In the morning, it surprised me to see the Valwrecks outside their door waiting for me. They were wearing nice clothes I hadn’t seen before. They were finally becoming secure in their new positions and spending time on their appearances. I also noticed they were carrying totes of mushies.
“We were wondering if we could come with you to the kingdom. Since you took us, we weren’t officially exiled, so traveling there shouldn’t be an issue. We want to visit our old friends and bring some food from the farm for them to try,” Liz said, looking hopeful with the kids.
“And I’ll be there to guide you to the delegation. Guards will be waiting for us at the gate to escort us to the meeting hall. I am not sure how you want to get there,” Highthorn added.
I thought about it for a few moments and considered the risks, but I wasn’t too worried since they had amulets. “Yes, that sounds pretty good, though I only want you to show me to the building, then I want you to escort your family around. I know technically you all have my protection, but I feel safer if you’re with them.”
“Thank you, but how are we going to get there? Last I heard, the train wasn’t open yet.”
“HMMMM, well, are you ready to go?” I said, tapping my chin.
They looked at each other, and all nodded. Since I had their approval, I used a bit of magic. I closed my eyes and visualized the entrance of the kingdom. I used a mass teleportation spell from “The Travelers Journals Part One.” It was a funny spell name because every book in the series had the new “mass” teleportation spell. In a flash, we reappeared right outside the metal doors.
The Valwrecks looked around, heads circling as they gained their bearing. “So cool!” Thon exclaimed.
Not everyone can accept teleportation so quickly. I knocked on the large metal doors, but no one answered.
“I doubt they heard you. They normally have scouts looking for who’s coming up to the door, and we just appeared in front of it.” Highthorn said, helping me understand my mistake.
“Oh,” I said, feeling embarrassed. Now to do this without breaking the door. I made a fist and cast “Bixby’s crushing fist” as I made a knocking gesture at the door. It shook and rattled with a loud BOOM! BOOM BOOM!
I nodded my head in glee, excited I hadn’t broken out. Turning around, I saw Liz and Highthorn laughing. “What’s so funny?”
“HAHA, they probably think they’re under attack,” Liz said, unable to contain herself.
Small slits opened with guns pointed through. Their faces were terrified. Once they saw me, they put the guns back immediately. The doors opened with guards looking at us, confused and unsure of what to do.
“I’m Lady Astrid, and I’m here for my meeting with the nobility.”
A female guard stepped forward. “Yes, we apologize. We didn’t see your car coming.”
“Well, I teleported here. It felt rude to just barge right in.”
The guard blinked a few times before they turned to the other guardsmen and issued a command. “Go get the reserve car immediately so our honored guest may relax.” Two guards took off immediately. “Your ride will arrive shortly.”
“Thank you.” I said, then turning to the Valwrecks. “We can split up here if you’d like. Just tap your amulet to get in contact with me.” It was definitely better to keep them together.
“If you’re sure, then that would make it easy for us since we lived nearby here,” Liz said, looking at her husband, who nodded in agreement.
A sleek lava orange car arrived to pick me up. I waved goodbye to the Valwrecks and hopped onto the cushy seats. I really need to get one of these. As we headed from the commoner section to the nobles, this vehicle attracted less attention than the last time I came through. The colors must have a different meaning for the people.
We went to a large ornate stone building with portcullises leading to a set of dark wooden double doors. The building looked higher quality than the Royal mansion. If this was a place for foreign delegates, then I understood why they would want to look good.
The female guard opened the door for me. “They are awaiting your presence inside. Would you like me to escort you?”
“No, thank you,” I said, heading off toward the building. I didn’t need a guard, but I should’ve brought Firth. It slipped my mind with all the rush work and planning going on. If I needed to, I could always force teleport him to me. I’m sure he’ll understand, as long as I warn him before I did it.
I sent him a mental spell message, “Hey, it’s Astrid. I went to the delegations on my own. Please be dressed at all times in case I need to teleport you over, there won’t be an awkward situation.” That was a good warning message. I had read funny stories of heroes caught with no pants on when their kings summoned them.
A guard at the door led me through a long hallway to a large set of double doors. He pushed them open and announced my entrance. “Lady Astrid of Astraville favored goddess of the people.”
At first, I wanted to lecture him about my given title. Still, my stomach was already dropping at the side of the room full of over two hundred people in stands.
They all went quiet and stared at me. My mind shuttered, and I couldn’t figure out what to say. I really wish I had brought Highthorn or Firth. My chest tightened up, but I managed not to clench my fists, which may have been misconstrued.
