*-James Boreas Greyrat-*
How? How did it all go wrong? This isn't anything like what they told me. Now I'm stuck here in this filthy dungeon being tortured by my brother's brat and his friends. To think that along with Asura's blessed child, 2 more had to be born here. And they just had to friends didn't they?!
Any other fool would call it a coincidence, but not I. No no no. The gods came to me. They spoke to me. Told me what to do and how to do it. Told me the names and showed me the faces of 5 people that I should avoid at all cost, and then the one labeled most dangerous falls out of the sky and instantly killed half my army. It wasn't easy gathering all those soldiers.
When I was gathering my forces I listed the minimum requirements were to be advanced class in either sword or water god style. I could understand the power of trickery from the north god style, but I also knew that it would be useless for this fight. But this was never a fight. It was a massacre.
After the first interrogation with my brother a boy appeared with the blessed child of Asura following him. He was the same boy who brought me here. He took me back outside to show me the remains of my army. He held a smile on his face the entire time he described how weak and feeble my army was. To lose to children who hadn't even celebrated their first birthday. I knew how humiliating that was.
I opened my eyes and found myself back in the endless white expanse I had seen a few weeks prior.
"So~ that was a massive failure."
A white semi-humanoid figure appeared in front of me. Next to him were two others. An exact replica of himself except this one had his right arm and left leg shattered, as well as a caved in right eye. Like a broken statue.
The other was a masked man wearing pure white clothes. In our previous meeting he said nothing. It seems things would be the same here.
"You failed."
This time it was the broken one that spoke.
"I'm am sorry my lords. Truly I failed you. His magic and power was different from the descriptions giv-"
"Silence! You had one damn job and you couldn't do it! I told you we should've gone to one of the seven great powers. Now look at this mess. Not only did we lose a bunch of our fodder, but now their getting ready to put one of their own in a position of power in the one place we're trying to keep them out of. I don't know or care about these so called "Godkin" the masked mystery over there has been talking about, but I warned you to not underestimate Rudeus Greyrat."
"Oh come now surely you're overreacting. Think about it. If little Rudeus goes to Ars who's all gonna be there?"
"Tch. Stop with the sarcasm. I can't believe I used to act like this."
"Oh fine. Both a North Emperor and the Water God are there. Plus if we act fast I'm sure we can get our favorite little duckling to run around and send more people their way."
"Fine."
"Um. My lords? What shall I do?"
"Hm? Oh you're still here. Go die or something. I don't care."
The broken statue waved what I assumed to be its hand and I woke back up in the dungeon. Sitting right in front of me with his hands on my head and white fire glowing in his eyes the boy referred to as Thorn smiled. The fire faded and he stood up.
"Looks like we've garnered some unwanted attention. Oh well. This could be fun."
*-Rudues-*
Aaah. It was nice to be home. I sat back on the couch as Aurora trained her mana. After the whole James leading an army to kill Raion's family fiasco I had finally made it back home. Phoebe was back at the capitol, and Philip said he'd accept my offer after he got some information from James.
I had a small break from now to until after I helped Philip, so I had around 3 weeks to do whatever I wanted.
"Ya know you're around the age I was when I cast my first spell here. Wanna learn some real magic?"
Aurora turned her attention over to me.
"Really? I thought you were on break."
"I've got three weeks to do whatever, so I figured why not help my adorable baby sister learn some magic before I go. Plus it'll give you something to remember me by until I come back."
"How long are you gonna be gone?"
"I've got no idea. I can get from here to Ars in seconds thanks to Yuki's ice mirrors. It really just boils down to how long we stay there."
"Oh."
Aurora looked down.
"You gonna miss me?"
"There's really no way I can go with you?"
"There's gonna be some really dangerous and really bad people where I'm going. So no. I can't take you."
"Okay. Then you better teach me as much magic as you can!"
Aurora's sullen look quickly turned into a determined one.
"Alright alright. Would you be fine with Cyrus joining us? I've seen the way he watches me when I use magic. I think he might be interested in learning as well."
"Hmph. I suppose. But... doesn't he seem a little... weird."
Then that determined look turned into a shy one.
"That's a little rude don't you think?"
"I mean maybe but... the way he always stares at Zenith or Lilia's breasts is a little off putting."
"Babies will be babies."
"If you say so."
And with the end of that conversation my evening secret training with Aurora and Cyrus begins. Soon.
"Why can't we practice now?"
Cyrus was pouting at me. I had just declined his request of some magic training.
"I've gotta go do something. Besides you might get a friend for magic practice. Who knows."
"Jeez. So long as you show me something before you go."
"I will. And besides. You'll have both the magic textbook and Roxy to help you learn. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help you guys learn some magic."
An eerie grin spread across Cyrus's face.
