Seigyou Tensei - Legitimately Employed Reincarnation
43
When I woke up, it was to Sylphie rubbing her face in my chest and making happy little sounds. Light streamed in through the windows and the bed was cold behind me.
I frowned, wondering where Eris could have gone. Yes, we normally got up early to train, but I had thought that we'd all sleep in this morning.
Rudy: Hey Sprite, where's Eris?
Sprite: Ah… she asked me to give her a head start, master.
I frowned.
Rudy: A head start where, exactly.
Sprite: Eris and Ghislaine left together just before first light. She left a note on the dresser.
I summoned the note to hand and read it.
You know I'm not good at words, so I'll keep this short. I want to get stronger, to protect our family together, and I can't do that here if all I'm doing is sharpening myself against you and the others. I need other people to test myself against and to learn from. I'll come back in a year or two, when I think I'm ready. Tell Roxy and Sylphie I love them.
I love you, Rudeus. My husband.
Eris. Your wife.
I got out of bed and put the letter down as I began to dress.
"Rudy? What's wrong? Can't we sleep in a bit longer?"
"Why don't you stay and keep Roxy company for a bit, Sylphie? I've got something I need to do."
"What's that?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just track down my missing wife and spank that little ass red for not talking like a normal person."
"Ooh… What did Eris do?"
"Left to go on a training trip with Ghislaine without even saying goodbye."
Sylphie winced, before it shifted into an angry pout. "Give her a smack for me, too!"
"I will. And one for Roxy, too," I promised with a laugh. "Sprite, overhead view. Eris's position."
I found my redheaded wife zipping across a field on her red speeder bike, Ghislaine beside her on her own bike. And of course, flying high behind them, the Eris. Focusing on the area ahead of them, I channeled mana into a teleport and disappeared.
I reappeared half the country away, directly in the path Eris and Ghislaine were taking. Turning to orient myself on them, I drew a stone sword up out of the ground and waited. A few moments later, I spotted Eris riding along on her bike. Those red eyes locked with my green, before narrowing into a glare. She accelerated forward, quickly picking up speed. I rolled my eyes as she charged.
"I keep telling you to use a seat belt." Holding out my hand, I reached out for the bike, touched the mana inside it, and twisted, shutting it off.
The bike nosed into the ground immediately and Eris went wide-eyed as she was launched off of it in a tumble. She managed to recover mid-air, pulling her sword and launching herself at me. "RUDEUS~! That was my bike!"
"It's gonna be your ass in a minute!" I caught her blow on my sword, the ground cratering under my feet from the force of it as she used wind to shove herself down and I used earth to distribute the force of the blow. I shoved upwards, throwing her off of my sword and breaking the lock, then I went after her. Touki filled my body, mana rolling off of me and extending my senses, my Demon Eye of Foresight telling me what she was going to do before she did it.
I used every advantage I had to beat her down, not holding back anything but my strength as I wailed on her. Eris fought back with fire, wind, lightning, and earth, throwing out every trick I'd seen her use and coming up with a few new ones on the spot as we danced around each other, blades and spells clashing and canceling each other out, in the air and across the ground.
There was just an instant of warning from my flank and I reacted on instinct, dumping momentum into my body and moving out of the way, before tearing into Ghislaine for interrupting our fight. The big bitch of a woman wore a huge grin, her own Demon Eye uncovered as she bought a moment for Eris. "You've gotten better, Rudeus!"
"This is between us. Fuck off and wait your turn, Ghislaine," I growled.
"Can't handle us both?" she asked, wagging her eyebrows as she launched into an attack. An attack that I stopped cold with telekinesis, before throwing her up and away, then slamming her into the ground and burying her up to her neck, because I wasn't in the mood to entertain her at the moment.
I turned back to catch a fist to the face from Eris. I dropped my sword and returned it with a punch to the gut that folded her over my fist, before grabbing her hair and using it as a lever to slam the fiery redhead into my knee, once, twice, then finally the ground—where I stomped on her head and rubbed her face into the ground for good measure. She lay there and panted and I kicked her onto her back and dropped down, straddling her chest.
"Good, pant, spar," she grinned up at me. "First time, you took me seriously, in a while."
"You little idiot."
Reaching down, I began stripping her clothes off. Shirt tossed one direction, pants jerked off and tossed the other way. Eris leered up at me as I kicked off my pants and jacket, before grabbing her legs, folding them into her chest, and hilting myself inside of her.
"Ung!" she grunted as I fucked her into the ground, our hips clapping together with loud, wet slaps.
I grabbed her throat, squeezing hard enough to make her face turn red, and my wife only grinned up at me. At least, until her beautiful red eyes rolled up in her head and she clenched around me, letting out a strangled moan as she came hard and fast.
"Get knocked up, you little brat," I growled, burying myself in her tight cunt and filling her up as her hands locked around my wrist, holding tightly as her legs locked at my back. This time, I didn't use water magic to pull my sperm out. Nope, I used it to shove it all up into her womb. If she actually got pregnant, then that was just a natural consequence of her actions.
I let go of her throat and Eris laughed—a happy, giddy sound as she clung to me and pulled me down into a kiss. "Did I make you that angry, Rudeus?"
"You could have stayed long enough to say goodbye."
"I knew you'd try to argue—ah!"
I shut her up with a smack to her ass, followed by two more good swats for Sylphie and Roxy. "Or I'd have let you go because Sprite can just teleport us around. Dumbass."
She blinked. "Oh, right. Forgot about that."
"Of course you did," I sighed, thumping my forehead into hers. "Sylphie was disappointed you weren't there, you know?"
"Mm. Sorry—"
"Nun-uh. Call her and apologize."
Eris huffed out a sigh. "Fine. Sprite?"
Eris's phone flew out of her pocket and projected a hologram of the inside of our bedroom back in Roa. Sylphie and Roxy were… a little preoccupied. By which I mean, the pair were hugging and Sylphie was kissing our mentor. The pair blinked as they spotted the hologram and looked over. Roxy sighed and looked straight at me. "What did you do?"
"Why's it have to be me that did something?!"
"Rudeus beat me up and fucked me into the ground, then filled me with his seed and told me to get knocked up. He hasn't pulled it out, so he might have done it. Who knows?" Eris grinned.
"Okay, all of that is true, but it's missing context. This brat," I smacked Eris's ass, earning a yelp, "tried to leave without saying goodbye. She just left a note."
Roxy turned a glare on Eris. "Idiot."
"Yeah," Eris nodded, "I'm kinda dumb. Only really good at two things. Fighting, and fucking this idiot."
"Well? Why did you leave?"
"I want to get stronger—"
"The real reason."
Eris winced. "…I didn't want the adventure to end there. And I wanted to catch up with Ghislaine. And I do want to get stronger! I want to learn more sword techniques and get better."
Roxy and Sylphie exchanged a look, before my white haired wife demanded, "You'll visit. Every week."
"But—"
"Every. Week."
"'kay."
"If you need help, call," Roxy added.
"I won't—"
"Eris."
"'kay."
My other two wives smiled. ""Good!""
Eris's eyes sought out mine. "Have they been practicing that?"
"Probably," I shrugged.
"Well, have fun and stay safe, Eris!" Sylphie beamed a smile. "I have to finish showing someone how much I love her and missed her!"
Roxy's eyes went wide. "Rudy, Rudy help! She, she, ahn~!"
Sprite cut the call and I rolled my eyes. Eris wrapped her arms around me and buried her head in my chest. "I love you."
"I love you too," I answered her, squeezing back. "How do you feel?"
"Sore. Good kinda sore," she chuckled. "And full. If you don't leave that in me this time, I will hurt you."
"Fine, fine," I leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Come on. We should go unbury Ghislaine and I'll give her a quick spar and a fuck just so she doesn't feel left out. Sprite, could you fix their bikes—?"
"Already done, master," the spirit assured.
"Thanks."
I helped Eris up and we quickly got dressed. My wife leaned against me as we made our way over to dig out Ghislaine. The big cat-woman was not happy at being excluded and she made sure I knew it as we fought. Then again, when she tried to break my hips. Then Eris decided to join in and we lost another hour, but none of us was complaining by the end of it.
