The rest of the day was spent with her brother. The little kid was…refreshing. The five-year oldness of him put her at ease after being embroiled with politics.

Was this why people had children? So that they could experience this level of cuteness and joy? The horror stories she had read on the internet seemed less true now. There was a simplicity to the kid, a lack of schemes.

… But it had just been half a day, and she had a huge staff to take care of him. Perhaps it would be more irritating if she had to actually deal with him when he was an irritating baby. Not that there was much of a chance for that.

The Diery family was still rich five years ago. There might not be enough servants to take care of this huge palace that covered dozens of kilometers at least, but taking care of babies wasn’t a problem.

Althea plopped onto her bed, asleep before she could even think of the events of the day, and glad for it.

The morning greeted her with Mira shaking her, looking desperate. Althea was alert the second she saw Mira's state.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Th-the Emperor is here." Mira said.

"Oh." Althea mumbled." Oh."

The Emperor was here. In the freaking morning. Wait a second.

"What time is it?" she asked, looking at the still dark sky.

"Five hours, your grace. The Emperor is waiting in the dining hall-" Mira replied.

"I will get ready and meet him, serve him some food till then." Althea said, heading towards her wardrobe.

Fifteen minutes of intense struggle and quick choices later, she was sitting in front of the Emperor of Sorelia. Watching him eat a cake as if it was the only thing in the world. Steward Ga was smirking behind him, a far too knowing look in the eyes.

So, this was the Emperor's weakness? Chocolate cake? Hmm, speaking of chocolate, she hadn't eaten that since she came to this world. Now she wanted some.

Althea looked at Steward Ga pleadingly, only for the Steward to roll his eyes and have a maid bring another cake to her. The Emperor raised his head, looking at the cake in jealousy, but thankfully not saying anything. Was this guy really the Emperor? Why did the Empress seem more regal than him?

The next few minutes were spent in silence as Althea enjoyed the cake. The flavor was more coffee than chocolate, but she liked it even more for that. A good cake was a good cake. And coffee was an excellent flavor to begin with. As Countess, she deemed it so.

That was a joke.

The Emperor looked up, looking at her still unfinished cake and then at his own empty plate. Althea wondered if he was going to ask for a part of her cake. But thankfully, he wasn't shameless enough to do that.

"There has indeed been an increase in the mana concentration in the county." the Emperor said, his eyes still looking at the cake. Althea looked at the Steward who just shook his head. So they were out of cake. How nice.

"Why do you think that is, your majesty?" she asked.

"The obvious answer is a beast horde. But I cannot rule out anything else. The effect of your trait is obvious, not to mention your new class." the Emperor said. "Do you know the history of the Empire?"

"A bit." Althea said.

The Emperor nodded. "What I am talking about is the events of five thousand years ago. The human civilization was in its peak, and there were twenty-nine clans that ruled the human race. The Grandmaster clans. The authors of the greatest manuals humanity ever wrote. The people on whose legacy we still rely."

A history lesson? Althea tilted her head. Why the heck did she have a history lesson right now? That was not what she wanted. But she was the Countess.

"The Deiry family was one of them. The Druids of Soleria." the Emperor said. "The Druid class is the longest running hereditary class that we know of. The class' power is literally the stuff of legends, Countess.

I do not mean to give lecture you on history, but the class changing is not a small event. The Druid class affects the surrounding land. A Druid is truly one with the land around them. And I cannot help but think that the Arcane bit may be having an effect." the Emperor said.

Now Althea was confused.

"Do classes really have that much of an effect? I thought they just gave traits." she said.

The Emperor actually laughed at that. "I apologize, it is just that…to think a Druid would ask this. But I suppose information has been suppressed for quite a while." The Emperor actually looked upset about that. Althea wondered why the Emperor wouldn’t just fix it. After all, he was the Emperor.

The Emperor then turned serious. "A class is not just for show, it is a part of you. The class influences you, and those around you. A class influences how mana reacts to you. And you influence a class. Two Soldiers could have vastly different powers and effects based on who they are.

If one were to contemplate it, the person influences the class more than the class influences the person, but do not underestimate a class' influence. There is more, so much more than even I know. The path of cultivation is long, Countess, and not every path must be traveled. But that does not mean the paths are weak."

The Emperor stared at her, and Althea felt like he was giving her a warning. So she just stared back. What warning are you giving, your majesty? Could you please spell it out? The talk she had with her brother yesterday had relaxed something within her. The sleep had been peaceful. And she felt much more playful today.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

But this was just irritating. Why did people insist on talking in riddles and subtext instead of speaking up? What were they so afraid of? Why were there so many secrets?

The Emperor gave a weary grin. "But I deviate from the topic. There are a number of factors acting here, and I doubt anyone is entirely responsible for this. I would prepare for a beast tide either way, it would certainly be helpful." The Emperor stood up.

"And remember, Mana calls to mana. The more you spend, the more shall answer your call. And it is in war that most breakthroughs and the greatest acts of magic happen.”

The Emperor disappeared from view, his bracelet letting out a purple glow to cover him. A teleportation bracelet? How interesting. Althea wondered But his words kept revolving in her head. The sentences lined up.

Mana answered mana. The more you spent, the more mana came. And war was where mana was spent en-masse. And there was a war on the horizon. There already was a lot of mana here, but there was sure to be more. And that meant, the county was going to have a lot of breakthroughs in the future.

