v2 13-

I kept thinking about how to slay Earth Dragons until nightfall.

They definitely can be killed, and the dragon scale in my hand is proof of that. There's definitely a way to kill them. According to what Lucia said, Earth Dragon scales are usually sold for very high prices on the market since they're one of the best materials for making armour. Mom must've spent a fortune purchasing Earth Dragon scales for me to tell that fib.

Whether it's for my mom's sake or for those whose safety is at risk because of them, I must find a way to get rid of the Earth Dragons.

"What's wrong? It looks like something has been weighing on your mind."

The fork and knife gently clanged the edge of the plate, but the sound echoed throughout the huge dining room. I looked up to see my mom's worried face looking at me. I hesitated for a moment before smiling and shaking my head, and said: "It's nothing. Don't worry, mom…"

Mom's blue eyes didn't leave me, her eyes filled with worry as she sighed and softly said: "Son, I know what you're thinking. My magical skill is 'Mind-Reading'. I can tell what you're thinking. You're thinking about taking revenge. You're considering hunting the dragons."

"…You're right."

Oi, oi, oi! Isn't that ability a bit too overpowered!? Doesn't this mean that no one could rebel?! She'd know right away if someone intended to rebel! No wonder my mother is the queen. That ability is basically designed specifically for a ruler! But is it really a good idea to use that skill on your own son? Wait! Doesn't that mean that she knows about all those dirty thoughts I had about her and Lucia?!

Doesn't that mean that she knows I'm not from this world either?!

But judging by her current actions, I don't sense anything out of place. What does her mind-reading skill really allow her to read?

After I asked her, she paused for a moment before answering with a smile: "Of course it's the shadow of the huge Earth Dragon in your mind. I can only see fragments. I need to ponder it for a bit before I can tell what you're thinking. Judging by the ma.s.sive dark shadow and the look on your face, I can tell you're thinking about Earth Dragons."

Mom stopped smiling, looked at me and said: "Son, don't ever go on a campaign against Earth Dragons again. If it were just one of them, I'm confident you could slay it, but we're talking about a horde of beasts protected by magic. They're an intelligent bunch. If it weren't for the main army protecting the borders, I don't think even I could wipe them out in one swoop. You know how strong they are now, so forget about them. Mommy will take care of them. Trust mommy, okay?"

I looked at mom's earnest eyes and knew that there'd be no way in h.e.l.l she'd let me hunt Earth Dragons. Even if she was your average everyday mother, she wouldn't want to let her child return to the battlefield after he barely escaped death once, so it's understandable when my mother has a son-complex. I can't even begin to imagine how the original owner of this body managed to persuade her to allow him to go hunt them. He has my respect…

"You're my only child. My elder brother grew up and left only you with me." Within the flickering flame of mom's eyes, a tear started to form. Mom stretched her hand out and patted my head. As she choked on her tears, she said: "You've gone through so much terror that you should never have had to experience. It's all my fault. I caused you all this suffering. I just want you to grow up safely and peacefully. I don't ask that you accomplish any grand n.o.ble deeds. All I wish for is for you to be healthy and happy."

I looked down and let mom scrub my hair. From a mother's perspective, she's not wrong. She's the queen of the elves and also a very beautiful woman, but in front of me, she's just a loving mother. My mother is a majestic and valiant warrior, but she's also gentle with me. I think… All mothers must be like this, right? In front of their child, they're just a loving mother.

What mom wanted wasn't a military achievement, but a child.

It looks like I was wrong from the get-go. I didn't have anything I longed for in that world or people that cared about me. My mom must be weeping at my death ceremony. For a soldier, receiving a medal is a glorious achievement, but in my mother's eyes, it's probably just a useless piece of metal.

I didn't fulfill my filial piety duties in that world, so I should at least look after myself and not burden my mother in this world.

I sighed, lifted my head up, looked into mom's eyes and gently said: "Okay. I won't leave. I won't make you worry."

Mom shivered a bit as she helplessly shed a tear, but the corner of her mouth crept into a happy smile as she nodded and wiped her nose and tears. She smiled and said: "Mmm! Good boy. Eat up and then have a good rest tonight."

After dinner I returned to my room. Elves don't use electricity for lights… Oh wait. This timeline hasn't reached the Second Industrial Revolution yet, nor do they use steam powered equipment. What they use for lights reminds me of a will-o'the-wisp with its green-tinged light. But elves see green lights as white lights. My eyes don't detect anything strange either, it's pretty close to the feeling the sun gives off actually.

"So you've decided not to go hunt Earth Dragons?"

As soon as I opened my door, I saw an upside down face which knocked my soul right out of my body. Lucia lightly flipped off the roof and jumped onto my bed. She wore clothes that allowed for more mobility tonight. If someone with a hot body were to wear body-tight clothing, it'd be even s.e.xier…

Logically speaking, getting lovey-dovey with your fiancé is fine, right? But the furthest she's gone so far is…

She went way further than I ever imagined!!

Could you please choose another method of appearing in front of me? I nearly shat myself there." I tapped my chest even though I was still feeling a bit scared and closed the door. Lucia casually shrugged and began rolling around on my bed, and said: "Answer me first. Are you really going to give up on hunting Earth Dragons?"

I sighed, sat down on the ratter chair, and said: "Yeah. I don't have any good ideas for hunting them, and mom doesn't want me to go. So I've decided to leave it in mom's care. I don't want to deal with it anymore."

Lucia sat up, looked at me with a complex look on her face like she was relieved but disappointed at the same time. She mumbled: "That's nice… If the queen is going to take care of it, then it'll be done for sure, because she's the queen!"

"Is your mom that great to you?"

I smiled bitterly. If you're referring to her body, then it's definitely great. But if you're talking about political performance and the such, then I don't know. Mom has never done any work in my presence and I don't know what the criteria for judging one's political performance is."

"Be careful. Even though you're the queen's son, that doesn't mean you can be audacious towards her." Lucia's eyes turned a bit cold. She looked at me, grabbed my arms, and said: "The queen turned the tides at a crucial moment, defeated the human army at the plains and has never made a single decision that was disadvantageous for any elf before! She is one of the most wise, fair and selfless rulers of elves. Haven't you seen how we elves have managed to prosper under her leadership? We used to be a small group living in forests and mountains. The queen united all the elves and treated us equally. She's like the holy G.o.ddess of G.o.ddesses!!"

Okay. I get that you're loyal and all, but you don't need to get so excited that you shiver, right? I sighed, and said: "Then what's the deal with those Earth Dragons? Aren't they intelligent beings with magical powers? Why would they suddenly form packs and come after us? If this has always been an issue, how come it hasn't been resolved?"

Lucia looked at me, stood up on my bed, and said: "You know, don't you? The humans crossed the border and began deforestation. It's because their homes were destroyed and their holy lake was contaminated that the Earth Dragons went crazy, and want to take over the holy spring in the city. They currently roam the black forest close to the imperial capital. The terrain there isn't suitable for the main army to engage in warfare, and sending in single units is ineffective, so…"

She shrugged her shoulders to indicate that there was no need to elaborate. "The queen negotiated with humans before, but things had already happened by then… Moreover, our queen and the queen of the humans have a terrible relationship. They just appear to be friendly on the surface, so… Convincing the queen of the humans will be left in your hands. Ah… it's time. I need to go on patrol duty now."

She looked at the moon outside, opened the window and jumped out. I sighed as her dark shadow vanished into the night, and I erased from thought the question I never got to ask.

Why do I have to convince her? Am I supposed to use the appeal of poor-little-elf-prince me to convince her? As if… I may have the appearance of an elf, but in the end, I'm still a single human man… I don't have the skill to pull that off…

There's nothing left to worry about now. The problem with the Earth Dragons is in mom's hands now. I just need to enjoy my life as the prince of the elves. No matter how you sugar-coat it, I was nothing but a loser in the other world, but at least I'm a prince in this world. Looking at it, I'm happier here. Let's sleep for now, I'll worry about what I have to do tomorrow.

I undressed and put on my pyjamas. The pyjamas felt like they were made from plant fibres, but it felt really light and thin, a little bit like silk. It was a strange material, but nonetheless very comfortable. I lied down on the bed and all the fatigue hit me all at once. If there's an irrefutable truth, it's that once you lie down, you'll be lazy to get back up, and so much happened today that once I closed my eyes, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

I hazily heard the sound of someone opening up the door , but didn't give it much thought. Maybe it was just a servant… EEEEHHH? Why do I feel like something big is coming my way?! An a.s.sa.s.sin?! Is it an a.s.sa.s.sin?! Help! Anybody!? There's an a.s.sa.s.sin! An a.s.sa.s.s-…oop!!

I felt something very familiar embrace me which woke me up. I looked at the dark thing in front of me. Mom's scent was all over me. Mom was tightly hugging me. No, not just my head. She was hugging my whole body!

Not even my legs were spared! I could feel her plump thighs against mine!

"I just can't be at ease unless I'm hugging my son…"

Mom wore a smile on her as she touched my face all over with her hands. I could feel mom's breath slowly getting hectic as she squeezed me tighter, pulling me in closer. She leg-locked my hips with her two legs like a spider, as I felt her warm breath on my head. Her kisses were attacking my face mercilessly.

