"Talking"
"Thinking"
[Status Magic or other reference to a system or power]
…
"I'm not a hero. I can't protect the whole world, and maybe it was foolish to think I could. I'm just a kid. I don't know enough or am strong enough. Here though? This small place? I can definitely protect this." Monti thought about how satisfying these days helping Melty were going to be. He couldn't help but smile, genuinely this time.
.
Naofumi and his family continued to head towards Siltvelt. They had skipped to Melromarc's border and had traveled for 4 days now. They even bypassed a mountainous section with Leon, they were making incredible time. While they were told it'd take 14 days by Beloukas, Naofumi was beginning to think the trip was going to become a 10 day trip at worst. They were already beginning their 5th day as well. Their trip might already be nearing the halfway point.
But while Naofumi and the family trudged along towards the next dragon hourglass, others were also reaching their destinations and goals. A number of Naofumi's allies were just now reaching lands they were meant to rule over, not unlike Naofumi himself. Mia, Godiva, and Fitts were to become lords and ladies of lands earned by killing the old leadership. They expected bitterness and to not be trusted at first. Each had a plan on how to transform the area they were to lead. They, along with Liviccic, were unknowingly taking part in the last minute preparations before a world defining disaster.
…
Mia of Evergreen
…
Mia had been traveling the roads with quite a large number of people. She had the royal alchemist that she was borrowing with the queen's consent, three shadows to report her findings and to stop others from stealing Mia's research, an assortment of personnel from the palace to deliver supplies as well as escort some of the doctors from Evergreen to Lurolona, the 40 Evergreen elite knights that Liviccic scared into submission, and lastly, Walter.
Walter already agreed to the job Mia proposed. They also brought specific spoils from the Cal Mira wave and a test run project already planned. He could tell Mia was ambitious and had every intention of seeing it through, but…
"Melromarc is very anti-demi-human. Mia's new position is going to piss these idiots off. Worst of all? She already told me I can't shoot anyone. Sigh. The knights seem scared out of their minds to cross Mia, so at least they ought to crack skulls in my stead." Walter thought as the main town of the province came into view.
"Delivery personnel can go straight to the keep. I'll address the people." Mia spoke with authority. It was a new thing for her.
"That a good idea? We could get a solid week of work done before they find out you're a demi-human." Walter suggested.
"Believe me, I can't wait to work on my dream projects with a lab supplied with everything I could need…, but I am Lady of Evergreen first, Head of R&D second." Mia answered seriously.
Walter liked Mia, but she had been entirely too serious since they returned from Cal Mira. He decided to purposely poke at her temper to loosen her up.
"That reminds me. What title do I get to have? Assistant Director?" He asked with a purposely smug grin.
"I have to see what kind of personnel I am working with and who is best at what. I can't build an infrastructure without knowing what I'm working with." Mia responded in as serious a tone as before.
"Right, right." Walter felt dejected from her lack of reaction.
It was the same way the entire trip. Mia asked every Evergreen knight about Evergreen itself. About their families living there and what issues they perceived for the area. Walter was sure she meant the whole exchange to build a rapport with the knights, but she asked her questions so clinically that the knights thought it was a test of some kind. She wrote a lot of their answers down in a little notepad she carried, which only made her look even more suspicious.
Walter already knew better. Godiva got loose-lipped when they got drunk after the Cal Mira wave. She told Walter more or less Mia's past. She was far younger that she appeared and was a slave most of her life. She was maturing fast, as all demi-humans do under her circumstances, but she had less life experience to pull from and several insecurities. It was hard to believe how smart she was and how assertive she was becoming. Walter could only wonder how much more fierce she'd have been if she grew up like a normal person.
Peeling back the layers of her bluster and making her laugh or squirm had quickly become Walter's new favorite pastime. She was resisting his antics a bit more, but that only made the game last longer.
"Do you mind if I don't go to the keep immediately?" Walter asked.
