I'm back from hiatus, full update here : https://www.patreon.com/posts/update-end-of-80959168
tl;dr :
Void Rifters : back to 1-2 chap / week.
Duke Vermillion : Still on hiatus for now, but I may release a chap / month sporadically.
Pet Store in Another World : 1-2 chap / week, starts exclusively on Patreon.
Thanks for your support ! I hope you'll enjoy reading this new story.
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After the king and his men left, only the princess and her half-blood troops remained near the lake shore.
I ignored them for now and headed toward the flagship.
During the time we spent in the forest, the engineer drones completely dismantled the Lance of Kar'goth. Following Gladia's orders, they only left the control room and a few healing pods intact for us to recover when we came back.
[It wasn't necessary to go this far with the humans, Jun.]
'It was. They may be friendly for the time being, but we don't know how they will treat us in the future. It's better to make things clear from the start, so they do not dare to betray us later.'
[I understand.]
Gladia wondered why I went as far as to use the reapers to frighten mere humans, but she eventually understood that we needed to be extremely cautious when dealing with the natives of Lunaris.
After all, this was still an unknown world for us.
If the battle-drones alone would cause an uproar if they were made public, I have no idea how the other countries would respond to the rest of our technology.
Therefore, I decided to hide our real power for as long as I could.
I knew I wouldn't be able to keep it secret forever, especially from the prying eyes of the central continent powerhouses, but my goal was just to stall for time.
By the time the countries outside the forest notice our unusual technology, we would already have the means to defend ourselves. That is why I looked forward to subduing Aliomeri ; this kingdom was perfectly fit to be our main HQ on Lunaris.
I passed by the numerous drones working around the crash site when Katarina walked out of the control room and came to my side.
"How is Douglas ?" I asked her, still anxious about my comrade's state.
"He is out of danger for now. I inserted him in the healing pod after treating him. I successfully removed the poisonous mana from his body with my force field, but he needs time to recover from his internal injuries."
I couldn't see her face behind her helmet, but she seemed exhausted.
"What about Jerome ?"
"He is fine, and in better condition than Douglas. For now, he also needs to rest."
"Alright."
When I was about to enter the control room, I felt her hand gently pulling back my shoulder.
"Leader, you should also get treated... This poisonous mana is seriously affecting our black matter's regenerative capabilities. I don't even know how you can still stand on your feet." From the tone of her voice, I could tell how worried she was about my condition.
"Let me check on Douglas and Jerome first." I gently removed her hand, before entering the control room.
"As you wish..." She sighed, but she didn't stop me anymore.
Seeing Kat so protective of the squad made me feel good. I had to admit, after all those years fighting alone in the Singularity, I missed her and my fellow squad members' company.
I got so used to dealing with everything by myself that I almost forgot how good it felt to have people to rely on.
On this day, I once again swore to myself that no matter what happens on this strange planet, I will continue to do my best to protect my squad.
I was their Leader, after all.
___
Far from the forest of truth, in a luxuriously decorated chamber, an old butler that looked to be in his sixties was kneeling in front of a young lady.
This beautiful elf was coldly staring at him with her crystal blue eyes. She had disheveled hair unfit of her noble status, and was dressed in a long white dress adorned with golden threads of silk.
"Young mistress, please reconsider it !" The old butler shouted, his face pressed on the ground.
"I already thought about all the possibilities, Folmer. Since Father died so miserably, our family has no backing anymore and the high nobles in the capital already have their eyes set on me. Tell me, why should I bear the grudges of my incompetent father's enemies ?"
The old man was sweating in front of his liege.
"Young mistress, are you sure destroying the household and abandoning your family's inheritance is the best choice ? We can still seek protection within the rebel faction !"
"Hmpf! And at what cost, tell me ? Bearing the children of one of those digusting pigs just to keep a ruined manor and the last name of a household that has already fallen ? I would rather die !" The young lady snorted and stood up, sending a death glare at her butler.
The old man understood his mistake and didn't dare to talk anymore.
"Didn't you notice how the officials stared at me when they inquired whether I intended to take over Father's place in the government ? These wicked bastards would have already plotted against me if I hadn't rejected them to keep a low profile ! If I stay in the capital for another week, I will either be assassinated to secure Father's position, or be kidnapped and violated like a mere breeding slave. Is that truly what you want ?"
The young lady was furious.
Her father and her two brothers all died during the cataclysm that hit Aliomeri's capital. Her father was an important minister from the noble faction loyal to the Queen. He was among the few nobles chosen by the Queen to remain behind and rule the kingdom in her absence.
While there were no problems after the Queen's departure, everything changed when a terrifying spell coming from nowhere hit the capital and flattened the Royal Palace.
A fourth of the city has been reduced to dust, and almost all the nobles from the loyal faction who were near the palace are either dead or missing. This caused an uproar in the capital, which led to utter chaos among the citizen.
Because the explosion only affected the area surrounding the Royal Palace, the nobles that have previously been cast away by the Queen have not been as affected as the loyalist who lived close to the Royal Palace. Thus, the households that were dissatisfied with the Queen's rule took advantage of her absence to fight for power.
