It was a rather hectic morning for one particular family of three. Although woken up far earlier than what felt necessary, Stella was still rushed through every step of the seemingly endless preparation on which her mother always insisted whenever His Majesty would visit. The girl did not really understand at all. His Majesty was clearly very nice, and seemed not at all strict or even prone to anger, so it was strange that everyone always dressed up so nicely for him. In general, wouldn't it be better if people just wore what was comfortable instead of what was nice and expensive?
Left with nothing to do after getting ready so unnecessarily early, the mayor's daughter pondered these things as she sat on the edge of the living room sofa and watched countless raindrops fearlessly splatter themselves against the home's windows, each one proudly announcing the end of its long journey with the sound of a tap. It was difficult not to yawn every few minutes, considering the boredom and the lack of sunlight brought about by the endless veil of huge dark clouds that so rudely insisted on concealing the sun. Where do those clouds come from, anyway? Do they all get made in the same place?
... After what felt like a very long amount of time even though it most likely wasn't, Stella had to go stand with her parents near the entrance and wait for His Majesty there, so that they would all be able to bow right as he arrived. Were her parents not bored, as well? Maybe adults just liked being bored.
... And then, finally, after the three were bored together for a while longer, that big magical circle appeared, prompting the family to bow.
"Good morning everyone. And raise your heads, of course."
The gentle voice greeted them warmly and without hesitation, accompanied by several approaching footsteps.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Stella spoke in unison with her parents, which would only be after she was sure His Majesty had finished his own greeting, lest she would rudely interrupt him, as she apparently did often when small.
"Neia sends her regards, as well, by the way… So, is everything alright around Carne today? I hope this weather isn't going to spoil any plans."
"Not at all, Your Majesty, everything is alright! We hope the same is true for you and Her Holiness..."
It took the youngest of the family quite some time to get used to His Majesty's appearance. But even now that she knew how kind he was, being unable to tell how the king felt was rather uncomfortable, always putting Stella on edge, even if only a little. But His Majesty was also really cool, because he was the strongest, and he had magical red eyes. How did they work? Could she touch them?
"... Stella?"
Oops.
She spaced out.
"Stella! That's rude! Pay attention to what His Majesty is saying!"
"S-sorry! I'm sorry, His Majesty! Uhm, I mean, Your Majesty!"
The king laughed, though his mouth remained firmly shut.
"It's fine, Mrs. Emmot. Stella, are you with us now?"
"Uhm, yes!"
"I was just asking if you were feeling alright, and if you were looking forward to playing with Ayame today."
"Yes, yes!"
"Good, I'm glad. Shall we go, then?"
"Yes!"
... Stepping through the disc of magic was an especially surreal experience that day. The uniform darkness of ever-present storm clouds was replaced by a stunning vista of the rising sun just barely peeking above extravagant buildings of Hoburns' richest quarter, its light spilling across the sky and transforming it into a magnificent gradient of an advancing gold and a retreating deep blue.
And in this rich quarter of a rich capital, Neia Baraja's mansion was the most luxurious of them all, markedly so following the renovations and expansions it has undergone in order to keep up with its mistress' rising status. Surrounding the magnificent structure was a stone wall, and within this crust of sorts, a yard of meticulously maintained greenery, including a small garden boasting every colour of the rainbow in its most lively shades.
All in all, Stella thought it was a really pretty house.
Patrolling these premises and their immediate surroundings were the Prophetess' personal guards, whom one could sort into two distinct varieties. First were of course Roble's finest paladins, esteemed warriors proficient in holy spellcasting, clad in radiantly gleaming armour polished to utter perfection. Second were several especially powerful varieties of undead, creatures formerly thought of as the fearsome natural enemies of all that lives, their very mention evoking terror in many.
Not seeing the princess or her scary mom anywhere, the little girl remembered something. She spoke timidly as the magical disc vanished behind her and His Majesty, looking up and to the side at the king.
"Uhm, Your Majesty?"
"Yes, Stella? Everything alright?"
His Majesty was the wisest, so he should know just about everything.
"Where do storm clouds come from? Well, where do all clouds come from?"
"Hmm, that's a bit complicated... How should I explain?... Well, I suppose you know that wet things eventually dry on their own, right?"
"Yes!"
"Well, that water doesn't just disappear. Like gradually filling down a piece of wood into nothing but sawdust, tiny, light droplets of the water are simply carried away until there are none left, and then the wind carries them high up into the sky. Clouds are made of this water. Eventually, when a lot of that water gathers in one place, it clumps together and becomes heavy enough to fall to the ground."
Stella's mouth creaked wide open, eyes sparkling with amazement. It was no wonder His Majesty was a king. It was no wonder they called him the wisest of all. He truly knew seemingly everything about this incredibly complex and massive world.
