Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 69

Chapter 69 – Revelations

After binding my second familiar, I realized an interesting bit about the way this Voice of the World dealt with Familiars. Now that they were bound, I could communicate with them telepathically so long as they were within two kilometers. I could also summon and unsummon them at will. Unsummoning a familiar basically banished them to a kind of pocket realm. They could still see through their summoner’s senses, and speak telepathically with them, which was nice. Also, if they ever got ‘killed’ then they just returned to this pocket realm, and wouldn’t be able to be resummoned for 24 hours.

That was nice, but the information given to me by the [Bind Familiar] skill and [Familiar Binding Ritual] both agreed that abusing your Familiar, or causing them to ‘die’ too often was likely to build resentment. They were still thinking beings, after all, and while they had some restrictions on what they could do, thanks to the Familiar title, that did not mean that they couldn’t stage some kind of minor rebellion, or choose to do or say things that they hadn’t been specifically ordered not to say, and so on. It could be things as simple as malicious compliance, up to their master not ordering them not to put a [Draught of Eternal Slee] in their drink when they asked for a nightcap before bed, causing them to sleep until the curse could be broken, which would only happen if the Familiar had not hidden them somewhere for ‘safety’, and made it so that their Master was kept sleeping until the end of the world. That was a rather extreme example, but such cases had been documented no less than five times, so it was worth thinking about.

As for summoning my familiars, that reserved 10% of my total MP, each, but also gave them a flat boost to all their attributes equal to 10% of the MP reserved. For most casters at my level, that would be a fairly significant boost of a couple dozen points to each attribute. Not world-breaking, certainly, but an impressive boost, and one of the ways that animal familiars remained useful to their masters, even as they rose in levels.

That was with normal casters. For me, though? My MP pool topped out at 55400 right now. I kept my two layers of [False Appraisal] up, and used [Group Shields] to keep [Mind Shield II], [Backlash Shield], and [Scry Shield] up on my whole group, including my Familiars, reserving 1600 MP. Having the two familiars out reserved another 11080 MP, giving me a pool of ‘only’ 42720 MP to use on everything else, while both of my familiars gained a startling 554 points to all their attributes!

This made Zazriel strong enough that she could easily have pulled away from me, as I drew her into my lap in the bath of the [Spiritual Retreat]. Despite her looks and titles, the angel was clearly not terribly experienced. Not a blushing maiden, but definitely not ready for a Greater Angelic Succubus trying to seduce her. Especially not while the rest of my party, including my other familiar, lounged in the bath, watching us.

The others just smiled as the angel squirmed on my lap, my fingers dancing along some of her more tender spots, and the women passed a knowing grin between themselves as Zazriel gasped when I used [Shapeshifting] to grow a replica of Astruth’s cock, and slid into her pleasant warmth. As Zazriel’s gasp became a moan of pleasure, I smiled. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, but this certainly helped.

“So, while we were ‘negotiating’ on the [Familiar Binding Ritual], Zazriel mentioned something that I had not considered. It turns out that the Boss and Hero titles have more to them than just power boosts when you are facing someone with the opposing title. A Boss is apparently driven by the will of the Voice of the World to conquer those around them, working with, or for, other creatures with the Boss title. The Hero title, meanwhile, prods those who have it to save their people and wipe out threats to their wellbeing.

“Normally, a Boss cannot fight and kill another Boss. The Voice’s will makes it so that, even if they do come to blows and fight, the situation ends with one Boss being spared before the end, becoming subordinate to the other. Suffice to say, what happened in the depths of the Necropolis normally would not be possible.”

I took a moment to consider how to say this next part as I rocked Zazriel in my lap, thrusting gently inside her. “What I am about to say is not to be repeated outside this group. The truth is, I was reincarnated into this world, the same day I met Jewell and that young Hero. Or, perhaps, I was reincarnated into this body at birth, and only regained my knowledge of my past life then. Either is possible, and would explain why someone who was, at the time, Level 1 could be both a Boss and Baroness. I still have some memories from the Mhyrsha that was before I ‘woke up’, but I am a different person from her. And part of that difference is that I do not feel any compulsion from the Voice to avoid killing Bosses, or any particular need to conquer my surroundings.”

Jewell frowned. “Mistress, if that is true, why do what you did to me, and Lina? Why go through that ritual, or kill the Hero?”

“That’s easy, Jewell. My ‘waking up’ in this body did not change the past, or suddenly stop events that were already in motion. The Mhyrsha-that-was had already gathered all the required sacrifices, and the Hero was already set on the path to try and slay her, now me. When I went into town that day, I was actually looking to purchase gear and supplies to make an escape, and take up a life of adventuring with Linette and Astruth as my companions, rather than just waiting for a Hero to come and kill me.”

The rogue nodded slowly. “And then, Andrion approached you, and you saw a chance to escape the fate the Voice had set for you, without abandoning your role as Baroness?”

“Precisely. But, even after the Hero was dead, I still had to clean up the mess that Mhyrsha-that-was left behind. There were thirteen virgins locked in the dungeon of my manor house, after all, and bandits in the area who had been disrupting trade on her command. So, I completed the ritual, both to give myself a bit of extra insurance against death, and to take care of those who might talk about what they had seen. Likewise, I went out hunting the bandits, because they were a loose end I needed to tie up, before they could become an issue.”