Althea stood up, heading to her study, her fun-filled mood disappearing. There was trouble on the horizon. But there was also hope. If she could cross this hurdle, then perhaps that long term goal of hers was not too far away. After all, this little county had been a major power before. Why not again?

sc

Two men stood in a darkened hall, their silhouettes barely visible in the candlelight. But neither seemed to have any problem seeing in the dim light.

"There is a problem, your majesty." one said, bowing.

"What is it, Serel?" the answer, gruff and regal came.

"The Diery county is harder to deal with than we thought. That Empress protects her niece too well, and now that she is broken through..." Serel answered, still bowing.

"What a troublesome woman, I should have killed her when she was still young." the regal voice said. "The Countess will have to be dealt with. The Diery family is too good at spoiling my plans. Go to the Princess of the Zun Empire and that Duke Zerolian. Tell them about what lies in the forests of Diery. The two should kill that overreaching ant for us."

Serel bowed, backing away without turning his back to the regal sounding-man. A few seconds later, he teleported away through a strange looking gate, leaving the man alone.

A strange atmosphere permeated the air as the man looked at the walls, thinking back to events that perhaps no human alive had witnessed.

"When humanity falls in need, look towards the tree of silver. In broken darkness or blinding glory, the Druids of Soleria will come to your aid." The man mumbled,, the words reverberating through the hall and then scoffed.

"Not even a tree grows in your precious grove, Nerlen. The words you speak are truly flattering, but what use are they if you can't back them up? Can that plant stand the test of mana? Just watch as I destroy your family. And this time, I will not fail."

A blinding light appeared in the space, as if to burn space itself. A few seconds later, neither man nor hallway were left. Just the waves of a vast ocean.

sc

Althea stood before the crowd of victims, trying to frame what she was about to say. The people before her were injured, not just physically but to their very core. The trauma they had suffered was immense. But they were also powerful.

The ten year old girl was one thing, but there were people here with some very strong powers. Althea could not, in good conscience, let them go with the minimal control they had.

"Hello." she began. The crowd just stared at her with unnerving intensity.

"Do you know why you are here?" she asked.

"Nathan told us." A merman said, sitting on a chair, dabbing his tail in a pool of water. Althea did not know if he was a full merman or not, and it seemed rude to ask. But that had to be uncomfortable. How did he get around?

"What do you intend with us?" the same merman asked. So he was the leader?

"I intend to help you control your power so that you can live the rest of your lives in peace." she replied. Even without talking to Nathan, she knew what their worry was. The Fae only kept those useful to them around. The rest died very quickly. The victims were afraid that she wanted to make an army of them.

"I do not intend to recruit any of you into the army, if that is your worry." she said.

"Like you didn't recruit Nathan and Vanessa? How can we trust you when you’ve already started recruiting?" a girl with white eyes and hair asked.

"I made Nathan and Vanessa an offer, one they could refuse." she said. "And that was before I knew what they had experienced."

"I guarantee that you will not be in need of food, clothing or housing even if you do not work the rest of your life. The county will provide it." Althea said. "If you wish you can leave with the half-Elves to their island when the time comes."

Althea looked at the merman. "For some of you, it may be preferable."

"Are we not allowed to leave before that?" another asked. Althea had trouble concentrating on him, light seemed to fluctuate around him, making his image blurry. What species was he? The sheer versatility was fascinating

"Of course you can, this is not a prison. As long as you can show that you are able to control your powers, you can leave right now." she said.

"I don't really have any powers other than my tail." the merman stated. "If I wanted to go to a river and swim in the sea, then would you let me? How do you verify anyway?"

Althea doubted he was that weak. The [Acceptor] skill had buffed her mana perception. And she could already sense mana's emotion. The water mana clung to the merman like he was its prince, eager to follow him.

"If you wish." she replied. "Just inform me before you leave. As for verification...it is clear even who can control their powers and who can't. I will have someone bring you a map of the rivers if you want, though I would recommend waiting till a merchant can take you. The roads are not safe. The rivers even less so."

"I see." the merman said, sounding doubtful. Althea decided to have a little demonstration. Mana answered her call as her eyes roamed through the crowd.

"If you were to ask me who had the worst control, that would be...you, you and you." she said, pointing at three individuals in the back. The three were young, perhaps in their preteens. But it was hard to tell, there was a lot of malnutrition going around.

"Wh-why do you say that?" he asked as his hair began to burn.

"The burning hair aside, mana is far too excitable around you." she said, calling on the fire mana to calm down. The fire went away, leaving behind a shaved head. "I can help you with that. As long as you can understand the mana you connect with, you can communicate with it. And with communication, you can control it."

"So I won't have to grow hair again?" the kid said, looking up as the hair grew again at a visible speed. Just a different color this time. What was he? Althea sensed Fae, and something else. Not human or Elf. Or any species she had met?

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

The victims began whispering to each other, Nathan and Vanessa standing awkwardly, unsure what to do.

"I think we will just have to get back to you at a later time, your grace." the merman said as someone levitated him up. Althea just realized that he hadn't been calling her 'your grace' this entire time. Well, she wasn’t going to enforce noble etiquette now.

"Please, take your time." Althea said, giving a slight smile as she left. This thing wouldn't get over anytime soon. There was a massive lack of trust. After decades of being used and abused...they were scared. And they had every right to be.

Althea had seen the powers they showed, and she couldn't say some other noble wouldn't jump at the chance to make them their pet soldiers if they had a chance. Perhaps she should be more careful letting them travel around.