I sat in the bath with Sylphie tucked into one side and Roxy the other, my arms around my wives. Across from me, Kishirika and Elinalise sat, the lewd elf reaching out and stroking my cock with her foot as a smile pulled her lips up. Of course, on the other side of her foot was Kishirika's foot, doing the same thing, the Demon Empress wearing an identical lewd look.
The door to the bathroom opened and Lilia joined us a moment later, slipping quickly into the water and settling down on the other side of Kishirika. A moment later, a hologram joined us of the interior of the bathroom of the Eris, where Eris and Ghislaine sat in their own tub.
Looking around, Eris asked, "Where's Ariel?"
"Coming!" the girl in question called, hurrying inside and slipping in, where she settled on the other side of Roxy, between her and Kishirika. "Let today's meeting begin."
"I'm glad we have your permission, your highness," I snarked, sending the blonde a grin.
Ariel stuck out her tongue. It was Roxy who got everyone back on task. "We're agreed that we aren't going to stay in Roa?"
"I don't care," Kishirika shrugged, making her breasts bob in the water.
Elinalise wore a wry expression as she said, "I'm going where you go, or it's back to sucking and fucking my way across the countryside."
"My place is by master Rudeus's side," Lilia answered with a small smile.
"I don't have any preferences, as long as we're all together," Sylphie beamed a happy smile, before rubbing her face against my arm.
Roxy looked around at the others. "I still say we should have invited Zenith and Therese at least."
"Wives, mistresses, and lovers only," Kishirika countered immediately. "Zenith may be your mother in law, but this is the same woman whose poor choice in judgment led to her staying with a philanderer even though she knew of his nature. Therese is Rudeus's family, but this doesn't directly impact her—or anyone else. They can choose to live in Roa, or wherever suits them."
"Zenith will stay with master Rudeus," Lilia opined. "Therese will stay close as well, because being near him offers safety to herself and her charge."
"Mm. So, what are we thinking? Build our own little village somewhere?" Eris asked as her hands fondled Ghislaine absently under the water on their side of the feed.
"Somewhere quiet and peaceful," Sylphie suggested.
Ghislaine nodded. "Easily defensible."
"Distance to resources doesn't really matter, since Sprite can find and teleport them as needed," Roxy murmured.
With a grin, Elinalise suggested, "If you're going to build it yourself, you may as well go for something prestigious. Something that says that this place belongs to the strongest wizard in the world."
"A palace, definitely," Kishirika agreed.
Roxy looked considering, before turning a fond smile on myself and Sylphie. "I don't know. I think a small farm house in the middle of nowhere would be just as nice."
"Yes, I'm sure some of you would enjoy that nostalgic feeling," Ariel allowed. "However, we have to take planning for the future into consideration. Assuming each of us has at least one child with Rudeus—"
"Heh. Just one," Eris snorted. "Three, minimum."
"One sounds nice," Sylphie countered, before grinning impishly. "One a year."
Chuckling, Ariel's blue eyes swept over the group. "Yes, I see some of us are more ambitious than others on that front. Be that as it may, it merely proves my point. At a minimum, four children within the next year. Perhaps as many the next year. When Eris returns, at least one more—"
"I ah," Ghislaine spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. She coughed and looked away. "Rudeus, I want one too."
I sent the big woman a leer. "Alright."
She nodded and Ariel continued. "Within three years, potentially nine to ten children. I'm sure we're each going to want our own bedroom outside of a master bedroom, including Rudy, because sometimes you just want some time to yourself. Even if you make love that night, you may not want to sleep in the same room." There were nods of agreement all around at that, except from Sylphie, who looked a bit mulish on the subject. "Factoring in bedrooms, toilets, bathrooms, kitchen, and various other rooms for living, work, study, or otherwise… Something small isn't going to cut it. If we're all going to live together and not in separate homes, then we need something large. If we're considering multi-generational living, allowing our future children and grandchildren to live with us, then it's going to need to be very large."
There were some thoughtful looks all around as they considered what she was saying. Eris murmured, "It'd definitely need to be at least as big as the manor in Roa."
"Probably double that size," Roxy shook her head.
"A home and family that large would require staff," Lilia added. "Even if master Rudeus were to use magic to make the entire thing clean itself, there is still the matter of collecting food, meal preparation and cleanup, and child rearing. We cannot, and should not, simply push those duties off to Sprite. Especially handling our children. Yes, it can be an onerous task at times, when they aren't eerily peaceful." Her green eyes found me and the woman sent me a fond smile. "But there is nothing quite as rewarding as caring for your own child."
"Staff requires housing for staff," Kishirika pointed out. "Typically separate quarters—"
"No way!" Eris protested immediately. "Rudeus! We need cute beastgirl volunteers! It wouldn't be home if we couldn't just bend one over and make her squeal!"
I palmed my face and Ariel sighed. "I had almost forgotten what I was marrying into," the blonde murmured, sending my redheaded wife an exasperated look. "Eris, have you perhaps considered that some of us might not want to take advantage of the staff?"
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Eris shrugged.
"There are lots of staff in Roa who volunteered specifically because they hoped to be working for, or under, Rudy or the rest of us," Roxy inserted herself between the two. "In fact, we had to turn away a lot of them because there were too many people looking for work for the manor. We can do some reshuffling and offer the new hires the same deal as the rest. That is, working on the condition of understanding that they may be asked, not forced," she sent a pointed look at Eris, who nodded, "to participate in sexual situations."
"Still not really comfortable with the idea of just pushing down some random maid," I shook my head.
"You should," Kishirika sent me a look. "Take it from me. You should spread your seed far and wide, Rudeus. With as many girls, in as many places as possible. But especiallyat home. If you teach your future children the way you've taught Sylphiette, or your sisters, then every last one of them is going to be an absolute monster with magic. You've made a lot of enemies lately. Putting yourself on the stone by taking Badi's place put your name out there, so there will be people looking to cut you down to claim the title. Marrying her," she nodded at Ariel, "would make you king of Asura, if my understanding is correct?"
"Yes," Ariel confirmed. "Some queens would choose not to elevate their husband to the position of king, but I want to rule as equals. Even if my husband doesn't want to take an active role in ruling, he should have the position and respect he deserves as my husband, partner, and equal in all things—not just the man I married. Which means that Asura's enemies would be your enemies, and your enemies the enemies of Asura."
Kishirika nodded. "Thought so." Turning back to me, she twitched her foot against my cock and smirked. "A standing army of mages just as powerful as Norn and Aisha, loyal to us because they're family and an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. Even if half or more of them are bastard children and the get of beastkin, demons, or otherwise you can create cadet families specifically for them."
Looking around, I frowned when I saw an alarmingly largenumber of women nodding along with her, among them more than one of my wives. Deciding to distract them from that line of thought for now, I said, "How about we focus on a home first? If we're looking for something defensible, remote, and peaceful you can't get much more for any of those than going the Laputa route."
Ariel perked up immediately. "Can you?!"
"I remember that story," Eris murmured, before perking up. "The flying castle?"
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Already trying to outdo Perugius?" Roxy chuckled.
"Oh, I like the sound of that," Elinalise murmured. "How big are we talking?"
"Well," I hummed, before turning a grin on Ariel. "Go big or go home."
"American," she accused, but her lips twitched upwards. "How big?"
"I'm thinking… flying island. Go pull up a bunch of material to work with from the seabed. Dry it out properly and with a little earth magic, it'll be super fertile. Transplant and flash grow plants across it. Then build a big fuckoff castle on top of it. That, or go the Aincrad route, where the exterior is a huge floating castle and the interior is a layer cake of environments…"
"Maybe, but I prefer the more classical aesthetic of Laputa," Ariel shook her head.
"Why not…"
I sat back and watched as the girls began to plot and argue amongst themselves. Looking bored, and a bit mischievous, Elinalise met my eyes, before sinking under the water. A moment later, Kishirika blinked and raised an eyebrow as Elinalise moved her foot. Then, the horny elf's mouth descended on my cock and she set to work sucking on me and bobbing away like my dick owed her money.