"Mmm yeah. I'll be sure to ask Miss Roxy if I need help with anything."
"Cyrus."
Cyrus flinched as I coldly called his name.
"Y-yes d-dear older brother of mine?"
"Roxy is mine. You'd best remember that before you do something foolish."
Cyrus nodded and flicked his eyes across the room.
"And you'd best return those before I get back."
"Wuh! How'd you know?!"
"We share a room, you picked a terrible hiding spot, and I'd know that musk better than anyone. Now if you don't mind. I've got crap to do."
Walking outside I left a bewildered Cyrus behind. I probably should've left that last part out huh? Too late!
Let's see... there she is. Sending out my mana I found Sylphie's mana signature. Not to far away I found other mana signatures not to far away from her. She seemed to be staying still.
Sigh. Fucking kids.
I flew over and saw the kids throwing mud at Sylphie.
"Yeah! Don't have your monster friend anymore huh?!"
I lowered myself just behind the group, and I got right by the kid's ear.
"Monster friend? I've got a name you know."
"Gah! It's him! He's back!"
The kids all ran. But I'm not letting them get away that easily. I pointed at them and started focusing points of gravity magic on the kids.
They were all lifted into the air and I spun them around at extreme speeds. When I let them down I made sure to increase the levels of gravity on them so that they hit the ground hard.
They all ran away screaming for their mommies. Only two of them seemed to be injured enough to need a clinic visit. Got mom some more customers I guess.
I walked over and helped Sylphie up.
"You okay?"
"Y-yeah. It was just mud."
I transmutated all the mud in Sylphie's hair and clothes into bright lights that floated into the sky.
"Woah."
Sylphie looked upwards as the lights were lifted. It looked like she had stars in her eyes.
"Wanna learn it?"
"Huh?"
"Magic. Do you want to learn some of it?"
"R-really?! You could teach me?"
"Sure. Come on. Let's go ask your dad. Yoko, mind giving us a ride?"
Yoko appeared in a full fox form. They were about the size of a horse. They knelt down and let Sylphie and I climb on his back.
Sylphie yelped and immediately clung onto me as Yoko immediately went full speed. I couldn't help but laugh. It was pretty cute. We were standing in front of Laws in less than a minute.
"Wah! Rudeus? Is that you?"
"Hey Mr.Laws!"
"H-hey Papa."
Sylphie sounded a little dizzy so I let her down.
"Sylphie! What were you doing on that thing?!"
"Don't worry Mr.Laws. I was using magic to make sure sure she wouldn't fall."
"Still. I've never seen a beast like this before."
"Bet you've never heard one speak either."
Laws recoiled as Yoko talked to him.
"Papa, can Rudy teach me magic? Please!"
"Magic? But your so young."
"I'll be teaching it to my siblings as well. I've got plenty of safety measures in place so I can guarantee Sylphie's safety. Plus magic is really fun."
Laws scratched the back of his neck while he thought about it.
"Fine. I'm afraid I've got no way to pay you though."
"Don't worry about it. Sylphies my friend after all."
"Hurray! Oh um... could we not take the wolf... please?"
"Sure. We can walk if you'd like."
"My deepest apologies Ms.Sylphie. I should've gone slower."
"N-no it's okay! My tummy is just spinning a little."
Sylphie pet Yoko's head as he shrunk down. She picked him up and held him as we started walking home.
"Okay. I'll start you all off with the most basic spell I know. Water ball."
Cyrus, Aurora, and Sylphie were all sitting in front of me in the front yard. I had made myself look older, about ten years old, just so it didn't look like one kid talking to other kids. I prefer using the backyard for magic practice, but since we had three people practicing magic instead of just myself I decided it would be best if we used the front yard for the extra space. Roxy was watching us from the window of the house.
"We'll go from right to left, so Cyrus repeat after me."
"Okay."
I held my hand out and started the chant for water ball.
"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball."
A small water ball shot over the fence of the yard.
"Okay. Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball."
Cyrus's water ball appeared in front of his hand, but instead of shooting forward it fell to the ground.
"Huh?!"
"Haha don't worry Cyrus. Let's find out why that happened shall we? What was your thought process as you cast the spell?"
"Well... I thought of the spell, where I wanted it to go, how big I wanted it to be, and then made it happen, but the spell didn't shoot like yours did."
Cyrus looked sad as he looked at his palm.
"Sorry that's my bad. I should've told you to start the spell, set the size, then speed, and then fire. Try again."
"Alright."
Cyrus got back into position and chanted the incantation. The water ball successfully soared over the wall.
"Yes! I did it!"
"Good job! Alright Aurora your turn. Need me to repeat the incantation?"
"No thank you. I think I remember it."
"Alright then. Give it your best shot."
"Hm!"
Aurora nodded her head as she put her hand forward.
