and open it.


    A few steps bring me to the room with the machines. I take a quick look at Ascathon''s worktable, but everything is untouched. ¡°Puh. His current work doesn''t seem to be damaged.¡±


    ¡°Violetta. I don''t think that you should come here.¡± I turn and arch an eyebrow. The small worktable, which my brother brought down here for me, is empty!


    I rush over to Liandra and ¡­


    ¡°NOOO!¡±


    I crouch down and gather the pitiful remains of Spidi, my eight legged spider robot! ¡°It took me two months to get him to the point of moving on his own!¡±


    All my free time was invested in this project. Ascathon helped a little and taught me the basics. Ever since I saw his machines, I wanted to create something that could move by itself. ¡°I will avenge you! We knew each other just for a short time, but that doesn''t change my feelings!¡±


    Liandra pats my shoulder. ¡°For Glutton!¡±


    I join her. ¡°For Spidi¡±


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    I look around ¡°How did they get out of here? They must have gotten past us!¡±


    ¡°I think they took another route.¡± Liandra points at an open air shaft.


    I walk closer and take a look inside. All there is to see, is a pitch black hole. ¡°That one should lead to the garden! If we are fast, we can cut off their path at the veranda.¡±


    Liandra and I leave the laboratory with fast and purposeful steps. There will be judgement!


    We intercept Sera and Arran like planned. They were just about to enter the house again. ¡°Got you!¡± I point at the evildoers and call out.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± The little baby, who is floating beside Sera talks. He has a defeated expression.


    ¡°Ah, may I introduce you? These are Violetta and Liandra. My aunts.¡± Sera points at us and smiles.


    ¡°Aren''t they a little young?¡± Arran looks at us with a curious expression.


    ¡°We are all from magical bloodlines with much power. So it isn''t that strange, if you consider that magicians get very old.¡± Sera nods.


    ¡°That''s of no concern now! Do you know what you did? You destroyed Spidi!¡± I call out in rage.


    ¡°And you hurt Glutton!¡± Liandra joins me.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Sera asks innocently.


    ¡°She did everything! I was just used as a meatshield!¡± Arran is faster on the uptake and spills the beans.


    ¡°Hey! I thought we fought the slime and the spider construct together!? You even taunted them properly with your screams! We are in this together, since you played your role as a tank!¡± Sera gasps and starts to rant.


    ¡°Whatever! I call forth shackles of ice, Bind Them!¡± I point my finger at them, but Sera rolls to the side, moving faster than I expected from her tiny body. Arran gets caught in my ice spell and stops floating around, frozen in mid air. Sera gets to her feet and starts to run away.


    ¡°Wahahaha. Learn some buffs or cast fas... *ouf*¡± Sera ran right into an earth wall, which was summoned by Liandra. She slowly slides to the ground, while a light dent remains in the earth. Luckily for Sera, Liandra didn''t conjure solid rock.


    ¡°I wish to encase, Ice Prison!¡± I cast another spell to use the opening, but Sera raises her hands.


    ¡°~Counterspell!~¡±


    I feel my mana being disrupted and the ice prison stops forming. What''s going on?


    ¡°I seek to chain! Earth Shackle!¡± Liandra throws another binding spell at Sera.


    ¡°~Interrupt!~¡±


    Sera stops the spell again by disturbing Liandra''s mana flow. She is able to cast counter magic too easily!


    I raise both hands and hold her in place with telekinesis, lifting her a metre upwards.


    ¡°What! Not fair!¡±


    I feel Sera trying to counter my telekinesis with her own, but after a few seconds of struggling she goes limp and gives up.


    Five minutes later we have them roped up like a pair of villains. Correction, like the villains they are!


    ¡°And now we will teach you a few rules about harming my pet!¡± Liandra talks with a strict voice.


    ¡°And... And destroying someone else''s property!¡± I add fast.


    ¡°Why am I roped up too?¡± Arran continues to sulk.


    ¡°You failed to evade the first spell! Why didn''t you evade? I had to fight both of them alone!¡± Sera isn''t listening to us.


    ¡°You got caught too in the end! And how should I evade on my own? I can''t even walk yet!¡± Arran shoots back.


    ¡°I just got caught because they used brute force. Telekinesis is unfair, because it''s just a test of your mana reserves. I got done in by brutish methods.¡± Sera mumbles.


    *Smack!*


    I gave her a clout. That''s for Spidi! ¡°My methods aren''t brutish! I worked hard for them! And as a punishment, you will repair Spidi!¡±


    ¡°And heal Glutton!¡± Liandra nods.


    ¡°Why are the kids roped up like that?¡±


    I turn around. ¡°H... Hi, mom.¡±


    I look at my angry mother and then at the bound up Sera and Arran. Arran still has ice on his clothes, while Sera is dirty and has a small bump on her forehead. The bump was caused by running into Liandra''s earth wall. They look like they were bullied by someone.


    ¡°This isn''t ¡­¡± ¡°¡­ as it looks.¡±


    .

 65. ~Sleeping beauty.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ***Ascathon***


    It''s still early in the morning and I am lying in my bed. Somehow I started to worry about my future actions. Everything evolved on its own up until now. I even ended up controlling Norfolk.


    At least I control it through the snoring figurehead at my side. Celestial is still out cold. She goes to sleep right away, ever since she became the Jarl.


    We also got news that the Academy was taken by the Immortal Empress. She used the opening which was created by the stupidity of the Inquisition.


    So that leaves me with Norfolk, the Kingdom of Mislow, the Nation of Mist, the Phenex Empire and those mysterious manipulators. The Inquisition and their leader still exist too. They just lost their headquarters. There is the fact that Mislow and the Nation of Mist worked together to attack Sarn. So that makes them allies? Or did they act independent?


    It doesn''t matter. Both of them are against me. The Inquisition too. And Norfolk isn''t as easy to control as one might think. Three against one isn''t my idea of a fair fight. Maybe I should try to enter an alliance with Phenex?


    That could give me enough time to advance the technological level of Norfolk. An enemy of my enemy is my friend? The Phenex Empire doesn''t seem to be evil. The Immortal Empress is just a little power hungry like every good immortal.


    I also have to try to take a look at Fingulf. That''s if he is still alive. Should I send a flying ship to fetch him?


    All kinds of worries are going through my head.


    My eyes wander to the sleeping Celestial at my side. She has kept her meek attitude up for quite a while. I wonder how far I can go, before she abandons it and returns to her true self? Reaching out, I poke her cheek with one finger. No reaction. She is still in deep sleep.


    Hmmm.


    Reaching under the bed, I grab my new reflex camera and ready it. It''s a new model and much smaller now. There is also a screen which shows the taken pictures. I pull with two fingers at Celestial''s cheek and take my first picture. Then I check it on the screen. Haaa. It''s acceptable, but not what I wanted to achieve.


    I spend several minutes with taking strange photos of my wife. She is sleeping like a log and nothing I do wakes her up. Managing a country must be tiresome. Maybe I should reward her for her hard work?


    I grab one of my special items from under the bed to take a final photo of Celestial. It''s a black headband with cat ears. After equipping her with it, I sit on top of her to take good shot. YES! That''s a perfect one!


    Maybe another angle too. A little from the side may be even better? I will try to become a photographer in my next life.


    Haah. Maybe I am giving in too much to my secret desires? I try to hide that I am a pervert at heart because in most of my lives I am involved with the scientific society. Those people never react well to someone who likes this stuff.


    Now that I look at her, she really is a beauty when her face is relaxed like that. And the chest is just perfect. Not too big and not too small. It shouldn''t be a problem if I get a feel? No, wait! Wouldn''t that be sexual harassment? Rape?


    It''s Celestial on the other hand, it doesn''t count as harassment if the victim is her. And I am her husband. So why shouldn''t I be allowed to do this? The little angel on my right shoulder tells me that I should wake her up and ask, but the devil on my left shoulder is screaming to simply do it!


    I feel her up without another thought and take another photo of my hand on her bulging ¡­ nice, so firm, yet soft and bouncy. Just right to the touch, one might think that those aren''t natural, but there is no cosmetic surgery in this world. On the other hand, isn''t she a witch? Maybe she cheated with some secret potions? Who knows? ¡­


    *snatch*


    Huh? What? The camera disappeared? How is this possible? Just as I pressed the trigger! Did I mess up the magic circuitry? No, it''s impossible to create an effect like that by messing up such simple circuits.


    Then I realize that Celestial''s left hand is raised and the camera is held by her. Her eyes are open and she is glaring at me.


    ¡°~Explain.~¡±


    ¡°Uh... well... you were sleeping.¡± My thoughts are spinning as I try to think up an explanation for the situation. ¡°I had the urge. There is nothing wrong with it, because I am your husband.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°You had the urge to take photos while I sleep?¡± She pushes some buttons on my camera to take a look at the photos. The camera has a simple design and the buttons are labelled, so it''s no wonder that she manages it without a problem.


    ¡°Can you imagine a woman''s reaction, when she wakes up and someone is sitting on top of her, fondling her breasts with the left and taking photos with the right?¡± Her expression turns cold. Apparently she found my photo series with her staged faces.


    I immediately take my hand away from her chest and smile. ¡°Starting to scream?¡±


    ¡°~R.I.P. a head off!~¡±


    So I evaded death by a hair''s breadth? I ready myself for physical violence, but then she gets to the photo with the cat ears and immediately feels for them on her head.


    I am dead!


    Then she starts to giggle and sits up, whispering into my ear. ¡°~Don''t you want to try some things while we are both awake?~¡±


    She bites into my earlobe and starts to kiss my neck and shoulder, which sends a shudder down my spine.


    ¡°This... is strange? Why aren''t you going on a rampage?¡± My head is spinning while she starts to unbutton her shirt.


    ¡°I will do that when I find those photos with someone other than you. So keep them safe.¡± She smiles provokingly and gives me a French kiss.


    I grab a pillow and use it to separate us. ¡°You are strange! Did Sera drug you?¡±


    ¡°I just want to have some happy time with my husband. Don''t you understand that I am trying to make up for the past? How long do I have to wait until you accept that I am seriously trying to change our relationship.¡± Celestial pouts and pulls the pillow out of my hands.


    ¡°But if you like the other me better, I can always return to hitting you for every stupidity you commit. If you like it rough, we could use ropes? Or a whip?¡± She starts to grin and hides her mouth behind the pillow.


    ¡°Uuum... I think we still need a few level ups for ropes and whips.¡± What will happen if she uses her freakish strength with a whip? Will I survive? No it''s better to avoid that. I take the pillow away from her and she kisses me again.


    Okay? Who needs photos if he can have the real deal? Willing and ready on top of that!


    I hug her and answer the kiss.


    ***


    We are eating breakfast with the whole family. After taking in so many freeloaders, we had to change our eating location from the kitchen to the living room. The kitchen became simply too cramped.


    My back hurts and Celestial''s face has a natural glow. Being the male isn''t beneficial at all in hindsight.


    In any case, I have to make an announcement. ¡°Guys. There''s something I wish to talk about.¡± All eyes turn in my direction. ¡°As you surely know the world''s political landscape is a little rough at the moment. So I thought that it would be best if we gained an ally.¡±


    All adults look at me with perplexed expressions. ¡°Whom? There are only enemies at the moment.¡± Celestial tilts her head. ¡°Do you think we could turn the Nation of Mist to our side again?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°As I understood them, Fingulf was a balancing force against their elders. He controlled the military and didn''t follow their demands blindly. With him gone, the elders do what they want. Unless we save him, that door is closed to us.¡±


    Then I smile. ¡°I thought about allying with Phenex. They are the only ones who aren''t rejecting the ideas and tools from Sarn. Doesn''t that make them the better choice over the others?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Celestial rejects.


    ¡°Please think about it.¡± I beg her.


    ¡°They tried to abduct Sera. I won''t ally with such people.¡± Celestial gets right to the main point.


    ¡°That''s already resolved and Sera wasn''t treated badly. It even turned out to be a bad decision, made by the spy alone. We don''t even have to ally with them for long. I just want them to occupy Mislow for a short while. ¡± I tap with my index finger on the table to enforce my point.


    ¡°What are we gaining by having Mislow occupied?¡± Sera sips on her milk.


    A savage grin appears on my face.


    ¡°Time for our new fleet to abduct a worthy general!¡±


    .

 66. ~Like a shirt.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Eastern Planes, Arcane Academy***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°~Shanana.~¡±


    I got permission from Celestial to use my immoral spell again! It has been a while since I used the spell Takeover.


    Fortunately we had some test subje... hrm prisoners from Phenex. My men fished them out of the ocean when they attacked us at Sera''s birthday. We kept them alive, just in case. Right now I am inside the body of one of their higher ranking officers.


    My current body is a little bit too muscular and hairy for my taste. I look like a body builder. The muscles on my chest look like tits. I will never understand how a man can train himself to this point.


    Strangely enough Celestial chose this body. Did she want to tell me something by doing so?


    We decided that it was best if nobody knew of our attempt to form a secret alliance. Our enemies could use this knowledge against us. Open cooperation between Norfolk and Phenex is a bit difficult according to Celestial.


    Most of Norfolk''s nobles are willing to accept us, but there is no way to tell how many would take action against an alliance with Phenex.


    So I went on a top secret mission, using the body of a prisoner. Of course I am wearing the casual clothes of a merchant. Running around dressed like a soldier from Phenex wouldn''t get me far.


    My first action was to use a Gate from Sarn to get to one of the less important towns in Norfolk. From there I jumped to a secret Gate in the Eastern Planes. Of course I could try to hack one of the Gates in the Academy, but that would be too much of a headache in this case.


    Celestial informed me that the Jarl''s former wife gave her a lot of valuable spying information. The former Jarl built a very secretive and effective spy organisation. They have access to enormous resources and possibilities.


    One of them are Gates which were officially destroyed, but repaired later. The Jarl paid an enormous sum to the Academy as an apology for the missing Gates. The Academy normally wants damaged Gates back, even if they are returned just in pieces.


    I have no idea how the Jarl explained the complete destruction of several Gates to the Academy. In any case, the result are eleven Gates at strategic locations all over the continent. Norfolk''s own little Gate network. I have no doubt that other countries might have done the same.


    From the unimportant town in question, I travelled to the secret Gate in Norfolk. From there, I was just one step away from the Academy. I have a strong feeling that the Immortal Empress is sitting on an important place like the Academy like a chicken on an egg.


    By staying here, she is able to prevent anyone from taking the Academy over.


    I have just one problem. How do I get inside the city? The guy who was guarding the secret Gate couldn''t help me with that. Norfolk''s spies retreated from the city when Phenex attacked. I guess I will simply try to walk through the Gate?


    No, they surely locked the city down. You can''t have people walk in and out of the city without control. And I have no caravan or equipment to cross the desert. It will look suspicious if I come out of nowhere.


    So that means flying over the walls? Right now I am on a dune, watching the city. It''s architecture consists of many towers and layered rings of buildings until they reach the city wall. I know the place very well. After all I studied here for several years.


    Maybe I could get in through the sewers? No. There are very big rats down there. I hate those things.


    I will simply watch the town until night falls. Maybe I will be able to sneak inside with a big caravan? They come from time to time to the city for trading.


    Otherwise I will have to fly over the wall in the cover of the darkness.


    I start to draw patterns on the sand while I wait. There is nothing else to do. The hours pass, but no caravan shows up.


    In the evening I decide to act. The sun is low on the horizon right behind me and the last rays of light are disappearing. I stand up and use the growing shadows of the dunes to hide myself while walking closer to the city.


    The outer walls are impressive chunks of solid rock, about fifty metres high. I decided against flying above it. This is a world of magic and the Academy is a city of magicians. I don''t believe that there aren''t any precautions against something like levitation magic.


    I pull a small fist sized globe out of a pocket on my belt and use it to check for guards. There are soldiers every hundred metres and a few are patrolling around the city.


    The last rays of light disappear while I memorize their walking pattern. A big patrol of ten people is passing me every hour and there are small groups of two every ten minutes.


    So I wait until the next big patrol and another small group are gone. I chose a lonely section of the wall, far away from the city gate. As soon as the next small patrol is gone, I leave the shadows and run closer to the wall. My dark clothes hide me in the darkness.


    Unless the soldiers have some neat vision enchantments on them I should be safe until I arrive at the top of the wall. There are magical lights at the top and the wall-walk is well lighted.


    Arriving at the bottom of the wall, I cast a spell to increase the adhesion between myself and any other matter. Then, after reinforcing my legs with magic, I place my left foot on the wall to test my spell. Once I am sure that it worked, I jump and stand horizontal on the wall. One might mistake me for using a gravitational spell while I walk leisurely up the wall. But that''s not the case at all.


    A flick of my finger destroys the lamp which is illuminating my area. Then I run. It takes me a few seconds to bridge the distance and just as I arrive at the top, the face of a guard appears. He is looking down the wall to check for the noise.


    To me it looks like a head appeared from the ground. Just right!


    *Bang*


    Everything the guard ever saw of me was my boot, as I placed it directly in his face. The kick was perfect! The guard goes limp, hanging there like inspecting something at the bottom of the wall.


    I waste no time and jump down the wall on the other side, gently floating to the ground with levitation magic. Less than ten seconds passed since I planted my boot in the guards face and as I touch the ground, the guards on the wall behind me start to get busy.


    Alarms are sounded and torches are used to enlighten the dark section of the wall. It doesn''t concern me as I walk slowly down the street. I am a citizen of the Academy from now on.


    I head directly for the lively parts of the city. My path leads me down one of the busy main streets. There are always people here, even during the night.


    My next action is to find the location of the Empress. For that purpose I enter one of the many bars and order a drink. ¡°The strongest stuff you have!¡±


    A fat barkeeper brings me a jug of something that smells like petrol. I could probably build a working engine with this. I drink it in one go and order another one. There are drunks in every city and I already have a plan on how to get rid of this body.


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    The barkeeper is easily entangled in a little conversation. After all I start consuming his drinks like a good customer.


    I spend half an hour in the bar while talking to the barkeeper and drinking as much as I can. Barkeepers know a lot about their city. There are always idiots who mourn over something while trying to drink their problems away.


    Of course that never works.


    I got the information I needed in any case. It''s not like the residing place of the city''s ruler is a big secret. But that the Immortal Empress resides in the Inquisition''s headquarters still surprised me.


    Wobbling down the street and reeking like a drunk... well I am drunk. And I really can''t walk straight. The world is spinning too and I really want to barf. No matter how I look at this, drinking too much sucks. At least it''s not my body.


    I take another gulp from the bottle in my hand. A good drunk needs a bottle, so I took one from the barkeeper when I said goodbye.


    The Immortal Empress'' new residence comes into view after a few minutes of walking and staggering. Luckily there are no cars on the streets of this world. I wouldn''t have gotten very far otherwise.


    This building is a big tower and can''t be missed from anywhere inside the city. There is just one entrance, which is guarded by two guards. The big door is closed.


    I grumble about my bad luck. Taking over a standing guard isn''t good. It will look strange if I suddenly leave in his body. I had hoped for something like a patrol, walking in and out of the residence.


    As I wait for several minutes, heaven sends me the answer. A group of servants is approaching the entrance. I know their outfits. They are the same as the ones from that time when I saved Sera!


    I check out the faces of the approaching women and pick a nice one. Actually all of them have acceptable looks. The staff of the Empress seems to be chosen by appearance. In hindsight, it''s not necessary for a servant to have any special qualifications. Cleaning and doing chores can be done by everyone.


    I grab into my pocket and place the crystal ball in my hand with the bottle. The ball may still be needed.


    The women try to avoid me as I stand up and intercept them on their path. ¡°Niceee, lalaladiees! Woouuldn''t you lik to spendd the night with mee?¡±


    They fan out and walk past me with disdainful expressions. But another step gets me close enough to grab my target''s butt. She is a nice brown haired one with a fair face and a slender built.


    ¡°Hiiii.....¡±


    ¡°....iiiii!¡±


    I snap my mouth shut. This hurts! I grabbed my butt too firmly! Stupid body builders! I turn and slap my former self. He is just staring at me with a dumbfounded expression.


    Then I grab the bottle from his hand, which he is still holding in front of him. The crystal ball wanders into my other hand while I place my knee between his legs.


    He folds over and the bottle strikes down at the back of his head. The glass breaks and the body builder goes down on his belly, twitching a little.


    I kick him in the guts and spit on him while he starts to barf. ¡°Take that pervert! Drunkard!¡±


    Oh, wow! I have a nice voice.


    Then I look at the other shocked servants and the closing guards. They left their post.


    ¡°What happened?¡± One of the guards starts to interrogate me. Ah, damn. Didn''t they see?


    ¡°That drunken pervert grabbed my butt and I delivered punishment! It hurts!¡± I rub my butt while the guards start to grin.


    ¡°It''s true. I saw everything.¡± Another servant helps me.


    ¡°Go inside. We will clear up the scum.¡± The other guard waves towards the entrance and the servants bow and start walking again. I follow their example and walk along while the guards grab my former self, who is lying in his own barf and booze.


    He will be out of the game for long enough. Even if he wakes up, nobody will believe his story of being a prisoner and waking up here without memories.


    Somehow I like being a soul magician. Fireballs, ice shards who needs flashy magic with an ability like this.


    ¡°Marina? Are you okay? That person was scary.¡± One of the servants says and I am a little late to realize that she was talking to me.


    So I am Marina? Ok, that works. ¡°Ah. Sorry. I think I am okay. I am just a little spaced out. My body moved on its own back then.¡±


    The other servant smiles and pats my back to reassure me. I return the smile and continue to follow them. After a while I found out that they belong to the staff of the Immortal Empress. So I took exactly the right choice.


    After a while of following them around, I silently sneak away by taking another corridor as they walk towards the servants quarters. From their chit chat I gathered that the Immortal Empress is living on the top floor of this tower.


    So I head to the stairs. My attire doesn''t cause any mistrust from the guards and they seem to know me. I walk right into the private quarters of the Immortal Empress. She isn''t there, so I take my time and search her belongings. I find many magical toys from Sarn and a bottle of very expensive wine.


    There is probably no point in searching for her. I will simply wait here until she comes back. The chair at her office table looks comfortable. I take a seat and place my feet on the table. Then I start reading some documents which were lying around.


    Top secret espionage! Wow. Jackpot! Ah, I see. So that''s how they got access to the Academy. I keep reading until my eyes wander to a box with cigars. ¡°Ohohoh...¡± Nice service.


    I keep enjoying the luxury around me until the door opens and three familiar faces enter.


    It''s the Immortal Empress and the spy girl. Both of them are lightly dressed. Looks like they are returning from a bath. Too bad that I didn''t walk in on them. The bath has to be on another floor.


    Following them is the old headmaster of the Academy. His name is Saggisomething, I think. He is carrying a really big and heavy stash of papers. It looks almost as if the old fart became their minion!


    ¡°I tell you! There are many reasons against it! We shouldn''t...¡± The spy girl walks further into the room while complaining about something. Then they become aware of my presence.


    All three faces turn in my direction. I drop the documents on the table and take the cigar out of my mouth. ¡°Hi! How are you guys doing?¡±


    The spy girl turns and runs to hide behind the Immortal Empress. What a weak reaction.


    ¡°What are you doing Tjena? Remove that insane servant from my private quarters. I can''t believe that someone from my staff could be so cheeky. Does this girl even know what she did by reading those documents?¡± The Immortal Empress shakes her head.


    ¡°Jazira! Don''t get near her! It''s him! I feel it! And that grin! Don''t get fooled.¡± The spy girl proves to have superior survival instincts.


    ¡°~Ahahaha. I just came to say hello!~¡±


    .

 67. ~Friends!.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°~Ahahaha. I just came to say hello!~¡±


    The Immortal Empress immediately takes a defensive position, while the other two hide behind her. I ignore their behaviour and refill my glass with wine.


    ¡°That''s... THAT ONE WAS FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION!¡± The Empress calls out and runs towards me and snatches the bottle out of my hand.


    ¡°That''s ok. Feel honoured that I am paying you a visit.¡± I take a sip from the wine in my glass and smile. Changing bodies has another benefit. I can drink as much as I like without punishment.


    The Empress scoops the documents from the table and takes a step back. ¡°How much did you read?¡±


    ¡°The important stuff.¡± I smile without explaining further. ¡°But that''s not why I am here. I wanted to propose something to you.¡±


    The Empress draws a sharp breath.


    ¡°You shouldn''t propose in that body! Why did you snatch a female body again!? It can''t be... are you?¡± The spy girl takes another step backwards and hides behind the headmaster.


    What the hell is going on in her head? I shrug my shoulders. ¡°I think you misunderstood me. To be truthful, I took this body because she was the best looking one. But it was also a matter of chance. I like my own body better, but I take what I can get.¡±


    ¡°Parasite!¡± Tjena calls out.


    I purse my lips and turn towards the Immortal Empress. ¡°You can call me Ascathon. And I want to bargain a little secret alliance between us. As you can see, my ability allows me to come and go as I please. Having me as an ally would be beneficial to you.¡±


    The Empress squints her eyes. ¡°Call me Jazira. What''s this secret alliance of yours?¡±


    ¡°I want that we don''t try to trip each other. And I want you to attack Mislow, while I deal with the Nation of Mist.¡± I place a map, which I found earlier in Jazira''s documents, on the table. I point at Mislow.


    Jazira bites on her lip. ¡°That won''t work. First, I am not sure if I can trust you. Second, I can''t control Mislow!¡±


    ¡°It''s enough if you attack them and cause havoc. As long as they are busy with stopping you, I can accomplish my objective.¡± I grin.


    ¡°And that is?¡± The headmaster steps closer.


    ¡°I want to save someone whom I believe the mysterious four wanted dead!¡± I point a finger at Jazira. ¡°You informed me of a mysterious power behind the scenes. I got a short glimpse at them. Four people with long ears sitting around a big table with a map of the world on it.¡±


    Sagittarius gasps. ¡°You saw the gods?¡±


    My expression becomes confused. ¡°Gods? What are you talking about? I thought they are from the Nation of Mist.¡±


    Then Sagittarius starts a lengthy explanation on his theory about the gods and their actions throughout the world. After a while he ends his speech and the room becomes silent.


    ¡°~BWAHAHAHA~¡±


    I can''t hold it any more and get a fit of laughter. ¡°That''s hilarious! There are no gods. And if they really are beings which are responsible for such myths, then the real deal lacks some skills.¡±


    ¡°How can you talk like that about the gods!?¡± Sagittarius gasps.


    ¡°Because I''ve travelled the multiverse longer than you''ve been alive! I''ve lived countless lives on countless different worlds. And all I ever saw as a result of religion was war. If there are really beings in this world which are responsible for its state, then they don''t deserve to be worshipped, much less to be called gods.¡± I empty my glass.


    ¡°Do I look like a god to you, old fart? I could probably play with the world like them if I wanted to. I just want to find them to give that bearded guy a beating! He destroyed one of my toys!¡± I shake my fist while thinking about my flying flagship.


    ¡°If I heard right, it was originally my toy.¡± A few veins seem to pop up on Jazira''s forehead.


    ¡°For the chosen ones to be such heretical people...¡± Sagittarius continues to mumble something incomprehensible.


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    I turn towards Jazira and Tjena. ¡°Do you really believe this bullshit?¡±


    ¡°I think that he might be on the right track. But I don''t believe that they are gods, though they seem to be very powerful.¡± Jazira places a hand on her cheek and smiles.


    ¡°Then they must be like us. Just older and maybe more knowledgeable.¡± I fold my arms to show off my chest to disturb Saggitarius.


    ¡°Hey! That''s not your body!¡± Tjena shouts.


    ¡°As long as I am inside it, it is.¡± I smirk.


    ¡°I can''t believe that you are a man!¡± The spy girl continues her rant.


    I purse my lips. ¡°You aren''t always reborn with the same gender. Actually I want to see a male version of hers.¡± I arch an eyebrow and look at Jazira.


    The spy girl''s jaw drops and her face becomes expressionless. Then she drops to her knees. ¡°I don''t want to hear any more. He is just a genderless parasite to me from now on. And a pervert on top...¡±


    ¡°Hey! I am married!¡± I hit the table. ¡°I have a fine woman and a daughter. Don''t spew such nonsense.¡±


    The spy girl drops to the ground like being completely defeated. Hearing this out of the mouth of a fellow woman broke her.


    ¡°That brings me to a point which I wanted to confirm. Your wife? Is she an Immortal too? And why is she the new Jarl!?¡± Jazira looks at me with interest.


    ¡°Yes, she is. And she is the new Jarl because she wanted to. I have no interest in the position anyway. Controlling everything from behind the scenes is much better.¡± I nod. ¡°So back to the topic, would you be so nice to distract Mislow for a while. I would even give you this.¡± I take the crystal globe out of my pocket and dangle it in front of them.


    Jazira starts to play with her long hair. ¡°If you do me another favour in return, I will consider it.¡±


    ***Floating somewhere above the Sea of God***


    ***Lidith***


    He rolled a thirty! Not now, damn! Fuck you Aneth. What will he do with the casting points? Does he have something nasty like a Wrath of God in his hand?


    He pulls a card from his hand and places it on the battlefield. But not on his champion. He casts the spell on Wynne''s elders in the Nation of Mist instead. ¡°Divine Blessing! Let''s see how your Immortals far against the elders. Now they are blessed by three gods.¡±


    ¡°And this is a little bonus!¡± He places a trap card on Fingulf''s mansion. The mansion starts to glow red. Traps are actually very powerful cards. The downside is that they to nothing until certain conditions are met. The more activation conditions you give them, the more powerful their effect becomes.


    I smile at him. ¡°Aren''t you a nice one.¡±


    ¡°I am interested in how they will deal with this. I was very surprised when Ascathon managed to counter my meddling. He even managed to follow the mana line back to us. He may be just a step away from awakening.¡± Charon plays with the dices in his hand.


    ¡°Another reason to deal with them. I was always of the opinion that it''s stupid to involve people like us in this game.¡± Wynne nods.


    ¡°It''s your own fault. You were the ones who summoned one of the older souls.¡± I grumble. Being an Immortal is the last step before becoming a god. The stronger a soul becomes the more powerful your mana reserves get.


    At some point you arrive at a breakthrough and ascend to godhood. That involves access to huge amounts of mana and being able to see the pathways.


    The pathways enable us gods to walk wherever we want. Just holding onto one is enough and you are instantly transported from one point to the other. Walking between worlds and even different universes isn''t a problem at all.


    ¡°Are you sure that you don''t want to give up Lidith? All three of us placed so many buffs on the elders, they are able to crush your Immortals by now.¡± Aneth smirks at me.


    I show him my tongue and look at my hand. ¡°Do what you want. I will win in the end!¡±


    Then I peek with one eye at Aneth''s hero. I haven''t forgotten that one. Even if he is just sneaking around and planning conspiracies for the moment.


    .

 68. ~Bugged.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Above the Ocean, Island Nation of Mist***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°Everything went smoothly so far.¡± I look down from the deck of my new flagship. My iron production finally starts to show proper results.


    The Fist of Heaven is the first one of my ships which is made completely out of steel. It has a long hull with about a hundred and fifty metres in length. The ship''s top deck is broader than the actual body of the ship. But that''s needed. There are forty small planes on top of the deck and further fifty under deck. This makes the Fist of Heaven the first carrier.


    The planes have a simple construction. They consist of not much more than a capsule for the pilot and a railgun. Behind the capsule is the engine with the next generation mana crystal cores. The engines are propelling the small vehicle while it is held in the air by levitation magic.


    There is no skilled magician needed as a pilot, because the engine orientation can be changed by a purely mechanical machinery.


    I had an unexpected breakthrough in my mana crystal research. The downside is that their size and strength is very limited for the time being. It''s just enough to keep the planes in the air and to operate a small railgun.


    But it''s sufficient for my new battle strategy. The enemy ships will be swarmed by the new planes and taken under fire from all directions. Their shields will yield under the onslaught from all directions like back in the fjord.


    My shipyards finished some hybrids made of steel and wood too. My fleet consists now of thirteen converted wooden ships, six hybrids and my flagship.


    I also started construction sites all over Norfolk by sending trusted people who learned directly from me within the recent years.


    But I took just my flagship and the six hybrids for this expedition. The others were left in Sarn to stand guard. I just want to abduct Fingulf, it''s not like I want to lay waste to the Nation of Mist.


    ¡°I hope you don''t forget that we just want to go in and out as fast as possible.¡± Celestial grumbles at my side. She didn''t allow that I go alone this time. At least Sera stayed behind with the rest of the family.


    ¡°How do you even know where the sleeping beauty is located?¡± Celestial looks down at the collection of small islands under us. The heart of the Nation of Mist is an archipelago which was formed by volcanoes.


    There are still new islands forming as we speak, because the volcanoes in the region are very active.


    ¡°Do you really believe that I wouldn''t put some spying devices on an important friend?¡± I pull a small device out of my pocket. It has a screen and looks similar to a smartphone.


    Upon activation it shows a small map with dots and coordinates beside each dot. Several of the dots are concentrated in Sarn, others are located all over the world. I made it a policy to bug everyone who has even the smallest bit of importance to me.


    Celestial takes a look at the screen. ¡°I see... let me guess, the dot right next to the centre is me?¡± Her expression is a little vicious.


    I put my left arm around her shoulders and pull her closer. ¡°It''s just a small precaution dear! I would never do something improper with this information!¡±


    She smiles and slides her right arm around my chest. ¡°Where is it?¡±


    I continue to study the islands under us. ¡°Where is what?¡±


    ¡°~The bugs.~¡± She isn''t willing to let the matter go.


    ¡°The wedding ring, the earrings for our anniversary, the bracelet with embedded recovery magic, the brooch with...¡± But she places a finger on my lips.


    Then she sighs. ¡°So basically everything I ever got from you.¡±


    I nod and we continue to stare at the islands until I can''t keep it in any more. Better to clear it up if there is a chance. She reacted well to everything else so far. So why not get it over with as long as she is in a good mood?


    ¡°And a small tracking emitter in your left ass cheek! Hrmpf!¡±


    She elbowed right into the guts! Violent woman! She hit hard enough to send me to the ground.


    ¡°WHEN!¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I crawl closer and grab her feet. At least that should prevent her from kicking me. ¡°While you slept! It''s not big and I used healing magic right afterwards to cover it up! I got a potion for local anaesthetics from Sera!¡±


    She grabs me at my collar and pulls me up into a standing position. Though I am not standing properly, because it still hurts.


    ¡°I am sorry, dear. It''s just your strange way of taking care of others which amazed me. I hope you will talk about things like that with me in the future?¡±


    ¡°Yes dear!¡± I smile and hug her. That went very well! The old Celestial would have broken a few of my bones!


    ¡°Do you think we have been found out already?¡± Celestial is looking down the railing while tampering with my tracking device.


    ¡°No? And even if they found out, their ships are far too slow to follow us. We should have outmanoeuvred them. We chose to get our target and leave just for that purpose.¡± I take another look down.


    Celestial points at a small island at the edge of the archipelago. ¡°I think that''s Fingulf''s island. He mentioned during our wedding ceremony that his main household is at the edge of the archipelago. So it matches. And there are twenty two ships around that island.¡±


    I pull a globe out of my pocket and check the island in question. ¡°Indeed. How did you see that far?¡±


    ¡°My skill enhances my senses too.¡± Celestial smiles proudly.


    ¡°I see. Do you think that twenty two ships are a reasonable guard for someone on an isolated island?¡± I continue to search the island for other abnormalities.


    ¡°It''s just a small one, so two ships should have been enough. I think they knew that we were coming.¡± Celestial shrugs her shoulders. ¡°Having that many ships stationed there is a waste of resources. One might think that they totally forgot about Phenex. And that after fighting them for years.¡±


    I nod. ¡°So it''s the mysterious power again. They know that we are coming. Haaah... I want to test my new weapons. But there is too much risk of destroying the island too. The ships are too close.¡±


    Celestial gasps. ¡°What did you build to be concerned about the island!¡±


    I start to play with the globe between my fingers and look down at the deck. ¡°A fusion nuke... a hundred megatons of blast yield. Do you think we could throw it at their capital afterwards? We still have unfinished business with them since the last attack.¡±


    ¡°No! You went overboard! What do you need a hundred megaton nuke for?¡± Celestial is still shocked.


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°The last sea battle against their ships was really annoying. Their shields are just too strong. So I decided that I need a weapon to finish the fight faster.¡±


    ¡°What about the radioactive waste!?¡± Celestial simply can''t give in.


    ¡°There is none. It''s a one hundred percent green bomb. The fusion of the liquid hydrogen is achieved by a magic circuit. Mother nature would give me a medal for this.¡± I start to chuckle.


    ¡°Just don''t use it. We will go in and do this the hard way.¡± Celestial turns and walks back into the ship.


    I follow her to the weapons chamber. A group of fifty warriors and Den are already busy with equipping themselves with my new armours and weapons. Each armour has its own little mana crystal embedded in the chest piece.


    They are even smaller than the one which I created accidentally. Mine has the size of a thumb, while the new ones are only as big as my fingernail. They still enhance my group of average normal fighters to the point of average normal magicians.


    Celestial picks the two short swords, which I made for her, from the weapons tray. I start to get dressed too. My armour is ready and I am actually eager to try it.


    ¡°Are you sure that you don''t want an armour Celestial? You could take one of the light versions?¡± I inquire once more, but I already know the answer.


    ¡°Only if you can make one which doesn''t yield faster than my bare skin.¡± She attaches the short swords to her belt.


    I purse my lips and fish an amulet with an mana crystal from my pocket. ¡°Then take this at least. Having a mana boost is never bad.¡±


    She smiles and I put it around her neck. Then she grabs my cheeks and pulls at both of them until I can imagine my face looking like a frog''s. ¡°I assume that this one is also bugged?¡±


    ¡°Oof ¡­ c... couursee!¡±


    .

 69. ~Force.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Island Nation of Mist***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°Are you sure that your plan isn''t a little bit risky?¡± Celestial looks down at the enemy ships around Fingulf''s little personal island.


    ¡°It''s perfectly fine. There is a risk involved in everything we do. Without taking risks, we would have to stop moving and never make any progress.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just thought about jumping without parachute might be a little risky for the attack team?¡± Celestial looks at the people around us. There are about fifty warriors gathered on deck. Den is leading them while Celestial and I are just tagging along.


    ¡°The suits have levitation magic. The only one who will create a crater upon arrival is you.¡± I smile at Celestial. ¡°Are you sure that you don''t want to try a cannonball onto one of their ships.¡±


    She tilts her head and smiles. ¡°Aren''t you a nice husband! I will do it if you do a belly whack first.¡±


    ¡°?hm... The operation is ready to start.¡± Den interrupts us and points at the commander in the bridge, who is waving behind a window.


    ¡°Then don''t let them wait!¡± I jump over the railing and start to fall. ¡°JAHOOOOOO!¡± This is thrilling!


    The air is chilly and stings my face, so I put the mask on and close the seals.


    Then I take a look at the planes all around us, as they start to dive down at the enemies too. They were launched earlier and we have ninety of them in the air. Their purpose is to distract the ships around the island while our fleet descends to bomb them to hell. Our small task force will descend directly to the island and abduct Fingulf.


    And maybe his relatives too, though he never mentioned family to me.


    I turn my attention back to the ground and witness the first explosions around the enemy ships. There is no holding back this time. Our ships will shoot until they are out of ammunition.


    The already well known fireballs start to rise from the enemy fleet, but there are some new tricks as well. There are yellow glowing orbs of light too. They move faster and in straight lines. Obviously the enemy used his brain after the first battle.


    They must have concluded that the slow moving fireballs are ineffective against flying air ships.


    Then one of the yellow orbs changes its direction and heads directly for me. I whistle while I congratulate the inventor of this new spell. The pointy ears are able to progress on their own after all. And creating energy based attack magic which aims on its own is a great feat.


    I wait for the last second before pushing myself aside with telekinesis. The yellow orb misses by a mere metre and heads for Celestial!


    But my wife simply strikes out at the thing and diverts its path. A tight series of manoeuvres follows as I evade a few more orbs as I act only on instinct.


    As soon as I leave the shower of incoming fire, I hit a hidden button on my left arm and my descend starts to slow until I touch the ground with elegant ease. Touchdown!


    I nod to myself, everything is working as intended!


    I landed on a glade in the thick forest of this island. As I look up, I find others descending to my location. And there is Celestial ¡­ falling like a stone.


    *BAM!*


    A dust cloud erupts a few dozen metres to my right in the underwood. I knew it! She just relied on her barrier! Other members of my small force descend all around me while I check a small display on my right arm. Somehow we lost four people, but the rest seems to be okay.


    Den lands right next to me and I nod. ¡°Seems like we got down. Did you see what happened to our losses?¡±


    Den nods. ¡°Direct hits by those yellow orbs. The suits can''t withstand that. It''s their own fault for being too slow to evade.¡± He grimaces and starts to stomp off into the direction of the mansion.


    The rest of the group starts to fan out in a loose formation with at least ten metres between everyone. They are well trained.


    I follow Den in a few metres'' distance as he creates a path through the undergrowth of the island. Our progress is aggravated by thick vegetation and forest.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    After a few metres Celestial emerges from a bush and joins us. She is dusty and her clothes are partly torn. Twigs are all over her and I grin. ¡°So the suit wasn''t necessary. I see.¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t.¡± Celestial''s answer is short and fast.


