WIEDERGEBURT Act III: Chapter 45

Garrett led Kari, Fay, and Lin through many corridors before they reached a pair of double-doors guarded by two members of the Imperial Royal Guard. The doors were opened.

As she stepped into the massive chamber, Kari was startled to realize that many people were already present. Of course, she recognized Alexander Eieran, Grimm and Catherina Kriger, Stelys Valstine, Feinrea Kunis, Helen Brynhild, and several other prominent noble figures. It looked like everyone except the Drage Family had gathered.

When she, Fay, and Lin stepped through the door, everyone inside of the receiving hall grew silent and turned to witness their arrival. Several eyebrows were raised. It was clear they didn’t understand why she and her future sisters were present. Rather than let herself be daunted by their expressions, Kari lifted her chin and walked into the room like she owned the place. She wouldn’t act like a meek little girl I front of these people.

Fay and Lin followed her example. Lin seemed completely at ease with everyone staring at her, which was probably because even now she got looks for her snake tail. She had seemed to have grown past the point of caring. Fay, on the other hand, was still not used to being the subject of so many stares. Her back was a little hunched as she tried her best to walk beside them, but she wasn’t cut out for this kind of political gathering.

“Mother.” Kari curtsied to her mom, who sat on a throne elevated above everyone else by a platform. Her three fathers were also present, standing behind her in a show of solidarity. “I have come as you requested.”

“I’m glad to you were able to make it.” Her mother smiled, eyes twinkling just a little. “Given your status among the Nevarian Braves, and as my daughter, your opinion will be highly valued here.” She cast her gaze at Lin and Fay, both of whom straightened as though an electric current had raced through their spines. “You two as well. Given your experience, I value everything you might have to say, so do not hesitate to speak up.”

“This princess will do as you suggest,” Lin said.

“I… I will try not to let you down,” Fay added.

Her mother nodded at their response, but then she cast her gaze toward the crowd of onlookers, her brow furrowing.

Kari didn’t know what her mother was thinking. However, she grabbed Lin and Fay, leading them into the crowd and toward Stelys Valstine and Feinrea Kunis. The two were standing together. When they spotted Fay heading their way, they smiled.

“Fay,” Stelys greeted his daughter. “I did not expect to see you at this meeting. You look well.”

“Thank you, Father. I am doing well.” Fay smiled a little, but it was filled with uncertainty. “And I did not expect to be at this meeting either. I’m not sure what I can contribute.”

“Do not start with that,” Kari admonished her friend with a smile. “You know plenty about the situation, and you are more aware of the creatures coming our way than anyone save Mother. Do not doubt yourself.”

Fay’s smile grew warm and tender at Kari’s words. She nodded once.

“I will do that. Thank you, Kari.”

Kari smiled but didn’t say anything else as she turned her attention back to her mother, who was still studying the group before them with a frown.

With so many people present, the scent of numerous different types of soap and perfume filled the air. Kari wrinkled her nose. She wished some of these people would stop to think about how bad all these different scents were when combined. Would it kill the nobles to just wash with plain soap?

“I see the Draige Family has decided not to show up,” Empress Hilda said with a click of her tongue. “Very well. Let us begin this meeting without—”

“My apologies for being late,” a voice suddenly boomed out from the entrance.

Kari turned her head with everyone else to study the two men who walked into the receiving hall. One of them had shoulder-length blond hair and a matching beard, while the other looked like a younger and beardless version of the former. It was clear they were closely related. Of course, Kari recognized the two of them immediately.

“Gudbrand and Gudmun Drage, how nice of you to join us,” her mother said with a hint of ice in her voice. “I was almost afraid you hadn’t received my notice that all members of the Three Heavenly Families and Seven Major Families present themselves for an emergency council.”

“Forgive us, Your Majesty.” Gudbrand swept himself into a theatrical bow. “We only received the notice a few short hours ago. As you know, our estate is quite large, so it took your messenger time to arrive. That is why we were so late.”