Maintain regal elegance, just maintain regal elegance. These people don’t matter. Only Astraville and your books do. I was so flustered I couldn’t figure out what to say.
“Lady Astrid, I have a seat over here for you.” King Al’Don said, pointing to a chair next to him in the front center of the room. His attempt to save me was appreciated, but that seat put me in front of everyone.
I felt it would be the best spot in the room to make my points heard, so I sat down. So many thoughts were rushing to my head that I wasn’t sure which topic to bring up first. I didn’t know what the formal decorum for this meeting was. Before I came to this meeting, I should have read more books from this era.
King Don nodded to me and handed me a red gem with some inscriptions I hadn’t seen before. The nobles in the room were making me feel even more uneasy as they gawked at us. “This is a voice projector gem. It takes quite a lot of mana to use by design, so that only those with the best bloodlines are able to speak over others. You shouldn’t have a problem with that,” he said, giving me a small smile.
That was very nepotistic, but it also explained why there was no otherkin here. They could probably overpower most people in here with their mana levels. Of course, they wouldn’t want that... “Thank you. How do we go about presenting my case?” I said, taking a chance on him. He had helped the refugees before, so I figured he would be on my side now, and his giving me a tool to succeed only solidified that view.
“I don’t know if we’ll have time to get to all of it, but I will present the things you have asked. Some people will ask you questions, some may verbally attack you, but that is unlikely given who you are. Once all things are settled between you and the questioners will proceed to the next order. Our people have already worked out most of the agreement already, so really, this is just a formality.”
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The way he framed it made me think he didn’t disagree with any of the topics in the deal. He seemed somewhat aloof to it. Maybe he is more on my side than I think. I realized I didn’t know the finer details of the agreement either, which was a lousy oversight on my part.
“Lady Astrid is here to answer your questions. We will start with trade agreements.” For a moment, no one spoke up, then one man stood up. “Is it true that you created the mushie yourself, or is it just something named after you?”
I did not need to lie, so I just told the truth. “Yes and no, they come from an old book. Based on the book’s guidance, I merely used a spell to create my version.”
“Thank you for clearing that up. I am excited to try what you have created,” he replied, sitting back down.
That hadn’t been bad better than all. There was a possibility everything would go smoothly.
An older woman in an elegant turquoise gown spoke up. “I heard you are bringing stories of heroism over. Are there any that have romance in them? I write some of my own and would like to see how my writing compares to the distant past. “
Another writer! I would have to remember her face and meet with her again. “Yes, there will be romantic aspects to some stories” after she nodded, it seemed like no one else was going to stand up.
“Does anyone else have any objections to the current trade agreement?” King Al’Don asked, giving people a few moments before speaking again. “If that is all, then we should move on to the next topic.”
That went a lot easier than I thought it would! My chest loosened up when things had gone so smoothly.
Don gave me a smile and nod before starting the next topic. “All right, we are opening up the discussion on recognizing Astraville formally as a kingdom.”
My chest immediately seized up again. I knew this would be contentious. Can I do this? Can I call for a break and get Firth?
There was a stir in the room, filled with hushed whispers. People were giving me mixed emotions, everything from curiosity to jealousy.
“I object to this measure. We have provided the refuge with far too many goods to give them up so easily.” A tall slimy man said, squinting at me. He was daring me to engage with his tone.
“Scraps don’t count as goods.” I replied, feeling disgusted at the man’s greed. It was tough to be tactful, but this was the most I could muster.
“We let them exist, and we did send them stuff that is undeniable. We demand taxation for what we provided.”
I felt my blood boil. The scum was trying to use it to claw back what he could. I would remember him and those nodding in agreement for a long time. “They are all people you abandoned and from what I’ve heard, not the best reasons either. They don’t have anything taxable.”
“They have the mushrooms and the books that they’re making.” His eyes gleamed as he grinned like he had a gotcha point.
“Those are my creations and they exist because of me you will not get any taxes except in sales from your own people. If you think I will let you take from the mouths of my people, you are wildly misinformed.”
“We can tax—”
Someone cut in, overpowering his voice with a voice gem. “Who even defends you?”
I whirled around, looking for the voice’s owner to see who was making the vague threat. “I defend my people! If you—”
“You’re just some anomaly cursedkin lover!” shouted gaunt older women, who reminded me of a just-no mother-in-law from romance novels.
