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Outskirts of Yharnam.
The last of my clones went outside of Yharnam, tracking down a man that I wanted to make use of, mostly by offering him a job that will be right up his alley.
Valtr, master of the League, had been touched by my power just like everybody else, though in a way even more so.
For a man so completely devoted to hunting down and eradicating the vermin filth within humanity, the blessing of my powers upon him had some greater side-effects, some very useful ones.
Stepping forward, finding Valtr to be staring with wonder towards the sky of Yharnam where my divine self just enacted his miracle, he turned at the sound of my footsteps, our eyes meeting, cosmic eyes meeting cosmic eyes.
I saluted him in the way of the League, and a moment later he rigidly did the same, his expression still deeply awed, only the familiarity of the League's traditions allowing him to react nearly instantly.
"Hail, Master Valtr! I have returned to fulfill at last the duty of all Hunters and League members to its fullest, removing the filth of beasts and Vermins everywhere!" I proudly declared, my voice booming with divine power.
Then my voice softened, and I relaxed my posture. "And I come bearing a most solemn duty, for you and any confederate of the League, if you would listen to it, and choose to bear the burden of it."
Valtr relaxed his posture as well, though the awe in his expression still lingered clearly.
"Hail, Master Aeon. To think that the League would have amidst its members a man who Ascended to godhood… You honour us all with your presence, my Lord."
Then he strengthened, his eyes flashing with determination. "Please, do not hesitate to ask of us, your fellow confederates, to help you in any way we can. What little strength we can muster compared to yours will be comparatively small, but if you believe we can be of use, then it would be our honour to lend our aid to a cause that you deemed righteous!"
I smiled in gratitude and approval at his easy agreement and passion.
"Do not look down upon your contribution, Master Valtr. I too was but a mortal man before my Ascension, and yet here I am. As for what my request is all about…" I looked at him straight in the eyes.
Then I spoke.
[DATA]
Valtr stiffened, his human mind struggling under the sheer weight of the tightly compressed mountain of information I just gave him, before I saw his hands clenching tightly into trembling fists.
"I see… I see! The souls of the Damned, reforged in corruption! The armies of Doom, ready to conquer the living, righteous and cursed alike! A war to shake the cosmos itself, waged by mortals and Gods! And of course-" his voice turned into a deadly whisper filled with righteous hatred. "The worthlessfilththat hides and plots within the darkness of civilization! Cultists and madmen alike embracing corruption, exulting in filth, worshipping beasthood as if it was enlightenment! Indeed! I see it all! A cause more righteous I could hardly imagine! Even now, you fight a righteous war for the souls of all, Master Aeon!"
He stared at him with pure determination in his eyes.
"Then so be it! This burden, I accept it! I shall hunt down those who wallow in the filthy corruption of the Damned! Strike the madmen, the wicked, the servants of the Damned themselves without mercy! Exult upon their death, as is proper! Ahahahah, yes! A most righteous hunt indeed!"
I grinned, then offered him both the cane serving as the symbol of the League… and his one-eyed Iron Helm, which I had reforged for this.
"Then take this. From this point on, I reinstate you as the leader of the League, and task it with a new mission: to hunt down the corrupt, the damned, and the ones who hide Vermins inside their hearts and souls! Let the cultists of the Abyss and the Hells tremble at your coming, and may they never hide from your sight, so that none of them may be beyond your righteous judgement!" I declared.
Valtr stared at both objects, before taking both of them back with solemn acceptance.
He looked at the one-eyed Iron Helm, caressing it fondly.
"You modified it." He noted curiously.
I nodded. "It now bears runes and enchantments that will allow your newfound Sight to be even harder to fool and hide from. Though it is not the only boon it now grants, it and the cane…"
I gave him an explanation of the various boons. The helm also now boosts the intelligence and wisdom of the wearer, and their ability to contemplate mysteries, turning him into a makeshift Sherlock Holmes. It also comes with a powerful energy shield that will activate if the wearer is ever targeted, more than strong enough that anything short of a Demon Lord will be struggling to put a scratch on him. And then there was a lot more glorious nonsense I put in it too, now that I had the knowledge to make Divine artifacts impressive even by Outer Gods standards.
As for the cane, not only does it grant instantaneous and secret communication between him and any member of the League, at least within any and all Multiverses that my True Self watches over, it also lets him know the location, status, health, loyalty and more of all its members.
And that was just the basic features. I wanted Valtr and the League to effectively become an actually competent Inquisition on a multi, multiversal scale, and frankly Valtr had good chances to become something of a true Eldritch being eventually simply by passively wearing and holding both objects.
In time, he'd make even Malcador from the Imperium of Man blush in jealousy at the sheer nonsense he'll be able to pull off.
Needless to say, Valtr was almost vibrating in place from sheer joy and excitement by the time I was done explaining everything.
"Yes! With this, our foes will never be able to hide from us! The League and its confederate will strike down your foes until all of Reality is as cleansed of the Vermins that taint it as this world has been!"
He saluted me, pure resolve shining bright in his one visible eye within the Iron Helm now covered in glowing eldritch runes, giving the helm a very intimidating and rightfully eldritch look.
I saluted back, a grin on my lips wide enough to match his. "For the League, Master Valtr! Let us cleanse this Vermins-infested Omniverse free of its taint!"
"For the League!" he shouted, before waving the newly enhanced cane, a glowing portal appearing before him that he fearlessly went through.
I chuckled darkly. "Oh, the cultists of the Abyss and Hells are in for a bad time… And I haven't even recruited my old friend Sherlock yet!"
I laughed.
My enemies were already preparing for war, but so was I.
And I had a far,farbigger box of terrors to throw at them than they had access to, and no compulsion to not make full use of it all.
I was a Hunter, after all. Playing fair and being honourable wasn't our style.
By the time the war started, I would have already loaded the dice so heavily in my favour that nothing could change the outcome. That was how a proper Hunter went to war.
By trapping its prey and readying it for the kill before it even knew it was in danger.
And I… was a verygoodHunter.
Since this was something of a more official visit, Oedon, Eileen, Maria and myself didn't simply use the Lanterns to appear in Annalise's throne room.