    I resume to following Den and look up at our flying ships. They are fully committed now and I hear the thunder of distant explosions. ¡°So how do you intend to get up again?¡±


    ¡°Jumping!¡± Celestial is busy with picking leaves and twigs out of her hair.


    I sigh. ¡°Of course. How else would someone get back to the ship.¡±


    We follow the soldiers in silence and concentrate on our surroundings. Fingulf''s mansion is just three kilometres away. It''s possible that there are enemy troops stationed here.


    Our squad purposely didn''t jump directly onto the enemy. Den deemed it to be a recipe for chaos, increasing the probability of needlessly losing people to the enemy or falling into a trap.


    But nobody disturbs our advance until we reach the open clearing around Fingulf''s mansion. Our people are using the trees as cover while Den observes the situation with an orb. ¡°Barricades all around the house. And quite a few soldiers and people who look like magicians.¡±


    He freezes for a moment and continues. ¡°And there are three freaky guys with masks! They are looking right at us.¡±


    I smile. ¡°No wonder, they saw us jump and also where we landed. It''s not hard to guess from which direction we are coming.¡±


    There is no point in hiding any more, so I walk forward. ¡°Let''s test how these suits perform in man to man combat! I will be the spearhead.¡±


    I walk towards the enemy barricades with my hands folded behind my back and the enemy soldiers start to call commands when they see me. The rest of my comrades follows at a respectful distance.


    There are indeed three masked figures with them. They have powerful auras, despite looking elderly. Their masks seem to symbolize the old trinity of creation, preservation and destruction. The first one seems to be a woman. Her mask is made of wood. It''s laughing and there are different patterns taken from nature on it.


    The second person''s mask is made out of steel or iron. It shows no distinct expression and there are no patterns at all. He seems to be a guy.


    The third person is also male and his mask seems to be crying. The whole thing is stitched together out of a multitude of materials and looks worn and old.


    The enemy soldiers seem a little dumbfounded and unsure of what to do. I guess they didn''t expect the enemy simply walking up to them. Not a word is spoken and there is a heavy silence all around the area.


    I am only twenty metres away, when one of the soldiers deems that I got close enough. An arrow is let loose and impacts my chest plate. The arrow splits and falls useless to the ground. The automatic defensive barrier didn''t deem the arrow as a danger.


    Consequently it didn''t activate. I halt and inspect the scratch in the beautiful black and golden ornament on my chest plate. It took me a day to achieve an acceptable result.


    The colour was scratched...


    I look up and point my index finger at the individual responsible. A small disk of light forms at my fingertip and shoots out faster than the eye can follow.


    The archer''s head disintegrates into a cloud of blood and brain matter. One of the masked guys is quick to react and the earth starts to move under my feet. My body moves on its own as I recognize the spell.


    A stone spike stabs the space where my head had been a second before.


    ¡°Attack!¡±


    I hear Den''s voice bellow from behind and Celestial rushes past me. There is no point in thinking of special tactics right now. We have to keep a tight schedule to meet up with the fleet again. They are currently fighting an outnumbered battle to give us the needed time.


    Guns are shot from behind me and the enemy guards start to fall. They strike back and a fireball rushes past my head. I hear an explosion and screams.


    While I run, I conjure a blue sphere of mana and split it into several smaller spheres which start to orbit me. Manipulating mana became much easier since I have the new mana crystal.


    Celestial throws herself between the enemies and moments later our two forces collide in a blind attempt to attain victory by pure force.


    .

 70. ~Fight and run.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Island Nation of Mist***


    ***Ascathon***


    Both opposing parties start a combination of hand to hand fights and ranged attacks. I follow Celestial and barely evade a yellow glowing orb. The one who fired it was the guy with the iron mask.


    ¡°Den. Go and get our targets. I will play with the masked leaders.¡± Another glowing orb is shot at me and this time I counter it by shooting a small blue orb of mana at it. The magical force disperses without further harm.


    Den rushes past me and bulldozes over an enemy soldier who tried to block his path. The huge and bulky Den tackles him like playing a football game and the enemy is thrown aside like a doll.


    ¡°You don''t have time to watch others!¡± The iron mask pulls a sword and charges at me with extraordinary speed.


    I try to evade, but I am too slow. His sword swings down at me and the enemy''s blade is about to slice into my mask when a sharp metallic sound is heard and the blade is deflected.


    One of the blue orbs, which I summoned earlier, activated. The spell offers nice protection against physical attacks. Mana orbs are normally only used to counter projectile spells, or as magical attacks.


    Though in my case I combined them with a barrier spell and gave them a small set of rules. They activate when something enters the protected space around me and intercept the attack on their own.


    My masked opponent is a little baffled, but strikes at me again without reservation. Another mana orb changes it''s course and intercepts the sword. This time I use the chance and step forward to give my enemy a punch straight to the face.


    His head is thrown backwards and he retreats to gain some distance. He raises one hand and a storm of ice shards is let loose. I raise both of my hands and a stone wall rises to separate us.


    Cracks appear in the rock in front of me, which proves that the ice shards have power. But I don''t marvel at the enemy''s strength and summon a phantom of myself. The spell Mirage is commonly used by many mind magicians to distract the enemy. Since the line of sight is blocked by the wall, it''s the perfect time to use it.


    The phantom of myself runs to the left and I wait a second to conjure a small fireball. Then I step around the wall, just as my phantom is pierced by a glowing lance of light. I throw the fireball immediately at the masked guy, who is concentrating on my phantom. The Fireball impacts his shoulder and sets his clothes aflame.


    My grin is wiped out of my face as the enemy disappears and reappears right next to me in a striking position. The sword strikes down and I block it with my guarded arm. The blade sinks into my armour and cuts me. But the wound isn''t deep.


    I grab the blade with my other hand and send mana through my body to enhance my strength. The blade snaps with a metallic sound. Still holding onto the blade, I turn the tip back towards its owner and ram it through the chin of my enemy, directly into his brain.


    But my victory is short lived. Something impacts hard into my side. I am catapulted away and fall hard. Luckily I had enhanced my strength, so I didn''t suffer any injuries.


    As I try to get up, I realize that the one who tackled me was Celestial. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Just fighting two strong people alone.¡± She gets up and points with one of her swords at the other two masked fellows. ¡°It''s unfair. They don''t stay dead like they should!¡±


    The head of the nature woman is bent in an unhealthy way, but she is still standing. I watch in disgust as her head snaps back into position.


    ¡°Creepy!¡± There is nothing else I have to say to this.


    Both of Celestial''s opponents are approaching from a destroyed barricade. There is a hole with Celestial''s size in the wooden construction.


    Even iron mask is moving again. One hand moves and draws the blade out of his head. Then he stands up and his wound closes.


    ¡°That''s unfair! His brain was destroyed! I can''t do that!¡± I call out. They are cheating! That''s against several laws of nature! ¡°Are they zombies?¡±


    ¡°The gods gave us their blessing to smite the ones who oppose them!¡± A ridiculous line comes from iron mask''s lips.


    ¡°They move faster than zombies and are tougher.¡± Celestial stretches and I hear her bones crunch. ¡°I guess dismembering them is our best option. How about a little teamwork?¡±


    I nod and cast a regeneration spell on Celestial while the enemies become active again.


    Roots grab my feet, but I ignore them to disrupt the forming attack magic of garbage face. That''s my new nickname for the guy with the crying mask. No wonder that he chose a sad expression.


    In an instant Celestial reaches nature woman and sends her flying with a straight kick. The roots loosen, but they held me long enough for iron mask to reach me. He grabs me and I suddenly feel my mana being sucked away.


    So I return the favour while stabbing my fingers into his eyes. He screams and lets go of me. The next second one of Celestial''s swords stabs through his chest. She threw it at him while fighting the garbage face.


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    I conjure as much power as possible and unleash a series of wind blades on iron mask. His body is torn to tiny pieces. To my horror, I witness the gore in front of me starting to reform! I decide to set the entire area aflame. Hopefully that will keep him down for a while.


    I turn towards Celestial, who is still fighting garbage mask. He is about to evade Celestial''s attack when I concentrate on his foot with telekinesis and trip him.


    Celestial''s sword claims his head when the nature woman finally rejoins the fight. Roots shoot up from the ground and entangle Celestial.


    I raise both hands and pour all my mana into a flame cannon spell. A howling inferno shoots out at the last enemy. Nature woman counters my spell with a barrier, but it gives Celestial time to untangle herself and she starts to hack the beheaded garbage face to pieces.


    As my mana reserves near their end, I stop my flame cannon before I become completely defenceless. Nature woman''s barrier held. Celestial is still ready to fight, but she looks a little weak and starts to back off.


    ¡°Please tell me that you have some power left.¡± She calls out while retreating into my direction.


    I can almost imagine a grin on nature woman''s face, as she starts to walk forward with confident steps.


    Then I find Celestial''s second sword on the ground and grab it. ¡°Seems like I will need this...¡± I talk to myself.


    The fighting around us is dying down and my warriors start to shoot at the nature woman from all sides. Nothing helps. Her shield is indestructible. Then roots start to penetrate the earth all around her and something starts to grow.


    ¡°Retreat!¡±


    I call for the easiest solution. If your enemy is a slow moving indestructible fortress, you simply have to run.


    Our soldiers pick up their wounded comrades and retreat into the direction of the coast. In the distance I see Den exiting the mansion. He has the limp Fingulf over his shoulder and a screaming boy under his arm. Four soldiers are following him, each of them is needed to carry a screaming woman at her feet and arms.


    Then my foot is caught by a root, which penetrated the ground. I look back at the living, swirling mass under her, as it expands in all directions. I hack at the root, but it''s persistent. Celestial grabs my free hand and starts to pull, but it''s no use.


    It feels like my hand will be ripped off by Celestial and I drop the sword to raise my hand against the nature woman. Whatever she is, I will test if she survives a little soul magic. I ready myself to cast one my new experimental spells.


    *THUNDER*


    A deafening sound caused me to wince and a bluish white thunderbolt came from the sky. It struck the nature woman, turning her into a crispy piece of charcoal within an instant. Celestial and I are frozen as we watch the carpet of roots die.


    ¡°Did you do that?¡± Celestial asks with suspicion.


    ¡°No?¡± I quickly try to untangle the evil root from my foot. ¡°At least I think I didn''t?¡±


    Suddenly the ground under my feet starts to rumble and a huge cloud of dark dust starts to rise from farther inland.


    ¡°Volcano!¡± Celestial grabs me, lifting me in a princess carry. The root rips while my bone breaks. I cry out and then she starts to run while I try to ignore the pain.


    For some reason I take a look back and witness a cataclysmic scene, as the island comes apart behind us.


    ¡°Run faster!¡±


    "I''m trying!"


    ***Floating somewhere above the Sea of God***


    ***Lidith***


    ¡°~I drew a Wrath of God. Shananana.~¡± I am dancing on my chair while the others look at me with sour faces. ¡°~And you lost three heroes. Lalalala.~¡±


    I point at the strange scene in the globe at the middle of the table. Celestial is running for her life with Ascathon in a princess carry, while a shower of lava pieces rains down around them and a dark cloud of hot dust is following on their heels.


    ¡°~And my Immortals will survive.~¡±


    ¡°Yeah... yeah. That''s enough. Sit down.¡± Aneth grumbles while he watches the scene. ¡°Damn. I would never let myself get carried like that.¡±


    ¡°You are right, it''s pathetic.¡± Charon nods with enthusiasm.


    I turn to Wynne, but she shows no reaction and stares at the globe. I wave my hand in front of her eyes, but I get no reaction. ¡°Wynne? Wake up? Come on, those guys were assholes anyway? Did you ever watch what they did in their free time?¡±


    Suddenly Wynne snaps to attention and screams at Aneth. ¡°You ruined my island! Again!¡±


    Aaah... now I remember. Didn''t this whole story start because Aneth destroyed one of Wynne''s gardening Islands?


    .

 71. ~Recruiting.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Island Nation of Mist***


    ***Ascathon***


    Our fleet is retreating and I grumble while I watch the island vanishing in the ocean. The eruption of the volcano happened at a very convenient time. Too convenient! At least almost everyone who survived the fight could get away. But that''s just because I decided to run a little earlier than necessary.


    There are fourteen enemy ships left and in pursuit, but they are no threat because we are flying too high and are faster than them. The new strategy of using a carrier for attack planes was a full success from my perspective. The planes are too fast for slow moving magical projectiles and their shields are sufficient to defend against weaker spells. We lost just fourteen planes.


    ¡°I will teach them a lesson when I find them!¡± I pound the railing of my flagship in anger.


    ¡°So you think that a certain someone had his hand in this.¡± Celestial is also watching the island and the fleet from the Nation of Mist, which is following us.


    ¡°Oh, please! A mysterious power of self regeneration? New attack magic? Unbelievable magic power? A lightning out of nowhere from a clear, blue sky with not a single cloud? A WHOLE island going up in flames just as we are fighting on it?¡± I gesture at the rising cloud of ash behind us. ¡°They overdid it this time, whoever they are.¡±


    Celestial nods. ¡°But at least one of them seems to be on our side.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°There is no way to tell if that''s a good or a bad thing! Hell, maybe they even switch roles from time to time.¡±


    ¡°We should think about our guest for now. All our speculations are in vain, as long as we don''t have more information.¡± Celestial turns and I follow her.


    ¡°It just means that we aren''t strong enough. Yet!¡± I place my hand on the crystal in my chest plate. ¡°And I already have an idea on how to accomplish that.¡±


    ¡°I am looking forward to it.¡± Celestial enters the ship and we follow the main corridor to the living quarters.


    The screams of a woman lead us directly to our destination and we find Den in front of a door to a private room. The screams don''t sound terrified, they have a more complaining tone to them. And they are coming from behind the door.


    ¡°Are there any problems?¡± I ask Den, who doesn''t look happy at all.


    ¡°She is a fury. I don''t understand how anyone would marry such a woman. We needed four people, just to get her out of the house.¡± He opens the door and I find a blonde woman screaming at the guards who are inside the room.


    ¡°I demand that we are freed immediately!¡± She screams. Fingulf is lying in a bed and doesn''t look happy at all. A small boy is sitting beside him, the child is at most four years old.


    I signal the guards to leave the room. They leave and close the door behind them. Then I turn to Fingulf and his wife and smile. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°How am I doing? I am a cripple. The council forced me to retire. Then I and my family are put under the guard of several warships! And a few days later a certain someone kills the guards and abducts me!¡± He grasps his blanket tightly.


    Celestial nods. ¡°I see, our methods seem a little rude, but times of war demand violence from time to time.¡±


    ¡°War!?¡± Fingulf''s wife calls out.


    ¡°We don''t know of any war, besides with the Phenex Empire.¡± Fingulf calls out.


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°But your Nation attacked my...¡± ¡°MY!¡± ¡°... her country.¡± I point at Celestial, who corrected me. ¡°So we are technically at war with each other and you are prisoners of war from now on.¡±


    ¡°Why should the proud Nation of Mist attack Norfolk? Aaah... I see. It must have been the elders. But they alone shouldn''t be able to mobilize the army. Did the king collaborate with them?¡± Fingulf''s expression becomes disgusted.


    ¡°I think the current leaders of the army are loyal to the elders. At least that''s what the new sky general told me before he died. I wonder if the next Sky General is a little bit better.¡± I explain.


    ¡°Haaah. How did you even get past the council''s dolls?¡± Fingulf looks from me to Celestial.


    ¡°Dolls?¡± I arch an eyebrow.


    ¡°Three guys with masks? High class magic and almost indestructible? Homunculi? A good magician can take one over to use it as a proxy?¡± He drops a bomb on me.


    ¡°What!? Those things were just dolls? How many of them can you guys make? They gave us a lot of trouble until the island blew up!¡± I call out.


    ¡°The island blew up?¡± ¡°My house!¡± Fingulf and his wife call out in unison.


    ¡°That explains how they were able to heal up so fast and survive lethal blows.¡± Celestial smiles. ¡°One mystery less.¡±


    ¡°But that also means that we have to fight them again! How troublesome.¡± I mumble.


    ¡°The dolls are given to the council, so that they can supervise the nation without having to leave the capital. I think each council member has at least three of them throughout the Nation of Mist. But they shouldn''t be strong fighters. The council was chosen because of their wise decisions and not based on their fighting power.¡± Fingulf''s wife explains.


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    ¡°How strange, didn''t she just tell us valuable military information?¡± Celestial squints her eyes.


    Fingulf makes a dismissive gesture. ¡°It''s common knowledge that the Council has those dolls and how they look. How would they be able to give commands through their proxies otherwise?¡±


    ¡°Well, there is enough time to talk about everything. For the moment I would like to know if you want to join us?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Hah? Why should I? I would never betray my country.¡± Fingulf is shocked.


    I raise my right hand and start to count. ¡°Your country tried to get rid of you to give someone your position. Your country is now waging war against Norfolk, just because we built some nice items and trade with them. If you would join us, Celestial could heal you. You would get to command your own fleet of sky ships.¡± I point out of the window, where one of the other ships is visible. ¡°And finally, I would give you a nice house to live in, instead of a cell.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do this?¡± Fingulf asks. He doesn''t even question my ability to fulfil my promises.


    ¡°Because we have something against the guys who tried to kill you.¡± Celestial smiles.


    ¡°That doesn''t sound like a bad idea.¡± The boy besides Fingulf suddenly joins the conversation.


    Celestial gasps. ¡°Don''t tell me!¡±


    Fingulf sighs. ¡°Let me introduce you. This is Fergus, my son. And that''s Lahandra, my wife. It''s not surprising that you are a little shocked, but we from the Nation of Mist age a little slower. Despite looking like this, Fergus is actually twelve. Even so, he is still a genius and I am very proud of him.¡±


    Both Celestial and me sigh in relief. Another Immortal would have been more than strange.


    ¡°Then he''ll find someone to talk to back at our home. Our kids are a little ahead of their age.¡± Celestial smiles at Fergus, who has a doubtful expression.


    ***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***


    ***Arran***


    We are sitting on the floor in the living room. Sera is reading a book while Fergus eyes her with interest. I am training my telekinesis according to Sera''s instructions. Since my mother is from a very old and strong magical bloodline, I should have the ability too. So I decided to give my everything in order to hone this power.


    I didn''t have the chance to do so very often till now. In most of my reincarnations I became something more akin to a warrior. So I am trying to use all of my potential. I don''t want to look bad compared to my future wife. Maybe I''ll manage to become something like a magical swordsman!


    Though it''s very hard to concentrate on my exercise while another guy is eyeing Sera. ¡°Hey, you! Stop ogling my woman!¡±


    Fergus''s eyes widen and he turns his gaze towards me. ¡°I wasn''t ogling her! I was just interested in the book. We are far too young to think about stuff like this! Are you some kind of barbarian? You talk like she belongs to you.¡±


    ¡°Liar! I know how lecherous glances look! So stop it. I have every right to complain, because she is my fiancee!¡± There take that!


    ¡°Wah? Mother was right, the mainlanders are really a bunch of barbarians. Pre arranged marriages? How barbaric!¡± Fergus starts talking to himself.


    ¡°So you admit it! Otherwise you wouldn''t look so troubled!¡± I see through this fellow.


    ¡°And what if!? Do you want to fight me? Hah! You can''t even walk yet.¡± Fergus smiles in triumph.


    ¡°~Kya!~ I always wanted to be a princess and have men fight for me. This is truly a thrilling reincarnation! Go on! I''ll root for both of you! No, wait a moment! I will get dad''s camera! Then I''ll have a memento of my first time!¡± She gets up and runs out of the room.


    ¡°Somehow I just lost my interest in her... such a character... take her... she is all yours. I can''t imagine what you see in someone who gets excited over a fight.¡± Fergus has a depressed expression and looks at the book which was left behind.


    I snort and nod. ¡°Then we don''t have to fight. Stupid pointy ears. If you can''t see her true beauty, there is no need for further discussions.¡± That''s right. Did you even take a look at her mother? She is bound to become a top class woman. Who cares about her character? Everything is fine as long as she doesn''t try to kill you.


    Just stay in this mansion for a while! Then you will understand her pains! She is just misunderstood. Nobody who grows up in a place like this is without scars!


    Fergus looks up. ¡°What did you call me?¡±


    Ooops... Are the ears a weak point of his? ¡°Celestial could cut them shorter. She is a good...¡± I don''t get to talk any further as Fergus throws himself onto me and I use telekinesis to block him.


    *klick* *klick*


    ¡°~Yes!~ To the left! Harder! More action! ~Nyahahaha.~¡±


    .

 72. ~Again.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Fellmar***


    ***Celestial***


    ¡°I can''t believe that it''s already that time of the year again. Why are we even participating in this stupid event? There aren''t even enough guests here. What a giant waste of money. We invited the whole world to the party and just our people show up!¡± Ascathon is grumbling beside me.


    ¡°The Ball of Fellmar is a long tradition. The previous Jarl held at in regular intervals to maintain the good relationships with other countries. I have to do at least that much, or there will be an uproar from the nobles.¡± It''s an unfortunate necessity.


    ¡°But there aren''t any guests! Jamaian is gone, Mislow and the Nation of Mist are at war with us and the Academy is controlled by Phenex.¡± He guides me to our table in the great hall. Everyone steps aside and holds a respectful distance to us. A sea of people is parting before us, how amusing.


    ¡°On top I have bad memories of my last visit here. I got stabbed!¡± He complains.


    I grin. ¡°But you looked like you enjoyed it? And you shouldn''t be so pessimistic. I invited everyone and I have high hopes that at least one party shows up.¡±


    His head turns sharply. ¡°It can''t be. You wouldn''t. Did you invite Phenex too?¡±


    ¡°Sure. The previous Jarl always invited everyone. Our nobles can''t complain if we invite her to this festival. And once they see that nobody besides Phenex is willing to talk to us, they have to change their attitude.¡± It''s a devious plan to change their opinion.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Ascathon tilts his heads and thinks about something.


    So I take a seat at our table and order the best available food. The previous Jarl''s cook is a genius, no wonder that he looked like a balloon. I take a look around the dining hall and admire the expensive chandelier. There are many guests around, though all of them are from Norfolk.


    ¡°Say, Celestial? Isn''t it strange that you changed your opinion of her? This is quite sudden.¡± He scratches his chest with an uneasy expression. ¡°It can''t be that you plan to lure her in to ...¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking? Of course not.¡± Well, at least not immediately. ¡°You know that I am very practical. After thinking about this for a while, I came to the conclusion that I have to control my personal feelings in this matter. It''s the only path that''s left open for this country. And we can''t deal with Mislow and the Nation of Mist on our own.¡±


    I make a pause to order my thoughts. ¡°There is something fishy going on. Someone is playing a game with us and we don''t know the rules, nor are we sure of the number of participants, or their goals. So it''s necessary to proceed with maximum caution, while not wasting any opportunities. If we have the possibility to have one enemy less, we should take it.¡±


    Ascathon nods. ¡°I see. I guess I just didn''t expect that you would be able to overcome your feelings.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Don''t have too high hopes. I may still tear her to pieces if she provokes me. Nor will I forget that Sera was abducted by one of her servants.¡±


    My secretary Natasha approaches us from the crowd of people and I turn my attention to her. ¡°A delegation from Phenex arrived as anticipated. They want to speak to you.¡± She bows to Ascathon and me.


    ¡°You may tell them that we await them.¡± I smile at Natasha and she leaves.


    ¡°You still treat her very formally.¡± Ascathon states while looking after Natasha and I don''t fail to notice his eyes, which are fixed on a certain spot.


    ¡°Dear husband?¡± I smile at him.


    ¡°Yes?¡± His eyes are still somewhere else.


    ¡°Dear husband, Natasha is lesbian. That''s why I am wary of her. And if you don''t look at me, I will poke them out.¡± I grab a knife from the table.


    He changes his focus of attention. ¡°No way?¡± His eyes wander to the knife in my hand and he realizes what he just did. ¡°I was just looking! Of course you are the only one for me. You can''t blame a man for looking! That''s the same as forbidding me to breathe!¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Haven''t you learnt to do it discreetly during your many lifes?¡±


    He nods. ¡°Of course, but you can''t savour the view if you do that. Men don''t have such a good peripheral vision compared to women.¡±


    Then I purse my lips. ¡°That''s still no excuse. You will have to make up for it.¡±


    He squints his eyes. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I am sure you''ll find a solution. Otherwise you will sleep alone tonight.¡± I avert my eyes, but he grabs my hand and kisses it.


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    ¡°I am not sure if there is a proper method to apologize for looking at other women.¡± He scratches his cheek and gives off an impression of being deep in thought.


    I give up. ¡°Haah... I understand. An old man like you can''t lower himself to flatter an old woman like me. I guess we will simply forget about the matter and continue with our work. Such a pity, there may be no time to cook chocolate.¡±


    Then he smiles at me like a gentleman. ¡°Sugar cat, I love you. There is nobody else for me. I would pick the stars from the sky if you wish it.¡±


    A shudder runs down my spine at his sudden change and I smirk. ¡°So you can act like that if you want to.¡±


    ¡°You are the one who gives me sweet dreams.¡± He focuses on my eyes and comes closer.


    ¡°I see...¡± So he just doesn''t want to have nightmares.


    ¡°You are the provider of the thing which I need the most.¡± His hands wander farther up my arm.


    ¡°So that''s the reason...¡± He would do everything for chocolate! But I can''t find a hint of lying in his face.


    ¡°You are the perfect match for me, as you do the bothersome work for me.¡± Now his face comes too close!


    ¡°Stop it. I can''t take it any more! You won!¡± I shy away. There is only so much I can take. He immediately returns to his usual self and I ask, ¡°Such frightening skills. Were you an actor at some point? Why didn''t you display those skills earlier?¡±


    ¡°Those skills are reserved for dire situations.¡± He lifts his glass and takes a sip.


    Then we are interrupted by a group of people with a dazzling white haired beauty in their midst. Both of us stand up to greet the Immortal Empress. ¡°It''s pleasure to meet you again, even if our first meeting wasn''t that happy. I am the Jarl, Celestial Asceron. And this is my husband, Ascathon Asceron.¡±


    The Immortal Empress smiles and nods. ¡°You may call me Jazira. This is my aide, Tjena.¡± She gestures at a familiar face. I knew that person for a short while as my babysitter. Tjena bows fast and steps behind Jazira after taking a look at Ascathon. He just smiled at her and she immediately paled.


    ¡°And this is my old friend, Sagittarius. The headmaster of the Academy. I convinced him to join hands with me.¡± The old man beside her nods.


    ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you for real this time?¡± She looks at Ascathon with curiosity.


    ¡°Yeah, the real thing is quite a disappointment, isn''t it?¡± Ascathon chuckles.


    Jazira shrugs her shoulders. ¡°I don''t know what I expected. May I take a seat?¡±


    I gesture for them to continue and sit down again. The rest of Jazira''s staff leaves, or backs off to give us privacy. ¡°Please do. What''s spoken on this table shall remain between us. There is a warding spell against sound on every table. Nobody who is farther away than a metre can overhear us."


    ¡°So? How did your little distraction for Mislow look like?¡± Ascathon smiles and asks Jazira about her part in our secret plan.


    She shrugs. ¡°I marched my army to their borders and crushed one of their outposts. That was enough to trigger a massive reaction from them. They intercepted me with a huge army and we had a stand off for a few days. Then I retreated. At least I know now that they can mobilize very fast within their own land.¡±


    ¡°Mislow and Jamaian were always in conflict with each other. Even if they didn''t have an open war, there were still small scale conflicts and both countries kept their military in top condition.¡± Sagittarius explains the situation.


    ¡°~Yes, Yes.~ That''s all very nice, but before we continue. Do you have the certain item, which I requested.¡± She looks at Ascathon with shining eyes.


    He nods and pulls something out of his pocket. It''s a device with a screen and I watch curiously as Jazira grabs it.


    ¡°Finally! Oh I missed technological realms so much! There is nothing more wonderful than having a camera to take pictures of important moments!¡± She raises the device and takes a photo of Tjena and Sagittarius. Their faces went expressionless as soon as Jazira received the device.


    ¡°We moved an entire army ¡­¡± ¡°... for that device...¡± ¡°... to make pictures?¡±


    ¡°~Of course! Look! It''s a version with a screen, so you can immediately take a look at the photo!~¡± Jazira turns the camera and shows the picture of their dumb faces to both of them.


    .

 73. ~Assassin.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Fellmar***


    ***The Nameless***


    He walks slowly through the crowd of people and searches for his prey. The excitement of the impending kill sends a shiver through his body. That''s what he exists for. To kill his prey silently and watch the life exiting its body is his greatest joy. Killing is his purpose.


    And he is good at it. In fact he is the best. The idiots who paid him and appointed his targets called him an assassin. But he thinks of himself as a hunter. He gave up on his name and a normal life to follow his desires.


    He gave up on thinking of himself as a man and turned into a hunter, a monster. He got rid his emotions to become the best of his trade. He even cast aside his humanity. Just in the rare moments of the actual hunt, he allowed himself to feel the joy of killing.


    That''s why he is here tonight. The crazed maniac who hired him paid well. He had met the man in a dark alley. His informant had decided on it as the meeting place to get his mission briefing.


    But the client felt dangerous this time. Not because he seemed strong, but because he seemed like a fanatic. The man talked constantly about gods and destiny. He thought of himself as the hero who''ll save the world.


    The nameless was in his business for long enough to know that there are no heroes. Just normal mortal men who had a few screws loose.


    But he still accepted the job, even after finding out who his employer was. It was nobody else but the great leader of the Inquisition himself.


    Normally the Nameless would have ended the negotiation right then and there. If it wasn''t for the target. The Nameless had long since learned to distance himself from his work and to think very careful about every employment before accepting it.


    Otherwise you won''t live for long in this business. The name which the client wanted to remove from the world of the living sent shivers down his spine.


    It was a name that became famous in the world of assassins. And that''s because almost nobody who took a job on this name returned. And the few who did spoke of escaping with their lives.


    The Nameless doesn''t care about his reputation, but he actually wants to slay this prey. A prey that had taken the lives of so many assassins had to be formidable. What a thrilling hunt it''ll be.


    The huge amount of money became secondary as the Nameless accepted. Up until now his strict working ethics had forbidden him to hunt this prey on his own. But with a proper employment it was different.


    So he started to prepare. Until he was finally here. Everything lead to this final moment, when he could finally end the life of his prey. It was so close! Just ten metres away from him is Ascathon Asceron.


    So close and yet so far! He can''t start the hunt right now. There are too many people around. And the guards around this man didn''t seem like humans. The Nameless knows their scent. He had met prey like them. They were dangerous foes, but only if you met them unprepared and outnumbered.


    The Nameless would wait for his chance. Slowly he retreated into the crowd and continued to observe his prey. Actually there were many targets here tonight. The nameless had contracts for everyone with the name Asceron and the white haired woman, who was sitting beside them.


    But he would go for the head first. It didn''t excite him to hunt the weak.


    They talked until late in the evening and the Nameless waited patiently. His time would come. Waiting was an important part of the hunt. If you attacked too early, your prey might flee. If you waited too long it might spot you. The time and place have to be right.


    The Nameless waits as his prey leaves and he continues to play one of the guests. There is time. He already knows where he will find his prey.


    A long time later he slips away from the festivity and enters a rest room. But he is in no need of relieving himself. The window is what he is looking for.


    He waits until he is sure to be alone and climbs through the window. It''s a long way down because the rest room is in the third floor. His fingers grip the facade like steel and he closes the window behind him.


    Then he starts to climb with a steady pace. He did this many times before and soon he reaches the top floor of the building. There he waits for several seconds and steadies his breath.


    There is a window above him and it leads to a dark corridor. The corridor itself leads directly to the chambers of his prey. He feels the mana circulating through his body and his senses reach out for the corridor.


    Two guards are patrolling along it. They don''t need light, so that means that they belong to the special ones.


    Silently the Nameless reaches for the window and places his hand on the locking mechanism. He infuses his mana into the locking mechanism and the window unlocks silently.


    But he doesn''t open it. These guards would smell him, or sense him otherwise as soon as he enters the corridor. He won''t underestimate them.


    He waits for their return and prepares his body. Everyone of his muscles is tense like a steel spring. The guards have to be silenced without fail. His face distorts into a grin. Soon he will kill again. Once the guards pass the window, there will be no hesitation.


    His muscles start to scream as he waits, not moving, not thinking. One of his ears is pressed to the wall under the window and he listens for the closing footsteps.


    The steps get closer until they seem to be directly in front of him. He explodes in a flurry of movement. His body is catapulted upwards by his feet as he opens the window and enters the corridor, flying directly into the two guards faces.


    A sharp dagger appears in his hand and he slices the closer guard''s throat from ear to ear. Prey with a sliced throat doesn''t scream.


    The second guard is farther away and has time to react with his lightning reflexes as he grabs for the hilt of his longsword. But big weapons are a disadvantage in an ambush, as it takes time to ready them.


    The Nameless''s next step is placed on the sword hilt and the half drawn sword slides back into its sheath. The prey tries to scream, but he rams his guarded arm into the prey''s mouth and the dagger slides through it''s shoulder into the prey''s left lung.


    A muffled voice escapes, but it''s nothing which would alarm others. The Nameless wraps his legs around the prey and pulls himself into the tight embrace of the guard while activating his his battle aura. Both of them go to the ground.


    The flailing hands of the prey don''t manage to inflict serious harm on him. A few blue spots will be the worst.


    Then the prey''s body starts to change. Hair sprouts, the head grows longer and the teeth grow larger and sharper, threatening to pierce the protecting bracer of the Nameless.


    The Nameless isn''t distracted. He knows that his prey is already dead, it''s just a little slow to realize the truth. He presses his ear to the prey''s chest and listens for the slowing heartbeat. ¡°Sccchhhh... don''t struggle. Or I can''t listen.¡± He whispers and twists the blade.


    Seconds later the heart makes a final beat and the Nameless pulls his blade out of his victim. He grins with joy and ensures that both guards won''t rise again. He experienced too many surprises with their kind. Better to be sure.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Then he sneaks silently forward on all fours, like an animal. Like a hunter.


    He reaches the door to the private chamber of his target and listens. There are noises coming from inside. So the target isn''t sleeping yet. Too bad, but that makes the hunt more exciting.


    The question is if he should rush in and do it fast? Or announce his presence? No, he will do it fast. It will be a shame if the prey dies too fast, but underestimating it may be a mistake. And there are two of them.


    There are several strong locking and warning spells on the door. But the nameless has a lifetime of experience in breaking them without triggering an alarm. He proves again what he learned long ago, there are no safe locks.


    He turns the doorknob and rushes inside. His target is on a big bed and only partly clothed. He has his half naked woman under him while holding her hands down.


    The Nameless pays no heed to their situation and the muscles of his legs flex, propelling him forward.


    His dagger flashes down, intending to sever the spinal cord of his main target. The woman starts a scream and pushes the target on top of her. The prey shifts a moment before impact and the dagger is diverted by the bones. The Nameless is still rewarded with a scream of pain, surprise and lust?


    A wave of shadows explodes from the victim and the whole room is plunged into a darkness, darker than the darkest night. The Nameless twists his knife and stirs. His target may still die from the internal injuries.


    He reacts on instinct. His vision may be obstructed, but he still feels and smells his prey. Something hits his side and the air is driven out of his lungs. He lets go of his dagger and rolls from the bed to propel himself out of the window.


    There may be only darkness around him, but he still has the mental image of the room in his head. Nonetheless, he has to get out of the radius of this spell. Glass shatters and he jumps. His vision returns and he finds himself falling with his back to the ground.


    Above him the scream turns from pain to fury and pure rage. Dark shadows creep out of the window and start to follow the Nameless. He pushes himself off the wall to slow his fall and aims for a tree in the park under him.


    The branches slow his descend and he turns to land on his feet. Without loosing time he starts to run as he witnesses a shadow shooting out of the window. The Nameless grins as he realizes that the prey is coming after him. A mistake.


    Quickly he rolls to the ground and dives into some nearby bushes. He crawls a little further and stops. Then he listens. But there is no sound. The upper floor of the building comes alight and dives the park into a strange twilight. Screams and commands are shouted, but nobody is coming down into the park.


    Still no sign of the prey. The Nameless closes his eyes and uses his extraordinary senses. He listens, he feels, he smells. There is a faint trace of blood in the air. Slowly he crawls forward and follows the track.


    He reaches the centre of the small park where the scent is the strongest. After listening for several seconds he crawls forward. Only to find a bloody piece of cloth on the ground. He picks it up and then he realizes the unnatural silence all around him. Even the insects stopped their annoying chirping.


    And that''s when he realizes that right now he isn''t the hunter.


    He is the hunted!


    Something shoots from the shadows of the nearby tree and he raises his hand, but his bracer is pierced by an ice shard. His hand starts to freeze and he removes the shard by shattering it on the ground.


    One of his daggers flies into the direction of the attacker and he rolls, trying to run. Another shadow appears in his escape route and he changes the direction.


    Shadows shoot up from the ground to attack him. All of them have strange grey faces, faces of his previous prey! He realizes that he got caught in some kind of mind magic. But since when!? Something grabs his ankle. He hacks with his dagger at the immaterial things around him, screaming in terror before the unknown foe. Then he is pulled to the ground and darkness surrounds him.


    ***Norfolk, Fellmar***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°What a bothersome fellow.¡± I grin and cough some blood. ¡°I will take my time with you. We''ll have much fun together. Hahahaha.¡± I cough again. Probably I should get that dagger out of me.


    I bend down and grab the assassin at his neck. Then I start pulling him back towards the light of the big building in which the guests of the ball reside.


    Celestial appears from the shadows with a bright red and angry face. She is wearing her nightgown and carries a pouch. It took her long enough to get dressed and follow me.


    ¡°You got him? Good!¡± She reaches me and starts to kick the unconscious assassin.


    Some unhealthy cracking sounds are heard. ¡°Stop it. I need him alive! And he is unconscious! He doesn''t feel it.¡±


    ¡°But he will feel it when he wakes up!¡± Celestial screams. Then she bends down and twists his fingers, breaking them and recovering her sexy panties. As a bonus she steps on his hand and another crunching sound is heard.


    ¡°And why did you use my panties as a bait!?¡± She waves the bloody piece of cloth in front of me.


    ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about.¡± I deny it.


    ¡°I saw everything from the window!¡± She calls out and points up to our room.


    ¡°Hrm. That''s because I immediately recognized his preferences. He attacked us while we were about to do it and actually jumped into our bed. So he clearly lost his head over you. I deemed that your panties would be best to lure him out.¡± I cough again and a little blood splatters on Celestial''s nightgown.


    ¡°I would break some of your bones if I wasn''t all bloody anyway. It looks like someone butchered a pig in our room. You are sure that you are okay?¡± She looks me up and down.


    ¡°Now that you say it, I may feel a little dizzy. It''s a good idea to pull the dagger out.¡± I stagger a little and kneel down.


    Celestial reaches into her pouch and pulls a vial out. Then she steps behind me and I feel the dagger being yanked out of me. My regeneration spell is finally working without interference. Then a prickling feeling starts to spread and the pain fades away and is replaced by numbness.


    There was probably something against the pain in Celestial''s vial.


    She empties another vial into the assassins mouth and grabs him at one leg. Then she starts to walk back and I follow her with dizzy steps.


    She grumbles. ¡°We have to change rooms.¡±


    ¡°At this time? Can''t we ignore the blood? I just want to sleep!¡± Everything is spinning a little.


    ¡°No! We still have unfinished business from when we were interrupted! I don''t want to stay in that room.¡± She kicks the assassin in his groin and I wince.


    ¡°I don''t think that I can get it up any more. The blood loss is affecting me.¡± She has to see reason. There are physical limits to healing magic. I can''t restore blood out of nowhere.


    ¡°~There are potions for such cases.~¡±


    .

 74. ~Old acquaintance.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Sera***


    "Did you hear that?¡± Fergus looks up from his studies and listens intently.


    "I heard nothing.¡± Arran continues to concentrate on the spinning objects in front of him. His training is beginning to show results. He has a firm grasp on telekinesis and can control up to six different objects without loosing the control over them.


    ¡°You are stopping your studies for the seventh time now. Can you at least explain how it sounds?¡± I listen carefully, but the room is completely silent.


    ¡°I don''t know. It''s very muffled and I can''t make out from where it comes. But I am sure that someone is crying like a small child. Though the voice sounds older. ¡± He stops. ¡°There! There it was again! So annoying! I can''t concentrate like this. I hope there aren''t any ghosts in this spooky mansion! Did you two ever walk along the corridors during night time? I was in need of a toilet yesterday and I almost wet myself on the way there! It feels like something is directly behind you and watching.¡±


    Arran and I throw a meaningful look to each other. Then I turn to Fergus. ¡°It''s better if you try to avoid the corridors during the night.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Something lives there. Liandra and Violetta have seen it. And quite a few assassins turned up dead the next morning. They say that if you turn around too often to check your back, it will attack you!¡± Arran adds a cooked-up story.


    Fergus'' eyes widen and he raises the book to his chest in a protective manner. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me from the beginning! That''s important information.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You tend to forget about it if you live here for a while.¡± Arran continues his exercise.


    ¡°Don''t forget about something like that! There! I heard it again! Didn''t you hear it?¡± Fergus looks around the room and searches for the sound.


