Author's notes
Atemu surprises visitors when ...
They stay...
He chooses ...
The next day...
Chapter 18 - The power of an empire
The representatives of the other kingdoms were still appalled by the display of power from the monsters who blindly obeyed their summoner.
Therefore, they were removed from their stunned state by their respective personal servants and after they all left, they watch the monarch walking in a straight line, with all of them opening their way and when standing in front of them, turning to look at them, the monarch begins to concentrate, with his Sennen Pazuru shining brightly as he summoned the three Egyptian Gods.
"Netjer (Deus) Ré (Raa no Yokushinryuu), Netjer Wsỉr (Osiris - Oshirisu no Tenkuuryuu) and Tekhenu (Oberisuku no Kyoshinhei)! Appear!"
Everyone observes three intense glows that came from the back of the palace, with them afterwards seeing the appearance of three colossal monsters.
One was of the blue color and appears behind the monarch as it emerges from the ground in all its haughtiness, with its oppressive shadow being projected on the others that watched with amazement the display of power. Another that was red and slender that emerges from the skies whose clouds abruptly darkened before it appeared at the same time as they were buffeted by violent lightning that spread through the clouds. The colossal dragon descends from the heavens with all its imposing bearing, with its long body surrounding the king of Kemet, with its powerful paws landing with intrepid in the sand. A third in golden color erupts from the clouds in the shape of a sphere, and later, it undoes the sphere shape when it assumes its true form, effectively dissipating the clouds while interrupting the lightning streams by emitting an intense glow similar to the brightness of the sun and that was irradiated and that after ceasing, reveals the night sky.
He descends majestically from the heavens and lands obediently beside the ruler of that empire by retracting his wings. All of them showed submission to Atemu, leaving all the visitors appalled because they were colossal and in the case of what was red, they did not know which mouths to look at.
Everything they witnessed up to that moment demonstrated the undisputed power and sovereignty of that empire.
In fact, only a suicide bomber or a madman would dare to invade Kemet with them possessing monsters so powerful and just as submissive.
When looking at the three Gods and their colossal size, the representatives and many of the kemetics fall to their knees with their bulging eyes, being surprised to still have some rational line of thought.
After a few minutes, some of them manage to recover their strength in their legs and run from the place, deeply terrified, wishing to stay as far as possible from the immense creatures and Atemu did not condemn them because anyone would do so if they stood in front of one of the Gods.
Therefore, he was fully aware that the sight of three of them at the same time, only heightened the terror and as a result of that fact, the young monarch had decided to take some preventive measures to prevent injuries caused by an unbridled escape from a terrified crowd.
Following their Pharaoh's orders faithfully, the guards had previously blocked the exits, causing many to huddle in front of the huge, firmly closed double doors.
As they looked at the three monsters again, they were seized with irrational terror and as they looked back, they witnessed the immense beings gently bow their heads to the sovereign of that empire, making them question themselves whether the sovereign of that empire was indeed , a God on earth because they could not conceive of the idea of a simple mortal being able to make beings so powerful, seen as Gods, become so submissive and docile in their hands. Only a deity would achieve this.
Regarding the kemetics who already shared the vision of Per'a'ah as a God, they only had an unequivocal confirmation of Atemu's divinity when they witnessed the control and submission that he had of such powerful beings.
Meanwhile, the Holy Guardians had shown a huge smile on their faces because the displays of power disguised in the form of celebrations served to send a message to all the kingdoms adjacent to Kemet. A message imbued with the revelation of the consequences of trying to invade the empire.
Pharaoh strokes each of the Gods, showing his dominance to all, with the representatives swallowing hard while their eyes remained wide open, making them realize that they should inform their rulers of the insanity that it would be to try to invade Kemet because some arrived to consider this hypothesis.
Therefore, they felt that they needed to remove this idea as soon as possible when talking about the power of that empire and that it was not measured only by its military power.
Atemu makes the Gods return the tablets of stones by making everyone see the colossal and equally imposing beings leaving the place when flying to the sky.
The servants and slaves who waited for the orders, observed the gesture of the imi-r pr wr (Great superintendent of the house) that guided them to prepare to help the guests and guide them through the sumptuous corridors while the foreign visitors finished assimilating that they saw.
