During history class I ask something to which the dissatisfaction of my previously ‘known’ answer has been growing the more I learn.

“Why did the empire invade Caethlon anyways?”

Alan raises his eyebrow. “You don’t know? I thought you would be more familiar than just about anyone over here.”

I shake my head. “I heard the explanation about harbouring ships accused of pirating Arkothan merchants, but that doesn’t make sense to me. What sovereign kingdom would accept dictations to treat people who haven’t harmed their subjects as criminals without any evidence or even compensation? Accepting that demand would have damaged our trade and they didn’t really try diplomacy. It really just seems like an excuse rather than an actual cause.”

He smiles approvingly. “It’s good you’re thinking critically about this. The short answer is because we could. The long answer is twofold and could describe the empire’s entire foreign policy. The first part has to do with the empress’s position among the myriad cults. Tell me what you know about that.”

“It’s mortals trying to become gods,” I say in a recital drone. “They find some conceptual or philosophical niche unexploited by established deities and try to gain a following with it. With enough people following their teachings they can gain power over reality and even ascend into godhood. However most don’t ever gain more power than what they could get from basic magic, and only a handful are known to have actually ascended throughout history. It’s unknown whether all gods are ascended mortals or if just some are.

“This is relevant to the empress because all monarchs have a place among the myriad cults, since the laws of their lands flow from them and counts as divine influence. They share this influence with several general gods of law, civilization and order, but it is typically enough to grant them demigod status. The more people following the laws and the more loyal they are, the more power the monarch personally gets. Therefore, the incentive to expand.

“However, I don’t really understand. No known monarch has ever ascended into godhood, so presumably conquest isn’t enough for that, at least without being unprecedently successful at it. Having a more powerful sovereign might be good inherently, but not if it undermines the stability of the land they rule, and naked expansion will make enemies and hurt the empire in the long term.”

He nods. “That’s true, however one thing you are neglecting is that we may currently have more territory than any recorded empire, as such the empress has already gained significant power as manifested by her ever decreasing rate of aging. She’s in her 80s but is physically in her twenties. There is mortal magic that could extend her life in a similar way, but it’s clear she isn’t using it from various factors.

“Even if she can’t truly become a god with conquest, she can become the next best thing: immortal. With immortality she might even eventually become a true god. It’s the main reason I started supporting your group. That and a familial connection to your homeland.”

“But why would you object? Wouldn’t an immortal monarch grant the empire stability as it would prevent heirs from fighting over the throne?”

“Maybe.” He shrugs. “But I fear it would stagnate art.”

“Art?”

“Yes. I believe that monarchs exert influence downward onto the art that a society creates. If a monarch never changes then I fear art will change less too. You can see it in the art of some older traditionalist civilizations that we conquered whose styles seem to have not changed for centuries or even millennia. For me, living in a society like that would be misery.”

“…I still don’t see why that would motivate you to treason,” I say.

“It’s not treason. I did what I did for the empire.”

I scoff. “You acted with the goal of your monarch’s death. How is that not treason?”

“… I suppose that interpretation is technically accurate. Though typically treason plots are more direct in fulfilling that goal. But even phrased like that I view art as being more important.”

I sigh, feeling forced to treat his statement earnestly. “…I guess art hasn’t really been part of my life until now. The paintings and sculptures you decorate your home with are nice, but no nicer than soaking in a hot bath or sleeping in a soft bed. They’re not something worth fighting for, at least not for me.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you really looking at them. To you they’re just a detail that signals luxury, not something to evoke emotion in their own right. I’ll put some of my favourite pieces in that bathroom you love so much. Maybe you’ll actually find time to look at them in there… You know it wouldn’t be a horrible idea to teach you how to paint. Who knows, maybe it will help with your… itching.”

“I hardly have time with preparing for the exam.”

“It wouldn’t be unrelated. There’s an option to submit a piece of art. It’s one of the few ways to earn points before the exam starts. I was actually asked to judge submissions, though I’d have to recuse myself for any piece you submit. At the very least though I could tell you if what you have is good enough for points.”

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“…What was the other reason for the invasion?” I say, feeling awkward for some reason about the prospect of me creating art and wanting to delay thinking about it… Maybe it’s because I associate expensive art with dead nobles.

“Oh, it’s because of our tumultuous relationship with Hyclion, specifically the war we fought with them thirty years ago, as does just about every diplomatic action we’ve taken since. It wasn’t our first war with them, but the previous one had been fifty years before and they had doubled in size since then to become our biggest rival, which meant we were somewhat unprepared for the intensity of it.

“The war was bloody but short, lasting less than a year, and ending in a draw when both armies outmanoeuvred each other and positioned themselves to inflict more damage on the opposing home territories than either side was willing to suffer. Both sides have been preparing for another war ever since.

