Chapter 24 - New Life in God of War

"Well, I’ll leave this puppet here. Just shout, ‘Emperor, we need your handsome and glorious company!’ and the puppet will activate. The puppet is connected to a partition of my mind responsible for processing information, so it won’t interfere with my daily life. That’s why you shouldn’t hesitate to use it in case of problems or doubts, as I said, it won’t bother me." Hyperion said as he placed a puppet where he had been sitting, resembling Pinocchio from Shrek.

The elves once again looked helplessly at their emperor when they heard the password they had to shout and the puppet they had to shout it to.

"Ohhh, I almost forgot! The puppet's nose grows when I lie, so if it does, just ignore my orders, hehehehe," Hyperion said, laughing mischievously.

The elves were already growing numb to their ruler’s increasingly absurd orders and could only shake their heads with ironic smiles. Well, that was their outward reaction, but the tears falling from their eyes told a different story. For seven years, they had been with this mischievous yet kind-hearted emperor, so it was unbearable to see him leaving.

Hyperion couldn’t stand seeing them cry and declared,
 "Announce a law: elves are forbidden to cry!"
 Then, reconsidering, he added,
 "No, rewrite that law. Children shouldn’t be punished for crying—only adults!" Hyperion said with a serious face.

The elves laughed, their tearful expressions lightening.

Hyperion had a habit of randomly declaring ridiculous laws as a joke, and the funny thing was that, at first, some elves actually tried to obey them. Fortunately, he quickly realized this and clarified that they were mere jokes. Since then, he occasionally declared fake laws as a playful tradition.

As the mood brightened, a male elf stepped forward. He was actually the former dark elf king from seven years ago, but he looked very different now—more like a stunning elf straight out of a fantasy novel.

"Your Majesty, are you sure you won’t take the 100 most beautiful elf maidens we prepared as maids and concubines?" he asked.

But before Hyperion could respond, he felt three piercing gazes land on him—his three stunning wives.

"Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?!" Hyperion shouted righteously and indignantly.

However, he was also secretly sending a message with his eyes to the elven king:

'Abort mission! Abort! I don’t think they’ll agree! The deal was that you wouldn’t mention them as concubines—just as servants or something! Now it's ruined! Quick, change the subject!' Hyperion signaled with his eyes and raised eyebrows.

'My Lord, they definitely figured out the elf maidens were meant to be concubines. This servant thought it was best to rip the bandage off quickly so they might accept it!' the elven king explained with his eyes.

"Hyperion, everyone saw you communicating with your eyes. This was definitely your plan!" Freya said, narrowing her eyes.

"It wasn’t!" Hyperion protested.

It actually was.

The girls continued staring at him for a few seconds until he caved in.

"Alright! It was my plan! But they were willing!" Hyperion admitted, trying to defend himself.

"Hyperion, dear, every elf in Alfheim would be willing—including the men," Faye said helplessly.

"That's impossib—" Hyperion started to deny but froze when he saw everyone in the hall looking down in silence, including the men.

"Okay, announce a law: all men are forbidden from having indecent thoughts about their emperor!" Hyperion declared seriously.

But the entire hall burst into laughter, assuming he was joking again.

"Don’t laugh! I’m serious this time! Quick, declare the law!" Hyperion said anxiously as no one took him seriously.

Hyperion’s wives had mischievous glints in their eyes. They stood up, grabbed him by the arms, and dragged him out of the hall.

"DECLARRRE THE LAAAW!!!" Hyperion’s final cry echoed through the halls.

The elves left behind looked at each other in amusement and burst into laughter.

"His Majesty, the Emperor, is wise, but the Empresses are no less impressive. When they discovered the Emperor was trying to arrange for 100 beautiful elf maidens to serve him, they orchestrated this entire act, and it was brilliant," a beautiful elven queen said with amusement.

Another elven queen chuckled and added admiringly,
 "Yes, and I never expected the male elves to be such great actors. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they actually fantasized about His Majesty just like we female elves do."

She laughed playfully, impressed by the male elves' convincing performance, but soon froze when she noticed them all looking down with red faces.

Meanwhile, the dark elf king sat in a corner, his eyes devoid of life.

'Forgive me for my betrayal, Your Majesty, but if even you fear the Empresses, then what about me, a mere elf?' The elven king lamented internally, recalling the terrifying expressions of the Empresses when they accidentally discovered his plans.

At that moment, Hyperion and his wives were in a secluded area of Vanaheim, accompanied by a whining Nymeria.

They were removing the jewelry and ornaments that adorned the giant she-wolf—even her golden collar studded with precious gems. Over the past seven years, the elves had spoiled Nymeria with luxury, and she had become even more pampered. She had also traveled across the Nine Realms in search of wolves, assembling a massive wolf pack in Alfheim where she reigned as queen.

Hyperion found it amusing, so he retrieved the souls of wolves from the Luminous Soul Lake and revived them. Because of this, Nymeria could be considered an empress of wolves, ruling over 100 million wolves.

There were so many wolves that Hyperion had to create a gigantic food bowl that produced infinite, delicious rations, with different flavors each day.

To curb the wolves’ aggressive instincts, he also created an endless battlefield where they could fight virtual monsters, grow stronger and smarter, and even extend their lifespans—preventing them from dying every few years.

The increase in strength and lifespan was small, but over time, it would accumulate significantly. And since the lifespan increased, it became a virtuous cycle.