Instead, I brought us in front of Cainhurst Castle, one currently filled with a certain amount of frantic activity by all the people my Divine self had brought back.
The vast majority of those brought back had been servants who had their souls free of sins, along with some of the regular soldiers, some knights and a very, very small number of the nobility who actually passed my divine Judgement.
Needless to say, even now Cainhurst castle was far from being filled up with people… But it was still a very far cry from what it used to be.
Our arrival was hardly missed by the returned guards, who took one look at me and promptly started shouting to open the gates for the great King of the Gods.
That sent everyone inside scrambling even harder, but to be fair most people really weren't ready for a God-King to randomly show up at their doorsteps.
Though clearly Queen Annalise knew I was coming, as a honour guard of heavily armored soldiers quickly appeared, with an officer at the front, who was trying to not look deeply intimidated at the sight of me.
"King Aeon, I am Captain Harold of the Royal Guard. By the will of Queen Annalise of Cainhurst, be welcomed to Cainhurst Castle as a guest of honour, you and your companions. The Queen awaits you in her throne room." declared the pale-faced officer trying to keep his professionalism despite the clear awe in his eyes.
I smiled at him. "Lead the way, Captain. Should I announce the identity of my companions now or later?"
His eyes settled on the women around me, narrowing thoughtfully at Eileen, widening slightly at the sight of Maria, before stiffening when looking into Oedon's amused blood-red eyes.
"... Now would be appreciated." he finally replied, looking deeply suspicious and worried towards Oedon as he clearly suspected that she was far more than she appeared.
I grinned mischievously, Maria and Eillen groaning slightly as they recognized the look on my face, and Oedon's smile growing.
"Then let me introduce to you Eileen the Crow, Hunter of Hunters of Yharnarm-"
Eileen nodded respectfully at the Captain, who nodded back. Cainhurst knew about the Hunters of Hunters, and there was a certain respectful wariness given to any of them for both their inherent deadliness and the necessary nature of their duty. Also, Eileen was old, so it really wasn't surprising that I saw recognition flash in the Captain's eyes.
"-Lady Maria, once of Cainhurst and student of Gehrman, the First Hunter-"
The guards shifted at that, the name once again clearly well-known, even more so that Eileen's, the increasing respectful wariness in their expressions showing that she wasn't exactly trusted, but that she also was famous and acknowledged enough to be respected. Maria nodded at the guards, her expression carefully blank.
"-and Lady Oedon, Outer Goddess of Blood and Life, and one of my Consort-"
This time, there was no hiding the collective jaw drop, or the way everyone in earshots gawked at my red-eyed wife, who looked terribly amused by all their reactions, at least one servant outright walking into a wall out of sheer shock at the name drop.
"-and of course there is myself, God-King Aeon of the Eldritch Pantheon, the Good Hunter, husband of Queen Azathoth, the Nuclear Chaos, creator-deity of all of Creation, and an uncountable number of names and titles besides." I cheerfully finished, very much delighted by the way everyone in earshot had all forgotten to do anything besides standing around gawking like idiots at my little group.
"T-That is…" the poor Guard Captain looked like he was struggling terribly to not be as unprofessional as his soldiers, who's' previously rigid stances had made way for a far less professional aura of stunned disbelief. "W-we welcome you all to Cainhurst Castle, my L-Lord… And Lady!" He quickly corrected himself as he remembered Oedon's nature.
"It is a pleasure to be here in person, Captain." warmly said Oedon. "But please, I am sure the Queen is waiting for us, and I am eager to see my two daughters, along with their mothers. Can you show us the way, Captain Harold?" she respectfully asked.
The Captain swallowed slightly at the way Odeon casually acknowledged that both newborns currently in the castle were hers, before he bowed deeply, clearly deciding that being extra respectful was the best move he could make right now.
"Of course, my Lady." Then he paused, and sent me a panicked look. "I-If that is alright with you, King Aeon!"
"Of course." I calmly replied, hiding my amusement at the way the poor man wasn't sure who to be more respectful towards, at this point. "Lead on."
"Thank you." The Captain breathed in relief now that he was back on more familiar ground, that is to say escorting honoured guests, and he quickly turned towards his soldiers, who to their credit instantly stiffened up and stood rigidly at attention under his gaze. "Honor formation, full screen, to the Throne Room! Onwards!" he ordered, the guards saluting before spreading around us, and we all walked forward through the castle's yards, under the awed looks and whispers of everyone watching.
I saw Maria look at everything with a complicated look on her face, nostalgia, happiness and contentment swirling in her heart.
"Seeing some familiar sights?" I asked her.
Maria glanced at me, hesitating before letting out a long breath and nodding.
"My family was originally part of the nobility of Queen Annalise. At a time before things between the Church and Cainhurst went into open war, my family was chosen to act as a peace offering of a sort, with me being trained by Master Gehrman as a show of cooperation and trust by both parties. Of course, things didn't go as planned, but I was never formally exiled by the Queen, as I never raised my sword against Cainhurst or its people. But I was also seen as tainted by my association with the Hunter's Workshop by the Cainhurst nobility, and there were some within the Church that distrusted me because of my origins."
"Caught between both sides instead of being a bridge for them, huh?" I mused.
She nodded. "Essentially, yes."
"Politics." Eillen spoke the word as if it was a new and particularly vile strain of Beasts. "Never fucking once. I'm too old to bother with it all. Just send me at something you want killed Aeon, that at least I know what to do with."
I laughed. "Trust me, I've dealt with enough politics since becoming a god to perfectly understand your thoughts. There is a simplicity in being a Hunter that I sorely miss when doing politics."
Maria's lips twitched. "To be fair, Cainhurst politics involve a fair bit of stabbing."
Eileen paused slightly. "Is that so? Maybe this won't be so bad, after all."
"I do not believe that you need to worry, either of you. Me and dear Aeon are here, after all. No one sane would dare to cause trouble." pointed out Oedon, sounding faintly amused.
"And for the insane?" Eileen doesn'tquiteinfuse snark in her reply, but it's a very close thing.
Oedon's smile doesn't even twitch. "Then such unfortunate souls will be quickly reminded that prey do not draw the gaze of a Hunter without consequences." her eyes flickered towards me as she said those words.