“A major aspect of that war which we are now preparing against a repetition of was the chaotic involvement of small allied kingdoms that made the whole situation too erratic to know who was winning. As such for the last thirty years we have been manoeuvring potential allied states into our favour. Forming friendly bonds when we can or conquering defenceless kingdoms when we can’t.

“Caethlon was positioned to be a major problem for us should war break out with Hyclion. They were the biggest kingdom in the region, and being on the opposite end of the empire from the centre of any conflict meant we would struggle to respond if they decided to take advantage of the fighting to attack us. In fact, they had threatened to do just that during the last war, but it ended before they committed to acting.

“Hyclion knew this and was attempting to form better relations with Caethlon. They would have opposed our expansion, but suddenly we were able to perform what you might call a ‘diplomatic coup’ and for a brief time manoeuvred Hyclion into having a highly unfavourable position should they declare war on us. Friends of mine who move in those circles say the ministers in charge acted almost compelled to push for war with Caethlon, that they were afraid to let the opportunity slip.

“So, they fabricated a flimsy narrative to justify it to any other kingdom that might want to intervene and put other pressures on those who didn’t buy it. I suppose they also wouldn’t have minded if war broke out with Hyclion, given how disadvantaged they would have been.”

I say, “But if Hyclion was looking for an advantage against Arkothia, why didn’t they intervene during the insurgency? You said they were only briefly disadvantaged, and surely the damage we were causing would have helped them.”

“Yes, but by the time they could act Caethlon’s ability to attack us was already neutralized. The damage you were causing was significant, but far less than what you could have inflicted on us if your army was still intact and could march on our territory. As things were, it would hardly be a distraction in comparison to war with them.

“The insurgency could be staved off with little more troop investment than would be left in the area if it was peaceful. Even if the insurgents were wildly more successful than estimated we could have just withdrawn to the former border and defended the old fortifications, and then come back after we had dealt with Hyclion.

“Also, you have to understand that while Hyclion is the closest nation to be capable of fighting us on an equal basis, it is still smaller and weaker than us. We drew with them last time because we realized we would have lost more than the victory was worth, but we probably still would have won. So, they will only ever start something if they believe they have a major advantage or are desperate. The start of the war would have been enough, but they missed the opportunity and so had resigned themselves to sitting things out.”

“Right.” I say, feeling strangely taciturn.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I um, don’t know. I guess it’s a bit much to realize how little effect we had against the empire. We had always hoped for foreign intervention, but I guess that was never going to happen.”

“…Yeah, um, why don’t you take a break and do your bath thing early?”

I feel strangely warm at the suggestion, but reactively push it down. “That’s all right. Let’s just continue. The exam is approaching.”

“It’s fine. I don’t think you need to worry about history. I’ve tutored other kids for the exam, remember? None of them failed the history part, and you’re at least not the worst of them in that regard.”

“…Do you think I’ll get in?”

“Maybe. Your law test will be tight, but overall, I’d say you’re in the range that could pass depending on how your interview goes and what they think of your more individual traits.”

“What problems do you think they might have with me?”

“Besides a low score in a particular area? I really have no idea. I’ve never been a judge before, and I’ll only be involved in the art section which is a very minor part of the exam. There’s no way for me to know what private reservations they may have had with my other students.”

I nod. “…Do you think I’ll be able to fool them?”

“…Yeah, don’t worry about it. You’re supposed to be from an isolated family, so any quirks will just be explained by that… I suppose one thing I’ve noticed is that you have an awkward amount of power. Your strength is especially noticeable. It’s clearly more enhanced than a basic boon, but less than an intermediate. It’s frankly suspicious, so I’ve been thinking about ways to disguise that. You said that regular boons can stack on top of the residual ones? Having a basic boon might put you in the intermediate area, or close enough to fool just about anyone.”

I nod. “Yes, but just about every god that grants strength won’t form a contract with me.” At least if I don’t formally give up Anar, but I see no reason to mention that. “Some of the animal ones would, but those boons are awkward to get, especially the ones who grant strength.”

“Right. What about the merchant lord? His boons aren’t as powerful as others, but they’re the easiest to get. You just have to buy them.”

“Would it be enough to fool people?”

“Maybe? Better than how you are now at least, and we might find a way to supplement it.”

“… I guess I haven’t contracted with other gods besides a few animal lords before. I’m a little hesitant. My contracts have been easy so far, but I guess the merchant’s are just as unrestrictive. I only worry that it might prevent another possibility.”

He nods. “Well, we can make the contract right before the exam anyways. For now, I think you should really go take that bath. You don’t seem yourself.”

I let the warm feeling overtake me and follow his suggestion.

Slipping into the waters I feel my worry over the exam fade away. A few minutes later a servant comes in to swap out paintings– a landscape for a garden party scene. I’ve seen the new painting before and always thought of it as just another one of Alan’s depictions of debauchery, but forcing myself to look I begin feeling something else. A peaceful harmony of forms.

A few minutes later I get bored and go back to studying.