"So you can attend a bar?" Mia didn't ask as much as accuse.
"No. I'll scout out the town's booze situation tomorrow, bright and early." Walter answered in a similar manner to the way Mia had been answering him. "But if you're going to run into a den of lions…"
"I'll have 40 knights at the ready. One demi-human is already going to upset them. I don't want them thinking that 'the demi-humans are taking over Evergreen'. I'll also be presenting myself while armed… I hope there is no conflict, but if my mere presence causes enough of an issue to start something, then it needs to be stopped now." Mia told him, just as serious as ever.
They entered the gates of the town, the guards manning the walls wanted to stop them and ask questions, but the faces of the knights they knew told them to do nothing.
"You see so far ahead with those glasses I got you." Walter teased her.
"...Thanks." Mia squirmed a bit.
"Victory tastes sweet." Walter mused with satisfaction.
The view of Evergreen was just as Mia was told. Rolling fields of crops separated by well-maintained waterways. This place had an abundance of farmland as well as specialty plants for making the many poisons and antidotes that the late Lady Grimwald was known for. That was going to change and Mia needed to offer replacement jobs for those who relied on Grimwald's experiments to support their families. The houses were also fairly separated. Most seemed to own their own land with only specialty businesses like a blacksmith and general stores being in the smaller than expected town center. As a whole, the place was not small, but it was very decentralized. This let the place seem less like a city, retaining a country vibe.
Dozens of eyes shot up as they saw the knights enter the gates. Many people working their fields dropped their tools and began making their way toward the knights. Walter split from Mia and went with the personnel heading for the keep. He'd like to stick around, but Mia was right on the look they'd give off right now. They slowed only slightly as the crowding people forced them to slow their carts.
Some of the townspeople ran straight up to the knights, hugging them. They were likely their families.
"What happened!? We heard the queen's declarations, but not one soldier has returned yet. How bad was the battle? Who is in charge of Evergreen now?" An older man shouted at the knight he was hugging.
The knights shared a look. "There's about to be a large announcement in just a moment." He said with slight delay.
Everyone gathered around, nervous of the news, but glad some men made it back.
After a moment, a shadow walked forward and opened a scroll. "By order of our queen, Mirellia Q Melromarc, in accordance with her great deeds in slaying the traitor, Averill Veit, is hereby granted the title of Lady of Evergreen. Mia." The shadow gestured to Mia who stepped forward.
Mia wore nicer clothing than most, but it was not overly fancy. It had a few pieces of armor in places, but was not strictly armor. She sported a much stronger looking crossbow, now mounted to her left armguard. The crowd eyed her for only a moment. The only thing they saw were her ferret ears.
"What the hell!? A damned Demi!" The first man shouted.
"Is this the queen's way of getting back at us!?" A woman accused.
"It's a joke and I'm not laughing!" The knight's father added.
All the knights lowered their weapons to the people. The father was shocked to see his son's weapon pointed at him. Everyone grew quiet. The knights would do whatever they had to do to fulfill their duty and avoid the soul eater death Grimwald suffered. Mia was not wanting to push them more than needed.
Mia spoke. "I do not expect you to like me or to be happy with the idea that I am your Lady now. All the same, I am here to help you and do as the queen asks." Mia pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Most of the people involved in the battle survived. The battle and the events that followed are simply taking time to manage. They will be processed and either charged or returned here in time. For that reason, it was easier to make a list of those that passed than those that survived. The names of the deceased of this region and their physical description is here. You may view them after we are done here." She said, showing them she had the list.
Mia started off by giving them something they really wanted.
"Raise your weapon, his appearance matches the one you gave for your father. I don't want to divide families." Mia told the one knight while flipping through her book. She stopped on a page and read one of her notes. "You are a blacksmith, correct?" Mia asked the knight's father.
The man nodded nervously.