"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball!"
A water ball appeared in Aurora's palm and shot over the wall.
"Good job Aurora! Sylphie's turn. You remember the incantation?"
"Mhmm."
"Okay. Don't feel too bad if you don't get it right away. This is your first time casting magic."
"Right." She took in a deep breath. "Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball."
The water ball Sylphie made was slightly larger than Aurora and Cyrus's water balls. It flew faster and further to.
"I did it! I did it Rudy!"
Sylphie jumped in place before realizing what she was doing. She then blushed and sat back down. Too cute! Must protect!
"Alright now. I want you all to practice the spell until you're able to cast it silently. Once you can do that then move onto another beginner level spell in the magic textbook until you can silently cast it as well, and so on and so forth."
"Um. I don't know how to cast without the inca- incentio-"
"Incantation?"
"Yeah... that."
Sylphie got shy after failing to say incantation.
"Don't worry I'll teach you. Aurora Cyrus. You two practice over there. Be careful with mom's trees."
"Okay."
"Alright."
As the twins walked away I turned back to Sylphie and sat beside her.
"So do you remember when you cast that spell the way your body felt like it was heating up?"
"Mhmm! It was all tingly."
"Yes. Try to pull that feeling back. If you can recreate the feeling then you should be able to cast silently. If that doesn't work then I have an idea for what to try next."
"Right." Sylphie held out her hand and held it there for about five minutes. After a little bit a water ball formed and shot forward. "Yes! I can do it!"
"Hahaha. Good job Sylphie! Now you can practice like the twins do. This should give you all something to occupy yourselves with until I get back."
Sylphie pushed her index fingers together and her ears dropped a little.
"H-how long will you be away?"
"I'm afraid I don't know the answer that. If it's the bullies your worried about don't worry about em. I've got something for you. Be right back."
I went back upstairs and got a spare Kumu Phoebe gave me. She gave it to me after she met Sylphie. It seems we both have the urge to protect the cinnamon roll.
I went back outside and summoned two Doru as well. I handed Phoebe the Kumu and the Doru sat on her shoulders.
"Pour some mana into that orb for me."
"Um okay."
As she poured mana into the Kumu its crystal casing fell apart and it slowly floated in front of her. I took the Kumu and sat on the ground.
"I'm gonna upgrade this for you. Usually I wait a while, but we're on a bit of a time crunch, so me doing it now or at the end of my break wouldn't change anything. You can either go practice with the Doru or practice your magic."
"Mkay!"
Sylphie went to her own corner of the yard and the Doru started flying around as she waved her arms. After 3 hours I had finished upgrading her Kumu. In this time the twins had moved to the beginner water spell Water Arrow. They were struggling a bit with this one, since you had to precisely aim it, so they set up a small target to fire at.
"Sylphie! Can you come here for a sec?"
"What is it Rudy?"
Sylphie came over and sat in front of me.
"I need you to decide what you want your Kumu to look like."
"Oh! Um... something strong. Like a dragon! Or wait no what about something cute... oh I don't know what to pick."
"I've got an idea."
I molded the Kumu and gave it the form of a psuedodragon.
"Woooah. It's so little and cute! And it still looks kinda scary. Perfect!"
"Good good. Now it just needs a name."
The psuedodragon hopped over from my lap to Sylphie's shoulder.
"Hmm. Win! Like wind without the d."
"Sounds good. You like it?"
Win proudly shook its wings and laid across Sylphie's shoulders kind of like a neck pillow.
"What do they eat?"
"Oh they don't. They consume magic in the air and they also don't have to use the restroom or anything like that."
"They don't eat?!"
"They do. We just can't see it. It's actually eating right now."
"Really? That's so cool. But anything Rudy does is cool."
Sylphie reached up and started petting Win much to his delight.
"Now that this is all settled I'll be going back to Roa. I need to talk to some people but I should be back in a few days to say goodbye. I'll see y'all later!"
I waved bye to the twins and made sure to wave to Roxy as well. She smiled and waved back as I hopped on Yoko and we started running to Roa.
We were packing our stuff into a room so that Yuki only needed to make one mirror.
The plan was for Phoebe's big sister, Ariel, to house us in an estate she owns. Even at their young age the royal siblings are gunning for the thrown. It seems that Grabell, the first prince, is going to be the victor at the end. He's the firstborn, has the most backing, and he has the most ambition amongst the kids.
Ariel doesn't want to be queen but knows that if Grabell takes the throne it will likely be the downfall of the Asura kingdom. So instead Phoebe is going to try and take it. Once Philip becomes the head of the Boreas family he'll proclaim his allegiance to Phoebe. As Paul is the oldest son and first born of the previous Notos head I can try to claim the head of the Notos as my birthright. It goes without saying who I'd be pledging my allegiance to.