Sylphie and Roxy noticed immediately, Sylphie giggling quietly and Roxy moving her hand over to grab the elf by her hair and force her head down. I managed to keep a straight face, even as Elinalise just kept going. At the five minute mark, I started to worry for her, but she never showed any signs of stopping. Eventually, with her thin fingers fondling my balls and her mouth around my cock, I gave in and let go.
Elinalise stood up immediately, her cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk. Her ass swayed as she moved through the water, back to where she'd been sitting, then swallowed audibly before sitting down. Ariel took on a very conflicted look, before with a sigh, she stood from the tub. "Alright, I'm going to bed. We can continue this later. I'll leave you to your fun."
I stood up and made my way over to her, the woman's blue eyes tracing over my body as I did. She bit her lip as I drew near, then drew her into a hug. Ariel's legs parted and she trapped my hard cock in the gap between her thighs, the top of my dick brushing against her hot, wet slit as she drooled on me. Her breasts were soft and her nipples two little hard points against my chest as I reached down and cupped her ass.
Then, I kissed her on the lips, my tongue slipping into the slightly taller young woman's mouth. Ariel moaned, her hands clutching me to her desperately, her nails digging into the flesh of my back but not breaking the skin. Her hips swished forward once and she gasped as her clit ran down my length. Breaking the kiss, she rested her forehead on mine and stared into my eyes.
"Please don't tempt me any further, Rudy. I won't be able to resist. I'm so close to giving in. I want this—I want to feel you, to make love to you, so badly it hurts. But I want to be married when we do. It means a lot to me. So please, don't make me give that up. Because I will. If you push me even just an inch more, I will."
I leaned forward and pecked her on the lips. "You want me to push you that last inch."
"Yes~," she mewled, and I felt her shaking in my arms.
"The wedding is the day after tomorrow."
"I know!" she whined, sounding like it pained her to say it.
Grinning, I squeezed her ass. "Alright. Go to bed, Ariel. Or you can stay and watch me fuck everyone in here silly, and not you. Wouldn't that just push your buttons?"
"Hng," she grunted, clutching me tighter. "Yes, but if you do that, I really won't be able to resist."
Pulling her down, I kissed her ear. For her ear alone, I whispered, "Alright, Shizuka. I won't take your wedding night from you."
"Thank you," the blonde whimpered, letting out a sigh of frustration and relief.
I let her go and turned her around, before slapping her ass hard enough to leave a hand print and sending her out of the tub. "Ahn~!" she let out an indecent sound, before turning and glaring at me. "You just had to get in a parting shot, didn't you?!"
"Yep. Now, you'd better run, unless you want to give up that special night."
"Nng! You will make this up to me!" she pouted, grabbing her towel and hurrying out of the room.
"That was cruel," Roxy shook her head as I turned back to the others.
"It's what she wants," Sylphie pointed out, before hopping out of the water and throwing herself into my arms. "Me first!" Then, she turned around in my arms and bent over, looking at the others with a grin as she eased herself back until she hilted herself on my cock. "Ah! Mmf, so full," Sylphie moaned happily. "So! I know how to guarantee conception now! Who wants to get pregnant tonight?"
I grabbed her by the hips and slowly thrust forward as several hands shot up. Sylphie bit her lip and pointed to Roxy and Lilia. "Already pregnant," she moaned out.
As I began to work myself in and out of my white haired wife, Kishirika hummed. "I wouldn't mind having another. My body is fit to bear children now and Rudy has proven himself strong…"
"Same," Elinalise agreed. "It's been a while since I had my son. I wonder how Laws is doing."
Sylphie went limp and collapsed face first in the tub, going underwater. I reacted first and jerked her back out of the water. The girl spluttered and coughed as she came back up and I sat down, pulling her into my lap in a hug, while carefully extracting the water she'd inhaled with water magic. "You're okay. Deep breaths," I soothed her, rubbing her back.
"Did you drop her?" Roxy asked, coming over and laying her hands on Sylphie as she began casting healing magic.
"No, she just fell over," I shook my head.
"It, um, it's, I'm fine," Sylphie murmured, shaking her head.
Lilia looked over to Elinalise and answered the elf's question. "The last time I saw Sylphie's father was just before the teleport disaster. Neither master Rudeus nor Sprite have mentioned finding him, and I know that even with their falling out, he would still at least make the effort to retrieve him. So it stands to reason that either Laws was teleported to a region Sprite has not yet checked, or…"
"Oh," Elinalise murmured. Then, she blinked and looked between Lilia and Sylphie. "Wait. You said her father?!"
"Yes."
Elinalise turned wide blue eyes on Sylphie, who had recovered a bit from her fall. Sending the woman a hesitant smile, Sylphie asked, "You're my grandmother?"
Elinalise's mouth fell open. "I… guess so." Quietly, she muttered, "I'm sleeping with my granddaughter's husband. I, I've had sex in front of my granddaughter. I was going to have sex with my granddaughter!"
Sylphie carefully extricated herself from my lap, grabbed Roxy, and pulled the bluenette over to take her place. Then, careful to avoid another fall, made her way over to Elinalise and pulled the elf into a hug, before kissing her cheek. "I'm so happy," Sylphie quietly said, rubbing her cheek against Elinalise's own. "I thought it would only be my mother and sister from now on."
"Sylvia and Elin. He named his daughter after me?"
"Mhmm." A mischievous smile pulled at Sylphie's lips and she moved towards Elinalise's ear. "Do you know what Eris would say about this?"
"No?" Elinalise asked, confused.
Sylphie's smile turned into a leer. "Gimme them ears."
"Huh?" the blonde blinked, before Sylphie opened her mouth and nibbled the elf's ear. "Ahn~! N-n-no, that, that's sensitive! St-stop, you, nnf, you can't~!"
"I see why it's so fun for her now," Sylphie giggled, before beginning her assault of Elinalise, who couldn't bring herself to fight back. "Rudy was right, you really are a lewd elf, grandmother!"
"Nooo!"
Roxy turned and shifted in my arms. "Well, if they're busy…"
"Yep," I confirmed, before picking her up enough to settle her on my cock. Quietly, I asked, "So, would you prefer to be called wife or mama?"
"Mm," Roxy panted quietly. "Wife now, mother after."
I settled my hand over her belly, rubbing her gently as we made love. "Soon."
I couldn't wait to see her swell up.
In the end, it was agreed that the 'Laputa' design would work just fine, with a few changes. Namely, I would be scaling it up a bit.
Between me and Ariel, we figured that the Miyazaki take on Laputa was about a mile in diameter. But like many Miyazaki works, Castle in the Sky was based on another work and then retold by Miyazaki. The original Laputa was supposed to be a huge flying castle town and the part seen in the anime was only the very top. And we didn't want to add on too much in the way of extraneous stuff and ruin the look, so it was decided to just scale the one from the movie up.
We all gathered together as a family and got to work with Sprite designing the flying castle. The exterior aesthetic was kept as true to the original as we could manage, while the interior, we changed a bit to suit our needs for essentially building up a town—living areas, small farms, water sources, training areas, storage areas, airship docking facilities, and more. The proposed finished design wound up being about three times the original size.
Then, we brought in everyone else for their opinions and expertise. A few changes were made, but eventually, that was the design we went with.
"There is one point of concern," Sauros mentioned as we all stood around a hologram of the proposed castle, set hovering over Roa for scale. "Other nations may take this as a challenge or a threat. Especially if it flies over their countries. It's an international incident waiting to happen."
"But Perugius does it all the time—" Zenith protested.
The old man nodded. "Yes. And he's Perugius. What are they going to do, tell him no?"
Phillip chose that moment to interject. "Rudeus, for all his power, is still a relative unknown even within Asura, outside of Fittoa. What's left of the royalty, nobility, and merchants at least know of the king being retired and Ariel's ascent of the throne by now, even if they weren't there to witness it personally. But from what we've seen, there is much skepticism as to Rudeus's strength even among those who were there. Perugius, by comparison, has a legend behind him. He and his own flying castle are just another fixture of the world. Something told of in stories that you might be lucky enough to see some days. It's a feat of magic most people think has been lost to the ages, because we don't see mages doing it today."