"I am an alchemist by trade and will be repurposing the labs here. I primarily create weapons, armor, and other tools. I am sure you will have a lot of business with me if you choose to do so. Hope we can get along." Mia told him, trying to appease him.
"If I choose?" The man echoed.
"Yes. I am not here to order you all around. I'd like it if we all got along, but it's not a priority for me, to be honest. I'm here to be successful. To create amazing weapons. Things so great that you won't have to worry if the soldiers will return safely from a war. Instead, it'll be a foregone conclusion." Mia was speaking loud enough for them all to hear. "So it'd be great if you would help me protect our soldiers." She added.
"And if I refuse?" The man was still cautious.
"Then that's your decision. I won't force anyone to do something they'd rather not. I'll just hire a different blacksmith to move here and handle those dealings." Mia told him.
Mia was speaking with regard for their wellbeing, but not finding any of them to be so important that their cooperation was needed.
"I did not get to decide what to do in my life until recently. Taking that away from any of you is not something I want to do. I'll leave a few of the knights here to explain things to you all in a more casual and less controlling manner. In the coming days, I would ask that you all compile what you believe to be the issues with Evergreen that Grimwald failed to address. You can submit them in person or anonymously, verbally or written. I'll set aside a day to hear you all out." She told the crowd.
There was loud murmuring from amongst them all.
"Tensions are high and we do not know one another. I will take the next few days to begin research and development on alchemist weapons per the queen's orders. I will not be disturbed. Once tensions have settled a bit, I will announce the day we will be asking for your complaints, but it'll be within the week at the latest. I am sure to make mistakes early on, please be patient." Mia finished.
"You five, stay and explain things." Mia pointed at some of the elite knights, handing them the folded document on the deceased.
She left with the remainder of her small force and retreated to the keep. The people were not as angry as Mia expected. Emotions were very mixed.
"The relief from knowing most of their friends and family made it probably outshined the blight of my presence…" Mia thought aloud.
"That… and Grimwald was a truly terrible person, even to those she ruled over." One of the remaining elite knights spoke.
The knight was the friendliest of the bunch. His name was Markus and he was the only one that still had his tyrella mount, who he affectionately named Rams. Mia was told he cried to have it spared and the way he cared for it made Mia think the 'crying' wasn't figurative. He wasn't too talkative, but when compared to the rest of the tight-lipped knights, he was a regular chatterbox.
"Of course she was. She killed 3 of her peers. I can only imagine how she treated people below her." Mia realized.
Walter hadn't unloaded a single item and treated it with a laugh and him being lazy. The truth was that he posted himself out of a high window at the keep and watched Mia to be safe. Everyone here was on edge and that only made Walter's paranoia flare even higher.
Mia did as she promised. Within the day, most of the supplies were unpacked, including the crystals from the interdimensional whale wave boss. She had an entire rabbit hole of experiments she wanted to try, but she first needed a proof of concept. She and Walter were going to make her version of a "gun".
…
Godiva of the Western Front
…
Godiva had the largest number of wagons and men amongst the newly announced Lords and Ladies, but they were mostly empty. They were wagons for moving people, specifically slaves. She had formed her method of attack for dealing with the area and brought extra wagons, already sure the plan would succeed. She was already wearing her new armor and weaponized gauntlets, courtesy of Erhard.
She came looking for a fight, it was the best approach for the area.
The area came into view and matched what Mia had told her, but it was still so odd to look at. The area was a series of smaller mountains that had the tops of them sliced off perfectly, forming unnatural plateaus. It was said two great monsters and their armies fought here long ago and the mountains were toppled by the victors. Godiva was expecting hills, not mountains. The trees around here were also towering, some reaching past the severed mountains. Everything here was imposing.
"Oh yeah, this'll be fun." Godiva announced.
She came to the bottom of a bridge made to take them up to the lowest flattened mountain. Each of the nobles around here built their manor atop one of these artificial plateaus, the largest reserved for the greater lord of the region. Bridges were used to travel from the ground to the tops, then from top to top.