"You're so smart, Your Majesty!"
"Haha, thank you... Now, where is Ayame? She was supposed to be waiting around here…"
As if in reaction to the magic caster's question, the large front door a bit further ahead quietly opened, revealing a small figure.
"Daddy!"
After shutting the door behind her, Ayame Baraja closed the distance with speed entirely out of the ordinary for a mere child. Her short-sleeved dress was, as expected, of incredible make, which only made the rest of the princess' attire stand out more. An ordinary belt of brown leather was somewhat loosely buckled around the princess' waist, its purpose being to hold a scabbard concealing a matching wooden sword, one that would be a mere dagger in the hands of an adult. The lively flapping of Ayame's wings disturbed her long, golden hair as she addressed the newly arrived pair.
"Hi Stella! Dad, are you going to go now?"
"I'll have to, I'm afraid."
"Is work going well?"
"Yes, though it might still take me and mom some time. She also says hello."
The young guest chimed in timidly.
"Uhm, is there something happening?"
"Ah, there's nothing to worry about. Some important people from very far away just arrived nearby, and Neia needs to talk to them about their religion for a bit. She can take a break and come greet you soon."
Stella nodded vigorously. She always thought that her own mother was enormously impressive to be able to lead a whole town, but His Majesty led a whole kingdom, which had many towns, and had to deal with other kingdoms that also had many towns. Fortunately, His Majesty had Her Holiness to lead all the churches, though that was also incredibly hard, because Madam Malina led just one church and it always made her busy.
"If that's all, I'll be off to join her and make sure everything's fine on her end."
"Yes! Goodbye, dad!"
"Goodbye and good luck, Your Majesty!"
"Then you two have fun. And be careful, Ayame!"
After gently patting the heads of the two children, the monarch stepped away and disappeared without another word. With little hesitation, the princess drew her sword, raising it to the sky with a passionate proclamation.
"It's time to vanquish evildoers, Stella!"
"What?! No fair! We played knights last time! It should be my turn to pick a game!"
Stella's tone was very dramatic. Not at all directly confrontational, more akin to that of someone deeply frustrated, saddened, and perhaps even frightened at the prospect of facing grave injustice.
"Oh, right..."
With a defeated sigh, the princess accepted her fate, shoulders dropping as the toy sword was reluctantly sheathed.
"Alright... What did you want to play?"
Stella smiled, tone turning happy.
"House! And maybe a guessing game later!"
"Can we at least do it outside? It's very nice out!"
"Hmm, okay."
The friends followed a path paved with cut marble side-by-side to their destination, the back of the mansion, where a larger open area was to be found. One hummed an improvised, joyous tune as she walked, while the other held her head low in an effort to radiate a sort of exaggerated gloom. But as the children turned the final corner, the pair realised they were not the only ones wishing to utilise the space that day. Two women were in the final steps of donning thick protective gear as a small crowd utilised the seating of the nearby roofed patio. A certain bafolk stood next to a large table upon which stood bottles of water, clean towels, and a selection of different types of wooden weapons, all in a pair.
"Whoa, is that... Look, Stella! Madam Montagnés and Madam Blackheart are about to fence! Madam Montagnés is like, the youngest paladin since forever, and she's also left handed, so she's a super tough opponent because it's so hard to get used to her moves!"
Seeing Ayame's excitement about the duel and the way she struck yet another pose with her toy sword, Stella only felt despair creeping up on her.
"Hey! That's not fair!"
"B-but... Ugh, can I at least have a little peek at them sometimes as we play?"
Although the princess' tone was currently genuine, it probably wasn't going to be long until "sometimes" gradually became "most of the time".
"Fine..."
... ...
Birdsong. The calm footsteps of thousands. The laughter of old friends. The giggling of young couples. The shouts of playing children. The barking of beloved family pets. The rustle of trees swaying in the breeze.
An old woman untouched by age stood still in the middle of a busy plaza, red eyes staring on through a mask. The joyous atmosphere of the streets brought on a complex cocktail of emotions, all of them powerful. The woman allowed her legs to carry her in a random direction, a specific set of old thoughts repeating in her head yet again, just as they did whenever she visited the Sorcerer Kingdom.
So peaceful, so prosperous... But its ruler went too far. On more than one occasion.
Or did he?
Did she wish for someone to just kill that damn skeleton for his crimes, or was the nation he created worth it all?
The former adventurer found herself at the feet of a massive creature, a Death Knight, a vile beast one would normally run from at first sight. Yet in this nation, the people grew accustomed to the undead, with the vast majority of them only ever interacting with those undead who were mere extensions of their God's will. With a few cosmetic accessories, such as a thick layer of custom clothes coated in some natural perfumes, the formerly fearsome and disgusting beings were made palatable to all.