    ¡°I am sorry Fergus, but I am very sure that I heard nothing.¡± I shrug my shoulders.


    ¡°Spiky ears seem to hear far better than round ones.¡± Arran comments and Fergus glares at him. I can almost imagine a death-ray shooting from his eyes.


    Then the solution hits me and I clap my hands together. ¡°Now I know! Could it be that you are hearing the assassin?¡±


    ¡°Which assassin?¡± Both of them focus their attention on me.


    ¡°The one in the basement. Daddy caught him recently when he tried to kill him. Ascathon happens to know more torturing techniques than I can imagine. Probably he is trying to get some information from the guy.¡± I return to reading my book, but after a few seconds I feel their eyes still on me and I look up.


    ¡°Torture is barbaric! And you''ll never know if you are really told the truth.¡± Fergus presses the words through his lips.


    ¡°And why do you know of this?¡± Arran asks with a shocked face.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Because he teaches me from time to time. Though there wasn''t much new material recently. Do you want to go down to learn some things?¡± I smile. ¡°I know! We can try the spinning wheel! That''s a funny one and not bloody at all.¡±


    ¡°Spinning wheel?¡± Fergus looks doubtful.


    ¡°Yes! You chain them to a big wheel, which is partly under water. Then you spin the wheel day and night until they give up.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t sound scary.¡± Fergus tilts his head.


    ¡°But it is! In one of my past lives I was an adventurer and got caught by a demon lord. He used the same technique on me and my party. At first it''s no problem, but when you lose the strength to hold your breath it becomes really scary.¡± Arran informs us. Then he looks at me. ¡°You don''t happen to know if your father was a demon lord in one of his past lives?¡±


    Um... Should I tell him? But what if daddy really killed him and his party? ¡°Why don''t you ask him? It''s a past life anyway. I don''t think that he is someone who cares about the past.¡±


    Arran stares at nothing for a moment. Probably he is trying to remember something. ¡°The demon lord back then built strange machines too... Nah! It''s not worth the risk to anger my father in law. And the demon lord from that time was a harem guy with one woman at each finger and two on his lap. Your father is completely different, he would never go for someone other than his wife.¡±


    I nod and smile while hoping that the truth will never come out. Daddy... so you went wild in some reincarnations? I''ll have to keep an extra eye on you to help mom. Hopefully he will not get a relapse back to those days.


    Though mom and dad seem to be happy right now. Maybe I am thinking too much about it.


    ¡°After hearing about it, I don''t think that I want to watch another intelligent being in such a situation.¡± Fergus shakes his head.


    Arran nods. ¡°I don''t want to remember that time. The demon lord in question had some kind of grudge against heroes.¡±


    ¡°AAAAAAAAA¡±


    Fergus straightens and looks at us. ¡°There! Again! That was the loudest one so far! Even you must have heard!¡±


    ¡°I think I heard that one.¡± Arran nods.


    ¡°Daddy must be using one of the special tools, as he calls them. They don''t scream like that otherwise.¡± I nod and smile in triumph.


    But Arran''s face became pale as soon as I mentioned the special tools. He curls up into a foetus position and starts to shiver.


    ¡°Hey Arran what''s wrong? Are you sick?¡± I approach him and shake his shoulder.


    ¡°The demon lord also used something which he called a special tool. I just remembered!¡± Arran starts to sob and buries his face in the cushion he was sitting on.


    I pat his shoulder. ¡°It''s okay. There is no way that daddy and that demon lord are the same person. You said so yourself.¡±


    ¡°I h... ho... hope!¡±


    .

 75. ~Double agent.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Jazira***


    ¡°So you intend to go after the Inquisition?¡± I cross my legs and lean back. ¡°They were strangely silent since their attack on Sarn. It''s the same for Mislow and the Nation of Mist though. Still, I am glad that we were able to talk about our differences. There is nothing better than being able to find mutual goals with the other party.¡±


    Tjena, Sagittarius, Ascathon, Celestial and I are sitting in his mansion in Sarn. It''s not a palace, but a wondrous building nonetheless. Up until now I didn''t realize that I was really missing the comfort of technological realms, but this house reminds me that this world is still a few steps behind in a lot of things.


    ¡°They sent an assassin after me. The best one they could hire for money. Isn''t that enough?¡± Ascathon shakes his fist.


    ¡°You said that you caught him alive. He can''t be that good.¡± Tjena snorts, but looks away when Ascathon''s eyes fix on her.


    Then he smiles. ¡°He was good enough to stab a dagger hilt deep into my back and twist it around a few times. That''s a feat no other assassin accomplished so far.¡±


    ¡°You were occupied with something else at that time.¡± Celestial remarked.


    ¡°Anyway, I managed to re-educate him to work towards my goals. It was a hard piece of work, because he is a little insane. But the result should be fine. He''ll have a meeting with his employer any time now.¡± Ascathon folds his fingers and smiles.


    ¡°Re-educate?¡± This guy is more dangerous than I thought.


    ¡°Yes. I wiped his memory after playing with him for a little while to find out who sent him. It''s a shame that he forgot his well deserved punishment. I let him go in the firm belief that he escaped me with his life.¡± Ascathon pulls a small device from his pocket. ¡°I bugged him to find the location of the Inquisition.¡±


    ¡°Someone should doubt his friends when he is up against you.¡± Tjena growls.


    ¡°So what will happen once your turned assassin reaches the enemy?¡± I can''t stand being thrown just one piece of information at a time.


    ¡°Well. I am watching and listening to my spy with this globe.¡± He lifts a crystal globe, which he had lying on the table since earlier. ¡°And when he comes close to someone I don''t like, I''ll press this button.¡±


    ¡°Why is it red and blinking?¡± Celestial interrogates her husband.


    ¡°Bombs need red and blinking buttons as triggers. What else could it be?¡± Ascathon explains it like it''s obvious.


    Sagittarius straightens and speaks with a disgusted voice. ¡°You planted a bomb on him!?¡±


    ¡°Not on, but inside. A small nuclear device. It should flatten a building or two, so it has to be close to the target.¡± Ascathon looks like he just admitted a fault in his plan. Then his face lightens up. ¡°Healing magic has so many interesting possibilities. You can simply cut someone open and place some interesting gadgets inside them. Then you heal him up and it''s as if he was never hurt. Guess his face when I shoved the bomb into his chest. Wait, I made a picture as memento!¡±


    ¡°Th... That''s wrong!¡± Sagittarius is really shocked now.


    ¡°Wrong? I don''t see any problem. I don''t have to go close to my enemy, so the risk to myself is low. And I can be fairly certain to dispose of the target in the process.¡± Ascathon purses his lips.


    ¡°That''s morally wrong on more than one aspect! What about innocent bystanders?¡± Saggitarius gasps.


    ¡°I assume that they''ll avoid being close to any listeners for such a meeting. And even if not, I consider this as war. If you stop fighting the enemy because he hides behind an innocent, you are just showing him that you don''t have the guts to do what it takes. He''ll start to use the lives of innocents against you. If you show them that you aren''t affected by such actions, they won''t bother with actions which have proven to be useless. If your enemy realizes that he can affect you by using civilians to his advantage, you''ll have more people on your conscience.¡± Ascathon ends his long speech to Sagittarius and looks towards me. ¡°I guess you didn''t build your empire by negotiating with terrorists.¡±


    ¡°Your point of view seems a little bit warped, but you are certainly right that an enemy shouldn''t be shown that your conviction is weaker than his.¡± Though your little scheme makes it look like you are the terrorist at the moment.


    Suddenly the device is snatched from Ascathon''s hand. ¡°Hey!¡±


    Celestial moved with unbelievable speed and secured the device. ¡°I''ll decide if we should press that button or not! It''s my country after all!¡±


    Ascathon grabs for the device. ¡°I was the one whom he stabbed! I want to blow him up!¡±


    *Slap*


    Celestial slapped his hand away with enough force to create a really loud noise and he visibly winces in pain. ¡°You won''t trigger any nuclear devices within my country!¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°I won''t yield in this! He stabbed me!¡± Ascathon doesn''t give up. Obviously he harbours a deep grudge against people who try to kill him.


    Celestial pulls a small box from her pocket and holds it under his nose. ¡°We''ll trade! I get the device and you the box!¡±


    Ascathon''s expression wavers for a moment and then he grabs the box and stores it away. ¡°Deal!¡±


    Then I realize that my mouth fell open during the exchange and I snap it shut. Those two are fun to watch. ¡°Care to tell me what''s inside that box?¡±


    ¡°National secret!¡± Celestial shakes her head.


    ¡°You won''t get any.¡± Ascathon''s face hardens and that settles the matter.


    ¡°Hah!?¡± Now I want to know!


    ¡°It''s something called chocolate, Empress. He is an addict. Celestial is brewing this drug in her kitchen. Back then when I worked here under cover, I tried to acquire some samples. But he guards his weekly doses like a hawk. And Celestial always makes just enough to supply him.¡± Tjena solves the mystery for me and I arch an eyebrow.


    Chocolate a drug? ¡°There is no chocolate in this world?¡± But then again, I learned that Celestial seems to be quite capable with chemistry and medicine? Why shouldn''t she be able to create something that tastes and looks like chocolate? ¡°And it''s not a drug, but a candy. ~PfahahhAHAHAHAHA~ Does that mean that she just traded a box of candies for a nuclear device from her husband?¡±


    Celestial''s expression turns sour. ¡°Unfortunately that''s the type of guy he is. If you know his triggers you can get almost everything from him. And that makes him a little frightening too.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like I am looked down upon! I am just acting according to my desires, that''s all. It just happens that my desire for chocolate is bigger than pressing a button.¡± Ascathon replies firmly.


    Celestial hugs her husband from the side and snuggles up to him. ¡°I would never look down on the guy whom I married.¡±


    He frowns and takes another look at his globe. ¡°Hey, something is happening!¡±


    ***Norfolk, Border Town Raure, Sewers***


    ***The Nameless***


    ¡°You failed.¡± The dark hooded person across from him starts the conversation with a displeased voice. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°To inform you that the price for his death rose. He is far more capable than I thought and his self healing skills aren''t just for show. I will need some very expensive poisons to ensure his elimination.¡± He sneers at the hooded figure.


    The hooded figure steps closer and whispers. ¡°I already paid you to kill him and his family. If you aren''t capable of dealing with him, then target his wife! Gut his mother, behead his sister. Start a fucking slaughterhouse in his mansion! We didn''t pay you just for him, yet you dare to show your face here? If you are too incompetent to accomplish this, then kill his child! Can you manage at least that!?¡±


    *PIEP*


    A sudden noise startles him and the man in front of him. The noise came from his chest? He touches himself while wondering.


    *PIEP*


    No. To be more exact. It came out of his chest!


    ¡°What''s that stupid magic trick of yours. Do you want to joke with a hero of the gods!?¡± The hooded figure reaches for his clothes to find out what he is hiding.


    *PIEP* *PIEP* *PIEP*


    *PIEEEEEEP*


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Jazira***


    The vision inside Ascathon''s crystal globe turns black. Celestial started mashing the red button like a madman when the hooded person mentioned killing Sera.


    Celestial''s expression turns satisfied and she drops the device on the table between us. ¡°Whew. How lucky that I was in control of the trigger.¡± Then she looks up. ¡°What?¡±


    Ascathon shakes his head. ¡°You could have waited a little longer. Maybe he would have been led to their headquarters?¡±


    ¡°But they threatened Sera! And it was clear from their words that the assassin was just a hired gun and not trusted. The hooded guy disliked him, so it''s unlikely that he would have taken him there.¡± Celestial answers.


    I make a mental note to myself to never put Sera in any danger ever again. This woman has a tendency to overreact.


    .

 76. ~Audience.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Kingdom of Mislow, City of Mirrors***


    ***Norent Grant***


    This burning agony! It''s still coursing through my entire body like fire. I''ll get them for this! Luckily I realized in time that it was a trap. The infuriating part is that I fell for it like a novice.


    The explosion peeled the skin from my body and almost killed me. I would be dead if I hadn''t the divine protection of the gods. There was nothing left of the assassin when I crawled screaming out of the crater.


    Curse that guy for setting up such a trap. I poured all my power into my best healing spells and ran away. There was no doubt that the assassin was broken and worked for them. The healing spell worked quite well, but there is a strange curse on me since then. Probably the assassin transferred it to me when I touched him.


    My body burns like fire and I lose my hair. My skin sheds and produces strange ulcers. It''s like my body is coming apart while I watch. I can heal myself, but the whole process starts again soon. It''s impossible to keep healing myself day and night. Even though I got huge mana reserves from the gods blessing, they aren''t endless.


    The healers covered my body in bandages and fusillade. It''s conventional medicine for commoners and doesn''t do much. At least it keeps the worst pain away.


    Currently I am walking through the entrance hall to the king''s throne room. A look at the guards is enough to tell me that they fear what they see. The blood and fluids which are oozing through my bandages must be a gruesome sight.


    They step away from me and I enter the throne room. There are huge mirrors all around me instead of walls. Even the ceiling and the floor are a single mirror. The room creates the impression that it goes on and on for eternity. On the throne is a single figure.


    A huge man in full body armour made of mirrors. The armour has a magnificent design and covers every part of the body. Only the joints are made of silver chain-mail to keep them flexible. The visor is closed and there are no facial features visible. Many people think that the figure on the throne is a golem, which acts as a proxy. But the truth is that nobody knows for sure.


    The ruling family of Mislow is a mystery.


    The armour lifts it''s helmet and targets me with its eye-slits. ¡°The great Inquisitor is returning from his mission and the enemy is still alive. On top he is heavily wounded. It seems that your safe plan turned out to be quite dangerous.¡±


    ¡°If your majesty would finally decide to join this holy crusade, there wouldn''t be so many problems.¡± I press the words through my teeth.


    The armour starts to tap the armrest of the throne with one finger. ¡°Mislow doesn''t move lightly. We already assisted you in your efforts to fulfil the desires of the gods. But as you see, moving without proper knowledge about the enemy is the choice of the fools.¡±


    ¡°We can''t wait any longer! They are advancing every day and spreading their ideas. They create horrific spells and curses. What will become of our world if we watch any longer? They even have flying ships! By the gods! They could show up above your beloved capital and destroy it without a problem.¡± My face distorts in disgust and I feel my skin rip.


    The armour remains silent. Then it looks to the side at one of the mirrors which seem to repeat the armour''s mirror image till eternity.


    I press on. ¡°There is no time! The longer we wait, the less chance we have to restore the balance! I know that Mislow is a land of heretics who pursue knowledge! But at least you don''t create artefacts for commoners! Are you so blinded by your ideals that you ignore that this problem originated from you?¡±


    The armour is still staring off at somewhere else and ignores me. ¡°Yes, Ascathon came from your very own country! He is a child of your culture! So solve the problems which you created! What will you do if their negotiations with Phenex are fruitful and they join forces?¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡±


    The armour''s voice booms through the room and a shock wave almost wipes me from my feet. But I hold against the pressure and keep standing.


    ¡°Fool! You are a blind believer. A fanatic! And there is nothing worse than fanatics! Mislow will ready itself once again. But not because of you, or the gods! We will protect our bloodline. The bloodline of mind magic. Its secret can''t fall into the hands of anyone else. We won''t do it for you, or the gods!¡± The armour raises from it''s seat and walks past me with smooth motions.


    I follow with hasty steps and a procession of guards joins in behind us.


    ¡°Call the Nation of Mist! We need their ships. And get every magician you can find and enlist them into the army. This time we will have a full scale mobilization. And activate the fleet!¡± The armour walks towards a balcony and steps outside.


    ¡°Wait! Fleet!? What fleet?¡± I follow it.


    ¡°Our fleet.¡± The armour waves his hand across the sky and dozens, hundreds of silver ships appear out of nowhere in the sky above the city of mirrors. They seem to be made out of silver and their hulls are smooth and polished. They are blinking, blinding me by reflecting the sun off their hulls.


    ¡°What?¡± My mind isn''t able to absorb the scene in front of me.


    Then the armour waves his hand again and the fleet disappears. ¡°We are building them in secret facilities and hide them with optical concealment spells. They are Mislow''s ultimate answer to anyone who manages to set foot on our soil.¡±


    I gape at the gigantic breach on regulations regarding technology. ¡°Heretic! Do you know what you did!? Why wasn''t this reported to the academy?¡±


    The armour places its hands on the parapet. ¡°We defend ourselves. Against foes from outside and within! The Academy has fallen and the Inquisition is a homeless bunch of terrorists. So there is no need to hide any more.¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you are!? I am the hero of the gods!¡± I scream at the heretic and summon a holy sword of light in my right hand.


    Suddenly the armour blurs and my hand is gripped. It squeezes down on me with unbelievable strength until I have no other choice than to unsummon my sword of light. Blood is oozing through the bandages on my hand. ¡°Stupid fanatic, there is only one truth! And that''s the truth you find with your own mind. Do you really think that a hero is more than another chess piece for the gods?¡±


    My hand is twisted until I am on my knees. It feels like fighting wouldn''t gain me anything now. I am inside the capital and there is a fucking huge fleet above my head.


    The armour lets go of my hand. ¡°Choose now. Follow our fleet into battle with your Inquisition, or die here in vain.¡±


    Rage is building up inside me. The wish to destroy Mislow comes to my mind, but then I look at the invisible fleet above me and smile. Not yet. The heretics can kill each other, then I''ll clean up the rest.


    ¡°What are your orders?¡±


    ***Floating somewhere above the Sea of God***


    ***Lidith***


    ¡°You guys are using underhanded cheap tricks! First you deceive me with those puppets and then you send all forces you can muster against me.¡± I pout my lips and roll my dice.


    ¡°A fifteen. There is nothing decisive she could do with that.¡± Aneth shrugs his shoulders. Wynne and Charon nod with bored expressions.


    ¡°But there is!¡± I grin and place my ticket of free talking on the table. Everyone is looking at me with strange expression.


    ¡°~How fortunate that all my important heroes are in one place! So I can freely talk about everything I know.~¡±


    .

 77. ~Revealed.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Celestial***


    ¡°This is the newest rifle for my army.¡± Ascathon hands a short rifle to one of Jazira''s soldiers. We are currently at the shooting range in front of his mansion. He built it solely to test his new designs.


    We took Jazira and her entourage out here to demonstrate what our military is capable of.


    There are Tjena, Sagittarius and two of Jazira''s officers with us. The two soldiers from her staff voiced the wish to inspect our army''s weaponry.


    ¡°The rifle is a short design with only half a metre in length. It has a range of about one thousand metres and a magazine of sixty bullets. I am using the railgun principle because it has proven itself.¡± He raises his own rifle to his shoulder and fires a bullet into a target dummy.


    *Pft!*


    The nature of the weapon eliminates the typical noise of guns and results in a rather unspectacular sound. ¡°The recoil is quite strong, so it isn''t recommendable to fire fully automatic. Single shots or short bursts are preferable.¡± He explains and turns towards the soldier.


    The soldier nods and continues to study the weapon. Then he fires two shots of his own. He misses once and hits the second time, then he lowers the gun. ¡°I can see the value of this artefact. If every regular soldier is equipped with one, the army''s fighting power increases more than tenfold. The spell isn''t flashy at all, but with this device it works without incantation. It can''t break a proper shielding spell, but it doesn''t have to. The more powerful mages can concentrate on destroying the enemy''s shields. Once that''s done, it''s just a massacre from then on.¡±


    Jazira nods and turns to me. ¡°Don''t you think that it''s bad to boost this world''s technology so far forward?¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°To be honest, I don''t know. But Sarn is the best example that it works. The people here lived with magic all their lives. Science and technology are just another form of magic to them. And the public has a good opinion of the house Asceron. To them, it''s simply a time of wonder. The biggest support comes from the people who can''t use magic properly. The new artefacts enable them to use magic like fully trained mages. And their number is far bigger than the nobles''. It''s always good to know the majority of the population is behind you.¡±


    Ascathon nods enthusiastically. ¡°I am currently working on some artefacts which automatically cast high grade healing magic. Once those are available to everyone, I am sure that our popularity will rise even more.¡±


    I purse my lips and look at my husband. He is a deceitful snake. I¡¯ve been pestering him about those artefacts for weeks. He would have been done already if he wouldn''t put so much effort into researching his mana crystals.


    Jazira attempts to say something, but suddenly a blinding white light appears above us. I shield my eyes against the light and look up.


    The figure of a child is hovering above us.


    ¡°Behold mortals and watch me descend in awe! I am lowering myself to ...¡±


    *Pft!*


    A hole appears in the child''s forehead and a red cloud of blood spreads behind her.


    ¡°... let you ...¡±


    *Pft!*


    ¡°... experience ...¡±


    *Pft!*


    ¡°... my godly ...¡±


    *Pft!*


    ¡°... self.¡±


    *Pft!**Pft!**Pft!**Pft!**Pft!**Pft!**Pft!* *click!**click!**click!**click!*


    *Plomb*


    The child''s body turned into a bloody mess and she dropped out of the sky like a rock. Now she is lying in front of our group and a puddle of blood starts to spread around her.


    All eyes wander towards Ascathon and then to the red glowing barrel of his rifle. He looks around and then at his rifle. ¡°Okay, I admit. There is still a little issue with continuous fire and overheating.¡±


    ¡°You killed the goddess!¡± Sagittarius gasps.


    Ascathon shrugs his shoulders. ¡°This is closed airspace. She could have knocked at the door. I won''t allow a maniac to fly above my property and spew nonsense.¡±


    Tjena shakes her hand at us. ¡°You can''t just shoot a child! HIIIIIIIIII!¡± She screams as something grabs her ankle. It was the child''s hand.


    Everyone¡¯s attention turns back to the bloody mess on the ground. A marvellous scene is unfolding there. The blood is crawling back into the child and the bullets are pushed out of her body.


    ¡°Peace! I promise to take this seriously from now on!¡± The child calls out to prevent further attacks.


    Ascathon grabs for another magazine from his leather belt, but I snatch the rifle from his hands.


    ¡°Hey! She is one of them! I recognize her! They destroyed my ship!¡± He points at the goddess on the ground.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Let her holiness speak. From what I heard you already built plenty of other ships. She may be able to clarify a few things.¡± Jazira steps between Ascathon and the child.


    The child gets on her knees and introduces herself. ¡°I am Lidith. The goddess of peace. Nice to meet you.¡± While she was speaking, the last bullet popped out of her and the wound healed. Even her dress starts to assemble itself back together. It looked like Ascathon''s regeneration spell. Just faster and more sophisticated.


    ¡°To be honest, I didn''t expect to be shot, so I didn''t bother with a barrier spell. This hurt my pride as a goddess.¡± She starts to retch and spews another bullet onto the ground.


    ¡°You are the one who is responsible for the volcano!¡± I point an accusing finger at the child in front of us.


    ¡°No. No. That was Aneth! I was responsible for the lightning bolt! I helped you! I am one of the good guys!¡± She explains hastily while waving her hands.


    ¡°Then you''ll have a long story for us, I assume?¡± Jazira crosses her arms in front of her chest and grins at the child.


    The child nods and gets to her feet. ¡°Could we talk inside? There is much to tell and it will take some time. On top I need to set up a good barrier, in order to prevent them from listening in on us.¡±


    Nobody objects and a few minutes later we are sitting with everyone in our living room. From then on Lidith gives us a lengthy explanation on the current state of the world and the relationships between the gods.


    She ends with an explanation on why they started to play their stupid game and how it works. Apparently she is only allowed to visit us once. Then she has to get back to the game to make sure that the others don''t start cheating.


    Ascathon started to scribble some notes at some point and stopped to listen.


    ¡°And that gets me to the reason why I am here. I wanted to warn you guys of a full scale attack by Mislow and the Nation of Mist. Both nations are preparing huge fleets against you. The Nation of Mist has four hundred ships at sea and the Kingdom of Mislow has three hundred air ships floating above their capital. They will move together as soon as they are ready. They are bringing everything they have.¡± Lidith ends her warning with a final line. ¡°The Inquisition is moving too. They plan to infiltrate Sarn on the ground and cause chaos while you battle the fleets.¡±


    I puff my cheeks. This is quite a handful to take everything in at once. ¡°I am not even sure if we can trust you. If your story is true, then you are to blame too. Playing a game for several thousand years. Do you think that you are above other people! You guys are just idiots with too much power!¡±


    Lidith looks down. ¡°It is as you said and I am trying to stop this. But I can''t go alone against three gods. And I always tell myself that it''s better than having the four of us fight it out.¡±


    ¡°Then just fight it out yourself and leave us out of it!¡± Tjena interjects.


    ¡°Bad idea. The last time we almost destroyed the world. Gods have almost limitless access to mana. We lay waste to entire continents before we even start to damage each other.¡± Lidith shakes her head.


    ¡°But Ascathon wounded you with a few bullets!¡± Sagittarius looks confused.


    ¡°I am suppressing my powers. If I power up my battle aura to the maximum, everyone in this city would drop to the ground foaming at their mouths.¡± Lidith waves her hand. ¡°Oh, and before you ask. I changed my outer appearance with transformation magic.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± Ascathon is mumbling in his corner. Then he disappears from one second to the next. Everyone is gaping at the empty spot where he was a second ago.


    Then the space in front of Lidith distorts and he reappears in front of her again. ¡°Those pathways are very convenient! What else can you do with them?¡±


    Lidith is just gaping at the black dressed figure in front of her. Ascathon is looming over her with demanding eyes.


    ¡°I was seeing these strange strings for quite a while now, but I didn''t realize what they were. Who would have thought that they are the web of reality itself. No wonder that gods have access to huge amounts of mana. Although it seems that handling so much mana is quite difficult. I''ll need some training to become a god.¡± He stops and grins at Lidith. ¡°And I think I found the perfect advisor.¡±


    Huh!? Ascathon? A god!? I jump up and grab his arm. ¡°One moment! You can''t become a god!¡±


    He furrows his eyebrows. ¡°Why not?¡±


    Lidith finally closes her gaping mouth and scratches her cheek. ¡°Ascathon and Jazira seem to be on the brink of transcending to godhood.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Me too?¡± Jazira looks surprised.


    ¡°Of course! Where do you think all your mana comes from. Ascathon sees the pathways and you managed to partly access your mana pool. It would be right to call you two demigods right now. Unfortunately I can''t train you. I can only give you the advise to train the thing you are good at to utmost perfection.¡± Lidith smiles at us. ¡°Maybe we can beat the three fools into submission if we work together and you two become full gods!¡±


    ¡°How would doing something with utmost perfection help to become a god?¡± Jazira wonders.


    ¡°Just think of it as meditation training to find yourself. We don''t really understand why we are gods ourselves.¡± Lidith grimaces. ¡°Try to hide your training. I''ll do my best to give you as much time as possible. If the others find out, they''ll get rid of you.¡±


    She jumps up and bows to us. ¡°My time is up. Proceed with care, I''ll be watching.¡± The space around her distorts and she is gone.


    Ascathon continues to scribble on his sheet of paper while I cling onto him. What happens if he becomes a god? My brain feels mushy and then I storm out of the room and towards the training hall.


    ¡°I won''t be left behind.¡±


    .

 78. ~Milk shakes.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Sera***


    We children are having a small party in the garden. Liandra, Violetta, Arran, Fergus and me are present. There is nothing to celebrate, but we still decided to take our time to do something as a family.


    I want to get closer to Liandra and Violetta. They are family after all, but I only see them for dinner. The rest of their time is reserved for training and learning


    ¡°Did you feel that? Why is the house shaking?¡± Arran sits down and touches the ground. He recently learned to walk.


    ¡°Yes, I felt it too. And these earth tremors are becoming stronger in regular intervals. I hope there won''t be something like an earthquake? Or is one of the mountains a volcano?¡± Fergus looks at the mountain peaks around the city.


    I wave my hand calm him down. ¡°There is no problem. That''s just mom. She is training to become stronger. She wants to become a god or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Although I don''t understand why my sister wants to get even stronger. It''s already fearsome enough that she is able to create these tremors with her strength alone.¡± Liandra sips on her tea.


    ¡°I think it''s her inferiority complex towards my brother.¡± Violetta tilts her head and looks towards the training hall.


    ¡°Inferiority complex?¡± My head turns towards Violetta.


    ¡°Yes. Didn''t you realize? She has been trying to prove that she isn''t just baggage for Ascathon ever since he saved us from the slavers. The upcoming battle is only a secondary reason. All the other adults are busy with preparations and coordinating the army. But she only thinks about getting stronger because Ascathon found a way for instant teleportation.¡± Violetta sighs and stuffs another cookie into her mouth. ¡°That''s called inferiority complex.¡±


    I nod. ¡°You could be right. But it isn''t bad if she gets more power. The enemy is quite strong. It will be hard, even with the help of Phenex. They have more ships than us, that''s why my parents want to intercept them at sea. They''ll have to delay them until the fleet from Phenex arrives. Phenex has to sail around the continent, so two to three months of travel time have to be assumed.¡±


    ¡°You are very well informed of our parents'' plan.¡± Arran looks at me and smiles. ¡°Here, have another milk shake. This time I iced it.¡±


    My expression lights up and I grab the glass. ¡°You are so nice, always thinking of me.¡± I start to slurp on the drink. ¡°And for your information. I am just so well informed because I have to keep an eye on them. Just in case that they have a fight with each other.¡±


    ¡°You are really concerned about my brother and his wife.¡± Violetta smiles and pats my head.


    ¡°Of course. I don''t want them to have a relapse into old times. I have them under surveillance twenty four, seven.¡± I concentrate on my milk shake and ignore the attention on me.


    ¡°That sounds quite excessive.¡± Fergus finally comments the situation.


    ¡°Not at all. I swore to myself that I would have a nice family life. That means that they aren''t allowed to fight.¡± My milk shake reaches the end and it''s replaced by another one instantly. ¡°Thanks Arran.¡±


    He smiles and nods while concentrating on the three other glasses he is currently levitating in the air. He is spinning them like a juggler to mix the contents. Arran took the role of our bartender and he is quite good at his job. His training with telekinesis was fruitful and he is using it like another set of hands.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°I wish we could help them somehow.¡± Liandra sighs and looks towards the training hall which is attached to the mansion.


    I shrug. ¡°It''s smartest to keep away from fights while our bodies are so small and weak.¡±


    ¡°Liandra and I aren''t that small!¡± Violetta puffs her cheeks.


    ¡°You are still not adults yet. Wait five years, then you can think about helping them. If you would have concentrated on learning some administrative abilities, you could go and help them right now.¡± I point out the weak point in their training schedule.


    ¡°Ugh. We aren''t like you. You could help them by taking care of the country''s affairs.¡± Liandra complains.


    ¡°I would if I could. Tell me, who would follow my orders? I am in the body of a little child.¡± I empty my drink and it is promptly replaced. ¡°Thanks, Arran.¡±


    ¡°You are certainly right, it was unfair of me.¡± Liandra looks at the horizon and then her attention turns towards the glass in my hands. ¡°And you should stop feeding her so many milk shakes Arran! She will get fat!¡±


    I stop slurping on my milk shake. ¡°Indeed. I didn''t realize it, but isn''t this my eighth?¡±


    ¡°Tch!¡± Arran puts on a smile and hands me another one. ¡°That''s the last. You can''t let it turn bad. And milk is good for your body''s development.¡±


    ¡°Are you my mother?¡± I furrow my eyebrows and look at him.


    ¡°I am your husband. It is my duty to see to the perfect development of your body.¡± Arran has a desperate expression.


    ¡°Is there something wrong with my body?¡± I look down on myself. Strange. I thought I would develop nicely. And I am always doing workouts and train.


    Arran looks at Liandra. ¡°It''s just that the family line seems to be affected by too much training.¡±


    Liandra looks down at herself. ¡°What do you want to imply?¡±


    ¡°You are flat as a board. Even Violetta is bigger than you despite being younger. I want to prevent that happening to my wife. So let her drink her milk shakes.¡±


    *SMACK!*


    Liandra deals immediate punishment to Arran by hitting him with the back of her hand. Our perverted bartender goes down and moves no more. I purse my lips. ¡°Now he has shown his true colours.¡±


    Then Liandra grabs my milk shake and empties it in one go. Her expression is furious. I willingly give up my other milkshake and shove it towards Liandra. She empties the second one too and slams the glass onto the table. ¡°Next!¡±


    ¡°I have no more!¡± Then I look down at Arran on the ground.


    ¡°You stopped our supply.¡± Fergus points at Arran with a complicated expression on his face.


    ¡°Then I''ll take over!¡± Liandra starts mixing milk shakes with her hands and telekinesis at the same time.


    Violetta bends over and whispers. ¡°The inferiority complex is rooted deeply in the family. Probably some kind of inheritance problem. You should try to question your own actions every now and then.¡±


    I pull a face and show my tongue to her. ¡°Won''t happen to me!¡±


    .

 79. ~Preparations.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Ascathon***


    And one. Two. Three!


    I dice the training dummy with my new weapon and grin as it comes apart. The wooden doll is no problem for my new sword.


    ¡°What are you doing in the training hall? It''s rare to see you here.¡± I hear Celestial''s voice from behind me and turn around.


    ¡°Ah, I just wanted to test my new sword.¡± I grin at her.


    ¡°You and a weapon? What happened to the mighty wizard? And what are you intending to do with that monster of a sword! It''s much too big for you!¡± She points at my newest creation.


    ¡°It''s a two handed straight longsword. I took the finest steel for the core and the cutting edge is made from fused mana crystals. The cross guard is also coated with mana crystals and there runs a smaller crystal core through the entire weapon. For the moment I can''t make the crystals big enough to make an entire staff. So I chose the only other weapon I am proficient with. The last time we fought the elders I got into trouble because I ran out of mana. This weapon isn''t just another mana storage for me, but it can also generate mana by absorbing it from my enemies. And it can take care of the small fry.¡± I slice another piece from the dummy. ¡°And it is sharp as hell!¡±


    ¡°I am not sure. It looks to big for you. How do you intend to fight in close quarters with such a huge stick?¡± She shakes her head.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll be fine. A weapon like this is intended for usage with armour anyway. It''s not like someone who intends to get close will have it easy. There is also the option to wield this weapon like a staff.¡± I hand the weapon to Celestial and she takes it with one hand.


    The blade parts the air and the dummy beside me is cleanly cut in half. ¡°Could be heavier for me.¡±


    I force a smile onto my face. ¡°Why don''t you switch to dual-wielding longswords instead of those short daggers?¡±


    ¡°That would defeat the purpose. The swords are there to assist me when I run out of mana. I won''t be able to swing those things around without my battle aura.¡± She shakes her head.


    ¡°It would have looked cool though.¡± I take my weapon back from her and point towards the armoury. ¡°I anticipated that when I made new ones for you and kept them similar to your blades.¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Really!? That''s nice. Although I don''t understand why you don''t simply make a real gun for a case like this.¡± She walks over to the weapon stand and inspects her new blades.


    ¡°My spells are far more devastating than any gun. And I would have to carry ammunition around. It''s not like a simple gun could do anything to someone who is protected by a barrier spell anyway.¡±


    ¡°For cases like this I created these little fellows here.¡± I walk over to Celestial and grab a leather belt with throwing stars. They are just two centimetres in size, but that''s enough.


    I pull one of them from the belt and throw it into the air. The little monster immediately starts to spin and stays in the air like a small drone. ¡°They work with thought commands. You can either set them to passively circle you and react to attacks, or you send them out offensively.¡±


    A mental command sends the small blade into the head of a training dummy. Exactly where the left eye should be.


    Celestial frowns. ¡°That''s neat! I will take a set. But you seem very concerned about your own combat capabilities. Shouldn''t you think about the greater picture?¡±


    I nod. ¡°You are right. But I handed the planning to our sky general and Den. The two of them are as fit for the task as me. Maybe even more so because Den has worked and trained with our soldiers day and night. I am just the guy who is in charge of the equipment.¡±


    Then I fling a dismissive gesture at the weapons in the armoury. ¡°The production of our weapons and ships is industrialized by now, so there isn''t much I can do to make it faster. We''ll have to deal with our numeric disadvantage in the upcoming battle. Maybe our technological edge gives us the advantage we need.¡±


    ¡°And if it doesn''t give us the advantage?¡± Celestial looks at me with a doubtful expression.


    ¡°Then we''ll hope for the intervention of a higher force.¡± I point up to the sky.


    ¡°To me it sounded like the other party has more help of that nature.¡± Celestial grumbles.


    I pull a fist sized crystal from my pocket and smile at it. ¡°When there is no hope left, I will try to negotiate with them.¡±


    ¡°Negotiate? What could we have to offer them?¡± Celestial looks at the mana crystal in my hand.


    ¡°The continuous existence of their playing field.¡±


    .

 80. ~Strategy.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Northern Ocean***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°There are quite a few ships.¡± I watch the cloud of silver ships on the horizon and their wooden counterparts in the ocean. ¡°Should we pretend that we fell for the trap and attack? But to be honest, after seeing this I would rather wait for reinforcements.¡±


    Den, Fingulf and Jazira are beside me and watch the same scene through the crystal orb between us. Celestial is sitting on the railing with her feet dangling down in the open.


    ¡°It''s baffling that they are able to conceal themselves to this degree. I would have ordered to charge right in if the orb hadn''t uncovered their neat little trick.¡± Jazira tilts her head while comparing the scene in the orb with her own vision.


    ¡°Yes, Lidith''s information seems to be correct.¡± I nod and watch the enemy fleet in my orb. ¡°They are concealing themselves by redirecting the visible light around them. That''s surprisingly advanced.¡±


    ¡°We would charge right into their trap, thinking that we got the chance to engage the ships from the Nation of Mist alone.¡± Den snorts.


    ¡°Maybe we can turn this situation to our advantage.¡± Fingulf points a finger at the enemy. ¡°If that''s indeed their plan, then they''ll hold their fire for as long as possible to ensure that we are caught between their forces and crushed.¡±


    He starts to pace up and down the deck. ¡°They''ll wait until we engage the fleet from the Nation of Mist. They are the bait. When we are busy fighting them, the air ships from Mislow will drop their concealment spells. How far off are your ships, Immortal Empress?¡±


    Jazira shrugs her shoulders. ¡°Two days. Three days at most.¡±


    Fingulf nods. ¡°There are several problems with our current situation. The first is that we are outnumbered. They have about three hundred air ships and four hundred ships at sea. We have just about two hundred air ships here. Five hundred sea ships are on their way from Phenex.¡±


    He points one finger up to the sky. ¡°The problem is that the sea ships cannot be counted in this engagement. They are too slow and even with their new anti air spells, they don''t have the reach to hurt us if we just fly high enough. This battle will be decided entirely up in the air.¡±


    I purse my lips. ¡°I still don''t feel comfortable going up against their three hundred air ships with our two hundred. On top sixty seven of our ships are just converted vessels or older wooden constructions.¡±


    Fingulf nods. ¡°That''s why we''ll play along with their plan. This battle field is three dimensional and that works to our advantage. We''ll climb to the highest altitude possible. Then we''ll start a slow descent while approaching the enemy fleet.¡±


    ¡°They''ll see us coming and have more than enough time to position themselves. That''s not good.¡± Jazira folds her arms in front of her chest.


    ¡°That''s very good!¡± Fingulf smiles. ¡°If they want to create the perfect killing zone for us, there is only one place where they want to be with their air ships.¡± He points towards the enemy. ¡°And that''s slightly above the reach of their sea ships. They''ll wait until they are above us and the sea fleet under us. Then they''ll shoot at us from under and above us.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Fingulf holds one finger up. ¡°But! If we choose our angle of approach correctly. There''ll be a point where we''ll have the enemy air fleet directly under us while they are holding their fire. That''s the moment when we drop our bombs and start to climb again. We''ll rig our explosives to go off early.¡±


    He takes a look at me. ¡°And I was told that you made a really big bomb. Can we use that thing too? If we detonate it within them, they should take heavy losses.¡±


    I smirk. ¡°It''s unfortunate, but I think that we would be blown out of the sky too. I want to be as far away from that thing as possible. It even has a parachute to slow it''s descent and give us more time to leave the blast radius.¡±


    Fingulf folds his fingers together. ¡°And if we drop it from as high as possible without a parachute?¡±


    I smirk. ¡°We''ll be roughed up at the very least.¡±


    ¡°By the gods. Did you intend to blow up an island with that thing?¡± Fingulf shakes his head.


    ¡°Almost. I wanted to have something to get rid of sea fleets quickly.¡± I answer.


    Fingulf sighs. ¡°Then we''ll have to deal with being roughed up. We need an advantage and if the enemy is closer to it than us, then they''ll suffer more.¡±


    I nod and Den starts to give orders to our fleet.


    ¡°I still think that it would be better to wait for my ships.¡± Jazira shakes her head.


    Fingulf places his hands behind his back and looks at her. ¡°As much as it pains me, but ships at sea won''t decide this fight. If what I was told about the new bombs is true, then the decisive battle is fought up in the air.¡±


    ¡°Air ships can''t be engaged by sea ships if they don''t want to. And the bombs still enable them to rain death onto the enemy. We have to use the enemy sea fleet while they still think of it as a valuable asset. As soon as they realize that we have no intention to close with their sea ships, we''ll be unable to control their movement through them.¡± Fingulf concentrates on the crystal orb. ¡°I am still curious how they managed to build these air ships in secret. Their capabilities are a mystery too, that''s a bad omen. The last time I fought an enemy with unknown abilities, I lost half my fleet.¡± He throws a bitter smile at Jazira and she grins at him.