Uhh… What is this?! What is this?! Are we going with the incest route?! You can't do this mom! We're mother and son! No matter how you slice it, this is not going to be good!!

"Fuu… Fuu… Fuu… Son… This is my son… My only son… My brother's son… My son… My son… I won't let anyone steal him from me… I won't let that sick-perverted woman steal him… This is my son…"

Oi, oi, oi! Mom! Are you broken?! What the f.u.c.k is going on?! Your blue eyes are glowing, you know?! Do elves eyes glow in the dark?! Why do I find those eyes scary?! Trapped in mom's embrace, I frantically opened my eyes to see her. She saw me open my eyes and smiled slyly. She stretched out her hand and wiped my eyes.

"Rest up, darling. My one and only… Beloved… Son…"

I lost conscious as if I got swallowed up into a dark whirlpool…

When I woke up the next day, it felt like somebody was pressing down on my arms… My body also felt like there were two heavy objects pressing down on it. I struggled to open my eyes, and found Lucia on top of my arm hugging me in her sleep. She was curled up like a kitten and using my left arm as a pillow, with one leg on my belly, left hand grabbing onto my pyjamas and breathing. On my right, was my mom lying on my body and tightly hugging my right arm with a blissful smile on her face as she slept. Her sleeping gown was so s.e.xy… Lucia's body-fit robe was thrown to a side, so right now she's…

Completely…

Umm… I don't mind being hugged on both sides…

But if one of them is your mom then I think we've got a lot of problems!!I overestimated the height of this place and my jumping ability. My leg hurt like it broke when I landed. I tried to stand up straight but bent over and fell to the ground. A few men dressed haggardly surrounded me as I groaned and held my leg. The leader of the group was as skinny as a monkey. He looked at me and smiled, revealing his yellow teeth. He pulled a dagger out from his waist. He knelt down, pat me on my face with his knife, and said: "My, my. We scored ourselves one early in the morning and he's even broken his leg. Whatever shall we do? How about you just obediently hand over your wallet? If you refuse, you'll never stand up again."

I held my leg, looked at the dagger before my eyes, took a deep breath and exclaimed: "You guys should hurry and run… You may still be able to escape with your lives…"

"Puhahaha"

His stinky breath that escaped his mouth when he laughed nearly made me gag. He gave me a strong kick to my gut. I coughed, groaned and grabbed my belly. It felt like my insides were being jumbled around. He laughed aloud and said: "You're going to prevent me from escaping in that shape? You're worried about our lives? How about you worry about yourself first?!"

*Tup, tup*

A dark shadow from above landed. I heard the fluttering of a white cape and the friction of a sword being drawn from its scabbard. I held in my pain and shouted: "Stop! Nier! Don't…"

A warm liquid splashed onto my face and my nose was filled with the scent of blood. I opened my eyes and saw the skinny guy acting tough in front of me moments ago slowly drop to the ground. He got stabbed through his chest and fell down right before me. His eyes were filled with fear. His body was still jerking. I watched as his eyes stopped moving before me.

"WHOA!! SOMEONE'S BEEN KILLED!! SOMEONE'S BEEN KILLED!!!"

His comrades standing around scrambled to escape and Nier tightened her boots to give chase. I held the pain in and reached my hand out to grab Nier by her wrist.

"Your majesty!"

"Don't… Don't… Don't… Don't… Kill!"

Nier looked at me puzzled. A short moment after, she sighed, gave me a nod and proceeded to wipe her sword down with a torn off piece of cloth from the guy's shirt before sheathing it. I used the wall to support myself up. I coughed softly and looked at the corpse on the ground speechless.

His eyes weren't even shut. Nier pierced his heart in that split second. I knew it'd end this way which is why I told them to run. I couldn't stop Nier. Even a mugger shouldn't have to die. Someone just died before me as if it were nothing.

I couldn't erase his terrified eyes from my mind. I don't get it. I don't understand why Nier kills so casually. I've never killed anybody. Heck, I've never hit anybody before. I used my hand to wipe the now cold blood off my face. I looked at the pool of blood underneath the corpse that was getting bigger and bigger. I was scared whenever I saw his eyes… I've never killed anybody and yet now somebody had just been killed in front of me without rhyme or reason. His corpse was slowly turning cold, while the person who took his life was standing to one side without any guilt as if nothing had happened.

I clenched my fist, looked at Nier and asked in a shaky voice: "Nier… Do you enjoy… Killing people?"

Nier calmly replied: "No."

"Do you feel guilty about killing people?"

"No."

Nier looked at me and said: "To me, killing people is both my job and the meaning of my existence. Her majesty saved me when I was about to be sold off to this sort of place to serve rotten n.o.bles and rich families like you. Only the Valkyries have treated me with equality. Her majesty bestowed me my dignity and gave meaning to my life. My life, honour and everything else were all bestowed upon me by her majesty. I have no way of repaying her, so I can only present her with the heads of her enemies. You've never experienced the suffering I went through. You won't understand the significance her majesty and the Valkyries hold to me. You don't understand us, so don't order us around. Killing people is a job to me, not a hobby. I don't feel guilty about it just as the world doesn't feel guilty in its treatment towards me. Her majesty is the only one who treats us with gentleness and fairness. We devote our loyalty to her majesty. The life of others does not concern us."

I looked at Nier. Her eyes were calm and had no hints of emotional fluctuations. From her perspective, there's nothing wrong with killing people. There are no laws or morals in her world, only her majesty's existence. There's no way that I could convey logic to her because the only being she believed in was her majesty. This was clearly a crazy form of loyalty. Actually, no. This was no longer loyalty.

I scratched my head, sighed and said: "Anyway… Thank you, Nier… You saved me there… But, you had no reason to kill them. They were just mugging me. That's not deserving of the death penalty, yet you disregarded the law and killed him. The fault lies with me… I didn't stop you… Anyway, since you are to follow my orders now, I'm going to give you your first rule you must abide by, and that is, you are not allowed to kill without my permission."

"As you wish, your majesty. But please remember, if her majesty orders me to kill, I will not hesitate to draw my sword."

Nier looked at me calmly. She doesn't have a craving to murder, but neither does she hate it, so she won't question this order of mine.

"That, I'm aware of. I'll talk to her majesty when we return…"

I looked at the bustling streets outside and recalled the painful, grimacing and sad cries that day, as well as the citizens kneeling on the ground not daring to raise their heads. Can this empire's regime truly really continue on this way? You can't rule a country for long with oppression. Do the citizens here fear her or respect her?

I'm not sure.

Nier kicked the corpse blocking the way away, folded her arms, looked at me and said: "Where are we going now, your majesty?"

I looked at her, paused and said: "Let's go and buy some clothes."

"You don't need to buy clothes. There are tailors in the palace."

"I meant buy clothes for you."

I pointed towards her military uniform she's worn for G.o.d knows how long covered in blood, held my head and said: "How do you expect me to take you around when you're covered in blood like that…? Let's get you some clothes first before we continue."

"There's no need. I don't need any other clothing. This was handed to me by her majesty so I won't change no matter what."

"Then what about the blood on you?!"

"Sorry for rejecting your offer, but I'm only comfortable in military uniforms."

Alright then… It looks like I won't get to see Nier in a skirt… Patrol soldiers shouldn't give us a hard time if they see her Valkyrie uniform. I responded: "Since that's the case, wrap your cape around you properly. We're heading to the industrial area where the blacksmiths are."

"Understood."

Nier nodded and then wrapped her cape around her tightly. Nier looked really cool with her white cape on. But whenever the memories of the things she does comes to mind, I can't help but feel she's scary, and not cool…"Big" Boss Shen

"Ming Feizhen."

Shen Yiren finally asked me,

"What are your goals?"

In one breath and without blinking I said: "To serve the country and be the vice-captain's best subordinate!"

Hearing this, the two kiddos standing next to me looked at me with contempt and a startled look.

Pfft! Are you two losers in any position to be giving me looks of contempt?

Your replies nearly jeopardized my life here! h.e.l.l, I probably wouldn't have lasted till my retirement!

Boss Shen looked at me to compliment me by hinting: "I like what I heard," before saying: "Feizhen doesn't have any strong points, but he's got more experience in both the pugilistic world and in life than you two, so you two should learn from him. Look after each other from now on, okay?"

Why do I feel like she wasn't really complimenting me…?

"Understood!"

"Understood."

The two nodded and then looked at me with contempt. I kissed her a.s.s for your sakes!

She clapped her hands to break up our little battle-of-stares, stuck her chest out and said: "Alright, alright, you guys will have plenty of time to get to know each other in future." I'll admit, when she stuck her chest out, I didn't hesitate to steal a few looks… You know, a few glances at her huge b.o.o.bs…

She continued: "As I mentioned before, my goal with recruiting new members was to increase Liu Shan Men's forces, and re-establish our image in front of his majesty."

