Chapter 192: Wake Up (Part 1)
Rigen's perspective
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"Uhhhhh?". - After a short moment of being paralyzed, I surprisingly woke up
I felt my body was very light, as if I could move very easily from now on. If I was right, then I was in a dream about some kind of war and now I had been sent to another place. This dream was it.
I slowly got up until I could stand up properly with my feet, everything seemed to be fine except for a black blank. Well, the place in front of me was just blank, dark and nowhere could be seen. Not yet, the ground was also black, this place was very strange.
I was a bit afraid but also curious about the place I was standing in so I walked forward for dozen of meters to see if I could see anything else except for the dark side. But I saw nothing, honestly. This place was very wide, I think so...because my footsteps made no echo while walking on the ground.
The dark ground itself did not create sounds when I was walking...as if it was soundproof or something.
"Hey! Anybody here?! Please answer me!". - I took a long breath, later yelled out as loud as possible to examine if there was anyone in this place
No response from anyone, the yell did not even echo back, this place only had me. Staying there for seconds without having any response, I looked around my body and noticed it had been returned to my John Rigen's body, not John Cawess's anymore.
"Don't annoy me anymore, you broke my tea enjoyment, big man...". - I was a bit startled when hearing a woman's voice coming out from behind me
Surrounded by my anxiety, I took the guts to turn behind, later saw a woman's figure who was sitting on a white chair, had a table beside her. On the white table was a white cup sitting on it, the woman I saw was quite odd. She was white, long blonde-haired. Wore a slight green dress while her eyes were closing...wait...she looked familiar to me somehow.
"Seems like you've come here again...take a seat beside me". "Come on, big man...don't joke with a lady's temper...don't just stand there to look at my beautifulness". - The blonde woman later raised her hand toward the right side table to ask me to sit opposite her, but there was no chair in there
"Who the hell are you?".
"Oh my...you see me attractive to you, big man? Ohhh, maybe we can have a date in this tea enjoyment, come here". - Maybe this woman was a delusion...she thought that she was beautiful...but I didn't care about h-
"I said...come here". "Don't joke with a lady...John". - Suddenly, my body was paralyzed and I got dragged to the table in a blink of an eye...this woman was not normal!
"Hmmm...it's very rare for me to be kind to someone, remember to behave well". - She slowly cuddled my face and then got off me, my body later was free to move
"Sit...we have many things to talk about, John Rigen...". - Who was this woman?
"The one who created you and others...you can basically say I created the world you're living in...call me God". - As if she can read my mind
"Yeah...I do...now sit". - What?!
"But there's no chair".
"It does...now sit...or die". - The blonde woman said to me in a very threatening tone so I was terrified of her
I looked down at the ground again and saw a chair had been placed in the position. Strange...as if it had been created from nowhere, because I had the chair so I later sat opposite the blonde woman.
She called herself God, huh? What a crazy sick...
"I told you...not to blasphemy me...you're very rude". - But who are you anyway? Why do I have to believe the one who like you claimed to be God?
"But today would be...your insolence's forgiven just today, but don't make me mad". - My body suddenly got paralyzed again for a few seconds and then returned to normal
"Drink...and we'll talk". - She pointed to the table and asked me to drink the tea but I didn't see any cup on it, just a teacup in her right hand
"But I don't see anyth-".
"There's one, go check on it". - She said to me while drinking the teacup in her pleasure
I looked down at the table again and saw a hot teacup beside me...this one was also created from nowhere...from the woman would be more right to say, I guessed!
I grabbed the teacup but hesitated to drink it...it must be poisoned or had been put something dangerous inside it. Drinking it would not be a choice of mine...must reject!
"Just a normal tea...if you die then I'll live, we drink the same kind of tea...don't worry about it". "Oh my, I forgot this...drinking the same tea means we indirectly kiss, big man...your wife must be very jealous...". - I would never drink the tea...wait a minute, my hand suddenly lifted the cup to my mouth and my mouth was opening by itself!
"Bad boy must be well educated to be a good boy, drink it, leave no drop". - This bitch kept talking while the tea was pouring into my mouth, later I swallowed it all...the taste was terrible like shit!