In a short time, many of the few surviving ministers either got poisoned or slaughtered in their own houses with their entire families. Traitorous sons betrayed their fathers, ambitious wives assassinated their husbands and even loyal knights rebelled against their lords.
Most of the noble households started to fight among themselves, and only a few decided to keep a low profile.
Because the Queen left the capital with all the heads of the loyalist clans in the massive campaign against Lyssandra, and the majority of the loyal nobles that stood behind died, the loyalist faction was near its breaking point.
It was only a matter of days before the rebels seize the power and lock down the capital.
Nobody knew who attacked Aliomeri, nor how they bypassed the border and directly aimed at the capital, but they all blamed the Royal Family.
The common people weren't aware yet of the war against Lyssandra ; therefore, most of them thought that if the usually shut-in Queen suddenly left the capital, it was only to flee from an enemy Aliomeri couldn't face.
The rebels used this argument in their propaganda, and now even the commoners started to join their cause.
The terrible explosion that hit the Royal Palace shocked everyone. The terror of a nuclear explosion has been engraved deeply into every citizen's mind. Even the ancient array formation supposed to protect the capital has been useless, which meant that the attacker was at least a 5-circles mage or above.
How could ordinary people face such firepower ? A first circle mage novice was already considered rare, especially among the elves, let alone a 5-circles powerhouse.
Nobody understood why someone would send 5-circles mage to attack the capital.
Almost everyone was convinced that a powerful country was behind it, some even mentioned an intervention from the central continent to punish the queen's boldness in recent years and send a message to Aliomeri.
While it seemed ridiculous, it was still the most plausible reason. After all, sending a 5-circles mage so deep inside a foreign kingdom just to bomb their capital was akin to sending a dragon to hunt a rabbit ; it didn't make any sense.
The ostracized nobles' houses that didn't join the war used this golden opportunity to spread more false rumors, and instill a rebellion even among the normal citizens. They would rather betray their Queen and bow to the enemy than face the might of a 5-circles mage. That was how frightening mages can be in the outer continent.
Unknowingly to the Queen who didn't flee but instead was fighting hard on the frontline, her kingdom got engulfed in chaos the moment she left the capital to invade Lyssandra.
"Young Mistress, even if you leave the capital, you need some backing among the nobles. I am ashamed to say that... but we don't have enough guards to ensure your safety." The old butler was visibly anxious about the lady's reaction.
"No matter what I do, those pigs will come for me. Whether it's the loyalists or the rebels, none of them would let me alone. At least the loyalist don't bother me for now since I refused to take my Father's role. In their eyes, I am not a menace for the time being, but once the situation in the capital calms down... they will surely come back at me with bad intentions. I refuse to wait for my death without doing anything !" The young lady shouted.
She left her room, and walked angrily through her manor.
"Call all the servants in the main hall !"
The old butler following her didn't dare to disobey. He took a little translucent stone from his pocket and whispered something. The stone glowed for a second, before returning to its original state.
The once elegant manor was now on the edge of crumbling. All of the windows were shattered, there were long fissures in the walls, and enormous pieces of stone and marble had already collapsed here and there.
Even if the Danelis manor was not too close to the Royal Palace, it still suffered a lot from the nuclear explosion.
After walking through the debris for a while, the young mistress finally arrived at her destination.
The main hall, which was usually bustling with people, was now deadly quiet. From the moment the head of Danelis and his sons died, the majority of the servants fled the capital with their families. Only a handful of them stayed behind to serve the young lady.
When she walked in, the remaining maids and guards all bowed their heads.
"So few people..." The young elf sighed.
She stared at the dozen of servants who didn't leave the manor, before sitting on her father's chair.
"I hereby announce that from today onward, I, Elena Danelis, daughter of Tiarsus Danelis, am now the Matriarch of the Danelis household." The young lady shouted in a loud voice. She paused and looked at all the servants, before continuing.
"By the power vested upon me, my first order is as follow : take a gold coin and fifty silver coins each, and return to your family. The Danelis household... is no more."
Everyone in the room was shocked.
Some of the most loyal servants raised their heads and wanted to object, but their mouths dried up when the cold gaze of their young lord landed on them. They couldn't say anything.
"All of you present today have been loyal to me and my family until the end. I hope for you to not make things difficult and leave the manor as quietly as possible. You all served well, but now is not the time to stay in the capital. Use this money to flee to the countryside with your family."
While some servants shed a tear of sadness as they got forced to leave the household they served for a lifetime, most of them were just glad that they would get gold and silvers before returning to their family, especially the maids.
The majority of the female servants didn't stay behind because of loyalty, but because they had nowhere else to go. The young lady was aware of that.
She was also well aware that her father, Tiarsus Danelis, and her brothers were far from being saints. They were quite the opposite.
They, like every other high noble, indulged in lavish pleasures and abused their high status to obtain whatever they desired from the commoners serving them.