Shen Yiren looked at the three of us with her beautiful eyes and said: "The emperor has three major powerhouses in terms of fighting power, namely: the Qilin Guards, his personal entourage and us at Liu Shan Men. We've always been engaged in a power struggle since Yan Shisan's time, actually no, even long before that. We with each other to win the emperor's favour, the support of the imperial court and resources in the martial world. But fight as we may, no side was ever truly defeated.

During Yan Shisan's time, Liu Shan Men was famous, feared and unparalleled. But even so, that didn't remove the Qilin Guards and the emperor's entourage from the picture. After Shisan left, Liu Shan Men was relatively quiet, allowing the Qilin Guards to shine. But even then, Liu Shan Men remained standing. In the end, it all comes down to his majesty.

His majesty understands the principle of balance and without a doubt understands that if his servants get hold of too much power, they'll overstep their boundaries, threatening his authority and power. When Shisan was around, his majesty maintained the power balance, and continued maintaining it even after Shisan left. What this means is that Liu Shan Men will definitely be able to return to its former glory."

She said a lot, but it left my right ear as it entered my left ear. My gaze was fixated on her glorious valleys… Now that I've been looking at them for a while, I think, compared to Shiyi's they're even…

"Ming Feizhen, Ming Feizhen. I've called you many times already!"

"Huh?"

"I just asked you, who holds higher seniority?"

Without a thought, I blurted: "You of course."

"What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?"

Boss Shen frowned and calmly said: "I asked you, based on the time you joined your sect, between you and Hero Lian Zhui Yue Jian, who's the senior?"

"Huh? Are you talking about Xiao Liu Zi (sixth little brother)**? He's my shidi*"

c.r.a.p!

I just said something I shouldn't have!

Unsurprisingly, the two kids standing next to me gave me weird reactions. Su Xiao blinked several times at me.

Tang Ye directly asked me curiously: "Lian Zhui Yue is in the seventeen dragons in the 'Black and White Reflection'. He's considered one of the rarest young talents, and you call him… Xiao Liu Zi?"

Looks like Xiao Liu Zi made a name for himself while I was unaware, huh.

The three of them evidently became curious as they stared at me.

I laughed it off and said: "Have you forgotten? My shifu is Priest Wushan. My junior's shifu is the leader of Mount Daluo, so how could I compare? I just joined the sect a few years earlier than him." After seeing their suspicion disappear did I continue: "But why are you asking me this?"

Shen Yiren glared at me and said: "Did you hear what I said before? I said your martial arts skills are terrible, so ask your fellow disciples to teach you a few moves. That's how we got to talking about Lian Zhui Yue Jian."

Ooohh~ I see now.

But did she just say my skills suck?

I'm a bit…

"That's all for today. Yan Ling, Xiao Han, you two go on ahead. Ming Feizhen, you stay behind."

Hmm? Just me? The two young men were slightly perplexed but left anyway.

There was just Shen Yiren and I left in the room.

There was no one around and the room was silent. There was only my big-b.o.o.bed superior and I in the room… If you want a book, I can write you a best-seller!

Cough

I'm off topic again, d.a.m.n it.

She probably has business for her subordinates to take care of, but couldn't trust those two idiots with it.

Kekeke, you two are still children.

Being handsome comes with its woes.

I leaned over and quietly said: "What did you want to talk about, boss?"

"You were checking out my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, weren't you?"

f.u.c.k! I started sweating due to panic…

I didn't expect her to bring this up! I gave her the puppy eye look.

Shen Yiren's beautiful face carried a hint of playfulness as she smiled and said to me: "I'm listening. Did you check me out before?"

What else could I do but grit my teeth and nod?

But that wasn't the end. Shen Yiren bit down on her red lips and seductively asked me: "What part of me were you checking out?"

Oh, f.u.c.k!!

IT'S A TRAP, IT'S A TRAP!!

I'll write my name backwards from now on if it's not a trap! But what can I do…?

While still gritting my teeth, I said: "Your b.o.o.bs…"

Shen Yiren laughed elegantly and softly. Then she asked: "Do they look good?"

Heavens, f.u.c.k, me! You're teasing a dog in heat here…

Don't do this to me! You might as well crush my b.a.l.l.s!

I replied to her as though I was crying tears of blood: "They look great!" Immediately after I replied, I closed my eyes expecting a physical attack.

To my surprise, Shen Yiren brushed her hand through her hair and casually said: "You're a man, aren't you? Just admit it if you did. What am I going to do, eat you or something?"

Say What?!

You're not going to hit me?

Please allow me to call you Boss Shen! You carry so much generosity in your "chest".

Could this be the start of the romance of a superior and her subordinate?

I put on a smile, looked at Shen Yiren's mesmerising eyes and smiled again.

Right then, I felt an ink-stone smack me in the face…

"Unfortunately, you still need to get hit. I have to remind you who your superior is, and your position as a subordinate."

She looked at me who was bent over from the pain with a smile and said: "But you're quite honest. I'll destroy the b.a.l.l.s of those who take advantage of women and don't have the guts to admit it. What's the point of having b.a.l.l.s if you can't even man up. That'll let him live a peaceful life."

Well, thank you then…

"You can go now. And stop having dirty thoughts all the time."

"Understood, I've been smacked awake."

"Good."

She thumped her shoulders and said: "What a busy day. I'm so d.a.m.n tired."

I instinctively nodded and said: "It's perfectly normal for you to be tired. Look at your 'burden'…"

"Burden my a.s.s, get out!"

And another ink-stone smacked me in the face.

GlossaryAren't you the energetic one, sir? You're already here so early in the morning?"

I sweat that this is my first time going to a place of this sort. As soon as I entered, all my senses were overwhelmed by the scent of cheap perfumes and the smiles of women. The majority of them appeared only wearing short skirts. They smiled mockingly as they looked over my way. One of them was smoking a pipe, while the others who were covered in heavy make-up looked at me with enchanting smiles and said.

"Hmm…"

"I haven't seen you before. You're not an old customer, so did you just arrive in the city? You've come to the right place. Of all the places in the imperial city, we're the best at helping men relax and have fun. Many travellers lost track of when they had to leave when they came here…"

I smiled bitterly. Are you sure that you didn't off them when they didn't have money to pay you? I feel like the probability that is highly probable… But from a logical standpoint, the chances of such cases occurring in the imperial city shouldn't be too high, I don't think…

"Hey, uhh… I'd like to ask where blacksmiths are commonly found in the imperial city."

I really didn't want sink into depravity here, probably because all the women around me were all national-level beauties like mom, the empress, Nier, and Lucia. I'm currently not interested in common women. However, I still need to gather the information I need… Nier didn't enter with me just as I predicted. Once I get to the second floor, I'll find a window to jump out of and all will be well.

"Blacksmiths? Blacksmiths are gathered three neighbourhoods away from here. You'll find a city wall inside the city there. I wouldn't go out of my way to go there, it stinks like rotten eggs." She frowned as she fanned her nose vigorously as though she was there smelling the stench.

I smiled bitterly to go along with her. The rotten egg smell she mentioned must be sulphur. But is it alright to have blacksmiths within the city? Isn't it better to have production engineering equipment placed on the city outskirts…? The blacksmiths and artisans here must commonly use sulphur, right…?

Wait! Sulphur?!

That must mean that humanity's technology has already reached the point where they're using cannons then!

Ah, right… I heard humanity already had guns when I was with the elves. But I thought they were arquebus so I didn't pay too much attention. I never expected them to have cannons already. For all I know, the standards of their cannons may already be at the 18th century's level. That also means that humanity here has already started using flintlock guns.

Elves with magic wouldn't be able to keep up with the attack pace of humanity then. A human with a gun is a completely different being to a human without a gun.

"Are you here to ask for directions, sir? How about relaxing now that you've got your answer? As our ancestors use to say, 'a man must relax his mind in order to work', right? This is also the first time I've seen a man bring a girl along with him here… Or is that your wife looking for you?"

I turned around and was shocked to find Nier standing behind me. She closed her eyes and placed her right hand on her sword handle. All the women around me backed off in an instant. Nier's aura was implying "come close and I'll kill you," which was extremely frightening. She placed her hand on her sword handle while standing behind me in silent.

"NIer… Why did you come in…?"

This is no place for a girl to be!! What sort of psychological obstacles did you have to overcome to enter?! Why did you come in?!

"Don't worry. You can do whatever you please. Just pretend I'm not present."

Nier pulled out a piece of cloth that'd be used to cover her eyes, then flicked her ponytail and said: "I can locate enemies just through my hearing so you don't have to worry. Please follow your degenerated soul and go ahead with your degenerative-depraved personal activities. This place is perfect for you if you think about it. How about you move into here?"

"…I have nothing left to say about your animosity towards me…"

How can I pretend you don't exist?! Are you just going to watch me do what I want to do if I decided to?!

And you've deeply hurt me with your words once again!

"The young lady is truly an interesting one. She looks so adorable when she's jealous."

"You're thinking too much. I'm not jealous. To me, he's just a target that I hate to the very core and couldn't be more eager to kill."

"Just kill me and be done with it…"

"I can't, and that's why I asked you to kill yourself."