"It won't come to that. The surviving nobility passed my Judgement. They're the rare breed of Nobles with an actual survival instinct, some common sense and some actual competence." I reassured Eileen.
"... How much divine power did you actually use to create that miracle?" Eileen asked me seriously.
I snorted. "No comment."
I felt the general amusement around me at my reply, before we fell silent, focusing on the way every servant once again alive in Cainhurst was rapidly working on restoring the castle. The sounds of shouted orders, quick discussions and people hard at work echoed around us, a rather welcome sight of life when I remembered the castle filled with naught but beasts and maddened spirits.
I saw a number of guards and soldiers along the way, carefully watching over everything, and it spoke a great deal of the loyalty that Queen Annalise had of her people for all of them to be willing to get to work so soon after literally coming back to life.
"I must say, I didn't think that you would all already be hard at work bringing this place back to its normal splendor." commented Eileen.
Captain Harold raised his head proudly. "Of course. The Queen called to us to see Cainhurst Castle restored to its proper glory, what else can we do but accept it?" he declared proudly.
"That, and it gives everyone something to do that isn't merely counting the dead and dwelling on their past, isn't it?" she bluntly finished.
The captain didn't quite stubble, but clearly he hadn't expected Eileen to be as blunt as she had been.
"We are, of course, all infinitely grateful for the miracle given to us by King Aeon." carefully replied the Captain, sending me a complicated look.
"But it doesn't change the past." finished Maria knowingly.
The captain and her shared a look, a flash of understanding and sympathy on both of their faces.
"But, it must be said that we are still going through a period of adjustment as we must acknowledge the fact that we had all… fallen." finished the Captain, his voice softening to something more solemn, and I saw several of the guards shiver or clench their weapons tightly.
"For what it's worth, the Church will no longer trouble Cainhurst." I promised them.
The Captain let out a long sigh. "That won't stop resentment from festering, but I suppose that we all faced your Judgement, King Aeon, and we must now live with a very different world than what we were all used to."
"Indeed. This world is now mine, and it will be soon transported within the realm of the Eldritch Kingdom. I have plans for this world, and will not tolerate those who refuse to acknowledge my rightful claim and vision for it." I agreed, though there was no denying the threat in my words, and by the way the locals glanced at me, they heard it loud and clear.
"... As you say, King Aeon. Though such matters are far beyond my duties as Captain of the Royal Guard. Such things are better left addressed to Her Majesty." Captain Harold said respectfully, clearly trying not to get involved in matters beyond his rank.
Heh. Smart man.
"Then let us meet the Queen. There is much to be talked about." I agreed.
"True. Do you think that Annalise will join us tonight? Oh, I truly hope she does!" cheerfully declared Oedon, causing several of the guards, along with Eilen and Maria, to stumble ever so slightly.
By the glint in her red eyes, my first wife knew exactly what she was doing, too.
I held back a found sigh.
"That will be up to her, Oedon."
"... So, I just have to be convincing." Oedon's smile grew. "I can do that."
I shared a look with the poor Captain, who seemed to be torn between being deeply uncomfortable at the thought of his Queen being seduced, and being deeply uncomfortable by the seducer being a Goddess. As in, he clearly was wondering just how much sacrilege and lese-majesté was involved in this entire conversation, and finding the answer to be "Way too fucking much of both."
… I shouldn't find the look on his face as amusing as I did, but I would be absolutely lying my ass off if I said that the poleaxed expression on his face wasn't hilarious.
I let out a sigh. "Oedon, please at least wait until the queen has dinner with us before you get her in our bed." Then, more quietly, I continued. "You already impregnated her without even buying her a drink, even if it was technically at her request, at least wait a bit before getting into her skirts again!"
Oedon pouted, while the poor Captain looked like he was somewhere between one more word away from collapsing, foaming at the mouth, or drawing his weapon against a goddess, or simply throwing himself out of the nearest window just to avoid… all of this.
By all the stars, since when was I the reasonable one here? What madness was this?!
"... I admit, I didn't think I'd ever get to know the queen quite so well… Or with quite so few clothes as we're all going to have by the end of this." quietly muttered Maria to herself.
Eileen snorted.
The Captain stared blankly ahead, a dead look in his eyes, while muttering to himself that this "wasn't what I had in mind when I swore to uphold the honour of Cainhurst."
I held back a groan. Not even ten minutes in, and my wife had already traumatized Annalise's Royal Guards.
While giving them a philosophical crisis between the crimes of Lese-majesté and sacrilege towards the divine.
Poor Annalise, she really wasn't ready for what was coming her way.
We finally made it to the Throne Room, which looked to have been hastily cleaned and worked on to try and make it as presentable as possible. Guards were posted at various spots, servants were waiting for orders, and what I assumed were some high-ranked members of her Court were waiting in the Throne Room alongside her.
Honestly, I felt a little bad seeing how rushed everything must have been, but at the same time I couldn't deny some amusement at imagining a flustered Queen Annalise scrambling in a panic to give me a welcome fit for a God-King.
The man who must be the Lord Chamberlain was at the entrance, and he clearly had been warned in advance of who was coming, because he was clearly trying very hard to not stare too hard at both myself and Oedon while introducing us all.
"Presenting! King Aeon Starlight, God-King of the Eldritch Pantheon and Kingdom, Husband of Queen Azathoth, Creator of All! Lady Consort Oedon, Outer Goddess of Blood and Life! Eileen the Crow, Hunter of Hunters of Yharnam! And Lady Maria, Countess of the Court of Cainhurst!"
We boldly stepped forwards, whispers breaking out very quietly by those watching us come closer to Queen Annalise, who was sitting on her throne with her daughter in her arms, and Arianna standing nearby with her own daughter in her arms, both women staring intensely at both myself and Oedon.
Then we came to a stop, Queen Annalise opening her mouth-
""Gah! Ah! Ah! Glah!""
-only to be interrupted by little princess Henrietta and Arianna's daughter Hannah who began to babble excitedly at the sight of Oedon, their eyes glowing a bright red.
There was a deep moment of silence only broken by the happy babies, before Annalise's stern expression collapsed into a long-suffering sigh and a wry look, and Arianna flushed bright red while trying to shush little Hannah, who only began to happily babble louder as a result.