"Then along comes Rudy, with flying ships and now a flying castle," Roxy murmured, earning a nod. "They're new, prove it can be done today, and that there's someone alive who can do it."
"And when people start asking who it belongs to, they're going to discover his ties to Asura. They may suspect this is some new weapon or fortress that belongs to the kingdom—because that is the explanation that makes sense, rather than something for family," Sauros pointed out.
Sylphie hummed. "What about making it invisible?"
"No."/"Absolutely not!"
Ariel and I shared a look, then both laughed. I continued, "It defeats the purpose. It's supposed to be seen. It's as much a piece of art as it is a functional construct."
"Like one of the wonders of the world," Ariel added. "No, I would rather either deny knowledge of it, or claim responsibility fully and openly flaunt it."
The hologram of Eris leered. "So, you're saying Rudeus should just whip his huge cock out on the table and ask what the fuck they're gonna do about it? Yeah, you're gonna fit in real nice. Hehe."
Reaching up, Ariel pinched the bridge of her nose. "…I can't argue that it doesn't work."
I pulled the blonde into a hug against my side, before leaning in and kissing her neck. "You like it."
"Yes, yes. It brings out the Japanese girl in me."
"Alright. You all have fun adding things and designing rooms. I need to go sit down with Sprite and work out a way to keep the thing in the air that doesn't require me to power it directly, then apply that to our ships too, just in case."
With that, I made my way to the lab.
Seigyou Tensei - Legitimately Employed Reincarnation
44
Commissioned by Skelekitty.
Ariel Interlude.
"So. Go ahead and pass that crown on up here and let's get this shit show started."
Ariel sighed as she lay back in bed, Tristina to one side and Sylphie to the other, damp and warm from her recent bath. The older of the two made a quiet noise before settling back into place at Ariel's side. She had climbed into bed with Sylphie and hadn't wanted to climb back out again since the day Sylphie rescued her. The blonde Purplehorse had, for a while, become mildly androphobic—at least until she and Sylphie helped her get a handle on it. Having her talk with Rudy occasionally by phone helped.
What are we going to do about her when we leave? Ariel didn't have an answer for that. Sylphie had extended the offer for Tristina to come with them, but the blonde was uncertain.
And of course, all of that was just trying to take her mind off of what had happened earlier that day. Rudeus had, once again, done the impossible—something she was coming to realize was a common occurrence with the boy. Or man, rather. Young man by this world's standards, but his accomplishments had more than earned him being recognized as a man and not a child, by the rest of the world. That was discounting what Ariel and a select few knew about his circumstances.
Rudy and his blunt, American way of handling things. Just bulling through, having his way, and daring someone to complain.
Ugh. Why is it such a turn-on?! She made a quiet noise of sexual frustration before rolling over and cuddling Sylphie against her chest as her mind turned back to that whole 'shit show.'
At one point after waking up and realizing she had been isekai'd, Ariel might have said she loved her new family. Or she had wanted to. She was a traditional Japanese girl at heart, and familial piety was part of who she was. That had lasted exactly as long as it took for her to learn the language and realize just what sort of degenerate, awfulbehavior her relatives got up to and what they expected her to do, when she got old enough. Since then, she had felt nothing but disgust and seething contempt for most of her family, with very few exceptions.
Watching Rudeus come in with his American swagger, dick swinging, and dictate terms to her father… Watching him deal with her former brother and the prime minister. And then, when they worked together to lay the foundations for the trials to come, starting with the worst of the worst nobles and dispensing justice swiftly, with no hesitation whatsoever…
Ariel had never been happier. She had never felt more vindicated. Or more turned on.
Her family were the worst of the bunch and she was glad to finally see the potential threat they represented to her and everyone else dealt with. Grabell, dead. Her father, 'retired' and quietly being shuffled off to a quiet villa where he would have no political influence. Her sister was still twisting in the wind somewhere, but Ariel was sure Sprite would find her eventually.
All of the petty plots and infighting brought to heel, dragged out kicking and screaming into the light of day. The filthy, degenerate behavior finally seeing the punishment it deserved. Royalty, nobles, merchants, clergy, and commoners alike held to account for their actions against the nation and its people. Those that had forced her to become something she wasn't, didn't want to be, getting their comeuppance.
She had only dared dream of this day, once upon a time, all those years ago. When she was forced to acknowledge the reality of this world and her place in it, and take steps to ensure that she wasn't the nail that stuck out, to be hammered down by those around her.
Then along came Rudy.
Someone else from her world. Someone who had taken the opportunities presented to him and made something impossible out of them. Hilariously, out of a simple desire for a flush toilet and a hot shower.
She had been jealous, at first. After meeting Sylphiette and speaking with Rudeus the first time, when she had some time to actually sit and think about it—about their situations and what might have been. If their positions were reversed, if Rudeus had been born in the palace and Ariel with a loving family, would he have still worked so hard to learn what he had? Would she have been able to accomplish what he had?
No. She knew she couldn't. She would have happily accepted her new life and adapted to her circumstances, to live a peaceful life of obscurity. She would have grown up in a loving home in a small village, never knowing want or pain. And she would have likely died in the teleport disaster.
Knowing Rudy as she did now, she realized that him becoming a monster of a mage was inevitable. Being a man, he wouldn't have had to worry about his chastity nearly as much as she had—though, there were those particularly sick nobles who had a thing for little boys, and Darius Ganius and Grabell would have taken great pleasure in introducing them. He wouldn't have let that stop him, and eventually, he would have challenged Grabell for the throne and won.
The thing that made her most jealous of him was his friends and loved ones. People who he loved and genuinely loved him in return, with none of the strings attached that 'love' in her own family came with. Take Sylphie, for example. A monster of a mage in her own right. Sweet and innocent. A delectable little flower just begging to be plucked by her hand… And the girl lived and breathed 'Rudeus Greyrat.' He had hung the sun, the moon, and the stars for her and Sylphie's love and devotion for him was unwavering. Obsessive, really.
And Rudeus… he would do anything for those people. It was humbling, and it hurt seeing the lengths real family would go for each other—regardless of blood.
So yes, she was jealous. Ariel, Shizuka, wanted that for herself. Which was why, after getting to know Rudy, Sylphie, and the others, she had agreed to the plan thought up by Sylphie, Roxy, and Eris. Not that marrying Rudy was a bad idea at all. Looking at it from a purely political perspective, it was about the best possible move she could make. On a personal level though, not looking at it as the princess looking to secure her claim to the throne, but as a woman… She needed someone who could take care of her needs. All of them. Love, attention, and family yes, but also someone who wouldn't balk at the things she wanted to do, sexually.
Not much longer to wait…
Sylphie shifted, rolling over in her arms. Ariel blinked as she found herself looking into red eyes. "Did I wake you?"
The white haired girl smiled. "Yes."
"So—mmf~!"
Ariel found herself on the receiving end as she was pushed down by the younger, smaller, and yet so much stronger girl who proceeded to take her mind off of her worries… and work off some of that frustration their soon-to-be husband had caused.
Off with his head, off with his head, off with his fucking head—!
"—And so you see, your highness, I had only the best interests of the kingdom at heart—"
"When you aided and abetted in the kidnapping of young girls, some of whom were nobles? When your forces infiltrated Roa, set fire to part of the commercial district, and stole the world's first printing press in order to sell it to Milishion? When you plotted with my brother's supporters against my father and myself?"
"At the time, the will of your brother was the will of the kingdom, your highness. I am but a humble purveyor of goods. A man who gets things done and makes things happen, for his patrons. Surely you can see the utility in that? It helps to have folk willing to get their hands dirty on the payroll."
Ariel took a deep breath, then nodded. Standing up, she made her way down the dais her and Rudy's thrones sat atop. "You're right. Being willing to get one's hands dirty when the situation calls for it is valuable. Necessary, even. You—"
She paused, before turning to the side. "Sprite, what was this one's name again?"
"Thaddeus. No family name, however, medical scans show he's actually a bastard sibling to Darius Ganius."
