Chapter 86
Alondra had insisted that Roy ride in a carriage that has magic to protect him while the rest would ride on the outside. There would also be a coach driver she hired to make sure her beloved son would travel in comfort.
Outside Erisu road next to her two best friends as they traveled together. She had told them of the morning conversation as Mana used a spell to keep others from hearing their talk.
Mana:”So you really are teasing him that badly aren’t you? You’ve really learned well!”
Erisu laughed with her soft voice ringing back and forth. Even if it was in teasing, Roy still loved to hear her laugh.
Erisu:”I guess I’ve changed after all the training. I don’t know what else to say.”
Sarai:”I do find your transformation from being reserved and shy to being so open about relationships refreshing. I even find I’m a bit confused as to why I’m so accepting of this. Maybe it’s those dreams with the guy wearing a green hat.”
Mana:”You were already willing to let her choose the person she marries and then live with them. I did that too, but since we did that doesn’t that mean we weren’t jealous of a man in the first place?”
Erisu:”Well, I read a something once that the frontal lobe which dictates personality doesn’t fully develop until age 25 or older for people in my world. I’m not sure if it’s the same here but if it is then wouldn’t that also mean that we’re changing a lot because we’re teenagers?”
Sarai:”I don’t know. Even in the temple where we read books from all over the world I’ve never heard of this.”
Mana:”Most mages stop being as adaptive in their magic use past that age which is why the golden age of development is from fifteen to twenty three.”
Erisu thought about it but then their conversation trailed off into something else. They were fickle but they were still happy that they were able to see Roy their future husband during their breaks. Him riding in the carriage was to also put separate him from them in order to preserve the purity as no one knew about the arm band.
Arla was riding near the back of the carriage. She had been conversing with the others and giving the orders.
Arla:”We’re going to be arriving in Guiji. It’s a small town that focuses on trade to pick up his friends. We’ll have the plan take place there.”
Attendant:”We’ll ride ahead to the town and tell those to get ready.”
Arla:”This is my father’s Kingdom so make sure you present the seal when you go. Everyone here will listen to our orders.”
The attendants took the orders, nodded and moved out ahead of the group. The traveling party was quite large containing about sixty members. There were not only those who were fighting but those who could manage the camp akin to supply lines for armies.
—
We finally stopped for camp and I was a bit tired, but I wasn’t tired enough to not see Erisu. I just wanted to see her, and I ate food with her while sitting next to her around a campfire. The conversation went from playful teasing and thoughts concerning the future. Erisu says she was thinking the Empire would be a good place to stay after the war since the Empress likes them and promises them good treatment.
I felt it might be a good idea even though I wasn’t a fan of the authoritarianism the Empress had over anyone. It was a double edged sword. If you have a good ruler or a good king then giving them more power will benefit everyone, the problem is what happens when the Empress passes away.
Lines of monarchs and kingdoms fail because those who take the throne are often those who seek power and are easily corrupted by it. That’s always been the case for many countries in my previous world. Even in a system where there are checks and balances in the government, all it takes is a long enough timeline for the corrupted to fill the seats and positions within the government with their own sycophants.
That was the struggle of life. Kings would get rid of those against him, aristocrats would fight to put their own people in power and it was always a never ending struggle for power.
At least that’s what I learned from some libertarian politician… I can’t remember his name but he died of a heart attack when he was posting anonymously on a social media platform. The investigators said he was writing a long letter about some fictional character named Elizabeth.
Wait… that guy… was he?
I was staring at the fire when I felt a hand come around my shoulder. It was Mana.
Mana:”You’ve got the three of us here and you’re only staring at the fire instead of us. What’re you thinking about?”
Her long red hair flowed onto my face from the wind. Sarai and Erisu seemed to be chatting about something else. I suppose this was my first time talking to Mana without them paying attention.
Roy:”I was just thinking about things that happened in my last world. You know I’m a reincarnated person right? Sometimes I feel that there are too many connections to this world.”
Mana:”You’re feeling the pressure of what to do next? I know you were reincarnated. Erisu tells us everything she knows about you, your world and the things that happened here.”
Mana pulled me into her where I could feel the softness of the skin on her shoulder. Compared to all my moms except Sperra these were young girls with strong athletic bodies. They were each about a head taller than me. I really don’t understand how or why this is a harem. Usually when there is a harem the guy does something to deserve it and the man is usually strong enough to protect all of them.
I mean, I can technically protect them with my army but they have no idea about that.
Mana: “You don’t have to think about it so much. As long as everything works out with the war then we’ll all be happy together.”
Roy:”You really believe that?”
Mana:”You don’t?”
Roy:”I feel like I would be a big disappointment to all of you.”
Mana:”Don’t worry, you already are.”
Roy:”What?”
Mana laughed.
Mana:”If I said you weren’t would you believe me?”
She has a point. Even if she told me I wasn’t a disappointment or tried to reassure me I wouldn’t believe it.
Mana:”When I was young and a little girl they tested my mana and determined that I would have one of the highest amounts among the humans. I was born to be a mage. When I first started training with the Head Wizard Paul he would be very patient with me as I would try everyday to master the hard and difficult spells.”
Mana smiled as she recollected those memories. Having a teacher who cared for you while raising you was a blessing many people in the modern day don’t have. Instead teachers are there to indoctrinate you into the way the government wanted you to think. This world didn’t have those complex political plots it seemed.
Mana:”I would always say the same thing to him. ‘Sorry Head Wizard, I’m a disappointment who can’t master it.’ At first he would continue to reassure me that I wasn’t a disappointment but I felt like he was just trying to sooth me and it wasn’t true. I spent months trying to master the basic elemental spells but I couldn’t push through.”
Roy:”You’re a genius now though.”
Mana smiled then continued her story.
Mana:”The fear of disappointing him put a large amount of pressure on me each day so instead of focusing on the magical auras and spells I was focused too much on not disappointing him. So one day he told me I was a disappointment and when I asked him about it he said, ‘even if I tell you you’re not a disappointment would you really believe me?’ He explained to me that all the pressure I’m putting on myself to not be a disappointment was stunting my growth so I should instead embrace being a failure.”
Roy:”That seems. I don’t know. I’m not sure how to take that.”
Mana:”The point is, embracing the idea that I could be a failure but he wouldn’t care. He would still make me practice and claimed I disappointed him so I would focus more on the task at hand than whether I could accomplish casting those spells in the future.”
Roy:”So you focused on what you could do instead of what you were afraid you couldn’t do.”
Mana:”You catch on very quickly. You’re really smart, but you’re still a failure.”
I shake my head and sigh at that.
Mana:”You’re a failure that I want to have my babies with so that must count for something right?”
I gave her a painful and twisted smile. I really didn’t know how to process this but she giggled at me. A very beautiful enchantress with long bright and beautiful red hair was giggling while hugging me gently.
Roy:”I’m having a hard time getting over my own insecurity about these things.”
Mana:”Well, if the three of us decide not to be with you, your moms still want to have your babies.”
Mana’s face had the ‘troll smile’ even if she didn’t know the memes that were made of that smile, it was a cute smile on a beautiful young girl like her.
Roy:”I’m going to bed now.”
Mana:”Wait! Don’t go! I was just teasing.”
I shook my head and returned. Her shenanigans had attracted the attention of the other two girls.
Erisu:”You are teasing him now aren’t you?”
Mana:”Yes, I am guilty of teasing him. He’s just too cute though.”
Erisu:”The mom jokes right?”
Sarai:”I love the mom jokes.”
I shook my head again and again. I mean… what else could I say?
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