Naturally, Oedon was almost glowing with joy and amusement over the whole thing.
I chuckled. "Go see to your children already, it's clear that this is not going to be much of a formal event at this point."
Oedon flashed me a grateful, brilliant smile, before moving so fast towards her daughters she looked like she teleported there. Then she was lost to the world, as in a second later she had both children in her arms, holding them like they were the most beautiful, and fragile, things she had ever seen, a breathtakingly beautiful smile on her face, blood-red eyes gleaming like perfect rubies, with pretty much everybody in the room left blinking and wondering what the hell just happened.
"Queen Annalise." I spoke up, ignoring the cooing sounds and happy baby noises in the background. "It does me good to see you again, since for me it's been… quite some time since I last came here."
"King Aeon." Queen Annalise tried, and very clearly failed, to appear like a respectable monarch while also watching with no small amount of dumbfoundment my first wife cooing over her and Arianna's daughters, and staring at me like absolutely everything wrong in life was my fault and she was thoroughly running out of fucks left to give… That, or resisting the urge to start screaming hysterically for a while. "Thou hast returned to Us. As a God and King, no less. When thou told Us that thou wouldst put an end to these piteous nights, thou somehow failed to mention all of this as well."
"In my defense, the King part was absolutely not something I had planned. It kind of just… Happened." I told her with wry amusement.
"Happened." Queen Annalise repeated, almost tasting the word. "Thou just…happened… to become King of Creation."
The sarcasm and disbelief was so thick they made the walls of her castle seem small in comparison.
Meanwhile, both Eileen and Maria were staring at Annalise like they were one second away from shouting "MOOD KINDRED!", before rushing forward to hug her and start crying.
"Well, to be fair Queen Azathoth had no more expected to fall in love with me than I did with her, we just… really weresympathetic in nature, would be a good way to put it." I told her.
There were a few twitches as the implications of my words hit, considering the well-known saying about Great Ones. Queen Annalise still stared at me, then let out a long breath and strengthened.
"Thou and thy companions' art, of course, always welcome to Cainhurst Castle, and We are gladdened to see you return to Us safely. Thou no doubt hast a great many tales to regale Us with, and We are eager to listen to them all." Her lips twitched upwards. "Though We worry about what latest impossible feats Thou have performed, on top of those We are already aware of."
She gave me a pointed look at that, to which I merely replied by a shameless, cheeky grin.
She sighed deeply, though she couldn't quite hide the fondness in her voice no matter how hard she tried.
Then she glanced at Maria, and bowed her head. "Eileen the Crow. Lady Maria. We gladly welcome thou to Our Court, for however long thou may wish to remain. It does Us good to see another daughter of Cainhurst returned to life."
"Thank you, your majesty. It was rather unexpected, but as you may have experienced yourself-" Maria gave me a dryly amused look. "-The Good Hunter has a natural talent for pulling off the unexpected."
Queen Annalise doesn'tquitesnort, but the sound she made was close enough it came very close.
"Thou speak verily, much to Our exasperation. Alas, thisscoundrelis as good with words as he is with a blade, and thus We are left with no recourse but to tolerate his impossible antics." She wryly replied.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one here who feels the urge to stab him whenever he opens his mouth. It's reassuring." Eilleen, that traitor, said with clear relish.
"Oi. I'm right there." I said flatly, pouting at this betrayal most foul.
"Oh, be assured, We are most certainly aware." Annalise said with dry amusement. "The entire world is, We dare say!"
I shamelessly shrugged. "What's the point of phenomenal cosmic power if you don't use it? Besides-" my expression hardened. "-I had promises to keep, and Beasts to cleanse."
Then I grinned again. "And you can't tell me honestly that you aren't happy to see Cainhurst's people reborn, I'm a God of Truth, I'll know if you lie!"
Annalise stared at me, before sighing. "A god of Truth. Somehow, We doubt that is all that thou art, nowadays. Nay, thou art an existence that defies logic and reason far too much to be so limited, are thou not?" She questioned.
"Well-"
"Dear Aeon is actually the God of Reality and Unreality, now." Oedon spoke up at last, finally looking away from her daughters to smile at Annalise. "So effectively, everything is a part of his Domains.Truthjust so happens to be one of his favorites."
Queen Annalise stared at Oedon, then nodded. "Of course. He is the Ruler of Creation, and also all that is beyond such mortal concept, since he apparently seduced the very Queen and Creator of Everything. That scoundrel is truly as shameless as ever, deity or not."
I pouted harder. "Oh come on, I save everyone and bring back all the righteous souls, and this is the thanks I get?" I shook my head. "At least the Church was more than happy to reward me and follow my will without question."
Annalise opened her mouth, paused, then nodded.
"Thou art correct. Thou hast performed a great deed, both for the world, and for Cainhurst itself. A fitting reward is only appropriate. With that being said… King Aeon, step forward." she commanded.
I blinked, then did as instructed, Queen Annalise seemingly squirming and hesitating slightly, Oedon's gaze snapping towards her with narrowed eyes, though a second later her eyes widened and a massive grin crossed her lips, her red eyes litting up in delight.
Then Queen Annalise took a deep breath, looked me in the eyes, and took the crown on the seat reserved for a king by her side… and stood up, swiftly coming before me and extending the crown towards me, her eyes blazing with determination while her pale cheeks darkened with a blush.
A great many gasps echoed across the throne room at the move, but Queen Annalise didn't even twitch, she only stared at me right in the eyes with hopeful red eyes.
"King Aeon… We know that Thou hast various Consorts already. We too have need of a King who We can trust by Our side. Will thou accept the Crown of King of Cainhurst? It may be a humble thing compared to all that Queen Azathoth must have given thou, but We offer it to thee all the same."
I stared at her, seeing the determination and hope in her red eyes, along with the chaotic storm of emotions underneath that. Doing what she just did took a great deal of courage, and also the willingness to put aside her pride, if only for a time, in order to be honest and straightforward about her desires.
And right now, she might as well be shouting those desires at me at the top of her lungs.
I reached out to the Crown, my expression turning more solemn. "I accept." I declared, my voice carrying far and wide across the castle, while everyone watching froze as the way I let but a bare fraction of my power, freezing everyone in place in awe except for Annalise, who if anything was looking at me with an even deeper flush to her cheeks.