A small group of people formed at the top of the bridge. They must have been watching the roads and seen the large group approaching.
"Everyone, wait behind me." Godiva said casually as she began strolling up the bridge.
She went unchallenged for most of her walk up, but when she nearly reached the top, a strong voice spoke out. "Enough! Not another step forward." They demanded.
Godiva did not stop, nor slow as she came to the end of the bridge. Nearly everyone looked tough, rough, and angry. "Mia's description was on point." She thought.
"W-Why didn't you stop when you were told!?" A shorter guy managed to say. He was the only one that seemed soft. He seemed out of place here.
"Hmm, are you the queen?" Godiva asked in a completely serious tone.
"Wha-of course not!" The boy blushed in frustration.
"Then I don't have to listen to you. As the new lady of the Western Front, I answer to her and no one else." Godiva revealed.
"Heh, someone like you? And a woman no less." An older man said with no fear of retaliation.
Godiva eyed the man that said that. She strolled right up to him without any caution.
"Was that an insult?" She asked, inches from his face.
"Ah, did I hurt your feelings?" The old man taunted.
"Of course not. The last person who managed to hurt me was Averill, but he's dead and dust." She taunted back.
She brought up their recently dead lord, hoping it was a sore spot.
"You… fought our lord?" He asked. Their response was more of disbelief than anything else.
"I learned most of his moves too. I admit, I wasn't the one who finished him off, but I stood when he couldn't and that was over 40 levels ago."
"Ha, nothing but words. Boasting is not going to get you anything here, woman." The man rejected her words as meaningless. He could not imagine them being real.
Godiva was not going to throw the first punch. She had to bait them.
"And snapping your jaws doesn't change that I'm the boss here now. I was told Averill collected little taxes and spent even less. Prepare those purses, boys. That's changing too." Godiva taunted.
"You little-" the man pulled a shortsword from his waist and went to strike her.
Godiva used Averill's attack just as he would, breaking the weapon and punching the man in one motion. The only difference being her fists were covered in lightning instead of fire. The man skipped once before being sent off the edge of the mountain. He reached out at nothing to save himself, but to his surprise there was something to grab. Godiva had moved with the old man and held his broken sword out.
The man grabbed the blade for dear life and drew a lot of blood. The pain was nothing when facing death.
"H-Help me!" The man pleaded.
"You drew your weapon on your Lady. That's punishable by death." Godiva informed him.
"F-Fools. Don't stand by and let her do this. Help me!" He ignored Godiva and pleaded to the others.
They did not budge.
"That was clearly Lord Averill's style…" A large man commented.
"Yet quicker by half." The young man added.
"So you did fight him? And skilled enough to copy him so completely?" The same large man asked.
"In full transparency, he let me copy him. He was building me up for a better fight." Godiva answered while casually turning around, one hand still holding the sword with the old man hanging from it.
"Then he acknowledged you? Yes. There's no other explanation for you having his techniques, let alone living after fighting him." The young man concluded.
"Fine, fine! I get it! Pull me up! I acknowledge you as the lord!" The old man's grip was failing him. He'd say anything to live.
"Not good enough. Life is the payment for the action you took…, but it doesn't have to be yours." Godiva hinted.
He caved. "Anything! Anything at all! I can't hold on! My fing-"
Godiva tossed the man back onto the ground behind her. "Good. I want your slaves. Their lives will pay for yours. Do that and your crime is forgiven." Godiva told him.
"Yes! I-I have 4 slaves, they are yours. They're young, they'll be hard workers." The man was still groveling, well aware she could throw him off the mountain easily now.
"..." The others watched quietly.
"It seems we all understand where we stand." Godiva said, motioning with her hand.
"I expect those slave within two hours. No further punishment will be issued. I have healers with me who can look at your hands if you need." Godiva told him.
"You were wanting that…" The young man realized aloud.