Then once that was done we'd show off my power as a mage by fighting either the Water God or the North Emperor. This was where things got tricky. I didn't know if I could defeat the Water God. Now it would be all to easy to levitate her in the air, freeze her in place, and kill her, but that would ruin the whole point.
I needed to get it into their heads that I was stronger than her, and that there was no doubt about it. So we've been theorizing and scheming. I can already boost my physical abilities to insane levels with my new body, but in case I need more power Phoebe has been hard at work making more Akumu. The plan was for me to then upgrade them and morph them together to essentially be a lightweight set of extremely powerful magic armor that can morph and shape shift at will. Almost the same thing as what Phoebe used when we were attacked by Perugius, but this would be stronger.
We kept our heads low and never left the inside of the manor. We didn't even use the hallways. If so much as a single person saw us through the windows our plans could be ruined. With Ariel's permission I carved out the walls, stabilized them and made them larger. At the end I basically doubled the manor's size without changing its shape by making another manor inside its walls.
In total we had Philip, Hilda, Eris, Myself, Paul, Raion, and James in the manor. Eris refused to stay in Roa after hearing that Raion was coming with us, and since she was screaming we had to take her along. If a spy or someone working against found out it could be trouble. It was unlikely but we were doing everything we could to be on the safer side. Paul had to come to confirm that I was his actual son.
Phoebe and I had the armor done in a few days. It was perfect. Regularly it looked like a full set of simple armor. Just a small breastplate, some covers that you clipped on your legs and forearms, and a small circlet. Even deactivated it was extremely tough armor. We had Raion punch me full force. The force of the punch didn't even nudge me, but completely shattered the wall behind me. Thankfully we were doing this in the middle of the manor so no damage could've been seen from someone outside.
When I actually activated the armor it melted into a spandex like suit. To add some flair I added details like gloves, some cloth, shoes with bells, a baton, and a jester's hat to make it look like a jester. Seems I finally got to be Phoebe's fool. Speaking of which Phoebe and I were actually walking towards the thrown room. We were about to get me a job.
"Are you ready? The king and whoever is with him will be past this door."
"I'm about as ready as I'll ever be."
"Then let's go."
Phoebe entered through the door and made her way toward the king. She stopped once she was in front of the steps leading towards his throne and curtsied.
I stopped behind Phoebe and performed an Asuran bow the way Philip showed me.
"And who might this be, blessed child?"
"Hello father. This is someone I would like to employ as a jester and as my magic bodyguard."
The king was sitting regally in his throne. He had 4 smaller thrones next to his. Two of them were empty, but the others were filled with a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in a purple dress. Beside her stood a tall rugged man and another more slender one. George and Onyx. The other throne was holding a boy with slicked back blonde hair with blue eyes. He looked bored, but I could see that he was watching me with the eyes of a hawk.
Beside him were two female guards.
"If you bring him directly before me then he must show some talent, however I must decline. The son of James should be just fine considering your... Kumus."
"Apologies Father but again I must request. Something big shall be happening soon and I will be needing all the protection I can get. I can sense it every morning once I wake up. I will die soon."
At this the king and Grabell both sat straight up. Even Ariel looked surprised even though we'd already rehearsed and gone over this with her.
"And what sort of calamity may befall us?!"
"I am unaware. I just know that my death will start it. So I ask again. Please allow me to employ him as my jester."
The king gritted his teeth and called over a servant. He whispered to them and the servant went away.
"If your life is at risk as you claim then I shall not allow you to be guarded by someone as young as him. I shall bring forth worthy guards and you shall pick the ones you need."
"Again I insist Father. This boy shall be more than enough to keep me safe even if he is my only guard."
"Sister why do push for this boy to be your guard? Surely there's far more appealing choices, no?"
Grabell being the type to pick his guards and servants based on their sexual appeal was peaking over at his guards as he made his claim.
"I have tested his strengths. He has bested the strongest of my creations all at once in battle. During this fight he refused to use his full power and barely broke a sweat. And besides. He's plenty appealing."
"Oh? We-"
"Enough! If the boy is as strong as you claim then let us see him prove his worth. Boy. What is your name?"
"Rudeus. Rudeus Notos Greyrat. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Notos? You are no Notos. Pilemon has no son named Rudeus."
"My father is not Pilemon your majesty. It is his older brother, Paul Notos Greyrat."
I could the King's brow furrow as I made my claim.
"You understand the weight of that claim do you not?"
"We are well aware father."
"Hmph. The soldiers are here. Pick your opponent."
Turning around I could see multiple warriors, swords masters, and even mages in the crown. Out of all of them I spotted one that really caught my attention. A man wearing a dark blue cloak hiding his face. The others around him looked disturbed and were trying to avoid him. Peaking from his hood I could barely see a peacock tattoo on his face. North Emperor Auber Corvette. I pointed directly at him.
