Chapter 79: me, the professional cuddle pillow
Lower Fire Month, 13th Day, 600 AGG
"You awake?"
"…"
"Drauuu. Drau, Drau, Drau~ Drau-di-llon—"
"What?"
"So you were awake!"
"Do you always do this when I'm sleeping?"
"Maaaybe?"
"What would you have done if I was actually asleep?"
"Ask if you wanted to be put back to sleep?"
"You are an idiot."
"Ueeeh…"
"…"
"Want me to?"
"Divine casters can do that? I thought sleep effects weren't included in your spell-list."
"I've got a Fifth-Tier spell, and it'll take a little bit, but I can if you're having trouble."
"… I'm fine. Would be a waste of—"
"Not a waste."
"Hah… do as you please then. "
"Then, what's bothering you?"
"Weren't you going to put me to sleep?"
"Yeah, but isn't that just pushing off what's got you worked up? The sorta problem that doesn't go away after you sleep, y'know?"
"Tomorrow would be a better time to speak of this."
"Clock says it's already 'tomorrow,' Drau."
"… do you recall your offer from before? Regarding my… parents?"
"Ready for it?"
"I don't know. That's the thing; I don't know."
"We'll find out then!"
"Shouldn't we do this outside of our bedroom—?"
"『True Resurrection』! "
"… it's not your fault."
"『True Resurrection』."
"Yuriko—"
"Wait, no, I got this. I do.『True Resurrection』!"
"Yuriko—"
"I, I'll use Wish! Drau, it'll work out, I promise—"
"Yuriko. Stop."
"Stop? Don't you want to at least give it a shot? You, I mean, it's been bothering you all day. And I bet you've been holding it in ever since the last time we talked about this, so can't you just let me—?!"
"…"
"Th-That… that's not fair."
"It's alright. You have already done more than I could ever ask for. Save your experience points for something that would work."
"I'm sorry. I—sorry. Drau, there… maybe their levels weren't high enough?"
"Maybe."
"Or, maybe it's like, some sort of curse preventing normal spells? Like it needs special disenchantment?"
"I doubt it."
"W-We'll figure something out! I promise—"
"If you can't do it, then who? Resurrection magic is rare enough as is, much less at the Ninth-Tier. Even that Super-Tier spell of yours can't imitate an effect at a higher level than from a specialized priestess like you."
"I…"
"So stop worrying about it. You did your best, and it didn't work. There's thousands, tens of thousands of people in this kingdom alone who are dealing with the same thing. You're dealing with the same thing."
"This and that aren't the same—!"
"Look, I appreciate it. I really do. But thinking you can allow everyone to cheat death is arrogant."
"…"
"I'm sorry. I spoke too much."
"No, no… you're right. I shouldn't have been so—so pushy. Sleep tight?"
"…"
"Drau?"
"Mm. Good night."
"…"
"…"
"We should take tomorrow off."
"…"
"Unwind, y'know? Stare at trees and clouds for a while."
"…"
"Fly all over: visit the mountains, glide over the meadows and forests…"
"…"
"Drau, I'm sorry."
"It's—stupid. Just… stop. Stop apologizing. It's been decades yet I'm still—u-ugh…"
"Nothing wrong with being sad about stuff that happened a long time ago. Nothing stupid about it."
"I wasn't even old enough to remember much of the specifics. If their portraits weren't hung up in the castle, I, I wouldn't… everything is so… blurry."
"But they were good parents."
"… yeah. They were."
"You think yours and mine would've gotten along?"
"I see no reason why they wouldn't have."
"I think mom would've really liked you, Drau."
"Mother would look at you and worry for my life."
"Ehhh~ I guess it's good to be worried…"
"Strong people in this world tend to do as they please. Of course you have your champions and heroes, but then there's also tyrannical Dragon Lords and abominable undead."
"So shouldn't my mom be the worried one then? Since you're the Dragon Lord?"
"You… hah."
"Ouch?"
"If you're going to pretend, then at least make it sound less like a question—ow!"
"Oooo, that was a good one—a-ah! Wait, wait, w-wait! Time out—!"
"Not so confident now are we?"
"Dra-Drau! I—ahahaha!"
"Tickle resistance isn't a thing?"
"Oomph…!"
"It seems the only way to acquire my answer is through repeated experimentation."
"No! Nonono! I surrender! I mean, yeah! It is a thing—I think?"
