Jibril teleported in front of Sora in the throne room "You are going to have a guest soon" she said
"Nice. Which guest?"
"It's an elf"
He cocked his head "Is it an important elf?"
"Senator Viel Nirvalen. Does the name ring a bell?"
He mulled over it "Uhm… Not really"
"It's the elf that was helping Kurami Tseru to become queen of Elkia"
His eyes went wide "Oh, I see. Very well, then…" Sora stood up "Come with me, my LAD"
She seemed disappointed "Are you really going to greet that sneaky elf at the gate?"
"Not at all, I just want to get Stephanie"
Jibril was now very curious, and followed Sora along the corridors of the palace until they found princess Dola, as usual busy with the administration of Elkia.
"Good morning, your Majesty" Sora greeted her
"Good morning, Sora. Thanks for dealing with the Duke of Anshi, yesterday"
"Not a problem. Ehm… listen, I would like to ask you a favor today… but it's fine if you say no…"
"What is it?"
"Jibril says that we are going to receive the visit of a Senator from Elven Garde today… I would like to read the intelligence reports we have about her, before meeting our guest in person… Could you entertain her for a bit, while I do that?"
"Yes, of course I will do it!" the princess said, immediately taking her leave
Sora rushed after her "Wait, this is important… this senator is Viel Nirvalen: the elf that was helping Tseru to become ruler of Elkia"
Stephanie stopped, and went pale "Are you insane?"
He raised his hands, and backed down immediately "Ok, no problem. I will ask someone else…"
"Why did you even ask me?"
Sora scratched his head "Well… it is true that you were on opposing sides in the king competition, but that was some time ago… and you won"
"It's not me who won… you did it"
"Only because you came to get me… you really should not downplay your role, there!"
Stephanie blushed, and Sora went on "Besides… Elven Garde and Elkia are now part of the same Empire, but you are the ruler of Elkia while she is one of many Senators… I thought that maybe there was no reason anymore to hate her…"
Stephanie thought about it "I see. You are right Sora, I have no reason to hate her anymore. Very well, I will meet Senator Nirvalen and treat her with all the honors of her station"
"Thank you, princess Dola. I appreciate it"
And so, Sora and Jibril quickly headed to the library, read everything they could find, and finally joined Stephanie and Viel. Sora was pleased to notice that they seemed to be having a fine conversation; Stephanie made the introductions and then excused herself.
"Senator… please have a seat" Sora offered
"Thank you, Emperor…" Viel said while seating "… I take that you are finally done reading about me?"
Sora made a small smile "You are very clever"
She made a face "So you know who I am"
"And what you did at the king-making game"
She stiffened; she had been shrouding herself in illusions most of time, so she had hoped that no human would actually recognize her. Then she took a look at the predatory smile on Jibril's face and understood everything
"I see… but you still trusted me enough to meet me"
"Let me be clear, Senator… I do not trust you at all right now…"
She felt as if she had been slapped, and lowered her eyes "That is not a very good way to start a meeting…"
He was unflinching "I agree, but I have a proposal to make things better"
She looked at him inquisitively "What is the proposal?"
"You will decide on three questions that you want me to answer. If I agree to be asked those questions, I will swear on the Pledges to answer truthfully, so that I will be physically unable to lie. I will then do the same to you. How does that sound?"
She thought about it for a few seconds, then smiled "That seems like a good idea. What are your questions?"
Sora raised a hand, and counted on the fingers
"Number one: do you have any negative feelings towards me? Number two: do you have any negative feelings towards humans in general? Number three: is your presence here connected in any way with a plan to weaken the Empire? Please answer with just a yes or no"
Her eyes went wide "Those are very good questions… I accept to answer them. These are mine: do you hate elves? Is it true that you want to conquer this world? Once the world will be yours, what are you going to do with it?"
Sora smiled "Nice questions, I accept to answer them"
They both swore on the pledges to answer truthfully, and Viel decided to go first
"The answer to your questions are: no, no and no. I have nothing against you, Emperor. In fact, I am grateful to you"
Sora cocked his head "Are you?"