"That explains why I hate his face so much," she murmured. Clearing her throat, she continued. "You, Thaddeus, have committed treason against the nation of Asura. You have kidnapped and raped children. Murdered, raped, robbed, and burned your way across the country. All of your assets and holdings will be seized and auctioned off. It is my judgment that your continued life constitutes an unacceptable risk to the country, even should you be sentenced to hard labor—"
"Wait now, hold on a minute! You can't just—"
He fell silent a moment later, his lips still flapping but no sound escaping. Ariel dearly wanted to sigh, but held the impulse in. "The sentence is death."
Pointing her hand out at Thaddeus, Ariel created a pillar of fire and wind around him—two simple Elementary-level spells, combined to something higher. He didn't have time to scream as the fire consumed him and, a moment later, nothing was left but ash—which Ariel directed out the nearest window.
She turned and looked over the silenced court, the old nobles who had survived the initial purge and the merchants and various business representatives who had begun replacing those who had been eliminated. There would be no new nobility taking the place of those she had been forced to execute. The members of those houses had been stripped of their noble titles, assets, and holdings and had been exiled and teleported straight out of the country—save for the children, who Sprite had taken in, saying something about testing an idea Rudy had proposed for public schooling.
No more nobility after this. Twenty, maybe thirty years to consolidate power into an absolute monarchy. Another twenty or thirty years to let the older generation who still remember the nobility die, then hand everything over to Sprite, to rule in our names. By then, nearly everyone in Asura should have been educated by her in a public school and predisposed to listening to and obeying her.
It was a scary thought, but Rudy had absolute trust in Sprite and Ariel trusted her future husband. Until then, she had to deal with the remaining nobility who hadn't conspired against her or her father, or the kingdom itself—along with the merchants, various guilds, and other factions within the country. And then there was the issue of dealing with their neighbors, now that word of the former king being deposed and Ariel's ascension had spread… One thing at a time.
"That is all for today. We will continue this tomorrow. Good day." Dismissing the witnesses, Ariel turned towards a side passage, Sprite's hologram materializing at her side. Then, she said, "Send them ahead to the conference room."
Around her, the hologram of the hallway went transparent. Standing, Ariel stretched a bit, making a satisfied sound as her back popped. A knock at the door announced the arrival of Sylphie, who brought her a plate of chicken skewers from town and a pitcher of wine, along with a glass.
"Thought you might be hungry."
"You're a life saver," Ariel pecked the shorter girl on the lips, before taking the plate and setting it down on the table beside the chair she'd been working out of most of the day. Taking a skewer, she bit into it and made a happy noise.
"Are you okay?"
Sending a smile towards Sprite, Ariel shook her head as she swallowed and picked up the glass. "No. I don't know that I ever will be again. But one day soon, all of this will be done."
"You don't have to do it all yourself—" Sylphie offered.
"I do," Ariel interrupted. "It's my responsibility. More than that, I have to send a message. I have to be seen making a difference. Keeping to my word. Doing what my father couldn't, or wouldn't. As much as I'd like to, if I just pass that responsibility off to Sprite right now, people would begin to doubt."
It was a conversation they'd had many times by now. Several times a week, since she had taken over the throne. They knew her answer, but felt obligated to ask. Ariel was touched that they cared about her feelings on the matter.
Deciding to move to a different topic, she asked, "How are the others doing?"
Sprite grinned. "You'll see, soon enough."
"Uh huh."
"Mom and Elin are coming by to visit tonight."
"That sounds great."
"I'm going to go get started cooking," Sylphie smiled, before turning and hurrying away, closing the door behind her.
Seeing that her holographic body had made it to the conference room door, Ariel sighed. "Back to work. At least it's just a private meeting."
Entering the conference room, Ariel found Phillip, Sauros, and Ghislaine waiting. The two men were looking at a map and talking, while Ghislaine sat eating a stick of her own grilled meat, her chair kicked back and leaning against the wall on the far side of the room. Sauros and Phillip looked up as she entered.
""Highness,"" they both greeted.
Ariel sighed. "Stop calling me that behind closed doors, grandfather, uncle." She sent a smile towards Ghislaine. "I see someone had the same idea," she chuckled, waving her own stick.
"They're good. No mess," Ghislaine shrugged.
"Alright," Ariel said, turning back to the table. "What fresh hell do we have to deal with now?"
"Sprite, would you?" Phillip asked, and Sprite nodded, before projecting a hologram over the table. "Rudeus finished the reconstruction of Roa."
Ariel raised an eyebrow. "How long did it take?"
"Less than a day," Sprite piped up. "I helped."
"Uh huh." She sipped her wine. "I'm going to stop being surprised when he does things like this some day. So, it sounds like we need to assign a new governor to Roa. Phillip, do you want your old job back?"
The man smiled, before shaking his head. "No, I don't believe so. In fact, this may be the perfect opportunity to see how Sprite handles the job."
"Better she get some experience now, and people get used to the idea," Sauros nodded.
Turning to the spirit, Ariel asked, "Are you up to it?"
"Mm! I'd like Phillip to help though, at least for the first year. He has more experience."
"Of course," Phillip agreed easily.
"Excellent! I already have a list of suggested changes, based on what I've observed from how Roa was run before the disaster, along with my observations of other cities."
"You two can put your heads together and work that out later. No need for me to get involved in the minutiae," Ariel waved her hand dismissively. "What else?" she asked, before finishing off her skewer and grabbing another.
"There are rumors beginning to circulate around the capital of a great wall appearing around the country's borders," Sauros grinned. "Obviously Rudeus's doing."
"Mm. We'll have to release some sort of official statement. There haven't been any problems finding the gates?"
"None," Sprite shook her head. "Some people panicked a bit at first, but all of the main roads have gates, so they figured it out quickly. Also of note, banditry originating from outside the country is down."
"Purely a coincidence, I'm sure," Phillip chuckled.
Raising an eyebrow, Sauros asked, "No more instances of local banditry?"
"Not since the bandit purge."
"Good." Ariel didn't want bandits in her country. She knew that sometimes, farmers and peasants resorted to thievery when the nobles raised taxes or did other stupid things, and she and Sprite were going over everything and making a universal tax code for all of Asura to follow to prevent that from happening in the future. Of course, that would piss off the nobles when they were told that all taxes would be going to the kingdom and they wouldn't be allowed to collect any more, but that was a problem for another day.
A moment later, the hologram over the table changed to show Fittoa, highlighting the locations of the new villages. Sprite continued, "So far, there have been very few instances of crime. Nothing severe. A few brawls, typically between races that have traditionally been hostile towards each other, in those few trading hub villages where those groups come into contact more often. A couple of attempted thefts, but the local police force caught it quickly and the thieves were punished appropriately."
"They've been behaving themselves, then?" Ariel murmured. "Good. I would hate for this experiment to prove the nobles right when they inevitability learn of it and decide to complain. If we can come to them with crime statistics comparing those villages with the average for the country, they should shut up. Especially when you factor in crime in Ars before I took over. Speaking of…?"
Sprite grinned. "The new program is working."
"Yes, I imagine so!" Sauros roared with laughter.
That one Ariel blamed entirely on Rudy. He had a simple, three-step plan for dealing with crime in Roa.
Step one: hand everything off to Sprite. Let her handle watching for crime, stopping it before or immediately after it happened depending on what it was, and then doling out the appropriate punishment.
Step two: have Sprite report the incident to the local authorities, so there would be a record of it.
Step three: the actual punishment. Namely, extremely public shaming. A person caught in the commission of a crime would be broadcast over the city and on every street corner for all to see. Their initial punishment would be visible for all to see—that is, Sprite lighting them up with lightning. The punishment after that varied depending on the severity of the crime. Theft would get someone buried up to their neck in the public square for a few days and only given water. Attempted rape or murder, because Sprite wouldn't actually let either of those happen, resulted in the assailant being executed by the city guard—again, visibly, for all to see.
Ever since the policy had been implemented, Ariel had only seen three instances broadcast. Since she was in Ranoa with Sylphie, Sprite projected it for them, so she was privy to every instance of Sprite having to step in.
"What was the reaction?" Phillip asked.
