311-320

"You can not get away with this! You will pay a high price if you harm me in any way!" The King suddenly shouted, causing me to tilt my head.

"Call out the people you have as backing. Can they even enter this kingdom? I am sorry to say that you are sealed off. I have made sure that you and your allies have been closed off from the world. From this moment on, you are at my mercy." Killing intent oozed out of my body. "Iena!"

"Yes, Master!" Iena appeared in front of me in a puff of smoke.

"Can you summon demons under your command to seek out every noble in this kingdom?" I asked.

"This is simple, Master," Iena replied as she waved her hand, thousands of summoning circles formed, and a legion of skeletons suddenly appeared. Iena looked at them and waved her hand: "Go! Seek out and find every noble for this kingdom and bring them before my Master!"

All the skeletons suddenly pounded their chest plates and disappeared in a puff of smoke. I pursed my lips when I realized just how useful this summoning thing is. "I should practice this magic more."

"Master, I can help you with your summoning magic so you can pick and choose what you wish to summon." Iena's eyes as she looked at me were filled with a bit of expectation. I guess I have ignored her a bit since things had happened. "Then I will be in your care when things are all settled."

"Yes, Master!" Iena smiled brightly. Her pointy tail was wagging back and forth. I know it is rude to say, but right now, she reminded me of a dog. "Master, what should I do with this man?"

"Oh right…. Iena, the Prime Minister, should be in the dungeon. I want you to bring him before me." I sent my detection magic back into the dungeon. "Hmmm… Wait, Iena…."

"Master?" Iena, who was about to leave, stopped and looked at me in confusion.

"It seems the Prime Minister's backer was here.." I bit my finger. The man I wanted to kill most escaped. He is no longer in the dungeon. I sent my detection magic out over the entire kingdom, but no matter where I checked, I could not find any trace of him. He was nowhere within the bounds of this kingdom or the three vassal states. It was like he had vanished from the face of the planet.

"Iena, go to the dungeon and check for any traces of magic that might be found. Someone helped that bastard escape and even eluded my detection!" I was not happy. I guess when things are going too smoothly, they will soon mess up. But who could be the Prime Minister's backer?

"Right away, Master!" Iena disappeared and went to the dungeon as I asked. I was not liking this. From what I can tell, way before the dungeons had appeared, the Prime Minister seemed to be planning something. But who was the one who was behind him that gave him the ability to pull this all off?

I looked at the Norian king, who was staring daggers at me, and leaned over and stared at him. "Speak! Who is the Prime Minister's backer?"

This just did not match up. Why would the Norian king be willing to team up with a Prime Minister? Why would he suddenly attack a kingdom he has no ability to attack? Why was the response during the first Norain invasion so slow, yet this time, even without my help, the forces would have been sent out quickly? So why? Why would the Prime Minister be able to pull all of this off?

My eyes fell onto the Norian king who was staring at me, not answering my question even though I just used dragon speak on him. "I see… Then let's do things another way." I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Not a sound a person could hear normally. That was because I just gave the same order but used my soul to cast dragon speak.

The Norain king's eyes dulled as a white apparition appeared from his body, looking up at me: "I do not know who the man is…. I only know he was very strong. He had black hair and purple eyes. He was very powerful. Beyond anything, I have ever seen before. Maybe even more powerful than you."

"Did he have any markings on his skin?" I asked in dragon speak once more while using my soul.

"He had a burn mark over his right eye." The Norian king replied. 𝑖n𝚗𝘳e𝗮d.＆nbsp;𝒄𝐨𝗺

"Tell me, what do you know about him?" A burn mark over his right eye meant he was not Azengrade, which allowed me to feel a bit at ease.

"I do not know much except that he seems to have a grudge against the Gravos Kingdom. He and the Prime Minister of Gravos seemed quite close. They might have been family." The Norain king answered.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"No…." A simple word was all he answered.

I took a deep breath as I waved my hand, canceling dragon speak, and looked over at the bloody bag next to me. I picked it up and sent it flying towards the king. The bag crashed to the floor, and the heads rolled out towards the Norian king. "Do you recognize these men?"

The Norian King looked at the heads with a pale face. But he showed no real reaction, which told me nothing. "Tell me now do you know these men?" I once more use dragon speak with my soul.

"They were part of a special squad capable of infiltrating any kingdom. They had no name since they were all trained from a young age." I raised an eyebrow. It was true that these men easily infiltrated the Gravos Kingdom. Most of my questions for this king were now answered, so all that was left was to clean up and wait for Iena's investigation before moving to the next kingdom.

"I see… since you know nothing, you are worthless to me." I waved my hand causing a wind blade to form and fly through the room severing the head from the Norain king's body. "It seems your powerful backer is nowhere to be found even after I took your head."

"Master!" Iena suddenly appeared next to me. "There were no traces of magic left behind. It is like they were not using magic at all. I did however find a trace of a strange energy I have never seen before. But sadly, before I could figure out how to collect any of it, it dissipated."

"A strange energy?" I frowned. This might be the same strange energy that was powering the weapons I found. This would explain where the weapons came from if this was the case.

"Alright. Let's just take care of things here then…." I let out a sigh. I let the big fish get away because I thought he was locked in the dungeon. I would never have thought that he would be taken out of this dungeon from right out under my nose. I tapped the little blue slime that was sitting on my shoulder. "Adel, how are things on your end?"