"I choose the North Emperor."
"Haha! Seems you've got good instincts, or maybe bad ones if your willingly fighting me."
Auber Corvette. The man who was able to nearly disarm Phoebe. She said he had a whole bunch of tricks he used to keep the opponent on their toes.
"Then so be it. Rudeus Notos Greyrat shall duel Auber Corvette within the hour. The battle shall be held in the training grounds. Have it vacated and prepared immediately!"
"Well that went well."
I sat on a couch in a waiting room as Phoebe closed the door.
"It definitely could've been worse. And hey! We get to have you fight the North emperor."
"Yep. Guess we get to see how good this armor does in real battle."
"For now I say we just enjoy ourselves."
Phoebe sat beside me and poured some tea for us both.
"Now is your last chance to back out kid. I wouldn't hold it against you."
"Nope. I'm good."
Aubor and I were standing on to sides of the training grounds. Watching our fight was the king himself, Phoebe, Grabell, Ariel, Pilemon, Darius, and Yoko pretending to be James. Pilemon came after hearing about me, and Darius came since he was the Prime minister. Though it was who Darius brought with him that was important. Old, with white hair, blue eyes, and wrinkled skin. A simple yet extravagant sword hung on her hip as she lazily had her hand set on the hilt. Reida Reia. This was gonna be interesting.
"Let the fight begin in three, two, one. Go!"
Auber lunged to me at blinding speeds and brought his sword downwards. Time to give them a show.
I fell through the ground and flew back up. This put me behind Auber. With the few seconds I bought myself I scanned the arena. Phoebe said that Auber's main way of throwing people of was by using his favorite matching magic items. A blue coat and a brown coat that could swap the user's place at will.
I saw a small lump of dirt off to the side of where he began. I didn't have enough time to actually act on it but I made a mental note of its location.
As soon as I landed I grasped my baton at the middle and the end. Pulling it from its sheath I blocked Auber's next attack with a very thin shortsword.
We both jumped backwards and Auber didn't take his eyes off my shortsword.
"That's a neat trick you got there, but wouldn't a regular sword be better? Look at all the reach your missing."
"Reach? Not a problem!"
My arm stretched and whipped towards Auber. I saw a small flicker of light and immediately pointed the edge of my baton at the lump of dirt. A small gemstone gleamed and I fired a fireball straight at Auber as he swapped places. The gem was a gift from Roxy right before we left. It was actually a magic wand that I had worked into the sheath.
"Impressive. But do you really think you can beat me?"
Auber poured some water from a bottle he took from his robe onto the fire from his sleeve. It didn't destroy the robe completely but it was enough so that he wouldn't be using it again.
He then poured another liquid into his mouth and used a scroll to set his sword on fire. This was another technique he used against Phoebe.
He lunged forward and with his sword held in front of him sprayed the oil into my face. The oil caught fire and spread across me making it look like he was breathing fire. As the last of the oil came out of his mouth I grabbed his throat and stretched my arm to hold him off the ground.
"Should you be the one asking that question?"
"Gah!"
He tried bringing his sword down on my head but it shattered at the hilt.
"That's enough! Auber has lost. Rudeus is the winner."
I let Auber go and walked towards Phoebe. A sword suddenly appeared in front of my neck.
"Don't you know it's rather rude to pull a sword on an innocent man? Reida Reia."
The water god squinted her eyes as she looked at me. She glanced over at Auber who was still getting up while holding his neck.
"You seem pretty strong for a twerp your size. Who do you work for?"
"Hopefully the blessed child."
"Tch. On your pride as a swordsman I challenge you to a duel. Ready your blade."
"I already have."
My sword stabbed forward from my stomach, but Reida barely managed to parry it.
"Tricks like that won't work on me."
"Oh fine. Guess I'll get serious then."
I slammed my sheath into the ground and vines erupted from all around us. I tried attacked her with them but she just cut and parried them all away.
Out of all the things Phoebe could gather about Reida there was only one thing I really needed to look out for, and as soon as I saw Reida going into the stance for Sword Deprication Kingdom I fell through the ground. I immediately felt all the vines be cut to shreds. Getting under Reida I shot a huge blast of gravity magic upwards. I managed to blow her out of her strongest technique. That should be enough. I held her in place with gravity as I rose from the ground.
"That's a pretty powerful technique you got there. You might've actually hurt me if you got me with it."
"It's over. I yield."
Reida scowled as I let her down. Even she was powerless against gravity.
"Rudeus Notos Greyrat. I hereby grant you permission to guard my daughter, the blessed child of Asura. Keep her safe. No matter the cost."
"Of course your majesty. That's the plan."