"Yes, because you freed the slaves in the Empire. My best friend was born a slave of my family, that is a very influential clan in Elven Garde. Because of the difference in our social positions, we could spend very little time together, and we always had to be very careful not to be seen hanging out… until you created the Empire"
He nodded slowly "I see… good for you and your friend then!"
Viel blushed "Thank you. I … feel strange. I never said any of that to anyone before! Did you have something about it in your intelligence report?"
He shook his head "No... You did a good job keeping that secret"
She made a face "Are you going to add it to my file, now?"
He thought about it for a moment "No"
She cocked her head "Why not?"
He grinned "I like to know things that only few else know. It gives me an edge against my enemies…" he shook his head "And no, it is absolutely not to avoid putting a giant target on your friend that can be exploited to attack you…"
She blinked "Thank you… you are very different from what I heard about you"
"Am I?"
"Yes, definitely"
"Uhm… may I ask you what you heard?"
"I heard that you are a cruel monster that does not stop in front of anything, and that uses the women around him like mere tools"
He pondered over it for a second "Well, I am not intelligent enough to play with women like that… all of the rest is quite right though…"
She laughed "You don't fool me! Why would you protect my friend if you were so bad?"
"To trick you into trusting me until it is time to strike, of course…"
She seemed taken aback "I… don't understand you"
He shrugged "That happens a lot. And frankly, I am quite fine with it. My turn to answer now… I have nothing against the elves, in general. Yes, I do want to conquer the world…" he grinned, and clenched his fist "…and once it will be mine, I will use its entire potential to explore the galaxy!"
She blinked "What is the galaxy?"
Sora smiled apologetically "Of course, my mistake. Uhm… how do I put it? Do you like sunny days, Senator?"
She grimaced "No, the direct light of the sun burns my skin! That's why the elves live underground!" she recomposed herself "Is that a problem?"
"Not a problem at all, don't worry. Do you like starry nights instead?"
This time, Viel brightened up "Yes, I do like those! They are so pretty!"
Sora smiled "I agree. Now, in your opinion, are the sun and the stars similar… or somehow related?"
"No, of course not!"
"What if I told you that the sun and the star are exactly the same thing, and that the only difference is how far they are from Disboard?"
"That does not make any sense"
"Does it? Let's see then… I know that humans often prepare bonfire for festivals, and I read that the elves do the same. Is that correct?"
She nodded "Yes, we also do that. What about it?"
"Imagine that it's night, and you are outside, and close to a bonfire… the flame is pretty large, and hot, right?"
"Obviously"
"Now, imagine that you walk away from the bonfire, and climb to a mountain… the bonfire now will look like a little spot of light, right?"
"Yes… but what does it have to do with stars?"
"Now, imagine that there are many bonfires burning across the entire valley… what you see now is a myriad of spot of light… similar to a starry sky!"
Her eyes went wide "Oh! So you are saying that the sun is a star, but we are so close that it looks huge to us!"
"Yes, exactly"
She joined her hands, and smiled with delight "I have a question then, do stars exists also during day?"
"Yes, they do. We just cannot see them because the light of the sun cancels their own… because if you are close to a bonfire and look into the flame, you won't be able to see any of the others"
"I see! That is so interesting! And so the galaxy is…"
"The galaxy is the ensemble of the sun and all of the other stars"
"And is there another world like Disboard around each of the stars?"
"Some have no world around them, some have many… I don't think that there is a rule"
"That is fascinating! But how do you know these things?"
Sora looked at her "I am from one of those places"
Her smile faded, and brought her hands to her chest "Oh, my. So you are doing all of this… just to go home!"
Sora was perplexed "Uhm? No… that's not the reason, actually"
"But you said…"
"The stars are too many… and too far away… I will never be able to see even one of those. I will never be able to go home that way… Besides, I like this place now."
"Then… why are you doing it?"
He smiled "That question was not on the list"
"You answered many questions already that were not on the list"
"Yes, but those were to make you understand what a galaxy is. This… is something else"
"So you still don't you trust me, after all"
"That is not the issue"
Viel leant forward, and looked into his eyes for a long moment. Sora sustained her gaze
"I see. I can see that you are not lying, so I guess I will let it go for now… can you tell me at least if you are going to get anything from it at all?"