"Well, after you created the massive wall, the soldiers cut off from the main squad troops all surrendered. We have a massive POW camp set up now and are guarding it. But Faith, can you tell me what the hell happened!? Why was the entire army on the other side of the wall dead as if they had committed suicide? Why is there a giant wall and barrier surrounding the boarder!? What are you doing!?" 𝐢𝚗𝚗re𝐚𝚍 𝘤𝘰𝒎

"The soldiers killed themselves because I told them to. As for the wall, I put it up to keep the Prime Minister from escaping, but I failed. Right now, I am sitting in the Norain Kingdom's throne room, on its throne, looking at the headless body of the Norian King. Iena is helping me round up all the nobles as I plan to purge all future threats to the Gravos kingdom and take the Norian Kingdom and its three vassal states under the Gravos Kingdom's banner." I answered. The other side went dead quiet. "Adel?"

"Faith…. Do you mean you have seized control of four different kingdoms at once?" Adel asked in an almost whisper.

"Mmm… Everyone must pay for their sins. Adel, I can not let these people live. The soldiers that invaded our homeland. The people behind the strike against my home village. The deaths of those who were close to me. How can they reincarnate if they are stuck with regrets? I will not allow it. I will find the Prime Minister, and I will use his blood as an offering to those who died so they can reincarnate into a new life without regret. So that they know that they have been avenged." I answered, but the cruel, sinister smile on my lips would not go away even though tears dripped from my eyes.

"Faith… Your ancient will…." Adel's voice of concern entered my ear, but I had no choice. I had to be cruel. I had to turn into evil this one time to rid the world of those who were worse than me. Just like when I cleaned up the nobles of the Gravos Kingdom, I will now do a new purge.

"It's fine… I am still in control. But I need to use a bit of its power. A bit of its ability to allow me to stay composed as I become evil for a short while. Adel…. Please don't hate me…." I closed the connection there as I wiped my eyes. The skeletons had brought in over fifty people. They ranged from all ages. And they all looked up at me with a face filled with fear. I smiled coldly as I leaned over and looked down at them. "From this moment on, I will ask questions. If you are not guilty of any crimes, you will live, but if you are….. You will end up like your king."

The questioning and answering had begun. Those who were innocent were let go but had to sign a blood seal contract with me to never rebel. Those who were not innocent were beheaded. The throne room of the Norian Kingdom was filled with a lake of blood. The soldiers who were outside never once dared to move in to capture me. I had noticed most of them had even fled once I entered the throne room. It seemed they did not wish to lose their lives but sadly….. If they were not innocent, they still lost their lives.

Those who were on the battlefield that were still trapped by my grand falls were all forced into a blood seal contract as well and were now forced to follow all my orders. They were not the ones who attacked my kingdom at the start, so I decided not to kill them. But they were now only able to protect the populace as a form of police.

Once the Norian Kingdom was cleansed, I moved on to the other kingdoms. And only when all was said and done did I open a path from the Gravos Kingdom to the Norian Kingdom. This way, we could send a delegation to each kingdom and annex it under the Gravos banner.

—

A month later, I was standing in the throne room in front of the king of Gravos. He was sitting there staring at me with narrowed eyes. After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke up. "Since you annexed it, you keep the land for yourself. I don't want it."

"That is not how it works, Your Majesty! I was nothing more than a commander in this war. So I was just doing what I was ordered to do. So from this moment on, the land belongs to the Gravos Kingdom. More importantly, now that things have settled down, I do wish to talk to you about something much more important." With the war now over and clean up underway not only in Gravos but the newly annexed kingdoms, The king has been so busy that I could not talk to him about the Prime Minister and about this so called man and why he would have such a grudge against our kingdom.

𝐢𝚗𝚗re𝐚𝚍 𝘤𝘰𝒎

"Humph! I still do not want it! It's yours. Do with it what you will!" The king was acting like a little kid. I turned and looked at the newly appointed advisor for help. He sighed and turned to the King.

"Your Majesty. She has no ability to take over four kingdoms. Only we have such an ability. And… She is right. The kingdom who annexed it would need to take over and reorganize things." The new advisor replied. I do not know his name but good job!

"Dan, you traitor!" The King yelled out. He had a sour look on his face as if all his plans had been destroyed right there.

"Anyway. I need to know who Pholin Segri really was and where he comes from." I asked. If his brother is as powerful as what I have been told, then I will need to make a few plans. It already bothered me that he was able to escape from my detection magic and barrier without even alarming me or leaving a trace behind. I had Iena check the dungeon a few times, but still, nothing was found.

"Pholin, from what I know, was from a town to the north. He made a name for himself in the academy as the smartest person to ever appear. He was not good at magic or swordsmanship, but his knowledge caught my eye, and I allowed him to work in the castle. I am one who values talented people, as you know. He worked hard for many years, and when the previous Prime Minister passed, I appointed him as my new one due to his abilities. Other than that, his past ends at the small village. I have many witnesses that said he grew up in a small family. I am not sure if they were his real parents or not, though." The king replied. But this only left me with more questions.

"I see. Did he, by chance, have any brothers?" I asked.

"Mmm… Yes, he did, but his brother was not the best of people. He was someone who caused a lot of trouble for Pholin when he was starting out to the point that he was banished from the kingdom after he started a fire in the city. He was even injured in the fire. I banished him so he would not cause problems for Pholin anymore." The king's explanation connected a few dots. It explained how he got the burn mark. And if he was a petty man who held a grudge, he would dislike the kingdom even more. But why would Pholin help his brother? Was it because he wanted to become king? Or was it because he could if his brother were to help him?