As Phoebe and I left the grounds we passed by Pilemon who was looking at me terrified.
"Hello Uncle. Do me a favor will you? Keep my seat warm for me."
As soon as Phoebe and I teleported into the manor she jumped and hugged me.
"It worked! Two birds with one stone!"
"I take it things went well?"
Paul was the first to greet us. He seemed to be snacking on some of the extra food Yuki got for us. I ran up and started eating some too. I was starving after that.
"Yes! Not only were we able to get Thorn employed as my mage guard, but he was able to humiliate both the North Emperor and the Water God in front of some nobles which included both Darius and Pilemon. If things keep going as smoothly as this then we'll be back in Buena in no time!"
Paul nearly choked on his sandwich as Phoebe talked him through my fights with Auber and Reida.
"Just how powerful are you?!"
"Extremely. Though I'd be put in a tough spot if I had to fight someone stronger than Reida, or if I fought someone who could use gravity magic. Controlling gravity is my biggest advantage in a fight. It effectively makes swordsmen powerless since they can't move. Magicians would still be able to fire spells at me, but I'd just squeeze em a bit to stop them."
"Good grief Rudy. What are we gonna do with you?"
"Love me like a son?"
Paul wrapped his arm sound my shoulder and rubbed his knuckle into my head.
"Ha! Of course! You're my son why wouldn't I love ya?"
It's been a few days and things had been pretty hectic. Phoebe has been bogged down with work, Philip has been negotiating and is set to be appointed as the new family head in a day or two, and once that's done I'll be taking over as the head of the Notos family. And by me I mean a Kumu that is basically a puppet that I'll be controlling to act like me.
"Why does there have to be so much work to do?"
Phoebe was currently struggling along with her work.
"Why don't you have your Kumus do it for you? They think like you and wouldn't go against your wishes. You'd be getting the work done faster without actually working."
Phoebe stared blankly at me as I finished my explanation. She ran up and kissed me on my cheek.
"This is why I love you."
"Is it the only reason?"
"No. Just one of many."
Phoebe made 3 Kumu to all to her work. Her Kumu limit was increased when she got her body, and while she has a limit she just hasn't reached it yet. Currently all the others that were here had 2 Kumu to following them around. This was to help us all communicate with each other and stay and touch, while also keeping everyone safe. It also helped Phoebe track their movements.
"So what would you like to do with your new free time?"
"Hmm? How about we enjoy some tea in the palace garden? We may even see my sister again."
"Alright then. Lead the way."
As we walked out the door Flora, Phoebe's nanny, was waiting for us. Since she was a commoner she wasn't allowed to stay with Phoebe since she might be handling sensitive information, but she had to stay by the door in case there was an emergency or if Phoebe needs something.
"Ms.Blessed Child. Sir Rudeus. Where might we be going?"
"We'll be going to the Palace garden. Please send someone to get us some tea."
"Yes my Lady. Right away."
Once we got to the garden we saw Ariel and her attendants as well as a boy around Ariel's age sitting at the table.
"Oh! Miko! Over here."
Ariel called out to us once she saw us.
"Miko?"
"It's another word for Blessed Child. I prefer Ariel calling me Miko then Blessed Child."
"Oh. When we're in the company of others should I call you Miko?"
"It would raise less questions so I guess you should."
"Mkay."
Phoebe sat down as one of Ariel's attendants poured us some tea. Her chair was the last chair.
"Hmm. Rudeus would you shrink down for me? About Cyrus sized."
"Um. Okay?"
I shrunk down to be just a little bit taller than Cyrus.
"What now- woah!"
Phoebe picked me up and placed me on her lap.
"There. This is much cozier."
"You are so lucky you are who you are. I wouldn't let anyone else hold me like this."
"Oh? Even Roxy?"
"Even Roxy."
"Miko, this is Luke. He's a close friend of mine."
Luke stood up and did the standard noble greeting.
"Greetings. It's a pleasure to meet you Blessed Child of Asura. My name is Luke Notos Greyrat."
"Well then Luke. A friend of Ariel's is a friend of mine. Please, call me Miko."
"Very well."
"Luke, the boy sitting in Milo's lap is Rudeus. He's the one I told you about earlier."
Luke looked me up and down.
"This is the one my father is scared of?"
"He is. I was there to see the way he fought the North Emperor and the Water God. Your father's fear is deserved."
Luke stood up, walked around the table, and took a knee in front of Phoebe.
"Please Rudeus sir. Don't kill my father!"
...
"What?"
"You wish to become the head of the Notos family right? Please don't kill him."
"I'm not gonna kill my uncle. Since it's my birthright I'm just gonna go and claim it. With my power I'll beat up anyone who gets in my way sure, but I'm going to try to do my best not to kill anyone if I can."
"Thank you! Thank you very much!"