Sora mulled over it "Peace of mind, I suppose"
She leant back on the back of the chair "You are intriguing, Emperor. It's the first time that I know for sure that the person in front of me is not lying or trying to mock me… but at the same time I have no idea what he is thinking"
He scratched his head "Well, I will take it as a compliment"
"You should. So, are you sure that you won't be able to see any of these other worlds?"
"Yes, I am quite certain of it. Maybe you will be able to see some of them though"
She frowned "Are you worried about me?"
He raised a hand and smiled awkwardly "Just trying to make you interested in the project"
"If that is your only purpose… It's working. And once you find another planet, what do you think that it should be done with it?"
"That is a question that I will leave to my successors"
"You could force your successors to follow certain rules with the Race Pieces"
He nodded "I could. But I won't do it"
"Why not?"
"I have no intention of reducing the options of the future while knowing only the present"
She smirked "That seem a very privileged point of view" she said while pressing him
Sora didn't even blink "Indeed. It's the privilege of having a shorter lifespan"
she blushed "I-I am sorry, I did not thing about it"
"Apology accepted, any other question?"
"Well… yes..." she said recomposing herself "…You spoke about your successor… who is it going to be?"
"I really haven't thought about it yet"
"What about your son?"
"That would hardly be uncommon"
"You will have to get married first…"
"That would also be quite common…"
"Are you planning to marry princess Dola?"
He chuckled "I will tell you only after I discuss the issue with her, if you don't mind"
"That's fair…" she made a pause before the following question "You said you have nothing against elves before… can I ask you to elaborate?"
He cocked his head "Elaborate… how?"
"Do you like them?"
He chuckled again "I disliked the former ambassador from Elven Garde very much! In general, though … yes, I do like elves"
Jibril scoffed, but Viel ignored her "Would you consider marrying an elf?"
He raised his eyebrows "That is a weird question, Senator… but yes, I would have no problem marrying an elf"
"So, between me and the princess, who do you like the best?"
He raised both of his eyebrows, while Jibril narrowed her eyes "Listen, Senator… I don't know if this is a normal question to do among elves, but it is quite inappropriate among humans! Of both this world and mine!"
"You are right, Emperor, I am sorry…" she said while backing down. Then changed her tone "Thank you for answering all of those questions, Emperor. I think that I understand you much better now!"
"My pleasure. So, can we come to the reason of your visit, or was it covered already?"
"No, we did not cover it yet… well, only half of it"
"I see. Then, what can I do for you?"
"That is actually my line"
He gave her a quizzical glance "Is it?"
"As I said, I am grateful to you for freeing the slaves of Elven Garde… I came here to return the favor. So, Emperor Sora, what can I do for you?"
Sora was pleasantly surprised "That is… unexpected. Thank you for the offer, Senator. I am sorry to say that I am really not prepared to answer that question… is there anything that you would like to do for me?"
"Why did you say that?"
He shrugged "I just wanted to make it easier to you"
"Because I am a weak magician and a disgrace to the Nirvalen family?"
"Are you? I never said that, and neither I believe it"
"Didn't you read it in your intelligence reports? My family is quite public about it"
"I did read it, but that is just what your family think that you are, not what you actually are. Let's be honest, my family thinks stuff about me… because I made them believe it, not because they are true"
"I could help you with magic… elves are very good with magic!"
"Yes, I heard that"
"The most powerful among us are called hexa-casters… have you heard of that too?"
"Yes, they can cast six magic at the same time, right?"
"Right… I am afraid that I am not so powerful though…"
"How powerful are you?"
