Jessica studied the massive obelisk. It was covered in mana to the point that it was starting to overwhelm her senses, but she stayed focused.
It was the only example of spatial manipulation she'd ever seen except for the Portal Series of skills and it was fascinating. Malty could believe that it had been forged by the previous generation of Heroes. It was unbelievably complex, a pocket dimension where the flow of time was altered and it used the mana produced by the Dragon Emperor Fragment to fuel itself.
If the beast inside tried to use its power to break out, the prison would get stronger, if it failed to try then it would passively become more robust by taking the energy from the Fragment regardless. It was flawlessly made with one unfortunate weakness.
Even an idiot with a lot of raw power could tear the enchantments from the outside.
"Princess," said the former Captain of Rabier's Household. His tone spoke volumes of his hesitation, "The Spear and Bow Hero have arrived with your followers."
Jessica smiled at him and nodded. The man was surprisingly dutiful. It wasn't surprising to learn that this man who had observed the torture, murder and abuse of dozens of demi-humans, most of them children, had merely followed orders. The Knight had children of his own, disapproved of what Rabier had done and had willingly agreed to confess and receive a Slave Brand in penance.
Oh, he was still fairly racist, but not so cruel as to agree with Rabier's actions. Still, she had only accepted him because Raphtalia had been okay with it. The man had dared to apologize without being prompted.
The Princess wouldn't trust him with power, but he would be a useful tool to get Rabier's little domain under full control.
Jessica dismissed the Knight and sent one last glance at the obelisk. She'd have to take some time to hide it better. It would take some time, she didn't dare risk using any magic around it when a stray strike might free the beast, but it was necessary. If Siltvelt or any of her many enemies freed the beast it would massacre thousands of her people. Worse, she had no idea if she could defeat it. This was a being that had survived for hundreds of years without food, water or comfort and had only been beaten in canon by Fitoria. Weaker than Fitoria meant nothing when that absurd Filolial was stronger than almost anything else on this world.
She couldn't wait to have a Filolial army of her own. Surely at least one of them could manage to get a Vassal Weapon and then grow to half of what Fitoria could do?
The mansion was poorly constructed, but it had a fairly large meeting room which was designed. High ceiling, blood-red walls and golden cupboards were a disgusting look.
Still, there was no point in tearing it apart for now. Raphtalia might want to do so herself later.
"Malty!" said Motoyasu. Standing up excited after he caught a glimpse of her. Itsuki and Cromwell stood up as well. Raphtalia, Priam and a little girl with blue angel wings stood to the side of the room, "Check out what happened to Azure!"
Jessica smiled at the Filolial who looked away bashfully. "Can your siblings transform as well?" she asked after nodding at the others to sit down. Even Raphtalia and Priam, who led her demi-human division.
Azure looked to Raphtalia who smiled gently and said, "Uh-huh," she said, "but Zazu and Naila don't like being small."
"Zazu," she said flatly, turning to the two Heroes. Motoyasu looked away and tried to look innocent. Itsuki looked a bit puzzled. Jessica sighed, regretting not naming the birds, "No matter. Take a seat, Azure."
Jessica took her seat at the head of the table. "I hope that Raphtalia has updated you on the situation here."
"Yes," said Itsuki. His mana flaring before he calmed and glanced at Raphtalia, "This is the domain of another evil noble."
"You've sure got a lot of assholes, huh?" said Motoyasu lazily. All eyes turned to him and he flushed, "What? I'm not wrong!"
"Ser Motoyasu," said Cromwell with some warning, but his words were cut off by Azure giggling. Motoyasu smirked widely at the sound and Jessica couldn't help a smile tinged with resignation.
Motoyasu had been serious for a long while. She'd forgotten how naive he was.
"Enough," she said after spotting the irritation that Itsuki, Raphtalia and Priam made no attempt to hide. The filolial smashed her hands over her face and Motoyasu winced. "This town was a slave trade hub. It acted as a useful spot centre for many slaves to be collected before being sent out via some ships. I've already gathered the slaves and captured the slavers and most of their contacts."
Itsuki nodded imperiously. Raphtalia clenched her fist. Jessica, very carefully, didn't smile at their reactions.
They were so predictable.
"Itsuki, Raphtalia," she said, "I'd like for you both and the forces I'l assign to you to be responsible for relocating them to the capital. Ensure that they are safe and have what they need before returning here. There are a lot of nearby areas that the slave traders use during their business. Some are small towns, but most are hidden bases they use, I'll have my scouts verify the information soon. It will be your job to destroy them."
Itsuki nodded. Unable to deny a request that conformed to his view of justice.
Raphtalia glared. "What about him?" she asked. The last word a hiss.
"Rabier is out of town," said Jessica calmly despite feeling Raphtalia's mana flare viciously, "I'll track him down soon."
The demi-human nodded sharply. Jessica didn't miss the worried look most of the room shot the racoon girl. Nor the disdain that Cromwell held.
The man would have to learn to keep such emotions contained if he wished to have any authority.
"Motoyasu," she said with a smile, "There are several excellent hunting grounds nearby. I'd like for you to take some of our troops, Priam and his squad and Azure and her siblings to get some practice and gather some materials for us. It will help the people here a lot during and after the Waves."