    Den nods. ¡°I think so too. Even if the odds are against us, if we take this chance we can deal decisive damage to their forces. One thing is for sure. If we wait for our reinforcements they''ll change their strategy for sure. They are dangling the bait in front of us because they think that they can take out half of our forces with little risk. When Jazira''s ships arrive they can''t do that any more. If we fight a conventional battle with them we''ll take heavy losses for sure.¡±


    ¡°And what about the Inquisition?¡± Celestial takes a look down at the ocean.


    ¡°Your parents and mine were warned and we left most of our regular troops in Sarn. It''ll be hard for them to hurt us much. We went out to intercept the enemy forces for that very reason.¡± I pull my sword and place it on the deck.


    ¡°Let''s see what they have up their sleeves!¡±


    .

 81. ~Collision course.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Northern Ocean***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°Hahaha. They are joking with us. Why are they coming right at us. That''s not what we planned.¡± I laugh while the formation of enemy ships is approaching us.


    ¡°I guess I overestimated their ability to forge a decent strategy.¡± Fingulf watches the approaching enemy and scratches his cheek.


    ¡°Probably they counted our numbers and then decided that using their numerical advantage would be good enough?¡± Celestial frowns while sitting on the railing.


    ¡°You know... fuck this! I will take the nuke and teleport right into them. BOOM!¡± I turn to walk down to our weapons arsenal. But immediately several people cling onto me to stop me from doing so.


    ¡°Don''t you remember what Lidith said!? You have to keep a low profile with that ability! The other gods will immediately notice that something is off!¡± Jazira is holding me from behind at an arm and Celestial appeared right in front of me. Fingulf and Den hold me from the left and the right.


    ¡°But it would be so simple! Just Boom! You understand? No screaming, no blood, no splattered organs. Just a single instant and they transform from enemies to dust!¡± I wave my hand frustrated at the enemy fleet.


    ¡°And what should we do if the enemy gods really decide to act? Can you already defeat a god?¡± Den shakes his head.


    ¡°One has to try! Ok! What if I teleport that thing the old fashioned way! No even better! Celestial! Throw it at them! That won''t raise any eyebrows!¡±


    Jazira gasps. ¡°She can''t possibly...¡±


    ¡°~Ok!~¡±


    Everyone turns towards Celestial and she grins. ¡°If my husband tells me to lift the world on my shoulders I would do it.¡±


    I bash my fists together. ¡°That''s what I want to hear. I will get the device and you do some warm ups!¡±


    Five minutes later we have my little baby on deck and ready for use.


    ¡°I still have a bad feeling about this. Shouldn''t nukes be sensitive devices? Can you simply throw a five ton metal ball like that?¡± Jazira points at the monstrous thing on deck while Celestial is rotating her arms in front of it.


    ¡°Now that I see it I have my doubts too.¡± Den looks a little sick while looking at the ball.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I built it sturdy enough.¡± I smirk while Celestial grips the metal ball that''s twice her size and lifts it above her head.


    Then the thing disappears in an almost straight line towards the enemy fleet and a gust of wind almost throws me to the deck.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Celestial takes a winning posture while a red ball of fire ignites behind her and a visible shock wave starts to spread from the epicentre.


    I throw myself to the deck and cover my head. ¡°Brace for impact!¡±


    The seconds tick by and I start to doubt my abilities after making a quick calculation in my head. The shock wave should have reached us at the speed of sound by now.


    I look up and see everyone gaping at the fireball behind Celestial. A second sun appeared between the enemy fleet. But the force of the atom is contained to a certain area which isn''t fully enclosing the enemy fleet.


    ¡°It just hangs there... Are nukes supposed to do that?¡± Jazira ponders over the strange scene.


    Then the small sun starts to shrink. First slowly, then faster and finally it disappears completely, leaving nothing but a huge empty space behind. If I had to guess, I would say that half of the enemy fleet disappeared with it.


    ¡°They are cheating!¡± I call out in pain. ¡°First they destroy my ship and then they play with the laws of nature!¡± I start slamming my fist onto the deck.


    ¡°How long are you going to complain about that one ship?¡± Den asks with pity in his voice.


    ¡°Until I''ve made them pay! It looked cool! Like the flying Dutchman!¡± I grab my blade and point it at the enemy fleet which fell into disarray after having a huge part of it simply eradicated. ¡°Attack! Slaughter them all! We have to use this chance!¡±


    Den and Fingulf start to give commands through their communication devices. And the huge carrier buckles under my feet as the engines roar to life.


    I focused all my industrial capacity on creating a fleet of carriers because I deemed them to be the most effective against the enemy. But in this situation I think that it would be most effective to bring my eighty carriers into the fight too.


    Their main weapons are huge railguns which run along the entire length of the ships. The only drawback is reach and firing rate. The carriers are huge and their size alone puts a heavy strains on the engines. Diverting energy to fire a huge cannon is a huge problem in terms of power distribution.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The problem might be solved with time, but like with many other things in this world, I had to choose between a perfected product and having very few of them, or a product that performs poorly and having more of it.


    ¡°~I''ll take the lead in dealing with the rest.~¡± Jazira raises a finger and points at the approaching enemy fleet. A small orb of light forms on her fingertip and then a literal ray of death is unleashed at the enemy.


    The beam of light makes contact with one of the silver ships and disperses into smaller rays, away from the ship. The silver ship continues on its way unharmed.


    ¡°~Huh? My ultimate long range weapon got countered?~¡± Jazira looks at her finger with a stupefied expression.


    ¡°It''s only reasonable that their ability to bend light in order to become invisible has other applications too. In short, light based attacks are useless.¡± I shrug my shoulders.


    ¡°The attack which beat my fleet. With one finger.¡± Fingulf falls to his knees and starts to gnaw on his nails. ¡°She is a monster.¡±


    ¡°~Kukuku... I guess I''ll go all out for once. HahahahAHAHAHA!~¡± Jazira raises both hands above her head and a huge white orb appears between them. She points it at the same ship and a jet of plasma shoots out.


    I take a step back because of the wave of heat which is emitted by her spell. Then Jazira starts to swing both hands and the ray of plasma follows her movement. The silver ship is cleanly cut in half and explodes. Debris rains down, but the rest of the enemy fleet continues to advance. It looks like they intend to turn this into a brawl.


    The ship shudders under my feet as the main gun is fired and one of the enemy ships turns into a wreck.


    But the tide of the battle turns as the first enemy ships reach weapon range. A stream of shining, silver orbs are ejected from their frontal gun-ports and several of my carriers are felled instantly.


    The smaller crafts which were released by our carriers fire up their engines and engage while pouring a stream of railgun fire into the closest enemy ships.


    ¡°Their offensive strength surprises me.¡± I point my sword at the closest silver ship and start pouring my mana into the blade. The runes on it start to glow and assist my spell. I grin as a red orb starts to form on the tip of my blade.


    Then I release the spell and the orb shoots out, punching straight through the enemy ship where I would place the engine room. The ship starts to fall while the orb travels forward and changes its course slightly. The red orb impacts another ship behind my first target. The ship is torn to pieces as a torrent of red energy erupts from it and expands to twice the ships size.


    ¡°You guys are slow. I already took down four!¡± Celestial complains from beside me and raises her hand with an iron bullet which should be normally used in one of the smaller railguns. A pile of the ammunition is right beside her. She throws the fist sized metal ball at one of the enemy ships.


    Something like a barrier spell flickers at the side of the silver ship and a big tube at its side explodes. The tubes seem to fulfil a similar role as our engines. Three more tubes follow in the same manner and then the silver ship starts a spiralling descent towards the ocean.


    Then both fleets pass through each other and everything turns into chaos. My flagship rocks as one of the silver ships pours a stream of the silver projectiles into our left flank, but the barriers hold.


    My flagship is the latest carrier prototype. It was just completed and left the docks as our fleet departed Sarn for this expedition.


    In comparison to the other carriers my flagship has three mana cores instead of one. This makes this ship three times as pricey compared to its predecessors. The excess mana cores enable it to pour far more power into the barrier spells.


    A wing of our attack crafts swarms the silver ship and the attacks from all directions start to show effect as the bullets get through and start causing damage. The silver ship starts to descend as explosions rock its insides.


    That''s the moment when Den points to our right. A huge silver ship is approaching fast from slightly above. Den pulls his communication device from his belt and starts to scream. ¡°They intend to ram us! Dive! Dive! Now!¡±


    .

 82. ~Overboard.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Northern Ocean***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°They intend to ram us! Dive! Dive! Now!¡±


    Our ship starts to tilt slightly, but there is no chance that the huge mass of the carrier can change its momentum in time. Everyone on deck runs for his life as the silver ship, which was coming from slightly above, starts to saw into the upper decks of my flagship as it passes by.


    ¡°My flagship!¡± Rage consumes me as I witness my beautiful work of art being messed up! I pour mana into my feet and leap. The jump carries me up to the hull of the enemy ship and I propel myself farther upward.


    A guy in a robe and a forming fireball welcomes me as I arrive at the railing of the enemy ship. My sword flashes forward and claims his hand. The fireball is sucked into my blade and I grin as I continue hacking away bits and pieces of the enemy.


    The weapon is absorbing the mana of my enemies as intended. Then I realize that there are more people on deck and turn my attention towards them. Just in time because there is a fireball coming my way.


    I raise my hand and counter the spell with a bubble of water. Then I swing my sword and release the absorbed power in an arc towards the group of enemies. Two guys are blown overboard despite their barrier spells and a third is cleanly cleaved in half.


    Several others are able to evade the attack and I quickly probe with my mind for their mental defences. One of them seems weaker than the rest and I assault his mind with all my will. I change his perception of his comrades into foes and he starts to attack the people at his side in a mad frenzy.


    Attack spells of various kinds are coming my way and I erect a barrier to block them. I turn my blade downwards and ram it into the metal floor. Magical circles appear under me as I concentrate to change the nature of my barrier spell to redirect the onslaught of magical power into the hull of the ship under my feet.


    Fire starts spew out of a portal which leads into the ship and the whole vessel tilts. People fall and start sliding over the deck to go overboard. I hold firmly to my sword until the onslaught stops because the attackers have other problems to deal with.


    Then I jump while casting a levitation spell and the enemy ship topples over and starts to fall. I orient myself and find my flagship with an ugly wound in its upper hull. The enemy ship continued in its path after scraping the armour off my ship.


    My attention wanders to another silver ship on collision course with me while it''s heading towards my flagship. It''s a bigger construction than the other ships I''ve seen so far. A command ship?


    I head for the vessel and the people on its deck start attacking me with spells and mind magic. I feel the powerful onslaught as several minds try to overpower me at the same time. So I steel myself and start to pull mana from my mana crystal while punching through the shield of the enemy vessel.


    While I land on the deck and start to hack at my closest opponent to refill my mana reserves, something impacts between the rows of defenders. People start flying left and right as Celestial creates a path of carnage through the enemy.


    I grin and follow her when our path is suddenly stopped by a bandaged figure with two swords of light in his hands. He blocks Celestial''s attack and breaks our momentum.


    Another guy in full silver plate armour enters the scene. ¡°So you must be Ascathon. You fit the descriptions. How about giving up now?¡±


    Three familiar people with masks join the two men and Celestial retreats to my side. I frown and grip my sword tighter. ¡°I think that''s a little more than we can handle. The suckers from the Council are bad enough, but the other two seem to be strong too.¡±


    A ray of light swings over the deck and I am just in time to recognize Jazira''s spell and raise a barrier which envelops Celestial and me. The spell leaves a charred and smouldering deck behind. The enemy soldiers turned to ash in the blink of an eye. Just the five figures are unharmed, encircled by a barrier of their own.


    ¡°~Nyahaha. Why? I think three on five are still favourable odds if you count me in~¡± Jazira descends on a disk of light beside us.


    ¡°I think you shouldn''t underestimate them.¡± I raise my sword to a defensive position. ¡°And what are you thinking!? Firing a spell like that at your allies?¡±


    ¡°I trust in you. Something of that scale wouldn''t harm someone whom I call an ally.¡± She answers cheerfully.


    So in other words if we were turned into dust, we wouldn''t be worth your time?


    Jazira pulls on her lower lip and looks at the opposing party. ¡°I will take the armour as an opponent. He looks like someone I can go all out against without breaking him too fast.¡±


    ¡°Then I''ll take on the three elders. This time they won''t stand up again several times!¡± Celestial and Jazira dash towards the enemy.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°What!?¡± What''s wrong in their heads? Those guys are strong! It''s not like massacring some weaklings.


    Suddenly the bandage guy materializes in front of me and I am just in time to parry his left sword slashing down on me. His right sword stabs forward and I step backwards to get out of reach, but his sword still manages a nasty cut over my chest.


    ¡°And now I''ll find out which curse you placed on me you sick bastard! I''ll take my time with you to enjoy this!¡± He screams with glee.


    I stare at the blood on my chest. ¡°He cut me!? Through my armour!?¡± I immediately activate my battle aura and cast a regeneration spell.


    The bandaged guy jumps forward and I parry left, turning my blade to divert his attack from the right. My barriers are cut by the light swords like paper. Just the mana crystal on my sword is able to withstand the strange weapons.


    His right stabs my left thigh before he retreats to evade my sword which is coming up from the earlier parade. He starts to circle around me while I take a proper stance again. ¡°And that''s why dual wielding is superior to two handed swords! What do you even intend to do with a big slow weapon like that!?¡±


    He taunts me, but I only have eyes for my bleeding thigh. ¡°That''s two pieces of armour! AARRRGH!¡± I step forward and stab at him, offering an opening. He parries and immediately tries to close in like he did before, stabbing at me with his second sword.


    I grab the blade of my longsword and bash his second weapon away with both hands. Then I close myself and bring the tip of my sword up, slashing at his left shoulder in the process. The tip of my blade is now inside his defence and I start stabbing downwards at him, using my longsword like a dagger for close combat. He tries to get away from me, but I follow and change the grip on my sword again.


    Holding the sword with both hands at the blade, I bring it down like a hammer for a murder strike. He evades to the left and the crossguard of my sword impacts his shoulder, breaking something. He drops his weapon and the sword of light disappears.


    I change to a normal grip again and start a series of swings which he parries with his remaining sword. His expression turns strained and then fearful as the continued exchange tires his remaining hand. Then our swords lock with each other and I catch his blade with my crossguard. I change my grip again to use the blade as a leverage to twist his weapon. But he is strong and stops my blade with pure force.


    Having the movement of the dangerous weapon restricted I knee him in the side and hit him in the face while holding my sword with one hand. We separate and he tumbles backwards. I hack at his remaining sword hand. The other blade disappears too. ¡°Pure swordsmanship doesn''t help you in a fight with no rules!¡± I scream and hit him with the crossguard of my sword into the face. Then I use the pommel to hit him repeatedly as he goes down and blood splatters around. I turn the sword and stab the blade like an icepick with both hands into his belly.


    I twist the blade to finish him off while he screams and an unbelievable stream of mana flows out of him. He goes silent and the flow stops. There is no more power left inside him. So I bend down and grab his clothes to pull him to the nearby railing.


    I heave him with his upper body over the railing, but just a second before I let go, I stop. It isn''t funny if they are unconscious! So I drop my sword and slap his face to wake him up.


    He opens his eyes with a dazed expression and I shake him. He realizes his position and focuses on me. ¡°Wait! I can help you! Do you know who I am?¡± He reaches with a pleading hand for me and I open my grip on his clothes. His body silently tilts over the railing and he is gone.


    ¡°AAAIIEEEEIEIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!¡±


    Without mana there shouldn''t be any chance that he survives a fall from that height. The water is as hard as stone at that speed. I correct my arm-guard, which slipped out of place during the fight. ¡°Who cares who or what you are. Just another poor nameless bastard who died during a pointless war. Aw! He damaged two pieces of my armour!¡± I check the damage on my chest plate and wince as I realize that the gravure is destroyed.


    I turn and find Jazira sitting on an empty breastplate with pieces of the silver plate armour all around her. She puffs her cheeks. ¡°It was just a stupid doll!¡±


    Celestial has the pieces of the elders neatly sorted after body parts at her feet. I guess cutting off their limbs is a possibility to render them harmless. Celestial doesn''t look pleased either. ¡°They were just fakes again! Like I thought. You were the only one who got a real enemy!¡±


    .

 83. ~Sit and wait!~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Sera***


    All of us kids are in the living room. The others are listening to me while I hold a grand speech on top of the dinner table.


    ¡°I am really not sure what to think of this situation. Why do we have to hide? We aren''t weak! I mean, is it really necessary for us to stay in the mansion while Sarn is under attack by those terrorists from the Inquisition?¡± I shake my fist at the group of kids around me. ¡°I say that we should go out there and have some fun!¡±


    ¡°Oi! I always wanted to test myself against a real opponent!¡± Violetta gets up from her seat at the sofa.


    ¡°That''s what I want to hear! I could even teach you one or two things if we get our hands on some enemies.¡± I form a fist and smile at Violetta.


    ¡°We should stay here and hide. Some of the explosions sound like they are getting closer to our mansion.¡± Fergus fiddles with his fingers.


    Arran isn''t convinced either. ¡°Our parents and grandparents aren''t that weak. I am sure that they are able to deal with those Inquisitors. You should keep in mind that we may be stronger than we look, but our bodies are still those of children. Maybe we can overpower a few trained adults if we work together. But something could always go wrong.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure about this. As the oldest I hold responsibility for all of you.¡± Liandra opposes me.


    ¡°To be precise. Sera is the oldest one here if you count her memories from her previous lives. The second oldest is me and you are third.¡± Arran points at Liandra.


    ¡°That... That doesn''t count! You guys act much too childish! This is a matter of mental age and not of memories!¡± Liandra turns red. ¡°We were told to stay here, so we stay!¡±


    ¡°This whole story interests me too. Could you two explain yourselves? You aren''t acting like people with the experience of several lifetimes. I think that someone with so much wisdom would act completely different. Are you two playing a game with us to make us more comfortable?¡± Fergus arches an eyebrow and switches his gaze between Arran and me.


    ¡°I am at a loss on how to answer this. I guess it has something to do with our bodies? And that it''s more convenient to act like you are expected to?¡± Arran looks at me with a complicated face.


    I nod. ¡°First of all there is the issue that we may be old and have seen a lot of stuff, but at the same time our memory isn''t perfect. Arran, what did you do during your eight hundredth reincarnation?¡±


    Arran throw his hand up in the air. ¡°How the hell should I know? But I could tell you what I did during my four hundred fifty sixth!¡± His expression turns creepy as he remembers something.


    I smile and continue. ¡°See? It''s not like we remember every little detail. Everything starts to blur at some point. We remember events and lives which were out of the ordinary or worth remembering. I think that if someone would remember such a long timespan without forgetting anything...¡±


    ¡°... I would turn insane! Although I would like to remember some things in more detail.¡± Arran finishes my sentence for me and starts to drool with a stupid expression.


    ¡°And there are also events which we don''t want to remember. Like being caught by a particular demon lord.¡± I smile as Arran curls up into a ball and starts to shiver.


    ¡°There is also the fact that you start acting on your impulses and whims at some point. Think about it. Would you want to be a responsible person for thousands of years? Being the perfect cool headed adult like you guys imagine it also means to leave out on a lot of fun. At my age I am mostly interested in having fun and doing something new and interesting. I don''t want to know how it''s for my parents who are much older than me.¡± I end my speech and look down at the others.


    ¡°I guess that sounds reasonable.¡± Fergus shrugs his shoulders after thinking for a moment.


    ¡°So in the end you guys are just playing around because everything will start anew anyway!¡± Violetta points an accusing finger at me.


    ¡°Eh!? Nooo! I''ve been found out!¡± I wriggle a little on my table.


    Fergus looks up with a worried expression. ¡°Now that explosion was really close. And that sounded like a breaking door!¡±


    Just at this moment the door to our room bursts open and three hooded figures enter the room. They are heavily armed and one of them points his dagger at us. ¡°Take them! They''ll be good hostages!¡±


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    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Irda***


    I have to get back to the mansion! A group of them managed to get past me! Oh, my cute little granddaughter. Those bastards attacked the townsfolk just to draw our attention away from the mansion. Their actions are inexcusable.


    The street takes another turn and I find our guards at the entrance to my son''s property on the ground. A hooded figure is standing beside them. Probably a lookout. I attack without thinking and summon an arcane spear. One of my favourite spells.


    The hooded figure turns his head towards me and I launch my spell at him. He tries to stop it but isn''t in time. The arcane spear nails the Inquisitor to the wall beside the entrance and I continue on my way. Inside our property I find several unconscious guards on the ground. Probably the attackers used some kind of poison to knock them out.


    A dreadful feeling crawls up my spine as I start to imagine what those bastards did to the kids. How could they even overpower all the guards?


    I continue to walk rapidly towards the mansion. Everything looks deserted and without a sign of life. There are some of the hooded figures on the ground. Probably they didn''t manage to put all our guards to sleep.


    The main door of the mansion is broken and I continue forward with careful steps. There is nobody inside the reception room.


    A distant scream alarms me and I storm towards the private area. Another scream leads me to the upper floor and I find the door to the living room broken open.


    ¡°AAAAAA!¡±


    ¡°Sera!¡±


    I dash into the living room and find a gruesome scene. There is blood everywhere and a dead Inquisitor is lying on the ground. It looks like he received the combined force of several magical attacks.


    Another one is bound and gagged while sitting on a chair. His gaze turns towards me with pleading eyes.


    Arran is sitting on the sofa with a book in his hands. He gives off an impression that nothing is wrong. Then he looks up and smiles. ¡°Hi, aunti. Is the attack over?¡±


    My gaze wanders across the room and I find Fergus in a corner with a pale face. He is teetering back and forth while mumbling something.


    A third attacker is bound with his belly upside onto the table in the middle of the room. Sera is sitting on top of him with a kitchen knife in her hand. Liandra and Violetta are listening with interested expressions to her explanations. ¡°And that''s another good spot. If you stab there you cause unbelievable pain, but the subject won''t die. At least not immediately.¡± She stabs the blade into the Inquisitors belly and starts to twist.


    ¡°AAARRGH!¡±


    ¡°Isn''t twisting bad? If he bleeds too much he''ll lose consciousness.¡± Violetta points out a valid point.


    ¡°That''s not that big of a problem. Humans don''t die as fast as you might expect. Hmm. Time to heal him up again. I think we covered most of the non vital parts of the body. Should we continue with the vital ones?¡± Sera asks and the person under her starts to wriggle like mad.


    The knife flashes down again and the wriggling stops. ¡°That''s a basic one. Simply severing the spinal cord is instantaneous and without risk. ~Heal!~ ~Electrify!~¡± The Inquisitor opens his eyes again while he twitches without control. ¡°Remember that combo. It restarts almost everyone as long as the brain wasn''t destroyed. Remember to apply it immediately. The chance for success gets lower if you wait too long.¡±


    ¡°As long as you don''t cause a trauma, you can always heal them back up again. Are you ready to try it Liandra?¡± Sera looks up and turns around.


    Liandra starts to fiddle with her fingers. ¡°I am not sure. My healing magic isn''t that good.¡±


    Sera smiles. ¡°Don''t worry, we have a replacement in case you mess up. There is still much to learn. We aren''t even done with the basics yet! Violetta, you can practice on the other one while I train with Liandra.¡±


    The bound Inquisitor in the chair throws himself to the ground and crawls towards me on his stomach.


    Then my cute little granddaughter finally realizes my presence.


    ¡°~Hi, Grandma! How is the subjugation going?~¡±


    .

 84. ~Summon.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Northern Ocean***


    ***Ascathon***


    After the fight with the bandaged guy I finally have time to concentrate on other things. The battle around us has ended and there are just a few silver ships on the run. I can count about thirty of them descending towards the sea fleet of the Nation of Mist.


    There is no way for our ships to follow them in a close range engagement. The ship we are on is just drifting without control. Jazira''s first attack spell fried the bridge, leaving the vessel with no one to control it. There may still be combatants below deck, but it doesn''t look like they are interested in challenging us.


    My damaged flagship is on it''s way towards us while my fleet is gathering again. Den and Fingulf did a good job in keeping order after Celestial and Jazira followed me.


    ¡°It''s cool that we managed to capture this vessel. Although I don''t understand why the enemy just sent their dolls again. You got a lot stronger Celestial. Last time we had a lot of trouble with those elders. They almost defeated us.¡±


    ¡°I trained a lot. And I knew what to expect this time. It''s easier if they don''t manage surprise attacks because of their freaky healing abilities. But I have to admit that they seemed slower and weaker than the previous ones. Maybe their controllers tried to save mana.¡± Celestial shares her impressions of the enemy with us.


    ¡°This silver armour wasn''t very strong either, although it kept rambling about various things during the fight.¡± Jazira nods while sitting on the silver breastplate.


    ¡°And what was it talking about?¡± Celestial asks with a questioning gaze.


    ¡°How the hell should I know? I don''t listen to the whining of my opponents. A fight is a fight. Talking can be done later.¡± Jazira crosses her arms in front of her chest.


    ¡°It may have told you what''s going on? There are some idiots who do that, you know?¡± I argue. But I am not a fan of talking to someone I want to kill either, so I understand her reasoning.


    ¡°You could have interrogated the bandaged guy. Instead you threw him overboard.¡± Celestial looks at me angrily.


    ¡°Hahahaha. Don''t fret about the small stuff. Besides, he didn''t look that important.¡± I scratch my head while I try to shrug the matter off. ¡°So we don''t have any high ranking captives who might know what''s going on.¡±


    ¡°How about reassembling one of the elders?¡± Jazira looks at the pile of body parts at Celestial''s feet.


    Celestial kneels down and tries to reattach one of the heads to the body. The flesh immediately grows back together, but the eyes remain closed and the body stays silent. ¡°Looks like it doesn''t work.¡± Celestial shrugs her shoulders.


    ¡°Maybe they have to be reassembled completely. Let me help you.¡± Jazira gets down beside Celestial to reassemble one of the elders.


    I observe their dubious efforts while they discuss the placement of various body parts. A body piece which looks like it belongs to someone else gets attached in the wrong way. A finger is facing the wrong direction.


    When their work is done I have a hard time holding back.


    ¡°It''s an abomination! Once I knew a mad scientist. He was obsessed with creating life. For that purpose he gathered body pieces from graveyards. This looks like one of his works! You even mixed up the gender of some obvious parts. This looks like a mixture of some kind of ghoul and a hermaphrodite!¡± I burst out.


    ¡°Shut up! I tried. But she didn''t listen.¡± Celestial pouts her cheeks.


    ¡°I am not good at puzzles! She made too many pieces.¡± Jazira stabs an accusing finger towards Celestial.


    Then the eyes of the thing flick open. It inhales and starts coughing and flailing with its wrongly connected limbs.


    ¡°~It''s alive!~¡± Jazira starts to hop like a child and claps with her hands. ¡°See? I told you that it would work!¡±


    ¡°Put the poor thing out of its misery.¡± Celestial looks at the thing like a sad mother who has to end the life of a baby which was born with a life threatening malformation.


    The thing is somehow able to sit up and take a look at its body. ¡°What did you do!¡±


    ¡°An experiment to make contact with you. How about surrendering now, before we start bombarding your sea fleet?¡± I emphasize that we hold the upper hand at the moment.


    The abomination snorts. ¡°I could say the same to you. Surrender now or face the full wrath of our gods! Our summoning ceremony is almost done. There is no chance that you are able to withstand the power of a god.¡±


    I look down at the sea fleet and then to Celestial. ¡°Could this be a part of their stupid game? As I understood it the gods aren''t allowed to take action themselves?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they are, if certain conditions are met?¡± Jazira asks.


    Celestial winces. ¡°Like being summoned by your followers.¡±


    ¡°Ahahahaha! It''s too late! You may have won the battle, but you lost the war! Our gods are here!¡± The elder screams and the whole world is dyed in a strange light. I get a dreadful feeling and run to the railing to observe the fleet under us. A huge magic circle appeared. Around the enemy fleet.


    ¡°Great! What now? Do you think Lidith may come to help us?¡± Celestial comments from beside me.


    Then the huge magic circle vanishes as fast as it appeared. It was just a light show for the believers after all.


    Another person appears on the deck of the ship. And another one. Then a third and a fourth. They have familiar faces. I know those bastards from my vision.


    The abomination continues to babble religious nonsense until Jazira decides to shut it up by pointing her middle finger at the thing.


    One of the three figures turns towards me. ¡°So we finally meet. Seems like Lidith told you about our little game. I am Charon. This is Aneth and she is Wynne.¡± The younger one of the two men introduces himself. Lidith is standing a little behind them while looking very unhappy. Seems like she lost a dice roll or something like that.


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    ¡°Indeed, she did.¡± I smile while I grab into my pocket. ¡°That''s why I have to ask of you to leave this world and never come back.¡±


    Charon starts to laugh and Aneth puts on a fake smile. ¡°Unfortunately you are in no position to make any demands. We will continue this game until a winner is decided.¡±


    Wynne steps forward. ¡°But we aren''t inhumane. If you change your loyalties and abide by our rules, we might overlook you. The game became too imbalanced since your arrival. There are too many overpowered characters on the playing field.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about. My loyalty was always to myself.¡± I pull the fist sized mana crystal out of my pocket.


    ¡°It''s a matter of the influence you take on this world. Your current actions label you as Lidith''s followers. She continues to get points until you change your alignment.¡± Charon explains.


    I hold the crystal in front of me and smile at them. ¡°I don''t care about your stupid rules. So I''ll make my own from here. First rule, if I die this thing activates. Second rule, if I get pissed this thing activates. And third, if you don''t fuck off this thing activates!¡±


    Aneth snorts. ¡°Stupid Immortal. What do you think you could do with a measly creation like that.¡±


    I purse my lips and inspect the big mana crystal. ¡°Oh. To be honest I am not really sure. A whole range of things could happen. Like blowing up the world, or making me a true god. Not a measly imitation like you guys.¡±


    Then everything happens faster than I can comprehend. In one moment Aneth is still standing beside his fellows. In the next he is in front of me and has the mana crystal in his hand with me at his feet.


    ¡°You are too full of yourself. Even if you are an Immortal. Taking something away from you is easier than stealing candies from children.¡± Aneth laughs.


    ¡°Just with the difference that children''s candies can''t kill you!¡± I give a mental command to the mana crystal in Aneth''s hand and he freezes for a second as runes light up on the surface of the crystal and the flesh of his hand starts to sizzle. His face becomes strained as the crystal draws the mana out of the god''s body to grow.


    I bare my teeth and drive my crystal blade upwards through his chest. The blade starts to glow and mana start to pour out of Aneth while I bath in the pure power of a god. While he still stares at me I grab for the crystal in his hand. ¡°Sorry, I told only half the truth. I never said how this would make me a god.¡±


    Pure mana washes over me and I am almost consumed. It feels like I am floating in a sea of power.


    -Master? You should stop. You aren''t able to handle that much yet.-


    A soft voice reaches my mind and I wonder who it might be. And why is the voice calling me master?


    -I am the mana crystal you created from a part of yourself. Until now I was too weak to talk to you. But since you found a sufficient supply of mana I thought tapping into it wouldn''t be a problem.-


    You are the mana crystal from that accident? Why can you talk?


    -Because master created me by using not only his mana, but a part of his soul. If you allow me to control the flow of mana, I can get you out of this situation. Otherwise you might burn up like a light bulb on too much power.-


    You are convenient. Though I don''t feel bad at all?


    -That''s just subjective. If you go a little further you''ll break. It''s like being on a drug. I can store the mana away for later. But you won''t be able to catch his soul like you planned at first.-


    Fine. Although it''ll be troublesome if he revives. How should I call you by the way.


    -It''ll be more troublesome if we die here. You can choose a name. I am just something like a second personality of yours anyway.-


    It sounds like I just went schizophrenic. Fine, I''ll call you Warden since you protected me.


    Then the flow of pure power stops. Aneth looks pale and powerless. There isn''t an ounce of mana left inside of him. I pull the blade from his chest and he falls to his knees while spurting blood. ¡°I''ll get you for this! This won''t end with my death!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it''ll take at least some time for you to reincarnate.¡± My blade flashes once and Aneth''s head rolls over the deck.


    Then I turn to the other gods. Wynne is staring in shock at her dead comrade and Charon grins crazily at the unforeseen disappearance of a competitor.


    ¡°So? How about a little bout? I feel like taking on a god! Although it''s sad that I wasn''t able to catch the idiot''s soul because controlling this power is a little complicated.¡±


    Charon smiles. ¡°Maybe another day. There is too much of an imbalance of power here. And I guess that Lidith won''t fight on our side.¡± He disappears with Wynne.


    Lidith walks over and kicks Aneth''s head like a football over the railing. ¡°Hahaha! I always wanted to do that!¡± Then she looks at me. ¡°But he''ll be mad as hell when he reincarnates.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn''t we follow your friends and deal with them now?¡± I signal at the empty spot where Charon and Wynne disappeared.


    Lidith shakes her head. ¡°Better not. They didn''t fight here because they wouldn''t have had the upper hand and it would''ve been two on two. But I still think that we aren''t able to overpower them. They won''t grab that crystal after seeing what it did to Aneth. I guess the game is on a hold for a few years until he is reborn and returns.¡±


    I nod and turn my attention towards the mana crystal in my chest plate. But there is no answer. No matter how much I concentrate, the crystal stays silent. Was it my imagination? Or did it go dormant again without the steady supply of mana?


    Something bulldozes into me from the side and I find myself being hugged by Celestial. ¡°Don''t do that again! I thought I had lost you in that pillar of light.¡±


    Only now I realize the smouldering circle around me.


    .

 85. ~Confiscated.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Northern Ocean***


    ***Celestial***


    ¡°This is so boring. Can''t we speed this up?¡± I watch the enemy fleet while it''s bombarded with everything we have. Yet their barriers are surprisingly strong and withstand our continued attacks. Even Jazira went out of steam after frying a few ships.


    The problem is that the enemies tightened their formation to a point where they are able to create overlapping barriers. This resulted in a very strong protection. They are like a tank which is moving forward despite the continuous barrage.


    ¡°It can''t be helped. We have just one hundred and three remaining ships and most of them are damaged. The safest way to wear the sea fleet down is holding them under constant pressure.¡± Ascathon smirks.


    ¡°My fleet will do short work of them once it arrives.¡± Jazira comments with a happy voice.


    I turn my gaze towards Lidith. ¡°What do we have a god for? Wave your almighty hand and it''s done. What are you still doing here anyway? Shouldn''t you play your stupid tabletop game with the others?¡±


    Lidith tilts her head while watching me. ¡°You are still under the misconception that there is any kind of cooperation between us gods. All of us are working for our own goals. We are just playing the ''stupid game'' as you call it to settle our dispute in a manner that doesn''t destroy this world. Well. Safe for Charon. He is a crazy bastard. But in that case Wynne and me would suppress him.¡±


    Lidith waves her hand to signal that she isn''t pleased either. ¡°I spoke to them and we agreed to lay low for the time being. Nobody is allowed to take an action until Aneth is back.¡±


    ¡°Hasn''t he lost the game by dying? How long does it take for a god to reincarnate anyway.¡± Ascathon asks.


    ¡°Not really. We never expected that one of us would die, so there are no rules for it. I also told the others that I wouldn''t hold still if they messed with you. I guess they aren''t interested in trying something anyway. It was very impressive that you managed to deal with Aneth like that.¡± Lidith glares at my longsword. ¡°I guess gods aren''t safe any more. To think that a weapon like that can easily cut down a god.¡±


    Ascathon nods. ¡°From your description I guessed that a god is nothing but an Immortal who somehow got access to unbelievable amounts of mana. If you have limitless access to mana you may seem like a god, but you aren''t the real metaphorical being. So I devised a weapon which is able to attack that mana pool. Though I have to admit that I still don''t fully understand the creation process of mana crystals. I can create them, but I don''t know how they come to be.¡±


    I interrupt them. ¡°That''s not important at the moment. When will Aneth reincarnate? That''s important to know.¡±


    Lidith shrugs her shoulders. ¡°I don''t have much experience with the death of gods. But from what I heard from gods in other worlds it''s faster than the reincarnation of a simple Immortal. Maybe immediately? Maybe a few years? It''s hard to tell without an example. Gods don''t die often you know? And the ones who do are too embarrassed to talk about it. We generally try to stay away from each other. I am much more concerned with the strange awakening process of you guys. Normally gods awaken all of their powers at once. In contrast to that you seem to get stronger step by step.¡±


    This is frustrating. So it basically means that the idiot god will show up unexpected and try to kill us because we injured his pride. I snort and swing a fist down at the enemy fleet to vent my anger. While I put all my feelings into it, a powerful surge of mana bursts out of my hand and impacts the sea.


    An enormous fist shaped indentation appears in the sea. The ships in the centre are flattened outright. Then all the water sloshes together over the depression and a tsunami starts to travel away from the centre of my attack in a circle.


    I raise my hand in wonder at what I just did. I trained so long and never got the desired result. Why!? Did I do something else? Or was it... ? Hmmm. Maybe emotions are the key? I jump onto the railing and summon all the feelings I can muster. Then I strike out again and again. Each time more powerful than before.


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    ¡°~HAHAHAHAHA!~¡±


    Feelings are the key! Maybe it''s just about the state of mind. That''s the explanation. I stop and watch the roughed up sea under us and the dispersing fleet. They gave up on their formation and are fleeing in all directions.


    ¡°What the... How did you do that!?¡± Ascathon is the first to speak after several seconds.


    I wriggle while standing on the railing. ¡°You want to know? Maybe I''ll let you in on my little insight if you do something nice to me.¡±


    ¡°That''s unfair! I want to know too!¡± Jazira pulls at my trousers.


    I bend down and whisper the answer into her ear. She blinks and steps to the left and points a finger down at the enemy. One of her death rays shoots out and she starts to wave it around, picking off enemy ships like a child who is squashing ants.


    ¡°Her too!?¡± Ascathon gapes at Jazira. He turns his attention back to me. ¡°Tell me!¡±


    ¡°First I want to be carried in a princess carry. Then you have to tell me that you love me. And then you carry me off to our private quarters and do ~this and that~.¡± I imagine a romantic night with lots of attention from him.


    ¡°Tell me or I''ll do something completely unromantic to you!¡± He threatens me.


    ¡°Hah!? I am the one who has the upper hand! You can''t just...¡± He pulls a whip out of his pocket and I shut up.


    ¡°You know? Lately I thought that we may...¡± He doesn''t get to talk any further because I snatch the whip from his hands and throw it overboard.


    ¡°Confiscated!¡±


    ¡°It''s connected to emotions! If you feel strongly enough about something you can break the barrier to that huge mana pool and poof!¡± I spread my arms.


    He stares at me for several seconds. ¡°That explanation wasn''t very scientific. But it''ll suffice.¡± Ascathon picks the small mana crystal from his chest plate and concentrates on it. It starts to shine in a cool blue light.


    Lidith shakes her head. ¡°You guys break one expectation after the other. It''s totally unreasonable!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you finally found a sufficient mana supply, master.¡± A soft female voice comes from Ascathon.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I look up and down on him while searching for the source of the voice.


    ¡°I am Warden. Master created me from a part of his soul.¡± The voice speaks again. This time I realize that it comes from the crystal in Ascathon''s hand.


    ¡°He created yet another strange thing.¡± Jazira looks with interest at the crystal.


    ¡°I am not a strange thing. I am Warden. The perfect companion. Lifesaver and soothing to the mind.¡± The crystal answers.


    ¡°Why is the voice female?¡± I growl as I look at the crystal.


    ¡°Why should I be male? It would be much more awkward if Master had to deal with a guy. Besides otherwise there couldn''t be a deeper relationship than friendship.¡± The crystal glows up.


    I snatch the thing from his hand.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°That''s confiscated!¡±


    ¡°It saved my life. Whatever it is.¡±


    ¡°You don''t even know what it is!? Do you create your inventions in some kind of delirium!?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes. No! I meant that this one was an accident! I have to find out what led to its creation.¡±


    ¡°Do that in a safe environment! Preferably behind several layers of barrier spells. You created something strange.¡±


    He keeps looking at the crystal with eyes full of yearning, so I pull at my collar and drop the crystal into my cleavage. ¡°~You''ll get it back after I''ve had a serious word with it.~¡±


    .

 86. ~Training session.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Sera***


    ¡°Ouf!¡± I am on the ground again! I am dirty and everything hurts. Is this the end? Will I really die at the tender age of ten? All my hard work and effort. I want to cry!


    ¡°Get up! We still have time to train.¡± Celestial''s voice comes from above me. She is displeased with my development. According to her I could be much stronger if I would put more effort into it. But to be honest I don''t see how I could compete with a goddess!


    Mother is trying to raise me and Arran to godhood. Although I don''t see how that should be possible. As far as I understood you need to fulfil certain criteria to reach godhood. Like being very good at your own field of expertise. I doubt that being beaten up by mom is a help in that regard.


    I would be far more eager to train spells with dad.