Kari was certain Gudbrand was lying through his teeth. This was clearly an act of antagonism toward her mother, which caused Kari to shake with rage, though she knew she could say nothing. Her mother was also aware of this. Yet not even a hint of irritation showed on the woman’s face.

“Very well. In either event, please take your place. A dire situation that affects all of Nevaria has arisen and we cannot afford to waste too much time.”

The two Drage Family members, Head and Heir, bowed once more and moved to stand within the crowd. As they did, Gudmund caught sight of Fay and tossed her a smile. Kari wrinkled her nose. She glanced at Fay, whose body had locked up, her expression pale as though she had witnessed something horrific.

Kari wanted to comfort her friend, but her mother began speaking again.

“All of you should have already received the information I sent about the Sekbeist,” she began. “I’ll not bore you with those details. What you need to know now is that a large army of Sekbeist and Demon Beasts numbering in the tens of thousands are currently marching toward Nevaria.”

Her words caused those present to stir. However, the feelings of fear and shock that Kari had expected were muted. No one looked overly worried. She wondered why at first. Surely they understood how grave this threat was? It was only after this thought crossed her mind that she realized the truth.

They didn’t know.

The Sekbeist were creatures that, according to ancient books written in the time before the Catastrophe, had once fought against all the races. They nearly brought the world to ruin and the races to extinction. Through an act of incredible sacrifice, the Nine Great Overlords sealed away their leader and armies. Of course, this legend was one only known to the Astralia Royal Family.

Even if the others knew about this legend, it was still just a legend. The Sekbeist had not shown up for over a thousand years. That was enough time for everyone to forget about the threat they possessed.

However, it wasn’t like they weren’t worried. An army of tens of thousands strong was still a grave threat.

“I’ve gathered you all here because we need to prepare. The Nevarian Spiritualists and Imperial Royal Guards have been issued orders to gather their forces, but it is also the duty of us noble families to help defend Nevaria as well.”

Most everyone was nodding along with her mother’s words. Even if she had not requested this of them, it was not like they could afford to disobey. Nevaria was their home, the only one they had, and defending it with all their might was their only chance at survival.

However, just when her mother was about to speak again, someone else spoke up.

“Before we go any further, I do have a question.” Without waiting for a response, Gudmund stepped forward. “We have only been told about these Sekbeist recently, but they appear to have been around for a lot longer, so my question is this: Why have we not heard of them before? Why did the Astralia Royal Family not deign to inform us of this threat until now?”

The words caused the entire room to still. Tension rose in the room. It was like someone had dropped a freezing cold waterfall onto everyone in the chamber.

Kari glanced at her mother, whose face had gained a quality so icy it would have frozen over a volcano. She’d never seen her mother look this furious before.

“I am not sure what you are insinuating, but that you would deign to question my and my family’s integrity when our city is in jeopardy is quite insulting.”

While the fury in her mother’s tone was muted, Kari didn’t doubt the others heard it. A collective shiver ran through the group. Even Kari was shivering as though she’d been dropped in the middle of an icy tundra.

“I apologize on my son’s behalf,” Gudbrand said with an easy-going smile as if he couldn’t feel the tension in the room. “It seems he is still lacking in refinement and enjoys speaking without thinking. I will be sure to reprimand him when we get back—”

“There is no need,” her mother interrupted. “Should he survive the oncoming threat, I will be sure to punish him myself. I can overlook someone questioning my judgment when I am in the wrong, but I will not overlook someone so rudely insulting me and my family, especially not during a time of crisis. Do not forget that I am the empress.”

Her mother’s words stunned everyone present. Kari could see the shock in their eyes. Even Gudmund and Gudbrand looked like they swallowed a particularly foul and tart lemon.

Empress Hilda Astralia, known by all as the commoner who became empress through nothing but her own strength, was a very hands off ruler. She did not interfere in the matters of nobles unless necessary and spent her time creating reforms that helped increase the prosperity of the city. While some of her reforms like the mandatory schools for all citizens regardless of status had not been taken kindly by the nobility, most of them helped the nobles alongside the commonwealth, so nobody complained. In all the time she had ruled, she had never once spoken to a noble so brazenly.