My heart beat faster, and my fingers tingletingled from the increased blood flow. I took deep breaths alternating nostrils while exhaling to calm down. This wasn’t a time to blow up. A display of the library should be enough to quell them. “I am Lady Astrid, Head Administrator of the Biblio Eternium,” I said, pouring my mana into the voice gem, causing it to glow brightly as my voice overpowered the entire room. I flicked my hands, and a majestic set of double doors swung open, showing the entrance to the library.
The whispers stopped, and everyone stared, surprised by the sudden appearance of the other dimensional doors and the creatures inside. Some bearbrarians walked by, looking at everyone before going back to moving books around. One stopped and waved to me before going back to their job. They really may be sentient, but why haven’t they contacted me before? I will investigate tonight.
The subtle distraction allowed me time to compose myself. “I don’t know what you call an anomaly, but if you want me to cast some magic in here and show you what I’m capable of. There may not be much left of the kingdom though.”
No one spoke as I stared daggers into those who had rebuked me earlier. Part of me hoped they would dare me to use my magic. I had a few grand magic spells in mind, like using mass polymorph on those who argued with me. Well, at least temporarily, I didn’t want to be a tyrant.
“If any of you attack me or my people considered it an act of war. Know that I have fought and beaten things far scarier than you can imagine inside the dungeon in the library. I have access to a near limitless amount of spells and can cast all of them, including grand magic, with ease.”
That wasn’t exactly true. I had to use quite a lot of the magic for anything grand and above, but it was still more than anyone here could muster, even if they could cast. With the library mana source, I could probably cast anything I wanted for quite a long time.
I gave it a few moments, but no one spoke up, so I closed the entrance to the library. So I don’t need Firth after all!
“The motion has passed Astraville is recognized formally as its own kingdom, as rules are already agreed upon. Let us take a break so that we can proceed with the other matters. We will return in two hours,” King Don proclaimed. He turned to me before speaking. “You did a good job. I never really liked those people. I will have a guard take you to a room where you can take a break.” He signaled someone over.
“Thank you. I want to discuss things with you privately later, though. We may have more in common than I previously thought.”
“Let me know when Lady Astrid. I also wish to discuss how deep this alliance can go.”
That had felt a little weird, but maybe I was misreading him. A masked guard to a private room, they were likely an otherkin. All that social interaction had worn me out. I definitely deserved a treat. Since I felt like I had partially settled, I rewarded myself by reading part of the book Finna had gifted to me. I hopped onto a reading couch, pulling the book out of my dimensional storage.
“The Knight’s Star-Crossed Commoner” I was so excited I could barely contain my joy. I flipped open the cover and dedicated it to me. The words made me feel warm inside as I read them, “Dedicated to Lady Astrid our goddess, and my inspiration.” I was finally about to read a new book from this era.
I flipped to the first page and read “The gallant knight—”
A laser blasted through the book and burnt up in my hands. My shield activated, and the bullet fizzled as someone crashed through the window, firing shots at me.
I threw my hands up and quickly cast ‘Honey’s Sticky Grasp,’ causing him to be rendered immobile. Three more people burst through the door with a wave of my hand. I used ‘Gallanda’s Force Push’ to send them flying back out. Twisting my wrist upwards using ‘Stone Encapsulation’ to seal off the room.
My hands shook as I realized my book was ruined. The first time I get to read and they destroy my book! My heart beat faster as adrenaline pumped through my body. I wasn’t sure what to do.
“WHO ORDERD THIS!” I shouted, my voice booming through the room causing the walls to shake. My mana had poured into my voice sending it piercing through the walls.
They didn’t answer, and I didn’t have time to play games. Forget formality. They destroyed my book! They had lost their rights in my eyes. I cast ‘Memnic’s Memory Manipulation’ and dove into his mind. The spell allowed the user to view the user’s memories to figure out what to change.
Checking their recent memories, I saw he was talking to his bosses, who gave him orders to attack me here. When he turned, I saw Donna giving him instructions about the location of where I would be and the best plan of attack to deal with me. She and I are going to have a reckoning. They used a new type of gem laser that they thought would pierce my shield.
Then the bosses added that a team was going to kidnap the Valwrecks. I scrambled, looking for any memories of them. Just before he broke in through the window, he got the go-ahead command that the Valwrecks had been captured and were being taken to the corporation’s dome. He was to proceed with the second part of the plan.
Pressure built up at the base of my neck. I grit my teeth as my ears rang. I took rapid breaths of memories of reading to Tara and Thon, flashing through my mind. Then memories of my meals with the whole family, Liz and I would have long conversations.
I needed to protect them! I needed to save them! THEY WILL PAY FOR THIS!
The blocks I had on the library mana source came off, and the power flowed through me. My vision went white as the energy and stress took over.