"Largely positive. The only people who truly complained were, themselves, criminals. And nobles."
Who would have thought I would be party to creating a magical nanny state? Yet, as much as I would like to say it violates basic freedoms… you don't have the freedom to commit crime in my country. I was kind of surprised that the freedom-loving American was the one who suggested it.
Rudy was big on his rights, among those being the right to privacy. So his answer, when she'd asked him about it, had been a bit surprising. "Some people need the reminder that someone is watching them and will retaliate if they step out of line. Having a benevolent spirit do the job is at least better than handing that sort of power over to normal people, who would be tempted to abuse it. Because I asked her to do it, I know Sprite will do her absolute best to be as fair, even-handed, and unbiased as possible. She also won't go spilling other people's business and secrets, unless it's relevant. Maybe that makes me a hypocrite. But, well, I'm only human."
"In other news," Sprite continued, pulling Ariel from her thoughts, "Milishion is experiencing a civil war. Tonight, the Order of the Temple has declared war on the Order of Instruction and begun with an assault on their leadership. The Order of the Church is quietly backing the Order of the Temple, under orders from the king. He sees it as a chance to depose Pope Harry and install his own puppet 'saint.'"
Frowning, Ariel asked, "Do you have an airship parked nearby?"
"A few. The Sylphiette Greyrat is being sent from the Demon Continent in preparation for master Rudy's wedding."
Considering for a moment, she looked to her two advisors, who both nodded. "Offer him a ride. Him and those loyal to him who want to flee. We can't be seen directly interfering—"
"More than we already have," Phillip sighed, earning a nod from Ariel.
"What did that pope expect to happen, when he sent assassins after my grandchildren?" Sauros grumbled. "If it were me, I'd have razed the country to the ground." Making a disgusted noise, he quietly muttered, "What kind of sick people don't like beastkin girls?"
"Assuming they accept, where should I drop them off?"
"Bring them to Fittoa," Ariel answered the spirit, who nodded. "The question is, what to do about them after. Do you have an empty village?"
"Mm! I've got a few spares, hidden here and there."
"Then we'll put them in one of those. Just… keep an eye on them."
"You know they're going to figure out who did it eventually," Phillip pointed out. "What do we tell them, when they ask?"
"'Fuck off' would be a good start," Sauros grumbled.
Ariel hummed, before a smile pulled her plump lips upwards. "I think I'll let Rudeus handle it."
"Oh, so you want them dead. Good choice," Sauros chuckled.
"There's a… non-zero chance Rudy will let them live," Ariel countered.
"As long as they're polite," Phillip deadpanned.
"As long as they don't try to kill master first."
"I believe that's what I said."
Giggling, Ariel took a breath and leaned back in her chair, refilling her glass of wine as she watched and moved the hologram of herself. Kind of like a video game, she mused.
"Any other business?"
"Just one," Sprite beamed.
Ariel raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
The hologram shut off entirely. A moment later, Ariel heard a shout from outside. "Sylphie! Ariel! Time to go!"
Ariel blinked. "Was that…?"
"Eris? Yes," Sprite giggled. "You're coming home with us."
Ariel's heart leapt and she stood up. "I have to pack—"
Sprite snapped her fingers. "Done. Everything teleported to the Eris."
"I should let the headmaster know we're taking a leave of absence—"
"Do it by hologram."
"What about Tristina?"
"She's coming too!"
Ariel considered the spirit for a moment. "This is sounding more and more like an abduction than simply offering me a ride…"
Sprite's smile turned into a leer. Ariel suddenly found her arms held tightly to her sides as she was lifted in the spirit's invisible grip, before being hauled out of the door. "So it's a bonus for you?"
Ariel laughed. "You know me too well. Very well, then! Kidnap me and whisk me away to my betrothed, for him to have his wicked way with me."
Once they made it outside, Ariel got her first good look at one of the airships in person—the Eris Greyrat, given the paint on the side and Eris's likeness on the front. She blinked, before laughing so hard she devolved into hiccups.
I can feel the 'America, fuck yeah!' from here. Is this what it feels like to be invaded by the Americans? I can feel my lingering Japanese Racial Trauma growing stronger the longer I look at it.
Getting her laughter down to giggles as she and Sylphie were lifted into the air, she made an uncomfortable discovery the moment she was set down on the deck and Eris hugged her.
Ariel was horny. Uncomfortably so.
It took her a few minutes to figure out why as Eris led her and Sylphie inside.
How did that meme go? [Shameful Japanese desire to be conquered and uplifted by American cock INTENSIFIES.] Well, as long as he hasn't invented a nuke…
Oh. Wait.
Who am I kidding? It's Rudy. He's American and a mage. Of course he has already. Fuck.
…Why does that thought make me even wetter?
Ariel watched as Rudy carried Sylphie away to his bedroom, Roxy and Eris clinging to his sides. "Two more days, Ariel. Just two…"
Turning back to the party taking place, she refilled her glass of wine and made her way through the crowd, doing as she had been all day—schmoozing and networking, talking with the nobles loyal to the crown and to her specifically, speaking with merchants about various business dealings, being seen visibly on very friendly terms with her soon to be family. It was exhausting. Ariel wanted nothing more than to go join Rudy and his new wives for some fun, but… the part of her that was Shizuka wanted to wait. She had put off lying with a man this long, she could wait another two days—for when she was a married woman and could enjoy her first and only man in wedlock. The thought pleased what was left of her poor, traditionally Japanese heart.
"Your highness?"
Ariel looked up, to find a group of mixed nobles and merchants approaching where she had been making herself a plate. "Yes?"
Count Redbat, recently elevated from his position as a baron due to several openings in the noble ranks and Ariel feeling as though she owed it to him and his family for Derrick's sacrifice, stood at the head of a group of eight individuals—which quickly became nine as Hilda joined them, moving to Ariel's side. As the apparent spokesman for the group, Count Redbat—Dennis, she remembered his name—stepped forward. "Your highness, if I may speak frankly?"
Ariel smiled. "Of course, Dennis. And please, just Ariel. Derrick was a friend to me and I won't have his father treating me like a stranger. We can save the titles for court and official business. My soon-to-be husband despises them and I find myself agreeing with his opinion of them—that, unless the situation calls for it, they're good for little more than petty posturing and puffing up fragile egos."
"Of course, Ariel," the man smiled, before moving over to the table. "May we sit?"
"Happily. These shoes may look wonderful, but they're killing my ankles!" Ariel giggled, moving around the table and taking a seat as Dennis began making his own plate. The others joined them a moment later. "Now, what is it you wanted to speak about?"
"Young Rudeus and his… air ships," the man began. "We have been discussing the matter. Ariel, your highness," Ariel raised an eyebrow but he stubbornly continued on, "I believe it is no exaggeration to say that we stand on the precipice of something… something amazing, and terrifying. And without proper guidance, we feel that this could potentially bring ruin to the kingdom."
Ariel raised an eyebrow, cutting off a piece of the meat on her plate and bringing it to her lips. "Oh? How do you see that happening?"
"We had the pleasure of a tour of one of them as we were brought here from Ars and they are quite the marvel. Their speed, cargo capacity, versatility, even the ability to mount weapons or support a crew of mages. Certainly, these ships of the sky bring with them great opportunities for trade further and faster than ever before. They also bring possibilities when it comes to warfare. Imagine it—commanding the skies and being able to cast spells and fire arrows down upon your enemy with near impunity. Only Perugius has commanded the skies to date, and we are all thankful that he has not declared himself ruler of us all from his flying castle.
"But with these air ships, should something happen and one of the other nations acquire one, we would lose that advantage. They would immediately begin pouring money into developing their own air ships. Soon, we would be facing entire navies of air ships looking to expand out across the lands and conquer all they see—all of those who do not have the ships themselves. Moreover, they would seek to eliminate those who already have them. Asura would become a target. We believe that, while they are a great asset, this is perhaps one beast that should remain caged indefinitely, until we truly need it."
"Mm," Ariel murmured, holding a hand over her mouth as she chewed.
Hilda laughed, shaking her head. "That won't happen."