Then I solemnly put the crown on my head, taking a deep breath before gently taking one of Annalise's hands.
"Should we go and announce the good news to the people of Cainhurst, my queen?" I said, adding just enough of a purr to my words to make Annalise squirm with a flushed face.
"Gladly." she replied, red eyes shining with joy.
And there was much rejoicing.
"... She's got it bad, hasn't she?" deadpanned Eileen in the back.
"Yes." Replied Maria, her voice somewhere between amused and exasperated. "She really does."
Arianna was by now standing besides Oedon, but she gave me a quick grin and approving thumb up.
My wife, of course, looked like the cat who ate the canary… Or rather, the one who was about to, and she was already looking at Annalise like she was thinking of the best way to spend all night long happily devouring her latest "catch."
I had the strangest suspicion that the creation process of Annalise's next child of Blood will be very different from what happened during the night of the Hunt…
Just a hunch.
Of course, with the fact that a king was now present along with the queen, a great feast was declared, for all the people of Cainurst to enjoy to celebrate the fact that the Kingdom of Cainhurst was truly on the path of rebirth, greater than ever before.
The remaining nobility and the important people of Cainhurst all came to offer their congratulations, clearly rather stunned at how quickly everything happened… But to be fair, this was something that Annalise has been planning since the Night of the Hunt.
The Queen was positively beaming at this point, since from her point of view she got a daughter, a king and her people back all in somewhere around 24h worth of time.
Or, well, more or less, considering how wonky time was during the Night of the Hunt.
Oedon and Arianna were spending time together, partly out of a desire from my wife to interact with the mother of one of her daughters, and partly because Annalise's Court was not exactly thrilled to have a whore as a guest of honour with a Child of Blood held at the hip.
Needless to say, Oedon acted as a very, very capable buffer between both sides, and even the most prideful of the surviving nobility were very cautious with their words around her as a result.
Maria had gotten involved in a heavy talk with the Queen about the future of Cainhurst, doing her best to steer things in a more "human" way than in the past, where Blood and Blood alone was all that mattered.
And Eileen…
I stared at her, leaning back against a wall not far from Arianna with her arms crossed and a body language that radiated "Do not come near me, or else."
Naturally, I cheerfully ignored all of that to stand before her with an amused look on my face.
"You know, I know that you're calling yourself after crows, but at this rate you'll turn into a horrible bat if you don't at least try to do more than just hang there and glare at everybody." I snarked.
Eileen snorted. "Is that really what the king of the hour should focus on? Don't you have a blushing Queen to more thoroughly seduce?"
I rolled my eyes. "Eileen, you've been lounging against this wall for over twenty minutes. It's pretty clear an intervention was necessary." My voice softened. "I know that you aren't comfortable in this kind of opulent, high-class kind of gathering. But I don't want to push you away, or make you feel neglected. You're an incredible woman in your own right, and if anyone is too stupid to recognize that, it's on their heads, not yours."
Eileen stared at me for a long moment, but I merely raised an eyebrow and stared back calmly.
She eventually grunted in annoyance. "You know, I've seen veteran hunters break into trembling children simply by me looking at them. It's quite frustrating to see you react so impassively."
I grinned. "Oh? Did you prefer when I was, what was it again, ah yes, 'Trembling in my boots?"
She scoffed. "Bah! You were already a cheeky bastard back then,you just didn't have the easy confidence that you do now!" She grumbled, before her voice softened.
"Don't worry about me, Aeon. I'm not so fragile that I'll get unnerved by some whispering nobles staring at me, or for that matter by having you stare at some other women like they're shining like the sun. Go poke fun at that blushing queen of yours, that girl is so head over heels for you that it's a wonder she didn't throw her robes off her body the moment you took that crown, ah!" She laughed with amusement.
"Oh, she's not the only one I want without clothes, I'm very much eager to tear yours away too!" I cheerfully told her.
The sudden sputtering coming from Eileen who started coughing was absolutely delightful, as was the slight bashfulness in her body language when she looked at me again.
"Really? You've got a goddess, a Queen and the student of the First Hunter all gathered here, and you're flirting with this old woman?" she tried to make herself sound accusing, but it came out much softer than she clearly intended.
I stare at her straight in the eyes.
"Eileen, if you ever doubt that I desire you, I warn you now that I will have no choice but to bend you over, slam my dick inside your cunt, and proceed to keep fucking you into a squealing puddle of bliss for at least an entire day with barely any break just to make a fucking point." I said bluntly, though not without amusement. "By the time I'm done fucking those stupid thoughts out of your head, even your Blood-enhanced body won't even be able to stand!"
With her outfit in the way I couldn't see her blush, but the way she froze in place, and the spectacular spike ofShock/Lust/Incredulity/Desire/ArousalI felt from her told me everything I needed to know about her reaction.
"So with that being said, I'm now going back to 'poke fun' at my new queen while I leave you contemplating all of the incredible, passionate, terrible,delightfulthings I will do to your body tonight where I will proceed to fuck you harder than you've ever been fucked. Oh, and just so you know… I remember the part where we talked about tentacle bondage. And I had a long time to learn everything I needed to know about the subject matter, and quite a few willing test subjects. So, in conclusion… I'm going to fucking break you tonight. Look forward to it!" I finished cheerfully, before happily whistling to myself as I walked away from a frozen Eileen, who was currently having a bit of a breakdown over the realization of how utterly fucked she was.
In every way possible.
And every position, too.
"Oh, Gawds." She muttered, her accent thickening in nervous anticipation. "I'm sofoocked."
Queen Annalise was feeling uncharacteristically happy.
Well, to be more specific, she was trying very, very hard to not spend her time smiling so widely she'd look like a madwoman.
But in her defense, it's been a long, long time since she's been happy. Ruling Cainhurst hasn't exactly been easy, and the introduction of the Old Blood had made everything worse, not better.
Before, all she had to deal with were rebellious nobles and corrupt ones. After that, she had to deal with beasts, blood-drunk nobles, the never-sufficiently damned Healing Church, and more besides.
