Chapter 10
In volume 3 there would be an attempt on Troy’s life because the effect of Castor being freed was accredited to him. The attempt came from merchants who had taken Dark Elves captive and then forced Mera to try and attempt killing me during the White Dear Hunt.
Troy basically almost dies at the end of every other volume, and somehow gets lucky enough to survive by a hairs breadth. He also suffers a lot, like when he went with Dragon mom to look for Dragons and then got serially… uh… stimulated for dozens of chapters where he was practically helpless before his mom’s come to his rescue again.
At some point shouldn’t he just go with his mom’s in the first place? I mean even when he was dying from berserk mana usage (again because of his desire to kill a wyrm).
You know, the more I think about it the more ridiculous I think Zhu/Troy was as a person. As a protagonist though it was entertaining watching him beg his moms to let him go out again every time he nearly dies. It was a vicious cycle, a very vicious cycle that I eventually just decided to laugh at.
I’m going to talk to Castell again, he was in his office and seemed a bit more amicable.
“Castell, good morning,” I say walking in with Nier behind me.
“Morning your majesty.”
“Nier can you wait outside the door please, there are a few things I need to talk with Castell about that you shouldn’t hear.”
Nier bows and walks out closing the door behind her. There wasn’t a cold gaze anymore from her. She seemed a bit happier wanting to give candy to the children again since that’s almost become daily routine for us.
“Castell there are a few things I want to bring to your attention to have the appropriate parties to look into.”
“With what happened the last time you brought something to my attention I will surely listen to you, your majesty. Why are you telling me rather than Her Majesty instead?”
“If we go by hierarchy, your position is below and thus your time is less valuable than her majesty’s time. Still, I came to you because I trust you. You took care of what happened the last time quickly.”
I gave him a smile.
“That’s because you had irrefutable evidence in front of you and used a process even I didn’t know of to determine the coin. So what is your request of me your majesty.”
I told him about the church plot and the merchant’s who took dark elves. Said if they could free those elves then humanity could also make more headway into an alliance with the elves. Also the Elven culture as he’s aware is one where they will stay in their forests near the spring and never spread out. Lastly, I asked as a favor for myself to take care of the orphanage because and told him that the kids there are important to Nier, and if he wants the contents of his secret telegram to be accurate there was his candidate to “keep me here.”
“Your Majesty, why are you bringing this up with me instead of her Majesty the Empress?”
“Castell, her majesty’s subjects had accused me of being her weakness, if I brought it up to you in her presence wouldn’t you be forced to submit to it and follow it? I’m bring it up to you here because it allows you, as someone as part of the ‘Empress faction’ as you call yourself, to determine if it’s worthwhile to consider. If you don’t do anything about it, I’ll just sit back and wait since I don’t plan on getting myself into danger but if you move on it and find what’s going on doesn’t that quickly clean up the empire for her Majesty?”
Castell shakes his head and laughs.
“It appears you’re becoming very convincing in your politics, your Majesty.”
There is one more thing I have to tell you Castell.
“Yes your Majesty?”
“If you investigate the church incident and there is a young girl named Freya, you should ask her majesty to be allowed to marry that girl. I’ll even help you ask her in that case. She will help you destroy the rest of the Church and I believe she has plenty of talent to assist and help you.”
Well, she’s better than you, so if she’s your wife you won’t be threatened by her. I’m doing you a favor Castell.
“Your Majesty if I may ask why do you presume I would want to marry that girl?”
“Castell, you and I both know you’re in love with my mother,” I say quietly. “Even if she finds out she will let you be, but in truth she hopes you’ll find someone you could be happy with. Like the Valkyries who serve her loyally, she’s going to eventually become less strict on love because there aren’t as many wars to fight. Managing an empire is different from pulling loyal soldiers to fight in the front of a blood bath. Forcing people to be be tools without choice was a projection of her own misery at being locked in this cage.”
“I suppose I can consider it,” he said.
“Report what I told you to her majesty if you wish, you might get more insight to the person you loyally serve.”
“I will consider it.”
“Oh, and Castell. Even if you aren’t someone who needs friends, I consider you my first friend on the side of humanity.”
Castell smiles.
“Friends don’t have eyes on their friend’s mothers, unless you don’t consider me your friend then it’s just an unrequited friendship. Either way it’s fine. Take care of yourself until next time.”
I leave to find Nier out there and I ask Luna if she wants to come with us this time. I give her a hat that covered her ears so she could look like a human and she wore a different outfit. We once again went to the candy shop and then bought them Candy and I bought Luna something to eat. She tried to reject it so I ordered her to take it just like I ordered Nier when I saw her eying something.
Nier and Luna seemed to have become friendlier to each other though they still didn’t talk much. Well Luna kept talking to me about many things, all things like in the novel. Seriously, Luna was probably the most boring of his love interests… well in my opinion. I know others loved her a lot especially since she protected Troy from Alice but the way things are going I don’t think Alice is going to be a threat anymore.
Seriously, these subjects and their gall.