There were many things I did not know yet and many things I needed help with. "That's it for now. I will be going to the academy tomorrow to gather a team to work at my estate for a while. I need them to research the weapons I found, but I do not trust anyone at this time, so they will need to be under a blood seal contract."

"I will let the Dean know. But I have one question for you, Princess Cyrilia. What is going on between you and my daughter?" The king asked. I figured this would come up sooner or later since the two of us really did not hide it.

"Mmmm… Dating? I guess. We are currently a couple." I answered honestly.

"I see…. I see… I guess she got her wish then. I do hope you will take good care of her. But if she became queen, I guess that means you will be the king… Hoho…. I like this…. Yes! We will hold a formal engagement in two years' time!" The king suddenly yelled out, causing me to hold my head. This man always gets way ahead of himself.

"I think we are not even close to an engagement side of things, but I will let you know if we decide on it," I replied before turning around, ignoring his little outburst. I did not wish to deal with any more headaches. "I will be off. I have many things I need to explain to my parents and things to deal with."

"Yes, you should deal with your family matters.."

—

With my meeting with the king done. I wanted to go home and rest. I spent too much time away and left my entire family at home. I am sure they were worried about me. Sadly my thoughts and reality were not exactly matching up. "Oh! Faith, you are home. How was the war?" My mother asked in a cheery voice. I turned and looked at the others, and they all shook their heads.

My brother walked over to me and whispered into my ear: "Mother has been like this since she woke up. Father is fine, but Mother…."

"I see….. Brother, take Mother to see the flowers in the garden. I need to speak with Father." I said. I wanted to use rewind on my mother, but if it is due to trauma, I do not want to break her. Unless I rewind past that moment but she would still find out about what happened again.

"Huh? I just came in from looking at the flowers!" My mother pouted and stomped her feet. She seemed more childish as well.

"It's fine, Mother. We can talk while we stroll. I wanted to tell you a small secret." My brother said as he took my mother's hand and pulled her along. When my mother heard the word secret, her eyes lit up as she nodded and let my brother lead her away.

My father, who was sitting on the couch, let out a long sigh. "Faith…. I know what you are thinking but do not use that magic on her this time. She needs to overcome this and come to terms with things. While she has retreated to this state for the time being, she is sure to come around eventually. I just hope it will be sooner rather than later…."

"I see… I did rewind time for you both but only to the point of reconstructing Mother's limbs…." I sighed as I sat next to my father. He put his arm around me and hugged me.

"To think my daughter has accomplished so much in a span of a few years. You have your own noble family and are even a princess with this fancy estate. You have really made me proud. My baby girl, who was worried about being discriminated against, is now the most powerful person in the kingdom. I know from this moment on, with the things I have heard about going on, that you will be put into harm's way more than once. I just want you to promise me, for both your mother's and my sanity, that you come back alive." My father's voice trembled. I guess he was truly scared of losing me. I hugged him tightly and rested my head on his chest.

"I will do my best to always return home…."

—

My father's expression was not good as I got up and walked away from him. I felt bad for not being able to give him a proper answer, like yes, I will come home safely every time, but sadly, I can not make such a promise, nor will I promise it just to make him feel better. I know he knows this as well.

For now, I can only do my best to stay alive and grow stronger. When I got back to my room, Sophie and Adel were waiting for me. I should have gone to see my mother, but right now, I do not think I can handle seeing her in such a state. I walked over to the two girls sitting on the couch talking to one another and knelt down in front of them, and hugged both their waists.

"Faith?" Sophie's soft voice entered my ear.

"Just let me stay like this for a little while." To be honest, while I knew they would be there for me even if we were not dating, I felt closer to them and more relaxed knowing we were a couple. Adel and Sophie both began to stroke my head taking turns as if it was some kind of game to them. I smiled as I took in their scents. Adel smelled like strawberries, while Sophie smelled like melon. It was very soothing….

"Where is my Faith!? I want to see my Faith!" My mother's voice echoed down the hall loud enough to be heard in my room. I raised my head to see my door burst open and my mother come running into the room with tears in her eyes. "Faith, you are okay! My darling girl!"

My mother didn't even give me time to get up before hugging me tightly and crying into my chest. "I am so glad you are safe!"

I was very confused as to what was going on. I looked up at my brother, who was slightly out of breath and had a red handprint on his face. "Faith, sorry she escaped me. She suddenly said that you were in trouble and ran off."

I nodded and patted my mother's back. "Mother, as you can see, I am fine. Can you tell me what you saw?"

"I saw…. I saw you fighting with a powerful man. And… And he used some kind of spell you were not able to block to shoot a whole right through your body….." My mother explained through choked sobs.

My eyes grew wide. Why did it sound like my mother suddenly had some kind of precognitive power? I bit my lip and looked at my mother, who was trembling. "Mother, you should sleep…."

"Yes, I should…." I'm sorry, mother…. I do not like having to use magic on you, but for now, you should rest. Your mind is being taxed. I gently lifted my mother up and put her on the couch, which Sophie and Adel got up from. I then turned to my brother: "Has Mother had these dreams before? Or these kinds of episodes in the past few years?"