Of course, she had also never been so brazenly insulted either.

“Your Majesty,” Gudbrand began, “Surely you can overlook—”

“I cannot,” her mother interrupted once again. “It is one thing to overlook a young child speaking out of turn, but your son is old enough to know better. He shall be punished after this crisis has been dealt with.”

Gudbrand’s expression finally cracked. It was only for a second, but Kari could have sworn she saw an intense and overwhelming hatred present on the man’s face. A chill ran down her spine. However, barely a second before it appeared, the expression vanished.

“Yes. I understand, Your Majesty.” Gudbrand bowed low.

Her mother nodded. “Good. Now then, let us—”

Before she could get to the point of their meeting, a loud bang echoed from the chamber entrance seconds before a man rushed into the room. He was wearing the leather armor of a Nevarian Spiritualist. His hair was in disarray as he stumbled over to the group, who parted before the man. When Kari caught a good look at him, the first thing she noticed was his incredibly pale face and the sweat running down his neck.

“What is the meaning of this?” asked her mother, now visibly showing her irritation.

“S-something big is coming this way!” the man shouted. “It’s coming from over the mountains! A huge monster!”

What? Kari thought as the gathering of people descended into panicked shouting.

***

Flying through the sky on Siv’s back was an incredible experience. I hadn’t noticed it at first, but after our initial takeoff, I couldn’t feel any wind resistance like I’d expected. A wind funnel appeared ahead of me. Streams of wind created distortions in the air in front of Siv. I guess that was a wind dragon for you.

I didn’t know how long we’d been flying, but not even a day had passed since we started. Even so, I could already see the mountains surrounding Nevaria.

“Let’s go over the mountains, Siv,” I called out to her.

Siv roared in response. I had been worried that she wouldn’t be able to hear me, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

As we reached the mountains, Siv suddenly swerved upward and began ascending, her speed not slowing down in the slightest. I was forced to grab onto her spiked mane as I began sliding backward. It seemed Siv’s wind manipulation didn’t affect gravity. I narrowed my eyes as the mountain’s peak suddenly appeared in front of me, and then we were flying over it and Nevaria lay spread out before us.

“Oh… wow…”

I had never seen Nevaria from a bird’s eye view like this before. The closest I had come was staring at Nevaria from the Imperial Royal Palace. However, that view didn’t even come close to this one.

The sunlight from above shone down on the city, which spread across this massive valley for many kilometers. Most of the buildings were packed closely together. Nevaria had a large population of at least one-million, so they had to make the buildings fit as tightly together as they could to create enough buildings for everyone to live in. From high above like this, the buildings appeared to be little more than square blocks.

Among those square blocks were several large towers featuring the ballistae I had proposed Empress Hilda have created.

“Follow my directions,” I said to Siv.

Siv unleashed another roar, which I really hoped wasn’t as loud as it sounded to me; that would cause trouble. Well, we were already about to create a huge panic simply by flying into Nevaria like this. I was sure many people would think Siv was a Demon Beast.

Thinking about it in hindsight, I really should have set down outside of Nevaria and come through the normal way. It just hadn’t occurred to me until now. I’d been in such a hurry that I wanted to reach the Imperial Royal Palace as soon as possible.

Siv followed my instructions as I directed her to fly in the sky above the range of any ballistae and direct her toward the Imperial Royal Palace, which sat on the mountain in the very center of the city.

I was right when I thought the people would begin panicking. As we began descending, the guards all gathered in the courtyard where I asked Siv to set down. The dragon’s muscles rippled underneath me as she jerked away from the many people. I calmly pat her back.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you,” I said. That seemed to soothe her because she began descending at a more steady pace.