"Seems rather specific."
"Maybe it falls under mental immunities?"
"Why would it fall under that category? Besides, isn't your resistance against those types of influences high anyway?"
"Oh… good point. Although I'm pretty sure itching powders wouldn't work on me."
"Is that so…"
"Hey, Drau?"
"I'm listening."
"Are you feeling better?"
"Mhmm."
"Great! I, that's great. I'm glad."
"… thank you."
"Anytime! I'll be right there, by your side. Whenever, wherever."
"Likewise—"
"Uwaaa, so embarrassing!"
"…"
"Sorry~"
"…"
"Drau, I'm shorreee…"
"…"
"I love you, Drau—thiiiiis much!"
"Fuuu… I love you too."
"Should I stop being noisy?"
"I don't mind."
"I think I'll stop talking."
"That's a shame. Your voice does sound quite nice."
"Heh…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Still can't sleep?"
"Nothing gets past you, does it?"
"Hrmmm, I try to pay more attention when it comes to you."
"I'm surprised you don't have…"
"Surprised I don't have what?"
"Nevermind. Yuriko, if you need to do something, feel free to go and finish it."
"Well, I'm doing that 'something' right now!"
"Pft, ha. I suppose you are, dear."
"Drau."
"Hm?"
"Do you wanna tell me more about them?"
Draudillon didn't turn around, but she did clutch the tender arms Yuriko had enveloped her in. The dragon queen was grateful human nails couldn't pierce angelic skin.
"I'd like that."
As much as Martin hated to admit it, beastmen were decidedly easier to work with than his human counterparts—albeit from other nations. There did not exist a noble house in the Draconic Kingdom who had the gall to disobey Queen Oriculus.
'Obviously,' he glanced up at one Varush Aanyaj. 'It would take a special kind of buffoon to decide to be a nuisance at this stage.'
He was grateful the High Vizier of the Beastman Country wasn't that buffoon.
"Ah… excuse me, Lord Asturias, but the amount of spellcasters Her Majesty is asking for is…" A blast of heated air escaped the Minotaur's nostrils. Out of exasperation or hesitance, Martin wasn't accustomed enough to the facial expressions of beastmen to tell. 'Hesitance is the safer bet; who can remain calm with a Gatekeeper listening to their every word?'
"We cannot afford so many—currently. After the newly unoccupied territories are well, occupied, and our eastern borders re-secured, then I promise the full support of the Archives."
Varush glared at a snakish demihuman lurking in the corner of the chamber. The Naga Raja was draped in the livery of the arcane and adorned with magic items, each an exquisite display of the Archives' expertise. "What say you, Archmage?"
Expertise and mortal strength was meaningless here. Everyone, including him, were acutely aware of Lady Yuriko's summons.
"If the High Vizier deems it wise, then it shall be done," Nushrik paused before hurriedly continuing. "And Her Majesty, of course!"
"Archmage, your opinions please."
"Y-Yes, we can allow for sixty—no, s-seventy! Seventy acolytes and fully inducted spellcasters are the most the Archives can spare."
Seventy… Seventy capable practitioners of the arcane. A sure boon for any country, but alas—
"I will bring it to Her Majesty's attention given that its below the lower range she had requested, Archmage. Nonetheless, thank you for the input."
"No, no, it should be us thanking you for being so understanding; although, I admit I'm surprised the Goddess doesn't already have a vast following of spellcasters."
"As I'm certain you're well aware of, Lady Yuriko is trained in the clerical arts," Martin evaded answering with a practiced smoothness. "For her adherents to imitate her path would be a natural outcome, yes?"
"Oh, hm… you speak truly, that does make sense…" Nushrik sheepishly scratched the underside of his chin. "Please forgive my foolish question."
"There's nothing to forgive," he slipped on an 'understanding' smile. "An innocent question deserves a sincere response."
"I, I would not presume to decipher her—"
"Archmage! Enough," Varush warningly admonished Nushrik. "Lord Asturias, let us continue; are these clauses satisfactory for a first draft?"
Martin brushed a thumb over his mustache and perused the stack of papers. After enjoying the wonder that was magical document copying, he thought it unlikely he could ever go back to relying on scribes. "These Mac'tal derived crystals… do a number of your magic items require them as components?"
If they did, would it change much? The Prime Minister couldn't see Lady Yuriko—and by extension, Queen Oriculus—agreeing to the production process no matter what the benefits were. Fools, the two of them.