And then the massacre happened, and things became exceedingly simple in the way that only a trapped monarch of a slaughtered people can properly appreciate.
So yes, it had been a long time since she had reasons to be happy in any way, shape or form.
Having the Good Hunter free her from Logarius and everything that happened after that was a colossal stroke of good luck that she squarely knew what to do with.
She just… wasn't used to good things happening to her. It left her scrambling and fearful to lose it all.
Of course, then the impossible, miraculous,incredibly frustratinghandsome man she just had to fall in love with went and became God-King when she wasn't looking, so she was left to scramble even harder while deciding what to do about… everything.
In the end though, there was no real question, was there? She had already experienced life without him… and she had no interest whatsoever in repeating the whole sordid affair.
No, as utterly impossible as that man might be… She'd rather lose her mind over his antics than keep living through the dreadful monotony of life without him.
She felt a large arm go around her waist, pressing her body against the tall, muscular form of her new king, who was grinning mischievously at her.
"Heavy thoughts, my queen? How about we dance the hours away, and I remove them all from your mind?"
Despite herself, she relaxed in his embrace, even as she huffed at him.
"We were merely appreciating how peaceful and quiet life was without thee in it. Alas, that peaceful serenity hath been shattered by thy loud presence, and now We fear it shall never return."
Her king, lover of drama that he was, grasped his heart dramatically, looking as if she had struck him dead.
"Gasp! What a betrayal most foul! Less than a day married, and already you stab me in the heart?! Ah, how cruel the hearts of women can be!"
She stared at him dryly.
"... Did thou seriously hath to say 'Gasp'?"
His expression turned deadly serious. "It was the most important part, my lady. Worthy of Shakespear himself!"
She sighed. "How far doth Cainhurst hath fallen, for the Court Jester to become King? Our ancestors must be spinning in their graves."
"Don't worry, I know for a fact that Queen Yharnam is actually back to ruling her reborn people, so the only kind of spinning they are doing is on a dance floor!" He said cheerfully. Then he paused. "Or in bed, too, potentially."
Queen Annalise opened her mouth.
Closed it.
"... Thou art as impossible as ever." she sighed.
Refusing to think too hard about the fact that the Pthumerians might, in fact, have returned, she glanced at the tall, handsome, smiling form of her king.
Her cheeks darkened.
"But We are not against dancing Ourselves…" Her blush grew, and her voice turned quieter. "Either kind of it."
"Well then!"
Her king stepped back, and for a moment she missed the warmth of his presence against her side-
And then he knelt before her, gave her a beautifully earnest smile that could outshine the sun, and gently offered his hand.
"May I have this dance, my lady?" he asked, looking and sounding the perfect epitome of a noble gentleman.
Annalise froze, her heart skipping a beat, while around her other noble ladies whispered in jealous awe at the perfect figure her king now cut, kneeling and smiling up at her like she was the most important thing in the world.
She swallowed thickly, trying not to embarrass herself.
"... Thou may." she replied, and it took every bit of experience in self-control she had to not show her relief at the fact that her voice remained steady.
He grinned at her, and then took her hand in one of his own, his other going to her waist, and in seconds she was led through the dancefloor with such majestic grace that all eyes were on them, and suddenly she understood just what having the greatest Hunter in existence as a husband meant when it came to dancing.
Every movement was utterly perfect, every gesture breathtakingly beautiful, exuding an aura of royal perfection that Annalise, despite being Queen for many years, felt almost inadequate against.
It took every bit of her years of experience to try to come even close to the perfection leading her on, her wide red eyes unable to look at anything except his handsome, smiling face that never once looked away from her own.
She took each step with a sense of breathless wonder and awe that made her feel as if she was flying, and while a small part of her could hear the awed and envious muttering of her court, every other parts of her was hyperfocused on the embodiment of perfection guiding her through the dance floor.
The voices of her court faded to a faint whisper, the music from the court musicians turned into a background melody, and only the thundering of her own heartbeat echoed like a rushing wave through her mind as she stared at the perfect man with a terribly handsome smile and awe-inspiring cosmic eyes staring at her with warmth.
Ah… That's not fair… We never stood a chance, a part of her thought numbly.
The rest of her was too busy melting into a puddle of warm jelly to think about anything.
"Oh dear. Aeon really isn't holding back on this one." Oedon said with amusement, watching the spectacle as her husband led the poor, clearly transfixed Queen through the dance floor.
"Queen Annalise looks like she's reached Enlightenment." muttered Maria by her side, sounding both incredulous and faintly envious.
"Goodness. I've seen maidens in love before, but even those can't ever dream of matching the look on the Queen's face right now." giggled Arianna, looking thoroughly entertained by the whole thing.
Oedon hummed in agreement. "Dear Aeon used to not know how to dance, even during his time during the long night of the Hunt. Afterwards, he decided that he refused to be any less good at it than he was at fighting. The result… Well, you can see it for yourself." She explained with an amused smile.
After all, not even the Queen of the Eldritch Mythos could handle Aeon's dancing without falling hard for him. True, there were other circumstances, but the fact remained that it certainly played a part.
"This man is a threat to women everywhere." grumbled Eileen, who came to a stop near them with crossed arms and a body language radiating frustration while watching the show.
Oedon took one look at her and started giggling helplessly.
"Whot?" Eileen snapped, sounding deeply defensive, her accent thickening.
"I see that the Queen isn't his first victim of the night." Oedon remarked, grinning widely as she looked at her old friend.
She didn't need to see her face to know that Eileen was blushing brightly underneath her mask.
"What nonsense are you peddling now? Nothing happened, little Doll." She tried to sound convincing.
The way she was all but squirming in place really made a liar out of her.
Even Maria and Arianna were left staring at her, clearly noticing the same.
Arianna raised an eyebrow, looking delightfully intrigued. "Oh my, did you two sneak away before you both-"
"No! No, we did not- He didn't-! I didn't-!" She froze, then huffed. "Nothing happened!"
"But you certainly wouldn't have said no, if he had asked, hmm?" Purred Oedon, her amusement rising when Eileen flinched.
"It seems your husband is as good a Hunter of skirts as he is of beasts." mused Arianna with amusement.