"I hope you enjoyed drinking my body liquid...oh, I didn't add it in the tea, just some shit of yours...". "Just kidding, not those ones as I told you earlier, the taste was made from...". "Wait a minute, I forgot which kind of taste I put on your tea...maybe you don't need to know". - This bitch...I just want to kill her every time she opens her ugly mouth
"I told you...not to blasphemy me...but how dare you...". "Hmmm...but as your creator, I'm a very good God...so you're forgiven, John Rigen". "I don't want to go around...let's head straight to the point, listen carefully".
"From this time, everything would be normal to you but when time goes on for a while, you would suffer a lot...". "The way to avoid it is impossible...I'll do that to you even if you don't want to...".
"Remember to sharpen your mind to prepare for the things forward, John Rigen". "You can go now, we'll be meeting again, thanks for stopping by, now return to reality". - The blonde woman guided me something and later her distance kept blurring and farther away from me
"Uhhhhh!". - Not good at all, my mind was snapping as if I was about to be unconscious, at least I must know this woman's identity before leaving the place!
"Call me...Katia". - Not yet, there were still many questions that I wanted to ask you, I tried to reach my hands to her but could not!
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Uhhhhh...my head hurts, my shoulders hurt, my neck hurts, my mind hurts...as if my entire body was hurt. Struggling with my pain for a moment, I opened my eyes and got up from the bed. Many things had happened to me in my dreams...my body had now painless but it was still a bit shivering as I tried to remember the dream...
Now I noticed that I was in a dark room, there was a lamp on the left side which was on a table alongside Advisor. Maybe I was not in my dream anymore. This place was my private room in the Palace. This time was midnight or something, that was why the room was dark to serve me about the sleeping progress.
My face was burning a bit and I could feel my head sweating a lot, maybe it was caused by the dream. So I lifted my right forearm to wipe out my sweat but could not lift it...as if my right hand was being grabbed tightly by something, beside me.
But I ignored it and wiped my sweat by using my left forearm. After wiping my sweat, I looked at the right side of my bed to examine who or what was beside me. As I could see, that was Shera - the one who claimed to be my wife...I was still keeping my distance from her but I hope our relationship would be better someday.
"Uhhh? What the fuck?". - I immediately held my head as an impact suddenly occurred inside it as if something was running inside my head, it was a bit hurtful
"Arrrrrggghhhhhhhhh!". - What a terrible headache! Suddenly an explosion occurred in my head alongside the running shock waves, I held my head with my hands, trying not to scream in my painful
I closed my eyes, wishing the headache would end shortly and later it ended so I breathed steadily and slowly opened my eyes. As I opened my eyes, in front of me was Shera who was lying on the bed beside me...wait a minute!
"Arrrgghhhhhhhhhh!". - Another terrible headache, many images and moments sliding past my head in a blink of an eye, it made me remember something
"Hahhhhhh! Haaahhhh!". - After the headache, I gasped tiredly while remembering all the memories I used to lose, for some reason...my memory had recovered fully
But I could not process many things yet, many memories returned in a blink of an eye so it takes time for me to manage its events and date. But at least I could remember all the things now...poor my wife, I behaved badly with her in the previous 2 weeks...
"Shera...I'm sorry". - I grabbed my wife's hands out of me and then hugged her tightly, she was cuter when she was sleeping...
Later I put Shera down on the bed to let her keep sleeping while thinking about how to make myself re-sleep after waking up. The kitchen was not far from my room, I hope the maids were still working on this shift because I wanted to grab some water.
Before going out of my room, I patted my wife's head for a few moments and then got outside. As I got out, Reimi could be seen sitting on the right side wall as if she was sleeping while doing her guard duty, poor her.
"Are you still sleeping, Reimi?". - I crouched down and asked Reimi if she was still sleeping...but she didn't answer anything
She would be cold if she keeps working like that. I shortly grabbed Reimi and carried her in my hands, slowly walked inside my room and put her on the bed beside Shera. I hope she would have a good sleep with my wife.
After putting Reimi on the bed, I walked outside of my room and started walking down the hallway to the kitchen. Despite my memory recovery, I was now struggling to arrange the plans which I intended to do before losing my memory. It would take me a moment to do it, but at first...Hatano must be fully punished, I must find her.