A pair of fools to whom he was grateful ruled the Draconic Kingdom.
"No, they're unsuitable for item creation," Nushrik quickly replied. "Too difficult to work with. That aside, they were far from useless: substitutes for ritual circle participants, excess mana alignment… incredibly useful, truly."
"Hm," he rummaged in a Bag of Holding and flipped through a thick booklet compiled for them by the Vayul Archives. "The side-effects look unpleasant."
"Trivial downsides offset by our clerics and druids," the Naga Raja shrugged off his questioning tone. "It's a shame we could never elevate them beyond consumables."
'Historians will call their current spider situation a moral consequence of their pragmaticism,' wasn't the result of their war against the Draconic Kingdom the same? Cruelty beget cruelty, and the Beastman Country was fortunate Lady Yuriko had been as forgiving as she'd been. 'I suppose we're also benefiting from treating them with a lighter hand.'
"This is merely a suggestion," Martin set aside the booklet. "But it might be for the best that you cease further synthesizing of said crystals. Take this as a piece of advice from an interim ambassador, if you would."
"Advice…" The cowed Archmage fidgeted. "It's true that the loss of our waygates' functionality reduces our need for live Mac'tal."
"What the Archmage intended to convey was that we shall take your words to heart," Varush gratefully nodded. "You have our gratitude, Lord Asturias. Though if I may ask, is Her Majesty aware of the nature of their creation?"
"That goes without saying, High Vizier."
"I see… no wonder then. Thank you, again."
Varush was probably reflecting on the similarities of how the Mac'tal and Humans were treated within the Beastman Country. At least, it was the first thing that came to mind when he took into account the trepidation underlying their tone.
"Think nothing of it. The smoother this goes, the greater the better off both our peoples will be."
"Of course, of course," Varush wrote something down, massive fingers delicately handling their enchanted writing implement. "I shall see to the dismantling of the relevant facilities then. Now, with this part regarding trade among our countries, I'm afraid to say merchants will have to negotiate on a clan-by-clan basis…"
Martin inclined his head, reveling in the bliss that was working with competent peers. Her Majesty had an abundance of such, and was no slouch herself, but a person could only accompany maudlin alcoholics for so long before dipping into stuporific concoctions themselves.
He was glad Lady Yuriko had put an end to the Queen's depressing drinking habit. He was glad his sovereign could finally walk as herself and not some childish parody of her past. He was glad Queen Oriculus found someone who would accompany them, listen to their joys and woes, stand by their side as a steadfast confidante.
Not to say he wasn't one, but… as one of her vassals, it would be presumptuous to believe himself an equal. 'And there's the mess with Crystal Tear as well.'
Occasionally, he deliberated over expressing his regrets in insisting Queen Oriculus keep up the appearance of a child. An uncomfortable state of affairs that the kingdom needed to maintain at the time.
There was simply no use in apologizing. Who could've prophesied the descent of a deity, like a miracle pulled straight from the weaves of myth? Even so, it was only thanks to the Queen's tireless sacrifices that the Draconic Kingdom held on long enough to be saved.
'Sacrifices she now shoulders with another,' the burden a head of state bore was incomparably heavier to that which nobles, even high-ranking ones like himself, took on. Hulking, leaden weights equivalent to the numerous lives they were charged with guiding; and if the average noble had trouble aplenty with tens of square kilometers of land, then how much more so the ruler of a whole country?
"Lord Asturias, is there something you find unsatisfactory?"
Hmph. How unlike him, to let his mind drift during work.
"Currently? There is not," Martin raised an eyebrow. "Though if you would indulge my curiosity, I'm surprised that all the clan lords saw fit to leave treaty talks to you. I do hope this doesn't arise as an issue in the future."
"The Rajans have left this duty to me as the High Vizier," Varush huffed with a tired smile. "My allegiance belongs to the Republic in its entirety—not to any single clan."
His voice grew wistful and distant. "There is not one among them I call home, after all."
"Service to the people…"
"Something like that, although they will ask to review the treaty before agreeing. Personally, I doubt many would bring up any complaints."
Being a ruler, Queen Oriculus was not a master with millions of servants, but rather, a single servant with tens of millions of masters. Then there existed those who believed and acted otherwise; sovereigns who lived and died solely for their own whims.