“I see,” Linette nodded. “I had wondered why your attitude seemed to have changed right as the ritual was about to be performed, and why you suddenly became so eager to go out and involve yourself in helping put down the bandits and goblins. So that is why?”

“That, and I am not the type to just sit around doing nothing. The goblins were a problem that needed to be sorted, and I knew that helping deal with them would earn me respect with the people. Plus, letting them run about would only cause more problems as they grew stronger and my lands suffered. The Eclanan inquisitor and his lackeys were the same. Needed to kill them to protect my status, and if I could profit from their deaths, all the better.”

Astruth chuckled. “And strength matters in this world, right? No matter what your thoughts on things, if you do not have the levels, and the power that comes with them, you have limits to what you can do. And you hate being limited, Mistress, that much is obvious.”

Zazriel moaned as I bottomed out inside her, her breasts pressed against my own as my hands guided her hips. Still, the angel managed to look me in the eye, and said, “I see. That is why you can resist the Voice of the World. Your soul is not one of this world, and not bound by its constraints. While you would not have the Boss title if you did not have the temperament for it, the Voice of the World cannot influence your behavior to the degree that it could a Boss whose soul originated here.”

“And what is the ‘temperament’ for a Boss, my pet?” I asked, before nibbling on the angel’s ear, causing her to shudder in pleasure.

“Ngh! Th-they have all been dominating persons, to some degree or another. They could not become a Boss if they were weak-willed, or content to just let things be. The title amplifies that, and gives them the drive to conquer and control more and more territory, until the Hero, or some other being, eventually stops them.”

“Is this common knowledge amongst the Angels?”

“Y-yes Mistress! At least, with those of a more scholarly nature. I am not a Scholar, but I still picked up knowledge-based skills both to know how to properly fight different foes, and to better my Enchanting.”

“Interesting,” I nodded. Glancing over the angel’s shoulder, I smiled at Astruth. Spreading the angel’s cheeks with my hands, I said, “Astruth, why don’t you help me reward our new friend while she tells us about why the titles are even given out.”

“It would be my pleasure, Mistress,” Astruth grinned, as he moved behind Zazriel, and began pressing against her back door.

“Oh, oh GODDESS!” The angel cried out in pain and pleasure as Astruth slammed into her, only to be met by renewed thrusts on my end. Sandwiched between us, it was only due to the massive boost in her INT and WIS that she was able to retain some function in her voice as we went to work on her.

“Naturally, with the Gre-aaat Demon Emperor being as he-ee is, the forces of the Light have made a long study of the Boss and Hero titles, as well as Demons, Angels, and the like. A-and the topics are l-ee-nked, I promise you!”

Zazriel climaxed hard, but neither Astruth nor I were ready to stop just yet, causing her to moan in helpless pleasure as she continued. “Unlike what most people think, Angels and Demons are not forces of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’, but rather ‘Order’ and ‘Chaos’. This is why angels continue to come when servants of Eclana call upon them, even though the Theocracy has become twisted and evil over the years.”

I nodded slowly. “I get it. Angels help establish and uphold structures, which can be seen as helping the common folk, making those commoners associate them with ‘Good’. Meanwhile, Demons tend to be focused on their own goals, and their own concerns, which can often trample over people, ruining lives for no reason besides the fact they were in the way, which makes them appear ‘Evil’, right?”

“Mmnh. Yes, Mistress. Oh, just like that! Ah-and the angels believe that the Voice of the World creates the Boss and Hero titles as a means to balance the world. When things become too settled, Bosses ah-arise, and force change. When things are too chaotic, a Hero comes, and quiets things. At least, that is how things are supposed to be-eee!”

I chuckled at the way her voice broke every time Astruth or I made a particularly forceful stroke. “Astruth, quicken the pace. The little angel deserves to be filled.”

“Of course, Mistress,” he said, and then both he and I began slamming home as hard as we could, leaving Zazriel to simply ride it out as best she could. And given the look on her face, I was fairly certain she was having the ride of her life.

With a scream, she climaxed for at least the third time, and both Astruth and I were not far behind her, flooding her depths. As Zazriel collapsed against my chest, I stroked her back, between her wings. After giving her a couple moments to catch her breath, I asked, “You said ‘how things are supposed to be’, dear. What has changed?”

Zazriel sighed happily, not bothering to move from where she was draped across my body. “The Souleater changed things. He broke free, and put order to the Demons. Bosses and Heroes who die on the Shadowed Continent help to reinforce the barriers, there. People think that the barrier is just there to keep out all nondemons, unless they are with a Hero, or one of them carries the Souleater’s sigil, but that is just a secondary effect. The barrier’s true purpose is to weaken the Voice of the World’s influence, which causes Heroes to doubt their calling, leading to their corruption.”

“So, the Great Demon Emperor selfishly decided he would not let even the Voice of the World control him, and ordered the Shadowed Continent to do it, thereby causing far more chaos in the process?” Angelina asked, incredulously. “Somehow, that seems entirely fitting, given what you told us about how Demons and Bosses work.”

“And the Voice of the World keeps adding on new Bosses and Heroes to try and fix things, but it never works because the Great Demon Emperor is too powerful,” Jewell nodded. “Meaning everything continues to be messed up, and only getting worse.”

I took a breath, and said, “Well, that’s a problem for further in the future. Tonight, we should rest up, since the fools who thought they could waylay us have friends waiting near the next village, which we must pass through on our way to Bikar. I’ll need to consider how to properly deal with them, if they try anything.”