Sarah's perspective
Finally...I managed to convince the leaders of Elf - Beastmen Continent to form a military alliance with Warsaw Kingdom secretly. That progress was very long but I managed to get it done. Though in return, Warsaw was quite disadvantaged when this nation would not have full support from its allies.
Because King Hoster didn't allow the military alliance to be public so the leaders of those kingdoms did not accept my conditions of increasing the rights for Warsaw as well. He didn't want to let the Prime Minister, the Lords and the officials know. Because the Prime Minister and his supporters would surely protest the alliance according to King Hoster's analysis.
According to the intel that I collected from the results:
- The borders of allied Kingdoms would open freely for the refugees. But the Warsaw people can only refugee in those Kingdoms when the war breaks out.
- During wartime, the lack of food and weapons of our Warsaw side would be taken care of by the elves, they will provide it free.
- Elven military will only deploy in No Man Zone with the purpose to assist Jager and Warsaw militaries. Because they don't deploy their troops in the allied Kingdoms, we would have to fight alongside the 50.000 beastmen troops. Meanwhile the elves will take part in protecting the refugees by guaranteeing them to safety.
- Beastmen military will deploy their 50.000 troops to Warsaw border with the purpose to help the soldiers when the conflict breaks out. The number of deployed troops would be re-modified in case the support of the beast people to Warsaw increases - according to King Shiva of Beastmen Kingdom.
In return, there are conditions that Warsaw must follow if King Hoster doesn't want the alliance to be broken up, it's quite strict.
- During the alliance and wartime, if Warsaw attacks its enemy's Kingdoms, the alliance would be ended.
- If the Warsaw soldiers do not protect the civilians, especially the women, the old and children during wartime. The alliance would be ended, the prisoners of war if they don't get treated well, especially if they get beaten or left starved intentionally, the alliance would be ended too.
- The elves and the beast soldiers must be treated as humans during the alliance. Harassments would be acceptable when humans don't get used to non-humans' appearances. But if the Warsaw military officers put the allied troops on the front lines too many times, it would be considered disrespectful to the allies.
Those were the details of the conditions of the Warsaw - Elf - Beastmen military alliance.
Suddenly when I was sleeping in my bed, someone tapped my shoulders so I lazily opened my eyes, umm. Well, my eyes were a bit blurred after waking up, I was also lazy to do that. Okay, as I could see, Paula - my private maid was the one who woke me up...
"Yawn...good morning, Paula - chan...". - I lazily waved to Paula as she bowed to me
"Good...morning...my Lord". "Ummm...you're late so I...". - Eh? I was late? Uhhhh, where is my watch? Must find it!
I confusedly looked around my room and saw my digital watch which was on the right side of the bed. I slowly leaned my hand to the watch and managed to grab it...the time was now...5:57 AM, too late for my working schedule!
"Ehhhh!". - I was too surprised so I hurried to rush out of my bed, I immediately ran out of the room...wait a minute!
"Remember to grab me my Army uniform, Paula - chan!". - Today my working schedule was very dense, I have to visit the school, the craft shop, the investment in my land's affairs, etc...and also to visit John!
I was too rushed so I ran straight to the toilet to relieve myself and then to the bathroom to brush my teeth and bathed. Litra was now not here so I had to manage more things than before. My Advisor was still making the surveillance in the writing education camp in the town, hadn't gotten home yet...so poor myself!
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Okay, I'm back...well, was having breakfast alone in my workroom while the desk was full of task papers that need to be solved today. The paperwork would take me time, maybe 2 hours or less, or more to get it done. For a reason, I skipped my breakfast to get here to work.
I had just finished drawing the equipment for the Happyland elementary school's facilities previously. Because I wanted to draw the drawings and note their uses to be as detailed as possible so the progress took me more than an hour to finish, sigh!
A week later, I came to a craft shop named Talari which was located in the Capital and was introduced by the Princess. The purpose of coming there was very simple. I needed to create the facilities for the newly built elementary school of mine, by using craftsmen.