"Madame, this is no laughing matter. We're talking about war—"
"It really is," the redhead grinned. "In order for any of that to take place, one would first have to go through my son. That's simply not going to happen. The number of people who may possibly be capable of such a feat can be counted on both hands." Leaning forward, her grin turned a bit devious. "I'm sure your concerns have nothing to do with the fact that, should Rudeus move forward with his plans of taking over shipping for the country, some of your acquaintances will find themselves unable to compete and soon looking for new employment. I don't believe the Redbat family would stoop to accepting bribes."
"Certainly not," Dennis frowned.
At that moment, four of the merchants stood and stormed off. Ariel sighed, looking over the rest, but Hilda beat her to the punch. "And I'm equally sure that those of you who have historically supplied the army with materiel wouldn't be using these fears to ensure that the army isn't rendered obsolete, thus cutting off that source of revenue. I'm certain that none of you upstanding gentlemen actually intended to cripple the kingdom in order ensure continued financial gain for your families. Because that would be treason. If the crown were to look into your records and business dealings, we wouldn't find anything along those lines, would we?"
Several of the nobles went red in the face before storming away after their merchant compatriots. Ariel reached up and rubbed at her forehead. "Sprite?"
The rest of the men at the table flinched as the spirit materialized at Ariel's elbow. "Yes?"
"Is this something I need to worry about, in an official capacity?"
"Mm, yes," Sprite nodded. "Count Redbat and those remaining weren't privy to that conversation, before they were approached and wrangled into this attempt at persuading you to put a stop to it. And Hilda is right. Those are exactly the reasons they suggested it."
"Well, we expected pushback," Ariel murmured. "Watch them a little closer from now on."
"Will do."
"I assure you, your highness, we didn't know—" one of the nobles began, and Ariel waved to silence him.
"No, it's fine. I understand that you all came to me out of a sense of duty. However, I assure you, no one in the world understands better than I just how important and dangerous the airships are, aside from my fiance and his first wife. Every precaution has been taken to ensure they do not fall into enemy hands. I am well aware of the impact they will have on our economy and military, and for certain nobles and merchants in particular. In fact, I think it is you who fail to grasp just how far-reaching this change will be.
"When my fiance takes over the shipping and commercial travel industries, and he will, every traditional land-bound and ocean-going freight company is going to collapse within months. Those nations that are dependent upon sea trade for much of their income, either directly or through taxation, are going to take a massive hit. Biheiriru, Neris, Shirone, Kikka, Sanakia, Milis—we are going to make many enemies in the coming years, just from taking over global trade. Luckily, we will also have," a smile pulled at Ariel's lips, "aerial superiority. The army isn't going to be obsoleted. Improved upon and the current stock of soldiers eventually cycled out and replaced with new soldiers with better training, certainly. But there will always be a need for troops, and those troops will always need food and supplies."
She paused to wet her throat before continuing. "However, if you think the airships are the greatest change my husband-to-be will bring about, then you weren't paying attention to what was taking place in Roa immediately before the Fittoa disaster. In the few short years Rudy was there, Roa surpassed Ars in income and tax revenue. Now that he's back, and Roa has been rebuilt, it's not going to take him long to get things back on track."
"If Roa hadn't been destroyed, I imagine the king would have moved the capital eventually," Hilda supplied. "My Rudeus is a wonder. A brilliant man."
Ariel turned a teasing smile on Hilda. "Oh? He's your Rudy now?"
"Yes," Hilda nodded firmly. "He is my son in all but blood."
"Zenith is going to be annoyed that she has competition."
"It'll do her good," Hilda murmured. "With everything going on with Paul…"
One of the nobles still at the table coughed politely, before interjecting. "There were some rumors going around about an altercation between young Rudeus and his father?"
Ariel resisted the urge to sigh, but only barely. "Then allow me to clear those up. When Paul Greyrat arrives, he will be arrested and stand trial for the attempted murder of the queen's betrothed."
Those present winced. It was attempted regicide, even if he wasn't married to her yet. "Have you reached a decision on what to do about the situation?"
"I have. But this is hardly the place for that conversation. This is a wedding, after all," she smiled, but it was strained.
Rescue came in the familiar form of the red haired, curvy maid, Lilia. "Your highness," she bowed. "Your bath has been drawn."
"Thank you, Lilia," Ariel beamed a smile up at the woman. Finishing off her wine, she stood and curtsied to the men at the table. "Gentlemen, I big you goodnight."
Hilda followed along as Lilia led Ariel away, while Sprite's avatar disappeared. As soon as they were in the hallway and out of earshot, Ariel slumped. "Lilia, thank you for the save."
"You are welcome, highness."
"Ariel," the blonde corrected. "Say, why don't we take a bath together and catch up? We haven't really had time to talk." She turned to Hilda and added, "You're welcome to join."
"I believe I will," Hilda smiled.
"Likewise. It would be nice," Lilia murmured.
They went upstairs and entered one of the larger private baths. "So," Ariel began, "how far along are you, Lilia?"
The redhead reached down and rubbed her belly. "Not very."
"Congratulations. Have you given any thought to names?" Hilda asked.
The maid smiled as she slipped into the bath. "I'll ask master Rudeus when the child is born."
"You really should have made a decision long before now."
"Don't scold me, I've been busy."
"I will scold you, because you are deserving of being scolded."
"Mm. But don't scold her too hard in public, or she'll make a scene."
Ariel blushed. "Sylphie, please don't go telling my secrets."
"Why not? We're all going to be sisters after tomorrow anyway."
"Let me rephrase. Don't go telling my secrets in public!"
The white haired girl rolled her eyes. "No one can hear us."
Roxy looked at the hologram version of Ariel in the wedding dress on the dummy in front of them, before looking at the real Ariel. "I don't like it."
"Agreed," Ariel sighed. "Let's go."
They had been at this for a while now and so far, nothing really spoke to her. Back on Earth, before she and Rudy had been isekai'd, Nanahoshi Shizuka had dreamed girlish dreams of being married in a pretty traditional kimono—either white, or something patterned.
"It might be better if we regroup with the others and put our heads together," Roxy mused as they walked towards the palace.
"Does it really need to follow whatever style is current?" Sylphie asked. "Simple is good."
"As the queen, she's supposed to show off," Roxy shook her head.
"You know what Eris would say."
"Mm. Waste of time. She would complain, but she'd do it anyway. She did for her own wedding."
As the pair talked, Ariel's mind kept going back to that thought. Why can't I? I'm the queen. If anything, I set the trends. Sprite already agreed to make a dress, so we'd just need materials…
"Sprite?" she asked, and a moment later the spirit's hologram joined them, walking backwards ahead of them. "Do you have silk?"
"I have lots," she smiled. "We gathered it from the Great Forest on our way back. Very high quality. It's what I made everyone's under layer for their dresses from. Along with undergarments, robes, and a few other things. Why do you ask?"
"I might have an idea." Roxy and Sylphie perked up at that, but when they asked, Ariel simply smiled. "Can you do me a favor? Ask Rudy what he thinks of a formal kimono."
Roxy raised an eyebrow. "That sounds familiar," she murmured, while Sylphie just looked confused.
A moment later, Sprite giggled. "He said to call you a traditionalist otaku—"
"I am not~!" Ariel pouted.
"And that he would look awful in one. But if you wanted to do it, he was okay with it. As long as he didn't have to wear one."
Ariel's pout abated. "Hm. He could wear a suit. No one's going to know the difference," she mused. "Alright. Here's what I'm thinking…"
"You look good," Rudy smiled at her as they swayed together on the dance floor of the imperial ballroom, while a full band played for them. Surprisingly—though she supposed she shouldn't be at this point—Rudy could dance. And dance well at that.
"Thank you," Ariel smiled at him. He was wearing lifts in his boots and she was wearing flat shoes for this, so the height difference wasn't actually as obvious as it was usually. I should probably enjoy being bigger while it lasts. Eventually, he's going to dwarf me if what Zenith said about his father is anything to go by.
"Even if you are a traditionalist otaku."
"I will hurt you," Ariel smiled, squeezing him just a little tighter than necessary.
"You can try," the cheeky brat grinned. "Didn't work out too well for the last guy."
