Freedom

"What are those?" Sunny asked, pointing at the devices in her hand.

"You said you want to see the world, be free, right?" Matilda asked, switching on the two devices.

Sunny nodded, his eyes wide with confusion.

"Oh... This is for your freedom." Matilda walked towards him, raising the eye scanner to his eyes. She meticulously scanned his irises. Sunny stood silently as she completed the process. She then set down the scanner with a pleasant smile and tapped the phone-like device on her palm.

"Say your name," she instructed, looking up at Sunny.

"My name?" Sunny asked in mild confusion, even pointing to his nose.

"Yes," Matilda nodded with a smile.

"I don't know my name," Sunny revealed, a crestfallen expression clouding his face.

".....?"

Matilda blinked for a couple of seconds before stating, "Your name is Sunny Draco... Now repeat after me."

Sunny nodded in understanding.

Matilda smiled and began:

"Say this; 'I, Sunny Draco. The Emperor of Star Empire transfers ownership to Matilda Draco... My one and lovely wife.'" She urged him with a nod, pressing a button on the device.

"Uhh... Can you please say it again, I forgot," Sunny said with a sheepish smile.

"...?!"

Matilda raised an eyebrow, but still repeated her words patiently.

Sunny nodded and began, "I, Sunny Draco... Wait, what type of name is Draco?" He asked with a frown.

"You!! Just say what I asked you to!" she yelled at him in frustration.

"Why are you yelling at me? I was just asking a question," Sunny said, taking a step backward in feigned fear.

'This fool!!' Matilda spat inwardly, but took a deep breath. 'Calm down... I just need him to say these words, and everything will be mine... I can handle this small obstacle.' She thought, then forced a bright smile.

"I am so sorry for yelling at you... You want freedom, right?"

Sunny nodded his head eagerly.

"Then say these words, and you will have it... You will be free like a bird," she promised.

Sunny smiled, his mind visualizing her words, then nodded decisively. "I will say it!" he declared with determination.

"Superb! Now repeat these words."

Ten minutes later, Matilda sat on the bed, her face a mask of furious black. She glared at Sunny, who stood foolishly before her.

'Twenty times! Twenty fucking times... And this fool can't even repeat my words!!!!' she screamed inwardly, a silent torrent of rage.

'You think I will let you go that easily?' Sunny thought with a mischievous smirk.

BAM!

Matilda stood up abruptly and walked towards him, her face now completely devoid of warmth.

"Husband..." The way she uttered the word sent a feigned shiver down Sunny's spine.

"You won't be lying to me, right? I don't like these games," she said, her voice soft yet devoid of any genuine warmth.

'I should stop pretending and just say it, or she will kill me,' he thought, but instead, he said, "The reason I can't remember the words is that my mind is elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?" Matilda raised an eyebrow. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

"How can I leave this castle? I am scared to face those guards," he said, his voice tinged with apparent fear.

"Oh..." Matilda was genuinely surprised by his words. She thought for a few seconds and then snapped her fingers.

Sunny watched as a crystal materialized in front of him, hovering between them.

"This here is a teleportation crystal... It can take you anywhere far from this place. I will give it to you if you repeat my words."

Sunny's eyes brightened, and he quickly nodded his head.

"Okay... Now repeat my words." Matilda went on and repeated her words. This time, Sunny completed the phrase, making sure to stammer in some parts.

'I might not be rich on Earth, but I have superb acting skills,' he thought triumphantly.

[Received... The transfer of the Star Empire will be completed in 24 hours.]

A robotic voice emanated from the device. Matilda smiled, staring at the screen.

'I can kill him right now, but... won't it be fun to watch him get torn into pieces?' She smiled a sinister smile and handed him the teleportation crystal.

"You just need to tap on it," she instructed.

Sunny took the crystal, and his cosmic brain – his system – immediately displayed information about it.

{Name: Low-level Direct Teleportation Crystal.}

{Detail: Can teleport 100 people to a specific location.}

'She must already mark the place I will teleport to... I mustn't show any signs of suspicion... Anywhere I land, I will find a way to survive,' Sunny thought, then flashed a grateful smile at her.