After calming down again, the double doors are opened with a nod from the monarch when he sees that the crowd has calmed down, although many still tremble at the sight they had as they were surprised to see that most kemetics treated the monsters by chance , making them astonished by someone naturally seeing such powerful beings, leading them to believe that this was something usual, making this another reason to alert their sovereigns. The princes who came for the coronation would also inform their parents of the suicide that it was to invade Kemet.
Atemu managed to perfectly disguise his tiredness of invoking the three Gods at once as he went to his throne to sit, seeking to perfectly conceal his spiritual exhaustion by the triple invocation.
After all, summoning high-level monsters consumed the summoner's Ba far too much, and the three Gods possessed a power above any other Ka.
The monarch had to train hard to increase his Ba over the years and was fully aware that he needed to redouble his efforts to summon the three without feeling tired, so that he could summon a fourth or fifth Ka, if necessary, in addition to having his personal Ka that was created by him.
Shimon had been pleased and equally proud to see how perfectly he hid his tiredness so that no visitor would see the cost of invoking them, with a view to giving even more fear in their hearts by making them mistakenly think that it was something simple and without any effort to invoke titanic beings.
In fact, none of the guests noticed that Hemt-netjr Isis, one of the sacred Guardians of the court of Atemu, quietly invoked one of their Ka, the Hourii Erufu (Mystical Elf), who was hidden behind the curtains behind the throne and who discreetly used his powers to restore the Atemu Ba because that was the skill of this Ka.
The newly crowned king had endeavored to comply with Shimon's plan, aiming to live in peace because he didn't want his people to suffer a war, should any kingdom decide to invade the empire, forcing Kemet to face the invading army in a confrontation. For Atemu, war only brought suffering, disease, death and destruction to both sides.
Therefore, he agreed and approved Shimon's orchestrated power exhibition plan to show the empire's sovereignty and power, without being through confrontation, aiming to avoid one at the same time.
After all, like his father, he longed to maintain peace no matter how much he knew it was almost impossible because there would always be a ruler who would want power, no matter how to throw innocent men to death in selfish battles driven by arrogance, greed or thirst for power. For the monarch, the long wars of the past were enough, with the last campaign being continued in his father's reign to expel the hekau khasut (Hicsos) from Kemet, ending by subduing them in their capital in Hut-waret in the Nile Delta after an intense military campaign.
Of course, he knew that his desire for the people to live in peace could almost be considered a utopia, even after this display of power.
After some presentations involving dancers, a procession of cousins distant from him appeared, with them being of second or third degree and even beyond, who prostrated themselves to the sovereign of that empire. It was evident to all those present how much they were waiting to be chosen, with each one feeling better than the other while wearing their most beautiful clothes and jewelry while trying to get the monarch's attention.
Atemu came down from his throne and exchanged a few words with each of them, trying to carefully analyze their expressions and look while suppressing the guilt he felt for having to marry, even if his heart belonged to the mysterious young man who populated his dreams.
In the end, he chose one of them who showed that he did not mind not being loved while he wished only for wealth and the title of minor wife did not bother her. She also demonstrated that she would not mind giving an heir to the monarch at the same time that she did not harbor any desire or hope for romance in her union, with the newly appointed king realizing the sincerity of his words in his eyes and features by allowing she looked at him, having given that same temporary permission to the others.
After choosing her, the others are dismissed, showing sadness that they were not chosen while he took the hand of the one he chose to take her to the side of his throne, where she stood.
A servant brought a golden diadem with a discreet ruby in the center on a cushion, with the monarch removing it from the cushion and then placing it on the young woman's head after she fell down.
This diadem was worn by a minor wife.
Then he would go to one of the luxurious balconies, facing the crowd waiting for him outside the hall to meet the new Per'a'ah and become aware of his youngest wife, who would be behind him.
The young woman had a huge smile at being chosen and did not mind complying with her obligation to generate an heir to the throne.
After all, she had thoroughly analyzed her husband's body while being fully aware of his fame, thus making her nibble on her lip because she was too anxious to be in his arms because from what she heard, there was not even one person who he regretted sharing his bed with Atemu, even for one night, with his gifts of mistress spreading throughout the court.
In order to compensate for the feeling of guilt within himself, the monarch swore to himself that he would try to give his third cousin a luxurious life and that he would satisfy her in bed to compensate for the absent love relationship when he noticed how much he was showing himself to be eager to be alone with him and that it would be no problem because he appreciated that his lovers, no matter their status, felt as much pleasure as he did in consensual relationships.