The Imperial Royal Guards who’d been protecting the Imperial Royal Palace all took several steps forward, spun in time to each other, and generated a wellspring of Spiritual Power with their movements. Their swords lit up and Spiritual Power flew from their weapons in wide arcs. Fire, wind, lightning… the three major attack elements flew through the air.

I narrowed my eyes and used my control over lightning to dispel the lightning attacks. The fire was dispelled when I sent a powerful blade of water to slice through it. Then the wind was dispelled when I created a shield that combined water and lightning into a white barrier in front of us. The wind slammed into the barrier and disappeared.

The courtyard was quite large. Siv easily landed in an open space that didn’t have any features she could knock over like a pagoda. Once she had set down, I jumped off her and landed on the ground. I was about to suggest she turned back into her human form, but the Imperial Royal Guards suddenly surrounded us, their swords held at the ready.

“D-don’t move! You are trespassing on the property of the Astralia Royal Family! F-for the crime of trespassing and bringing such a dangerous beast into our city, I’ll have to take you into custody!”

The man who spoke was just a simple guard, neither a captain nor anyone of particular importance. I didn’t know if he knew who I was. Back when I lived in the Imperial Royal Palace, I hardly paid attention to the guards because I was busy working on so many projects.

“Do you not recognize me?” I asked the man.

“Why would I recognize you?!” the man shouted back, his voice a high-pitched shriek. He looked like he was on the verge of panicking. I realized that he was actually staring at Siv, who had yet to transform back into her human form and was therefore still a large wall of scales and muscle.

I sighed and was about to speak up again when the doors leading into the Imperial Royal Palace burst open as though someone had kicked them.

Kari appeared in the entrance. She wasn’t alone. Fay and Lin were also with her. Behind them, even more people were arriving onto the scene. Empress Hilda, Valence, Rainer, and Dante made an appearance, as did Stelys Valstine, Feinrea Kunis, and several other nobles I recognized either from the ball at the Eieran Family estate or through other means.

The moment she appeared in the entrance, Kari locked eyes with me. She didn’t even see the dragon behind me. Her eyes grew wide as a brilliant sparkle appeared within them. I only had a moment to admire her eyes before she disappeared within a Flash Step and was suddenly standing right before me.

“You’re late,” she said with a smile.

“Sorry I’m late.” I smiled back.

That was the only incentive Kari needed to pounce on me. She lunged forward and pressed her lips to mine, wrapped her arms around my neck, and held her body close. Her breasts smashed into my chest as I tightly held her waist, pulling her flush against me. I felt a tongue penetrate my mouth. This didn’t bother me in the least as I kissed back just as passionately as the girl in my arms. I wished this moment could last forever.

Finally, Kari pulled back.

“I’d love to stay like this, but I’m not the only one who wants to greet you,” she said with a mischievous smile.

“Huh?”

I barely had a second to contemplate her words before Kari slipped out of my grasp and backed away.

“DARLING!!!”

“Lin—gufak?!”

Unlike Kari, Lin could not use the Flash Step since she had no feet, but she more than made up for this by being able to use her long tail like a coiled spring. I wasn’t even able to move as she launched herself at me. The air rushed from my lungs as Lin’s head slammed into my solar plexus, knocking me to the ground. I heard, more than felt, my head cracking against the ground, and I was very glad Siv had landed in the grass.

“Darling! I missed you!”

“Uwa—mph!”

Lin’s mouth hampered mine before I could even recover my breath. Her long tongue slipped between my lips and teeth as she ravished the inside of my mouth. She was even more passionate than Kari, who I was sure held back because she understood propriety. This girl had no such understanding.

Despite not having much time to breath, I placed my hand on Lin’s lower back, marveling at her smooth skin as I pulled her close. Finally, after she was satisfied, Lin stopped kissing me. She placed her hands on my cheeks and pressed her forehead to mine. Her golden eyes stared into mine as they watered.

“This princess is really glad… you’re back,” she whispered.

“Me too.”

I leaned up and offered Lin one last peck on the lips, then had the girl get off me.