Godiva eyed the boy again. Young, 17 years old from the look of him. Short dark hair and an overall soft look to him. He also wore nicer clothes not suitable for combat. Clearly he lacked brawn, but he was at least clever enough to see through Godiva.
She took note of him and left towards the keep.
Godiva opened the doors loud and yelled out. "All staff here! Now! Slaves included!" She shouted.
People scrambled toward the front of the keep, with several coming immediately. A few took their time, not knowing Godiva was their new boss. Of course, the moment they caught sight of the men running around and the number of carriages outside, they put the effort into their steps they lacked before. A few minutes later than Godiva would like, everyone assembled at the front. They looked around curiously. Not wanting to speak, but wanting some clue as to who Godiva was and what they needed to assemble for.
"Slaves on the left, non-slaves on the right." She ordered.
They still didn't know who she was, but they were beaten down enough to comply with any strong voice that presumed authority. Godiva saw only 3 members of staff that weren't slaves. This whole process was just going through the motions. She could have separated them by human and demi-human and got the same results.
"To you three, I am the new Lady of the Western Front. I'll be having you show me around the area later. The rest of you… If you are related to Mia, step forward." Godiva corrected the order she needed to do things.
At the mention of Mia's name, they all flinched. Three people came forward. Godiva guessed the father correctly due to shared hair color with Mia, the mother and little boy had a different matching hair color, much darker.
"I'm glad all three of you are still here… All other slaves are to gather your things and enter the carriages as directed. You are free. You will be escorted to Lurolona Village in the Seaetto region, currently protected by the shield hero. Do not forget anything." Godiva told them.
As expected, cheers and crying in joy took place. As Averill's slaves, they knew he was dead. They just couldn't realistically escape, or maybe they were just that beaten down that they refused to try.
"What of us?" Mia's father asked. He seemed scared, but with his wife and young son behind him, he puffed out his chest.
"I see where Mia gets it." Godiva thought.
"You three also gather your things, but I'm sending you three to Evergreen. That's where Mia is waiting for you all." Godiva answered.
"Mia's safe!? She's in Evergreen? Why?" The man was equal parts relieved and confused.
"You might not believe me, but your daughter is level 75 now. She looks about 16 years old, though has more curves than she knows what to do with. Heh. She traveled in the same party as me for a while. We became allies and friends. We fought Averill… It cost us nearly everything at the time, but Mia came in clutch and secured the kill." Godiva informed them.
"Little Mia, grown?" Mia's mother whispered.
"She took down that monster?" Mia's father was beside himself in disbelief.
"She made a weapon that finished him with a neat little trick. We fought on the side of the shield hero and our actions and connection to the shield hero were noticed by the queen. We participated in Cal Mira to gain more strength and were then given titles." Godiva finished explaining.
"Then… you can't possibly mean that Mia is…?" Her father found the thought so absurd he could not finish it.
"Lady of Evergreen. Handpicked by the queen to make new weapons. Your daughter has become an amazing person." Godiva said with a huge smile.
"I just… This is a lot…" The family was understandably reeling from the news.
"Hmm, gather your things and we can talk more. I can tell you all about what Mia has done and gone through… And that older guy who is still trying to get in her pants." Godiva offered.
"What!?" Both parents shouted.
Godiva laughed loudly. She'd tell them about Walter too. She couldn't make it too easy on the guy. They spoke for all the time they had before they needed to leave. The other man's four slaves also arrived on time, they were added to those leaving for Lurolona.
With the slaves freed and being sent to safety, Godiva turned her attention to her real task. She'd do what she could to pick fights and snag slaves from the lesser nobles. She'd make them all recognize her authority in time. She needed the Western Front to band together as a proper region. Who knows how long it'll take to convince them all to behave, but she needed this strong section of Melromarc to finally adhere to structure. If another battle like the one with the three heroes church happened, she'd lead the western front as a proper force to meet that foe.