    ¡°Don''t look at me like that. You are too old for the puppy-eye-attack!¡± Celestial doesn''t budge. ¡°There is no way to tell how long we''ll have peace until that stupid god revives.¡±


    Damn! I get to my knees and ready myself again. ¡°Why don''t you guys band together and catch Charon and Wynne.¡±


    ¡°They are still much stronger than us. We can''t control our power completely. According to Lidith we have about half of their fighting power. So that means that I, Ascathon and Jazira could take on one of them. With Lidith on our side we may be able to win. But there would be casualties on our side for sure. If Aneth reincarnates and they decide to work together, the advantage will be on their side.¡± Celestial starts trading blows with me.


    I pout. ¡°But dad dealt with him very easily. Don''t his new weapons count for something? Can''t we just abandon this stupid world and travel somewhere else?¡±


    Celestial sighs. ¡°Ascathon managed to lure Aneth into a trap. Aneth didn''t expect that any weapon could hurt him. Now they know that we can kill them. It won''t be so easy to stick a blade into them now. And do you really want to go somewhere else after living here for so long? We have a whole country working for us here.¡±


    Now it''s my time to sigh. ¡°No. I guess you are right.¡± The other countries lost most of their military powers during the great battle over the northern sea. They still haven''t recovered and it doesn''t look like they will anytime soon. My parents don''t want to bother with the subjugation of other nations since they aren''t a threat any more.


    We continue to train for another hour until Celestial finally decides to give me a little breather. I curse Arran for ditching me to train with Lidith.


    ¡°I''ll go and take a look at what Ascathon is doing. Don''t run off, I''ll be back right away!¡± Celestial walks off and leaves me behind.


    Freedom! Now I can finally try my new spells! Just a few feet separate me from the stall with the training dolls and as I turn to go there, a huge magical circle appears under my feet.


    Everything dissolves into light. A swirling feeling wells up from my intestines and then I am suddenly standing in a big hall. There is a huge magical circle on the ground around me and dozens of people who seem to supply the glowing circle with power.


    I am standing on a small podium. The magical circle disappears and several people collapse. I take a look around. The people around me don''t look like they are from Sarn.


    Then my eyes fall onto a group of people who are approaching me. There is an old wizard-like fellow, a white haired bearded guy and a blonde woman. Behind them is someone who looks like a knight and a priest.


    I stagger from the podium and take another disoriented look around.


    ¡°It''s a child! I wanted to summon a great hero! Wasn''t I clear enough in my description.¡± The bearded guy points at me while screaming at the wizard.


    The wizard shakes his head. ¡°I don''t know what went wrong. We used enough mana for the summoning to call forth a demigod.¡± He turns towards me and smiles. ¡°What''s your name little girl? Where are you from? This world is called Jateria.¡±


    The gears in my head slowly start to work again. So I was summoned to another world? Crap! Mother will come back any moment and she''ll surely be pissed when she gets back and I am not there.


    ¡°Look at how dirty she is. Probably some kind of peasant! The summoning must''ve failed.¡± The blonde woman snorts in disgust.


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    ¡°That can''t be, those are fine clothes. Were you training?¡± The knight kneels down and smiles at me.


    All eyes are resting on me. They are waiting for the first sentence from their new summoned hero. Introductions are important, I have to think carefully of my words. They shouldn''t get a wrong impression of me.


    ¡°~My name is Seraphim Asceron, first princess of Norfolk.~ And you are all screwed once my mother finds out that I am gone!¡± I wave my fist at them.


    The bearded guy starts to laugh. ¡°A princess? Maybe I should marry her to one of my sons. She could develop quite nicely.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately there is no way to go back. We don''t even know from where we summoned you. So there''ll nobody come to get you.¡± The wizard looks down at me with a sad expression.


    ¡°That may be true if mom and dad were normal people, but they are gods. And you guys are all going to have a bad day when they show up!¡± I cross my arms in front of my chest and smirk at them.


    ¡°Ahahahaha!¡± The bearded guy got a laughing fit and can''t stop any more.


    The only one who looks concerned is the wizard. ¡°So you are a god? That would explain why we needed such a huge amount of mana to summon you.¡±


    I frown. ¡°Not yet. I am still in training.¡±


    The bearded guy is finally able to catch his breath again. ¡°It''s fine! You are funny. I''ll marry you to my youngest son. Then I can always have you close to me as an entertainer.¡±


    ¡°Don''t tell me that this idiot is something like the king?¡± I turn to the knight in front of me.


    ¡°Y... you can''t call the king an idiot.¡± The knight''s expression drops.


    ¡°I am the princess of Norfolk! When I say that someone is an idiot, then he is one! Or do you want to call me a liar?¡± I try to look imposing and stand up straighter.


    The stupid blonde woman starts to say something when a cracking sound comes from behind me. I turn and look at the distorted space at the place where I had been summoned. The distortion widens for a moment and then disappears. Ascathon is standing there with his back to us.


    He has beeping device in his hand and points it in different directions while not caring about his surroundings. Then he scratches his head and hits the device.


    ¡°~Daddy!~¡± I run towards him and hug his leg.


    ¡°Ah! Sera! How the hell did you get to another world? Did you awaken your powers?¡± He turns and bends down to take me under one arm. ¡°Anyway, we don''t have much time. Your mother gave me a tight time limit on finding you.¡±


    ¡°They summoned me to be their hero!¡± I point at the group of people.


    Ascathon ignores them and the space around us distorts. Just at that moment the bearded guy calls out to us. ¡°Stop! You can''t abduct the wife of my son! We put too much effort into this summoning ceremony!¡±


    The space distortion around us stops and everything returns to normal. We are still in the big hall with the group of strange people. Ascathon turns towards the group like seeing them for the first time.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°They summoned me as their hero. But that bearded idiot laughed at me and said that he would marry me to his son instead!¡± I give my father the short version.


    Ascathon blinks while looking down at me, then he looks up at the group in front of us. ¡°You want my daughter?¡±


    ¡°She called the king an idiot repeatedly! I think it would be more suitable to use her as a concubine.¡± The blonde woman blurts out.


    Ascathon sets me down, so I can stand on my own. Then he takes a look at his wristwatch. ¡°I have just half an hour before I have to report back with you.¡±


    I realize what he is thinking about and give a helping hand. ¡°~I think Mom would forgive you if you are ten minutes late. Especially if you explain the circumstances. And if you don''t stop this for good there could always be other unexpected summonings.~¡±


    ¡°It might be just enough time to destroy this country.¡±


    .

 87. ~Parents...~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Jateria***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°It might be just enough time to destroy this country.¡±


    I release my aura and raise my hand against the fools before me, when a guy who looks like a wizard throws himself on the ground in front of me.


    ¡°Forgive us! We were desperate! The forces of humanity are making their last stand against the elves of Westwood. This is our last stronghold, so we decided to try our luck with a summoning ceremony!¡± The wizard calls out while crouching on the ground.


    ¡°I see your problem. And I think I know the main reason for your troubles.¡± Sera smirks and directs her gaze at the king and the queen.


    I snort and release a shockwave at the leaders of this useless country. Cracks appear in the walls and the floor tilts to my left. People are thrown over each other like dolls until they come to rest at the far side of the room. Then I step over the wizard who is crouching on the ground and approach the groaning pile of people.


    The king''s foot is sticking out from under the pile of knights and servants. Bending down, I grab his foot and pull. The release of my aura enhances my strength, so this task isn''t much more straining than lifting a fly to me.


    The poor excuse of a king lost his consciousness. ¡°That''s no fun at all! Hey! Wake up!¡± I electrify the king with a thunder spell while applying healing magic to keep him alive.


    A pitiful scream echoes through the hall while the remaining people press themselves to the walls. Most of them seem to be magicians, so they can judge by my aura that any resistance is futile.


    I drop the king when I realize that his pants are getting wet. This became quite ugly. A fire spell should fix the problem! A torrent of flames shoots out from my hand and envelops the king.


    Ah. Damn! Now he is charred all over. There is no choice but to apply another healing spell. Tch! His clothes burned. Now he is naked. That''s unsightly.


    I cast an earth spell and the stone floor starts to move. It flows around the king''s arms and legs to restrict his movements and covers him like a second skin. A wave of my hands forces him into a standing position. The layer of rock is holding him firmly while he is screaming for his guards.


    But nobody attempts to help. All of them are trying to gain as much distance to me as possible.


    The king is squealing like a pig while I crack my knuckles to loosen up my fingers. It''s too bad that I am under time pressure. One carefully placed punch after the other distorts his face while I carefully limit my power in order to not kill him outright.


    ¡°Hahahahaha! That will teach you to abduct other peoples children! What even makes you think that the filth you call your offspring is worthy of marrying my daughter?¡± Each one of my blows cracks his face while I apply just enough healing magic to keep him alive and conscious.


    Sera is a little farther away, patting the wizards back while talking to him. In the meantime I enjoy my little workout. It''s good to do something for your body from time to time. Back in Norfolk I don''t get much chances to practice since the war ended.


    Well, it didn''t really end. Technically we are still at war with Mislow and the Nation of Mist. But since we don''t know how Charon and Wynne would react we left both nations alone. It''s not like they pose any threat to us.


    A few minutes pass until I am interrupted by a new arrival. I actually felt this person''s power before he appeared. Probably a god who calls this world his home. The space distorts and a figure in shining plate armour stands in the middle of the room. He has light brown hair and a muscular body. His face is harsh and hard, a real warrior. A freaking huge sword is on his back and he wears an annoyed expression.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on here?¡± He looks around and then he turns towards me.


    I wave a hand at him and smile. ¡°Hi! If you would wait for a little while? I am not satisfied yet.¡±


    ¡°Who are you! This is my world! I don''t want any upstart gods wreaking havoc in my realm!¡± He stomps towards me while stabbing his finger at me.


    ¡°That''s actually no problem. It just so happened that this guy abducted my daughter. I followed her to bring her back. We will be gone after I have dealt some punishment. My name is Ascathon by the way.¡±  I smile and offer him a hand.


    The god looks down at my hand and pulls a grimace. It''s just now that I realize that my hands are bloody all over. ¡°Aw, crap.¡± I look at the king. ¡°Look what you have done. You spilled your fluids everywhere!¡± By controlling the adhesive forces of the blood I clean myself and offer my hand once again.


    The new arrival looks at me with a wary expression. Then he looks at the king and squints his eyes. ¡°It''s hard to tell, but is that Zerniel, the human king? And what''s that story about a daughter? Since when do gods have children? Are you a masochist?¡±


    The wizard crawls towards Gemesh in a creepy manner. ¡°Oh great creator god Gemesh! Please save us from our own foolishness! We summoned our own doom to this world. The elves were bad enough, but now we opened the door for something that doesn''t belong here!¡±


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Sera follows him with a sad expression. ¡°I think he is broken daddy. You shouldn''t have released your aura with such force.¡± She looks around at the people who are hiding under tables or pressing against walls.


    ¡°Yes! That''s why I came here. You can''t do that with mortals close by. Don''t you know anything of being a god? The whole population of the fortress and the city around it is frozen stiff. They are even too afraid to move! The elves who besieged the city broke off their camps and retreated! Their seers foretold that the humans summoned a great evil and that nothing good would come of coming into contact with it!¡± Gemesh is furious.


    ¡°Damn! So I saved them? Ah. I have to level the city myself now.¡± I wanted to break the city walls after I am done with the king. But those weakling elves ran away.


    ¡°No! I wanted the humans of this world to learn their lesson properly! You ruined it!¡± Gemesh screams.


    Sera walks over to him and tugs at his arm. ¡°Mr. Gemesh? Haven''t you ruined it yourself by not keeping an eye on them? They summoned me, which led to my father following me. If you had stopped their attempt to solve the problem by summoning a demigod, then there would be no issue.¡±


    Gemesh looks down at Sera for several seconds and then at me. ¡°Is she always that smart mouthed?¡± He looks at her. ¡°You are talking to a god! I could blow you away with my little finger!¡±


    ¡°Mom is much scarier than you. And then dad would probably have a problem with you doing that.¡± Sera answers with a smiling face.


    He looks back to me and realizes that my smiling face vanished and was replaced by an expressionless mask.


    ¡°Meh. Whatever. Just get off of my world. You had your fun. Take that king with you if you want to beat him up further. I need to clean up this mess.¡±


    ¡°I can have him?¡± Well that solves a few problems! I turn back to the beaten king and ram my hand into his chest through the layer of stone. A drop of blood forms in the corner of his mouth and then he is still.


    ¡°What the fuck? Why did you kill him? I thought you want to punish him!?¡± Gemesh gestures to the dead king.


    I pull my hand out of the king''s chest while I concentrate on the shining green orb of light between my fingers. ¡°It''s much easier to transport him that way. Souls are handier than the actual bodies.¡±


    By closing my hand around the soul I store it away. ¡°Gemesh? Before I forget! I didn''t meet many other gods until now. You don''t happen to know someone named Lidith, Aneth, Wynne or Charon?¡±Gemesh looks at me with his mouth hanging open.


    Then he closes his mouth. ¡°Yeah. Those freaks are playing with a world not far from here. They have some screws loose if you ask me. Aneth even asked me once if I would help him to chase away his competitors.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I continue to look at him with an obvious question written on my face.


    He snorts. ¡°Do I look like a mercenary?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± You look like some strange combination of a knight and a barbarian. But I don''t voice my thoughts loud.


    ¡°Then you have your answer.¡± Gemesh growls.


    I turn to Sera and grab her hand. ¡°We''ll be off then. It was nice to make your acquaintance!¡± While I gather my power to step back home, the space distorts close to us and Celestial appears.


    She has one of my locators in her hand. Her eyes wander immediately to Sera who hid behind me. ¡°You! I said you should stay at the training ground!¡±


    ¡°Shi... ~Sugar cat!~ It''s not her fault. They summoned her like some kind of handyman and expected her to solve their problems.¡± I try to explain.


    ¡°Who!¡± Celestial calls out.


    ¡°Him!¡± Sera points to the corpse of the king.


    ¡°He is already dead!¡± Celestial growls.


    ¡°She wanted to use me as a concubine!¡± Sera is eager to divert Celestial''s attention from her.


    ¡°Con... Concubine! My daughter?¡± She looks towards the queen who is hiding under a chair. Celestial disappears in a blur of motion and grabs the queen, shaking her like a puppet. The space around Celestial distorts and both of them disappear.


    A second later she reappears right in front of me. ¡°Take her home! I''ve something to do.¡± Then she is gone again.


    The silence in the room is deadly, so I bow to Gemesh once again and take Sera and myself back home through a pathway.


    ***Jateria***


    ***Gemesh***


    ¡°What the fuck happened just now!? I was completely ignored!¡± I scream out in frustration. The freaking family of gods is gone.


    ¡°Please, save us.¡± The wizard on the ground whimpers.


    ¡°Shut up! Well, those are troublesome new neighbours. I hope they never visit my world again.¡± While I speak those words, the cracks in the ground suddenly widen and the whole fortress crumbles around me.


    So I teleport outside and watch the fall of the last human fortress and sigh.


    .

 88. ~Community...~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Lidith***


    ¡°Um, Celestial? Are you home? ~Hellooo?~¡± I knock on the door while I take timid look into Celestial''s kitchen.


    The light inside the room is dimmed to a bare minimum and I find several pots on the hearth. Their insides are shining in a luminescent light. Celestial is on her knees while rummaging around in one of the lockers.


    She looks up for just a second and continues her search. ¡°Lidith, it''s rare that you visit me here. Is there something important?¡±


    I take a step inside and close the door behind me. ¡°Not really. I just want to inform you guys of an event. It would be good if you find the time to participate.¡±


    Celestial stands up with another pot in her hands and places it on the hearth. ¡°What''s this so called event about?¡±


    She grabs some remnants of various ingredients and throws them into a bigger pot at her table. The pot rumbles a little, like something inside it approved of being fed.


    The whole room is a mess and it doesn''t look like a kitchen at all. It looks like a witch''s den. ¡°There is an assembly of all the gods within this region of space. It''ll be held soon. It would be nice if you two would join in. Just to learn the ropes of being a god.¡±


    Celestial looks up from one of her pots. ¡°A meeting? I thought we gods wouldn''t care much about others of our kind? Are there even enough gods to have a decent party?¡±


    I smirk. ¡°Well, we aren''t all antisocial hermits. And there will be more than enough gods. Even if there are just a handful of gods per world, there are still thousands of populated worlds just within this universe. And if you take a look at the whole multiverse, there are probably countless gods.¡±


    Celestial nods. ¡°I still find it hard to believe that the multiverse is that big. And that souls can apparently travel between realities. But I guess that''s the explanation why there are worlds with and without magic.¡±


    She continues to stir one of her pots while looking at me. ¡°So? Why this gathering?¡±


    I smile and clap my hands together. ¡°Why indeed? To talk to each other and learn of the latest news about the multiverse. To solve disputes and to have a nice time. Don''t think too much of it. It''s more like a giant party. We hold it every hundred years. It''s one of the few traditions we gods have. It''s like the Ball of Fellmar, just on another scale. And not that formal.¡±


    A glass vase with a mouse inside attracts my attention and I grab it to take a closer look. It''s a cute small mouse with little black knobs as eyes. She stands on her hind legs while pressing her nose against the glass. The whole scene just screams, ''Let me out! I want to be free!''.


    I continue my explanation. ¡°And it''s an unwritten rule for everyone to invite a new god to the party. New gods appear just every few thousand years. Everyone will be shocked to learn that there are two new ones this time and that there is the possibility that Sera and Arran will manage to ascend too.¡±


    Celestial nods. ¡°I guess we''ll take a look in that case. I wonder why there is no organisation among the gods after such a long time. Oh, please put her down. It''ll be troublesome if she escapes. I am not done with her punishment yet.¡±


    I smirk. ¡°We gods wouldn''t be gods if we weren''t natural individualists. It''s a given that someone, who ascends to godhood, has his own mind. Someone who easily follows someone else like a sheep would never manage to ascend.¡± I return my attention to the mouse. ¡°What did -she- do? Steal some cheese?¡±


    ¡°She didn''t respect my daughter. I wonder what I could do next? Transform her into a frog? No, that''s too old school. It has no style. A dung beetle maybe?¡± Celestial continues to mutter to herself while I place the vase with the mouse carefully on the table.


    My expression changes into a forced smile. ¡°So this is a person?¡±


    Celestial looks at me like I am an idiot. ¡°Of course? Why else would I keep a vermin around?¡±


    She is a witch! Her kitchen is a witch''s den, her abilities are those of a witch and she thinks like a witch! But she doesn''t look like one! That beautiful body of hers is just deceiving the eye.


    Celestial grabs the vase with her captive and stores it away on one of the shelves. ¡°Do you have any idea how hard it is to transform a human into something else while keeping their mind intact? And I am not talking about a cheap transformation spell which ends as soon as you stop supplying it with mana. This is the real and final thing. No way back.¡± She taps with her finger onto the vase and smirks while the mouse starts to run in circles and squeals.


    I wet my lips. ¡°I guess she deserves her punishment.¡± No, I am sure that she doesn''t deserve it. Celestial is someone who overreacts quickly. ¡°So you''ll visit the party with Ascathon?¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Of course. Should we bring the kids too?¡± Celestial returns to her pots.


    ¡°I think that won''t be necessary. They can join the next Gathering in a hundred years.¡± I shrug my shoulders.


    ¡°You guys aren''t in a hurry. One gathering every hundred years? Who is the organizer by the way?¡± Celestial sniffs at one of her pots and shuts down the heat.


    ¡°Hahaha. Actually I think it''s held too often. Once in a thousand years would be fine to me. It tends to get boring after so many times. Though I won''t complain about the possibility to trade with the other gods, or to join the tournament. The gods who are managing the party are chosen by rotation.¡± I nod to myself.


    ¡°Trade? What could you trade with another god? Can''t we get everything we want from mortals?¡± Celestial seems interested now.


    ¡°It''s actually rare for a god to mingle with mortals like you do. But I guess that''s because you are so young. If you don''t die while everyone else around you is taken by the gears of time... let''s just say that you tend to stop your interactions with mortals. It may take a hundred or a thousand years, it''ll happen at some point.¡± I press my lips together while remembering the loss of some important people.


    Then I continue. ¡°As for what''s there to trade. There''s stuff which is very unlikely to be made by mortals. There are gods who are unparalleled craftsmen. Take Ascathon''s equipment for example.¡± I pull one of his communicators from my pocket. ¡°This works even if I am on a world on the other end of the multiverse. Do you imagine that you could get something like that from a mortal engineer?¡±


    Celestial scratches her cheek. ¡°So it would be beneficial if we took some of the stuff he creates with us? But I can''t think of anything we would need.¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Most of the time I myself don''t know that I want something until I see it. I guess you''ll simply have to take a look around. There are also wonderful works of art and magic made by other gods. You could trade knowledge too. For example how you achieve your perfect battle aura. I''ve never seen something like it.¡±


    Celestial makes a dismissive gesture. ¡°I don''t think that anyone would want to learn it. I had to give up my external magical system to achieve that level of power. I guess a god wouldn''t want to give up casting spells.¡±


    My eyes wander to the mouse on the shelf. Though you don''t seem to be hindered by it at all! ¡°I guess there are at least some people who are interested in the possibility. So don''t think that it has no value at all. I''ll take a look at Ascathon''s laboratory and explain the same stuff to him. Could you talk to him in the evening, just in case that he has no time for me?¡±


    Celestial nods. ¡°Well I guess that''s true. I''ll think about it. And I''ll discuss the matter with him anyway. So no problem.¡±


    I smile and take my leave while my eyes are glued to the squealing mouse.


    Outside the room I take a deep breath and close the door behind me. That''s done. One to go.


    At Ascathon''s laboratory I knock several times, but I get no answer. So I make my way into the dungeon-like maze, which he calls a laboratory. At the far end of the main hallway I see some light and walk closer.


    I get a sinister feeling while I approach. There is another room at the end of the hallway, so I take a look inside. Ascathon is standing close to the entrance in front of a big control panel. He hasn''t spotted me yet. Several orbs on big spikes are pointing towards a crystal in the middle of the room. The crystal is levitating at a height of two metres and shining blue. Sparks of energy are flying everywhere, but they are caught and redirected by the spikes.


    Several green shining lights are orbiting the crystal like planets. An unholy howling sound is coming from them while they orbit the crystal. The atmosphere inside the room sends shivers down my spine.


    ¡°It works!¡±


    ¡°MwahahaHAHAHA!¡±


    ¡°It works!¡±


    Ascathon raises his hands to the frightening construct and laughs like a mad... scientist?


    I turn and walk away. ¡°Celestial will surely talk to him. There is no need for me to interrupt him. I don''t know what I have just seen. It was surely nothing problematic. I don''t want to know what I have just seen. Both of them can tell right from wrong. ~Yup!~ No need to worry about people who are that old.¡±


    ¡°~I.Have.Not.Seen.A.Thing!~¡±


    ¡°~Yup!~¡±


    .

 89. ~Another path...~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Desert, Eastern Planes***


    ***Jazira***


    I am alone. There is just desert all around me. Not a soul within a month''s travel time. My mouth is dry and my skin is burned from the sun. I stopped bothering with applying healing magic every two hours.


    ¡°Whhyyyyy!?¡± I fall to my knees while screaming in frustration. ¡°It''s no good. Whatever I do! But I want to go! I want to go! TO THE PAARRTYYY!¡±


    I start hitting the stupid sand under me. It''s unfair! Even though I trained so hard for it.


    Suddenly Lidith appears in front of me. ¡°Hey! Stop that, you are scratching your beautiful skin.¡±


    ¡°No! Why are they allowed to go to the party while I am not?¡± I beat the ground one more time for good measure.


    Lidith sighs and repeats her explanation for the seventh time. ¡°I explained that already. To be acknowledged as a god, you need access to your mana pool and be able to use the pathways. You only have access to your mana pool.¡± She shakes her head. ¡°I can''t take you to the party in that state.¡±


    I press my lips together. Then I point at Lidith. ¡°But Celestial can''t see them either! So why is she allowed to go!¡±


    A few drops of sweat start to form on Lidith''s forehead. ¡°That woman is beyond me. She somehow gave up her external magic system and strengthened her internal one. According to her she can''t see the pathways at all. She is only able to feel them. Like a blind one would follow a rope, she pulls herself along a pathway with her will alone.¡±


    Lidith shakes her head. ¡°To be truthful. I doubt that you guys are gods at all.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I don''t understand. What else should we be?¡± I sit down and wait for Lidith to explain.


    ¡°I already told you that a god normally awakens all his abilities at once. You guys don''t follow that pattern. On top you are far too young. I am starting to believe that our game is somehow at fault by summoning you. It''s more like you slowly transcend step by step. Everyone of you according to his own abilities.¡± Lidith looks away while she ponders over something.


    Then she claps her hands together. ¡°That may be your problem. You excel in accessing your mana pool! Have you ever tried to manipulate very small amounts of mana? The pathways require a certain sensibility to see them.¡±


    ¡°How should I? As soon as I conjure some mana, it floods into me like a river! I have to get rid of it immediately, or I go up like a candle!¡± I wave my hands in the air.


    Lidith squints her eyes. ¡°How is it with your inner magic system?¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°No problems there.¡±


    ¡°Activate your battle aura.¡± Lidith smirks at me.


    ¡°Uh, sure?¡± I do as told and tap into my mana pool to pour the mana into my body. A strong glow of energy surrounds me and the sand under my feet starts to melt to glass. I stand up and swing my flat hand at a dune. The wind pressure alone blows the sand away.


    I turn back to Lidith. ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°You can''t do better?¡± Lidith looks dissatisfied.


    ¡°Isn''t that already good enough?¡± I gesture at the place where the dune was.


    ¡°You are wasting so much mana, it hurts my eyes. Look at your feet! The ground turned to glass! Your mana is wasted like that. That''s the reason why you aren''t able to tune your mana output. You are the exact opposite of Celestial.¡± Lidith turns on her own battle aura and repeats my action. This time a sandstorm hurls away from us and I fight to keep standing.


    ¡°So I am no good.¡± I wanted to go to the party. If I had been able to become a god I could have talked to people on equal footing again. The permanent bowing and buckling by my subordinates gets depressing from time to time.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    NO! I can''t think like that! Celestial managed it by relying on her talent. She didn''t care about others and created her own path. If she can do something like that with her inner magic system, then why shouldn''t I be able to punch through reason and belief as well?


    ¡°~Nyahahaha.~¡±


    ¡°I will show them!¡±


    I tap into my mana pool and start pouring my power into a teleportation spell. But it''s not enough! ¡°MORE!¡± The ground under my feet turns to lava because of the leaking power which escapes my control.


    ¡°Stop it! Are you nuts?¡± Lidith has problems standing and retreats away from me.


    The ground starts to shake as the teleportation spell starts to tear at the fabrics of reality. Maybe I need some fortification. ¡°Barrier!¡±


    I raise my hands to the sky and activate the teleportation spell.


    Darkness surrounds me. I am in space! Inside a five meter bubble, which is formed by my barrier. There is no star nearby, so I must have gotten quite far.


    Lidith appears beside me. ¡°What the hell were you thinking!? You just created a five meter bubble of empty space right next to me! I was flung through the air like a doll.¡±


    ¡°~Nyahaha! No problem, you are a god. And I needed a little distance from the world. There is still another experiment. So which star?~¡± I state with a happy voice.


    ¡°No. We are going back!¡± Lidith crosses her arms in front of her chest.


    I don''t listen and tap into my mana pool. This time without holding back! The space around me is flooded with my essence. If I can''t see the pathways, then I''ll light them up by using my own mana as a torchlight! The power flows out of me like an ocean.


    And then I see it! A fine web all around me. So I concentrate on one of the strings in front of me and hold onto it while firmly believing that it''s one of the pathways.


    From one second to the next I am on a wide cornfield. There are fields up to the horizon and strange looking people with violet skin are ploughing them. Some of them spot me and turn to run away.


    This is certainly not my homeworld. ¡°~Strike!~¡± I start a little dance and Lidith appears right next to me.


    ¡°You brute! You did it! I didn''t even know that you could make pathways visible like that!¡± She looks shocked.


    I stop dancing and face her. ¡°So I can go to the party?¡±


    Lidith sighs. ¡°All right. All right. You can go. But you should do something about your tan. Your white hair doesn''t match with brown skin at all!¡±


    I freeze. ¡°Brown skin?¡±


    A mirror appears in Lidith''s hand. It''s a tool which every fine woman has always ready. She holds it out to me. ¡°You shouldn''t have trained in that desert.¡±


    ¡°~Gyahaha!~ My skin!¡± I start rubbing at my face, but it doesn''t come off. ¡°I can''t go and meet people like this!¡±


    ¡°Maybe the witch can help you. She can transform people into mice. Changing the skin colour should be a cheap trick to her.¡± Lidith smirks at me.


    I nod and look around. Then it hits me and I turn to Lidith with my politest smile on my face.


    ¡°~You know? It''s a little embarrassing, but how do I get back?~¡±


    ¡°... you are so lucky that I am here ...¡±


    .

 90. ~To peek and...~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Arran***


    Today is a good day. I finally managed to master a new skill! I call it Zero-presence! With this skill I can make myself invisible! I''ll walk right into Sera''s room and ogle her while she believes herself to be alone! Maybe I should try it with someone else too? But there are no worthwhile targets.


    Her mother? No, too dangerous. The risk isn''t worth the gain.


    I already tried to spy on my father. He is always busy with managing the company to exploit the new possibilities which pop up in Sarn every day.


    There is no doubt that the city is flourishing and that it became a hotspot for new inventions. Since the ban on technology and science is lifted, the people are advancing in big steps. Of course magic plays a big role in it.


    And it isn''t like the general population is too stupid to apply new knowledge, or to find ways to apply magical tools for their own convenience. Sarn is a role model for all of Norfolk by now.


    Of course I could try to peek at Violetta or Leandra? They''ve developed quite nicely. Maybe I''ll do that after I paid Sera a visit.


    Just one more corner and I am in front of her room. I already activated my spell outside of the mansion. Better to approach from afar. Sera can''t be underestimated.


    Oh damn! Now that I am standing in front of her room. How do I get her to open the door? Well, whatever. I''ll have to improvise.


    *Knock.* *Knock.*


    ¡°Yes?¡± The door opens and Sera takes a look outside. Her expression becomes confused upon finding nobody at her doorstep and she enters the hallway to take a look around.


    I use the chance to quickly walk into her room. Without waiting for her, I head directly to a free corner. My greatest fear is that someone or something could bump into me and undo my spell.


    Sera''s room is kept in good order and has a bed and a writing table. One wall is taken up by a huge shelf full of books. There is a working table with artefacts and potions in front of the single huge front of windows. She is taking the teachings of her parents to heart.


    A wardrobe with a big mirror takes up the wall where I am hiding. Hoh, maybe I could search through her undergarments to find out about her tastes? That would make it easier to choose presents for her. Presents are important to gain the favour of women!


    Normally you would expect some toys and dolls inside a room for a child of her age. I guess there is no doubt that she is an Immortal like me.


    Sera returns to her room while mumbling something incomprehensible. Then she drops herself into the chair in front of her working table and starts to play with some potions. She has a magical screen from Ascathon to take notes. It replaces a computer very effectively. The only drawback is that you need magical talent to operate it.


    ¡°Haaah. I wonder why mother doesn''t have any problems with this at all.¡± She talks to herself while she is working! That''s a new side of hers!


    ¡°Hm. Hm. I guess in the end you have to test it. Err. Whatever.¡± Next she picks a few bottles and mixes them together. When she is done she stands up and starts to undress.


    No! I am not paedophile! I don''t get off on a little girl''s body, though she is cute. Why is she undressing? Gods! At least she stopped at her undergarment. She wears just a light long shirt which is much too big for her. I originally just planned to watch how she acts in private.


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    ¡°I always wanted to know how this body will look like when I am an adult.¡± She downs the new potion she made in one go.


    The transformation is smooth and fast! Her black hair grows long and flows smoothly down her back. She grows to a size of about one point seven metres! And her bust starts to fill the shirt quite nicely!


    Her face loses its childlike features and changes to that of a beautiful adult woman! Her features combine the allure of her mother and the superior aura of her father. Her skin is smooth and without tarnish. The eyes are light grey, clearly something she inherited from her father.


    And her figure!


    ¡°That''s nice! Mother''s potions are really effective!¡± She makes a few really erotic poses and I feel my blood pressure rising. Urgh, that might be more than I am able to take!


    Sera steps in front of the mirror at the wardrobe right next to me and pushes her breasts up to inspect them! Then she smiles seductively at the mirror and throws a kiss at it. It looked like I was the target of the whole show!


    UUUUUOOOO! I can''t take this! Wait!? Something warm is coming out of my nose. The taste. Blood? Why? Somehow I feel dizzy! I have to get out of here fast!


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Sera***


    Suddenly I hear footsteps and a noise like someone fell on the floor. A red stain appears on my carpet and other drops of blood follow in rapid succession. A series of crawling noises follow and the door to my room flies open. Someone runs away down the hallway.


    I purse my lips while I grin and follow the trail of blood on the ground to the entrance of my room. Then I turn and take a look at the magical screen on my working table. It displays the location of all my bugs. The spot which represents Arran is rapidly increasing its distance to my room.


    My future husband is becoming a dangerous existence. His magical abilities are increasing by the day. I wasn''t able to sense him at all. A few more educational measures might be needed. What if he tries to spy on someone other than me? Something like that is absolutely forbidden!


    What if he takes the next step and runs around naked? Gods! My bugs won''t warn me any more. I begin to understand why dad prefers to plant his trackers under the skin. Up until now I wasn''t so sure that this is really necessary. But Arran''s level of pervertedness is rising. I have to keep a closer eye on him.


    I walk back to my working table and seal the bottle with pheromones again. It''s a strong cocktail. The latest invention of my mother. Just having it standing around unsealed is enough to turn any male within the room mad.


    ¡°Poor Arran. His body wasn''t ready yet.¡±


    I grin and open the window to ventilate my room. The next step is some clothes and then I''ll go and search for him. I don''t think that he went very far. The trail of blood he left is too big. Probably he collapsed somewhere while being invisible. Maybe I should dilute the pheromones a little.


    But the blood should lead me directly to him. And then I''ll talk with him about our future ~relationship~ and what''s ~forbidden~.


    .

 91. ~Registration.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°So? Everyone ready to be introduced to the upper pantheon of gods?¡± Lidith grins while she looks over Celestial, Jazira and me.


    Jazira is the only one who seems to be excited about the whole event. She is actually clapping her hands while hopping up and down.


    ¡°The reaction is much weaker than I expected.¡± Lidith sighs and pulls a grimace.


    ¡°What do you expect? I am managing a country. It was very hard to create enough free time to visit this party of yours. Are you sure that it''s really necessary to stay for the whole duration of one week?¡± Celestial grumbles.


    I nod. ¡°I have some very important experiments on my schedule. To be honest, I am not that eager either.¡±


    ¡°Jeez. You guys are boring. Don''t you know there are other things in life besides work?¡± Jazira points up to the sky. ¡°Come on Lidith! Show us the way! Let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Everyone, hold onto me. I''ll take you there. Just remember the pathway I use, so that you can go back on your own if the need arises.¡± Lidith signals for us to come closer and we form a circle around her.


    I press my lips together and hold onto Lidith''s shoulder. As soon as everyone is ready she pulls us onto a pathway and the world around us disappears. I am still not used to the pathways. They defy my understanding of reality.


    But I have no time to ponder over the strange behaviour of this phenomenon. The world around us reforms almost instantly and we are standing on a big plaza with hundreds of people. There is a single huge pyramidal building in front of us.


    Most of the people are headed for the entrance to the pyramid. When I take a look around I immediately realize that there is no horizon in this world! Instead the ground curves upwards as it increases in the distance.


    Where I would expect the sky, I find oceans and continents instead! A single star is lighting the sky. ¡°Holy shit! A Dyson Sphere!¡± The words escape my mouth.


    ¡°Ha! I knew that you would be surprised, that''s why I didn''t warn you. The host of this party is Sous. He invited us into his home. Sous is a very lazy character.¡± Lidith explains happily.


    ¡°How many people are living in this place? Isn''t a Dyson Sphere big enough to take in thousands or millions of worlds?¡± Celestial gasps.


    I shake my head. ¡°You may be right for the theoretical construct, but this one has to be a miniature version. And I think that the light in the sky isn''t a real star either. If this were a real Dyson Sphere, we wouldn''t be able to see the continents on the other side. It''s still huge nonetheless.¡±


    Lidith snorts. ¡°You take the fun away from it. It''s just big enough for a few hundred worlds. The star is an artificial construct. And for your question. Sous lives and works alone. He doesn''t like mortals or anyone else.¡±


    My gaze wanders to Lidith. ¡°He built his own Dyson Sphere for himself? Just how powerful is this guy?¡±


    Lidith smirks. ¡°He is a little more powerful than the average god, but he isn''t in a whole other dimension. His home may be impressive, but he accomplished it by investing a huge amount of time and resources. And he employed other gods too. It''s not like he did everything on his own.¡±


    ¡°You can employ other gods?¡± Jazira looks at Lidith with newly sparked interest.


    ¡°Of course. I already mentioned that you can trade valuables with other gods. Who says that you can''t buy their working force? Many gods don''t have much else to offer. Not everyone is a talented artificer or a great artist.¡± Lidith walks off and heads for the pyramid.


    The three of us follow her and we row up with the other gods. It''s a very boring display. Even the gods didn''t get rid of bureaucracy.


    When we finally reach the reception, Lidith places both hands at the edge of the receptionists writing table and smiles at the goddess who notes down the guests. Her childlike body is a hindrance in some aspects.


    The goddess who is playing the receptionist takes a bored look at Lidith. She looks human, but her hair is shining and changing its colour like a rainbow. ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Lidith the Red!¡±


    The receptionist types the name into a computer terminal and takes a closer look at Lidith. ¡°I thought you were bigger. The stories don''t give a proper impression of you.¡±


    ¡°Why ''the Red''?¡± Celestial looks confused at Lidith, who starts to smile and waves her hand. ¡°Forget it, just old stories. A stupid nickname which stuck to me.¡±


    ¡°Next!¡± The receptionist looks annoyed at us.


    ¡°Ah, I forgot! These three are new. They need an ID!¡± Lidith gestures at us.


    ¡°All three of them!?¡± The receptionist gasps.


    We all nod and the receptionist waves us behind the counter into a small room. ¡°You need your divinities checked and then my colleague will give you a proper analysis of your potential.¡±


    I grumble. ¡°That sounds time consuming and boring. Why do we need an ID in the first place? I thought there are no big political groups within the ranks of gods?¡±


    ¡°There are still some groups which concentrate on trade and prefer to talk to someone with an identification.¡± She turns to the table with the couch within the room. An elderly guy with wrinkles and grey hair is lying on the couch. He is snoring and has his eyes closed.


    The receptionist shakes him. ¡°Wake up! We need three IDs.¡±


    The guy yawns and sits up. Then he focuses on us. ¡°So much work! I thought I had signed up for the best job ever! How can there be three new gods at once!?¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Receptionist scowls and leaves the room. ¡°Do your work, or we switch places.¡±


    The old fart looks at us and waves his hand. Three stacks of paper pops up out of nowhere and he throws them at us. ¡°Fill out the forms.¡±


    I take a seat at the table and pick one of the pens which are lying on it. Then I start to answer the questions as fast as possible. Every new page of questions makes me increasingly annoyed. This feels like some kind of psychological test!


    It takes us an hour to complete the forms. Afterwards the old guy takes his time with ticking off a list of his own while reading our papers.


    ¡°What''s this for anyway?¡± Celestial starts to play with one of the pens.


    Lidith coughs and starts her explanation. ¡°It''s a psychological test to identify your divinities. You already found out that your powers as a god have something to do with the state of your mind. Knowing your divinities helps you to increase your powers. Mine are peacefulness and madness for example. Most gods have two, but there are also cases with one or more. And they can change over time with the state of your mind. So don''t take them to be set in stone.¡±


    Jazira''s expression becomes worried. ¡°Madness? You never seemed like someone troublesome to me.¡±


    ¡°That''s important information! Couldn''t you have told us sooner?¡± Celestial snaps.


    I nod with vigour. ¡°That''s very important. How could you forget about something like that.¡±


    Lidith starts to scratch the back of her head and laughs insincerely. ¡°You don''t have to worry. My madness status isn''t a hindrance to my interactions with other people. And I am sorry for not telling. It has been a long time since they took my profile. ~I kinda forgot, Tehehehe.~¡±


    ¡°I am done.¡± The old fart smiles at us with a troubled expression. ¡°How about starting with the least troublesome person? Jazira?¡±


    ¡°~Yes!~¡± Jazira steps forward.


    He hands a small card to the Immortal Empress. ¡°Jazira the Eternal. Your divinities are a wish to control others and a very strong desire for safety. There is also a small potential to become a megalomaniac.¡±


    ¡°Th... that can''t be! I desire peace over anything else!¡± Jazira stares at the card.


    The old fart shrugs his shoulders. ¡°That may be so, but I am good at my job. To create peace is just a pretence for you to exert your power over others. Creating a peaceful world assists your unconscious wish for safety. Probably some bad things happened to you in the past and now you prefer to hit others before they can do something to you.¡±


    Jazira drops to the ground with a dead expression on her face. I swear that I could almost see her soul leave her body. The old fart is a dangerous one! He defeated Jazira with words alone!