She drew her sword, went down on one knee and handed her sword to me with two hands… I felt my mouth twitch. It's my mistake. I can accept living with anyone but Nier. She's not joking. She really does hate me to my core! What did I do to you?! Or did the original prince do something to you?! What happened to us not sharing any relationship?! Why do you hate me like I prost.i.tuted you or abandoned you?!

Actually, it's worse than that!

"Please choose a girl for me!"

I grit my teeth. If that's how you want to play, I'll go along with you! The second floor should be where the rooms are. I dare you to follow me into the room!

"Sure! Who do you like?"

A girl pulled me over, clapped her hands, and the girls who heard it came over and posed seductively. I swept my eyes across them. I wasn't earnestly choosing. Black hair, black eyes, tall and a generous bosom. Okay, you!

Wait!!

Aren't those basically the empress's features?!

Aaaahhh!!! Is that what I think of the empress?! Why?! Why?! Shouldn't I choose one that resembles Lucia more? Why am I choosing one who's similar to the empress?!

Man, that's too scary!!

"Alright. Get a room on the second floor…"

As soon as the woman finished shouting, the woman I chose rushed over. She smiled seductively and wrapped her arms around mine. I almost gagged because of her poor quality perfume. Seeing her up close, I noticed her face had wrinkles that couldn't be hidden and her skin was turning dark… Sorry auntie, but I really don't feel that way about you. Once we get upstairs, I'll be leaving through the window. I'll pay you, don't worry!

"Miss… You don't need to follow us upstairs now do you…?"

"Move…"

Nier pushed the boss lady aside with one hand. She stomped up to the second floor and followed closely behind me into a small room. She then closed the door and blocked the door.

I was face-to-face with the woman. The woman looked at Nier confused, tugged on my clothes and quietly asked: "What's this about?"

"Oh, don't worry about me. Just ignore me. Do whatever you please."

Nier brought a chair over and sat by the door. She closed her eyes and folded her arms, acting like she didn't exist. I grit my teeth, aggressively yanked the window open, left some gold coins behind and leapt out!!

Toss it! I'll leg it if I have to!!Your highness, could I please ask you to hold onto me tightly? The remainder of the trip may feel a bit uncomfortable for you."

Lucia princess-carried me as she stood at the entrance of the imperial palace. If we switched roles here, we'd have ourselves a beautiful scene…

Lucia tore both sides of her skirt for ease of movement, thereby revealing her long white legs. I embarra.s.sedly hugged her around her neck as she took a deep breath and jumped. In a split second, the strong ripping sound of the air whistled violently right in my ear, and the speed made it impossible to breathe. I don't understand why it's so uncomfortable for me when I'm also an elf. Could it be because I don't have the support of wind elves?

What came next was the crash landing. Actually, it wasn't a crash landing. Lucia glided through the air, so we didn't just crash into the ground. Lucia carried me through the air as she watched the eight elders carriages leave. Carrying me did not affect her dexterity at all.

Lucia gently landed and put me down. She just flew through the air while carrying me and yet she still looks half-asleep… Even her breathing hasn't sped up. Her physical attributes are scary. No wonder she's a captain at such a young age.

"Please head downstairs. All the books are down below."

The leader of the eight must be the most outstanding one among them. He respectfully bowed towards us and led us into his room. This must be the hollow tree with the best atmosphere in the city. Well, I guess we should call this huge tree his house. I initially thought that this was just a decoration, but once I entered the hollow tree, I dropped my jaw when I saw how s.p.a.cious it was. On the outside it's just a tree. But, inside it's no less than the size of a villa.

Elves possess really high-level magic.

Breathing in the fresh air from the green leaves, we followed the elder down his twirling staircase. He pulled out a key and opened the door. As the door swung open, the scent of ink filled the air. Even though this was an underground room, sunlight still shone through. It didn't look like the room was underground. Was this also the work of magic?

In front of us was an extremely tall book case. You couldn't possibly see the top of it. This is in no way, shape or form an underground room. It's a d.a.m.n library. I marvelled at it which seemed to make the elder quite proud of himself. He seemed proud that he managed to surprise me, and said: "It took me all my life to collect all these books. Every elf clan has the books. I have some ancient books in there and I have the one-and-only copy of them, so please do not ruin them."

Lucia suddenly acted a bit anxious, grabbed the collar of the elder, and said: "Hurry up and bring all the books on Earth Dragons here."

I paused for a moment, turned around to look at her as she looked back at me. Her usually sleepy eyes looked terrified as she said: "Your highness, we must hurry back. Her highness just found out that you're gone. All of the guards are searching for you. I just received the message. We must grab the stuff and hurry back."

I shrugged and casually said: "That's no big deal, right? I'm not some criminal. It'll be fine if I just explain it to her."

I haven't run off to some faraway land, I'm still in the city. And I don't think mom would be that harsh on me. I'll just apologise and it'll be fine. It's a rare opportunity for me to be outside, so I want to collect all the information and take it back.

"Have you forgotten how scary her highness got when she couldn't find you?! If we don't hurry back, and her highness gets mad, she'll kill everyone who came into contact with you!" Lucia's anxiety filled eyes scared me. Now that I think about it, mom would definitely do something like that. And judging by Lucia's expression, she wasn't kidding.

"Calm down first. Tell her I'm with you and that we're on our way back."

I have no idea how they communicate but I just hurriedly gave her that command, and turned around to tell the elder: "Bring me a few of your recent books on them and I'll take them back. I swear I'll return them to you!"

"Okay, okay, okay! Hurry on back now!"

I just made a little trip outside, how did it turn into such a big deal? I haven't even left for ten minutes. Mom, you're too tense! The usual you is a wise ruler, but now you just seem like a tyrant. I think it's best that I hurry back, Lucia's expression is about to get worse.

"Let's go!"

I grabbed the stack of books, took Lucia's hand and ran towards the imperial palace like my life depended on it.

As soon as I reached the entrance the gate guard looked as glad as if he had just reincarnated and said with a trembling voice: "Your highness, please hurry back!!"

I don't blame him… After all, if I didn't make it back, their heads would be the first to roll. I handed the books to Lucia, and said: "Take these books to my room, then come see mo-… Her highness."

"Okay."

Lucia nodded and leaped up as her legs flashed past me. You tore your skirt, so show some self-awareness! And why do I get the feeling you're not wearing panties?! Do elves not wear panties?! Why did I catch the glimpse of something I shouldn't have seen?!

I heard the sound of horseshoes behind me. Looks like the guards have finally returned. I turned around and saw the look on their faces which looked like the look of joy when you manage to escape death. I guess Lucia was spot-on. I took a deep breath and sprinted into the inner palace.

"Go find him, you good-for-nothings!! Search the capital! Lock down the capital! He's my only son, and you people can't look after him properly?! I swear in the name of G.o.ddess Clementina, if he has so much as a scratch on him, none of you will see another day! Now get out and go find my son!"

I heard a loud shout followed by a loud sound as soon as I reached the entrance. I had a feeling that some sort of plaster type of artwork had just been turned into trash. I pushed the door open to see a few guards down on one knee as she roared at them, and the head of a statue rolling on the ground.

Yep, that's the supposed statue of the one of previous elf kings which sits on the table by the door… Lucia suddenly appeared from behind and pushed me towards mom, and said: "Your highness, the prince has returned!!"

She breathed a sigh of relief. When mom saw me, her anger-filled eyes welled up with tears in the blink of an eye. Her anger which could've burnt up the entire imperial palace dissipated without a trace in a single instant.

She pulled me tightly into her embrace and cried on my shoulders. I hugged her back as her b.o.o.bs attacked me, and said: "Sorry mom. I'm sorry for leaving without telling you."

Let's put everything aside for a moment and comfort her first. I only left for a few moments, heck, I don't even remember the street and an uproar like this has happened. If I left the city and got hurt, we'd probably have new guards by now, if you know what I mean.

"Silly child! You silly child! Didn't I tell you not to leave? Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?!"

Mom cried on my shoulders and hit me on my back with her hands. Mom was really scared. I could feel all of her weight on me because her legs had already given out. I lightly pushed her back and looked at her pale face. I felt bad. I was too hasty this time…

If I act like that, the entire palace will be cursed!*

"Sorry mom, I shouldn't have left like that."

"You're my only son. You're my only one. I just want you to be safe and well." Mom's hands trembled as she touched my face; her beautiful face smothered with tears. "I beg you, son… For the sake of the G.o.ddess, please don't make mom worry… You're my only one… You're my only son… Please…"

Mom's cry was shaky, her body looked weak, and her face was covered in tears. I embraced her, then turned around to look at Lucia and pointed to the roof. Lucia nodded and then left the room.

I helped mom onto the armchair, knelt down on one knee in front of her, and said: "Sorry mom, I shouldn't have left like that."

I don't actually know what elf etiquette is like, but this can't go wrong, right?

Mom wiped her tears with her handkerchief as she rubbed my head with her other hand. She took a deep breath in, and said with a shaky voice: "Don't make mom worry like this. Do you know how scared I was when I found you missing? Don't let anything happen to yourself. If something happens to you, what reason would I have to live on?"