…
Fitts of Crowood
…
Fitts and Chloe had arrived in Crowood without as much as a carriage. All slaves in Crowood were property of the late lord, Veramir. So all the slaves had already been saved. Further, neither of them owned more than the clothes on their back before Fitts gained his title, as Chloe had nothing, and Fitts' belongings were stolen or destroyed during his framing. Given that they didn't require a carriage, the pair preferred to sneak into the town rather than make a show of it.
This turned out to be the right move.
Crowood was corrupt as hell. People were doing everything they could to get their stories straight before Fitts arrived. Money, stolen goods, murder, and of course, the slaves. Fitts started thinking that not being dressed as a knight made it easier to thwart crime than walking the streets in armor.
"He killed his fellow knights and he gets to be lord? Why should I have to do all this extra theater to hide from such a man!?" A fat noble asked as he watched men filling a carriage with goods.
"More like he gets to be lord because he's too hard to kill. The knights and church both failed. The queen is just doing what she always does, giving power to those that already have it." An older woman said, cynically.
"Just remember your lines." Another said.
Chloe wrote down what she could of them, drawing rough pictures of each. She actually had quite a talent for it. They came across many such people speaking frankly and openly.
"Regardless, he's lord. Veramir was the greatest evil in the kingdom. Whoever he is, he'll be a better lord than that rapist." A younger man said.
Both men perked up. "Ehh!?"
"You think you can talk shit just because he's dead?" One accused.
"What? And you're not? Are you worried he'll find out you and your little gang were the ones catching those demis for him?" The young man threatened.
As a former slave of Siltvelt, Chloe had to restrain herself from attacking the man on sight. The next action forced their hand.
The first man pulled a knife. "Hey, shut up! I told you that if you spill that I'd-" His knife was gone.
"So you admit it?" Fitts asked, removing his cloak.
His body was as perfect as it had been since Naofumi gave him the [Band of Satiety] in their first chance meeting, if not more so. He was 50 levels higher than he was as a knight, more than 30 levels higher when he assisted in killing a greater lord. Combining that with an exceptional axe purchased from Erhard on his back as well as new armor, and the man was a force to be reckoned with.
Chloe already stole the man's weapon and hid on the roofs. A man further down the street saw Fitts and turned to tell everyone, but Chloe had the stolen knife at the man's throat within three steps.
"It seems my job starts sooner than I'd like. You." Fitts motioned to the man that revealed the other man's secret. "I want all of their names." Fitts motioned for the man to follow.
"What? You're taking me and not him!?" The man resisted.
Fitts pulled the man along as if overpowering a child. "I have his face, and I'll have his name from you. Let him run. I did that. He'd die trying to escape Melromarc." Fitts responded matter-of-factly.
"W-Wait! You're-" A stone hit the back of his head, courtesy of Chloe.
Fitts sighed. "We're going to have to do this the hard way."
"I'll have them lock down all exits." Chloe offered.
"I'll start rounding up those brave enough to snitch." Fitts said with an accompanying sigh.
And the plan was made. All of Crowood was put on lockdown and before Fitts had stepped one foot into the keep, 26 new prisoners were decorating the dungeons and loads of stolen items were confiscated. They were efficient and immune to bribery. Crowood wasn't used to either of those things. The older people grew angrier throughout the day, but the younger people seemed immediately enthusiastic about the future of their town.
They kept the lockdown in place for 6 hours before they knew they'd done as much as they could for two people in one day. They have plenty of time later. Chloe would plan to snoop tomorrow and then Fitts would use his authority to issue arrests. They'd pissed off a lot of people, but they were now too strong to fear repercussions. None-the-less, this was not the plan. They were supposed to work on things slowly, but they ended up acting quite hastily.
Once they were finally behind private doors, the two spoke further.
"We're going to be busy." Chloe said immediately.
"More than you know." Fitts answered
"Oh? Have you been holding out on me?" She teased.