"Thank you so much, Miss... I will remember this kindness." He tapped the crystal without hesitation, vanishing the next moment.

CRACK...

Matilda turned to Joshua, who walked out of an adjacent room, shirtless.

"I can't believe he lost his memories," he said, adding, "What if he is pretending?"

"Even if he is pretending, we got the Star Empire... And we are now the leaders," she said with a smirk. "Come on... Let's go watch the show," she added, walking towards the door.

__

[Thousands of Miles from Star Empire - Unknown Coordinates]

Sunny appeared on blackened soil, his gaze sweeping around, seeing nothing but a treeline stretching into the distance.

"She transported me to a forest?" he muttered in mild confusion.

The Lion (the system) turned to face him, its eyes filled with unasked questions.

"Okay. Okay… You want to know why I gave her the empire?" he asked, as if speaking to a visible entity.

The lion nodded.

"You see... My wife, aka... Matilda, and my best friend, who is also the commander, aka... Joshua, are in cahoots," he explained with an air of wisdom.

"These two are after my head, and they surely have allies all over the empire... Their main goal is the empire, and they will do anything to get it, even going to the extent of killing me, who is the main obstacle in their plan... Staying there will make me their target, and I will not survive if they decide to attack." He sighed deeply.

"I might be the king, but those two have all the powers; even the military is in their tight grip... Do you understand?"

{Master has me, so why didn't you buy all the military and even the nobles?}

'Those guys will agree, but when someone stronger than me appears, they will switch sides like dogs, looking for a bitch to fuck...' He sighed softly. "Everything isn't about money... I need to get stronger," he muttered in a low voice.

__

[Star Empire - Control Room.]

Matilda and Joshua entered the control room, a vast space filled with high-tech computers and operators.

"Everyone, get out," Matilda ordered the moment she stepped inside.

The men and women looked at one another in confusion, but seeing Joshua nod, they all removed the headphones from their heads, placed them on the desks before them, and silently walked out one by one.

Matilda waited for the last person to leave before closing the door, ensuring it was locked.

"What are you up to?" Joshua asked in mild confusion, his gaze shifting from Matilda to the closed door.

"Come on." She walked towards the main desk in the room and sat down.

"Where are you, little mouse?" She tapped a red button, and the huge screen before them lit up, showing Sunny in the forest, currently looking around in confusion.

"Isn't that... Sunny?" Joshua walked forward, staring at the lone individual on the screen. "You sent him to a coordinate you can track, why?" he asked.

"Aren't you the one who wants him dead? This is a good opportunity for that," she answered, her gaze fixed on Sunny.

"I do want him dead, but we already have the empire, and all the power is in our hands," he reasoned.

"I don't want any obstacle or hidden danger in the future... What if by chance he regains his memories and comes to the empire? I don't want that," she asserted, her hand moving to open a red button enclosed in a glass cover.

Joshua stared at the button with a frown, then looked up at her. 'I thought I was ruthless, but this woman is on a whole new level,' he thought, a hint of unease stirring within him.

Matilda let out a sinister smile and pushed the button.

__

[Back to Sunny.]

WHOOSH.

Sunny stopped in his tracks, his gaze darting around in confusion. "What was that?" he muttered.

{Reminder Master: You haven't opened your welcome gifts.}

'Welcome gifts?'

DA-DA-DA-DA.

Before he could ponder it further, Sunny heard sounds behind him. He looked over his shoulder, only to see hundreds of silver metal drones hovering ten meters above him, their mounted guns and missiles aimed directly at him.

"SHIT!"

RA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA!!!

The drones opened fire.

Sunny shot forward, running with every ounce of strength in his body. His target was the forest before him, hoping to lose the drones inside its dense cover.

WHOOSH!!!

The hundreds of drones surged forward, unleashing a barrage of bullets and even firing missiles.

'SYSTEM!!! IS THERE ANYTHING IN THESE GIFTS THAT CAN SAVE ME?!!!!' he screamed inwardly at the system, running, jumping, and rolling to evade the incoming projectiles.

{Don't know master.}

'Then show me!'

BOOM!

He dodged the third RPG missile, which exploded a few meters before him, the force of the blast throwing him backward.

{Opening Gifts boxes.}

'Come on!!'