… The old woman found herself at the city's port, under a cloudless sky whose radiant sun freely shared its gleam with the ever-shifting waters below. Watching waves, whether it be as they crash into the stone of cliffs or as they are peacefully absorbed into the grains of a beach, was always relaxing.
"Oh, careful! Aren't you standing too close to the edge?!"
The feminine, concerned voice was followed by several hurried footsteps. After turning around, the old woman found herself being stared at from above by something that appeared to be of a species very similar to a lizardman, yet not quite. An admittedly cute and silly-looking person, with large bulging dark eyes and what appeared to be a massive perpetual smile. Yes, the Sorcerer Kingdom was also one of the few places in this world where different species showed concern and care for each other.
"Sorry to worry you."
"Oh, it's fine, I'm just worried! Uhm, are you small, or a child?"
Keno laughed and removed her mask.
"I'm just small."
\\\
Kichi exposed her teeth in surprise. The person looked human, but claimed to just be small. How strange. Sorting through her knowledge of other species, the gecko finally found a satisfying answer.
"Ahh, are you a halfling?"
The little person chuckled.
"Yeah, let's leave it at that... Sorry, I should be going. I have things to do, but it seems I always get lost in thought whenever I have business here."
"Oh, do you travel a lot?! Wait, am I being rude? Don't let me keep you if you're in a hurry!"
Kichi immediately felt her respect for this person growing. Travelling was very scary! She spent so long on that boat with all those people... And the food was so dry!
"It's fine. I do travel a lot. Me and my friends all do, usually together."
"Ah, I wish I had friends who also wanted to come with me..."
"You never know when or where you'll make new ones. Keep that in mind, and have a good day."
"Good day to you, too!"
After the strange halfling left, Kichi returned to her previous line of thought. Finally, she was in Roble! "The cradle of the true faith". A place with a ton of humans, who are just so cool! The gecko could not wait to meet a ton of humans and talk about religion with them!
...
Oh no.
Oh Gods, no.
It was happening again.
Neia Baraja sighed deeply and pressed her palm against her forehead in disappointment.
She was experiencing "writer's block". At least that's what Satoru said they called it in his ancient homeland. Staring at a blank page for hours on end, the Prophetess could do nothing.
No ideas as to how to start the speech came to her. Neia had a sea of quick notes, but the ability to refine their meaning to rhetorical perfection and carefully assemble them together into a coherent whole was nowhere to be found within her mind.
Which word selection would be the most impactful? Even the thesaurus was of little help. Where should strategic pauses be employed? They felt pretentious if overused. In which order should these arguments be presented in order to be as convincing as possible? Neia probably needed more, but all had to hold up to great scrutiny individually. What was a good balance between stating undeniable fact and appealing to emotion? It varied greatly person-to-person, didn't it? And how did the common people even think these days? What were their fears, their worries, their dreams? Did living in such luxury make her ignorant and detached from her people?
At times like these, Neia felt that any previous success of hers must have been some freak accident. A sick joke that is now over, leaving her clueless as to how to live up to her previous work.
The High Priestess let herself slump over in her chair, vocalising something between a groan and a wail; a plea for help to the world itself, and a lamentation of her own lack of talent.
Just then, the angel's train of thought was disturbed by a knock.
"Sweetie? Are you alright?"
Instinctively assuming a dignified position by straightening her back, resting her hands on her lap, and adopting a calm expression, Neia Baraja responded to the concerned voice of her mother.
"Oh, yes! Come on in!"
Both her parents entered, their expressions cautiously optimistic. With a reservedly upbeat tone, Pabel spoke.
"Hey, Neia. We're just making sure you're doing fine, and hopefully we could encourage you a little. Everything going well?"
"Yeah, just... I got a bit stuck again."
"Oh no..."
The two visitors closed the door behind them and proceeded deeper into the room. Sofia was the next to offer kind words.
"That's alright, sweetheart. You still have the rest of the week, right? There's no rush, we believe in you! You're our pride and joy, you know?"
If only this mental state of hers always cleared up in just a few days…
"Your mother's right! We're here for you, if you need anything at all! We love you lots."
The priestess smiled sincerely yet with a profound exhaustion.
"Thank you, mom. Thank you, dad. I love you both a lot, too."
Following a pause, Sofia continued with a more playful demeanour.
"Hmm, did you have snacks to help?"
The angel was confused for a moment, turning her head in the direction of Sofia's gaze. There, at the edge of the table, remained a bowl with some tiny crumbs.
"Right, yeah! I was munching on some potato chips here and there as I was chipping away at this speech!"
In reality, Neia quickly gobbled up the entire bowl at once as soon as she was alone with it, and only after licking it mostly clean did she remember her task of crafting the speech.
...