"She…." My brother looked down at the ground, seemingly not wanting to look me in the eye. "She has been having issues with remembering things, but sometimes she will suddenly say something will happen, and it will come to pass. But her mind has been slipping since before Father entered the dungeon."

"Why did you not tell me about something so important!? You just literally told me this stared happening recently in the other room!" I yelled. I mean, what the hell? I may be in the capital, but they could still send me a message! i𝙣𝒏r𝚎𝑎𝙙. 𝒄૦m

"Father and I did not want to bother you when you were already dealing with so much….. We know you are bus…."

"I am never too busy to care about my family! She is my mother too! Brother, do not ever hide anything from me again that has to deal with our family, or I will not have an older brother anymore." I yelled out, tears rolling down my cheeks. I did not mean what I said, and I said it out of anger, but I will not let him know. I looked at my mother for a second before biting my lip. "Diablo!"

"Master? Master, why are you crying!?" Diablo's voice became panicky as he saw me in my current state.

"It's nothing but can you…. Can you tell me if there is a spell that can let me check my mother's mind and see if there is anything wrong with it? Her mind is slipping, and she seems to have gained the ability of foresight." I explained while wiping my tears.

"Foresight…. Master, I'm sorry I would not know…. Seeing the future is so rare that it is almost impossible to meet anyone who has it in a single lifetime, so this…. This is not something I can help with…." Diablo lowered his head.

"It's fine. I just thought I would ask…." I looked at my mother, and my lower lip began to tremble once more. I did not wish to keep her like this.

Sophie came and tugged on my sleeve, causing me to turn and look at her: "Faith… the festival will be going on next month, and the fortune teller might appear again. It is a long shot, but she might be able to answer some of your questions."

"The fortune teller…." I thought for a moment before nodding my head. Sophie's idea may just help since not even Diablo had a way to help my mother. "We will do that. For now, I will take Mother back to her room to sleep. The spell will wear off by tomorrow."

"I will have Rachel keep an eye on her. She is good at distracting Mother." My brother still had his head low as he spoke. I sighed as I walked over to him and gave him a hug. "Just do not hide things from me anymore."

"I promise." My brother replied while giving me a hug back.

A few minutes later, my mother was back in her room, sleeping soundly on the bed. She seemed so peaceful as she lay there sound asleep. I reached over and moved a lock of her hair away from her eyes. "Mother, I will find a way to help you."

—

The next day, I found myself standing in the Dean's office. It was not easy to leave the house as my Mother clung on to me for a long time. Rachel, though, seemed to have a knack for being able to keep my mother busy. When I visited the house last time, I never realized just how bad she was. I only found it funny at how much she was clinging to Diablo and the rest, and when I spoke to her alone, she seemed normal. I can only guess that maybe this incident really broke her. I want to rewind her mind to a state to where nothing was wrong, but she would forget everything over the course of those years. While it might work, she would lose a chunk of memory, and my father already said not to do it.

"Dean, sorry for the sudden visit, but I would like your help in gathering a team." I did not wish to waste too much time as I wanted to get the research started as soon as possible on those weapons I stole.

"Mmm… His Majesty did notify me. I have selected the best minds we have in magical research. They are not too happy about the blood seal contract, but they are willing to form one." The Dean replied.

"Alright. I will have a proper facility created in a week's time, along with proper lodging within the facility. It will be underground, though, with many restriction barriers placed on the lab. I do not want any unexpected accidents to happen. So this gives them all a week's time to change their minds about joining." I explained.

"I will be sure they are fully ready by that time." I have to hand it to the Dean. He was always quick about my requests and I kind of felt bad because I kept stealing his people.

"Then I will be back by then," I said with a smile and gave a small bow.

"Oh? You are leaving once more?" The Dean asked, a look of interest flashing across his eyes.

"I need to go to the spirit domain to find something out. But I will be back in a day or so, this I promise." I said my farewells without explaining why I was going to the spirit domain.

I had to go and find out why they were stopping me from using my fusion magic. Since it did not make sense. I asked Little Bell, but she did not give me an answer besides that it was bad. I could only ask the leader of the spirits. 𝓲𝐧n𝚛𝐞𝒂d. 𝑐𝗼m

I had to leave everyone at home for this, even though both Sophie and Adel begged to go. But I did not know if the spirit leader would tell me what I wanted to know if I had a group of people with me.

The flight to the spirit Domain only took a few hours at full speed. When I landed at the entrance, the guards did not even stop me and allowed me through without issue. Little Bell also came out of her space and was dancing about as the other spirits began to show themselves. I once again had to tread slowly because the little spirits liked to pop up out of nowhere to the point that I would almost step on them even when I was being careful.

The small glowing light balls that flew about in a teasing manner made me smile. I have always liked this place. It seemed so peaceful. I wished the whole world was like this, but sadly, people's greed, no matter the race, would want to try to make spirits do their bidding. Because although they were small, they also were a very important part of the world itself.

When I reached the top where the spirit leader resided, I once again stood looking at what was probably one of the most powerful beings in the world. Even Little Bell could be considered a god class hazard if she got mad. They were able to control nature itself and could destroy the lands in an instant.

"Child of dragons, you have come as I thought you would…." The spirit leader's voice filled my head.