Oedon smiled proudly. "Indeed. A skill I've come to thoroughly appreciate the benefits of. Both past…" she gave a pointed look at Eileen and Maria. "And future."
Eileen coughed and muttered about "cheeky brat" while Maria shook her head with a smile.
"Well, I can't say that I'm very experienced, but…" a faint smirk touched Maria's lips. "There are worse lovers to have than queens and gods, to say the least."
Arianna snorted. "I'd say I'm jealous, but…" Her expression softened, and she looked down at her daughter resting in her arms with a soft smile. "I'm not interested in relationships. I have something else I intend to devote myself to for the foreseeable future."
Oedon smiled, and looked down at little Henrietta, still in her own arms and currently looking all around her with curious blood-red eyes.
Seeing her filled her heart with conflicting emotions, as on one hand she couldn't wait to show off her daughters to Sherry… But on the other hand…
She looked up at her husband, looking so handsome as he turned the Queen of Cainhurst into a blushing maiden in love.
She really wanted to have children with him. Her soul screamed at her to do it, but her heart still turned to ice at the thought of bearing a child.
After what happened to Mergo… To Queen Yharnam, to the Pthumerian…
She knew the curse was gone. She knew that Reality had been altered to allow Great Ones like she once was to have children safely.
She knew that. And yet… And yet she still hesitated, even now.
No matter how much she longed for it, her trauma was not easy to let go of.
Still… As she watched her husband, she wondered if she could find it in herself to refuse him if he ever asked.
Perhaps… all she could do was to do as mortals do.
Have faith, and hope for the best.
No matter how terrifying it felt, to leave her fate into the hands of another, even her dear Aeon.
Because in the end… She'd rather die with hope than to betray his trust by not having faith in him.
A while later, I noticed that Maria was no longer in the throne room with everyone else.
Creating a clone to take my place, I discreetly left, finding Maria on a nearby balcony, looking out at the night sky.
"Taking in the view?" I asked as I came to a stop beside her.
She smiled faintly. "In a manner of speaking. I'm just wondering what awaits me out there, now that everything's so much bigger thanks to you. This is no longer about Yharnam, or Cainhurst. It's not even about this world any longer. I'm… struggling to imagine how much bigger things are, now."
I hummed, then nodded. "Don't worry too much about it. In the grand scheme of things, very little has actually changed."
Maria raised an eyebrow at me. "Truly?" she said doubtfully.
I smiled at her. "Truly. You still intend to hunt down beasts, fight battles that you think are worth fighting, and protect innocent people, no?"
Maria opened her mouth… and then slowly closed it, frowning in thought.
"You're saying that I shouldn't focus on the differences… but rather on what remains unchanging?" she mused.
I shook my head. "More like… There is a saying back on the Earth I came from: War, war never changes. And well, the same applies here. The tools of the hunt, of civilizations, and of our prey may change… But the fundamentals of our lives as Hunters remain the same. We still train, we still learn, and we still fight the battles that need to be fought. The rest are the details. Important ones, yes, but meaningless in the face of this simple, unchanging truth: Who we are, and who we want to be. So tell me, Maria, who do you want to be?"
"What I want…" Maria whispered, before looking up at the stars. "It's not a question that I could afford to think much about, in my life. At first, it was to be the best student I could be for Master Gehrman. Then, it was to try and live with the guilt of what happened at the fishing hamlet. And then…"
"The Nightmare." I finished grimly.
"Yes." she said calmly, but the troubled look in her eyes gave her away. "The Nightmare."
"So, tell me. Now that you have the freedom to be anyone you want, to do anything you desire… What are you going to do?" I asked her.
She smiled thinly at me. "Don't you already have plans for me?"
"Of course. I have plans for everybody." I calmly replied. "But that's the beauty of it: You canchoose. Whether or not you want to be part of my plans, that's ultimately up to you." I grinned. "If you want to spend the next millenia learning how to be the best cook or gardener in the world, well, you can do that if you want."
Maria snorted, amused. "Thanks, but I don't think either path is really for me." Then she turned thoughtful again, a far away look in her eyes. "There's a part of me that wants to live in peace, hidden away in a corner of the world. I've already gone through so much… Don't I have the right to rest?"
"... I'm hearing a 'but' coming." I said softly.
Maria let out a long breath.
"But I don't think I can. Not anymore." She glanced at me. "Fighting by your side against the Orphan… It felt right. It reminded me of what I felt, when I was a young Hunter, before the Hamlet. Before… Before I lost faith in what it meant to be a Hunter."
"I'd like to say that you won't ever commit or see horrors like those again." I said with a sigh. "But I'm not sure I can promise you that. Not ones as cruelly pointless, sure… But war is a brutal, honourless affair, especially against those we will fight against. Even I can only see part of the horrors to come. What I do know is that all who fight will be drenched in blood, and changed by it. Not necessarily for the worse… But changed, all the same."
Maria gave me a humourless, but grateful, smile.
"I appreciate your honesty. And I'll be honest too, I don't know if I can fight in that war. I've already let the horrors of one conflict break me. I don't know what seeing more will do to me. But…"
I smiled wryly. "But."
She chuckled. "Yes.But. But I don't want others to fight just because I'm too weak to. I don't want to sit and do nothing when I could help. I want… I want to help. I want to be of use. I want to do my part, to meaningfully contribute, and do all that I can to make reality a better place."
She sighed deeply, looking at her hands as if she could see a lifetime of bloodshed upon them.
"I don't want to become a monster." she whispered. "But I don't want to let others make sacrifices because I'm too weak to do it myself, either."
I put a hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing. "Then take your time, and find your answers. You have time. You don't need to choose right now. A lot will happen before the war starts. Make use of that time. Train, travel, learn, find your truth and convictions. And when the time comes, whatever decision you make, as long as it is one you are fully resolved to see through, I will gladly accept it."
She smiled, her eyes soft as she looked at me. "You bear your name well, Good Hunter. Very well then. If you give me such kindness as the freedom to choose and the time to find the truth I seek, how can I refuse?"
Her smile turned more mischievous.
"That being said, I do have one request to start with."
I grinned,feelingher desires.
Kneeling, I offer her one of my hands. "May I have this dance, my lady?"
Her smile grew, warmth shining bright in her eyes.