No, it's not fair to call him a brat when we're married now.
"I still can't believe someone actually tried something at our wedding," she murmured.
One of the nobles—actually, one of those who had been in the group she had talked to at Eris's wedding—had stormed up to the platform she, Rudy, and Pope Harry were standing on before drawing his sword and attempting to kill her. Sprite had let them know about it long before he even made it into the venue and Rudy had quietly told her to let him go through with it. Ariel agreed. A message needed to be sent.
The man, whose name she didn't care to recall at the moment, had made it almost close enough to strike before she and Rudy took care of it—fire and lightning drowning him in magic and leaving nothing behind but a blackened spot on the ground. Pope Harry had carried right on with the ceremony after that, without skipping a beat. Ariel was pretty sure it had finally sunk in for them, then—that there would be no getting rid of her or Rudy. At least, she hoped it had.
"I can. I kind of expect to see more of the same in the coming days. At least, until Sprite weeds them out. They can't hide forever."
"Mm," she nodded. The song came to a close and they slowed to a stop, before another song started and others began making their way onto the ballroom floor. She took that moment to kiss him again, sighing quietly as his strong arms squeezed her tightly and his lips brushed her own.
"Rudy?" she asked, breaking the kiss and resting her forehead against his.
"Yeah?"
"Tell me I'm pretty and take me to bed."
"You're a beautiful woman, Ariel. Wife." He shifted his head, moving in and brushing his lips against her ear, and a shiver ran down her back. "Shizuka."
"Mmf~."
Stepping away, he took her hands and pulled her off the dance floor, over to the side where Roxy and Sylphie were waiting. "Ariel wants to call it an early night."
"Aww," Sylphie pouted, and Ariel knew whatever Sylphie said next, she was going to capitulate on. "I wanted to dance at least once!"
"It's fine—" Roxy began, only for Ariel to cut her off.
"No, she's right. You two go enjoy yourselves with our husband. I've waited this long. I can wait a little longer."
"Yay!" Sylphie giggled, grabbing Rudy by the hands and pulling him onto the floor.
Roxy, meanwhile, led her to one of the long tables covered in finger food and glasses and bottles of wine. The bluenette poured them both a small glass of something fruity as they picked out food. "It's a shame that Eris couldn't be here," Ariel said, before biting into her miniature sandwich and covering her mouth to chew.
"You know how she is," Roxy rolled her eyes. "I suspect she'll be back in a few months, then be off again as soon as she's ready."
"In a few months…?"
Roxy smirked. "I'm almost certain that Rudy knocked her up. He was a bit angry that she left without saying goodbye."
Ariel snorted, before looking around to make sure no one had heard it. "Ah, yes. She pissed him off so he knocked her up. Makes perfect sense."
The blue-haired Migurd smiled. "The way their relationship works? Yes."
"Where's Zenith?" Ariel asked, looking around.
Roxy winced, and Ariel had her answer. The same place she was for the last three weddings. "Therese and Lilia took her aside. They're on the Sylphie now, heading home."
Ariel sighed. "Where's Paul?"
"On the boat between East and West Port."
"Did she call him?"
Roxy shook her head. "She's refused to make contact since…"
Since Sprite showed her the evidence of Paul's numerousdalliances over the years. "So she's seeing her son get married and it's a reminder that she can't go back to the happy family she had before."
Roxy nodded. "Yes. Though… I think she's starting to realize that she never had it to begin with. Even the time we all shared together, when I was teaching Rudy and Sylphie. I should have suspected something, given the neighbor's actions and the way he valued her word above that of his own son."
"Not your fault. Everyone I've spoken to agrees that Paul is charismatic and friendly. The women all say he's a handsome rogue." Ariel shot Roxy a knowing look and the Migurd blushed. "Rudy told me how he found you in the hallway—"
"One time! It was one time," Roxy hissed. Waving her hand, she put up a bubble around them to silence their conversation. "I was a virgin and had never even seen a man or another woman aside from my mother naked before then! And there were Paul and Zenith, every night, without fail and something… awakened within me." Biting her lip, she looked towards the dance floor, where Rudy and Sylphie were kissing. "I'm glad Rudy found me when he did. Paul was nice to look at, yes. But Rudy is everything I want in a man."
The song ended and Ariel watched as Sylphie and Rudy approached, the part-elf happily pressed into his side. Roxy dropped the bubble around them and sent their husband a smile. "Rudy, I would like a turn before we leave."
"Sure, let me grab a bite and I'll go spin you around."
Ariel and Sylphie sat together, leaning against each other as Rudy and Roxy had their dance. Eventually, they all left the ballroom and made their way out to her favorite garden, where they were pulled into the air. Ariel turned and got a look at the ship named after her, a smile pulling at her lips as they were brought inside and the ship pulled away—heading for Roa.
Home. Because this place isn't, anymore. She was again glad she had made the decision to live in Roa with the others and use holograms to work in Ars.
Sylphie giggled as the group of four made their way to the master bedroom. "…and if you bite the inside of her thigh just right, she'll—"
"Sylphie," Rudy laughed, reaching out and pulling the girl into a hug as they walked. "Shush. Leave me some surprises here, would you?"
"Yes, please," Ariel begged, though she had to admit that this teasing, playful side of Sylphie was endearing. One of many things she liked about her… Sister? Wife? Sister-wife? Friend and lover, certainly.
"You say that as though you aren't going to blatantly cheat with magic," Roxy huffed, looking distinctly… pouty for some reason.
"Of course I'm going to blatantly cheat with magic," Rudy nodded as they entered the room and began undressing. Ariel made to take off her kimono, but a look from Rudy stopped her. "If I don't get to unwrap that present, I will be very annoyed."
Ariel giggled as Sylphie and Roxy began to help each other undress. "Very well, husband. Come unwrap your wife."
"Impatient," he accused, kicking off his boots.
"Yes! I've waited, by my count, over thirty years!"
Roxy raised and eyebrow before turning the covers back and slipping onto the bed, followed by Sylphie. "It's easy to forget that you two come from the same place. You act nothing alike, most of the time."
"But they compliment each other! Rudy is very forward and Ariel is subdued, when she's in private and not playing the 'degenerate princess' role," Sylphie smiled.
"Difference in cultures," Rudy explained as he got down to his boxers and placed the carefully folded clothes on a chair. "Japanese people are very polite and subdued."
"Whereas Americans are typically like a bull in a China shop, rampaging through without a care for what they break," Ariel accused, sending her husband a playful, teasing look.
"Guilty as charged," he admitted with a grin that would have made Ariel's panties wet… if she were wearing any. Traditionally, one didn't wear panties with a kimono, however.
"You never did tell me," Ariel murmured as Rudy's hands began working at the ties to the first of Ariel's three layers worth of kimono. "Why were you in Japan, anyway?"
Rudy's green eyes met her blue for a moment as he looked up and grinned. "You're gonna laugh and think it's stupid."
"Probably," she agreed.
"I know the answer to this one," Roxy giggled, and Ariel raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Tell us!" Sylphie sat up, her naked body pressed into Roxy's in a display of lewd womanly flesh that Ariel wanted to dive face first into…
"Well, the truth is, I was there to pick up JKs."
Ariel snorted. "To borrow a phrase, bullshit."
"No, that's what he told me, too," Roxy sent her a mischievous grin. "Sightseeing and picking up JKs."
"You're an ass," Ariel accused, rolling her eyes.
"What's a JK?"
The three of them looked to Sylphie, before Rudy answered. "Not it!"
"Not it!" Roxy echoed immediately.
Ariel blinked. "What? No, wait! How did she know to—" she pointed to Roxy, who grinned.
"Eris would've beat me to it," Rudy shrugged, getting the second layer off of her. "They learn fast."
"I'm waiting~," Sylphie teased.
"I hate you so much," Ariel glared down at Rudy, who pulled open her kimono, exposing her pale flesh to the cool air of the room.
"Don't worry, when I get done putting hearts in your eyes, you're going to love me. You'll wonder how you ever lived without me."
"A bold claim, husband. But can you back it up?"
"Let's find out, wife."