"Yes…. I am sorry to bother you, but I had to ask why did you stop me? Why is fusion magic bad?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"Child of dragons…. Fusion magic, as you call it, goes against the basis of this world. While I know you have used it once before, at that time, it was only on a very small scale. But large scale fusion magic can have dangerous effects on the world around it. Let's say you had cast that spell. It could have created a large crater upon explosion, or it could have created an area that would become unlivable, a place where two elements collided and were still fighting one another." The spirit leader lightly explained.

"So what you are saying is that it would break the world's elemental laws? Something like creating an area where nothing but those elemental laws could exist?"

"Yes. The world has many elements, but they only consist of a single element each. There can be no two elements merged into one. While it is possible, as you know, it breaks the laws of the world. No one should have the mana to even sustain such a spell, but you are different. You have a vast amount of mana within your body that even surpasses myself.

"Because of this, you are able to create a fusion between elements and even use it as a spell. But…. if that spell grew out of your control it would create zones that no one would be able to tread. And those zones would grow bigger due to the elements in the air. The affected zone would suck in the two elements it is made of and slowly expand while using the mana in the air to feed the spell without relying on the caster. It would be a kind of elemental being that goes against the laws of nature. This is why elementals are only made of one element." The spirit leader explained.

"I see…." I tapped my finger off my chin. I was currently sitting on the ground with a bunch of spirits hanging off me as I pondered what I was just told. I never thought that fusion magic would have such adverse effects, and I can understand why the spirit leader would want to stop me from using such magic.

"So just to confirm, fusion magic can go out of control of the caster? Is there no way to counteract the magic once it is out of the caster's control?" I asked. If there is a problem, there should always be a solution, right?

"It may be possible, but then you would need to create a spell that could do such a thing. But to test it, you would need to create such a scenario. As such, you would have an out of control fusion magic spell that would slowly consume the planet itself." The spirit leader was right. To create a spell to counteract another spell, you would need to test it out. And even then, it may cause another issue altogether.

"This is really a problem…. I did wish to advance my fusion magic to be more practical. May I ask why you never stopped me during my trial phase or when I actually cast the spell before?" I wondered why they never stopped me from testing my theories out.

"Because you never actually allow it to do anything beyond the fusion process. Only when it leaves the casters hands does it have a chance of causing a disaster that no one could do anything about. While I am sure that you, child of dragons, may one day be able to figure out how to avoid such a thing, for now, while your testing is still in its infancy, I can not allow you to cast such a spell so early." The spirit leader answered.

"So it is not that I can not cast it but because the spell is unsafe in its current form?" I asked.

"Yes. It is against this world's laws to have two or more elements combined, which could potentially create zones that would become unlivable. But if you can find a way to keep the spell from breaking free of the caster's control, then that would be different. But the only way I see that happening is if you change the laws of the world itself." The spirit leader's words threw the little hope I had left right out the window. i𝚗n𝘳𝙚𝑎𝗱. 𝑐𝗼𝒎

"I understand…." So fusion magic is possible. I have used it myself, but it was also much more dangerous than I could have ever imagined. So my earlier tests with my father were actually very dangerous. I could have created a disaster that would have put my entire family and those around me at risk. I guess the only reason the spirit leader was stopping me now was because he knew me and did not wish for me to make such a mistake.

I let out a long sigh. To properly use fusion magic, I would need to be able to control the laws of this world. While it may sound strange, I guess I can only go along with what the spirit leader has said.

"Child of dragons…. Do not be hasty. Learn from what you have created and expand upon it. Maybe one day, you will be able to change this world's laws. And child…." The spirit leader turned to focus on Little Bell. "You must stay with this child of dragons and watch over her. If she ever needs your assistance, do not hesitate to help her."

"I will do what I can for Faith!" Little Bell happily said as she flew around me a few times before disappearing back into my body.

"I leave my little one in your care. I do hope she will never have to use her powers. Child of dragons, I hope the spirits of the world will be with you as you journey through this world. Now go." The spirit leader closed its eyes, and before I knew it, I was at the entrance of the spirit domain.

"Faith…. Do not mind the leader…. The leader is just tired…." Little Bell's voice came from within me.

"Little Bell…. Is the spirit leader…. Never mind…." I had a feeling something might be going on with the spirit leader, but I also feel that Little Bell was much more than just a small spirit. After all… she seemed to have some of the same powers as the spirit leader.

When I got home, it was already dark, so I planned to begin working on the underground testing area the next day. My mother clung on to me for a few hours before Rachel was able to convince her to go to bed. Sadly she would not listen to me, nor did I have the heart to push my mother away. When I finally climbed into bed, it was already very late. Sophie and Adel snuggled up next to me, allowing me to feel their warmth.

I am feeling stressed, very stressed. There is so much going on but so little time. I can only try to prepare for the things to come in the fastest time possible. Maybe just maybe, this time around, things will move slowly. And I can try to enjoy a bit more out of life than the current craziness that has been happening. To be honest, I just want a peaceful life and to spend my days with the people I love while traveling the world with out a care.

I woke up early the next morning, even before Grace walked in and slipped out of the clutches of the two girls before freshening up and getting dressed. I had a lot to do today so I wanted to have a quick breakfast and get to work. As I opened the door Grace was right there about to open it herself. I quickly raised my finger to my lips, which Grace nodded in response. "Let them sleep in today."

"Yes, Master," Grace replied with a polite bow. "Grace, did you want to take some time off and visit your parents?"