During the previous arrival, I sent them the drawings of the tables and the chairs of the school, hoping they would finish creating them as soon as possible. Today would be the day those facilities would be finished and loaded in the school by the women soldiers I sent to the craft shop.
I wanted to visit John but now I must finish my things first. The school had been finished built and now was in the safety checking progress and also loading the facilities inside to prepare for the school trip this winter.
These drawings had been finished, they were about the school tools such as rulers, pens, boards and etc. I would have to send the craftsmen these drawings and wait for them to finish crafting the equipment, that's the plan.
After finishing my breakfast, I must have to finish my paperwork fully before doing anything else. When I was chewing the meal, the castle's front doors slowly opened and a figure stepped inside.
"I'm sorry for my late return, my Lord...you must have been very busy without me". - Gladly that the one who walked inside was Litra - my Lord's Advisor, she kneeled her one leg before me and bowed to me, reporting to me her return
"It's good that you returned, Litra - chan...but you didn't send any letter to report to me your return". "Hmmph...you should have done that, ya know? I wanted to give you a big welcome when you got home, sigh...". - Why did I get frustrated with this situation?
"I'm sorry, my Lord...you were eating at this time? It's quite late than usual". - Because of the drawings, Litra!
"Hehe... how're the results of the education camp?". - Anyway, I set up that camp for the only purpose to teach words and writings for illiterate people, every age can go there to study, education was very important
"Here's my report, my Lord". - Litra fastly pulled out a blue document from her handbag and handed it to me
I was eating tho, but later stopped eating, grabbed the document and started reading the report results...okay. Hehehe, quite positive to be an education camp. Though I could now teach the people the simple words but at least they could learn well, must go on with this camp.
"The camp's space is not enough for the people who have a need to study, my Lord". "We now have only one camp with a space of 30 if for adults and 55 if for children". "To open more camps like this in the residential area, we need more money to pour into it, it's a big problem for our economy, my Lord". - Ehhh!
"Ehhh...why, Litra - chan?". - The most hated topic of mine was money! This region's economy was very well developed but why?!
"I think you should stop the idea of free education, my Lord...our economy is not good enough to manage that big". "Building the school took us very much of taxes, now to prepare the facilities, composing books and recruiting the good teachers". "And etc...that dream is impossible, my Lord. Especially the education system is composed by you, the one who has no experience with the school system...".
"Honestly, my Lord! Please get off your dream and return to reality, I don't against you but this is honest advice...". "Instead of creating the new kind of education and system which haven't been applied to ours, you should follow our traditional school instead".
"But education is not a kind of business, I don't want to create schools which only collect money and teach the boring ways, Litra - chan". - Must be consistent with my will, I must develop this place!
"But your dream is impossible, my Lord! There's no school in this world that has a system of not collecting the money but runs by the government". "People need a ruler because they cannot manage themselves, you're their ruler...". "They'll surely not complain if the tuition fee is costly, education is not for everyone but the capable". "Also, the students must be all put in the discipline...the freedom kind of teaching will make them lazy and depend, quit your dream, my Lord!". - Maybe her temper was a bit mad when I didn't listen to her or something, Litra said to me quite loud earlier
"I want to create the kind of education which all students want to go to school to study, not because they have to but because they want to". - Okay, I was also frustrated with her because of my bad morning, I would only end this argument when I win, hmmph!
"That's impossible to be m-".
"Education is for everyone, the world develops is thanks to sharing the good kinds, education is one of them". "All children are the talents, the school is created with the purpose to educate them to chase their dreams". "Schooling without paying fees can be made, education must be for everyone". "We excite the students, make them want to study by inspiring their self-taught spirit...". "That's why the school is created, not to do the business but to lead the people to the right path...to develop the civilization". - Uhhh, I was about to run out of ideas after a long speech!
"But that's impossible, my Lord...no matter how you're gonna say...it's impossible to be made, please wake up". "Honestly, I love to hear your thoughts but it's impossible to be made...wake up, my Lord". "Your dream is over...we should have real thoughts or the economy of this land will die". "When that time happens, people will surely turn back to you, they will find the one who makes them starved and get poor". "That's when the education is useless...the taxes of living get high and people will surely blame you to drive them to that dead end, my Lord". "Wake up, my Lord...your dream i-".