"You may indeed."
I rose, taking her hand and waist, and with the stars and moon above as our witnesses we danced together on the balcony, Maria's eyes never leaving my own, a soft smile on her lips.
By the time we came to a stop, Maria's cheeks were red, and her eyes glittered like the stars above.
"Gods, I see what Lady Oedon meant." she muttered, before smiling at me warmly. "Come, Good Hunter. We should enjoy the rest of the party, and then…" Her smile took a less innocent quality, a gleam of eager anticipation in her eyes. "I look forward to theafter-party celebrations." she purred.
Then she turned and walked back inside, my eyes trailing her swaying ass and hips with amused arousal.
"Well, it seems the Lady has at least some ideas of what she wants, at least as a start." My grin widened. "Far be it from me to disappoint."
I followed after her, eager to end the party and get to, as she put it…
Theafter-party celebrations.
Once things had finally settled down, I brought Queen Annalise, Maria, Eileen and Oedon with me back to the Hunter's Dream, with Arianna left to watch over both of Oedon's daughters, the woman looking deeply amused as she watched us disappear with a knowing gleam in her eyes.
Eileen, who had yet to see the reformed Hunter's Dream, and Annalise, who never even saw it in the first place, muttered with clear appreciation at the sight of it, with quite a few appreciative words given for the new mansion in the middle of the realm.
"I'm just saying, but this looks so much better than the humble Workshop it used to be." Eileen said, and I could hear the approval in her voice.
"It does look like a proper home fit for Royalty." agreed Annalise, sending a long, appreciative look at the large building I called home.
"To be fair, it's also much, much bigger on the inside. What you can see with the naked eye is a bare fraction of the true size of the building." I told them both.
"Even better." replied Annalise approvingly.
"How big is the building, anyway?" Maria asked curiously.
I glanced at her with amusement. "Let's put it this way: The entire planet you all come from is smaller than the full size of this place."
That made them choke slightly in pure shock, with Annalise almost stumbling from her shock.
"That is… considerable." muttered Annalise weakly.
"I'll say." whispered Eileen, sounding stunned.
Any further words were cut short by the gathered women looking curiously at the new arrival, with Azathoth at the forefront.
"Beloved. You've been hard at work claiming your world, I see." Aza said brightly, her golden eyes looking with interest at the gathered women.
Annalise, Eileen and Maria took one look at the power within her eyes and promptly stiffened and froze in place.
Oedon merely smiled warmly. "You know how Aeon is. Also, he pulled both Annalise and Maria into a dance." She explained, waving at both women.
That made my wives and lovers wince in amused sympathy.
"Oh dear. Did you have to go so hard, beloved?" Despite her words, Azahoth's golden eyes shone with amusement as I came closer and kissed her deeply, making her moan happily.
"It was very enjoyable to do, and very enjoyable to watch their reactions." I shamelessly replied after breaking the kiss.
"Hmmm. I bet it was." muttered Claire as she looked at all three women with rising lustful hunger. Eileen had taken away her mask, allowing everyone to see her youthful face freely. Though Claire's eyes were lingering more towards Maria, intrigued at her resemblance to Oedon (the excitedly whispered word of "twins!" may have been uttered) and at Annalise, who hit right in the "haughty Queen" kink.
None of my current wives quite had that look of natural pride that Annalise had… though admittedly, she was currently struggling to keep it going in the face of Azathoth's… everything.
(There was Tatsumaki and Nyarlathotep, but the second was 'too much of an actual bitch', to quote Claire, and the first had the pride down, but not quite the "queenly" look Claire sought out. Though I knew for a fact that those two got up to sexy fun in the sex dungeons from time to time.
Alexstrasza and Nusha didn't count, on the basis of being 'too damn nice!,' much to the amusement and bemusement of the first and second respectively.)
"Come, let's all go inside. We can go over proper introductions there, as a start." I told everyone, and they all agreed, though all knew exactly what would follow those "introductions."
I grinned. Yes, those introductions were going to be very… thorough.
I glanced at Oedon, the soul of Mergo weighing heavily in my metaphorical pocket.
And tonight, it was finally time to make my first wife the happiest I've made her since that first night where we had sex under the stars.
It was finally time… To impregnate my wives.
At last, I could do the Eldritch God thing of impregnating sexy women!
I've been waiting for so long for this day!
"Wow, Aeon is really excited, huh?"
"Oh yeah, we're so gonna get it tonight!"
"Hmmph! He better, if he keeps bringing more women in our bed he should at least make sure to always be able to stay as capable of pleasing us as ever!"
"Don't think I haven't seen you check the new girls out too, Tats!"
"S-Shut up!"
… My wives are the best.
A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we finally meet back with many of the people of Yharnam!
First, Valtr! The head of the future equivalent to the Inquisition, just one far more competent than even the Imperium's version. Not to say that the Eldritch Kingdom doesn't have that kind of Organisations already, but none of them are made up of Hunters. And yes, we'll get to see Aeon meet back up with Sherlock Holmes. It's been a while, but I always intended for him to eventually become a proper Inquisitor for Aeon against all kinds of various Evils. Thus Valtr will be the leader of the Inquisition/League, while Sherlock will be the "man on the ground," so to speak.
As for Queen Annalise and Cainhurst, I'm ruling it as Annalise being the equivalent of the Queen of Wales. So she actually has more influence that one might think at first glance, at least now that her people are back. The Healing Church comparatively took over England.
Of course, now that Aeon is in the picture and smashed the status quo, a lot of things are going to change.
Also, Queen Annalise is a bit overwhelmed about Aeon being God-King, but that's something Aeon will help her with in future chapters. Eileen is not one for politics, but what she can do is be a loyal Hunter for Aeon, and we'll see that in the future. Maria is struggling with what she wants to do with her life now that she's back, but she also is attracted to Aeon and kind of feels like she needs to be a Hunter for him, though that's something that'll develop further over time.
Arianna won't be a pairing, but much like the reborn Queen Yharnam, her connection to Oedon means that she'll end up as a good friend to the divine family.
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, Aeon pulls out a miracle to finally get Oedon to overcome her trauma, once and for all! The consequences is sex. Lots and lots of baby-making sex.