Standing to my feet, I looked at the last person in our little group, Fay, who walked toward me before stopping a few steps away. Her lips trembled as she stood there.

“Fay…”

Because I knew about Fay’s inferiority complex, I knew she wouldn’t run into my arms like the other two. I closed the distance between us and swept the girl into my arms. With her body now pressed to mine, I could feel the glorious curvature of her buxom figure as I buried my face into her hair and inhaled her scent. The smell of expensive shampoo mixed with Fay’s natural smell, which I honestly loved.

“… Missed you,” Fay mumbled into my chest.

“Hmm?”

“I… I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

I leaned back and lifted Fay’s face by placing a hand under her chin. Leaning down, I claimed her lips in a soft kiss. The warmth of her trembling lips sent a thrill through my body. Fay gripped my clothes as she tilted her head further to make kissing easier. We remained like this for a moment, but then she broke contact and moved back.

That was when I realized the others had followed behind these three. Unlike Kari, Fay, and Lin, they were not looking at me. They were staring at the Dragon.

“Siv?” I turned my head to look at the dragon. “Please turn back.”

The Dragon bobbed her head up, then down. Her body began glowing a little before it shrank. The scales receded, leaving only the few that remained after she transformed into a human. Her front forelegs became arms with dainty hands. Her hind legs became supple human legs with small feet. The spiky mane turned into long green hair with a silver sheen. Like that, Siv transformed back into a human.

She was also naked.

I guess that was only natural. Her clothes had torn when she transformed into a human.

Summoning a cloak from my storage scroll, I wrapped it around Siv so no one could see her naked body. I didn’t want people staring at her. Siv herself seemed awfully self-conscious of these people, though she didn’t seem to understand nudity taboos. It was more like she was just afraid of all the people here.

I turned back around as the Dragon girl clung to my back and looked at Empress Hilda, who was staring at Siv hiding behind me alongside everyone else. However, unlike the others, who appeared too shocked by what they had witnessed to speak up, she admirably recovered her wits and turned her attention to me.

“It seems something very interesting happened after you and Herleif were separated during your travels into the Morkdypt Ravine.”

Her words caused the nobles to stir. It seemed she hadn’t told them where Herleif and I had gone yet.

“It did. If you’d like, I can tell you all about what I’ve discovered. I’m sure you already know the basics, but I have more information to provide for you.”

“I believe that will be a good idea,” Empress Hilda said after a moment. “If you have more information, it will make planning our next course of action easier.”

At her suggestion, which was more of an order really, the large crowd of nobles began moving back inside. I traveled in the back of this group with Kari, Fay, Lin, and Siv—who stuck to me like glue. The poor Dragon was shaking as she kept a firm grip on my traveling cloak. Sadly, there wasn’t much I could do to reassure her right now.

“Who is this?” asked Kari.

“Her name is Siv,” I answered. “She’s a Wind Dragon the Sekbeist had captured and enslaved. They were using a collar with Runes similar to those claws to control her actions. After I freed her from their control, we began traveling together.”

“I see. You’ll have to tell us about it when we get home.”

“I will.”

“So you are a Dragon?” Lin leaned in close to Siv with narrowed eyes. In response, Siv squeaked and tried to press herself into my back, which nearly made me stumble. “You are very timid for a Dragon. Big Sister has told this princess that dragons are ferocious creatures of incredible strength, but you do not seem all that powerful or fierce.”

“I don’t know about ferocious, but Siv is definitely powerful,” I said.

“Hmph. This princess will believe it when she sees it.”

No one responded to Lin as we finally entered the receiving hall. Empress Hilda and her husbands walked up the dias. While the empress sat down, her husbands stood behind her. They noticed me looking at them. While Valence remained stone-faced, Rainer offered me a kind smile while Dante tossed me a wink, causing me to roll my eyes.

“Now then,” Empress Hilda began as she stared at me, “Please tell us what you have discovered.”

Nodding, I took a step forward and began telling them about the army of Sekbeists and their Demon Beast thralls.