Response to Review!
Irrelevancy and redundancy!
I find no true value in writing a prologue focused on the inception of the MC in the 22nd century. My reason, it will mostly be an exposition dump, something I've come to despise in recent months due to my pursuit of learning the showing technique.
The MC's second incarnation is quite literally irrelevant. Dreadful Pride V2 covers the idea behind the MC's personality and actions.
I will not begrudge any who'd find this style of writing uninteresting, I'm quite aware of its divergency to the common norm.
Another thing to address is the flashbacks scenes. No, there will be no flashback scenes of any type. Context and appropriate history will be revealed through ordinary chapters— through dialogue and introspection.
This will not mirror other iterations of this genre (I.E the self-insert genre) thus I will not be using the recommended works as guidelines (I've read them btw).
Yes, I understand that you do not enjoy this work but know that's not criticism just personal preference. Of course, this doesn't mean I will disregard criticism about my decisions. Example: "Why aren't the NPCs worshipping the MC?" "Why did you completely change Nazarick, that seems a stupid decision?" Or things of this nature.
Rogue1Bois, fortunately, presents such questions.
1. What does the castle look like?
—This is a good question. I try to give descriptive scenery to relevant characters or when the situation calls for it. Example: Albedo's POV only gives minimal descriptions to both her bedchambers and bathhouse because these things are common to her.
One doesn't wax poetic about their everyday consistencies.
Another example is how she doesn't quite care about the maids' individualistic differences and only focuses on the manner of their presentation due to her obsession with noble image.
Answer: This is intentional. It will be revealed soon.
2. Where did the Tomb go?
Answer: The Great Tomb of Nazarick doesn't exist anymore. Though a few floors do still exist. There will be a chapter interlude dedicated to the mystery behind this reformation.
3. Are all the NPCs still present?
Answer: In a sense, yes. But most of them have been changed into humanoid races (humans, elven, dwarves or hybrids) with extreme eccentricities.
This is the AU factor coming into play.
Example: The Pleiades are all humans. This is mainly because their canon-races are inconsequential. Except for Entoma, but leaving her as a bug monster would be an act of cruelty. Though she will still be a bug enthusiast and bug user. This is true for all of their original abilities.
Yes, Cocytus is also different in appearance.
4. What is the main goal of the MC?
Answer: Happiness would be the main goal. Love, Family, Power, Fame, Legacy, Dominance. I hope you see where I'm going with this. Though I need to remind you that he's by no means an evil or sadistic individual.
Anyway, thanks!
Day 1 after the Transfer.
Albedo 2
A soft shimmer breached through the glass doors opened wide, a gentle breeze accompanying it.
Albedo's view was a forest of long trees climbing up the mountain range with a blanket of green and spots of grey cliffs along with it. Flocks of birds passed through in rare moments, to and from the southern falls for their morning quench…
The current batch was a flock of songweavers, flapping through with echoes of their harmonics carrying far. They were a wonder-sight, she admitted, more so with their enchanting plumes of rainbow spread wide against the sun's shimmer.
…in even rarer moments this would be a site for unique creatures who made home upon the twin mountains on which Velena Palace was built between.
"Have you always fancied the little warblers?" The question came from her left side, pitched high yet spoken soft in the manner of fine speech. "Must admit I've never taken you for a birder."
Shalltear sat beside her, dressed in a red long dress with chiffon sleeves and ruffled cuffs. A black neck-tied short cape covered her shoulders and chest, and a black bow edged with red tied her platinum blonde hair in a spiralling ponytail.
She had a mana-forged fork in her left hand, a piece of sliced toast paired with a cut of strawberry and white cream drizzled with red syrup halfway to her lips.
"Don't call me that." The raven-haired woman was quick to say, not out of the offense the word inflicted but the way it was spoken. She sighed and turned her gaze towards the room's interior doors.
Her love and Mare made way together out the room, deep in discussions of crop growth, field management, and soil enrichment. It was a pleasant talk, she felt, yet she long noticed that her husband had a matter to share with the young dark elf but had been hesitant about it.
He still was.
'I wonder if it's reluctance born of your care or misjudgement of the boy's character.' She felt the former might be it, her love truly cared for the twins, and absolutely loved having them in Velena and monitoring their growth.