I didn't even leave for ten minutes… And I was still in the city, not to mention I had the elders with me. However, I didn't mention any of this to her. I stood up, walked over to her and lightly embraced her. She hugged me around my waist and rubbed her tears on my chest.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I won't make you worry again…"

"Uhn…"

Now, feeling relieved, she lifted up her head, and finally wore a smile.

In that moment, an attendant came up to the door and said to us: "Your highness, I am sorry to bother you, but Mr Castell from the human race is waiting to see you."

Mom nodded, stood up, wiped her tears with her handkerchief, looked at me with a smile, and said: "Troy, do I look presentable?"

I reached out to wipe the tears on her cheek. I have to say, the skin of elves feels really good. And then I said: "You look fine, mom. I'll leave you to it. I'll head back to my room."

"Okay… Bring him in."

Mom smiled and let go. I bowed and left as Mr Castell came in. He looked like an upright middle-aged man, with his hair perfectly combed back. His black robe didn't have a speck of dirt on it and he was clean shaved. He saw me come out, so he bowed as he smiled, and said: "It's a pleasure to meet you here, your majesty. Please allow me to greet you on behalf of her majesty. Her majesty awaits your return."

"Ah? Oh… Uhh… Yeah… It's nice to meet you, Mr Castell… Umm…" I looked at him, confused. He said a mouthful of things, and looked at me like we were familiar… No… It seemed like the people from the humans' imperial palace were familiar with me… But I didn't understand anything he said. Her majesty? Go home? Isn't this my home?"

At that moment, mom suddenly appeared at the door, looked in our direction, and said with a smile: "Has my son caused you trouble, My Castell?"

Mr Castell stood up, put on a respectful smile for diplomatic purposes, and said: "Not at all, your highness. How could his majesty be causing a servant like myself trouble? I was just greeting his majesty, and pa.s.sing on a greeting from her majesty."

I then realised that the two of them addressed me differently. People from mom's side refer to me as "your highness", whilst Mr Castell refers to me as "your majesty". And the "her" they refer too, in other words, my mother, indicates that I have more than one.

So the queen of elves is referred to as "her highness", while the queen of humans is referred to as "her majesty". That means my mother is the queen of elves and I'm their prince. What's the queen of humanity got to do with me?

"Please mind your words. According to the agreement, Troy is my son right now. He's the prince of elves. He's the son I'm proud of, not her son, and therefore not your prince either. If you're here this time to visit my son, then please go back."

Though mom wore a smile, I could tell she was fuming. Her long fingers were shaking. I wouldn't be surprised if the next thing she did was fire a fire ball.

Mr Castell shook his head, and said: "Please calm down, your highness. I only greeted his majesty since we crossed paths. It would be wrong for a retainer to not greet him, so please overlook it. However, what I wish to discuss is indeed related to his majesty."

Mom coldly replied: "Oh really? Alright then, let's hear what new ideas she's come up with."

Mom turned around as Mr Castell smiled, looked at me again, slightly bowed and said: "Goodbye Your Maj-… Your highness, I wish you well."

"You too."

Mr Castell smiled, turned back and followed mom. Befuddled, I turned around and walked off to my own room. What on Earth is going on? Is there something going on between the elves and humans because of me? This body doesn't provide me with enough memories, but it sure does provide me with more than enough problems.

The elf on the stage was kneeling. She looked at the people below with her frightened emerald eyes. The people below whistled as they got excited from seeing her nude. There were even people who reached their hands up on stage to touch her. The elf who didn't even budge bit down on her lip as she allowed all those oily fat hands to touch her thighs. Her reservoir of tears must've dried up long ago. Her eyes were completely swollen, leaving me wondering how long she had cried in silence.

"Alright, let's examine this product. She is a bright adolescent elf-girl. She was originally a maid. The n.o.ble family Ente went bankrupt so this girl was sold here… Yes, she's not a virgin, but you should all be aware by now that the body of female elves are a lot more alluring than that of human girls. Would you gentlemen not want to buy her and make her your wife?! She would make a perfect toy! Bidding will start at ten Empire gold coins. Ten Empire gold coins!"

Ten Empire gold coins is a ma.s.sive amount. Normal artisans and farmers would never see a single Empire gold coin, only large amounts of bronze coins. I saw a lot of people reach out to touch her, but very few raised their hands to place bids.

"Eleven Empire gold coins!"

Somebody beside me finally called out a bid. The host immediately turned around and wrote, eleven, on the blackboard. He then shouted: "Eleven Empire gold coins! Eleven Empire gold coins. Does anybody have a higher offer?!"

A man dressed in an elegant robe from the other side raised his hand and called: "Fifteen Empire gold coins!"

"Fifteen Empire gold coins! Fifteen Empire gold coins! Anyone with a higher offer?!"

I raised my hand and called: "Sixteen Empire gold coins!"

The host immediately turned around, pointed to me and said: "This young man has offered sixteen Empire gold coins. Say, young man, your bodyguard beside you looks even prettier than this elf-girl. Why would you still choose to spend your money like this?"

"Hmm?!"

Nier quickly raised her head up and sent her killing aura over… I quickly pressed down on her left hand holding her sword and smiled helplessly. The host got so frightened he retreated two steps. He then awkwardly turned around and wrote, sixteen, and then shouted: "Anybody else? Anybody else?"

"Eighteen!"

The man in the elegant robe looked at me and shouted: "I've never seen you before, young man. What family do you hail from?"

Huh? How should I answer? The empress's family?

Yeah, no.

I smiled but I didn't answer. I looked at the elf-girl. She had her head lowered as she quivered. She wasn't paying any attention to who was bidding for her. She was probably in a state of utter despair, because she a.s.sumed her end would be the same regardless of who she ended up with. I sighed, raised my hand and shouted: "Twenty!"

"Twenty!"

"Twenty-five!"

The man in the elegant robe looked at me again, revealed a smile and asked: "I don't know who you are, young master, but Sir Castell wants this young lady so could you please let me have her?"

"Castell?"

I paused. Castell… Isn't he that diplomat?! Oh, he's somebody I know well.

He thought I got frightened because I paused in a daze. He smiled leisurely, nodded and said: "Good. I sincerely apologise for taking what you like, but this is an order I received. Thank you for your generosity!"

"Okay, are we stopping at twenty five coins?! Are you not going to try bidding any higher, young man? Oh, but I suppose so, since it's somebody that Sir Castell wants…"

"Thirty."

I gave them a cold smile. Who cares about your Castell? I'm the empress's son. I could remove his head from his shoulders if I went back, acted coquettish and used some aegyo*. What could a human do for an elf after he purchases her? Don't even try to convince me that you'll take her home. I know you'll continue to treat her like a toy. I'm the prince of elves. She's a citizen of mine. I'm already showing excessive leniency by sparing you my fists and yet you want me to give her up?

A sense of irritation came over me. She's an elf. She's a citizen of the people I just spent a month living with. She's of the same race that sprinkled me with flower petals. I have no attachments towards my ident.i.ty as the prince of humanity, but I did shed blood as the prince of elves. I stood before the Earth Dragons for the elves. I thought I had protected the elves. I never expected to see an elf treated so horribly and violently like this here. I have no way of venting, but I can save her. I must and will save my elves!

"Alright then… Fifty!"

His face turned dark. He then lowered his head and said something to the person beside him. That person nodded and turned around to leave.

Nier, with her arms folded, calmly said: "Your majesty, you've only got fifty Empire gold coins in your wallet."

"It's fine. I can go back and get more if need be."

I chuckled coldly and loudly shouted: "One hundred!"

"One hundred and ten!!"

The crowed went "wow" while the host got so excited his hands were shaking. He started shaking after we added a digit to the front of the starting bid of ten gold coins. He then shouted: "One hundred and ten! One hundred and ten! We're at the point where we're making bids high enough to purchase land! This young man is wealthy too! Let the bidding continue!"

"Two hundred."

I raised my hand and casually said: "There's no reason to continue competing with me, mister. There will only be losses for you if we continue, no benefits, and the same goes for your master. You can get someone to come to my place to get the money. And bring the elf-girl over while you're at it."

"Of course I can, but… Where is your residence?"

"The outer court of the royal palace. Please go ask her majesty for your money. Just tell her that it's what Prince Troy spent to buy a maid."

I ignored the people around me, took in a breath of cool air, turned around, looked at the man and with a smile said: "I can now tell you my ident.i.ty. I am the current prince, Troy. Do you still want to compete with me? Or should I say, you might want to go back and double-check if your master wants to fight me for this girl?"

His whole body shivered. He swept his long robe aside, knelt down, lowered his head and shouted: "I sincerely apologise, your majesty! I apologise for my rudeness!!"

"Your majesty!"

Everybody around me swiftly knelt down. Even the host threw the loudspeaker in his hand away and knelt down. The elf-girl vigorously raised her head and met eyes with me. Her eyes were filled with terror. I smiled and took out a tiny hanging bottle.

It was the love potion Lucia made which was effective on me. Only elves would have it.

Her eyes were stuck on the tiny hanging bottle. A second later, large droplets of tears ran down her face…

Yes, I'll protect you.

I smiled, nodded, and then turned around to ask Nier: "Nier, what now…? What do I have to say now to get them to rise?"