When Elena looked at the maids still bowing in front of her while trembling, she pitied them. At least half of them have been raped and violated either by her father, or her two brothers. They have been forced to do horrible things that would leave profound scars on the heart of any woman.
In the rare case when their husband learned about it, they were unable to do anything because of the status difference. If they dared to raise their voice at a noble, let alone a minister household, their entire family would have been wiped out without a second of hesitation.
Such disgusting things were common in the capital, yet the young lady has never been able to accept it.
"That is all. Follow Folmer to get your allowance, and get out of my sight. May you all find a better master to serve in your next life." The young mistress said, before standing up and leaving the main hall under the shocked gaze of the servants.
On the way back to her room, Elena couldn't help but think about these poor people. While she didn't approve of her father's and brother's methods, she also didn't have an ounce of respect for those docile servants. That is why she never stood up for any of her maids, no matter what they endured.
It may seem cruel, but Elena considered them as nothing more than worms patiently waiting to be crushed by their master. They had no free will, nor did they have any self-esteem.
She knew that it wasn't their fault if they were born as commoners, but she couldn't understand how they could lower their dignity so much, to the point where being trampled on didn't even bother them anymore.
In a certain way, she had more respect for slaves. At least, those slaves were forced to suffer atrocities, whereas these lowly servants chose to obey of their own free will.
Elena entered her room with a gloomy face, and sat down on the black wooden chair facing her grand mirror. The moment she looked up, she saw in the reflection that a special guest was waiting behind her.
A short woman, clad in black armor from head to toe, was sitting on Elena's bed and silently looking at her.
Elena's heart jumped a beat, she immediately turned herself and took out the curved dagger hidden in her dress sleeve.
"W-who are you ?!" She raised her pitiful weapon, and asked with a trembling voice.
"Who I am has no importance. The real question is, do you want to live ?" the dark woman calmly said.
Elena didn't dare to act rashly. If this person could infiltrate her room this easily despite the spell formation protecting the manor, she wasn't someone to be trifled with.
At first, Elena thought that this short woman was an assassin sent by a loyalist noble to murder her and make sure that no Danelis descendent remained, but after thinking it through... why would such a skilled assassin show herself when she could have easily killed her ?
She concluded that whatever the other party was looking for, there was room to negotiate.
Although Elena was scared, she tried to remain calm and carefully asked.
"Who doesn't want to live... What do you want ?"
The woman in black slowly stood up and approached her.
"I heard from the second princess that Elena Danelis is a smart girl who always refused to bow her head, even to her own father."
At the mention of the Second Princess, Elena's eyes opened wide. She didn't receive any news from her only friend since the Queen left the capital.
She assumed that Tialha died in the Royal palace after the tremendous explosion broke out, which broke her heart every time she thought about it.
Elena's sole contact with nobles her age was with Tialha Advaris and her younger brother, Palleas. Tialha and Elena held similar views on Aliomeri's noblesse, and they both avoided social groups of their rank. As a result, they became very close during their youth and always maintained a tight bond while growing up.
It could be said that among nobles, the second princess was her only real friend.
"She is alive ?!" Elena exclaimed. Her heart weakened when she thought about her friend, whom she assumed was dead.
"The princess and her brother are currently safe."
"Thanks goddess... Did Tialha sent you to find me ?" Elena was relieved to know her friend survived the explosion.
As for this strange woman's presence, Elena assumed she was sent by Tialha. Only the second princess would be concerned enough about Elena to send someone to help her.
"The second princess submitted to my leader. You can say that we are allies, for the time being."
Alice's words stunned Elena.
The second princess has been subdued ?!
Wasn't she supposed to be in the Royal Palace all this time ? Elena wanted to ask many questions, but before she could do so, someone knocked on the door.
"If you want to escape from Aliomeri's grasp and live by yourselve, come to this adress." Alice said, as she disappeared.
She left behind a small folded paper on Elena's bed.
"Young Mistress, may I come in ?"
Elena was surprised to see Alice vanish into thin air. It was as if a ghost had visited her during her dream.
She hurriedly took the paper and hide it inside her sleeve, before opening the door.
"What is it ?" Elena was very annoyed. She still had many questions to ask this strange woman, but unfortunately, they got interrupted before she could do so.
When the old butler saw the young lady's irritated face, he instinctively knelt on the floor and said.
"Pardon me, young mistress, but I cannot leave you alone. I once promised your mother to take care of you, please do not force me to break my vow."
Elena looked at Folmer for a moment, before sighing.
"Fine. I wasn't expecting you old geezer to leave me anyway. Is that all ?"
The butler was overjoyed, but he didn't dare raise his head.
"Everyone left, the manor is now empty. As you ordered, I gave one gold and fifty silvers to each servants."
He removed a golden key from his pocket and handed it over his head to the young lady.
"This is the key to your father's storage. Since you are now the Matriarch, this key is yours to keep. The breeding slave's seal is also in the storage."
"The slaves... I almost forgot about them." Elena frowned.
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