Two weeks later, we walked back into the throne room where Alwen sat on the throne with a dead-eyed stare.
"Oh...hello Lady Isabella... Lord Mizik... Can I be of service to the heroes destined to save our world?" Alwen asked.
I simply looked at Isabella and raised an eyebrow.
"What did you do to him?" I asked.
"Think of it as a form of torture... My own personal method. Cassandra was the one who dealt with Jarbold," she said.
I shuddered to think of what terrible things Isabella did to Alwen. Even more so imagining the horror of being held by Cassandra...
"That monster reminded me of my sin. I had no choice. I hope you're proud of me, Mizik!" Cassandra said.
"Yeah...proud of you is definitely part of it..." I said.
I felt myself shiver at the thought of the things he experienced... Also curiousity. If I was ever feeling bored, I would ask her to tell me the full story.
Then Vakra approached the throne and simply looked at Alwen.
"Alwen, I hope you'll be more cooperative with us in the future. Especially because we are in the middle of a crisis," Vakra said.
"You can count on me. But...why didn't you protect me from Isabella?" Alwen asked with a frown.
It seemed like part of him was still self-aware.
I could see Isabella narrow her eyes.
"Don't give me that. What would you have had me do? She is nearly indestructible. I doubt I could even leave a scratch on her at this point. And also, because I was off fighting a war that you started, your Majesty. You insisted that we take down Lokan before fighting the Corruption. I'm not omnipotent. And my sources tell me she slew at least twenty of our special forces soldiers without even being scratched. Lastly...I warned you, didn't I? I told you that these two would be comparable to gods when I finished working on them! I told you NOT to piss her off! This is entirely your fault!" Vakra said.
Alwen simply stared blankly.
"Oh...yeah... That makes sense... Sorry for causing so much trouble... I won't start any more wars unless they're necessary..." Alwen said.
"If all goes well, they won't be. The entire world is still afraid of me, after all. Regardless, I'm going to be in my lab. Send for me if you need anything," Vakra said.
After he walked away, Isabella approached the throne and smiled at Alwen.
"H...hello... Lady Isabella... Can I be of assistance?" Alwen said.
He seemed slightly afraid.
"Vakra said that Elysium is still in need of an Advisor to teach you how to rule a country. I have been named as such and will take my place beside the throne. I will help you to grow into a better leader that can truly serve the people of Elysium," Isabella said.
Alwen seemed to relax a little upon hearing this.
"I...see... Imperial Advisor Isabella... But...isn't the country supposed to serve me if I'm the Emperor?"
"No. That is setting yourself up for failure. You invite greed and all sorts of other bad things that would poison your rule when you think that way. A ruler's duty is to his people. You will work hard to ensure the safety, survival, and prosperity of those people. In return, they will love you and likely choose not to have you executed," Isabella said.
"Oh...you're smart with this stuff. So how should I serve the people?" Alwen asked.
"You can start by not taxing them more than you need to. Money is necessary to rule a country and everyone must pay their dues. They give their money to remain part of the system in place. That money is used to ensure the prosperity of everyone as a whole. Agriculture, research and development, military, education, and the like. Listen to the people. Hear their concerns and act on them. These are just a few of the things I learned while growing up in Castle Albatross," Isabella said.
Alwen's eyes went wide as he began to comprehend the things she was saying.
"Wait...so that means... Everyone really will be happy!?"
"No. They won't. You are still naive... You need to realize that not everyone is going to prosper under your rule. Some people create their own problems and sadly we cannot fix everything. We can only set them up for success as their rulers. Some people will never be happy and some people will always try to cause trouble for others. All you can do is work to help as many as you can."
"You are very wise, Isabella... Thank you. I may need some help with financial things if that's okay... If you aren't busy with your husband, that is."
"I'll help you with that later. But...do you not have someone in charge of finances? Like a treasurer?"
"Jarbold was in charge of the money. He said it was best left to the professionals... He was also the one in charge of deciding how much to tax people," Alwen said.
"You will need to hire more people to work on these things for you. Also...there is the subject of slavery in Elysium," Isabella said.
"Jarbold said they were happy to serve. Was he lying about that, too?"
Isabella nodded.
"Imagine how many people were taken away from their loved ones and forced to endure horrific abuse while working themselves to death for nothing in a foreign land. Does that sound like paradise to you?" Isabella asked.
Alwen suddenly looked like he wanted to cry.
"I...I hate Jarbold... He hurt so many people... I want everyone to be freed immediately. Is it possible to create a system for the people to be put back with their families?" Alwen asked.
"Almost anything is possible when you put your mind to it. If no such program exists, create it yourself. You need to learn to make decisions on your own, Alwen. I will help you, but remember that I won't be here forever. You are the Emperor. You are the leader of Elysium. It is your job to become a strong and decisive leader that can shoulder the burdens of the people," Isabella said.
He nodded slowly.
"I'll do my best to help the people and become independent."
"Excellent. But I would still recommend hiring another Advisor. A wise and trustworthy Advisor can offer valuable advice and insight from other perspectives. Jarbold was an example of a deceptive and evil Advisor. Now then, think about what you've learned today. I'm going to talk to my husband," Isabella said.