"They won't get up until you tell them you won't prosecute them. In principle, they shouldn't be allowed to see your appearance. Those who see the appearance of royal family members are to be punished. You're fine. If you were the emperor, you could have all their heads roll right now."

"It's that serious?!"

"Not everybody is allowed to see the royal family's divine appearance."

Nier took a step back. I awkwardly looked at the people around me who were kneeling down and said: "Umm… None of you are at fault. Please rise… Umm… Uhh… Please send this girl to the palace… Let them know it was my order… Oh, right. Here."

I turned around to Nier and held my hand out. Nier paused as she looked at me and asked in a confused tone: "What do you want?"

"Pa.s.s me your sword."

"Alright…"

Nier reluctantly handed me her long sword. I threw the sword onto the stage and said: "The guards should understand the situation when they see that sword. Oh right, don't forget to ask for your payment."

"No, no, I dare not! You should have spoken out sooner. We would have gifted her to you if you told us you were his majesty… We dare not… We cannot ask for money…"

I smiled and said: "It may be legal, but I hope I won't see another business deal like this again. Next time, don't let me see any human or elves being sold."

"Understood. Understood. Understood. You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right…"

"Let's go, Nier. Remember to send the girl to my place. Oh, right…"

I walked up to the man dressed in the elegant robe, pat him on the shoulder, gave him a smile and said: "Send your master my greetings. I really appreciated his help."You didn't perform too shabby back there."

After we left the crowd, Nier gave me a rare word of praise. I paused, smiled weakly and said: "It was partly because I was angry back there… But… I did strangely feel quite happy when they saluted me. How should I put it? Hmm… It was like… That's it… I felt exhilarated?"

To be honest, when they saluted me and as I started to feel scared, a strange feeling of excitement suddenly filled me up. I was so giddy when I saw them lower their heads I was lost for words. I've encountered people who treated me politely, but not respectfully. Is that the treatment a prince receives? Is that the so-called sense of pride and vanity?

It feels b.l.o.o.d.y amazing!

I want to try it again!

"That's normal. You're the prince. It's normal for a prince to be saluted by commoners. You're feeling excited and happy right now because you received the respect you deserve. This street actually belongs to you. You don't need to spend a penny here if you come out here to play. People will naturally come up to you and shower you with gifts."

Nier tilted her head, looked at me and said: "You finally have some semblance of a prince now."

"What?! I didn't resemble one before?!"

"How were you any different to a commoner before?"

I had no comeback for Nier's retort. She had a point. Was I any different to a commoner before? Other than being wealthier, was there actually anything that set us apart? I've never been a king or prince. Also, in my mind, a good king or prince is someone who's approachable, someone who upholds the rules and doesn't take bribes or spend lavishly for selfish ends, which is the same reason why I didn't accept any gifts from the elves. You can't accept everything people offer you after all.

However, it seems to be different here with humanity. It seems that this is how the power of royalty is meant to be wielded. It's just as Nier said. If I'm not having people kneel before me, salute me, and not having them revere me, then I'm essentially the same as a commoner. I'm the future emperor. Will I become a supported emperor if I continue like that?

Thinking about it carefully, an emperor can seem to have someone killed on a whim because he's the emperor. Everything in this land belongs to him. He can have whoever he wants dead, dead.

I shook my head and tried to remove the dangerous thoughts from my mind. No, no. An emperor should abide by the law even if he is the emperor. Killing people on whims is not a good thing no matter how you put it.

It looks like we've already reached the end of the market. That should be all the tasks to do for today, right? I need to head back and have a chat with the elf-girl. I ran my eyes over the remaining stores and saw a familiar place. I smiled to myself. Nier rejected food, rejected clothing, but she definitely won't reject this.

I walked over and looked at the candies. High-end candies like toffee and the sort don't exist yet. I presume these candies were sugar boiled and then rolled into a ball. There was no packaging, just a ball of sugar, but kids love this sort of junk food most, don't they?

"Here."

Nier stared at me as I handed her a small bag of candy. She then looked at me confused and asked: "This is…?"

"Candy… Now you've got something to give the kids next time you see them." I placed the candy into her hand with a smile, then looked at her and said: "You look cute when you're with children, Nier."

She looked at the candy in her hand in a daze. There was a crude and childish flower drawn on the bag. Look as you may, the combination of her bloodied military uniform and the bag of candy just didn't match. However, she resolutely put it into her belt. The huge difference in themes made me want to crack up.

Nier went down on one knee, lowered her head and sincerely thanked me: "Uhm… Thank you for your reward, your majesty."

I reached my hand out to help her up. It was the first time she didn't look at me like I was trash. It was the first time she looked like she was smiling before me.

I told you I wasn't lying. Nier looks bright and beautiful when she smiles.

"Mmm… Uhm… Let's head back."

I got embarra.s.sed when she looked at me like that. I vigorously turned my head away and suppressed my racing heart. I then took big strides towards the royal palace. Nier casually followed behind. Her smile vanished in an instant, but she still plucked my heartstring.

Ah man. I went red in the face when I saw a girl's smile when I'm a prince. I haven't become conscious of my ident.i.ty as a prince yet. What I felt before was probably just narcissism…

Inner Court of the Palace…

The empress sat on her chair with one leg over the other behind her black veil, looked at the elf dressed in a maid's uniform and said: "I never expected this… I was going to buy you and let my son kill you, but he got a step ahead of me and bought you first…"

Beside the empress were two Valkyries with their swords drawn. The elf was trembling as she knelt on the ground. It was as though she was completely prostrating herself on the ground.

The empress switched which leg went over the other, and then said with a sigh: "I can't do anything to you now that it's come to this. You were purchased by my son, so all your rights will be determined by him. If I hurt you, he will probably not speak a word to me for a few months as he did in the past… Forget it. Go take care of my son."

The elf replied while trembling: "Understood…"

"However, remember your place. If you dare to have any thoughts which cross the line while living with him, I'll personally rip you limb from limb." The empress then stood up, waved her hand and said: "Take her to the outer court and familiarise her with my son's life and activities. I'm disappointed that the first time he mentioned my name was for the sake of an elf."

The two girls looked at each other and then asked: "Your majesty, do we need to bring his majesty here?"

"That's not a bad idea… But, Mmm… Forget it… If I talk to him again I won't be able to attend the conference tomorrow again…"

The empress's eyes were filled with dissatisfaction and anxiety. Being able to spend time alone with her son was the greatest blessing for her, but at the end of the day, national matters still have to be dealt with. As for the matter with Castor, the empress still wanted to hear some more opinions from the elders of both parties instead of going all-in like a hot-head.

"Your majesty, do you really intend not to teach his majesty swordsmanship?"

"No."

The empress outright rejected the idea and said: "Those who learn swordsmanship must see bloodshed. I can't stand the thought of my son getting hurt… I've already conquered enough land. It's fine as long as the prince can protect the lands I've conquered. I will never let him learn martial arts and let him crazily enter the battlefield. I won't allow it even if he's my own kin."

"Understood…"

The two girls exchanged looks, nodded and then dragged the elf along the ground as they intended to leave.

The empress thundered from behind the black veil: "Stop! Is that anyway to treat the prince's close servant?! If you don't respect his servant, then how would you have any respect for the prince?"

The two Valkyries were shook. They quickly and carefully supported her by her arms and slowly left.

The empress pulled open the veil, turned to Castell seated to one side and said: "Castell, prepare another candidate."

Castell bent over to salute the empress and said with a smile: "There's no need, your majesty. His majesty had everybody kneel for the first time. It was the first time he announced his ident.i.ty in public. It was the first time he was saluted by all. His majesty has come to understand the power that he wields as a sovereign. I believe his majesty will soon realise that he is different to others."

The empress paused for a moment and then laughed out loud and said: "Hahahaha! My son used my authority to save an elf?! Nice. Nice. No one can give up imperial power, the power of royalty, once they've experienced it. I'm glad. I'm very glad. Castell, go and prepare more events like this so that he slowly begins to understand what it means to have the power of royalty!"Castell appeared before me as soon as I entered the outer court. He still had his regal demeanour, his black robe and trademark smile.

"Welcome home, your majesty."

"Aaahh, Castell. To be honest, I'm quite surprised to see you. I thought you always stayed with the elves."

Castell asked me with a smile: "No, I was just there to make the arrangements for your return and deal with a few other minor matters. I naturally came back since you have returned. Are you comfortable here?"

To be frank, all the people I face here are people who frighten me, for example, the empress who looks scary but is actually a stupid mother. There's also Nier who hates me to the extreme for some odd reason. There's also the loli that can shatter boulders with a single punch. I feel so much more cordial to finally meet someone normal even though I just stole a girl from him not long ago.

I weakly smiled, nodded and said: "I'm alright. I just never expected that human and elven society were so different."

I thought ballista were already an advanced piece of technology for humans. Then it turned out that ballistae were already an abandoned machine. Did Castell do that on purpose…? But he wasn't wrong. By that I mean, the elves wouldn't have been able to produce cannons in those few days even if Castell did suggest cannons.