Luke got up and sat back down in his chair. The mood changed to a much lighter one as we started talking.
"So sir Rudeus who is this Roxy you were speaking of?"
"Oh she's... what would be the term for it?"
I looked up at Phoebe.
"Lover. She's his lover."
"Oh my. It seems that Sir Rudeus really is a Notos."
Luke got a grin on his face that was eerily similar to Paul's anytime he floated about me being his kid. Definitely related.
"So any others cousin? Surely if your getting around already then you must have more than one."
Luke held a smug grin on his face. I was gonna answer but Phoebe hugged me really tight and laid her chin on my head.
"There's one more. Wanna guess?"
From the bewildered looks on Luke and Ariel's faces I'm pretty sure they figured it out on their own. We spent the rest of the afternoon talking and avoiding questions about our relationship.
*-Philip Boreas Greyrat-*
Perfect. It's all perfect. I've got Asura's blessed child, the second princess, and a boy stronger than the water god helping me become the family head. Hilda is ecstatic to be able to see our sons again. She was so sad when they were taken away from us.
The look of pure joy that enters her face whenever Mars comes to visit is one I hope she'll be able to have more often. She even made me promise to demolish the Boreas tradition of sending the sons to the family head so that no other women would have to feel her pain again.
I truly couldn't ask for better allies. We have all the knowledge from the Blessed Child, financial backing from the second princess, and Rudeus literally brought James to me on a silver platter. The title of head of the Boreas family was ripe for the picking, and I'd be making a very bountiful harvest. And the best part? Once I became family head the Blessed Child would give me a puppet to serve as family head so that I may stay with my family in Roa. It would think and act like me, and all I had to do was occasionally give it instructions for more of the complex matters.
Eris was happy that I wouldn't be leaving her behind. Once I have time I should spend more time with her. Perhaps the Blessed Child would be kind enough to make another puppet to serve for me in Roa? I'd have to ask. I hope I'm not being to greedy. Oh who am I kidding I'm being extremely greedy.
"What are you smiling about you scheming bastard?"
I looked down at the chained figure. James, my older brother, and the soon to be previous head of the Boreas family.
"Oh I just thought I'd let you know how things are going outside. You'll be getting out soon so I thought I'd get you up to date. In 3 days Ariel Anemoi Asura is holding a party for all the nobility. During this party it will be announced that the Boreas and Notos branches of the Greyrat family shall be getting new family heads. I will be taking over the Boreas side of course, and you may not believe it but the new head of the Notos family shall be announced as the fiancé of the Blessed Child of Asura. Isn't that just wonderful?"
"Tch. So long as I get out of this alive I swear you'll pay for this Philip."
"Oh? You do realize that the boy I'm talking about is the same one that killed your men? Not to mention the fact that he also defeated the North Emperor Aubor Corvette and the Water God Reida Reia."
James froze. He knew I had no reason to lie, and he himself saw how strong that boy was.
"It won't work. You know that! The gods won't let it! They'll send people! They'll kill you all!"
"Thats what the party is for you idiot. Your a disgrace to the Boreas name if you can't see that. What's a better time to ruin everything than a party full of nobles? You'll be leaving tomorrow. Have fun while you can, because if you try and stop us I can't guarantee that I can stop Rudeus from killing you."
Not wanting to hear anything else he had to say I left the room. Soon all my problems will get washed away.
Now if only I could convince that boy to marry Eris. Though if I do so much as bring it up there isn't a doubt in my mind he'll kill me. He was quite serious about it before. Sign a contract with Paul? No that's an even worse idea. Does he have to be the one to marry Eris? He seems to be a family man. He's got a younger brother! Cyrus I believe was his name. A four year age gap never hurt anyone.
*-Rudeus-*
"Oh yeah? And then what happened?!"
I was sitting in the dining area snacking on some potato stew Phoebe had Yuki get for me. Where was she getting all this food? Ah doesn't matter it's good. While I was eating I was keeping Eris entertained by telling her stories from my past life. Raion looked exhausted so I was buying him time to take a break. He's been running around with Philip and once he gets back here he can't rest because Eris starts dragging him around to explore the place.
"Well once I pulled the dragon's head down I shot a giant thorn through its head. That night I ate dragon meat, and to be honest I've had better meat."
"That's so cool! How'd you get so strong? I wanna get strong too!"
"Well. I studied a bunch. And practiced too, but mainly studying."
Eris immediately slumped in her chair.
"Ugh. But I don't like studying. I wanna get strong without reading."
"Weeeell. Then I'm afraid you aren't gonna be strong like me. I guess I could teach you but I've already got my hands full. How about this. Go ask your dad if he'd be willing to hire me as a teacher in... 3 maybe 4 years. I'll teach you magic, but remember. You will have to study a little bit, but I'll be sure to reward your hard work with even cooler magic lessons."