The Spear Hero was a brute. He loved to fight, or more accurately, look impressive while fighting. "Got it," he said with a smirk, "We'll deal with it." Azure nodded shyly and gave Jessica a tremulous smile when the Princess turned to the transformed Filolial. Malty couldn't help but find the child to be utterly adorable.
"Then, please get started," she said. The meeting dissolved into noisy chaos as they stood up and moved into the teams she had assigned. The Captains that she had assigned to each team would get detailed information later, but she wanted to brief them in detail solo. It would let her gauge them better.
The meeting had served one of its purposes. Make it clear to everyone here that they were on her side.
"Lord Cromwell," she said, her tone colder than it had been as the other headed for the door. Already having comfortable conversations not hindered by the fact that two of them were heroes, two had been slaves just two weeks prior and one of them was a Filolial who was less than a week old. "Do stay for a moment."
The others glanced back, but her tone promised misery, they didn't bother to stay.
A moment of thought shut the door behind them. The click of it locking shut had Lord Cromwell swallow.
"Relax," she said her tone calmer than before, "You're not in trouble, Jacob."
"Yes, Your Highness," he said not relaxed in the slightest. It was what she preferred. The old man was a skilled politician. She needed to keep his fear of her alive. He would not be permitted to think that feeling otherwise was an option. Not when his loyalty to her was so fragile.
"Give me an update on the Wave Preparations," she said.
The man blinked for a moment at the sudden change of topic, he glanced towards the seats that Motoyasu and Itsuki had inhabited and spoke with uncertainty. "The Capital and the central region is secured," he said, his confidence growing at her nod, "None will defy you there and as per your requests, the Spear and Bow Heroes have worked with your Knights and the demi-humans to defeat the monsters and bandits that cropped up due to the First Wave. The defences that you've set up have also bloomed wonderfully. I'm told that they're holding strong and have removed any worry that the late harvest had caused. The western regions have begun to kneel, but it will take time and effort Milady. I suspect that they have received word from Mirellia Melromarc and have been commanded to resist. The Bow Hero and your squads supporting him have turned the tide, but the response has been weaker than expected."
Intelligent man. He had deliberately chosen to emphasize the area that was performing the best first. Made no mention of oaths which he knew she didn't value and focused on the fear the nobles, merchants and adventurers had of her.
It was a pity that until her mother died she had no chance of having a hundred per cent of his loyalty. He was very competent.
Jessica sighed. "As expected then," she mused projecting an illusion of Melromarc and it's nearby neighbours above the table. Faubrey and their allies and the Vassal States to the West were glowing yellow. Siltvelt and their vassals were to the East and were in blood red. Shieldfreeden which was south-east was also a lighter shade of red while Zeltoble and the many petty kingdoms and republics were marked in blue. Undecided. "Mother has started to act from Faubrey. I suspect that her agents have already started to muster forces against me, but ultimately, she is a lesser priority. Our focus for the next week shall be on the East. Your duty, Lord Cromwell will be to hold the Central Region for now and guide the people of the West to follow me, gently. Take it slow and keep an eye on them."
The man stared. He had not expected to be granted more power.
"Understood," he said, "I am grateful for your trust."
"You have earned it," she said simply, "You will have command of a squad of my Knights. Itsuki, Motoyasu and I will also be active. Teleportation will be available to you and I shall check in regularly. Your duty is to cover for me during my absences."
"The Shield Hero and the Eastern Borders," muttered the old man as he studied the map.
Jessica smiled. "Correct," she said, "He must be captured and soon. The church clearly cannot be counted on."
The man's head jerked towards her, "Your highness," he said hesitantly, "Do you mean to destroy the Church?"
"No," she said, not yet, "They are going to help me find Naofumi."
The Lord was wise enough to understand. He nodded slowly, "It would be wise to start spreading a message within the capital hinting at the excesses and crimes of the Church. I can ensure that the rumours do not find their source back to me."
She laughed, "Jacob," she said gently, "The rumours won't have time to spread. Plus, we don't need anything like that when a wonderful scapegoat available."
He swallowed as he realized that she would be destroying the Church very, very soon. "The Shield Hero," he said. Proving that his mind was working even as he panicked.
"He might escape," she said not showing the fear that thought created. A Naofumi who was unrestrained by Raphtalia or Filo, who would be twisted by Siltvelt, the Wrath Shield and possibly other factors she couldn't foresee and who would be given resources by her enemies to grow stronger was a terrifying concept. "He might be our captive. Either way, this will be dealt with within the weak."
Jacob nodded and left the room after she dismissed him.
Jessica allowed her fatigue to show after she was alone. This world was a mess. Her mind was fragmented and she had no idea how to actually defeat Medea.
All her minor victories meant nothing to that entity.
The thought was depressing, but Jessica stood up, created a jet of water and threw it at her face harshly. Its velocity would have caved in the skull of someone who wasn't at level 70 with stats of someone who had more than double the level.
"Naofumi. Sword Hero. Dragon Emperor. The old lady who could use life force. Q'ten Lo and Magic," she said repeating the aspects she needed to secure to stay safe to herself. She had plans in place for almost all of them, but Naofumi was the most time-critical one.
She held onto the Cane tightly and wished to warped near the area the Church and nobles had set up as their headquarters. It would be nice to deal with those pests. They were annoying and she couldn't wait for the day that she could purge them all without mercy, but it was still easier to deal with than a Goddess or Heroes that could become powerful enough to kill her.
How was it?