Castell blinked and said with a laugh: "True. When you came here in the past, you were a melancholic person who never left his room. I am very happy that you took the initiative to leave your room this time. I was surprised that you even bought a girl. Her majesty was very happy about that. It looks like you have begun to accept the world of humanity now."

I'm a human to begin with… It looks like the original prince a.s.sociated more with his elf ident.i.ty. That means that the war for their son ten years ago was initiated by humanity. I don't have any means of asking much. I could only helplessly and silently smile because my personality is completely different to the original prince. I think you could look at it like this: I like the life with the elves better, but intrinsically lean towards humanity.

"Your majesty, you returned from outside the palace, am I right? It is unfortunate, but it looks like you will not have any time to rest. You will be very busy very soon. However… that depends on your att.i.tude."

Castell's vague words annoyed me a bit. His expression clearly indicated that he knew something but wasn't telling me. And the corner of his mouth which perked up into a smile was a clear indication he was waiting for me to ask.

I sighed and asked: "What is it?"

Castell didn't answer my question and instead asked me an odd question: "Before I tell you, please allow me to ask you a question. Your majesty, are you interested in partaking in politics?"

I paused and then resolutely said: "No."

Of course I don't! I can't be as sly as these people! I lived a worry-free life as a young man in the modern day. The only thing I'm confident about is I won't be scammed or tricked. My experience with politics is a big fat zero. Setting foot into politics means becoming a tool to be used by people. And who knows, you might even get tossed aside after they're done with you. Why would I throw myself into that mess?

"I see…"

Castell didn't look disappointed. To the contrary, he still wore his polite smile. He touched his smooth chin and said: "In that case, make your questions and time spent with the two individuals who you are going to meet, equal. The shorter the meeting the better. Make sure not to spend more time with one than the other."

"Huh? What? What two individuals?"

Still baffled, Nier quickly walked up behind me and whispered into my ear: "General Andrea seeks an audience with you. He is already waiting in the guest room. Your majesty, it is best that you see him."

Castell nodded, smiled as he bowed, and said: "Please do not forget what I said. Your majesty, if you do not intend to partake in politics, then I shall not interrupt your business then. Goodbye."

"Alright."

I nodded and then headed to the guest room with Nier. I stopped on the way then and said to Nier: "Nier, come up with any excuse and interrupt us five minutes after I enter…"

"Understood."

Nier nodded and looked at me as if she wanted to say something. Her lips budged several times but she didn't speak out until we arrived at the door of the guest room. When we arrived, she bowed slightly, and then stood by the door with her hand on her sword handle. I went in alone. Seated at the large and long table was an old man in military gear decorated with medals and ribbons. His hair had already turned white but his back was straight. His short and haggard hair further emphasised his old and steady spirit.

He stood up when he heard my footsteps. He turned to me and knelt down on one knee. He said in a deep voice: "I, Borsi Andrea, humbly greet your majesty! I wish your majesty the best in health."

I nodded and said: "Please rise."

I should hurry and help an elderly person up in this sort of situation, but for some reason, my first reaction was to tell him to rise… I walked to the side of the master seat. He stood at one side and looked at me.

I pointed to the seat by my side and said: "Please sit."

It looked like an electric current just ran up his entire body. He then sat down. His face was radiating with excitement. Do you need to get so excited just sitting next to me? Or has he taken this as having gotten on my good-side and something for him to add to his list of glories?

"In that case, I suggest the time spending the same amount of time with the two individuals who you are going to meet the same. The shorter the meeting the better. Make sure not to spend more time with one than the other."

I think I understand what Castell meant now… If I'm bias towards one of the two, then I'll become a bargaining chip for them in their political games. To demonstrate that I don't want any part in it, I need to be consistent in my treatment with both of them.

"May I ask what you have come to see me for, General Andrea?"

He looked at me and respectfully said: "Your majesty, I want to ask what you think of the army… You have never asked, but I noticed that you have been active this visit. As a subordinate, I want to know if you are satisfied with my job."

"To be honest with you, I don't know what the army is like in detail. I've just arrived here and haven't seen what the army looks like."

"How about I organise a parade to let you see what our troops are like then?"

A parade, huh…? Truthfully, I've always wanted to see a parade for once… I've only seen them on television before. I want to try standing on one of the moving stations and shout…

I nodded and said: "Go ahead then."

"Understood!"

He seemed to be really happy…

We just chatted about some nonsense after. I felt like he was trying to demonstrate to me that the army was powerful. He even brought up how they killed the elves, one group after another ten years ago. I got annoyed but couldn't show it.

Nier suddenly stood at my side and whispered loud enough that both he and I could hear: "Your majesty, there is someone outside seeking an audience with you."

I stood up and he followed suit. He understood what it meant. He bowed slightly and said: "I shall go and prepare the parade now. Welcome to the empire, your majesty. I will not take up anymore of your time. I shall take my leave now."

"Okay."

I left the guest room, and just as I let out a sigh of relief, a fat man waltzed in… Astonished, I looked at Nier. Nier innocently looked at me. So it wasn't an excuse then!! It wasn't an excuse!! Someone really did seek an audience!The empire held a ball today in the Emperor's Palace thanks to that fat chief officer of the treasury. Normally, this palace isn't open because it's usually reserved for the empress to hold banquets. However, this time it was a ball specially held to "welcome the prince home."

Her majesty lent out her favourite palace without any hesitation as soon as she heard I was attending.

The fat man didn't say anything with substance. He just told me how many streets and markets he owned. He then told me I could just take what I wanted when I went to so-and-so. He also told me stuff pertaining to women, which included him having several elf-girls…

Forget kissing up to me or carrying my shoes, he was virtually on all fours kissing and licking my shoes. My mood turned very sour after that…

This place must be specially used for b.a.l.l.s. The large hall was empty. The torches used to light the hall were covered with a crystal cover, illuminating the entire hall. The floor was floored with luxurious marble tiles. Treasured works of art were hung on the walls. I think you could have several hundred people dancing in here all at once. All sorts of foods were placed on the two long tables along the two sides.

Several people dressed in gorgeous evening dresses quickly went their ways. The men with gla.s.ses of wine in their hands were chattering. Conversations over their drinks were about money and power. The women revealed their warm backs and shoulders. Their fragrances silently carried the scent of their hormones. The reasons people were mingling and lingering around at this ball were because money, power, women and the things men wanted were present.

I bowed to her majesty from behind and said: "Your majesty…"

The empress didn't dress in any sort of evening dress for the ball. She chose to dress in a military uniform instead. Her long cape dragged along the floor. Several maids beside her helped her adjust her belt and shoulders. She had her back facing towards me, but when she heard me she said: "You're here, my son."

"Yes."

The empress nodded, and then said: "This ball was prepared for you. Do you have a dance partner?"

"I don't…"

My dance skills are at a high school level… I haven't danced in so long I've forgotten how to as well… Wait, no! I forgot something even more important. I forgot to find a female dance partner! I haven't attended a ball before so I had no idea what to do. I quickly threw on some formal-wear and came straight here.

Oh, wait. Nier came here with me. I turned around to look at Nier who was expressionless. All Nier did to prepare was change into a clean uniform and clean her shoes. Her belt still had the candy bag and her sword hanging from it. It looked like she had no intention of dancing… She can't be my dance partner like that, right…?

"Is that so…? Oh well. Just don't dance then." The empress softly cleared her through, and then turned around to smile at me. Her black eyes revealed a hint of gentleness as she said: "Enjoy yourself a little, my son."

After the maid finished fixing her clothes, she bowed and said: "Your majesty, I will go and get someone to help you with your cape."

"Don't worry about it"

The empress waved her hand, turned around to look at me and then said: "Isn't there someone to help me right here? A son should help her mother with her cape, right?"

"Y-Yeah…"

I still didn't quite catch on and looked left and right until Nier viciously kicked my leg… I walked up to the back of the empress, and lifted up the portion of her cape touching the floor. The maid rushed over and folded the cape into my hand neatly, and then said: "Keep your distance. Do not come too close or get too far away. Do not let the cape move in your hands."

"I'll do my best."

The maid sternly exclaimed: "Doing your best is not enough. You must get it right!"

The empress chuckled and then stamped her feet, and said: "Don't be so nervous, son. You're my son. n.o.body will say anything even if my cape does touch the floor. You're not a professional at it. I just want to have my own child help me with it."

"Understood."

Perhaps it implies that a sovereign is indicating their favour for someone by allowing them to hold the hem of their cape or clothing. We are talking about a sovereign after all. n.o.body is allowed to make a mistake around a sovereign, even more so when they're permitted to accompany the sovereign to such events. The empress adjusted the black veil in front of her face and then said: "Let's go, son. Haha, this is the first time I'm attending a ball with my son. I'm a bit nervous. Son, I suddenly want to dance with you, what do you think?"

I was so frightened I froze up. I then said: "I uhh… I don't know how to…"

"It's fine. Would they dare to laugh if you couldn't dance? Let's do it!"

The empress is a little over-excited today…

"Let's go!"