The gecko was incredibly impressed with the Sorcerer Kingdom's buildings. Structures made of solid stone and carved wood, with light entering freely through segments of walls that were made of some sort of solid material that one could nonetheless see through. Each building must have taken an incredible amount of time and skill-intensive labour to construct, and was surely near-unbreakable.
After taking a moment to admire the massive undead she was asked to walk past, the woman hurried on and entered the hall where some important things would apparently be explained to her. Within, there were many chairs and tables facing a raised platform, which was probably from where the person explaining things was going to do so. Occupying the seating were small groups of humans which kept some empty spaces between themselves and the other unrelated groups. Eventually, the gecko noticed another demi-human sitting alone near the very front, and decided to make her way there.
… "Hello! I'm Kichi!"
The demi-human looked towards her with half-closed eyes that were similar in colour to the dark-brown fur that covered their entire body.
"Huh? What do you need?"
His voice was decidedly masculine, though rather soft, whereas his tone was exhausted.
"May I sit next to you?"
"Uh, sure. Whatever."
"Okay! So what brings you here?"
The demi-human stranger sighed.
"Trade."
"Ohhh, that's cool! I'm a pilgrim! I want to live here among the humans and close to Her Divine Holiness Neia Baraja!"
"Mhm."
"And what are you?"
"Hm? My species? I'm a sikiran. A giant bat, basically. A batman."
"I'm a Chersonese gecko!"
"Cool."
"I really can't wait to meet a lot of humans and talk to them about human things and religion!"
"Yeah, I'm sure they'll be happy about that."
"Ah, you think?! I don't want to be too overbearing! I'm just so excited to be in the cradle of the true faith! Uhm, that's what a book I found called it!"
"It should be a very rich place."
"Of course it should be! Ugh, can you believe no one else in my den was willing to listen?! Maybe if there were more of us who could read foreign script..."
Thinking about the recent past made Kichi retreat inward with shame and melancholy. Everything changed when they killed those humans and she found that book on the female. Everything changed when her own denmates, her own family turned on her. Or did she turn on them? No. It's their fault they couldn't see the utopian beauty of the Sorcerer Kingdom and the enlightened divinity of its ruler. Why shouldn't so many people of so many species be united under a single king, a single God? If all the geckos did so, then they wouldn't have to starve or freeze to death or die of an illness or be killed in the war with the Hive. It was Kichi's denmates who were wrong. The Sorcerer Kingdom was clearly real. The things said about it were true.
And now, she was finally here.
Oh, didn't she go quiet for a bit too long? The gecko turned back to the demi-human stranger.
"Uhm, sorry for going quiet!"
"Hm? I thought you were just done."
"Okay!"
The Sikiran yawned.
"Ah, are you tired?"
"Yeah, I shouldn't be staying up so long."
"Isn't it noon?"
"My species is nocturnal. We're awake during the night."
"Ohhh, that's very cool!"
"Thanks."
… Soon enough, the door to the hall closed behind a demi-human somewhat similar to a gecko, though this one was green, his eyes small and his frame large. The man made his way to the raised space at the front of the room.
"Welcome to the Sorcerer Kingdom, everyone! I hope none of you have had to wait for too long. Shall we begin?"
...
Everything Kichi heard made her feel as though this must have been the greatest place in this world. Or that it was another world entirely. The shared spaces streets were cleaned by undead, instead of everyone having to take turns doing so? And the undead would defend Kichi if she were attacked? And there were big geckos with wings called "dragons" flying around sometimes as a means of transporting goods?
And the explanation was not even over yet!
"... Now, perhaps the thing that understandably causes the most concern. Within the Sorcerer Kingdom's courts, mind control magic is used to ensure accuracy of confessions."
The room had instantly erupted into whispers. Everyone seemed to be as impressed as Kichi! But what did the presenter mean by "concern"?
... ...
As soon as Sebas opened the door for her, Ayame took several hurried steps into Roble's biggest toy store, where its owner was already kneeling in front of the counter.
"Welcome, Your Highness!"
The princess returned the greeting with a pose of her own, though hers would be something much cooler. She chose one taught to her by her big brother, where one would stand on alert and raise their right hand into the air at an angle, a pose accompanied with its own specific greeting.
"Sieg Heil, madam! You may rise!"
Returning to a normal stance, the princess turned around and asked the aged butler a question.
"What is our budget for this trip, Sebas?"
"Your father approved 2 silver's worth of toys, Your Majesty."
"Hm, hm."
Ayame was not very good at counting, so she pretended to have an idea of how much that was and nodded.
"Let us go, then!"
The young angel ran off in the direction of the boys' section, bringing her past many shelves of all that lame girl stuff that Stella would surely enjoy.
Wait, maybe she should get something nice for her friend? But what lame stuff would she like the most? The thing that was the least lame, or the most lame?