"I've been thinking. I-We need to divide up the knights and guards into two groups. The ones that you know are the law-" Fitts began.
"And those that you'd have no idea are the law." Chloe finished.
"Yeah." Fitts said, kind of annoyed she finished his sentence.
"But all that to clean up just Crowood? You'd need to hire dozens of new knights secretly and then they'd become far less useful as the place is cleansed." Chloe pointed out.
"Those younger people seemed happy. They'd only need basic training at first. They'd just report-" Fitts began his thoughts.
"Like shadows?" Chloe finished his thought again.
"Far less skilled than that. We don't have time for something like that… How many years did it take you to be a proper shadow?" Fitts thought to ask. He had avoided asking her about her past since she confessed to being a former slave.
"I trained for 8 years. Most need 10 years of training" Chloe told him.
"Yeah… no. They'll never get that far, but dozens of poor man's shadows can clean up more than just Crowood. Give them some simple tools and education of the law, maybe a few extra levels under their belt… Yeah, that might work." The plan was forming in real time.
"Oh? Thinking bigger…Hmm." Chloe saw where he was going with this.
"First clean up Crowood, then expand outward. The shitty lies fucked Naofumi and me over, left the murder of three lords go unpunished or investigated, and allowed a coup to form in a matter of months…, but it was all so circumstantial. What happened to us won't happen again." Fitts thought aloud.
"And monsters like Veramir and Idol will be put to the sword much faster." Chloe added.
The two seemed satisfied with the rough idea they were planning. The day was spent on the more blatant fools, but they were both sure at least a few clever snakes were still laying within Crowood's walls. They'd address it as needed.
Speaking of, something else needed addressing.
"So what kind of room do you want?" Fitts asked once the serious topics were over.
"Yours, obviously." Chloe answered quickly.
Fitts' brain shut off. "Wha-"
"And no, don't get any ideas. It's just easier to guard you if we share a room." Chloe told him quickly.
Fitts' brain started working again. "Then I'll bring in another bed an-" Fitts tried offering a simple solution but-
"And it'll be even easier to protect you from the same bed… Proximity is key." Chloe assured him.
"You really need to stop cutting me o-" Fitts attempted to show some kind of control.
"I'm taking a bath first." She interrupted again. Discarding clothes on the way to the baths.
"What does she want!? I can't read her!" Fitts resigned.
…
Liviccic of Briarhaven
…
Liviccic had returned to his home, greeted quite warmly. The citizens and knights waited for him to return with enthusiastic waves and greetings. They didn't even seem to mind Sophia at his side. This left him conflicted.
"Should I feel happy that they've accepted me? Accepted Sophia? Or… Is this only because I'm now a hero? Only because I'm now in charge. Had I the chance to win their approval before these things, I'd know for sure, but…" He didn't know how to feel about this.
He did his best to smile back at everyone and make his way to the center of Briarhaven. Back to the military and noble section. He wanted to cut Ida and Isidor loose as soon as possible. While he maintained himself for the entire trip, they tested the hell out of his ability to not kill them.
"I guess this is where we part ways for now?" Liviccic gestured to them.
"Indeed. We will give the report to the other council members on your behalf. We'll also handle things for a bit, so you can finish your little project." Ida told him.
"You've shown incredible discipline with only Sophia as a weakness to your nerves. We ought to make ourselves scarce before you really do kill us. Goodbye, my lord." Isidor revealed with a bow.
"These… These motherfuckers were doing it on purpose!? The whole trip!?" Liviccic and Sophia screamed internally.
The older couple left with a wave, with the younger couple seething. Silvius would not let the pair stew in their anger.
"My lord, is this not a day to be excited?" Silvius asked.
Liviccic broke free of his bitter thoughts. "That's right… Today, I will try to accomplish his dream."
"You're really happy with the idea, but he hated you." Silvius did not question him as much as air his confusion.