After the choice of the minor wife, a new celebration takes place and as two ceremonies were carried out, the party would go far.
The next day, he went to the veranda that faced the main entrance to the palace and whose doors were opened to the people.
Shimon cleared his throat and announced "Chief administrator, Chief of Medjay, First magistrate, Hem-netjr (high priest) of Kemet, Nsw (king) of Kemet (Blacklands) and Deshret (Redland), Ta-Shemu (Upper Egypt) and Ta-Menhu (Lower Egypt) and son of the Netjer (Gods) We salute him and prostrate ourselves as our incarnated Netjer, endowed with all the divine authority imbued by his glorious father, Netjer Amon Ré. before his holiness, the son of the glorious Netjer Ré and incarnate God! Kanekht Merimaat Wasermaar-ré Nyuserre Medjed Sa-Ré Atem (The powerful bull beloved by Maat. Powerful is the justice of Ré. Possessed of the power of Ré. the enemies. Son of D, Atem)! Nsw-bity (King of Upper and Lower Egypt) Atem! "
Then, he advances and waves at them after giving a speech that inflated his subjects with hope and enthusiasm, with them prostrating themselves with their foreheads on the floor, and then Shimon introducing his younger wife, with the people making the same bow he did for the other nobles.
After public commotion with his first appearance as Per'a'ah, he returned to the castle to check the dozens of reports that awaited him while the people returned to their duties while the imi-r pr wr (Great superintendent of house) guided the younger wife to the rooms she would occupy, also explaining some aspects of the palace and which she needed to know, as well as for her to take a bath and rest.
After the servants exchanged his clothes for more comfortable ones, but which demonstrated his status, exchanging the Nemes crown for the crown he would wear daily, Atemu arrives at his luxurious office and begins to read carefully the various reports that have come in from all over the world places in your kingdom. The imi-r pr wr (Great superintendent of the house), Leon was the son of a man from Hellas (Greece) and a Kemética mother, in addition to the grandson of the previous imi-r pr wr who was his maternal grandfather. Leon would join later after allocating his youngest wife to the room assigned to her.
He had inherited his father's alabaster skin and blue eyes while the pink hair came from Hellas's grandfather.
Despite being young for the position, he demonstrated full knowledge of the craft and was an excellent administrator because he had been taught since he was a child. He had a personal ka created by his heart that he was allowed to keep with him.
The king wore his usual clothes formed by a tunic of linen composed of an elaborately sewn chanti, held by a golden band at the waist. There were gold anklets that wrapped around the ankles and part of the leg.
D's eye, made of pure gold, was resting on his forehead, indicating that he was the son of the Sun God Re, and the thick line of Kohl under each eye gave the impression of elongating them towards the ears and then curving to down towards the face and completing her makeup, her tanned skin was adorned with sparkling gold dust spread on her skin while her pure gold earrings were shaped like a plaque with the Ankah symbol in relief, containing small precious jewels adorned inside
On his neck was an Oskh composed of golden rings that wrapped around his neck and part of his chest while his pure gold earrings were in the shape of a plaque with the Ankah symbol in relief, containing small precious jewels adorned inside. Wadjet's eye was on his forehead and was made of pure gold, indicating that he was the son of the God Sol Re, with his sennensui resting on his chest at the same time as he was attached by a rustic rope. On her arms and ankles gleamed gold bracelets, in addition to wearing golden rings on most of her fingers and above each shoulder lay species of layered golden shoulder pads with inlaid jewels in the shape of wings, alluding to the God Re.
Over his shoulders lay an amethyst cloak that extended to his back after going around the prince's neck and covering the beginning of the shoulder pads and was so long that it came close to the floor.
On his neck lay golden necklaces, while his pure gold earrings were in the shape of a plaque with the Ankah symbol in relief, containing small precious jewels adorned on the inside, the Wadjet eye being on his forehead and was made of pure gold, indicating that he was the son of the God Sol Re.
His shoes were made with gold threads at their edges.
Shimon was at his side, assisting him whenever necessary, including suggestions and advice while several servants came up with new reports at the same time that he dispatched some decisions that needed his opinion on papyrus, then placing his seal before to deliver to a servant to be delivered to the recipient.
Then, they hear a few knocking on the double doors, causing Atemu to arch her frown, thinking that maybe it was his wife although I seriously doubted she would wake up because their celebrations of their union celebration lasted all night and she must be tired. The consummation would be that night.