To assign them lands— though it would mostly be Mare— and the weight of governance would have an impact on their relationship so close to familial in nature, even if just a little.
All that was to say her love was being unnecessarily clingy.
'It's as I'd thought,' her smile was faint but true. 'A child of his own would do him well.'
"I don't know if you've been told this, but that smile of yours is creepily close to nightmarish." Once more the blood wench intruded on her fantasies with bitter jealousy.
Albedo's face twisted into an annoyed scowl, though it was feign in nature. She turned to regard the countess, "Have you remained behind to hurl childish insults at me?" She asked, bringing a tea cup to her lips painted fuchsia, "If so then I'm highly disappointed."
"What care I for the disappointment of a woman so petty." Shalltear snorted, "Don't think I didn't notice your little play with the seat placements."
Albedo rolled her eyes. It was not as though that little ploy worked, the valkyrie simply disregarded the arrangements and settled herself right beside her.
Such a bore woman she was.
"You really ought to show some respect to me," she said with a shake of her head, placing the cup on its saucer. "Well, now that we gotten the usual insults out of the way, I hope you can tell me what is it you wanted to talk about."
Shalltear favoured her with a slow nod, a genuine smile softening her delicate features. "Not much, I admit. It's more idle curiosity and gossip I feel I'd missed." She took a bite of a berry dipped in a chocolate fountain before continuing, "Busy times are ahead of us so I'd like to take every opportunity I can to oversate the longing I'd no doubt feel in due time."
The queen herself felt a smile form, though she was not as dramatic as her petite friend. It was true that there would be heavy demand for her attention soon, her more so than the other two.
That reminded her, "Are you also planning on visiting Irisviel? I doubt she would be appreciative as it's her mood as of late."
The Einzbern had been acting rather differently ever since she discovered she was with child. More recluse and suffocatingly clingy of Cocytus as if he would run away if left alone for more than a few hours.
"Bah, you're just miserable that you weren't the first of our group to fall pregnant. You know Irisviel is actually afraid that you'll punch her if awarded the opportunity." The valkyrie said casually, as if she had not just stated something horrifically vile.
"Eh?!" Was her eloquent reply.
Shalltear turned to her with a raised brow, but that soon turned into amusement as mirth filled her scarlet orbs. "What? You didn't know. In all fairness her pregnancy is to blame for her faulty judgment and erratic mood swings. But then again, you been rather sulky as of late."
It was not difficult for Albedo to reclaim her calm and give rational thought to the gained information. It did make sense in a way, irrationality was synonymous with pregnancy. And she also admitted that her envy and bitterness had been blatant.
Still, it was rather worrying that she had unintentionally brought her friend such inconvenience. Worse, she might have disqualified her caring self from the shortlist of candidates for godmother.
"Okay," she said after a brief pass. "I admit I've been rather selfish, I'll be sure to make amends. However if she chooses you as her child's godmother I'm breaking your skull with a stirring spoon."
"What! Why?"
"I'm not putting it past you to have whispered some poison in our dear friend's ear." She finished with a huff, the production of it causing her enormous chest to jiggle in a manner that would have seen her love puff up in pride.
Needless to say, she was only jesting, the valkyrie was not as gifted in deceit to accomplish something of that magnitude.
Her friend made a face at her, before they both broke out into giggles.
Shalltear was right, she decided, they would most definitely starve for such pleasant moments soon. Still, Albedo felt it would be a fine change, with each one of them focusing on building a great future for the kids they were all too eager on bearing.
And that brought her to a rather curious matter she was far too eager on addressing…
"Have you decided on which lands you'd settle your household." She asked, golden eyes turning to the black varnished dining table still laden with foods and drinks and fruits cut small. The room chosen was one of the few moderate in design located on the western wing of the fourth floor.
Her and her husband did prefer the ones made for pairs and with little serfs to tend to them. Though she did admit that half the time they barely used them for their intended purposes.
"Not quite." Shalltear admitted, "I had yet to see the maps from your sister's department."
Albedo feigned a frown, "That's odd." She turned her head upward, a slight tilt to it, with her right hand coming up her chin in exaggerated confusion, "I'm sure I had a copy sent to your quarters."