"My abilities have always been seen negatively… even by me. Tampering with the dead isn't a heroic act, but I can do things others cannot. I can help the dead. A class of people always considered beyond help. I'll fulfill his wish… It'll help us out too." Liviccic answered.
"It better, that suit of armor is over 1000 lbs. Which means I have to drag it around. Naofumi said that Erhard is a talented smith, but I think he overdid it." Sophia joked.
"Well, hopefully unloading it this time is the last time." Silvius offered.
Sophia stared at Slivius' smiling face. "...I don't care for you right now." She remarked.
Nearly an hour later, they were ready to try something quite odd. Sophia had placed the suit of armor into a magic circle and kept the whole thing up right with a series of webs. The armor was over 8 feet tall and made to look incredibly intimidating. Its design was also somewhat creative in how the metal was shaped. Someone could technically wear the suit, but moving it about was nearly impossible. With it was an equally unwieldable sword, just as heavy and tall as the armor. Liviccic had been double and triple checking the books he had to make sure it was right.
"My [Rancor] should have forced his soul to linger in his armor. That armor was melted down and reworked in more metal, forming this giant bastard. If I can cast a strong enough revive spell while making the suit a viable familiar… If it fails, then… I'm sorry, Boris." Liviccic told himself as he prepared himself.
Silvius had already left, and only Sophia and Liviccic remained in the basement of his home.
He raised his hand and began chanting, finishing with a loud announcement of the spell.
[Drifa Revive X]!
The suit rattled a fair bit, and even appeared to move a moment, but stopped. The spell failed.
"Then how about this?" Liviccic began a different chant.
[Drifa Resurrect III]!
The suit rattled even louder and clearly moved a moment, snapping a few webs. However, it also came to a stop.
"That clearly worked. Will leveling it up to "X" be enough?" Sophia asked what they were both thinking.
"It'll be close. He he. It might need a bit more biological components… I have an idea." Liviccic got an evil grin.
"Let me guess, beeswax and linseed oil?" Sophia said in a tired tone.
"Is my taste in looks that obvious?" Liviccic felt offended.
"You are a necromancer that literally wears bones as armor." Sophia said in a deadpan manner.
"...Huh…Well… We'll have him up and running by the end of the week." Liviccic felt called out.
"And the pope? I noticed you've yet to revive him. Why?" Sophia asked.
"I'll need a talented alchemist like Mia to help me with that one. I have a pretty cool idea, wanna hear it?" Liviccic seemed excited.
"All this talk of helping people, but you really just want cool looking undead. Same reason you still have Gaelion's corpse, eh?" Sophia accused.
"What's wrong with making super cool undead?" Liviccic asked defensively.
He always acted more childish when it was just the two of them.
…
The new lords and ladies of Melromarc were doing what they could to strengthen their nation, but they did not aim to restore the power that was lost with the pope's treachery. No, they aimed to strengthen Melromarc even further. With genuine change on the horizon, everyone was motivated to help make that change a reality
.
[Author's Notes]
Mia hasn't solved anything yet, but at least it didn't escalate to violence. Now she gets to begin the project she hired Walter for, and why did she need the crystals from the interdimensional whale?
Godiva isn't a great actor, but she got the job done to begin her plan of making excuses to snag slaves from anyone she can. She also had to throw Walter under the bus, but who doesn't? She begins showing her strength so she can tame the Western Front.
Fitts and Chloe begin cleaning up Crowood and Fitts reveals his plan to use undercover law enforcement in the form of bargain bin shadows as a means to combat the type of lies and manipulation that nearly killed Naofumi and himself. Now if only Chloe would just leave him alone or jump his bones.
Not much needed out of Liviccic. The people of Briarhaven at least appear to accept him at last. He begins his attempt to make a mighty undead, with even more plans for Balmus later. He was expanding his power via even more powerful undead.
Melromarc's power was growing by the day.