"I can cast… two spells at the same time"
Both Sora and Jibril laughed hard. Viel looked downcast
"I see that you are mocking me like everyone else… looks like I overestimated you"
Sora recomposed himself "I am not mocking you, Senator… but I am a little disappointed…"
She shrunk even more "I know… because I am weak and incompetent"
Sora sighed "No… I am disappointed because I thought that we were done playing"
"I did not lie" and she proceeded to swear on the Pledges
Sora leant forward and made a predatory smile "Of course you did not lie… you did something else entirely: you pretended to make a pause"
"What a weird thing to say"
Sora's grin grew even wider "What a weird thing to do! You first said 'I can cast', then pretended to make a pause, and instead you whispered something like 'more than', so that you could swear on the Pledges that you did not lie, and finally you said aloud 'two spells at the same time' to conclude. So, in the end, what you actually said was: 'I can cast more than two spells at the same time'… but seriously!"
Sora laughed again "That is so far from the mark! Let's make it more realistic, shall we?" he grabbed his chin, and thought about it for a second, then addressed the woman again "I am going to say that you can cast at least… five spells at the same time. Maybe even six! How did I go?"
Viel's mouth dropped open "I can't believe it… how do you know all of that?"
Sora had managed to read Viel's lips as she whispered. In addition, he had read that Magic affinity was somehow transmitted via familiar bond. The Nirvalen Clan had always been highly influential in Elven Garde for exactly this reason, and among Viel's ancestors it was impossible not to notice the towering figure of Think Nirvalen. From a drawing of Think, Sora could see that she looked almost exactly like Viel, and from that he made the assumption that Viel was actually a very talented spellcaster. However, this was butting head with Elven Garde's rigid social structure that put highly capable magicians at the top and magically ungifted slaves at the very bottom. Viel seemed to care a lot for Tseru – and Sora had remembered that Viel was the one that had drafted the bill to abolish slavery at the Senate. Sora could not be sure that he was right, but putting everything together, the most likely explanation was that Viel was just hiding her real power to stay close to her friend. As it turned out, he was right.
"I am not going to tell you…" he said "That will be your punishment for trying to mess with me. But don't worry, I am not going to tell anyone about this either… it is true that slavery is now abolished, but old habits die hard"
"I see. You really are something else… Tseru and I really had no chance of defeating you, even if I am an hexa-caster … we as Elven Garde also stood no chance against you!"
Jibril beamed with pride, of course the one she chose as her Master had no problem trampling on the entire elven race!
Sora scratched his cheek, embarrassed "You are too generous, Senator"
She shook her head "Not at all, I apologize for testing you, Emperor. Would you please allow me to repay my debt with you now? Please ask what you want from me, and I will do everything, and I mean everything in my power to grant it to you…"
Sora thought about the offer "I need a favor…"
She nodded "What favor?"
He seemed to go into trance for a moment "I don't know it yet… but someday I may really need your help. Will you do me a favor, when that day comes?"
"I see. You truly are wise, Emperor Sora. Yes, I will grant you a favor when you need it the most. I wish to establish a link spell between us, so that you can call when you need me… is that acceptable for you?"
"Yes, thank you Senator"
"In the meantime, I thought about something that I would like to do for you… in addition to that favor"
"What is it?"
"I would like to work for you and join your staff. Would you consider my candidacy?"
Sora and Jibril exchanged a glance
"That is … a very interesting proposition, Senator Nirvalen… we had been thinking about strengthening our connection with Elven Garde just a few days ago…"
"Is that a 'yes'?"
Sora mulled about the question "I was thinking about making you the official spokesperson between the Senate of Elven Garde and the Imperial Palace. You return to Elven Garde, perform your duties as Senator as usual, but you also meet periodically with me to report on the situation… I know it's not precisely a promotion, for now … but I do think that in the long run your influence on the Senate will grow considerably because of your personal connection with me. What do you say?"
She thought about the proposal for a moment, then brightened up "Yes, I like it! Thank you for this opportunity!"
Sora smiled "Great! Then let's hammer down the details…"
Viel departed that same day. Both Sora and Stephanie protested and tried to convince her to stay a little longer, but Jibril was less than sorry to see the elf leave. Later that day, she flew to Avant Heim for a session of the Council of the Eighteen Wings, while Stephanie and Sora stayed up until late in the archive.
"I am bet!" Stephanie slumped her shoulder as the final seal was placed on the missive. She turned towards the man "Thank you for helping me, Sora! You didn't have to, you know?"
"It's all right. I know you always work super-hard"
"How did your meeting with Senator Nirvalen go?"