Shalltear choked, and the raven-haired woman found the sight above added to the moment's fun…
The ceiling was a reflective gleam of polished mana-crafted ceramic. Pendant lights dotted the outer edges of the downward square design, with a crystal chandelier of rectangular black amethysts spreading the glow through out.
…she caught her mirror image on the ceramic surface. Her reflection adorned in a red shoulder-bare gown with sprawls of gold and layers of black chiffon mimicked into flower shapes stared back at her, high cheeks blushed with rose puff. Her hair was bundled back and secure with a barrette made from chaos stones and etched with runes of [Hvítaglæs] and [Vegdhrún].
She had been quite eager for her love's reaction at this charming fashion so similar to his. Sadly he had been more taken by her chest than the raw glory of the woven wear…
Typical.
…still, she was pleased, if for little else than the fact that it was always her he saw.
Beside her, she noticed that Shalltear was now futilely trying to concoct excuses to veil her salacious secret now exposed. Her ruby eyes dotted wildly and her lips were twisted into a hollow smile.
She eventually did manage to reclaim her composure. Then she sighed, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."
"I don't know, you can at least feign it." Albedo teased, a growing smile on her lips, "Perhaps an injection of incredulity and outrage."
"What difference would that make?" The valkyrie was not quite grumbling, but the bitterness was there. Albedo drank it all in. Proud!
This was revenge for the midget calling her a bird.
She turned back to her tea, "Hmm, it would make me laugh. You seldom do that for me, at least not intentionally."
The valkyrie crossed her arms with a huff and shot her a glare, "When did you realise?"
"When you decided to give that flimsy excuse for staying at the castle." She drew the cup to her lips and took a sip, "Though even without that obvious lie, the guard commander didn't make things difficult. After all, it's hard not to notice the number of royal guards doing miscellaneous chores around the palace. I'm guessing he was walking around with your perfume wafting off him and got teased by his fellows," Albedo tittered.
She stole a look at Shalltear and found her rose in the cheeks, her eyes widening with each word.
…thus she continued.
"Or it could be the stupid grin he always has whenever you're around. Maybe the fact that he's always the one to guard your quarters. But the most obvious clue was your moans throughout the nights."
"What?"
The cup within Albedo's hand trembled, her amusement boiling, "I jest. I jest."
Shalltear's assault was a barrage of lacklustre punches, her face aflame with embarrassment so cherry in shade.
They were like that for a while, her laughing and her friend red from exposure. It was not quite the sight of graceful behaviour, but the joy was real and genuine. Their calm came after a few seconds had passed, lapsing into a digestive silence.
Albedo took that as an opportunity to have the missive retrieved from her friend's ill-used quarters.
The servant bell chimed silent with [Call].
It was Narberal who showed up, her cute face fixed in her ever serious expression with a uniform so immaculate and proper.
She quite liked Narberal. She would even go as far as to say the witch-maid was her most favourite maid within the castle.
It also did not hurt that the elementalist was her tutor in bunny magic.
"You summoned me, my queen."
She nodded, "Would you be so kind as to retrieve a red folder from Lady Bloodfallen's quarters for me? It should not be difficult to locate."
"By your will." Was the elementalist's acquiescence. Delivered with a flawless curtsy.
Albedo watched her leave with a small smile on her face before turning to regard her platinum-haired friend whose appetite seemed to have fled her whole.
"You ought to have said something sooner," the valkyrie's voice was low of heat, yet the festering betrayal was there. Accusing. While Shalltear herself might have not noticed it— as was the norm with most individuals— Albedo heard the cry for cheer loud and clear. "You must have found the affair amusing, no. For a countess such as myself to be sneaking around with a man not sworn."
Fortunately, she had an appropriate response ready, and one genuine in nature.
"Well, you're not wrong," it was an easy admittance that. "It was somewhat amusing, for a time. Then it was sweet and foolish, as love tends to be." The raven-haired woman gazed at the sight outside the castle now empty of melodies and miraculous creatures.
Honestly, there was little to make fun of. Shalltear was genuinely happy with Henrik thus it could not be called desperation.
Yet emotions were a queer thing, and judgement was always something feared.