"I was actually going to ask if I could take a week off in two weeks' time.." Grace replied. I had to put things in work terms, or Grace wouldn't listen to me. She was very adamant about being my personal maid.

"That's fine. Anytime you want to take time off, just tell me." I said with a smile.

"If I took too much time off, you would sleep in and slack off. While mornings like this are not bad, you still have a bad habit of not getting up even when you need to go to the academy. You need to keep a set schedule to regulate your body otherwise, you might get sick." How did giving time off result in me being scolded?

"I will listen to the great and wonderful Miss. Grace! Please go easy on me, Miss. Grace!" I said teasingly, which caused me to get pinched. I laughed and ran down the hall. I turned around to stick my tongue out at her again to see her slowly walking down the hall with a small smile on her face. But when she realized I was looking, her face went back to being as serious as ever.

After a light breakfast, I went outside and began using earth magic to form the entry away to the underground research center. Luckily with earth magic, you can form a rocky layer over the dirt walls. Once the main entrance was done, I used detection to find a good location to begin making the first floor of the research center. To start, I only took out a space big enough for me to fit with ease and created a teleport magic inscription on the floor of the entrance that would activate with a bit of magic. After testing it a few times with some rocks, I was able to get the positioning and depth right. Only then did I teleport myself down.

After casting a light orb, I made the area I was in stone and then opened up the areas around me a bit more. "I am about a hundred feet underground, so…. I can go up about fifty feet, I guess."

I used earth magic to continue expanding the entire area. Then made a second teleport room that would lead to the living area. With a bit of magic to create ventilation, the base structure of the research lab was done. "Okay, time to take out my items here…."

I set up all the weapons I had in a line against a wall, spaced out evenly. I then built enclosures around them with multiple barriers in case anything happened while they were being worked on. "I am not sure if this will keep the strange power from destroying anything, but it will also give me time to investigate exactly what this power is so I can make new countermeasures."

I have to admit I was a little excited to tinker with my new toys. Well, calling them toys is a bit of an understatement. But I was very curious to see how this thing ticked. If I am able to create a spell to defend against this kind of magic, then I will not need to worry anymore about what we are attacked with. Which reminds me….

"Let's put both of those over here….." I forgot about the things from the dungeon. Even X7 still has yet to be taken out.

I took out the two large rooms with the massive energy source and set up a teleport to these two new places. Luckily everything seemed intact and was working properly even after transferring everything. I then took the ship I found along with all the other tech I found and set it all up within these rooms. "We will need more researchers…."

I had too many things and little staff. At most, I can get a few brains from the academy but this is not enough. "Should I speak to the dean about it? Or maybe have the King and the Dean come take a look to see what we can do…."

I tapped my finger off my chin for a moment and nodded: "Yes, I will get the king involved, then he can give me funding for research and hiring of staff…. Hehe… Old man, you better be ready!"

With everything set up, I returned to the house and let X7 out of my inventory. "This is…?"

"Annie, this is X7. You can get him a room with the servants' area for the time being." After saying this, I turned to X7, who was looking around curiously at everything, and said: "Annie here will help settle you in. What you do from here is up to you."

"What I want to do?" X7 asked while tilting his head. I guess he was still unsure of how to handle making decisions of his own yet. He had a will of his own but he was probably still listening to his base programming. 𝚒𝓃𝘯𝙧𝚎𝗮𝚍. 𝒄𝐨𝓂

"For now just spend a few days and follow Annie around. She will be working but it will give you a bit of insight on what this world is like. Annie, I know it might be a bit of trouble but X7 is from the dungeon I went to. He is not human." I could see Annie looking at me with a questioning gaze so I decided to explain things.

"So Boss, you are saying this is what is called a robot or a kind of golem?" Annie asked. I used golem instead of android since they are basically the same thing, except one is made from technology.

"Yes. But he does not work on magic. He has come to be sentient, the same as you or me but is currently lost on what to do with himself due to his basic programming. Although I am sure that makes no sense to you. But just think of it as the magic inscription inside of him is messed up at this time." I tried to explain, but with no knowledge of robots and the like in this world, it is kind of hard.

"I see. Then I will do as you say and take him with me." Annie said her goodbyes and led X7 away. If anything, I was hoping maybe X7 would be able to help Annie out a bit since he was an A.I. he would be able to learn the things she does quickly and, if anything, would become a good assistant for her. 𝚒𝐧𝙣𝘳𝒆𝐚𝘥.＆nbsp;com

With X7 taken care of, I headed back to the castle to speak with the King. For some reason, no matter when I come, this man always seems free. Because even now, when there was so much to do, he still made time to see me. "Your Majesty."

"Shouldn't you just be calling me father in law now?" The king asked with a smirk on his lips. I rolled my eyes as I said: "Not so soon yet. I actually came today to see if you had some time to spare. I would like to request funding for a few things from the kingdom as my backer and hope you can take a look at what I am requesting funding for beforehand."

"Oh? Then let's go now. I do have a few meetings later, so now is the best time." The king replied as he stood up. I could see that the current advisor, Dan, looked troubled, but sadly I also did not have time to wait either. These were all things for the kingdom anyway and would hopefully help out in the long run. Especially that ship…..

"Thank you for your time." After giving the proper etiquette that was needed, I left the castle with the king and headed to the new research facility. The first thing I showed was the weapons I took during the war.

"So these are the things that can bypass barriers?" The king asked.