    ¡°Now Celestial the Wilful.¡± He hands another card to my wife. ¡°You are an -S- and a nymph! You have all the right characteristics for a dominatrix! Furthermore your sense for family is very...¡±


    *swish*


    A few pearls of sweat form on the old farts forehead. Celestial''s pen passed right next to his ear and impacted the wall. I can feel a deadly killing intent right next to me.


    Celestial reaches for the stack of paper in his hand and starts to rip it thoroughly. ¡°~I think we all can live a happier life if we forget about this!~¡±


    He nods and turns towards me with a third card. I glare at the old fart and he gulps. ¡°Ascathon the Bright One!¡±


    Now that doesn''t sound so bad at least.


    Then he starts to speak fast. ¡°You are a very big -S-! On top you have great potential as a -M-! There is also a female side of yours which you are trying to deny with all your might. This gives you superior skills with the other gender, because you can actually imagine things from their point of v...¡±


    ¡­


    I blink. The strange card is in my hand. ¡°Ascathon the Bright One. That doesn''t sound too bad.¡± Then my eyes wander to the old fart. He has his right arm bent the wrong way and his face looks beaten up. His nose is crooked and his upper lip is swollen. The left eye is rapidly changing colour to an unhealthy red.


    There is a dent with the shape of the old fart''s face in the wall right behind him.


    ¡°What the hell happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Noth... Nothing! It w... was a pl... easure. Goodbye!¡±


    I look around and find the three girls huddling in a corner of the room. ¡°What''s wrong? What are you doing there?¡±


    Celestial takes a deep breath and gets up. Five big steps take her to my side and she grabs my hand to pull me up.


    ¡°~Nothing happened honey bear! Let''s go and have some fun at the party!~¡±


    ¡°It''s still strange. I think I had something like a blackout...¡± I don''t remember that the old fart gave me the card. And what happened to him?


    ¡°~Aahaha! No need to worry.~¡± She gives me a kiss and smiles. ¡°We''ll simply forget what happened in this room.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°~I love you. Nothing else counts.~¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°~Not. Important!~¡±


    She pulls me out of the room while I look back at the old fart who waves at us with a relieved expression.


    .

 92. ~Trade with...~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Celestial***


    ¡°~Not. Important!~¡±


    I pull Ascathon out of the room. To be honest, I was about to kill the old man myself. But when he gave Ascathon his judgement, my husband changed completely.


    It was like a completely different person sat suddenly on the couch beside me. The killing intent I felt from him was intense. I was so utterly shocked that the only thing I could do was to back off into a corner of the room. It felt like Ascathon would be able to commit multiple genocides and be fine with it.


    Then he got a hold of the guy who claimed that Ascathon has a hidden female side to him. The beating was intense! The old man tried to shield himself with his divine aura, but Ascathon somehow managed to bypass it completely! He even healed the old guy while breaking bones and bending limbs into the wrong direction.


    He had an expression on his face like I had never seen before.


    From one moment to the next it stopped. The vile aura was gone and Ascathon went back to his seat with a blank expression. He started to speak like nothing had happened. The old man had triggered something like a landmine inside Ascathon.


    I was the first one to regain my composure and led Ascathon out of the room.


    ¡°I am still not sure what happened. I mean, I had blackouts before in previous lives. What exactly happened.¡± He is still a little dazed.


    One thing is for sure, I don''t want him to have a relapse! I know that he has some mental problems. But I somehow forgot about them since we were doing fine for a long time.


    I link arms with him and kiss his cheek. ¡°You just stood up and took the card. ~Nothing else happened!~¡±


    ¡°And why did the priest look so beaten up? Why are you lying?¡± He looks at me with a doubtful expression.


    ¡°Ascathon. Am I your wife?¡± I smile at him.


    ¡°Yes?¡± He sounds like he expects a trap.


    ¡°Then as your wife. Your family. Someone who loves you despite your faults. I tell you. You don''t want to know. Let''s forget that this ever happened.¡± I hold firm eye contact with him.


    After a few seconds he frowns. ¡°I guess it''s not that important.¡±


    ¡°Good. How about taking a look at the merchants and their goods? I am sure that there have to be some interesting technological and magical artefacts among them.¡± I turn to Lidith and Jazira who followed us out of the room. They are looking at Ascathon like some dangerous animal.


    Ascathon''s eyes light up. ¡°That sounds interesting.¡±


    ¡°Yes! The market! We''ll take a look at the market first!¡± Lidith smiles and turns to lead the way away from the pyramid to the opposite side of the plaza. There are many buildings around the big plaza. Their architecture is Greek and all of them are made out of huge blocks of granite.


    It looks like the pyramid and the plaza are inside a city. I turn to Jazira and whisper. ¡°What about the old oaf?¡±


    I won''t feel sorry for the old fool. Wasn''t he supposed to be some kind of expert? It looked like he stepped on Ascathon''s landmine while knowing what could happen!


    ¡°Lidith bribed him to keep his mouth shut.¡± Jazira whispers back with a forced calm expression.


    I nod. I won''t ask how she bribed him. It''s not like I want to know the particular details. But it still bothers me that my husband has a side like this. Some secrets have to be buried deep and then be forgotten otherwise bad things happen! Yes, that''s what I''ll do.


    ¡°Here we are!¡± Lidith waves at a colourful bazaar. I didn''t realize that we travelled quite some distance while I was holding onto Ascathon who followed Lidith.


    People are advertising their goods while others are inspecting them. Like the gods from the plaza, everyone is wearing something different. There is no uniform sense of fashion whatsoever. Then I scold myself for wondering about it.


    All of them are coming from different planets. Some probably even from other realities. They are gods from all over the multiverse. Of course they don''t look the same.


    Ascathon''s attention turns to some stands which advertise magical artefacts and he walks over to inspect them.


    ¡°I have something to do. Let''s meet up here in two hours.¡± Lidith calls and rushes off.


    ¡°I''ll go for a stroll too! The clothes over there look gorgeous! See you later.¡± Jazira runs away too.


    Great! They left me alone with my mentally unstable husband! Then on the other hand I guess they are right that it''s my problem. I married him after all.


    I keep my mouth shut for an entire hour while Ascathon takes a look at various artefacts. He seems to be his normal self again. The incident was totally forgotten after he got to look at the items on display.


    Another ten minutes pass until I can''t take it any more. ¡°Are you sure that there is really nothing we could use? You are just looking.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am just looking. This is a paradise for industrial espionage! Why should I trade for something which I can build myself after taking a look at it?¡± Ascathon has a surprised expression.


    The vendor at the stand in front of us starts to grumble and takes the enchanted gloves away from Ascathon, who was inspecting them very thoroughly. ¡°Hey!¡±


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    I push Ascathon to the next stand while I smile at the guy who was selling the gloves. ¡°Why don''t we snatch something to eat?¡±


    ¡°Actually I wondered about the currency system. Trading goods is a very inefficient way of exchanging valuables. It feels like Lidith forgot an important point about the currency. I saw people paying by showing their identification cards.¡± Ascathon answers.


    I didn''t realize that he paid attention to something else beside his artefacts. ¡°Maybe there is something like a bank or a merchant group who give you something similar to money?¡±


    Ascathon nods. ¡°And I can''t help myself. But those guys look like they belong into that category!¡± He points at a counter with no wares on display, yet there are many people waiting in line for something.


    So we join their ranks and a few minutes later we have five thousand trading points on our accounts and are by two of Ascathon''s communication devices poorer. Ascathon snickers while we head through an alleyway towards a recommended restaurant.


    ¡°What''s so funny.¡± I want to have some fun too.


    ¡°I would never buy a communication device from someone else. They are ridiculously stupid. I wonder who''ll buy it. Maybe I should start a mass production and sell them in large quantities?¡± He still chuckles to himself.


    ¡°Don''t tell me you cheated them somehow. That''s bad you know? They are gods too.¡± I start to worry about something like a security force catching us.


    ¡°Of course not! They work perfectly fine! It''s just that I can listen in on them.¡± He chuckles.


    I sigh. ¡°So it''s that tour again. You surely like it to spy on people.¡±


    ¡°Of course! There is nothing better! It''s like watching a real life sitcom!¡± He spreads his hands.


    I sigh and continue walking. ¡°Let''s get to that restaurant. I am hungry.¡±


    Suddenly he stops and holds me back at my hand. ¡°Actually, I have a better idea!¡± He points at a blue sign with neon lights.


    -Room for two!-


    -Today we have an entire set of new costumes!-


    Ah! Somehow we ended up in that part of the town! ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Aw! Come on! It says they have costumes! I want to see them!¡± He grins at me.


    ¡°I will not use a place like that!¡± I shake my head.


    ¡°This isn''t our homeworld. It surely isn''t dirty.¡± He kneels down in front of me and takes my hand to kiss it.


    ¡°I... I won''t be persuaded. And it''s not a matter of dirt. I am not that kind of woman.¡± I try to pull my hand away, but he holds it firmly.


    ¡°But you are the only woman I could try that with. And I am your husband! Didn''t you use your status as my wife just earlier?¡± He looks up into my eyes like a little puppy.


    ¡°Is that so... I certainly used that...¡± No! Of course he can''t go in there with another woman!


    ¡°Then let''s go!¡± He throws me over his shoulder and heads inside.


    ¡°~No! I didn''t say yes! HIAAA! Don''t grab my ass!~¡±


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°Whew! Just in time! Hello!¡± I turn around a corner and find Jazira and Lidith already waiting at the promised place.


    ¡°You are late!¡± Jazira pouts. She has three big bags in each hand.


    ¡°What happened to Celestial?¡± Lidith looks at me with a concerned face.


    ¡°Nothing. Everything is perfectly fine. She is just tired from all the walking.¡± I pat my wife''s bottom. I had to carry her over my shoulder all the way here from the love hotel. For some strange reason I felt a little edgy since my blackout. I found the love hotel just at the right moment to get over my frustration.


    Both Jazira and Lidith look at me in disbelief. ¡°What? I am her husband. Who else would be able to tell?¡±


    ¡°I still think you shouldn''t grab her ass like that while carrying her in the public. She''ll skewer you when she wakes up. And what''s in that bag?¡± Jazira nods at the bag which is hanging from my other shoulder.


    I remove my hand from Celestial''s butt. My head starts to spin while I try to make something up. ¡°Just some toys for the kids and some magical artefacts for me. Hahahaha. What''s in your bags.¡±


    ¡°Dresses of course.¡± Jazira answers bluntly.


    Lidith claps her hands. ¡°I think we shouldn''t pursue this further Jazira. It feels like we would learn things we never wanted to know. And I need to give all of you your registration forms for tomorrow! It was hard to get all of you registered without you being there.¡±


    ¡°Registration?¡± Jazira finally stops to question me.


    ¡°For what?¡± I furrow my eyebrows in wonder.


    ¡°~For the tournament!~¡±


    .

 93. ~Forging a reputation.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Jazira***


    ¡°~For the tournament!~¡±


    I let go of my bags with the clothes and dresses, which drop to the ground, as I grab the little idiot. ¡°How can you register us to a tournament which starts tomorrow! I thought we could go to a party!¡±


    There is no doubt that Lidith meant -that- tournament. I heard several people speaking about it during my shopping tour. It seemed to be something big! And bloody! ¡°I won''t fight like some gladiator inside an arena!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I am not too fond of that either.¡± Ascathon isn''t happy either. Though he is absent-mindedly massaging his wife''s butt.


    I snap at him. ¡°Could you stop doing that in public! Do that in private!¡± There are already some women throwing strange glares at our group.


    He realizes what he is doing and places his hand in the pocket of the long black coat he is wearing. ¡°But I have to use the chance. It''s not like she is unconscious very often.¡±


    ¡°Just what kind of relationship do you guys have? Why shouldn''t she allow her husband to touch her?¡± Lidith wriggles in my grasp.


    ¡°It''s not like she doesn''t allow it. But there are no complaints from her side like this.¡± His hand wanders back to her ass.


    I give up. This guy doesn''t care for his wife''s dignity. ¡°Don''t try to change the subject. What''s up with this tournament.¡± I shake Lidith once more.


    ¡°Awawawa! Don''t be mad about it! There is no party during the tournament anyway! The party will be held afterwards to celebrate the winner.¡± Lidith frees herself from my grasp and takes a step back. ¡°Honestly. You are a party maniac.¡±


    She snaps her fingers and three sheets of paper appear in her hand. ¡°You should ask what you can gain from this tournament instead.¡±


    ¡°Fine. What do we gain by being beaten up by the other gods? They are older than us and according to you about three to five times as powerful. ¡± Ascathon asks with a bored voice.


    ¡°Firstly, you gain fighting experience even if you lose. Secondly, Those who manage to win a few rounds gain fame and reputation. Something you newcomers can benefit from. Thirdly, there are prizes!¡± Lidith nods while smiling at us.


    ¡°We¡¯re unlikely to win. They are probably all stronger than us.¡± I won''t walk into an arena to get my dress ruined.


    Lidith takes a grand pose in front of us and smiles. ¡°Don''t say that! You were trained by the fifth placed goddess of the last tournament! If it comes to pure fighting power, you guys should be able to compete with most other gods.¡± She speaks proudly and without a hint of a lie.


    ¡°Who?¡± Ascathon ask dumbfounded.


    ¡°~ME!~¡± Lidith puffs up her cheeks. ¡°If I say that you''ll manage, then you will. You are much stronger than the average participant. Of course there is always the possibility of being beaten up by someone who belongs to the upper ranks. But I expect you to win most of the fights.¡±


    ¡°If you are such a strong fighter, then why do we have to be that careful about Charon and Wynne!?¡± I burst out.


    Lidith nods. ¡°Wynne may not be a problem, her fighting power in duels isn''t that great. Though her spells are very nasty if she has enough time to cast them. Charon was ranked 4th the last time. In a fight we would be on par. Aneth was third.¡±


    She tilts her head. ¡°The second place went to Gemesh. And the first place went to the panty flasher. I swear that I''ll beat her this time!¡±


    ¡°Wait? Panty flasher?¡± Ascathon arches an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yeah, right? It''s totally unfair! That stupid Cassandra showed her bare skin and panties to my Gemesh to distract him! She wouldn''t have won if Gemesh had fought with all his power.¡± Lidith huffs and shakes her fists.


    ¡°Your Gemesh?¡± I look with new eyes at the child in front of me.


    ¡°I have a one sided crush on him. But he rebuffed me, saying that lolis aren''t his type. And that I should stay away from his planet, so I settled down close by. ¡± Lidith hisses out between her teeth.


    ¡°So that''s why you stayed with those idiots on the same planet! Then why not change your body? We have a witch right here.¡± I point at the unconscious person who has her butt fondled by her husband. She changed my tanned skin back to normal without any problem.


    ¡°Because that wouldn''t be me. I like my body. And I don''t want Gemesh to like me because of my appearance. I wouldn''t be better than the panty flasher.¡± Lidith rejects my solution.


    She sighs and hits her fists together. ¡°Anyway. We''ll give our best. And this time I won''t be thrown out of the tournament because I have to fight the guy whom I have a crush on! I made up my mind, this time I''ll crush him!¡±


    ¡°I have just one question.¡± Ascathon interrupts her. ¡°How the hell are we supposed to fight another god for real? Has this tournament some special rules? Like not using any mana? And how is the winner determined?¡±


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    Lidith nods and smiles. ¡°Ah, good that you remind me...¡±


    She had to be reminded about something like that!? She forgot the registration, the divinities and to tell us that any trading group takes valuables for trading points, which can be used like money!


    ¡°... there are no rules. A group of several judges will cast a dimensional spell on the participants. This will seal you inside a small pocket universe, so you can go all out. When the fight is decided the judges will release the spell and your bodies will be returned to their former state.¡± Lidith ends her explanation.


    ¡°They have to use some kind of time loop to accomplish that.¡± Ascathon mumbles to himself. ¡°Was there ever a participant who died for real?¡±


    Lidith shakes her head. ¡°Not that I remember. The spell returns everything to its former state. You just get to keep your memories. Though that''s bad enough in some cases.¡±


    She thinks for another few seconds. ¡°Although it would be nice if you guys get to fight Charon or Wynne. If you don''t lose too badly, they may think twice before they fight us for real.¡±


    I nod. There is some logic behind that. ¡°Though they''ll learn about us too.¡±


    Lidith states her point of view. ¡°It''s better to prove that you can hurt them. The last time they got intimidated by Ascathon''s sword. It''s better to let them know your strength than to let them believe that you are just some weak newbies without battle capabilities. They might still think that it may be easy if they catch you without your weapons.¡±


    ¡°~Hnnngh.~¡±


    The dead lump of meat on Ascathon''s shoulder awakens with a cute sound. He immediately removes his hand from her butt. ¡°Good morning sugar!¡±


    Celestial returns to the world of the living and smoothly escapes his hands by sliding down his back and rolling off on the ground. There she remains in a kneeling position.


    ¡°Something wrong sugar cat?¡± Ascathon bends over her with a concerned face.


    ¡°My butt feels sore!¡± She pulls a grimace.


    Lidith and I freeze. How should we interpret that statement.


    ¡°Let me heal you.¡± Ascathon reaches for Celestial''s back end. His hand is already glowing with the light of a healing spell.


    Then Celestial blurs and Ascathon flips in the air, landing with his back flat on the ground. Celestial is immediately on top in one smooth motion, choking him with both hands.


    ¡°That went too far!¡±


    He turns red and claws at her hands.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You could have been gentler!¡±


    He turns blue and tries to scratch her face.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It was my first time!¡±


    His eyes turn upwards until just the white in them is visible.


    His hands start to flail in random directions.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I lost my honour!¡±


    His hands drop to the ground, then he twitches a little and lies still.


    Several people stopped to watch the spectacle and a small crowd is forming around us. Celestial looks up for the first time and freezes.


    I hear the whispers from the crowd.


    ¡°Her first time?¡±


    ¡°A lovers quarrel?¡±


    ¡°Are all three off them affiliated to him?¡±


    ¡°To become a god without ever...¡±


    ¡°Harem fight?¡±


    ¡°What a rude guy...¡±


    ¡°She is a fury...¡±


    Celestial draws her breath.


    ¡°SHUT UP! THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE!¡±


    The crowd disperses within seconds and Celestial checks Ascathon''s pulse. Her fist impacts his chest, which makes his whole body twitch. Celestial checks again and nods. She throws her husband over her shoulder and rummages through his bag. The content is judged after a single glance and the bag wanders into a nearby trash bin.


    She turns to us and stops. Then she turns around and recovers the bag. ¡°I''ll use it on him!¡±


    Finally she turns to Lidith and me. Her expression changes from pure fury to her normal self. ¡°~Did I miss something?~¡±


    Lidith is the first to react.¡°They switched places!¡± She points at Celestial and Ascathon with a grin.


    I nod at Lidith. ¡°And they surely earned us a reputation. Do we still need to join the tournament?¡±


    Celestial''s eyes light up.


    ¡°~Tournament?~¡±


    .

 94. ~Who are you?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Lidith***


    ¡°Stop eating popcorn!¡±


    I turn to Jazira on the seat beside me and throw another handful of sweet popcorn into my mouth. ¡°Why?... *crunch* this is *crunch* the best *crunch* entertainment ever.¡±


    ¡°This is serious! They are killing each other!¡± Jazira points down at the screen in the middle of the huge arena. It appeared there after the first two fighters stepped onto the ring and were enveloped by a white barrier.


    I swallow my popcorn. ¡°Of course. The fight goes on until someone gives up or is unable to fight. Don''t worry, the barrier will restore them to perfect health. This is just the first fight. You guys are lucky that you can watch some real battles before it''s your turn.¡±


    I got us our own private lounge by using some connections to watch the show. Otherwise we would have had to sit in the loud and crowded ranks of lower gods. Something like that is beneath my divine self.


    There are fifty arenas like this one. The tournament is therefore divided into fifty blocks. The best warriors of each block will fight at the end in a big coliseum. The whole tournament will last for three days. Each arena handles several fights at the same time, so just the most promising ones are shown during the initial stage of the tournament.


    The huge screen which forms the ground of the arena shows one of the first fights of the day. When a duel starts, the opponents will be automatically transported down into the arena. Then a group of professionals casts the barrier spell around them, which results in a perfectly white sphere encasing them. They will be transported to their own battlefield in another reality.


    On the screen I watch the first fight start. Flashes of light tear the battlefield apart. One of the fighters waves his hand and a huge explosion engulfs his opponent. But the other fighter breaks through the flames and the battle continues.


    ¡°I see why the barrier is necessary. It would be far too dangerous to have them fight in the arena.¡± Celestial nods and takes another iced orange juice from Ascathon.


    He has been forced to kneel beside her and attend to her every need since yesterday. Ascathon hasn''t even spoken a word since Celestial disappeared with him into their room for the night.


    ¡°Nah. That''s nothing. They are just testing each other and probing for weak points.¡± I smile down at the screen. ¡°A duel between gods is a matter of who gets the upper hand in managing their mana. It''s a contest of raw power for the most part. So it''s beneficial to test your opponent for weaknesses. If you attack and waste a huge amount of power on an ineffective spell, you are in a bad position.¡±


    One of the fighters summons a small orb of blue light and it shoots out at his enemy. The orb is dodged by a hair''s breadth and travels onward into the distance until a mountain stops its path.


    A huge explosion annihilates the mountain and the resulting shockwave throws both fighters through the air like dolls.


    I point down at the screen. ¡°~Now they are starting to get serious.~¡± I crunch down two more fistfuls of my popcorn until I realize that it''s too silent. One look confirms that all three of my pupils are looking with blank expressions down into the arena.


    ¡°No way. I am not going down there.¡± Jazira shakes her head.


    ¡°No choice. You are already registered.¡± I laugh and pat her back. ¡°No worries, you''ll do just fine. Simply give all you have from the start.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you just say that it''s better to test your opponents at first?¡± Celestial frowns and gestures down at the screen.


    I tilt my head. ¡°That''s technically true, but you should go all out from the beginning until you can judge your opponents. The other issue is that you don''t know the layout of the battlefield in advance.¡±


    Jazira opens her eyes wide and nods at the screen where a rift is opening in the earth. Huge vines with the size of trees are growing at an alarming speed, whipping through the air, trying to catch one of the fighters. ¡°It doesn''t look like they pay much attention to the battlefield or the environment as a whole.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I just suggest that you release all your power from the start because you have to be prepared for everything. If you are unlucky you could get a battlefield which kills you.¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°What do you do if the battlefield turns out to be empty space? Or if you start inside a volcano? Or if the air of the world itself is poisonous?¡±


    They look at me with round eyes and I chuckle. ¡°Don''t worry. It won''t happen during the first few rounds. But later on the casters of the barrier tend to get creative. So you should prepare yourself by releasing your aura from the beginning. Those guys down there just didn''t do it because they are gambling.¡±


    ¡°Gambling?¡± Jazira asks baffled.


    ¡°Yes. If you release your aura at full power in front of someone who is experienced enough, he can judge your abilities. Your aura is after all fuelled by your mana, and your mana is channelled through your soul. Your powers can be guessed very accurately by your aura.¡± I take another fistful of popcorn.


    ¡°When I get to feel Jazira''s battle-aura for example, I know instantly that she is a very powerful mana user who has enough mana to let huge amounts of it go to waste. She''ll most likely attack me with brute force and cast spells which can channel huge amounts of mana. Her mana feels honest and forthright, so she''ll most likely give me an honourable fight.¡± I turn to Ascathon. ¡°Ascathon''s aura tells me that he is a mage. But he has astounding control over it, so I am fighting someone who most likely relies on complicated spells and trickery. I also know that I have to be careful. There is something sinister to his mana, most likely a feeling that is carried over from his soul.¡±


    My gaze turns to Celestial. ¡°And you are an exception. I can''t feel your aura because you have mastered it to an extent I have never seen. It will be quite a shock to some of your opponents who rely on their ability to judge the enemy.¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°To get back to the point. I call it gambling because someone like me can read much from a fully released aura. So if you enter the battlefield with your aura switched off, while your opponent has it activated, you may have an advantage over him during the first moments of the fight. Your opponent will have less information than you. And knowledge is power after all.¡±


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    Jazira looks with concern at Celestial''s husband who is kneeling beside her. ¡°When will you allow Ascathon to speak again?¡±


    Celestial looks angrily down at her husband. ¡°Another orange juice.¡± She holds her glass out to him. ¡°He is banned from the bed until I get over my shock.¡±


    A few pearls of sweat form on his forehead and he refills Celestial''s glass.


    Another fist of popcorn wanders into my mouth. ¡°What''s so bad about being banned from the bed?¡±


    Jazira puts one hand in front of her mouth and chuckles. ¡°Lidith, so innocent. You are right to choose the appearance of a child.¡±


    I blink. ¡°I am well aware of the significance. It''s just that Ascathon never struck me as someone who is that dependent on night activities.¡±


    Jazira snorts. ¡°He is obviously! Why else would he carry his wife in public while massaging her butt?¡±


    ¡°He did what?!¡± Celestial''s head turns towards Ascathon and even more pearls of sweat form on his forehead.


    Jazira wriggles in her chair. ¡°~Oh, my. You didn''t know? He stood there for half an hour while pressing his cheek to one side and grabbing the other tightly while carrying you. Sometimes I wish I had someone who is that devoted to me.~¡±


    Celestial''s left eyelid starts to twitch and Ascathon chooses a sweet cookie from the plate he has ready at his side. He offers it to Celestial with an innocent smile.


    I grin at Celestial. ¡°Don''t take it so seriously. Almost nobody paid attention to it. He is your husband after all. If he isn''t allowed to fondle his wife a bit, then what point is there in marriage?¡±


    The door to our private lounge opens and four unfamiliar people enter. ¡°Looks like we found them. That''s surely the infamous Lidith the Red and her new team.¡±


    ¡°Why are you disturbing us?¡± I frown and take a closer look at them.


    A red haired foxgirl smirks at us. She has a nice figure, but she lacks a chest like me. Her face is ok, but the stupid grin makes her look like an idiot.


    There is a white haired guy in black armour. He has a long and slim handsome face.


    Another bulky guy who looks like a barbarian out of a bad movie is beside him.


    A third fellow with brown hair, horns and goat eyes completes their group. I don''t understand why someone would want to look like a goat.


    The white haired guy starts to speak. ¡°We just checked who our opponents will be and decided to take a look. But it seems we didn''t have to worry. After the last tournament, there was no chance that anyone would team up with you. You got the new guys to join your team. Hahaha. This''ll be no challenge. Though you found some high class goddesses there.¡±


    Gods, this guy talks too much. I want to hit him.


    The foxgirl points at Ascathon, who is refilling Celestial''s glass. ¡°What''s wrong with that pathetic god. Who plays servant for others!?¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Well. You saw us. Can you leave now?¡±


    The goat-guy stands a little straighter and displays his chest proudly. ¡°We have to proclaim our intentions to beat you this time! We won''t go down like last time!¡±


    I frown while I think back to the last tournament. ¡°Like last time? Sorry, do I know you?¡±


    The barbarian starts a rant. ¡°She forgot us! I''ll beat her up this time! How can someone forget about their rivals?!¡±


    ¡°Why should we leave with such fine goddesses in front of us? Why don''t you forget about this tournament and have a little fun with us instead ladies?¡± The white haired guy steps towards Celestial.


    Celestial''s expression turns into disgust and she pulls Ascathon in front of her. ¡°Talk to my husband if you want something.¡±


    The white haired guy chuckles and looks at Ascathon. ¡°So you get to play husband and wife if you serve her?¡± He tries to step past Ascathon, but Ascathon blocks his path with a sidestep and an unflinching smiling face.


    ¡°Is she that good in bed?¡± The white haired guy smirks. ¡°What does she do to deserve that devotion.¡±


    Ascathon continues to smile and splashes the glass of orange juice he had ready for Celestial into the white haired guy''s face.


    The white haired guys expression turns cold. ¡°I''ll beat you up until there is nothing left to recognize! I''ll make sure that the judges won''t call it quits before you are whining ball of flesh on the ground! And then I''ll have a nice date with your little harem.¡±


    A sinister black aura is released from Ascathon and the shadows around him grow larger while the light seems to retreat from him. It is the same feeling as back then when he got his psyche analysed by the old guy.


    ¡°I''ll take your soul!¡±


    White hair doesn''t move for a second, then he turns and leaves the room. His group follows in silence. Ascathon returns to Celestial''s side and offers her another cookie with a smiling face. The aura is gone completely.


    Celestial takes the cookie and munches it down. ¡°~If you beat that slimy guy up, I may forgive you.~¡± Ascathon''s grin becomes broader.


    Jazira turns to me. ¡°What was that about? It felt like some hoodlums gave us a declaration for a street war!¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Seems like they wanted to judge our strength. But I really can''t remember them from the last tournament.¡± I pout. ¡°Why do they expect that I remember them after a hundred years? Do I look like I take notes?¡±


    Celestial changes her position in her seat to be more comfortable. ¡°It felt pointless though. Could it be that you forgot to tell us about something... again?¡±


    I fiddle with my popcorn. ¡°I may have forgotten to tell you that the last rounds are team battles and that you can only join the tournament if you have a group of at least four to seven people.¡±


    Jazira interrogates further. ¡°And why would nobody want to fight with you?¡±


    There is no choice, I look away. ¡°I may turn a little berserk from time to time. It happens in the spur of the moment. Hahaha. So if that happens... just stay away from me and don''t get caught up in it. I trust in my team to run away.¡±


    Awawa. Now they look concerned. That''s what I wanted to avoid.


    .

 95. ~Who cares.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Ascathon***


    How exactly did I end up in this situation? Ah, yeah that''s right, Lidith registered me to this stupid tournament. Though I am not interested in such events at all. But Celestial said that she would forgive me if I beat that douchebag.


    I had to sleep on the floor for the entire night. And guess what, the nightmares returned. I didn''t have nightmares for years. After such a long time I forgot how horrible they are.


    Well, it''s lucky that the douchebag who tried to touch my wife is really my first opponent. They didn''t lie when they said that they checked the fighting order.


    So no more nightmares today! Ah, I wished they would summon my opponent faster. What takes them so long?


    I am standing down here in the arena for several minutes now. The ranks of gods above me are cheering loudly. No wonder that Lidith insisted on renting a lounge. At the walls of the arena are small pedestals for the judges. There are at least fifty of them. Seems like creating a small fake world takes a lot of concentration and effort.


    Ah, finally! A small magic circle appeared in front of me. The magic circle grows larger and finally the white haired guy appears.


    He is clad in a black plate armour. Just the helmet is missing. In his right hand is a spear, a little larger than him. It has a plain dagger-like point and looks like it''s mainly intended for thrusting. Does he really intend to attack me with that thing?


    White-hair grins and points his spear at me. ¡°You''ll regret that you showed up!¡±


    I frown, but I don''t answer him. What point is there in talking? We''ll have enough time to talk once I have his soul.


    ¡°And finally! Please excuse the technical difficulties. But now we''ll proceed with the next match!¡±


    A voice booms through the stadium. So they even have a commentator? The lounge blocked his voice completely. It would have been interesting to know what others had to say about the matches.


    ¡°In the left corner we have Nidhog the Devourer! Many of you know him. A veteran who has done a good job during the previous tournaments! He and his party have the potential to reach the finals! He prefers to rely on his battle aura. But he has some real bad-ass magic spells added to his abilities! So don''t underestimate him! A real magical knight!¡±


    Great! Thank you Lidith! So I have to fight against someone who isn''t exactly weak right off the bat!


    ¡°And to the right we have Ascathon the Bright One! Wow, that''s a really shiny title he got from his divine assessment! Let''s see if he can live up to it. He also joined the ranks of gods just recently with two others! Imagine that! We have all three newcomers in this event! And they are on the same team! It''ll be funny if they manage to reach the finals. Lidith the Red is on their team! But I miss the point. According to Ascathon he is heavily relying on magic, while specializing in soul magic! That''s a rare one ladies and gentleman! Let''s see if he can hold his own against Nidhog...¡±


    This voice is annoying. Shut up and start the match. And when did I tell them what I can do? It was Lidith for sure!


    ¡°... So I won''t babble any further. Get ready participants! And remember! Anything goes! The match starts as soon as you appear on the battlefield!¡±


    A huge magical barrier encases me and Nidhog. Then the world around us turns white and silent. I release my battle aura and cast a barrier spell to be on the safe side.


    Nidhog is just standing there with his spear on his shoulder and a smug grin on his face. ¡°You really sure you want to do this?¡±


    I reply with a smile of my own. This guys is very talkative. I wonder if he is still willing to talk when I am done with him.


    *OK. Warden? Are you ready? I''ll leave it to you to assist me in casting spells. It was lucky that Celestial gave you back.*


    -We came to an agreement. I am ready.-


    *You still won''t tell me about this agreement? Your personality seems different since she confiscated you. You sound less emotional.*


    -...-


    *And you don''t talk much since then...*


    Well. I have no time to investigate it right now. Maybe later.


    The barrier shatters and I find myself on a beach. An ocean is to my left and a forest to my right. In the distance behind Nidhog are snow covered mountains.


    But all that is noted down as unimportant as Nidhog points his spear in my direction. The tip of the spear starts glowing and a thin blue ray of searing energy shoots out at me, missing me at first. Then Nidhog takes better aim.


    My barrier flickers as the ray of blue mana wanders over it. But that''s enough to tune my barrier to the mana''s wavelength. A small adjustment in my barrier is enough to bend the ray of energy around me and send it back to Nidhog.


    Nidhog sidesteps my counter attack without effort and stops his spell. The he charges at me at high speed. I react instinctively and reach for a pathway to teleport upwards, high above the beach. From my new position I sense Nidhog at my former location.


    A burning trail of fire marks the path of Nidhog''s spell before I took control over it. It reaches to the horizon and for a second I marvel what would happen if I poured all my power into my most destructive spells.


    ¡°Do you really think that you have time to enjoy the view?¡±


    I hear Nidhog''s voice behind me and twitch around to slap his spear out of it''s path to my heart. Increasing my physical abilities with a short outburst of mana helps in doing so.


    Nidhog is pushed away while we fall down to the ground. ¡°You are more experienced at fighting in close combat than I thought.¡±


    I smirk at him. ¡°I have a training partner who is faster and stronger than you. You should probably start to take this fight seriously. It''ll be boring otherwise.¡±


    He frowns. ¡°What makes you think that I''m not taking it seriously?¡±


    I bare my teeth at him. ¡°Then I take it that you are simply an idiot for announcing an attack from behind.¡±


    His face distorts in anger and he whirls his spear in my direction. I am pushed away by the created shockwave and tumble to the ground.


    But my barrier is still holding. While I fall I mumble the words for my preferred spell when I seek mass destruction. I feel Warden assisting me in silence, weaving a hex curse of the fifth order into my spell.


    A small orb of red mana gathers between my hands and starts to pulse. A short distance above the ground, I stop myself with a levitation spell and look upwards at Nidhog who was following me.


    His face is still a mask of fury while I spread my hands, smiling to welcome him. A second before his spear tears through me I use another pathway. This time I travel far away. To the snowy mountain''s peak I saw at the horizon.


    As I turn to the beach, a red flower starts to bloom at my previous position. Consuming the beach, it continues to grow, evaporating the ocean and turning the forest to ash. Changing the landscape completely. A tsunami rises from the water and a visible shockwave travels outwards. Seconds later it arrives at my position and I hear the growl of an apocalytic event while the red flower still grows, consuming everything in its path.


    I chuckle. ¡°It''s really different if you don''t have to give a shit about your environment.¡±


    Nidhog appears in front of me and sets his feet onto the snowy peak of the mountain I am standing on. ¡°You like running.¡± He sneers. One of his arms is charred and smoke rises from it. But it doesn''t seem like he is hindered by it in any way.


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    Then he moves, much faster this time. My barrier shatters as his spear impacts and tears right through it. The spear is stopped long enough to move my leg out of the way to avoid it getting impaled.


    Instead of retreating I step forward and grab his spear, pulling myself closer in while summoning my sword from my extra dimensional storage space. The weapon slashes down, but Nidhog twists the metal shaft of his spear to divert my blow.


    Sparks fly left and right as our weapons connect and I feel the shock of the weapon contact numbing my arm. Another shockwave clears the peak of the mountain from snow and loose rocks.


    Nidhog retreats with a single large jump while eyeing my weapon with confusion. His eyes twitch to the large scratch in the metallic shaft of his spear. ¡°This weapon was made by a master weapon smith and enchanter.¡±


    Again I reach for the extra-dimensional storage space and summon my new armour directly onto my body. ¡°Then I congratulate him on creating something which can trade a few blows with my creation.¡±


    I kept it in the colours of black and gold. It''s not a full plate version, but a lighter one. What''s important are the enchantments after all. With our powers a weapon wouldn''t last a single blow, be it steel or something else.


    This time I charge Nidhog and start trading blows with him while the mountain is torn to pieces under our feet. I find out the hard way that it''s quite annoying to have the ground under your feet coming apart as you fight.


    Nidhog has without a doubt the superior skill with his weapon. He is still pushed into a corner because he is trying to avoid full contact with my weapon. Each of my blows cuts sizeable chinks into his weapon and his expression grows more concerned with each exchange.


    But a single short opening is enough for him. He closes my line of attack with his spear and his foot connects perfectly with my chest. The air is pressed out of my lungs while I am flung away. The metallic taste of blood fills my mouth.


    Ah... what am I trying to prove by fighting him on his terms. I am no close combat fighter.


    I impact the ground far away from the mountain and scramble to my feet, concentrating at Warden and the ones whom I stored within it. I construct my next spell, creating a huge magical circle under my feet.


    My sword is still a valuable asset. So I stab it into the ground in front of me and let go, kneeling down in front of it.


    ¡°You had me worried. But in the end a weapon is only as good as its wielder.¡± Nidhog followed me, this time sure of his victory.


    My pose probably looks like I am about to give up. ¡°I just thought that if the weapon is useless on me, then I might give it to someone who is proficient at it!¡±


    Finally a worthy soul answers my call and I pour my mana into the spell. A figure, formed from shadows, rises from the magic circle under my feet and grabs the sword. It weighs the blade in its hand and nods.


    Nidhog charges at me, but the shadow steps in and blocks his path. Sword and spear connect, but the shadow isn''t forced back. Fed by my own mana, it has more than enough power to trade blows with Nidhog.


    The difference is that the soul who is controlling the shadow is a top grade assassin and a sword master.


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA!¡±


    A laugh escapes my lips as other souls answer my call and more shadows start to rise while I feel my mana being drained away.


    ¡°I''ll add you to my collection!¡±


    ¡°Hear me!¡±


    ¡°Whoever kills him.¡±


    ¡°I''ll set that one free!¡±


    The army of shadows starts to move as one while some of them howl in anticipation and hope for freedom. Some attack by using magic, some use weapons which were created from shadows. Everyone is using the skills at which they were proficient in life. Whenever Nidhog gets cut or stabbed he heals himself immediately.


    Nidhog is still pushed back as the shadows swarm him, eager for the kill and with a mind of their own. Slowly some attacks are getting through because a few shadows fight without care for their own existence. The wounds start to add up and Nidhog''s healing magic can''t keep up with the damage.


    ¡°Damn you! Bastard! Fight fair!¡± Nidhog screams and a sphere of light erupts from him, dispelling the shadows all at once. But I feel that his mana reserves reached their limit. The hex curse finally did its job of sealing his access to mana.


    With his last reserves of power he charges at me with his spear, the tip glowing with another magic spell. My own mana reserves are dwindling too. But it was necessary to weaken him. Otherwise I wouldn''t have the chance to get his soul!


    He stabs at me, but I do the unthinkable and jump right into his spear while activating healing magic to keep myself going. The weapon impales me while I grab his head with both hands.


    My thumbs dig into his eye-sockets as he screams. I reach out and rip and pull while using my raw emotions as a leverage.


    Something snaps.


    Probably his spine.


    Suddenly the world around us comes apart and we both fall into nothingness.


    ***


    I am back in the arena? Blinking, I look around. Everything is back to normal. Nidhog is standing in front of me? How strange. Didn''t I just gauge out his eyeballs?


    ¡°Whoohoo! What a gruesome fight! Too bad that it looks like it became a tie. An impaled heart on one side and a snapped spinal cord on the other! Though I think that the spells shown by Ascathon should give him a lead in points. It''s up to the judges to...¡±


    *THUMP*


    ¡°What happened? Nidhog fell forward like a sack of potatoes! Did some of the damage transfer over to his reality? He''s lying on his belly and doesn''t move. Let''s see what the judge who is checking on him has to say.¡±


    ¡°WAIT A MOMENT! What''s that between Ascathon''s hands? That orange sphere... that looks like a soul sphere! Did Ascathon pull out Nidhog''s soul during the final moments of the fight!? If that''s true then the win should definitely go to him! The judge is taking him to task now!¡±


    ¡°He shakes his head! Looks like he doesn''t want to give the soul back! Wha! He pushed the judge away! Now he is running while the other judges close in on him! Whoa! That guy can be fast if he wants to! Dodging to the left! Wow! He teleported a short distance! I thought we had an inhibition field against that! To the right! He tackled a judge! Ow, that looks painful! He is lucky that there are no rules against attacking judges! But then again, I don''t remember when one of the participants had his soul stolen!¡±


    ¡°He is almost at the exit! NOOOO! One of the judges is clinging to his foot! Now another one is on him! He went down! Three! Five judges on top of him! Damn! The judges are piling up! Too bad. Looks like he''ll have to give the soul back. The judges have a reputation to maintain after all. If someone died during the tournament, it would fall back on them. At least that was something new. I hope we''ll see more good fights from these newcomers...¡±


    .