Eris's eyes lit up as she ran out of the room. I could hear her calling for Philip as she ran down the halls.
I am going to have a very busy next couple of years aren't I?
*-Eris-*
They're all so cool! And strong!
My brother is the coolest person I know. He can grow blood from his hands and make it do whatever he wants. He uses it to make little dolls that move to tell me stories. He's crazy powerful too.
And imagine what I was thinking when he told me that there were people even stronger then him. I didn't believe him obviously! Who else do you know that can pick up a bunch of carriages at one time? Even Ghislaine can't do that. And she's almost as cool as Raion.
Then I got to meet one of his friends. She's a princess named Phoebe. Her and Raion did a "mock battle", and she beat him! It was a crazy fight and at the end their weapons were all floating around and it was crazy!
But then she said that there was someone even stronger than her!
I couldn't believe it when I met him. My dad always complained about his big brother, James, and when I first saw this Thorn person he had James and two other dudes chained up. Ever since then my dad and Raion have both been on a really good mood.
Once we got to the capitol Thorn even made an entire house inside the walls of another house. How do you even do that?!
I'm starting to see why Raion says he's the strongest. I think Raion's still the coolest though.
"Hey dad there you are!"
"Hm? Oh Eris. What can I do for you?"
I ran up to my dad. He seemed to just be walking around. I can't blame him. This place is awesome!
"Rudeus wants to know if you'd be interested in hiring him to be my teacher! In three to four years. He says he's pretty busy."
A big smile spread across dad's face. It didn't feel like the one he had on when talking to other nobles. It felt like a real smile.
"Truly Eris? Nothing could make me happier."
'This really is perfect isn't it?' Was the only thing running through Philip's mind as he started scheming Eris's way into Rudeus's heart.
*-Rudeus-*
"Okay. We have guards that we know haven't been bought out and bribed, Yuki's covering the food, we've got Thorn for extra security, as well as all spare Kumu, Doru, and static crows, and we've got the North Emperor, Water God, and the entirety of Ars under surveillance. Are we missing anything?"
Phoebe listed off all the things we've been handling. The big party was tomorrow and we were making sure that nothing could go wrong.
We did a background check and investigated all the guards that would be on duty, and we replaced the ones that had been bribed or were being bribed. All it took was one guard slipping in an unaccounted for individual and the whole thing could get wrecked.
Yuki was handling all the food, and would be keeping an eye out for potential poison attempts throughout the party.
I'll be personally handling the security of the ball room, while Kumu, Doru, and some Static Crows will be guarding the rest of the palace in secret. There would also be a bunch of Doru watching over the rest of Ars. Each squadron of Doru was assigned to a Kumu. The Doru would watch over Ars and would show the Kumu any danger they found. The Kumu would then tell Yoko and he would go investigate the potential threats.
We had the Water God and North Emperor under surveillance for obvious reasons. Things could be quite crazy, so the last thing we needed was for one of them to fall from a chandelier or something like that. Plus Auber went and got his coat fixed meaning that the swapping coats trick could be used to sneak into the party, so I now also had to look out for a blue and or brown coat unless we wanted Auber suddenly teleporting into the party. We found interference from them unlikely but we weren't taking any risks.
"I'll have everything secure in the ball room. Any news on what James has been doing?"
Yoko poked his head out from a wall.
"He had a meeting with Darius Silva Ganius and Reida Reia to discuss the authenticity of your duel with the Water God and North Emperor. Reida admitted defeat much to his dismay. He has been spending the rest of his time either stress eating or sulking with his wife. The the latter has been less of an occurrence since he learned that she is the one who agreed to make Philip the new family head."
"Alright. And dealings with Pilemon?"
"All assets have been handed over. He tried resisting and fighting back, so I threw him through a wall. That got him back to business. All things are set for you to become the new Notos family head at tomorrow's announcement."
Paul laughed from his seat.
"Ha! Wish I could've seen that."
"Alright let's get ready everyone. And Yoko make sure to watch everyone leaving and entering Ars. We never know who our divine friends might be trying to sneak in here."
A short chapter I know but trust me the next one makes up for it. It's gonna be a big one.
I'm sorry about the late chapter. I got so caught up in writing about Withered Reincarnation I lost all my drive to write about Rosey Reincarnation, but I still got the chapter out just one day later than normal. Should be back on schedule with the next one, so I'll see y'all soon!
(Also there was a small discrepancy before. Withered Reincarnation is rated Mature on both Archive and FanFiction, unlike Rosey Reincarnation which is Teen on FanFiction and Mature on Archive. This is because of extreme violence for later chapters but because of its rating all sex scenes will also be able to be found on FanFiction. Sorry for my mistake!)