"Very well, I would say. Thank you for being nice to her"
"So… was I useful to you, today?"
He blinked "Of course you were… you are very helpful to me every day! Why are you asking me that?"
"Because you always do so much for me and for Elkia, and I feel useless"
He was taken aback "Ehm… did I do something that makes you feel…"
"No! No, absolutely! You never even hinted at it because you are kind, but I can see that by myself…" she gestured around "All of this… the Empire, the fact that Elkia is still ruled by humans, the mere fact that I can still live in my home, and not who knows where… you did all of it. I did nothing. You kept me by your side, and I keep things running, but sometimes I wonder if you wouldn't be better off without me"
He was speechless "Uhm… I think that you are missing some important pieces here. First of all: to keep things running is what allows me to handle the expansion of the Empire… I do not consider that to be trivial at all. Second: the fact that Elkia is still ruled by humans… is also because of you"
"No, that was all your doing. It was your plan that led you to victory"
"Only because you came to the library! And I was not nice to you! Not one bit!"
She shook her head with force "That's not true! I was drunk, and I said something incredibly insulting to you, but you still kept being nice"
He raised his eyebrows "You were begging on your knees! You are a princess, but you were begging on your knees and offering yourself as a slave to a man that you had never met before! All of that just to save your country!" he sighed "Stephanie… if I could replace all of the politicians of my planet with somebody like you… my planet would be a much better place"
She sniffed, and looked away "Thank you Sora… that means a lot…" then chuckled and smiled at him "… you called me 'Stephanie'… I think it's the first time"
He made a little smile "I think so too"
"Why did you keep calling me 'Your Majesty' even after you became King, and then Emperor?"
He made a face "Well, I just wanted to be polite. You are a princess after all, so I thought that was the right way to address you…"
"You are the Emperor, but you asked me to call you Sora"
he chuckled "I am the Emperor because of circumstances… you are from a noble family, and your grandfather was a king… it's different"
"So it's not that you dislike me?"
His eyes went wide "What? No! Of course not! W-what did I do to make you think that? Have I been acting unfriendly towards you?"
"No, you are right…. You are always very friendly actually… and even if you address me formally, you always treated me as an equal… despite being my Emperor. I am sorry, it was my mistake… a silly mistake"
He looked at her in an almost worried-like fashion "Ok, don't mention it…"
"Can I make you a question?"
He nodded "Sure"
"Why do you call Jibril: 'my lad'?"
He chuckled "Oh, that… that's just a nickname"
"I see. A special something that is just between the two of you…"
"I guess so…"
"Sora…" Stephanie made a pause, lowered her eyes and started playing with her hair "… would you consider giving a nickname to me as well?" she finally asked with a blush
He was shocked by the request "Oh…" he looked away for a moment, embarrassed "I had no idea… that you felt that way…"
She made a small smile "Looks like I finally managed to surprise you…"
He nodded slowly, then lowered his eyes "You did… but I am afraid that I cannot do what you asked"
"I see…" she looked downcast, but managed to straighten herself immediately "…would you want to know why I started to like you?" she said giving him an intense glance
"If you don't mind…"
"I once was naked, and I was crying while hiding in some shrubs, waiting for the night to get out… but then a man threw some clothes at me, and then just walked away without a word. Sounds familiar?"
His eyes went wide "I never said that to anyone… it was you. It was you all along"
"Yes, it was me. I have never been so humiliated and terrified my entire life. I was afraid of being seen, but I was even more afraid that somebody would offer me some help, just to extract some huge concession in exchange. And then… you just gave me your clothes. Your only spare of clothes, right?"
"It was my first day on Disboard, so… yes"
"Why didn't you wait for me to come out? You could have at least asked for hospitality"
He scratched his nape "I just thought that whoever was in there was embarrassed enough already… I was ready to sleep on the street for that first night"
She flew into his arms, baring her face into his chest "Oh, Sora! Thank you! Thank you so much! I was so scared! I was so humiliated! I was ready to give up on Immanity as a whole! I was ready to start hating the entire world! It's only because you were so kind to me that I can still trust other people!"