"Alright. Thank you, Lady Isabella. I'll put your advice to good use!" Alwen said.
His eyes still seemed somewhat lifeless, but I could see the beginnings of a spark in them.
Isabella took my arm and we walked out of the throne room.
* * *
As we approached the lab, a group of around ten beautiful elven women swarmed around me.
They were all wearing the same robes that Alwen had ordered people to wear in the past... They looked at me in awe.
"Umm...what's going on here?" I said as I began feeling somewhat defensive.
I have a REALLY bad feeling about this...
"Oh...right... I forgot about this..." Isabella said as she pressed her hand onto her forehead.
"Master Mizik has returned! The loving Master of the one who saved us from that terrible monster! The one who showed me kindness when I was in darkness!" Stella said.
"Master Mizik, I wish to pledge my undying loyalty to you!" Another woman said with a bow.
"Me as well! I want to serve a kind Master!" A third said.
"Please! Treat us well, Master Mizik! We are your debt! We are yours to command!" A fourth said.
They all got close and Isabella put up a barrier.
"Hold on! Back away!" Isabella shouted.
"Isabella? What the hell is happening!?" I said.
"Mizik! My darling!" Cassandra said as she switched in and the barrier went down.
"HOLD ON A SECOND!!" I shouted.
The elven women all got closer and looked at me with even greater reverence..
"We will take care of your every need, Master! Do you need anything? Are you hungry? Cold? Let us serve!"
"Darling, I trained them to serve you loyally just like I do! They'll follow every order you give without question! Isn't it wonderful?" Cassandra said happily.
This was seriously reminding me of my time in the Iratus estate...
IT ISN'T WONDERFUL! I DON'T WANT A DAMN HAREM! ONE WOMAN IS ALREADY ENOUGH!!!
"Call them off! Get off of me!" I shouted angrily.
Immediately they all got off of me and looked ready to cry.
"W-we...we upset Master Mizik... Is this what hell feels like!?" Stella said.
Several of them started crying hysterically and some of them dropped to their knees.
Oh gods why.
"Please stop crying... I'm sorry. What do you all want...?" I asked.
They ceased and all got close to me again.
"We want to serve you! Please! Give our lives meaning! That monster took everything from us! Now we only have one purpose...to serve Master Mizik!" One of them said.
I peered over at Cassandra and she was...puffing out her chest like she was proud of herself.
Damn you...why are you doing this to me!? Isabella is already enough and you're difficult to put up with as is! I DON'T NEED ANOTHER TEN OF YOU!
Then I had a thought...
Somehow, I didn't quite get the same feeling as Cassandra from how they looked at me.
It was a look of awe. Of respect...and not of desire.
Still, I would ask just to be sure...
"Wait...you aren't all...in love with me, are you?" I said.
Several of them looked a bit confused.
"Master Mizik, as much as we would be honored to be in such a position, would that not be disrespectful to our mentor, Lady Cassandra?" One of them said.
Nearly all of them nodded in agreement.
Nearly.
All except...
Stella began looking at me with extreme reverence. Very reminiscent of Cassandra.
Well, at least it's only one...right...?
"Please let us serve you, Master Mizik! We want nothing more than to make you happy!" One of the women said.
"Now...my precious Mizik will be treated properly! Like a King! A mighty ruler! Ah...it's such a fitting position for you, my darling Master! It makes me...desire you so much more!!!" Cassandra said.
Then she tackled me and laid her head on my chest.
"No fair! Lady Cassandra gets to have all the fun!" Stella whined.
"Please do not make trouble for Master Mizik, Lady Cassandra!"
Somebody please make it stop...
* * *
After I managed to get away from Cassandra...
And after Isabella argued with her for a while...
It was agreed that the elven women would become my servants.
I had absolutely no idea what to do with these girls, otherwise.
Although, the prospect of training them to fight seemed appealing...
I would also have to make it a point to learn their names as soon as possible.
Currently, Vakra was working on a way to implant regular heart stones into people using the same type of devices that Isabella and I had.
I wondered...
What if I made an army of individuals with those kinds of abilities?
I certainly wouldn't just focus on recruiting women either. After all, I was sure that I could gain the loyalty of a few other soldiers to help out.
If I wanted to go forward with my idea from before, I still needed a crew to run the ship of mine.
On top of actually having a ship.
Yes...and having a decent number of immortal heart soldiers would probably be a benefit...
I nearly allowed myself to smile again.
Ten female soldiers...and ten male soldiers. I would use my new 'servants' as the female soldiers.
Now I needed men to even things out. I would have Leiso train all twenty of them as well.
I made a mental note to request some of the elite warriors from Alwen to join us.
Anyway, Isabella and I arrived back in our room and she hugged me.
"I really missed you Mizik..." Isabella said lovingly.
Then we sat down and she pressed her face on my chest.
"Mizik...I was really stressed while working under Jarbold... It was horrible... "
"It's okay, Isabella. He's gone now," I said.
"Of course...but..."
"Yes?"
"I want to forget about everything for a while... Could you...help me with that, my love?"
"Of course. The days I spent in Lokan were cold and lonely. I would love nothing more than to spend the night with you."
"I'm so glad... Ah...please look away for a while, Cassandra," Isabella said.