After all, he had informed her of the urgent need for an heir and her cousin was more than willing to share the bed at all possible times, aiming to get pregnant as soon as possible in order to fulfill her obligations to give an heir to her husband.
Of course Atemu would give the impression that they loved each other to the son or daughter, so that the child would be raised in the same loving environment he was raised with with his mother, before she died from being bitten by a deadly spider.
"In between." He speaks in his deep baritone and equally relentless voice, which is the voice of a ruler after leaving his thoughts.
Atemu removes his Pharaoh mask when he sees who he is, with Shimon discreetly going to the door after the monarch's friends pass, aiming for no one else to enter by announcing to the guards who were ahead in the corridors, so that no servants pass by , informing them that they should wait to deliver something to the monarch.
"Hi Atemu" Jounouchi enters and ruffles his friend's spiky hair.
"I'm fine."
The others greet him and Mariki approaches, observing the various papyri, noting that his friend was writing in some, identifying one of them as that of his older brother Rishido containing reports on the situation of the army at the borders and internally, seeing another that was from Diiva (Aigami) on taxation and taxes, as well as reports from Egyptians who were owed taxes and fees that awaited Pharaoh's opinion.
Ryou had approached and looked at the various scrolls, starting to feel sorry for his friend because there were too many reports for him to read.
Honda sighed when he saw the amount because he never imagined having the patience to sit for several hours, reading various reports and responding to those who needed an answer from the empire's sovereign.
After releasing Atemu, Jounouchi gasps when he sees the amount of papyrus.
"Believe me, there were more papyri. I dispatched several of them before you came in." The monarch speaks smiling when he realizes the stunned gaze of his friends, looking from him to the table. "Don't worry. I'm just reading a bit more papyrus than when I was Iry-pat (crown prince). Like Per'a'ah, an increase in the amount of papyrus would be inevitable."
"Still, there are many friends ... I can't even imagine reading some of these papyri. Look at the thickness of this one." Jounouchi speaks as he takes one of them in his hands, trying not to take it out of the order in which he found himself.
"Well, not everyone is this big, buddy. The papyri that involve reports from armies, both at the borders and internally, as well as those that involve taxation and taxes are considerably large. But the overwhelming majority, no. Don't forget that I I have been trained for this my whole life. "
"I know, but ..." Ryo comments looking with pity at his friend.
"I imagine they didn't come here to inspect my papyrus." The sovereign speaks while he laughs lightly, folding his arms in front of his chest while leaning his body on the table behind him, starting to relax even more.
"We came to see what you'll do with your gifts. It's evident that you've feigned interest in several."
"Oh! That's true. Well, I have a papyrus containing the inventory of what I received, waiting for my opinion" He speaks, heading over to the table containing the various rolls and starting to turn them over without taking them out of order , then smile as he takes a considerably thick papyrus in his hands. "This is the inventory papyrus. I need to determine their fate. As for the overwhelming majority of objects, they will be kept in the treasure chamber. I also need to leave some of them in strategic locations, in case any representative of the kingdom who sent the gift appears for a political visit. It would be too lacking in diplomacy and education not to have one of their gifts in sight. But it will be just one. I have gifts from various kingdoms to define. Silver items are always welcome. Gold is not a problem for us unlike silver. Amethyst is a precious stone for us and a symbol of Per'a'ah, as you know. I even liked these gifts that involve something we don't have here in Kemet. "
"Just like those exotic animal skins. They were pretty interesting." Honda comments thoughtfully.
"I thought so too. I'll pick the most exotic one to put in my quarters. I'll see if my wife wants some gifts."
After all, the younger wife had other rooms and only attended those of the monarch by invitation
"What about live animals? There were some cute ones."
"Well, I received suggestions for places and I will decide which ones will be the best. I just hope they don't send me any more animals."
"You received little, Atemu." Shimon comments, smiling.
"That's true. Thankfully, animals are rare and usually not ferocious. Ferocious animals take more work because we need to be careful in handling them. Thankfully, sending animals is rare."
"True. What about the new girls for your harem?"
"As for them ..."
Then, they stop talking when they hear a knock on the door, making them look at each other because Shimon had ordered that no one bother them.
Quickly, his friends take a humble position while Atemu puts on the mask again.
"In between." He speaks in a deep, relentless and authoritative baritone voice.