The Prime Minister considered the High Vizier again.
It was a bit ridiculous that he found himself thinking Varush was one of the former.
"Don't want to say hi to your family, Gagaran?"
"Eh? What's bringing this on?" The muscle-bound warrior looked up from her cards. Tina peeked at their hand from the side. "Thought we were heading for the Draconic Kingdom."
"We'll be crossing the Scalewing Confederacy's borders," Lakyus decided to make no mention of the twins' cheating. "Can catch a flight south afterwards, so travel time isn't really an issue."
They had already chosen to not directly teleport into the Dark Scale Dragon Lord's domain. Between training Tina back to an acceptable level of strength and dealing with the mess in Re-Estize, the team tacitly agreed to not immediately jump into the next big thing. Even Evileye grudgingly accepted, and she was the one for whom they were paying a visit to the Dragon Queen and her champion in the first place.
"I guess we could if you guys want," Gagaran, Tia, and Tina laid down their cards. "Dammit, how do you guys keep doing it?!"
"Skill—"
"—issue," Tina finished the smug jab, exchanging a few silver coins with her sister. "So are we going, Evil Boss?"
"I mean, I was asking all of you."
"Sounds fine to me then," Gagaran put away the deck. "Might as well drop by since we're already heading through there like you said."
The priestess made a sound of acknowledgement as she leaned against the wall of the boat's cabin. Currently, they were sailing up a river north of the Katze Plains where the team spent a month retraining in the aftermath of the raid on an Eight-Fingers facility. 'Maybe we should've teleported anyway.'
Truth be told, she wasn't incredibly excited at the prospect of paying a visit to the Draconic Kingdom. Queen Oriculus had made overtures asking for aid before the Lady of Wings appeared, and Lakyus had refused—politely, but did that matter?—each time. Rare was the person willing to dive into a meat grinder for ideals alone.
Oh, there hadn't been a shortage of adventurers in the earlier stages of the war. Everyone believed the beastmen were content to stick with minor raids on fringe villages—ignoring how the demihumans were a step more organized and powerful than the tribals they were accustomed to.
Then a large-scale incursion came and went, and with it, the would-be heroes looking to earn an easy coin.
Two cities. Large cities too, not sparsely populated villages or lesser-known towns. Cities whose fates were whispered to disobedient children, and grimly acknowledged among adults.
As with most troubles, the masses were happy to ignore the faraway problem, confident the beastmen wouldn't encroach on their livelihoods for the duration of their lifetime.
Lakyus wanted to help. It's just that doing so would've been stupid and shortsighted. With her comrades, they could defeat armies, but the beastmen had heroes of their own. Heroes Blue Rose had no guarantee of outclassing.
'The Beastman Country,' none of them had ever visited the demihuman dominated nation, save for Evileye who admitted she'd only passed through once or twice in the distant past.
There were… very, very few humans who had a positive impression of them. In fact, the depravations the beastmen inflicted upon the Draconic Kingdom were often raised as examples supporting human expansionism.
Lakyus grimaced. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, most demihumans lived brutal lives and that was mirrored in the way they interacted with the world around them. They had visited the Abelion Hills once, and though there did exist 'good' demihumans who didn't automatically see humans as potential food, she wasn't naive enough to believe that was the rule rather than the exception.
Some were bounded to atavistic desires and traditions; some more than others. That in and of itself didn't make them evil though. Each society had different standards of right and wrong.
"Feels like we're delaying," she spoke up, unable to hold her peace. "Stalling. You know what I'm getting at?"
"You're the one who suggested we take it slow," Evileye glanced up from a well-read tome before returning to whatever arcane secrets it contained.
"Like we're taking things too easy?" Gagaran rested an arm atop the underdeveloped spellcaster's head. "But it's better this way, right? Going and beating up big monsters means those monsters were screwing with a bunch of people's lives."
"Evil Boss wants a Demon God to pop up."
"Wicked…" Tia faked a shudder.
"D-Don't make stuff like that up!" Lakyus lightly punched the ninja's shoulder, eliciting a small 'oof.' "What I was trying to say was if this problem with Archmage Fluder is as big as Evileye is making it out to be—"
"It is."
"Shouldn't we be rushing over there then? Instead of durdling around, wouldn't it be more appropriate to hurry?"
"Undead are patient," Evileye shrugged. "When you live forever, you don't have to work fast. Spending centuries plotting convoluted schemes and amassing resources… those are privileges the long-lived enjoy."