"Nothing is over! Nothing is over if I don't want it to be over, you know?!". - Today was not my period day but why I became too much frustrated?!
Because Litra went against my thoughts, I immediately stood up and put my hands strongly on the desk while staring at her seriously. Everything I want to do will possible. I just need time and people's trust to build it...nothing will be impossible because I want it to be possible, I won't lose her!
"Because we don't have it so people think it's the dream, but I will create it from the dream, make it possible". "Even when the people cannot understand me, I'll show them, Litra - chan! Everything is possible even when you don't believe it".
"People create the ruler, because uhhh...". - Uhhh, help me, SA! Give me some ideas!
SA later heard my beg so she used Special Conversation to say to me ideas, I was learning it from her, hmmph. Ok...now I had the ideas in my mind, everything will be possible because I will make it possible, it will be reality!
"People create rulers because they cannot manage themselves...but that doesn't I have right to do everything I want without their trust!". "I'm the Stansa's ruler, the one who takes responsibility for everything, people trust me so I must fulfill my duty to serve them". "The ruler is born to serve the people, not the people to serve them...so I want to as best as I could, as long as I'm still in this chair". "The young will hold the nation's fate, I'll surely have to guide the young to the right path, they will all be far better than us when they hold the homeland's fate". - Hehehe, thank you very much, SA!
"Education is the most important way to grow the youths, we must create the best education system to make th-". - Eh? When I was making the speech, my eyes accidentally looked at my watch...this time was 7:39 AM, which was very late now!
"Ehhhhhhh!". - I immediately stopped speaking and also stopped eating my meal, my deadline was waiting for me! Must do the paperwork now!
I rushed down to the desk and pulled out a task paper from the unfinished piles on the left side desk. I would have to visit the school at 9:30 AM, must finish before the deadline or I would be late!
My brain was now processing like the wind, I looked at the contents of the task papers like Flash, finished each paper and put them on the right side desk. While doing that, I barely saw Litra approach the desk and leaned her hand on a paper that was posted behind me.
"Ummm...". - She was actually watching my working schedule list, I posted it on the wall behind me
"From 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM - visit Happyland elementary school". "From 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM - visit Talari craft shop to send the craftsmen the sketches of the school's facilities, also grabbing a...hoodie?". "From 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, visit the camp and give candies to the children". "From 6:15 PM to 6:45 PM, check the info on the paperwork to make sure the work has been done". "From 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, visit Commander, maybe will stay overnight if I get sleepy". "From 9:30 PM, call my sis and greet her good night before going to bed". - After reading the working schedule, Litra approached me from behind
"Don't worry, my Lord! Let me take care of your work, just have a rest...". "Tap! Tap! Tap!". - The way you were tapping my back made it hurt!
"I know your ideology and I am different so I don't want to keep the argument with you any longer, my Lord". "Even if you want your idea to be possible, it would be a long time for us to solve it". - Hehehe...maybe no one wins in this argument
"By the way, my Lord...His Majesty just sent me a letter, he asks us to invest our taxes into the military". "That's compulsory, my Lord! Our land's very less spent on the military, the troops we have only less than 500". - Why do we need military when the police could do the job, Litra?
"But we have the police, don't worry about it, Litra - chan". - I said to her while turning behind, even giving her a smile
"The police force's not as good as you expected, my Lord! They're nothing compared to the Warsaw Corps Army". - Honestly, Stansa was linked with Veta and another Warsaw region from the north, I could use that border to evacuate the people there if the war breaks out
"But to manage the school system and other affairs, Stansa's economy will surely be starved for help, my Lord". "Growing the military, the education system and the economy, we cannot do it ourselves that easily". - Should I ask Princess and my sis for help? I would borrow their money to solve those problems, I think so
"Ummm...should we be in debt to someone, Litra - chan?". - I stopped working on my paperwork and asked her advice
"As long as the people you have the debt to are trustworthy, the most important that you must be able to pay for the debt, my Lord".
"Ok...then I'll do it". - Well, maybe I should call John and ask his wife about this problem, hope she will help me
"Why don't you have a rest, Litra - chan?".