Sora let her vent her emotions and kept her into his arms until she stopped trembling and sobbing. Eventually, she broke free of his embrace
"I am sorry…" she said while wiping a tear "I have been waiting a long time to tell you this…" she gave him a sad smile "…but this doesn't change anything, doesn't it?"
"It does not…" he said with a pained expression "…I am sorry"
"Is it the way I look? I can change my hair and make them look like Jibril's, and I can put on fake wings…"
Sora felt like he was withering inside, and quickly stopped her "No! Please don't say that! That is not the reason at all!"
"Then is it because I am weak? I can learn magic. I will be even stronger than her!"
His face contorted briefly
"Well, I do like the fact that she is so powerful… but that is also not the main reason…"
"What is the main reason?"
He sighed
"It's because of something that happened to her, a long time ago… and because something very similar happened to me as well, before I came here. That is why we have a connection"
"Can't the same thing happen to me as well?"
He sighed and shook his head "No, I am sorry. In this world it is not possible anymore"
She looked away "You are really not giving me any hope… "
"I don't know if I am doing the right thing but… maybe it's better if you avoid losing too much time on me, and – when you are ready – try to move on… "
"It looks like you have done this many times…"
He shook his head "No, it's the first time. Actually, I am usually in your position…"
"So you are saying that I should pity you?" she scowled
"That's not what I said at all" he said gently
"Do you know how long it took to muster the courage to tell you how I feel?"
"Since I was transported here"
"And you don't even let me hold some hope? You are so cruel!"
He sighed "I guess that's true"
"This is so unfair… you are unfair! Have you told her how you feel?"
"…I haven't"
"Why not? Are you afraid?"
"You may say that"
"So who is losing his time now?"
He took a breath "Point taken, I am a coward, and a hypocrite"
She looked away, exasperated "That is not what I want to hear!"
"I know, but I cannot tell you what you want to hear… I am sorry"
"Stop apologizing! If you are really sorry, then accept my feelings! Why her? She is powerful, but there are things that she cannot do. I am a human. I can love you. I do love you. Can she love you the same way?"
"I am not sure"
"Why should she? She is a weapon. Would you give that kind of feelings to a weapon you created?"
"No"
"Do you realize now how hopeless this is?"
He shrugged "A god made her. I am not a god, so what I would do does not matter"
Her mouth dropped open, then grimaced "Nice save. But that does not change what she actually is… she is inhuman… a monster!"
Sora's gaze changed as he looked into her eyes. Stephanie shivered
I have done it now. He is going to destroy me … and I cannot even blame him
Sora remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again
"I know that I hurt you, and that you are very angry… but if you want to two of us to stay in friendly terms, please don't ever say that again"
A tense silence followed, then Stephanie bowed "I will withdraw now, Emperor"
Sora just nodded.
It was only after that Stephanie had left the room, that he allowed himself to exhale
I am not paid enough to deal with this…
When Sora reached the library, later that night, Jibril was floating midair while reading from the tablet. Apparently, the easiest was to say 'I love you' in Japanese, was the word suki, although the 'u' was very weak and fast, so the entire thing turned out to sound like 'ski'. Hearing the door opening, she dived toward the ground, leveled on the deck, and went into hovering beside Sora before he even closed the door.
"Master! Welcome back!" she greeted him cheerfully
He smiled weakly "Good evening, my LAD, how was the meeting?" he asked while dragging his feet to a nearby table.
"It was quite lively! Raphael proposed to change the orbital pattern of Avant Heim to better exploit Jetstream currents and make it fly faster, but Azrael was concerned that in this way it would become easier to predict its movement… someone else was worried that we actually do not really know where the Jetstream are actually going, and then there was somebody worried that the city would not be able to disengage once it joined the current. We discussed about it for hours and in the end we decided to use the Jetstream only for a fraction of the time… to be allocated randomly, and in the meantime to launch a program to better understand global wind circulation … Shamshel was very excited about studying storms, and got really interested in the atmospheric modelling books of your world…"
By this time, Sora had poured himself a drink, let himself fall heavily on the sofa, and was listening to her with a strange smile on his face. She noticed it.