 96. ~Vis major.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Celestial***


    We are all back together in Lidith''s lounge. The tournament is progressing and the fights become fiercer with each round.


    ¡°How long does he intend to sulk? Hey, Ascathon? Stop staring like a dead person. It was just one soul.¡± Lidith waves her hand in front of Ascathon''s face. No reaction.


    ¡°I had a god''s soul.¡± He whispers.


    ¡°Leave him be. He''ll recover.¡± I avert my gaze from the tournament and take a look at Lidith. ¡°Who is the next one by the way? Our opponents seem to know who''ll fight whom.¡±


    Lidith pulls a sheet of paper out of the frilly dress she is wearing today. ¡°Let''s see. Next is Jazira against the stupid fox. You''ll have to fight the barbarian and I''ll butcher the goat guy.¡±


    She said that she''ll butcher him. She is too certain of her victory!


    ¡°You really can''t remember their names? Why do they even have a grudge against you?¡± Jazira asks while she watches the tournament.


    I take a seat on Ascathon''s lap and look at Lidith''s paper. There are four seats beside each other in the lounge and Ascathon was sitting between us. ¡°Heee, it looks like Jazira''s match is about to start.¡±


    As I say that, Jazira is enveloped in a bubble of light and disappears. It''s the same as when Ascathon''s match started.


    I look down into the arena and find Jazira down there. ¡°They could at least ask before they teleport you. What happens if you are indisposed at the moment when they get you?¡±


    Lidith tilts her head. ¡°Well. There were cases when someone got called to the arena with his trousers down. But it can''t be helped. The tournament has a tight schedule.¡±


    Haah? What kind of idiots are managing this tournament? ¡°If they call me while I am under the shower, I''ll destroy the arena and beat up the judges!¡±


    Lidith forces a smile onto her face. ¡°D... Don''t do that. I want to win the tournament this time.¡±


    I smirk at her. ¡°You sure have high hopes in us.¡± I look down into the arena where Jazira is waiting in her white dress. ¡°Ascathon said something about a commentator?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. That idiot. Do you want to listen to him? I am not interested in random rambling while watching a fight, so I blocked his voice.¡± Lidith presses a button on the armrest of her chair.


    ¡°... AAAnnd finally! That''s what we all were waiting for! On the left we have Kumiho of the Full Moon! She is specialising in magic, but hand to hand combat also belongs to her fields of expertise!... ¡±


    ¡°... Then we have the beautiful Jazira the Eternal! Whow, the names of the newcomers are really something else. Seems like their evaluator was in a good mood. Unfortunately we don''t know much about Jazira''s fighting style. Her registration sheet only says that she is a magical maniac...¡±


    I turn and take a look at Lidith who simply smiles at me. Then she shrugs her shoulders. ¡°I honestly had no idea how else I should describe her.¡±


    ¡°... Then there is no other option than to start the fight and see for ourselves! ...¡±


    Jazira disappears in the well known white bubble and the arena under us is replaced by a screen which shows the fight. Both fighters appeared on a seemingly endless plain of dark sand and stones. It looks like some kind of volcanic conglomerate.


    Kumiho immediately waves her hand towards Jazira, who is still taking a dumbfounded look around the battlefield.


    ¡°... And there it starts! Kumiho opens the battle with her trademark spell! The rumoured moonshower! It''s a wide range attack spell which calls down magical projectiles in a huge area around you. There is almost no chance to escape such an attack. If fueled by enough power you can devastate continents with it. The only option is to rely on your defence! ...¡±


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    A storm of white spheres rains down on Jazira. Our comrade disappears in a cacophony of explosions and dust.


    I wince. ¡°That looks like it''ll hurt.¡± Lidith says nothing and simply nods.


    ¡°... The fight has just started and it looks like one of the fighters is already in a pinch! Kumiho continues with her moonshower while levitating over the battlefield and raining destruction down at her opponent! But the judges didn''t stop the match! So her opponent must be still alive! ...¡±


    Lidith sighs. ¡°This match is already over.¡±


    I nod.


    Kumiho continues her rampage for another ten seconds. Then she stops to assess the damage.


    ¡°... Finally! Looks like Kumiho went out of steam. But she surely laid waste to the battlefield! To destroy to such a large area at once is a feat! Though we all know that she has probably wasted a lot of energy. The smoke and dust is finally clearing! And I see her! The beautiful Jazira is still standing! She stumbles a bit, but otherwise she seems to be fine! Just a little dust and dirt on her clothes...¡±


    ¡°... Now she is inspecting herself. To be more concerned about her appearance than her opponent. This girl is surely something. Maybe she should have joined the beauty contest instead of the tournament! Seems like she is mumbling something. Let''s listen in! ...¡±


    ¡°She made me dirty. What''s wrong with her. My dress. I just bought that one!¡±


    Jazira pulls at her dress. Then she inspects the fingers of her left hand closely.


    ¡°She broke it... she broke it, she broke it, she broke it...¡±


    An outburst of power blasts everything around Jazira away. A visible shockwave travels outwards and clears dust and debris! Even the ground under Jazira''s feet is blown away or simply dissolves into nothingness. A huge sphere around her is emptied of any physical matter!


    ¡°...Whoa! What happened! Is that her battle aura!? It''s huge. I never saw one that big. It has at least a radius of a hundred metres. Even Kumiho seems to have problem withstanding it! Several judges who were on break jumped up from their seats to assist the space time spell to uphold the battlefield. What horrific power does this girl wield? ...¡±


    Then Jazira raises her hand and points at Kumiho.


    ¡°YOU BROKE MY NAIL!¡±


    The death ray, which is her trademark spell, is larger than any I have seen from her before. Kumiho raises her hands to erect a barrier. The death ray shears at Kumiho''s barrier for several moments.


    Then the barrier flickers and winks out. Kumiho disappears with a scream of pain while her body dissolves and the screen under us goes dark.


    ¡°... What horrific power! Kumiho got completely obliterated by a single spell! ...¡±


    The normal battlefield returns under us. Kumiho falls trembling to her knees while Jazira inspects her body. Then tears of joy start to form in her eyes.


    ¡°~It''s clean again! And the nail isn''t broken anymore! Thank the gods! I thought I would have to shorten them all.~¡±


    .

 97. ~No Fight but...~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Celestial***


    ¡°... Aaaand here we are! To the left is the beautiful Celestial the Wilful! I suppose our two new goddesses this year will have some trouble with turning away all the advances which will be made on them. If I wasn''t in a relationship myself, I would go down there and make a proposal right now.¡±


    ¡°Celestial''s preferred fighting method is ¡­ a good old slap to the face and potions? I am sorry guys, but that''s what the information about her says. I guess we should choose the guys who manage the registration a little more wisely. He could have given us her three sizes at least.¡±


    ¡°On the other side is Druug the Strong! But don''t be fooled by his name, his fighting style is quite interesting. He is relying on all kinds of body enhancement spells and passive assist magic. A supporter who has unbelievable fighting power! But there is no more time. I should probably start the match. So let''s jump right into the action.¡±


    ¡°You look bored little woman. Are you sure that it''s fine to be without your servant?¡± Druug smirks and shoulders his huge battle axe. He is a monster who towers at least three heads above me.


    I sigh. ¡°To be honest, I wish my husband would take care of this. He is much better than me when it comes to violence.¡±


    Druug snorts and nods. ¡°I am not fond of beating women. But I''ll save our team''s reputation. Are you sure that you''ll fight without a weapon?¡±


    I look at the huge thing in his hands, which is supposed to be a battle axe. ¡°No... I prefer daggers. But I forgot them at home. I didn''t expect to be forced into this tournament.¡±


    Finally the judges activate the space-time spell and we are enveloped in a white sphere.


    Druug smiles. ¡°So Lidith tricked you into participating. That sounds like her. I can make it fast at least.¡±


    I nod. Being tricked is probably the right term for it. ¡°You seem like a reasonable fellow. If you give up right away, I won''t hurt you.¡±


    His eyes widen. ¡°Did you not listen to me?¡±


    The negotiations failed. ¡°~Then pain it is.~¡±


    Druug readies his weapon and takes a stance while holding it in front of him. ¡°Don''t take this too easy and activate your battle aura. I won''t go down as easy as Kumiho. She isn''t a duellist.¡± Several overlapping magical circles appear under his feet and around him. It looks like a light show in a disco.


    I ponder over what I have just heard. ¡°Then why is she participating in a tournament like this? And I have my battle aura already active since I entered the arena. Don''t worry.¡±


    Druug''s left eyebrow twitches. ¡°There are group battles too. Who says it isn''t beneficial to drag along someone who specializes in area attacks.¡±


    Then the white sphere around us shatters. I tilt my head and smile. ¡°I suppose that''s true.¡±


    A look to all sides confirms that we arrived on the battlefield. There is a smouldering volcano to our right. We appeared on a burned lava field. In all other directions is a dense forest.


    Suddenly Druug vanishes and I feel something impacting my chest. I am being flung away while tumbling through the air. This guy is faster than I anticipated.


    I right myself by activating the levitation magic inside one of the rings Ascathon made for me and check my attire. Haaah. It didn''t rip this time. Ascathon found a way to spin his mana crystals into small molecular sized chains, therefore creating a super strong fibre.


    He had trouble with the creation of bigger mana crystals, so he went for another solution and made them as small as possible. Then I wove these fibres into my dress. It''s nothing special. It goes down to my knees while being open at the sides to allow me free movement.


    It''s a red one with a simple pattern woven into it. Luckily I brought some trousers with me. It would be bad if someone took panty-shots of me during the tournament.


    ¡°What''s with this defence!?¡± Druug appears before me and brings his axe down at my shoulder, which sends me shooting towards the ground.


    Probably I should stop getting hit, but I wanted to test out if I had to be careful of my new clothes.


    I right myself and land on both feet. A slight air pressure to my left warns me that someone is about to teleport there. Ascathon likes to use the pathways for attacking or escaping, so I had to find a way to deal with it.


    My fist swings into the general direction and Druug appears exactly where I anticipated it. But he reacts fast and blocks with the flat head of his battle axe.


    He is pushed back a little bit, but that''s all. A strange feeling of excitement starts to rise within me. ¡°~Hahahaha!~ You are the first one I met who can trade blows with me besides my husband. But that axe looks like it won''t hold much longer.¡±


    I point at the axe. There are two big dents in its cutting edge from when Druug hit me and an imprint of my fist from just now. ¡°Please try to hold out for a little while. ~I am just beginning to enjoy this.~¡±


    By channelling my mana through my body, I propel myself forward and start raining down a series of punches and kicks on my much bigger opponent. Druug is totally overwhelmed by my vicious attack and is barely able to defend himself.


    He manages to create some distance between us by smashing his axe into the ground to create a screen of dust and pebbles.


    There is no reason to feel safe just because you created some distance! I take a stance and inhale while collecting my mana into my fist. Then I punch in the direction of his silhouette while using all my power.


    The cloud of dust is blown away and the volcano behind it dissolves into a shower of small rocks and pebbles which are travelling away from me at high velocity. A fountain of magma erupts at the former position of the volcano.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Tch! He got away!¡± There are no signs of Druug and I can''t feel him anywhere. Was he blown to pieces?


    ¡°I admit that you are strong! But mere strength doesn''t win fights.¡±


    I turn and block his axe just in time by catching it, then both of us start to grapple for the axe. How did he get behind me? I didn''t feel any air pressure at all! And why did he announce his attack?


    As if to answer my question, Druug''s eyes start to glow.


    ¡°KYAAA!¡±


    A blinding light and searing pain takes my eyesight! I feel something hot burning over my skin and strike in blind fury at the person who just used a very underhanded trick!


    But there is nobody there! He let go of his axe and retreated! I grab into my pocket while holding the axe with the other hand and pull one of the healing pills out to swallow it. He has something like fucking laser eyes!


    ¡°Almost nobody ever expects it.¡±


    A voice to my right! I throw the axe with all my power at the source of the sound. Something hits my leg and takes me off my feet. I fall flat on my back. A heavy weight sits on top of me and my hands are grabbed.


    ¡°I''ll enjoy this!¡±


    I wring one hand free and reach for a strap on my thigh while opening one eye. It''s almost healed again and I find Druug''s blurry face above me. His eyes start to glow again!


    *Pfffffffffffffffffft.*


    ¡°AAARRIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!¡±


    His scream is loud and has a high pitch. No more laser eyes! Or whatever it was that blinded me! I continue spraying my enhanced version of pepper spray at him while he rolls off of me and squirms on the ground.


    I added some very painful ingredients to the mix. One component dissolves flesh, while another directly stimulates the nerves for pain. So it doesn''t really matter where I spray it. Of course exposed parts of the skin are the most ~effective~.


    The spraying-can wanders back onto the strap on my left thigh. Originally I took the stuff with me for self defence. Just in case, but I suppose that this goes too.


    The commentator said that everything is allowed. And if that thug is allowed to use an axe, then I can use some potions at least!


    I pull a small blowpipe from my strap and lift it to my mouth. *Pft* The mana crystal tipped dart embeds itself smoothly in Druug''s neck. He vanishes.


    Haaah. He ran away by using a pathway. No matter. I follow the pathway he used with my hands behind my back.


    After three teleports and a little concentration on his aura, I find him a little farther away in the forest on a small glade.


    He is quivering while lying on his back. The paralysing poison on the dart did its job. I smile and kneel down beside him.


    ¡°~Oh, I wonder what you meant when you said that you would enjoy this.~¡±


    Blinding me like that hurt! I made sure that he never uses that trick against me again! I pull a small talon shaped crystal dagger from my thigh strap. ¡°~Originally I intended to have a good old fist fight with you. Just pulling off some limbs you know? Nothing dramatic or too painful.~¡±


    The small dagger wanders smoothly into the skin on his right arm and I peel away the flesh while avoiding the important veins. I don''t want him to die too early from blood loss.


    ¡°~Those laser eyes hurt! Have you ever been on the receiving end?~¡± I take another vial and pour the content onto his exposed flesh.


    ¡°~Too bad that the paralyser stops you from screaming. Haaah, but you should feel everything perfectly fine.~¡±


    His body starts to shake violently and I continue to watch while he changes his shape. The excess flesh liquefies and trickles away in the ground. His body already looks as if its half digested. A very painful and gruesome process which should be amplified by the poison in my pepper spray. The whole procedure takes up to two minutes. The time changes a little from person to person.


    I stand up and watch until the change is complete. Even his bones dissolved into their basic components.


    A red puddle is all that''s left. And inside it is a rather large black bug. Though it''s covered with red, slimy goo and has a hard time trying to free itself.


    ¡°~I gave you the chance to give up, so don''t blame me.~¡± I lift my foot and place it slowly on the bug. Then I increase the pressure bit by bit until I hear a final crack combined with a squashing sound.


    Everything turns black and I feel myself falling.


    ***


    I am back in the arena. Druug is across from me. Looks like he is perfectly healthy again. The whole arena is unnaturally silent. A look upwards confirms that there are still people in the ranks of spectators. Nobody moves. Some are bent over while doing something with their heads between their knees. Strange...


    Druug attracts my attention by bending over and barfing on the ground.


    I turn to one of the judges at the edge of the ring. ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    The judge shakes his head and moves again, running over to Druug and leading him out of the arena.


    ¡°... And that''s another victory for the newcomers! Though I really don''t know if I just watched a fight, or an unethical, wicked experiment!¡±


    .

 98. ~Rage.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Jazira***


    ¡°Unbelievable! What''s taking them so long? I want to fight and be done with it!¡± Lidith pouts while looking down into the arena. She is standing in front of the huge glass window in our lounge.


    Lidith should learn a little more patience in things like this. She played her stupid game with us for years. I don''t understand why she has issues with a little waiting now. ¡°They have to clean up. Half of the spectators barfed on their seats while watching Celestial''s fight. I must admit that even the mighty me wasn''t completely untouched. A few hundred years of war and I never saw something that... gruesome... disgusting? I can¡¯t find the right words to describe such a thing.¡±


    Celestial huffs and crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°You guys should have spent a few of your lifetimes in medical research. Those gods are really just a bunch of sheltered sheep if they can''t take a little melting flesh. Earlier they watched people getting hacked to pieces or disintegrated. Why was it different this time?¡±


    Ascathon raises a finger. ¡°Maybe it''s because you saw the agony in his face while he couldn''t scream. The pain while he could do nothing more than twitch. Some people are heavily affected by watching someone else suffering in front of them. They imagine themselves in the other''s place. It''s a good method to get them to talk.¡±


    I mumble with a low voice. ¡°And I am sure that you found that one out by...¡±


    ¡°... experimenting on living subjects of course. I don''t believe the stuff which is taught by books.¡± He smiles.


    Lidith claps her hands together. ¡°Finally! The ranks are filling up again! Finally the teacher can show her pupils how it''s done! ~MWAHAHAHAHA...~¡±


    She disappears with a small distortion of the space around her. That means that she was taken down to the arena. I stand up to take a look out of the window.


    Lidith is already inside the well known circle. Her opponent is there too. The goat guy has a long staff in his hands.


    ¡°... Aaand finally! There she is, Lidith the Red! I think that I don''t have to say anything about her fighting style. Nobody thought that we would see her again after the last tournament! But there she is! A few unfortunate... no... shut up, I am the commentator!... No, I say what I want!... No, I won''t deactivate the micro!... What?... very well... A few BRAVE! people decided to team up with her. But we¡¯ve already learned that the whole team consists of monsters, so this might not be such a bad combination.¡±


    ¡°Her opponent is the perfect sacrifi... I am being censored again... just that you know it! Her opponent is Baphomet the Fertile! Is that really his name? You guys are sure that there was no mistake? Very well... Baphomet specializes in various curses and spells to weaken his opponent. Let''s see what that''s worth against Lidith!¡±


    The tournament finally starts and the arena is replaced by the magical screen. The battlefield is a rocky wasteland with many cliffs and fissures.


    Celestial frowns and joins me at the window. ¡°I am really interested in what Lidith is like when she fights for real. She seems to have quite the reputation.¡±


    I nod while I watch the events as they unfold.


    ¡°... Baphomet immediately cursed his opponent! It looks like he is using a combination of slowing and life weakening effects! Now he is trying to stay at a distance while Lidith keeps pressuring him with her favourite spell! She is hurling one arcane lance after the other at him! He is striking back by applying one curse after the other to stack their effects. Lidith seems to become weaker and weaker...¡±


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    Ascathon purses his lips. ¡°I expected more to be honest.¡± He waves at the screen. ¡°Sure, she is devastating the battlefield but that''s all.¡±


    ¡°... Finally! Baphomet decided to strike back at his weakened opponent! He sent Lidith flying with a horrible strike to the head! That wound looks nasty! Is it the end. NOO! There it is! Finally! The infamous Lidith the Red takes the stage! ...¡±


    After Lidith was almost struck unconscious, she was flung to the ground and impacted hard. For a few moments she didn''t move, but then a sudden change happened to her entire body! Her blonde hair changed to red and her fingernails changed to long claws. Fur started to sprout on her hands, while the hair on her head grew longer! A red aura enveloped Lidith and her eyes changed to the ones of a feline! Her ears became even longer and grew red fur. A long and bushy tail sprouted from her butt!


    Celestial calls out in wonder. ¡°A werecat!?¡±


    ¡°... And there she goes! Luckily her opponent is the only one on the battlefield! Baphomet is running even faster now! He seems to have experience with her second form! A goat knows when it''s his last hour! ¡­ Shut up when I talk! *BAM!* Finally! No Censorship from now on! Aw, she got him at the leg! And wham! Wham! That''s how we know her! ...¡±


    Lidith is holding Baphomet at one leg while kicking and hitting him like a toy. Baphomet is frantically trying to protect himself, but Lidith is in something that can be only called a murderous frenzy!


    ¡°... Now she even gutted him! She is using his own intestines to strangle him! The Red sure comes up with new ways to use her opponents body parts against them! If I remember correctly, she hit one of her own team-mates unconscious with his own foot during the last tournament!¡±


    ¡°The fearsome thing about her killing sprees is that she seems to retain a shred of sanity! A pure beast would hardly use someone''s limb as a club, or their intestines to strangle them! Baphomet doesn''t even resist any more! Looks like his fighting spirit is broken! I even think that he may already be dead! There is blood everywhere! Lidith is completely covered in her opponent''s blood!¡±


    The screen turns dark and disappears. Lidith and Baphomet are back in the arena.


    ¡°... ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ NOOO! FUCKING NOOB JUDGES! Don''t cancel the spell while she is still in her rage-mode! Didn''t you learn anything from the last time!¡±


    Baphomet turns to run.


    That was exactly the wrong thing to do. As he is the only moving object within the arena, Lidith''s attention is attracted to him! A small creature of pure rage flies on his back and claws itself into him. She bites into his shoulder with her small sharp teeth. I hear a dull scream through the glass of our window. Several judges run forward to separate them.


    But even they are no match for her... slowly the ring turns red with blood...


    ¡°... Yeah... That''s what I was talking about! ...¡±


    ¡°... But what do I know? I am just the foul mouthed commentator! ...¡±


    .

 99. ~Cat = God?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Lidith***


    When I came back to myself, I was covered in blood. The arena was a mess with moaning judges all around. A few were still clinging to me, trying to restrain me.


    That''s it. Now they know! I thought I would be able to control it. But I am actually pretty weak without changing into my second form. Even though I am back to normal and cleaned up, all three of them are staring warily at me.


    And now here I am. A bloody mess. I take a cute pose and smile. ¡°~Tehe!~ How was that? I am strong aren''t I? We''ll surely win the team matches.¡± I give them a thumbs up!


    Jazira shakes her head. ¡°We need a plan!¡±


    Celestial nods. ¡°A good one!¡±


    Ascathon points at me. ¡°How about throwing her at the opponents while we hide behind a strong barrier? Then we wait until they are defeated or Lidith runs out of steam. Afterwards we mop up the rest.¡±


    Jazira looks doubtful. ¡°I am not sure that I can make a barrier strong enough to keep her off! And what if the enemy manages to turn her attention towards us and hides somewhere?¡±


    Celestial nods again. ¡°She is too much of a wild card! We can''t count on her attacking the opponent first. She tore even the judges to pieces!¡±


    Ascathon scratches his cheek. ¡°Then how about defending her to our last breath while she hurls those arcane missiles around. If she turns her rage mode on after we are dead, then there is no problem.¡±


    A syringe with big long needle appears in Celestial''s hand. ¡°I have a better plan.¡±


    She takes a step forward and I take a step back. I have a dreadful feeling when I look at her. ¡°What are you planning to do to your teacher?¡±


    ¡°~Hold her.~¡±


    ¡°~I need a sample.~¡±


    ***


    Red hair? Cat eyes? Long, bushy tail? Cat ears? I am holding my long tail while looking at myself in the mirror. ¡°What have you done to me? I can''t show myself to my worshippers like this!¡±


    Celestial makes a dismissive gesture while watching the fight down in the arena. ¡°Don''t fret over it. Isn''t this half awakened state better than running amok?¡±


    I touch one of my ears while holding my tail with the other hand. It tends to swing around without control as soon as I let go. It''s like it has a will of it''s own. ¡°Why do you even have a medicine like this? And my awakening is my strong point!¡±


    Celestial huffs. ¡°Our personal guard consists of werewolves. Of course I would do some research in that direction. If you had told me about your state, I would have been able to solve the problem without such a half-assed method.¡±


    Ascathon shakes his head and sips on his juice. ¡°Better no awakening and losing, than being annihilated by your own comrade and losing.¡±


    I pull at my own tail with mixed feelings. ¡°As long as it''s reversible?¡± It hurts! It''s real!


    A thin thread dangles into my field of view and I fight the urge to catch it. I turn towards Jazira who was dangling it from behind me and glare at her.


    Jazira is smiling creepily and drool comes from the corner of her mouth. ¡°She is so cute! I want to cuddle her. Can''t you make this appearance permanent?¡±


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    Celestial shrugs. ¡°It''s permanent if she doesn''t get the antidote.¡±


    Jazira''s creepy smile broadens. She grabs my tail and starts rubbing it against her cheek. ¡°And can you make her a little smaller? She would be perfect if she was even smaller!¡±


    ¡°~Nyargh!~¡± I try to recover my tail, but Jazira holds it with an iron grip. ¡°Let go! That''s not how you are supposed to ¡­ ~Haaahhngh!~¡± A strange feeling bolts through my body.


    Jazira grabs my left ear and a prickling runs down my spine! ¡°~Haaah!~¡± I fall to my knees while my entire body shakes. Finally I manage to pull my tail free and press it to my chest while curling up around it.


    Celestial kneels down beside me. ¡°Hmm. A strange side effect? I didn''t expect her new appendages to be that sensitive?¡±


    The feeling finally fades away, but I keep lying there with tears in my eyes. ¡°I feel violated! I was violated! In front of my pupils! By my pupils! My pride!¡±


    Even Ascathon looks at me with a dangerous expression! ¡°That was inspiring!¡± A dangerous fire is in his eyes.


    I get to my knees and crawl away from them. ¡°I am going to the restroom!!¡±


    Jazira steps towards the door which leads to our private restroom. ¡°I''ll help you to take care of it!¡±


    There is no time for consideration. I leap forward and grab her ankle, tripping her. Then I run for the door and lock it behind me.


    Fists bang on the other side of the door. ¡°I just wanted to help a little. Building up some skinship you know!?¡±


    I turn the lock another time. Just to be sure. ¡°No thanks! Get a guy!¡±


    ***


    We are down in the arena. This time it is all four of us. We decided for me and Celestial to play the roles of frontline bruisers while Ascathon and Jazira to stay back and assist us. They insisted on this strategy in order to test if I would still fall into a mad frenzy.


    Celestial nods towards the judges. ¡°I know that the question comes a little late, but how many fights do we have to win as a group?¡±


    I uneasily rub my hands together. ¡°The one on one duels were the easy part. They are just something like warm-up matches. From now on we get points for each kill and if we do good enough, we can advance to the finals at the end of the day. The finals tomorrow use a knockout system. So if me make it there, we need to have the last man or woman standing at the end of the battle.¡±


    ¡°... UUUUOOO! Look at that! What happened to the ferocious Lidith the Red!? Was she tamed? I already intended to name their team -The four Pillars of Death-! But now I am not so sure any more! Did they decide that it was better to turn Lidith into their mascot? ...¡±


    I drop to my knees with tears in my eyes. ¡°That''s it! My reputation is finished! The most important thing you have as a god is gone!¡±


    Ascathon pats my head with flushed cheeks. ¡°There, there. You just have to kill them in a gruesome manner and they''ll see that you are still the Red. How about ripping off their arms and ramming them down their throats? They''ll suffocate while they try to scream.¡±


    Celetial grabs his ear and pulls him away. ¡°Now you are crossing the line!¡±


    .

 100. ~Return.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°So weak!¡±


    I shake the guy whom I am holding at his collar. He has foam at his mouth and his eyes are turned upwards. Even though I did my best, he doesn''t regain his consciousness. After electrocuting him once more, which only resulted in a little uncontrolled twitching, I drop him to the ground.


    Celestial appears at my side. ¡°Our offensive power is very good.¡± She defeated her opponent first and assisted us just a little from that moment on. ¡°But we should avoid splitting up like that in the future.¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°It was an opportune moment to do so. Their party members seemed very weak on their own. Breaking their teamwork and creating mayhem worked to our advantage. Most other teams seem to be balanced groups of fighters and supporters. We should have the advantage as long as we are able to create one versus one situations.¡±


    Celestial nods while she watches Jazira''s laser lashing wildly around at the horizon. It parted the clouds, then it swung down and parted a mountain the same way, turning it to lava. ¡°I wonder how she does that. I would expect that a spell that powerful heats the air around it so much that it burns the caster too.¡±


    The laser turns and draws a line of fire and molten lava over the ground while following a target which we can''t see. I frown. ¡°If it was a normal laser you would be right. But Jazira''s version is a little more refined. She is generating a strong cylindrical magnetic field with her index finger as the anchor point. Then she ignites the air at her fingertip with a basic flame spell and pours all her mana into it. The created plasma is forced down the magnetic field and contained within it. Do you see how the laser becomes a little broader and less focused once it''s about fifty metres away from her? It''s more like a plasma torch than a real laser.¡±


    Celestial''s jaw falls open. ¡°She does that with a basic flame spell?!¡±


    I frown. ¡°Did she strike you as someone who would use a complicated spell if she could go with brute force and rely on her mana pool instead?¡±


    My wife snickers. ¡°No, it''s just...¡± She gestures at the ray of death, which catches up to a small black dot in the sky. The dot vanishes. ¡°... no matter what you say! That''s no basic flame spell which you learn in your first magical class!¡±


    ¡°But it is! A basic flame spell, combined with the creation of a magnetic field.¡± I answer with assurance. ¡°She is casting two basic channelled spells at the same time, while pouring all her mana into it. That''s all. You shouldn''t complain! Your aura isn''t very complicated either.¡±


    Celestial gasps. ¡°But it is! You have no idea how hard it is to control the mana within you while you fight. The constant movement makes it very hard! Why don''t you do it yourself if it''s that easy?¡±


    Damn. ¡°Fine. You have a point. Have you taken a look after Lidith too?¡±


    In that moment Jazira appears in front of us with a delighted face. ¡°I was good, wasn''t I? My opponent ran and teleported faster than a bunny! But in the end I got him!¡±


    ¡°You mean you managed to point your finger at him!¡± Celestial retorts at Jazira, who drops to her knees. ¡°It doesn''t sound like a fight when you put it that way...¡±


    ¡°Back to the topic! There are no problems with her transformation. She had her opponent chained down with a light spell and was trying to rip off his arm. Probably she was trying to follow your advice.¡± Celestial answers with an uneasy voice.


    I decide to investigate further. ¡°She was trying?¡±


    Celestial''s licks over her lips while she searches for the right words. ¡°Her half awakened state makes her stronger, but not as strong as before. She is still able to use spells though.¡±


    I nod. ¡°That makes her probably more dangerous than before. Now she isn''t just a brute with too much strength, but strong with a working mind.¡±


    Celestial shakes her head with a sad expression. ¡°She was strong enough to break her opponents arm, but she didn''t manage to rip it off. She was still trying to rip it off when I left.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°We should take a look! The poor cute kitty. Maybe I can help?¡± Jazira disappears.


    Celestial and I follow her towards Lidith''s location. We find Jazira with furrowed eyebrows over the corpse of our fourth opponent. Chains of light are binding him to the ground. His left arm is detached from his body and a big puddle of blood is spreading from the wound.


    What''s strange though is that the area around the mouth of the corpse is covered with blood. It looks like he was eating strawberry marmalade and dirtied himself.


    Lidith is crouching beside the corpse while drawing small circles onto the ground with her index finger. ¡°I worked so hard, but it didn''t come off...¡±


    Jazira kneels down beside her and pats her shoulder.


    ¡°Then I twisted until I could finally detach it...¡±


    Jazira strokes her head.


    ¡°Afterwards I tried to stuff it down his throat! But he didn''t open his mouth...¡±


    Jazira hugs Lidith, who doesn''t resist.


    ¡°He died of blood loss before I could redeem myself. I was too slow...¡±


    Then the world around us turns dark and I get the feeling of falling again.


    We are back in the arena. Our opponents stagger out of the ring while the stadium is completely silent. I turn to a judge, but the guy looks a little absent minded.


    ¡°... Aaaand that''s the first victory for -The four Pillars of Death!-. At first I had my doubts! But the Red hasn''t lost her edge! It even seems like her new form makes her even more dangerous! I thought that her normal self wasn''t capable of cruel acts, but that seems to be my mistake! She showed no mercy for her enemy. Instead of simply ripping it off, she decided to twist slowly, ensuring to inflict as much pain as possible! Then she actually tried to feed him with his own arm! Her new persona is even sicker than her transformation!...¡±


    ***


    I lean back in my chair and enjoy the silence of our lounge. ¡°This fight was mentally exhausting!¡±


    ¡°You have no idea. I am actually considering to have my memories erased.¡± Lidith wipes the tears out of her eyes with a handkerchief. ¡°How could they misunderstand me like that!¡±


    Celestial grumbles with a coffee-cup in her hand. ¡°Why are you crying? Didn''t you want to have a reputation?¡±


    Lidith''s jaw starts to quiver. Now she looks completely like a crying child. ¡°Earlier I had a reputation of having an insanely strong transformation, even if I went into a mad frenzy. Now they think that I am some kind of Crazy Killer Animal! How can I face Gemesh now.¡±


    Haah... I forgot that she is doing this to get the attention of her crush.


    ¡°It will work out!¡± Jazira encourages Lidith. ¡°I''ll root for you! And if he doesn''t acknowledge you, we''ll use force!¡±


    Celestial frowns and takes a sip from her coffee. ¡°Why don''t you lock yourself with him inside a room and use a love potion on him?¡±


    ¡°Love?¡± ¡°Potion?¡±


    ¡°Does that...¡± ¡°... work?¡±


    Celestial rolls with her eyes. ¡°Of course! You just have to flip their switch. Men are driven by hormones after all!¡±


    Two pairs of eyes wander in my direction. ¡°Why are you staring at me like that? I get the feeling that you are pitying me!¡±


    Our bickering is interrupted as the door to our lounge opens. Five people step inside.


    It''s Charon, Wynne and three other people. There is a small kid, not much bigger than a toddler. A woman with an insanely huge rack and rabbit ears! And a big thin guy with dark skin and a bald head.


    The small kid steps forward. ¡°I challenge you to a fight! The one who wins can stay, the loser has to leave!¡±


    I snort. ¡°Who are you? Leave where? This is our lounge!¡±


    The kid turns red. ¡°I am Aneth!¡±


    .

 101. ~Bet.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Celestial***


    ¡°I am Aneth!¡±


    Four expressionless faces turn to the child in front of us. I can''t help it, so I break the silence. ¡°You are smaller than... you know... ?¡±


    The child stomps onto the ground. ¡°Of course I am smaller! You killed me! I was reborn as the son of a fucking swineherd! Can you imagine what I went through until I managed to collect enough mana to speed up my growth!?¡±


    Ascathon sighs. ¡°At least there seems to be something like karma!¡±


    Jazira nods and assists him. ¡°The poor parents... I wonder what they did to deserve such a son!¡±


    Aneth clenches his fists and shakes them. ¡°Anyway! We''ll settle our conflict with this tournament once and for all! Our world isn''t big enough for all of us! Seven gods is too much! The one who gets the most points during the tournament can stay, the others have to leave!¡± He points at Lidith. ¡°And take that one with you!¡±


    I step in front of Aneth and look down at him. ¡°I don''t like your attitude!¡±


    He glares back at me, but Charon and Wynne step forward to aide him. ¡°It''s better to use the tournament as a fighting stage than to devastate our homeworld.¡±


    Ascathon shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Who cares? You just want to play with those who are weaker than you. Wouldn''t it be the best to let them die while watching our glorious battle?¡±


    ¡°Hoooh? I like that id...¡± Charon starts to speak, but Aneth and Wynne glare at him, so he shuts up.


    Jazira lifts one finger to her lips and arches her eyebrows. ¡°The idea in itself sounds nice. But why does it feel like we are being tricked?¡±


    ¡°Because they have seven people on their group and we have just four!¡± Lidith shakes the sheet with the tournament rankings in her hand.


    I snort and grab the paper to have a look for myself. ¡°It''s true. What''s up with this shit! Four against seven isn''t fair!¡±


    A broad smile forms on Aneth''s face. ¡°The tournament allows groups between four and seven people. It''s your own fault if you don''t manage to gather a full party!¡±


    Asathon frowns. ¡°So they matched us against groups with the same amount of people until now. It makes the fights more interesting. Fine! Bring it on! The four Pillars of Death will crush you!¡±


    Wynne shows her teeth and smiles. ¡°This won''t take long. It''s good that you chose the reasonable path.¡±


    Lidith tilts her head and turns towards Ascathon. ¡°Are you sure about this bet?¡±


    Ascathon smiles. ¡°You are the one who said that you want to win. Then let''s win and show them that a fight against -The four Pillars of Death- can have only one outcome.¡±


    ¡°You like that nickname too much.¡± Jazira whispers.


    ¡°I am a god of peace...¡± Lidith''s tail curls up behind her.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°The only one who deserves that name is you.¡± I mumble.


    All eyes in the room turn towards me. ¡°What? Don''t look at me like that! Who else, but a god of death would carry the souls of his enemies around?¡± I point at my husband.


    ¡°The question is who would marry a god of death?¡± Wynne mumbles.


    Aneth turns to leave the room. ¡°We''ll call it a deal then! The ones who achieves the best score during the tournament gets the planet!¡±


    Our visitors leave the room. When they are gone I turn towards Ascathon. ¡°And now you tell me how we are supposed to defeat a group of seven gods.¡±


    Ascathon crosses his arms in front of his chest and closes his eyes. ¡°Since our house is at stake, I may have to become serious.¡± He points at us. ¡°And that means that we have to equip you guys with some real weapons!¡±


    ***


    ¡°I don''t feel comfortable with this hammer.¡± I muse and swing the unwieldy thing through the air. At least I got a set of daggers too.


    All of us got a set of the latest crystal armour and weapons, combined with instructions on how to use the stored mana within them. These new weapons seem to work like magical amplifiers.


    Lidith inherited his sword, together with a second one. It looks a little strange when someone wields a two handed sword in each hand.


    I look at Jazira ¡°And why is she the only one who got a fucking gun!¡±


    ¡°~Tehe! Your husband seems to be fond of me.~¡±


    Ascathon shrugs. ¡°It''s a failure. I tried to build a particle cannon, but the mana consumption was too high. So I used it as a decoration for my laboratory until now. It occurred to me that Jazira might be fine with it.¡±


    ¡°You built a cannon which consumes too much mana!? You are a god!¡± Lidith gasps.


    Ascathon nods. ¡°Yeah. The problem is with all the different curses and seeking spells which were added to the rifle! I never thought that the interference of so many different spells would increase the mana consumption to such a level. But I wanted something which can kill instantly!¡±


    Jazira pouts. ¡°But my spell does that anyway.¡±


    He shakes his head. ¡°Your spell might be powerful. But if your opponents figure out how it works, they can counter it with ease. It''s just a Flame Spell after all.¡±


    Jazira turns pale. ¡°My top secret trademark magic was figured out?¡±


    Ascathon snorts. ¡°I saw that spell often enough by now. Obviously I''d see through it after so many times!¡±


    Jazira drops to her knees and hugs the rifle. ¡°Then I won''t give this thing back!¡±


    He isn''t offended at all. ¡°Keep it! It''s a failure after all.¡±


    Lidith''s ears droop. ¡°I wonder why he keeps calling it a failure...¡±


    .

 102. ~A brawl?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Jazira***


    *Bam!*


    ¡°~Headshot! Mwahahaha!~¡±


    I love this rifle!


    The feeling of handling it is great!


    One shot and the opponent is dealt with!


    ¡°~This weapon is marvellous! Nyhahahahaha!~¡±


    *Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*


    The world turns black and we are back in the arena. ¡°Aw! That was too fast! They didn''t even try to evade! I was even using the weapon at its lowest setting.¡±


    Lidith growls. ¡°The recent fights were too anticlimactic! We just stood back and watched Jazira executing them!¡±


    Celestial kicks a pebble on the ground. ¡°You are right! This isn''t funny. Why don''t you try to change the settings? I want to see what happens at full power!¡±


    Ascathon shakes his head. ¡°I strongly advise against that. It looks like Jazira''s mind can''t handle the full power of the weapon.¡±


    Huh? What is he talking about? ¡°My mind can''t handle it?¡±


    Ascathon sighs. ¡°The weapon uses the caster''s mana and his mind to generate the necessary spells and curses. The more power you use, the more you strain your mind. Aren''t you feeling wonderful while using it? That''s the sign of a beginning mental breakdown. The weapon reserves certain areas of your brain while stimulating others.¡±


    I grab the rifle tighter. ¡°It''s interfering with my brain!? What happens if I have a breakdown?¡±


    Lidith gasps. ¡°Why are you giving such a dangerous tool to her? She can''t become more simple minded than she already is! Her personality is strange enough right now!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± I protest! I am not simple minded!


    ¡°Don''t worry. A mental breakdown will only cause her to fall unconscious. I tried it already myself. She shouldn''t do it anyway. An unconscious team member would cause us to lose points.¡± Ascathon says.


    Lidith gnaws at her nail. ¡°I am more worried that the judges would forbid us from using the weapon!! We are breaking the tournament with it. Up until now the tournament was like a boxing fight between the participants. There weren''t any rules needed because nobody had a real weapon. It''s like we went to a martial arts tournament and brought a gun with us!¡±


    Celestial nods. ¡°I thought about the same thing. But nobody said anything. Even the commentator is just rambling his random thoughts.¡±


    Ascathon pulls a sheet of paper from his pocket. ¡°We should concentrate on our last two fights. There is just a minor difference in points between Aneth''s group and ours. We are slightly ahead though. If we manage a draw, we win.¡±


    ¡°I am amazed that they managed to keep up with us. Jazira''s rifle decided all matches for us until now. We got a perfect score every time.¡± Celestial puffs her cheeks up.