"Yes and no. From what my brother said, they are slowed down by barriers but nothing more. And fire magic seems to counteract them. I did not get a chance to see if a barrier mixed with fire element is able to stop the attack or not. That is why the barriers here in each of these rooms are all elemental based. Each element on each barrier, with the fire element barrier being the final layer of protection. The smaller ones are not what attacked my home village though it was the big one at the end." I explained.

"I see… to think such weapons existed. The energy coming from these is strange as well." The king rubbed his chin and then looked at me. "My guess is that this is not the reason you want funding from the kingdom, right?"

"Right. This is already settled since I have the dean bringing some of the best minds to work on how this works and what this new energy is. The things I want your help in funding to gather the minds needed for them is down below." I said before bringing the King to the next teleporter. When we arrived, I watched as his eyes went wide when he saw the massive ship in the hangar.

"This… What is this!?" The king asked.

"It is an airship. It might even be capable of going outside the planet into space as well. I am not too sure. It is a form of technology that comes from another time and place, what I can only think of as a parallel world. Think of this world as a starting point, and then during each phase of the evolution of the world, it splits off into many copies that all differ by a fraction of the last. As these copies make copies, they also differ until you have an infinite number of copies that are all different. Some with magic, some with no magic but based on technology. We can be said to be in a magic based world, while the same world would be a highly advanced technological world in one of the parallel worlds.

"Of course, this is all my own assumptions, and I have no way of knowing for a fact yet if this is true, but this whole facility is a mix of magic and technology. The power source that is powering this place could power the entire planet, and more is called a Mana Capacitor. And just so you know, I have two of such power sources." I explained. But this only caused the king to turn and look at me with a strange gaze.

"Are you sure you do not want to become que,…."

"Stop! I am not looking to become some ruler. I just want to boost our kingdom's technology, so we are not left behind. You saw the weapons on the previous floor. They are all highly advanced and seem to be made with our own world's powers. They differ from what we have down here. But they could also be tech found in a dungeon too. I am not sure, but whatever it is, we must make ourselves a kingdom that is able to ward off all enemies that seek to harm it. We do not want to lose more lives due to senseless wars." I looked at the king and bowed my head: "Please allow me some funding so I can reach out to the best minds in the world to come and work here."

"I see…. If this is the case, then I will do what I can to help. But for such things like this, I would think we will need the dwarves' assistance. They are some of the best craftsmen and are known for making some metal golems."

"I can talk to Thurul about speaking with the dwarves. He has some connection to the dwarven kingdom. I should probably talk with the elves as well. I can speak to Runa and see if she knows anyone good at magic technology." Now that I think about it, I have made quite a few connections over the past few years.

"Why is it that you have just about the same connections as I, the king do? I think this is just fate telling us that you must be destined to be the ruler of my Gravos Kingdom! Haha! It is only a matter of time." Hearing the king once more bring up my taking over his position made me roll my eyes. I decided not to even talk about it.

"Anyway, besides this, there is one more hanger." I had split the items up between the two hangers. Mainly because I wanted to keep the airship hanger as free of space as possible. It already held two airships, one to take apart and try to re-engineer and the other to keep as a guide on how to put it all back together.

"Another one!?" The king seemed surprised. He followed me to the teleportation point and transferred over to the second hanger. It was here where I stored all the cars and other technology that I found.

"As you can see, this one is filled with various types of technology, from land moving cars to flying cars. Ah, umm, cars are like carriages. But besides that, there are different kinds of devices and other quality of life things we can use to really better the lives of our people in the kingdom." I began to explain the various things, which some things the king felt intrigued about while others he was confused about. But this was probably just my bad explanation.

"I can see you really thought a lot about this kingdom. Not just about defense but for the betterment of society altogether. With the things, you have here, even if it was released slowly and heavily regulated, it would make a huge change in the peoples' day to day lives. Faith between everyone I know, even myself, you think more about the people and this kingdom than anyone else. It truly amazes me that you are so willing to always think about what can help the kingdom. What can better the lives of the people. Even the weapons. Instead of destroying them, which was what most people would have done in your situation, you thought to not destroy them but also to steal them for our own use." The king paused and placed his hand on my head.

"I have decided to make Adel my heir to the throne. While I know this is crafty and scheming by me. I will be upfront about it. Whether you end up being with her in the end or not, I do hope you will be at her side, helping her in the future to come.

"There is no telling what tomorrow will bring. We could come under attack at any time, and the kingdom could be utterly destroyed. I hope with your skill and know how that you will be willing to protect Adel no matter what and keep her safe to rise up and give birth to a new kingdom with the same or even better values as the one we have now. As king and as a father, I hope I can leave my daughter and the heir to the throne in your hands." The king bowed deeply to me. This time he was not joking around. These were his heartfelt words.

But even still, I felt kind of bad for Lance, who had been working hard all this time to become a good king. To be honest, I am not sure what to say about this. I guess the king also understood my feelings because his next words explained everything. "I am not making this decision suddenly. I have been watching the three of you all this time. I would be stupid not to see my daughter's true feelings for you. Even Lance knows that Adel has been in love with you from the start. And when you told me bluntly that you two were now dating, I had a meeting with Lance. And we both came to a decision. No one cares about power in my family. They only care about the people they rule over.