The curtain before us suddenly opened and the bright-blinding light shined onto my face. The smell of perfumes and food came rushing over together. The noisy chattering in the room suddenly came to a stop. As I held the empress's cape, I did my best to maintain the tranquillity she was showing. I scanned the luxurious dance hall after my eyes adjusted to the strong lights. I saw the men and women on both sides in lavish clothing bow. The empress raised her head and slowly walked forth with the aura of a sovereign as I followed behind. Nier had her head down with her hand on her sword handle as she casually followed. I was the only one behind the empress shuffling his feet like a clown.

"Long live your majesty!"

Eh?! Their greeting phrase is different this time!

After we crossed the excessively long large hall, the empress turned around, almost pulling her cape out of my hands. I quickly ran in a big circle to try and circle around behind her, but the empress pulled me in towards her by my arm. She then pressed my head against her glorious bosom…

My neck! My neck!!

"Ladies and gentlemen, I came here to partic.i.p.ate in this ball prepared for my son by Chief Yin. I'm very happy to know you all care about him. I have led conquests for over ten years, yet only have this one child. I hope that you all will treat him as the future emperor, so that he may soon become a qualified emperor. Alright, I'm very happy tonight. Let's not talk anymore, please rise. I shall start the opening dance!"

The empress vigorously grabbed my hand. Her hands were different to mom's hands. Mom's hands are slender, gentle and warm, while the empress's hands were rough and had calluses. Her hands looked slender and white from a distance, but when you touched them, you could feel the abrasions acc.u.mulated from all of her conquests. These must be the hands of the empress who spent years on the battlefield… She really is different to other people…

Her hands were hands that wielded swords.

The music in the hall started playing. I so can't dance! I only know casual dances, but… It seemed that the empress couldn't dance either. She just tightly gripped my hand and hugged me with all her might! She's pursuing her private interests under the guise of work! This has got to be considered pursuing her private interests under the guise of work!!

This isn't even remotely dancing!! Can't you people tell?! Why are you people watching me with envy?! Can't you people tell?! This isn't even remotely considered dancing!

Despite that, the empress's happy look came from deep down inside her. I could see her smile through her black veil. Even the hostility in her eyes disappeared. It must be a very happy feeling to be able to dance with your son as his mother…

The empress's hands were rough…

But, they were warm like mom's hands nonetheless.Your majesty, this is Castor's envoy, Mr Meriwether Ente."

I looked at the envoy while Castell who was standing beside me introduced me to all sorts of famous figures, such as the chairman of the business committee or something, and the chief of some army unit, and the chief of some department. The chief before me looked slightly older than Castell. His white hair was disappearing and he did his best to comb his hair towards the middle to cover the bald spot there.

The smile on his face was normal, but his shoulders were rolled forward causing him to look like a camel. He was short in stature. He only came up to the tip of my nose, so he looked like a little clown to me. He's an envoy just like Castell, but while Castell looked handsome and competent, the gentleman didn't give me any good impressions.

"Your majesty."

He bent over to bow before me and then handed me a gla.s.s of red wine. When I went to accept the gla.s.s of wine, I noticed that the b.u.t.tons on his sleeves weren't the same.

I frowned. This meant that he changed the b.u.t.tons… He's quite thrifty, but he should've at least made sure the b.u.t.tons were identical… You're an envoy, you know? If you're not careful, people might take it as you not respecting this nation.

"Nice to meet you."

After my simple greeting, I turned around to leave. Castell asked me from behind: "Your majesty, do you understand the relationship between our country and Castor?"

"I don't. But I have seen Castor currency."

I turned around and took some honey bread on the table to put it in my mouth. This sort of bread is called "Empress Bread". It's high quality bread that can only be enjoyed after the empress gives you permission to. This bread may be extremely attracting to people right now, but it's probably only worth spare change in the modern world.

Castell ignored the fact that I was chewing on bread, gave me a nod and said: "Indeed. You are very perceptive. There is a currency issue. You yourself have noticed that Castor is extremely important to us. We do not have any land which allows sea travel. Castor is our only means of exporting and importing goods…"

"You're talking about a trade deficit right?"

A small country which is able to occupy to half of a large country's economy would probably have to be a country like j.a.pan. They managed to monopolise imports and exports. I remember j.a.panese goods were rarely seen among China's foreign goods. And at that time, they didn't dump the goods in foreign countries.

"Trade deficit?"

"Oh… That refers to a situation whereby a nation's imports far exceed their exports… That's not good."

"I did not know you were an economist!"

"Puuu!!"

I almost spat my bread out. A primary school child could see the crux of such a shallow problem, and yet you're praising me for it? But seeing Castell's surprised look did explain it somewhat…. Such a simple concept… Was not conceptualised before Adam Smith… Wait. Wasn't Adam Smith already dead by this era?!

Perhaps Adam Smith didn't exist in this world…

"That is correct. It is just as you said. Castor has goods readily available thanks to their ports. Our nation's goods perform poorly over there while their goods are things we require. If this trend continues, our nation will become poorer and poorer while theirs becomes stronger and stronger.

Castell looked at me and quietly said: "One of the men you met today was a soldier while the other was a leader of the business industry. At current, the two of them have differing opinions with one wanting to conquer Castor and the other wanting to defeat Castor on the business front. Her majesty, however, has withheld from expressing her views, which is why they are seeking your a.s.sistance."

I helplessly smiled and took a sip of the red wine… The wine here tastes bad… I then said: "They want to fight a trade war when the trade deficit has become so substantially different? Are they courting death?"

"We do not yet have a navy…"

I get it now. As a Chinese person, I understand the pain of not having a navy. We went through a hundred years of humiliation since we have seas yet no navy… But you guys don't even have seas to begin with! You people are able to have such a flourishing economy precisely because of your vast lands!

"Do you have any opinions, your majesty?"

"No. Didn't I say I wouldn't partic.i.p.ate in politics? Her majesty will handle it. Why should I get involved?"

I ignored Castell who walked to one side and shook my head. I'm not an economist. I just happened to sit through the compulsory macroeconomics cla.s.ses. But as my teacher for the course said, we just had to listen. Economics is a complicated subject and exists in a dynamic paradigm. If he could understand economics, he'd be filthy reach ages ago… But because of all those reasons, I understand such shallow topics. I'd rather lead an army to fight a physical war than a trade war. I am a technical staff member trained by the army after all.

"True…"

Castell smiled to himself, then politely bowed to salute me and said: "I hope you have an enjoyable night."

The party officially started after the empress and I finished our dance. To avoid unnecessary issues, the empress left after saying a few things to everybody. I was left behind along with Castell next to me, who was there to introduce me to the retainers. And now, it's my free time.

I'm a lot more interested in the delicacies on the tables than dancing. You don't get to see so many colourful dishes every day, but to be frank; there were only a small variety of dishes. It couldn't compare to our Chinese dishes. Oh well, it looks like the variety of available ingredients here can't compare to home.

"Your majesty, could I ask you to dance with me?"

"Sorry… I want to have a rest…"

I turned around and grabbed a few chicken drumsticks and ignored the ladies behind me. I'm not a glutton. It's because I fundamentally can't dance. Seeing them kick their legs and perform their greetings and whatnot felt the same as watching a show. I only know social dancing.

"Your majesty, could I ask you to dance with me?"

"Your majesty, could I ask you to dance with me?"

"Your majesty, could I ask you to dance with me?"

...

c.r.a.p… This isn't good… I can't continue like this… I need back-up. I put my plate down and scanned my surroundings. I saw Nier standing by the door with her hand on her sword handle. I helplessly smiled as I pushed through the ladies surrounding me. I then took a few steps and ran over to Nier's side.

Nier glanced at me and asked in a nonchalant tone: "Is something the matter, your majesty?"

"Nier, dance with me…"

"HUH?!"

Nier turned her eyes and looked at me astonished by what she'd heard. She then returned to her usual expressionless look, turned her head around and said: "I don't know how to dance, and I'm also dressed in military uniform."

"I can't either… And you don't need to know how to either. Just pretend you're dancing with me! I don't want to be surrounded by that group of girls."

"Oh? I remember you really enjoyed being surrounded by women on all sides. How could you possibly not like that? Or is there an empty spot in the group that you want me to fill in? Or do you feel it's more fun to flirt with me in front of other girls? Please show some self-respect, your majesty. There's an elf waiting for you in your room."

Nier, you're as mean as ever…

I helplessly smiled as I scratched my head and then said: "What if I ordered you as the prince? I order you to put your sword and dance with me."

Nier looked at me. She let out a heavy sigh and wore an uncompa.s.sionate look. She removed her sword from her belt and said: "I don't know how to dance, so please forgive me if I happen to step on your feet."

"I ask that you forgive me as well if I step on your feet…"

"I won't. I'll return the favour and stomp on your feet."

Wait a second!!

Please. Wait a second!!

Did Nier just crack a joke?!

And thus, in the midst of this ball with many famous retainers and notable figures, in the midst of this ball with many madams and young ladies of prestigious households, his majesty's dance partner was none other than a girl in military uniform and boots who wore an unlovable expression. She held his majesty's hand and spared no effort in trying to stomp on the prince's feet…

Both you and her majesty are pursuing your own goals under the guise of work!! You want to legally stomp on my feet! Isn't that right?! I'm right, aren't I?!!