'Fearsome traits to find in the enemies of all life,' Lakyus felt guilty the instant the stray thought crossed her mind. Evileye might be a vampire, but she was nothing, nothing alike to the typical undead. "What if Paradyne is also—"
"Not possible," the spellcaster forcefully responded. "Someone… someone who's willing to sacrifice thousands of people for power is… they're fucked in the head. He can't be allowed to gather power."
Fluder Paradyne had already surpassed heroes to stand in a realm ordinary mortals couldn't hope to glimpse. As an undead, she could only imagine the disaster his disdain for life would lead to.
"Is it safe though? Because you know, we're going to entreat the Lady of Wings, and you're…" The warrior-priestess helplessly gestured in the vampire's direction. "You can leave it to us, Evileye."
"The Sunlight Scripture couldn't pierce my countermeasures. It'll be fine," Evileye fell silent. "Probably. Besides, the four of us have concerns of our own."
"And that would be…?"
"We're worried—"
"—about you, Evil Boss."
"Wha, why? The Draconic Kingdom must be safe if foreign delegations are accepting Queen Oriculus's invitations. Renner of all people is going to be there."
"Your sword, Lakyus," Gagaran was serious, and gods knew how out of character that was for her. "If we're marching into an angel's crib, and you get taken over by Kilineiram… shit might get messy."
'Oh, gods.'
"To say the least," Evileye agreed with the warrior in yet another rare display. "Summoned angels do whatever they're told, but one that's not? Who knows how she'll act? I've been around all sorts of places and never saw a natural angel before."
Lakyus never quite imagined her fantasizing coming back to bite her in such an odd situation. 'Why did I ever… argh. They can't learn it's all, all a sham. They can't.'
She was certain she would keel over and die of embarrassment.
"Then shouldn't you stay back and let the rest of us handle it?" R-Right, this wasn't unrecoverable. "The Sunlight Scripture might not have detected your nature, but it's silly to assume the angels we're going to see will be the same."
"Sunlight Scripture couldn't—"
"—chase away the beastmen."
"I could ask you the same damn thing, Lakyus," Evileye thrusted a gloved finger at Kilineiram, sheathed and propped against the wall. "This was my idea to begin with too; why are you going along with it so easily?"
Lakyus answered honestly.
"You're my friend. I trust you."
Evileye ducked her head, red eyes matching the intensifying blush. How could vampires blush anyway? "Y-Yeah, I guess you're just that sort of person, huh?"
"What's that supposed to mean…" She wryly smiled. After knowing what they had been through centuries ago, it was nice to watch the spellcaster gradually open up to them.
"Show your gratitude, Shorty! Ora!" Gagaran rubbed her knuckles against the top of Evileye's skull. "If ol' Rigrit was still with us, she'd give you hell for being so bratty!"
"Alright, alright, I get it!" The spellcaster irately shouted, slapping away the warrior's hand while Tia and Tina politely clapped.
"Lakyus," Evileye removed her mask and stared the blonde noblewoman in the eyes. "Thank you. Seriously." Their crimson gaze turned downwards as a blush made its way across their round cheeks. "Ugh… I'm not great at this stuff."
"It's no problem," Lakyus reached out and straightened her friend's mussed hair. "We're Blue Rose, aren't we? Letting you go alone, well—there's no way we would've let you do that."
"I get it already, alright?" She grinned even as Evileye scowled. "Been letting you bunch get away with too much recently."
Lakyus pulled her hand away. "If you say so."
Gagaran and the twins continued their card games, the muscly warrior losing round after round but continuing out of sheer boredom. Evileye distractedly flipped through the worn pages of her book, glazed eyes skimming over its contents.
The waters here were calm, a small blessing from the Lady of Water that Lakyus appreciated all the more because of its insignificance. "You guys know something?"
Normally she'd feel cramped in a cabin such as the one they were lounging in now, a windowless thing that swayed and shook with the boat, not being able to see or sense the goings-on outside the waterborne vessel.
"Traveling like this, not having to worry about rushing somewhere… monsters… isn't so bad every once in a while."
"Evil Boss wants to retire?"
"Maybe she saw a cute boy."
"Oi, Tina, don't lump her in with you!"
"Watch out, Lakyus. Tina can't keep secrets."
"I hate all of you…"