"In truth, I find there's little warrant for me to judge your relationship with the Head Guard. He's a rather handsome man with a good head on his shoulders." Her thoughts brushed against the instances the man had acted as her guard and found the memories were abundant, "Diligent to a fault, thus he shouldn't leave you wanting, and great in stature."
"Hey, I heard that!" Her friend's outrage was faux.
Albedo's lips pulled into a quirk on the right side of her mouth, teasing. "'tis a remarkable match, is it not? Moreover, the two of you have shown an uncanny compatibility."
Even with the subtraction of their personal feelings, the match was still in the valkyrie's favour. At least in a sense of her legacy. After all, there was little doubt they would inherit both their parents' charm, gene-structure, potentials, and minds…
That was to say, perfect noble kids and playmates for her own progeny.
…though the two's shared love did help.
Shalltear harrumphed, her small hands producing a purple fan to hide her smile and fluster. "Are you and King Arathron not equally compatible, if not more so?"
A true statement, though at the very least her and her beloved had the excuse of long history and fostered love to explain their maddening bond.
"At least the three of us will all share the responsibility of birthing two heirs." The raven-haired woman exclaimed, just now realising. Though she had the mind to keep her voice low.
The valkyrie gave her a bemused look, "You have lost me, I'm afraid."
She smiled, "Don't tell me you actually thought my love would let free his loyal head guard without ennobling him." It was not condescension that coloured Albedo's tone, but she did enjoy the schadenfreude derived from the petite woman's expression at the realisation that she would be handling two households similar to herself and Irisviel.
…misery truly did love company.
"Oh," Shalltear exclaimed, her face tender. Then it suddenly turned guilt-stricken, "So Henrik is to leave the Royal Guard then."
"You need not worry too much about it; I already have a handle on those matters." Albedo had long been aware that the Head Guard had been agonizing over a way to deliver his resignation to her beloved. "You also need not worry about your house's reputation; I have long since spread rumors of your long betrothal to counteract any slander."
To her credit, Shalltear hardly even flinched at her audacious proclamation. "Does the king know about all of this?"
"He should, I informed him last…night?" Her eyes widened, realisation setting in. A tint of rose suddenly washed across her face, but the queen was quick to suppress the worst of it.
She cleared her throat and gave her friend a very severe look. "A word of advice, my dearest midget. Never discuss important matters with a man while he's deep in your sex."
Shalltear glared at her at the sobriquet.
Albedo paid little heed to it. She had to revisit last night's topic with her husband, and hopefully without him being dazed with pleasure this time around.
Though just in case...
Her red-clothed choker cape, which had been shrouding the skin of her full bosom from view, suddenly absorbed into the emerald gem at its center, leaving behind a sautoir that subsequently half-sunk into her cleavage.
Not finished, she gave her dress a small downward tug, bringing the weight of her bosom dangerously close to spilling over the corset that helped with their perk and accentuation while in-dress.
There was a flash of envy in the valkyrie's ruby eyes before she suppressed it with a scoff. "Already off to whore yourself?"
Albedo shot her a smirk, her ring glowing blue with [Anchored Teleportation]. "You owe me for this, blood wench."
Let it not be said that the Queen of Elgroth was one to leave her beloved wanting.
Information [Magic]
1. Hvítaglæs: This is a Þarstadir rune (Attention) etched with the goal of light attraction and beauty.
2. Vegdhrún: This is a Þarstadir rune (Attention) etched with the goal of interest attraction.
3. [Call]: A low-tier enchantment charm woven within a small, silent bell. A similar alert charm woven into the clothing of the desired recipient emits a chime when the bell is shaken. It has an effective range of one kilometer, with a preference for vertical direction.
4. [Anchor Teleportation]: A mid-tier teleportation enchantment charm that enables two non-stationary targets to teleport within each other's vicinity. It has an effective range of five kilometers.
The Saint: I hope this conveys the kind of relationship I hope to achieve with the pair— trio really— while keeping some of their core aspects. Albedo being a horny administrative genius. Shalltear being… idk, Shalltear I guess.
There's a few expies, all of them from the fate series, their inclusion will have an in-story explanation if a horny one.
Tell me your thoughts on the chapter. The next one will be Demiurge, and the one after that Aura.
Ciao!