    Lidith''s expression turns sour. ¡°They have Nergal the Mind on their team. His sniping skills are on par with Jazira. They must''ve paid him very well to get him onto their team.¡±


    ¡°Paid?¡± I ask amazed.


    Lidith nods. ¡°Of course. They aren''t exactly friends with other gods. So they must have bribed the other members of their team to fill the empty slots.¡±


    I take the sheet of paper from Ascathon and look at it. We went over the enemy team composition several times.


    There is Aneth the Vile, who has good close combat skills and devastating area of effect spells. And it looks like he can really accelerate the growth of his body. We watched all of his matches and every time he got a little bigger. Right now his body should be that of a teenager.


    Charon the Dead is relying on his curses while hiding behind strong barriers. All he does is watch his opponents slowly wither away.


    Wynne the Green turns the battlefield into a zoo of magical enhanced plants. All of them pose a real danger to gods because they are fuelled by her mana. She herself is trying to avoid combat while hiding inside her creations.


    Manalie the Big is the bunny girl who was with them earlier. The stupid guy who gave her this title should be flogged! Apparently one of their mercenaries. She is relying on her combat aura like Celestial. But in addition she has some strange spells to summon weapons of different elements.


    The big thin guy with dark skin and a bald head was another mercenary of theirs. His name is Sergain the Worried. His speciality seem to be barrier spells. They are no joke because he is able to protect himself and seal his opponents in them. It''s the perfect skill for crowd control.


    Zacharias the Swift is a dagger user who seems to rely on speed. He hasn''t much offensive or defensive abilities besides stabbing people from behind. Seems like they just recruited him because they didn''t find anyone else.


    Nergal the Mind is a user of telekinesis and the reason for their victories. Whether it''s accelerating a pebble to punch a hole through his opponent''s barrier, or crushing them outright. Nergal is able to do it. He may be the most dangerous fellow of their entire party.


    Ascathon breaks the silence. ¡°I think you should turn the power output to the maximum and snipe Nergal at the start of the game.¡±


    Lidith frowns and waves at my rifle. ¡°Didn''t you just say that she''ll take herself out by doing that?¡±


    Ascathon nods. ¡°That''s true. But it would be a good trade. Jazira''s sniping abilities aren''t restricted to her person. Maybe we manage to pick up her weapon. If Nergal is gone, our enemies have lost their most dangerous asset.¡±


    ¡°We would still be outnumbered.¡± Celestial points out.


    ¡°There is no chance of fighting them if they still have their sniper. Maybe you are right. Probably Nergal will go for Jazira too. They''ll surely seek to take out our most dangerous asset first.¡± Lidith takes a sip from her juice.


    I scratch at my cheek. ¡°So it''s either him or me?¡±


    A faint distortion of the space around us relocates our group to the arena.


    ¡°Oh, I wish they would warn us at least.¡± Lidith drops her glass with juice to the ground.


    The commentator starts his speech while we wait and stare at the group across from us. At the end of the speech the familiar white bubble encloses us. There is still no word between us. Just silent staring.


    I focus on Nergal. He is the only guy who wasn''t present when they made their declaration of war. Nergal has long black hair and yellowish skin. Two black angel wings are at his back and something like a totem is in his hand.


    When the white sphere around us dissipates I act and raise the rifle, pointing it at Nergal. He does the same, pointing his totem at me!


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Sergain jumps in front of Nergal and raises his shield. Layer upon layer of barriers start to appear between us.


    I press the trigger!


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Celestial***


    I jump aside as Jazira takes her shot at Nergal. Nothing happens, except for a fist sized hole appearing in Sergain''s chest. His barriers shattered like glass. Nergal''s head blasts apart like it was hit by a sledgehammer.


    An apocalyptic explosion appears in the far distance behind them and a shockwave of air pressure and fire throws everyone to the ground.


    Jazira is blown away like a puppet who had her strings cut. Due to her unconsciousness, she didn''t even try to protect herself. But I can''t pay any further attention to her and rush at my opponents.


    I release even more power to withstand the radical changes in my environment. I didn''t even have time to appreciate the strange blue vegetation, which surrounded us just moments ago. Everything turned to ash. Roots explode from the ground and try to grab me, but I jump and release the stored up power in my fist at Wynne.


    My attack forces the enemy team to disperse and a huge crater appears at their previous position. Something stabs into my back, but is stopped by my armour and my battle aura.


    I turn in mid air and bring my left leg down on whoever attacked me. Zacharias gets his head out of the way just in time. He stabs at my chest, but I grab at the warhammer on my back and release my battle aura to the limit.


    The hammer comes down at Zacharias like a mythical weapon from legends, wiping his dagger away and impacting on his shoulder. A single spark of pure mana lashes out at Zacharias and my opponent is sent down to the ground, impacting like a bullet. A cloud of dust and pebbles is sent to the sky.


    But my victory is short lived. One of the roots grabs me and before I know it, I am encased in a tight network of plants.


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Lidith***


    I try to go directly for Aneth. But the battlefield dissolves into pure chaos! Spells are flying left and right while Wynne''s nature magic adds to the chaos.


    Suddenly Charon is in front of me, ready to cast a curse on me. He thrusts his hand at me and I feel myself weakening. It feels like my life is being sucked away. Barriers encase him. I don''t pay any heed to it and throw one of my swords at him, hitting him directly in the chest. The crystal sword went through his barrier like it wasn''t there. Ascathon explained that the crystal weapons are fed and strengthened by mana.


    It seems logical that something which was created by mana shouldn''t be a hindrance to a weapon which feeds on it.


    Charon is still looking in amazement at the sword in his chest when I take his head with my second sword!


    At that moment Aneth appears in front of me and the last thing I see is a fist appearing in my vision.


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Aneth***


    Another one down! I wish had time to torture them slowly, but our hired guns weren''t as useful as I hoped! It turned into a killing field right at the beginning. Neither group held back!


    Ascathon should be the last of them. But he disappeared into his own shadow right at the beginning of the fight! He didn''t even try to aide his companions. ¡°Wynne? Where are you?¡± Damn, These roots are everywhere! And the life force is interfering with my senses. I wish she wouldn''t rely on this annoying spell!


    She created a forest of roots around us within mere moments! The roots reach a height of about fifty metres and give off a dangerous atmosphere.


    The faint sound of someone whistling an ominous melody reaches my ears and I look up to find Ascathon standing on one of the taller roots, looking down at me.


    He has a long staff in his left hand. It''s one of those accursed crystal weapons! In his right, he is spinning Wynne''s head! Holding it at her long blonde hair!


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Ascathon***


    I stop my melody and drop the head in front of Aneth''s feet. Then I jump down and approach him to draw his attention. ¡°I went for the troublesome person first. Looks like you and I are the only ones left. I think you know what that means. I just have to kill both of us and my team wins. You had more people in your group, so we''ll get some bonus points.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha! Didn''t you just admit that I won? I just have to kill you and my team is ahead in points! You are no match for me in a fair fight.¡± He steps towards me, over Wynne''s head.


    I grin and pull the remote trigger out of my pocket. ¡°The boring thing about this part of the tournament is that it''s not a real fight. In a real fight you would care more for your own survival. And who says that this is a fair fight?¡±


    Aneth''s eyes widen as he looks down at Wynne''s head, which just chirped. It was the sound of the mana grenade inside it acknowledging the received signal.


    ¡°~My win.~¡±


    I press the trigger.


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Jazira***


    ¡°Chrrrr... Hrr... chrrr...¡± I yawn and open my eyes. Clouds of ash and dust are in the red sky above me. Hmm. Strange. Wasn''t it violet earlier? Though I didn''t have much time to take a look at my surroundings.


    Oh that''s right! The fight! I sit up and look around. The nice blue vegetation is gone! I am in a charred wasteland with no signs of life. ¡°What''s going on? Did I miss the fight!?¡±


    I kick an annoying boulder from my left foot. It looks like I am in an expanse of rubble.


    I get to my feet, only to land back on my ass, as a flash of pure white lights the horizon and a shockwave throws me backwards.


    ¡°~Owie! Right onto the tailbone!~¡±


    I wriggle in pain as the world around me turns black.


    .

 103. ~Finals?~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°...Aaand ''The four Pillars of Death'' won! There was simply too much action in this fight! I couldn''t even decide on which scene we should focus! ...¡±


    Aneth''s face distorts in anger while he points his finger at us. ¡°This isn''t over you fucking cheaters!¡± His head snaps towards the bunny girl. ¡°And where were you! I didn''t even see you do a thing!¡±


    The bunny girl clenches her fists and pulls them protectively in front of her chest. Then her eyes wander to me.


    Aneth continues with his tirade. ¡°I swear! I''ll take a look at the video footage! And if there wasn''t a good reason for your disappearance...¡±


    I grin and make a few poking motions with my staff in bunny''s direction.


    Tears appear in her eyes and her left hand wanders towards her butt. Then she turns and runs out of the arena. ¡°~Uwaaah! You can keep the moneeeey...~¡± Aneth watches her strange exit in silent confusion.


    The arena turns silent and all eyes wander towards me. Hmmm? What''s their problem? She was my opponent? And a bunny girl on top. There wasn''t anything wrong...


    ¡°... Well. Ladies and Gentlemen. I think there is nothing wrong with deleting the footage of this part of the fight. Gods should always watch out to protect the dignity of their fellow gods. This incident shouldn''t be spoken about from now on. ...¡±


    I get a strange itchy feeling in the back of my neck and I reach back to scratch myself. The feeling doesn''t go away though. I turn and find Celestial in front of me with half closed eyes and an expressionless face. Lidith and Jazira look at me in disgust.


    Then it strikes me. ¡°Probably you are misunderstanding the situation, if we take a look at the footage...¡±


    ¡°~Kneel.~¡±


    I try to smile and raise a finger. ¡°I believe there should be a proper...¡±


    ¡°~KNEEL!~¡±


    Celestial''s voice doesn''t allow for any further discussion.


    ¡°Yes. Ma''am.¡± I get down on both knees.


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Lidith***


    ¡°What a fight! And just one more match to go!¡± I punch the air to get rid of my euphoria. ¡°I would''ve never thought that we''d get this far!¡±


    Celestial is sitting on her unconscious husband''s lap and sips on her tea. ¡°It had to be expected. Ascathon''s equipment changes the fights completely after all.¡±


    Jazira is looking out of the window of our lounge. ¡°They are still trying to repair the arena...¡± She turns and stares at Ascathon. ¡°Are you sure that this was smart? Don''t we need him for the next fight?¡±


    Celestial shrugs her shoulders and pulls a syringe from a strap on her thigh. ¡°I''ll wake him up when it''s time. Until then I''ll sit on his lap. You guys have to realize how hard it is to control him. One little slip of your attention, a little bit of too much free room and you have a situation like this.¡±


    She takes another sip from her tea. ¡°I admit that it was my fault. The leash wasn''t tight enough.¡± She closes her eyes and slowly shakes her head.


    My memory returns to two days ago, when I had my pupils registered as gods. ¡°Well. As long as nobody triggers his other side... I am happy.¡±


    Jazira nods enthusiastically. ¡°I am so glad that you can control him! I almost peed myself back then.¡±


    I purse my lips. ¡°You don''t have to be so direct about it.¡±


    ¡°~It is as it is.~¡± Jazira turns back to the window. ¡°Looks like they are done.¡±


    True to her words, we are transported back into the arena. Celestial immediately grabs her husband to keep him from falling over and injects him with the syringe. Then she places him in the same kneeling position as he was before.


    I puff my cheeks. ¡°What''s the point if he doesn''t remember?¡±


    Celestial smiles and sends a cold glare up to the ranks of spectators. ¡°~Did you ever train a pet?~¡± All of them nod in unison.


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Ascathon***


    I blink. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°~I punished you.~¡±


    But nothing happened? I just knelt down? Hmm. Aneth and his team are gone though? Did they feel the danger and run away. ¡°I don''t get it?¡±


    Celestial smiles warmly at me. ¡°Let''s just say that your wife is generous and wise. She knows when she should deal just a little punishment. You may stand up know. The finals are about to start.¡±


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    I try to get up, but drop to the ground instead. ¡°My legs are burrrnning!¡± What''s this witchery! She didn''t even touch me. Through the air? No, others would be affected too.


    ¡°~Never do it again.~¡±


    ¡°I''ll never do it again!¡± I gasp! ¡°Give me the antidote.¡± Celestial bends down and kisses me on the forehead. ¡°Cast a regeneration spell. That should be enough. ~This time.~¡±


    I do as I was told and the prickling pain disappears. ¡°My sugar cat is surely generous.¡±


    Another group of opponents appears as I get to my feet. One moment... wasn''t that too fast? There was almost no time between the matches? My watch says that three hours passed! Did I have a blackout?


    ¡°... And finally the finals! On the right are -The four Pillars of Death-! And on the left are our champions! First there is Gemesh the Vigilant! A real fighter! Strong in all matters of combat! He deserves the title champion! ¡­¡±


    Gemesh has light brown hair and a muscular body. He waves at the crowd of spectators. His face looks rough. A huge sword is on his back and he wears shining plate armour.


    ¡°... Cassandra the Lusty is our winner from the last tournament. Also known as ¡­¡±


    ¡°THE PANTY FLASHER!¡± Lidith calls out and points at Cassandra. Cassandra wears a beautiful blue dress which matches her blue hair. Though the dress seems to be a little too short. Her figure is good, though not as tempting as the bunny girl from earlier.


    ¡°... Yeah, that''s her nickname! As a master of distraction, she takes every possible opportunity to turn the battle to her advantage! ¡­¡±


    ¡°... The final team member is Zerberon the Hellion. One of the best flame users I know of! His flame magic is truly on another level! ¡­¡±


    The commentator continues to speak, but I don''t pay attention to him. ¡°We have just three opponents? They must be strong if they got this far.¡±


    Celestial nods. ¡°We shouldn''t underestimate them. Let''s try to protect...¡±


    Lidith interrupts her and steps forward. ¡°There is no need! Cassandra! I challenge you to a one on one duel! Our teams aren''t allowed to interfere.¡±


    Cassandra smirks. ¡°Why do you think that I would accept something stupid like that?¡±


    Lidith crosses her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Because you will be always looked down upon as the Panty Flasher otherwise! Last time you just won because you show...¡±


    Cassandra turns red. ¡°ENOUGH! Fine! Let''s do this! Just you and me! And then your stupid...¡±


    Gemesh taps her shoulder. ¡°But this year it is a team fight.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I put this team together, so I decide the rules!¡± Cassandra barks at him.


    Then we are transported to the battlefield. As soon as we arrive, both Lidith and Cassandra jump at each other with bared teeth releasing their battle aura to the limit. Grabbing each other¡¯s hands and interlocking their fingers, they start to wrestle with each other.


    We are in a rocky landscape with many grassy hills. The ground under our feet is dry and cracked from the heat.


    Gemesh and Zerberon walk slowly around them. Gemesh forces a smile onto his face and bows to the three of us. ¡°I am sorry that you have to witness this. But this wrestling match is something they¡¯ve been doing for almost a thousand years. Probably you expected some kind of grand fight during the finals.¡±


    Celestial shrugs her shoulders. ¡°It''s fine. But how long will it take them to get tired.¡± She gestures at Lidith and Cassandra.


    Zerberon scratches his head. ¡°It could take a while.¡±


    I summon five deckchairs. A wave of my hand pulls a grill and a big cooling box from my extra-dimensional storage and I hum a happy tune while I stab an umbrella against the sun into the ground.


    By opening the cooling box, I reveal everything which is needed for a decent camping party. Cooking tools, drinks, meat, seafood, candy...


    I take a piece of meat and place it onto the grill.


    Then I take a soft drink from the cooling box. When I sit down I realize that all eyes are on me.


    Celestial smiles and takes a look into the box. Of course none of the food is from our world. She pulls a big bar of chocolate out of it. ¡°From where did you get all that stuff honey?¡±


    I arch an eyebrow. ¡°I looted a nearby technological world with a decent culture? Do you believe that I would be satisfied with the stuff from home after becoming a god?¡±


    The others shrug and take a seat.


    Only Jazira keeps standing while she watches Lidith and Cassandra. Suddenly her expression turns creepy and she starts drooling.


    She raises her hand and points her finger at the dry ground under them. A stream of water shoots out of a magical circle, which appeared in front of her, turning the dried up ground into mud.


    Lidith and Cassandra slip. They fall to the ground, but continue their competition. The fight turns into mud wrestling within seconds!


    Jazira gives us a thumbs up and drops herself into the remaining chair.


    .

 104. ~Triumph.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°This is a really big party!¡± I wave my glass with wine at the huge open air stage and the dancing area the size of a football field.


    Jazira and Celestial are filling their plates at the buffet, while Lidith is with me at our table. She is grinning and looks a little drunk. A huge trophy is in front of her.


    She gestures with her glass at the party around us and spills half of the content. ¡°Isn''t it great? I managed to secure us the first place! Even Gemesh has to acknowledge my strength now.¡±


    ¡°Though you probably earned another reputation by doing so. I heard that it was the first time that someone was drowned in a puddle of mud.¡± I point out while I refill my glass with wine.


    Lidith''s expression turns gloomy and she holds her glass out for more wine. Then she looks at the dancing people without paying any more attention to me.


    I watch the people around us until Celestial returns with Jazira. Both of them have more food on their plates than they can probably eat.


    Celestial takes a seat beside me and Jazira snuggles closer to Lidith. A strange glitter is in her eyes and she offers Lidith a piece of fish.


    ¡°Hey! I am not some kind of pet!¡± Lidith snarls at Jazira.


    Jazira doesn''t retreat and edges closer. ¡°But you are so cute. Let me feed you! Just once.¡±


    Lidith sighs. ¡°Please give me the antidote now. I can''t deal with the advances of this creep.¡± She points at Jazira.


    Celestial sighs and places a potion on the table.


    Jazira''s expression turns desperate. ¡°Are you really sure that you want to turn back?¡±


    Lidith snorts. ¡°I am really sure.¡±


    Jazira draws a small circle on the table. ¡°But Gemesh said that your new look suits you.¡±


    Lidith freezes with the opened bottle at her lips. ¡°He really said that?¡±


    Celestial nods. ¡°Now that you mention it, I remember his words too.¡±


    I frown. ¡°I don''t...¡± Someone steps on my foot! I have to clench my teeth together to endure the pain! The pinky toe might be broken! I felt the high heels. It was Jazira for sure! Celestial doesn''t wear shoes like that.


    Lidith starts to fiddle with the potion. Then she puts it down. ¡°I have to go somewhere. Don''t search for me.¡±


    She dashes off and Celestial winks at Jazira, who pulls another potion from a pocket and follows Lidith.


    I frown. ¡°What was that about?¡±


    ¡°~Nothing.~ Jazira is just trying to help Lidith with her confession.¡± Celestial smiles and takes her potion back which was left on the table.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, Lidith already confessed to Gemesh.¡± I sigh.


    Celestial arches an eyebrow. ¡°That was during the last tournament. So it was a hundred years ago! Who says that you can''t try it again after such a long time?¡±


    I take a sip from my wine. ¡°I guess there is no harm in trying.¡±


    Celestial''s expression turns into a grin. ¡°That''s what the potion is for. ~Just in case.~¡±


    So they are going to poison him? Then the honey trap follows. It''s always like that. I sigh again and down my wine.


    Celestial looks at the empty bottle beside me. ¡°Are you trying to get drunk?¡±


    ¡°I am drunk. I am not trying.¡± It''s a heavy wine with much alcohol. ¡°And then I''ll sleep.¡±


    ¡°You can''t. I wanted to dance!¡± Celestial grabs my hand and pulls me up, taking the glass away from me.


    I purse my lips and try to stand straight. But it''s actually not that easy to do so. ¡°Nope. Might not be possible. Unless you want me to trip over you.¡±


    That''s the moment when I see the bunny girl in the crowd of people. ¡°Ah! Look. Maybe I should go and apologize!¡± I take a step, but the world suddenly starts spinning.


    Strange. I am drunk, but I am not that drunk?


    ***Sphere of Sous***


    ***Celestial***


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I shoulder my husband and smile at the people around us. There is nothing to see. Just a woman who takes care of her ~belongings~.


    There is no more time to lose. Maybe dancing isn''t possible today, but I want at least some romantic memories. I use a pathway to take us onto a nearby empty hill. The location is perfect if you want to be alone.


    Ascathon isn''t the romantic type at all, so I have to arrange for almost everything myself. I place him on the prepared blanket and lean him with his back against a tree. Then I sit down between his legs and take a bottle with ice cream from the basket which I brought here earlier.


    ¡°Isn''t this place wonderful? The starry night sky, the nature around us?¡± No answer. I sigh and start eating. Can''t let the ice go to waste. Actually I wonder how there can be night inside a Dyson sphere? Did Sous switch off the sun? And why are there stars? Some kind of ambience lighting?


    Hooh... maybe there are party cities all around the sphere?


    Several minutes pass while I watch the lights from the nearby festivities. Actually I am going on dates like this often. Most of the time while he is asleep at night.


    He is much easier to handle while he is asleep. Just dressing him up with neat clothes is a little troublesome. So much time lost because of that.


    The fireworks starts and I take his hand to point with it at one of the bigger explosions.


    ¡°Look! Isn''t that beautiful? It took me two hours to find this spot. Just for the two of us. I love you.¡±


    Haaah. Imitating his voice isn''t the same. I place his hands around me and continue to eat my ice cream.


    Somehow I feel a little pathetic right now. Are my actions insane? Dragging him around while he is unconscious to have a little romantic time together... I feel like scum. Isn''t this really childish? It feels like playing with a doll.


    All this started only because he would get nightmares as soon as I am a few feet away from him. So I simply took him with me when I couldn''t sleep and wanted to do some work.


    Yes! I am actually really nice by always taking him with me to prevent his nightmares. I still feel bad.


    No. This might be what''s called a mid-life crisis. I select a syringe from my thigh strap and inject myself with it. Being a woman sure is hard. All these hormones and pheromones swirling around inside of me. Then that time of the month...


    I wonder how all the other goddesses are dealing with this shit? Geez, now there are even tears in my eyes. Maybe I should do a complete overhaul of this body at home?


    A low growl escapes my lips and I select yet another syringe to yank it into his forearm. He always wastes so much time with sleeping.


    He starts to move, but I lean back to prevent him from falling.


    ¡°Mmhhh... What''s... what happened?¡±


    ¡°Hug me!¡±


    ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°None of your business!¡±


    ¡°The colours of that explosion are a little bleak. They should have used more copper.¡±


    ¡°Ascathon?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and be glad that at least one woman is willing to deal with you like you are now. And tomorrow you prepare a romantic date or I''ll use your staff to do something unsightly to you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And prepare a present for me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And regarding the bedtime activities...¡±


    ¡°Tools?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°A costume?¡±


    ¡°Only if you manage to get me into a better mood.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    .

 105. ~Aunty.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°So Aneth and his minions are really gone?¡± I look up from my book and set my eyes on Lidith. We are in the garden of my mansion and I am enjoying Norfolk''s short summer.


    It''s not exactly hot, but at least some of the snow melted away and the sun is granting us some light and warmth. So I decided to waste my time by reading books and relaxing in my favourite chair.


    Lidith is floating heels over head beside me. She is still in her catgirl form. Apparently she decided to stay that way after she confessed to Gemesh. Though I didn''t ask how it turned out.


    She gestures with her hands and starts explaining. ¡°It has been a week since the party and I didn''t hear a word from any of them. Our meeting place is deserted and dusty all over. So Wynne wasn''t there for sure. She can''t stand untidy rooms.¡±


    Lidith returns to an upright position. ¡°And their followers are running amok in the Nation of Mist and the Kingdom of Mislow. Apparently they haven''t heard a word from their gods since the party.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I already heard about that. Some groups demand more freedom. Others are trying to leave the country. It looks like all their little secret organisations are trying to influence their nations into different directions. They had more influence on those two nations than I thought.¡±


    Lidith''s expression turns confused. ¡°Wasn''t the level of influence obvious when they sent both nations to war with aflick of their fingers?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°No. You can always coax a nation into going to war. That doesn''t mean that you are controlling the nation in question to such a degree that it practically falls apart as soon as you are gone.¡±


    Lidith starts spinning around her waist and takes a yoga position. ¡°You wouldn''t wonder about that if you had played the game with us. Being only allowed to take indirect measures is very restricting. You require a high degree of influence throughout all levels of society if you want to win.¡±


    I grumble. ¡°So? What do you intend to do about this mess?¡±


    Lidith raises her eyebrows and points at herself. ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you. Didn''t you play to get the planet?¡± I inquire annoyed.


    Lidith dismisses my question by waving one hand at me. ¡°I just participated in that stupid game because I felt sorry for all the mortals who were nothing more than chess pieces. To be honest, I couldn''t care less what they are doing to each other. I am not some kind of saint who hunts down every pocket thief.¡±


    ¡°Aunty Lidith is cruel!¡±


    Lidith spins around and finds Sera behind her. My daughter approached from behind while I was speaking with Lidith.


    Aunty Lidith''s smile turns forced. ¡°A... Aunty?¡±


    Sera pulls on her lower lip. ¡°I can''t call you aunty? But you are much older than me and Ascathon, aren''t you?¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Lidith turns troubled. ¡°Well...¡±


    But Sera doesn''t stop. ¡°And you are always spending so much time here. It feels like you are a part of the family.¡±


    Lidith raises a finger. ¡°It isn''t...¡±


    Sera interrupts her again. ¡°I measured the time. Even if you are constantly coming and going, you spend at least five hours per day on our property.¡±


    I put my book down. ¡°Is that true, Sera? Maybe I should start to take rent from her.¡±


    Lidith gasps. ¡°But I am just vis...¡±


    Sera doesn''t let her speak. ¡°And you even regularly visit for lunch! So why can''t I call...¡±


    Lidith drops to the ground like all life force left her at once. ¡°It''s fine! It''s fine! Call me aunty! There is no need to insist on blood-bonds.¡±


    Sera nods. ¡°Now that the relationship between us is established... please teach me to sense pathways, Aunty.¡±


    Lidith gets up again. ¡°What? You are too...¡±


    ¡°~Pleeaaasee, Auntie?~¡±


    ¡°F... Fine! But don''t expect too much you puny half god!¡± Lidith grabs Serah at her neck and both of them disappear. I think that Sera will get more than she bargained for.


    I lift my book again to search the passage where I stopped reading.


    ¡°Ascathon!?¡± Celestial''s voice tears the silence apart and I drop the book once again.


    ¡°Yes, Sugar cat?¡± I twist my head to find Celestial behind me.


    She holds out a stash of papers. ¡°There is something you have to investigate for me.¡±


    I take the papers and flip through the pages. ¡°Those are just lists of materials?¡±


    ¡°A list of materials. You are right. And they are being bought from all over the world, most of them from our Nation. What strikes me as peculiar is that it has great similarities with the stuff you are buying for your lab.¡± She smiles.


    I take a closer look at the papers. ¡°You are right. Seems like someone is trying to create mana crystals?¡±


    Her expression turns troubled. ¡°So if it isn''t you?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°One of the other gods?¡±


    Celestial takes the papers back. ¡°I don''t know. But it strikes me as strange. Why should they buy stuff from this world if they can bring it from another one via a pathway?¡±


    I lift a finger. ¡°For the same reason as me?¡±


    She lifts an eyebrow.


    ¡°It''s troublesome to carry everything yourself. I am a god. So why should I carry heavy machinery and raw materials around? I have better things to do.¡± I explain without shame.


    Celestial''s eyes turn to the book on my lap. ¡°These ''better things'' don''t seem very important.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Can we forget about this and take a look at whoever is buying all that stuff? I assume you already know where everything is shipped?¡±


    Celestial frowns. ¡°A certain island in the Nation of Mist.¡±


    .

 106. ~Racketeering.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Nation of Mist, Fingulf''s island***


    ***Ascathon***


    ¡°It doesn''t look like the right place.¡± Jazira voices her doubts while she floats beside Lidith, Celestial and me.


    Under us is a smouldering volcano in the ocean. It''s the remnant of Fingulf''s island.


    Lidith points down at the caldera. ¡°But I feel the idiots down there! They must have masked their presences somehow. It''s very faint, but they are down there!¡±


    Celestial pulls a dagger from her belt. ¡°To hide inside a volcano. Are there even places on this world which are more uncomfortable?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°At least it spares them the trouble of dealing with mortals. Should we go down and ask for rent? They are staying on our world even after losing their own bet.¡±


    ¡°What if they fight?¡± Jazira stops us. ¡°I don''t want to damage this world. The tournament at the Sphere of Sous showed us that gods should avoid fighting with each other!¡±


    ¡°Tch!¡± I summon my staff. ¡°Why do you think are they trying to make mana crystals? Surely not to make some nice convenient tools.¡±


    ¡°He is right. There is a point where you simply have to deal some punishment.¡± Lidith teleports directly towards the three presences.


    I follow without another word. Inside the volcano I find a set of complicated bridges and platforms. The temperature forces me immediately to increase the output of my battle aura. I learned that using my battle aura for protection is much more convenient than casting a spell for environmental protection.


    Under us is a sea of lava and from time to time a geyser of magma erupts from it. Above me is the chimney of the volcano through which the sky can be seen.


    Celestial and Jazira appear at my side and take a battle stance.


    Lidith is in front of us while facing Aneth, Charon and Wynne. All three of the evildoers are holding crystal weapons. Aneth has a spear, Wynne a sword and Charon something similar to a scythe.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing here you bunch of oafs? Are you guys too self righteous to adhere to your own bet?¡± Lidith asks with an angry voice.


    Aneth readies his spear and points it at Lidith. ¡°You are too late in any case! Justice is always on the side of the strong! And right now we are more powerful than ever!¡±


    He charges at Lidith without further discussions. Jazira summons her rifle and Celestial dashes forward to intercept him.


    ¡°My... my... we can''t have a fight on this world.¡±


    I grab into my pocket and release my battle aura to its limit while revealing a fist sized crystal. All the free mana in the environment is immediately sucked towards my crystal, which makes even the solidified weapons dissolve into nothingness.


    The shadows around me enlarge and stretch like living organisms while my aura encloses the entire volcano.


    Everyone around me is forced to their knees as the strength leaves their bodies. It''s a side effect of my countermeasure. You have to take very aggressive measures to break up the solidified structure of a mana crystal.


    ¡°What''s this?¡± Aneth tries to get to his feet, but is forced down again.


    I walk forward and place a foot on his head. ¡°You idiots seriously thought that I wouldn''t think of a countermeasure against my own weapons!?¡± A kick throws him backwards to his companions.


    ¡°This time you have crossed the line.¡±


    I mutter as I walk forward and send an arcane lance into Aneth''s foot. Barely with enough power left to protect himself from the environment, Aneth isn''t able to block it. He screams in pain as the spike of shimmering energy nails him to the floor.


    ¡°Don''t look down on uuuus!¡± Charon screams as he forces himself to his feet and charges at me.


    I meet his charge with a kick to his knee, which creates an awesome snapping sound. He stumbles and I grab his hand, forcing him onwards and catapulting him over the edge of the platform.


    His scream of terror is cut off as his body falls into the lava under us. A fitting end. I turn to Aneth and Wynne who look at me with shocked expressions. Their eyes turn even wider as a black and grey sphere of energy appears from the ground under me.


    It circles three times around the crystal in my hand and disappears inside it.


    ¡°Ah... did I mention that this crystal doesn''t capture just mana?¡±


    I start kicking Aneth with all my might. ¡°This time you won''t get away! There are no rugby judges nearby to save you this time!¡±


    After a while my foot starts to hurt and I switch to my second one. Aneth stopped screaming after a while.


    Wynne is wailing beside him with tears in her eyes.


    It takes some time, but finally an orange sphere of light leaves Aneth''s body and is sucked into the crystal.


    ¡°Whew! What a workout!¡± I turn towards Wynne who is whimpering on the ground.


    As I do so, one of the lava eruptions hits the platform we are standing on. The platform tilts just a little, but it''s enough to make me stumble.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    It''s only a second of losing my concentration. But that second is enough to make my oppressing aura waver just a little. Wynne jumps to her feet and tackles me.


    I fall backwards while she grabs my crystal and tries to run for it. The platform rocks another time and she slips too, dropping the crystal.


    The crystal sails through the air towards Celestial, Jazira and Lidith who get wobbly to their feet as my crystal assisted aura disappears.


    It hits Jazira dead centre on her forehead and bounces off.


    ¡°~OW!~¡±


    ¡°~Wa!~¡± Celestial grabs for the crystal, but it slips through her fingers and falls to the ground, slipping ever forward.


    ¡°~Nya!~¡± Lidith jumps for it from her kneeling position, but isn''t in time.


    The crystal disappears over the edge of the platform and is gone! ¡°Noooo!¡± I get to my feet and run to where the crystal disappeared. A look over the edge of the platform confirms it.


    Under us is nothing but lava! It''s gone!


    ¡°What was that creepy thing!¡± Jazira pouts.


    Lidith snorts. ¡°I don''t care. Luckily it''s gone!¡±


    Celestial pulls me to my feet. ¡°You could have told us that you have something like that up your sleeve. Why are you looking like that?¡±


    I snap back to reality. ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Like the end of the world was near!¡± Celestial shakes me. ¡°What was that crystal?¡±


    I clear my throat and take a dignified posture. ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about! A... anyway! Take that and let''s go home.¡± I point at Wynne, who is still peering over the edge of the platform, hoping to find the crystal.


    Then I turn and attempt to teleport, but a sudden jerk on my collar holds me back. I turn and find Celestial looking at me with half closed eyes and a deadly serious expression. ¡°You are sweating!¡±


    I try to smile. ¡°It''s hot.¡±


    She doesn''t back off and steps closer. ¡°Not hot enough to justify this!¡±


    I bend backwards because she is a little too close. ¡°I just had a hard time...¡±


    She follows my movement and sniffs at me. ¡°I smell it!¡±


    What!


    The!


    Fuck?


    I try to keep my mask. ¡°So now you smell... ?¡±


    Celestial sneers like an animal who found its prey. ¡°It''s Fear! Tell me, husband. What was that crystal?¡±


    I start fiddling with my hands. When I realize that this looks very suspicious, I place them in my pockets. ¡°Ehm. I need to go to my laboratory.¡±


    Celestial lunges at me and takes me into a headlock. ¡°WHAT FELL INTO THE LAVA!?¡±


    I feel my windpipe being compressed and my blood pressure rising. I am not against being pressed to her chest, but this becomes more and more uncomfortable with each second. ¡°A SEED!¡±


    Celestial loosens her grip a bit. ¡°Seed?¡±


    That''s not good. I have to escape somehow! ¡°I love you!¡±


    ¡°You lov...¡± The pressure increases again! ¡°No distractions!¡±


    ¡°It''s a failed seed for creating bigger mana crystals! Sugar cat. You''ll crush my windpipe!¡±


    Jazira steps closer and pinches my cheek to the point that it hurts. ¡°And what''s the issue with the failure?¡±


    ¡°It won''t stop growing and absorbing mana unless you encase it in a special barrier! We have to get out of here! There is no time!¡± I scream at the top of my lungs.


    As if on command, a long crystalline spike penetrates the surface of the lava sea and rises. It stabs through one of the bridges which are connecting the platforms and continues to grow.


    ¡°Shit!¡± I feel Celestial pulling me onto a pathway and we appear in the sky above the volcano. Though she still doesn''t let go of me.


    Jazira and Lidith appear at our side. They are carrying Wynne, who is dangling between them without resisting. Apparently she has given up.


    Under us the volcano shudders and stops smoking. Crystals break through its surface and create a scene which resembles a forest.


    ¡°It''s even converting normal matter into crystals!¡± Lidith gasps.


    We watch in awe as the volcanic island is turned almost completely into crystal. But then the process slows down and comes to a creeping stop.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°So lucky! I thought it would transmute the entire planet. But it seems like the growth rate is slowing down. It can only grow as much as there is mana in the vicinity.¡±


    Celestial''s grip tightens again. ¡°Honey bear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sugar cat?¡±


    ¡°~Tomorrow we''ll make a tour through your laboratory and talk about your toys.~¡±


    I try to nod.


    ¡°~All of them!~¡±


    .

 107. ~Epilogue.~

    If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don''t like mistakes.


    ###############################################################


    ***Norfolk, Sarn***


    ***Sera***


    ¡°And you are really sure that you can''t do anything to save this world?¡± I pull at my father''s hand while he watches a three dimensional representation of our world.


    The projection is floating above the table of our kitchen. It shows veins of crystal reaching down into the planet. They spread out like roots and encase the planet''s core like a parasite.


    Ascathon sighs. ¡°The process is already beyond control. But it sounds worse than it is.¡±


    Celestial, Jazira and Lidith give Ascathon a scornful look. They are visibly unhappy with the situation. Then they speak in unison.


    ¡°What''s worse...¡± ¡°... than an entire planet ...¡± ¡°... turning into crystal?¡±


    A few pearls of sweat form on father''s forehead. ¡°It''s a slow process! According to these figures, it''ll take more than a hundred thousand years.¡± He points at some columns of numbers at the side of his projection.


    He crosses his arms and nods while he smiles. ¡°The available environment to live in will slowly decrease. That results in a slow decrease of the overall population of this world. We can simply evacuate the people when the situation becomes too bad to bear with it. There won''t be too many at that point.¡±


    They are still looking unhappily at him.


    He waves his hands, trying to calm them down. ¡°And who knows what the future will bring? A hundred thousand years is a long time. Maybe they''ll build some space ships and find a better planet. The multiverse is big.¡±


    Lidith scowls at him. ¡°You mean that you''ll teach them how to build a space ship?¡±


    Ascathon nods eagerly. ¡°Sure. Sure, that''s no problem! In fact, I have already plans for the time after they are gone!¡± A stack of papers appears in his hands.


    He hands them around. ¡°You see. I am a little unsatisfied with the way we gods treat each other. There is no institution which enforces law and order. So I thought about creating a government for gods.¡±


    Jazira raises an eyebrow and flips through the pages. ¡°How''s that related to the planet?¡±


    Ascathon smiles. ¡°Ha! You see, a government needs a society! And a society of gods needs a place to live in! We''ll build a huuuge city out of crystal, which makes all gods look at it in awe! And what better place would there be than a world made out of crystal!¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    He produces another set of pages. ¡°Then we move this entire planet to a strategically important point. Something like a cross-junction between the pathways! I have to do some research on that.¡±


    ¡°Actually I think we should call the city Asheim! The home of the Ascended. What do you think of that?¡± He continues to talk to himself.


    Jazira scratches her head. ¡°Actually I have some important things to do. I should spend a little more time with my empire while it still exists. Aaah... a hundred thousand years seem extremely short from the perspective of a god.¡± She vanishes.


    ¡°Hey guys... I am not done yet!¡± Ascathon gasps.


    Lidith nods. ¡°She is right. Now that we have taken care of the idiot trio I think I''ll take a vacation... a long one.¡± Lidith fades away.


    Ascathon grasps his stack of papers tighter. ¡°How rude!¡± His eyes turn towards Celestial who knits her eyebrows together.


    Then she stands up and walks away while she yawns. ¡°Actually I think I''ll take a nap first. A hundred thousand years is a long time. There is no need to be overly hasty.¡± The door closes behind her.


    I watch the door for several moments until I feel a pair of eyes resting on me and I turn towards my father.


    He grasps my hand. ¡°Sera! You are my cute little daughter whom I taught so much! You''ll help me to realize my dreams won''t you? I know that it''ll take a long time and a lot of diplomatic persuasion. You are up for the task aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Do... Don''t look at me like that! I am just a demigod!¡± It''s not like Lidith managed to teach me how to use pathways. Not at all. I want to explore the multiverse before I waste my time with such a heavy task. I have to make sure that he  doesn''t find out!


    So I pull my hand away. ¡°~Actually.~¡± I purse my lips and think for a moment. ¡°I promised Arran to play some games with him. So let''s talk about that when I am an adult and have some kids of my own.¡±


    Ascathon blinks.


    I turn and run out of the room, slamming the door shut behind me.


    .

 New start.

    I decided to go for something that''s not in a direct relation to UD? and T?


    It''s to keep me busy while I search for ideas and make up my mind.


    I think I need a little time to think over the direction I want to take with the series.


    Though I''ll use some of the concepts and characters. The story may be one of the many lives they lived without affecting the multiverse as a whole.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    http://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/2850</a>

 epub/pdf version

    <table><tbody><tr><td>Author''s Comment:


    I was asked about reading my work on other sites.


    The answer is simple: Currently I am not active in any other networks than royalroadl.com. Only here, I correct mistakes and errors.


    If you read it anywhere else and have to pay for it, or have to deal with an annoying amount of advertisement, You Are Being Betrayed.


    You would do good if you make other people in that network aware of it. This is a free project of mine for the purpose of having fun. And if people try to make money with it you shouldn''t bother visiting their website.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    The only one whom I actually allowed to have my work on his website is Armaell who invested the time to compile them into pdf.


    (http://armaell-library.net/author/andur</a>)


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    Again Armaell was so nice to create an epub version of the story. I am just sharing it, so thank him.


    http://armaell-library.net/author/andur</a>