"I'll return to help you, my Lord...my duty must be done before doing anything else". - Litra later walked to the Lord's zone, maybe she intended to change her clothes or have some breakfast before helping me
"Contact with Commander, SA - chan". - I used my brainwave to order SA to make a call to John
"Roger, standing by". - The green screen started changing to the calling screen, I lifted SA up and focused on her screen
The screen was now loading in the circle while contacting my Commander, I hope Shera would help me. Because we were good friends anyway, I would surely pay the debt to her as soon as possible, hehe.
"Ehhh?". - I was bewildered as John accepted the call, the calling screen was just a blank green so I confused
"Sarah, why do you always call him at the good moment but at the wrong time?!". - Advisor suddenly spoke to me with a funny voice for no reason, but why John did not answer the call?
"Why do you get here, Advisor?". - Strange...the outside audio from the other side had been off as if he was hiding from me something
"Listen, good NEWS to ya, John has recovered his memory, that's all". - Heehh! John had recovered his memory? Then I must visit him fast...but why he didn't answer me?
"And bad NEWS, that guy is now having a bed battle with his wife...he's about to go to work now but too misses her so he cannot leave the bed". "Anyway...see ya, I don't want to be troubled, call him back this noon, I guess so".
"Wait a minute...at least answer to me what he was doing, Advis-".
"Kids should not care about the adult's affairs, save your pureness and spread it". - At least answer me before leaving!
"Oh...I forgot to say this, contact me again this afternoon...my battery will go zero percent within seconds". "So have a good day, Sar-, pip!". - Ahhhhh, hmmph! Advisor left the call, I hate him!
"Sigh...". - Maybe I should manage things on my own
"Pip! Pip! Pip! Your sis calls you, Sarah". - Eh? Good NEWS, maybe I should accept the call
As I told SA to answer the call, her screen showed me my sis's face, she was now walking in a forest, I think so. Beside her were the people or something. I was wondering if they were my big sister's acquaintances or not.
My sis appeared to be wearing a yellow cloak which I bought from Zaira village on the previous visit occasion. But strangely that she was walking in the forest with those strangers or something. Her SA's screen seemed to have some lines of water, I also heard dripping sounds around her area as if she was walking in a rainy place.
"Good morning...Sarah...I'm now on my way...to return to...Warsaw...see you soon". - My sis greeted me while her head was wrapped by the yellow hood, she would be cold if she walks in the rain!
"Sis, are you walking in the rain? You would be cold, you know? Find some shelter over there and we will talk".
"No need...". "I won't be that weak...to have some fever...by walking in the rain". "Don't worry about me...I'm on my way to return to Warsaw, very soon to be there". - Wait a minute...which kind of area she was walking on? Warsaw was not raining this time
"Where you are walking on, sis?".
"...". - She didn't answer my question but kept walking silently
"Any News from there, Sarah?".
"Yes, sis! John had recovered his memory recently...but". "Remember to apologize to him when you meet him, sis...I don't want to hate you after what you had done but at least...please cooperate with me and others".
"...". "That's so? Good News to hear...I'll surely meet him, Sarah...when I return". - Why did she go silent for a short time before speaking? Her face did not even look at the screen but forward the road, with a...smug expression
"Are you okay, sis?".
"Nod...". - Her expression later changed to emotionless
"Anyway, sis...may you ask me to do for me some favor?".
"Nod...".
"Well, my region is now in need of money to manage things, from the school to the military and other things...so I want to ask you if I c-".
"Spera's border gate always opens for you...my little sister, take all money you want, no debt, no pay...only my help reaches your needs".
"Thank you, sis...I'll surely pay the debt to you as soon as possible". - She didn't ask me to pay but I didn't want to do that
"Understood...". - Suddenly my sis nodded and then looked at the beside person
"Platto, has the message come to Kane yet?". - Eh? She was walking beside Platto?
"Of course, Sir". - Platto replied to my sis
"Yoku dekita (Well done)...tell her to prepare for me some room...".
"Roger".
"Pip!". - Suddenly the call got shut off when I was having many questions to ask my sis about her previous mystery conversation