"This means once I told Lance about the two of you, Lance immediately let go of his right to the throne and told me to make Adel the first heir to the throne as well as making you the second heir. We both think that if Adel takes the throne with you by her side, the kingdom will prosper for many, many years to come. And if something happens to Adel that you could take up the reigns and bring the kingdom back from the brink of destruction. 𝙞𝓷𝙣r𝚎𝓪𝑑.＆nbsp;𝒸𝗼𝒎

"I may be putting all my eggs into one basket by doing this, but I see hope in your way of thinking. I see a future where the Gravos Kingdom flourishes and will stand tall against any and all adversaries. So please think about it. No matter how much you are against it. I hope you will decide at that time what you truly want. But if you decide to part with Adel, I still hope you can help her out in the future." The king's words were heavy. And that heaviness did not feel right. I felt like I was being pushed into a corner because he knew my personality way too much.

"I can only promise to think about it. Nothing is certain about the future." I said no more after that. I escorted the king back to the castle and went back home after. My drive for the day was sapped after speaking with the king. He didn't even say when he would announce that Adel would be the new heir to the throne.

I sat on my bed, lying there staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. I didn't even notice Jen until she jumped on the bed, scaring the hell out of me. "Jen, don't do that!"

"Why are you so gloomy?"

"I just have a lot on my mind," I said as I rolled over and looked at her. "Jen, do you think I am trying to do too much?"

"Too much? What do you mean?" Jen asked as she got comfortable.

"Like… Do you think I am working too hard? As someone who is in the position to help those around me, I can't help but want to reach out to the people and try to help make their lives easier. It seems I am doing everything for everyone else, but I am forgetting about myself…." Sometimes I wonder if I am not stopping to take a look at myself instead of those around me.

"Mmmm…. I think it depends on the person. The Faith I knew before was someone who only cared about reading her books. The Faith I know now is no longer the Faith of the past. She is responsible and dependable, and will do anything she can for others. And…. I see you smile more often now than I have seen you do in the past. Faith you may not have realized it, but you draw people to you. You bring people together and are born to lead. You are caring and decisive. You know when to be tough and when to shed blood.

"I heard about what happened during the invasions. Both of them. You sacrifice yourself for the greater good, even if it means going in alone. People look up to you and even worship you. I have gone to the slums that you have slowly been reclaiming to see a bustling community with people smiling happily and working hard every day. Did you know that one of the people living there sculpted a statue in your honor? Faith, your actions help people in more ways than not, and you barely ask for anything in return.

"You have given people their lives back. You have given people a chance at a new life, and you have saved more lives than you can ever imagine. I think that you of now is worthy of people's respect. There is even a good number of people who wish you would become the next ruler of the kingdom. I know you have not had time to get out, but what you have accomplished in the few years you have arrived in the capital is more than anyone can ever hope to do in their entire lives. And while doing all of this, you are smiling. You show expressions I never thought you could make.

"In truth, Faith, I am very happy for you, the friend who was so selfless that she would push me out of the way of an oncoming truck just to save me. And not only that, I am thankful to the you who saved me yet again from the loneliness that I have lived in this world since arriving here. So if you get burdened by the load you have taken, then stop and take a breather. No one will fault you, and no one will leave you because of it." Jen took my hand and pressed it against her forehead. She was always my bestest friend, and she knew me better than anyone else. This is why hearing these words allowed me to feel a bit better about myself and the things I was doing.

"Maybe I will take a small break after I gather people…." I mumbled to myself.

"Oh? Faith is in bed with another woman?" Adel's voice entered my ears, causing both me and Jen to turn to look at her. She was standing there with her arms crossed across her chest and a teasing look on her face. She normally would be freaking out, but now that we are dating, she has mellowed out a lot.

"Mmmm…. We were having a lot of fun too. Do you want to join?" I asked, teasing her back. Adel smiled and jumped on top of me, kissing my lips.

"Should I leave?" Jen asked with a chuckle.

"No! I was just coming in to get changed. My father has sent me a message to go to the castle. He wants to speak with me alone." Adel said as she crawled back off the bed. "Faith, do you know what my father wants to talk to me about? You were with him earlier, right?"

"Yeah, but I think it's best that he tells you and not me. That old man can never sit still for a second." I replied as I slowly sat up. "Take Sophie and Sei with you just in case."

"Alright. I will." Adel replied as she began to get undressed.

I watched for a minute before laying back down. I was tired and wanted to rest, but this thought was short lived because I once again sat back up. "I guess I should head to the lower city. Jen, you want to come?"

"I guess. Not like I have much to do." Jen replied. With that, we all got ready to head out.

It was not just Jen who was coming with me this time but also Annie and X7 as well. We were all heading to Thurul's place, which was now located next to the factory. He moved his entire shop just to be closer to the company itself. I really owe him a lot because he is practically the face of my company alongside Annie.

"Haha! Long time no see!" Thurul let out a joyful laugh as he saw me walk through the door of his shop. "What brings you down here, Princess?" 𝗶𝗻𝙣r𝑒𝑎𝚍. 𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Can you not call me princess? I already have it hard enough." I said with a long, drawn out sigh as I flopped down onto his couch.

"Well, you can't really go against what you are now. Anyway, why are you down here? I wasn't expecting you for a month or so." Thurul asked as he poured some tea.

"I need your help," I said as I pulled out a crystal orb from my space and placed it on the table. I then put some mana into it, causing a bunch of pictures to appear in the air. "I need people. People who know how to combine magic and technology to reverse engineer everything you see here."