"Sora… are you alright?"
"Heavy day"
"I can see that. Also, you poured yourself wine… you almost never do that. Has something happened?"
He sighed "I will tell you everything… by the end of the week, I promise. But right now… I don't have the energy to do that"
"Is it about the elf?"
"Uhm? No, it's not about the elf"
"So, is it fine if we talk about her?"
He nodded "I would say so, yes"
"So, between the elf and Dola-chan, who do you like the best?" she asked with a malicious smile
Sora chuckled, and pretended to be moved "Awww! Look at you! Asking the same question as the elf Senator! It's so nice to see that you can get along with elves as well!"
She frowned "Is this an elaborate move to avoid answering the question?"
"You are very clever. See? I told it to you too. Now you can stop being jealous of Senator Nirvalen"
She blushed and umpf-ed, turning up her nose away from him "You are mean Master! You come home, and you are weird, and you won't tell me what happened, and now you are mocking me! You are so mean! Give me the 'I am forgiven' ticket!"
He made a face "Uff… is it that bad?"
She pouted even more, and refused to answer
"I see. What if instead of that, I tell you the reason why I want to start a program to explore the galaxy, even if I will never see any results from it?"
A spark of interest appeared into her eyes, and she gave him a sideway look, but then she steeled herself and looked away again "Enough games! If you want to tell me, just do it!" she said refusing to be so easily placated
He smiled gently
"The reason why I want to start a program that will last thousands of years is very simple… it is to allow the Flügel to have a purpose even after I am dead"
She immediately turned around, her mouth hanging open "What did you just say?"
He gave her a warm smile "You said that giving some task to the Flügel is the best thing for their mental health… but then I realized that I will be gone so much earlier than any of you guys… and I really do not feel like simply trusting my successors with this. And so I started to think about a task that could last for the lifetime of a Flügel… or basically forever! This is what I came up with. What do you think?"
She looked at him with wide eyes "I… I literally have no words"
"Do you still want the 'I am forgiven' ticket?"
"No! No, of course not! How long have you been planning this?"
He thought about it "It's been in the back of my mind for a while now… I am very sorry that I somehow let it slip into the background, but… now that I think about it, I don't need to conquer the entire world to start a space program! Tomorrow I will start laying the groundwork for it!"
"Do you know already which star to target first?"
"I was thinking about a lunar program first. That is what we did on my world at least"
She seemed to be daydreaming "The moon… you Unknowns went to the moon of your world…"
"Yes, we did it. This weekend we can start some test to see how high you can actually fly… if you are interested…"
She put her hands forward "I… I need a moment… I am overwhelmed"
He made a gesture to reassure her "Sure… all the time that you want"
She slowly got closer to him, looking straight into his eyes "Master… you said that you are doing this for the Flügel. Do you mean… even for me?"
He nodded, and smiled again. It was the sweetest smile that Jibril had ever seen "Especially for you, my LAD. Especially for you"
She lowered her eyes, apparently unable to sustain his gaze "I don't understand. Why would you go to such extent?"
He seemed to think about it "Why indeed. I suppose it is because no matter how long I live, I will only be part of a small fraction of your life… and so I am trying to overcompensate it with one great gesture after the other… Yes, that must be it"
Jibril opened her mouth again, but Sora cut her short "Enough questions for tonight, please"
She closed her mouth, and looked at him with intensity "I wish to touch you, Master. Do you allow it?"
He made a small smile "Permission granted"
And so she put her hands on his shoulders, drew herself closer, and kissed him.
"That was my first kiss" she said while shyly looking down
He smiled at her "That was my best kiss"
She raised her head, eyes sparkling "Really? Did you like it?"
He nodded "Yes, I did. Thank you for choosing me"
Jibril felt something new inside her, something like a wave of warmth emanating from her heart. Her hands went to her chest of their own accord, and she took a step back, away from Sora. She was breathing heavily, more heavily than she had done in thousands of years
"I wish to withdraw now, Master… Do you allow it?"
"Of course, my LAD, I will see you tomorrow"
"Good night Master… and thank you for everything"