A few hours went by and after giving Candy to the children I actually walked to the Valkyrie’s camp so Nier could spar and train to keep up her skills. Luna watched. These women are brutal. The only description in the novel was how Nier injured one of the ‘loyal men’ I will never see in this timeline. Injuries are a normal occurrence in their training and Alice was there coming up to greet me.
“I thought you didn’t like seeing bloodshed.” She wasn’t as cold as before.
“I don’t, but I know it’s necessary,” I answered.
“Our Valkyries uncovered the Church plot, the Dark Elves and her majesty just approved Castell getting married to a former noble named Freya who had just been captured and imprisoned a few hours ago. How do you gather this information? ”
Looks like Freya didn’t have to suffer then, and Mera won’t have to die this time around.
“You guys investigated it all in just the last few hours and took care of it?”
“Because of you her majesty lost faith in our ability to carry out our tasks, so we have to be vigilant to earn her trust and right to kill back. Her majesty also no longer seems to have you as a weakness and you don’t seem to be angling to manipulate her either.”
“I have no interest in being Emperor,” I said again.
“If you could lead one campaign with battle I would believe you would be qualified as an Emperor.”
Alice isn’t supposed to be like this. Valkyries are supposed to be cold, angry and only following Elizabeth’s direction without care. I’m beginning to suspect there has to be something different about this world. Why is Alice suddenly interested in me becoming the Emperor, or the successor.
“I think that would be wonderful,” Luna said.
“No it wouldn’t, I’d be stuck here all the time and can’t walk around.”
Luna softly giggled as Nier finished up instructing some of the new recruits. A few were injured but I had Luna apply healing to them with her magic. They didn’t say thank you but it didn’t matter. We went back home after that.
——
In bed with Elizabeth, she was embracing me. We’ve been doing it practically every night. She laid her head on my shoulder.
“Troy, can you tell me about the conversation you had with Castell today? Why did you bring up that girl?”
“You’re not calling me son right now?”
She used her arm and squeezed me into her and I tap out.
“We just did it and you still want me to call you son? When I’m wearing the military uniform I’ll call you that, when I’m here with you like this I don’t want to be reminded that I’m your mother right now. Mommy likes leaning on a man… even if that man is weaker than mommy, a man is still a man. Mommy spoils you a lot, can you spoil mommy sometimes?”
This is a new development. I just had to kiss her and we swirled our tongues a few minutes.
“I told Castell what I knew.”
“Mommy wants to know how you knew. Nier has been following you everywhere except when you’re here with me, and if Nier saw things like that she would have reported it. Mommy at least is happy you’re taking the initiative to go after Nier.”
“You’re not jealous at all mom?”
“Mommy would be jealous if she sees it happening in front of her, but now mommy doesn’t feel like you would abandon her for a wife. You’ll still come to mommy to be spoiled and if you have a child mommy can have a chance to raise a child with you too.”
I really don’t have much to lose.
“I’ll tell you how I knew mom. The truth is that I didn’t just see the past but I also saw the future a little bit. I saw myself and all the choices I made and I think everything that has happened so far proves that those visions were accurate.”
“How far into the future did you see? Mommy wants to know where she was.”
“Mom, you were with me in the future until the end and you might not believe it but you became friends with my other mommy too.”
“You only have one mom!”
That familiar line. Haha.
“Well, you accepted me having two other moms as well.”
“What? Mommy can’t believe you!”
“Mom, let me just tell you.”
I told her about all the bad decisions I made and all the times I acted stupid and almost died. About the two wives and the multiple mistresses I would get. I told her about the possible attack from the North and how she used the empires resources against her own advisors to help that “Zhu/Troy” establish his own kingdom to unite the continent and how the only thing they had to handle were difficult nobles.
Above all I just told her that the me in that timeline just continued to make the stupid decision to adventure alone despite being as weak as I am now. At least now I know I am weak and even if I did nothing most of the issues would be resolved on their own.
“Mom, the thing is I want you to live longer and I also want Nier to do so. After I go back next month I’m going to try and convince ‘her’ to come talk to you and I want you to accept each other.”
“Mommy will accept her, but will she accept Mommy? This woman took you from mommy and wouldn’t return you to me, she didn’t even want you to come visit me every month! I had to fight for you and she made sure to show you how your mana went berserk and how you would require her around to alleviate that. Mommy does understand though, as long as you don’t take risks where you almost die mommy will support you even if you have ten wives.”
“She does alleviate it the best, but my elf maid Luna can do it too. It’s just it hurts her while it doesn’t hurt mommy Vyvyan.”
“I said you only have one mom!” I kiss her as soon as she said it. “You’re just trying to play with mommy’s feelings again. You’re such an unfilial son.”
She pouted so I just had to kiss her again, it was fun.
“Mom, if I’m going to do anything dangerous I’m not going to go with inadequate preparation. Also I don’t want to go on adventures anymore, but we might have to kill dragons and take their hearts to live longer even if I don’t like killing.”
I place my head on her chest and begin using my mouth to play with it. Something I probably didn’t remember doing before because I was far too young.
“Can I take Nier as my wife?”
Elizabeth looked at me being willful asking and talking about a girl while playing with her breasts.
“Lorana said the things are ready though it’s very late, so mommy is going to finally punish you tomorrow.”
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