The deaths were painless as I knocked the victims unconscious right after bringing them back to life. It still left a bad taste in my mouth but this time, I was the villain. Or an anti-hero.

Despite my all-lives-high power level this time around, I wasn't free to do as I wished.

My mother and the people under my protection would be in danger if I went on a rampage. I could hide them in my sanctuary and the [Emperor] wouldn't reach them. But what then? Did I have the right to destroy their world? Force them to migrate to Windemere? Turn them into outcasts, migrants on a foreign land? What cruelty that would be. And the Palace staff had family out there. Ena, for example. Her parents would suffer and live in misery if she stopped sending them money.

I could rescue them. Then rescue people important to these. The theory of six degrees of separation told me I would have to rescue most of the Empire's population. Even for a Goddess, that was too much.

Rhiannon wouldn't leave the Empire, I couldn't abandon the Raswaria Quest. Eliminating the Empire's rotten aristocracy and nobility at once was within my reach, but I didn't want to incur the dire consequences of a power vacuum. It would cause wars all over the continent, wars meant conscripted armies, conscription meant youngsters who didn't have a week to acclimate to the System being gang-pressed into fighting. Equipping an army meant even those who wouldn't die for some stupid loaf's glory would pay increased taxes. At the top of my mind, these were the main issues among other problems. A lot of people would suffer if I moved too recklessly.

So much for being a real villain. I was still too conscientious to play that role.

It was the same with the maids and other female servants. I couldn't say I had no choice on the matter. Regardless, everything that ensued being between two consenting adults. If any lies were tossed around, was regarding Mona and me having anything siblings shouldn't. Among the choices I discarded, we had the risk of losing the loyalty of the female staff. Having a night with the [Prince] was that important to them.

Another choice I passed was to brainwash them to believe it happened. That was a patchwork solution that could unravel later on. Mind magic was unnatural and implanted memories would eventually fade. As an example, a whole cabal of mind-benders more skilled in the trade of brainfuckery didn't attempt to subvert the centaurs, instead of assimilating them into the Pekothas Kingdom as a sub-class of citizens.

The lesser of three evils, that's what it was.

But that was water under the bridge. Now that they each had a night with me, I would only be with them if I wanted a specific one. And I would only lay with a noble lady if it was to guarantee her House's undying loyalty. They were dismayed that none got pregnant but that wasn't my problem.

My problem was dealing with the Empire and the rotten zeitgeist that created such twisted customs. I found my hands tied. Metaphorically speaking.

Maybe after I conquer and fortify Raswaria, I could safely ensconce my people in the highlands and then come down upon the Empire to deliver the judgment they so direly deserved.

The [Emperor] had to go. This man was a tough nut to crack, though. He had two full runs through the level cap in the same life. He was level 100 when he took the throne four hundred years ago. He changed Classes to [Emperor] then leveled up his Class all over again. He retained his traits from his previous Class. Basically, he was a level 200 person in all aspects but the number on his Status Sheet. If I had to guess, we were evenly matched despite my greater diversity of Perks. It would come down to a battle of attrition and while I had faith in my ridiculous resource regeneration and survivability, things could go south. maybe the Emperor had a contingency escape plan. If he escapes the fight, where would it end?

And my brothers wouldn't let me take the throne without another fight. I had to take my time and clear the board of all these pesky pieces. Control most of it before I made my final move.

Removing my father from the throne without a massacre required removing his support. Key nobles, my brothers, his elite knights, and his personal guard. Only when he was just a man sitting on a throne and not the ruler of the biggest and most powerful nation in the world I would kill him and seize power for myself.

The reason was evident. I had ten years to rebuild Raswaria, then a bit less than three centuries to prepare for the scheduled fight with the dragon-bitch.

I didn't think I would be stronger, in a future life, than going through the same process my father did. Reach the level cap, reset my Class to a (unique) one, accumulate the benefits of another 100 levels.

Gambling with death and rebirth elsewhere when I had this prize dangling in front of Percival was not the wisest choice.

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The day after the last leveling session, I went to visit Rhiannon.

"How are feeling, mom?" I asked her.

The woman looked almost a decade younger. The increased Endurance and Charisma were the main culprits, with minor influences from Strength, Dexterity for her posture, bearing, and physique, and even Mind, Ego, and soul for her expressions and reactions. She looked livelier.

"Better. Much better," she smiled but then remembered something and frowned a little. "How could you grant so much Exp, my son?"

"I brought several monsters from the expedition, mom. They were in an extradimensional space. I can create parties that share Exp equally. It is a Perk I think will serve me well when I have to field an army to wage war."

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"I am sure it will and I won't pry further into your Traits. I see you gained a few levels. I wish you kept all the Exp for yourself and ranked up instead."

I smiled graciously to show I was pleased by her compliment. "All in due time, mom. I don't think I'll lack Exp after the debutante. But if I am to venture forth and leave you behind, I want to make sure the palace staff can keep you safe."

She looked away and sighed, "Nowhere in the Empire is safe, my son."

She walked to the balcony overlooking the topiary maze. I followed.

She looked up. "First snow is going to fall in two or three weeks. Yet it will become just rain after it crosses this dome of yours. I can't even feel the chill of late Autumn. The Empire tried to enter for months without success. How did you do that, Percival?"

I cast another privacy barrier around us and moved to stand next to her. I grasped her hand.

"Before I answer you, I want to hear you calling me 'daughter' just once," I said as I shifted to the form Mona liked to see.

Her breath caught. She stared at me like she'd seen a ghost. Rhiannon opened her mouth but only the faintest gurgle escaped her throat. She shut it and pressed her lips into a thin line as her gaze hardened. At least she didn't look away. I gave her time.

When she spoke, her voice was a faint scared whisper, "What if people see you?"

I spoke with the confidence a salesman needs to sell ice to Eskimos, "If they can't cross the wall, they won't see me. I have this much confidence in my work, mom. With good reason."

I transformed like this to test her mental resilience. The fact she wasn't breaking down or avoiding me was already a good sign.

Her eyes drifted over my face. "Who are you?"

"I go by many monikers. Of the two children you bore thirteen years ago, I was the second in line. The one Buscalpaun worked his magic on. Please, mom. Grant me this singular request. Call me 'daughter'."

"Will you tell me then?"

"I'll reveal everything after two simple requests, mom. But first, show me you're not ashamed of us. Mona may hide it but I know she's afraid. Afraid you hadn't accepted her in your heart. She's lost, mom. I would be too if I was a normal person."

She wavered. One moment her hand was reaching to touch me, the next it was flying away. "You said Buscalpaun's magic was incomplete. Yet I see Percival, my son, as a fully grown man."

I took a vial of testosterone and showed it to her. "This medicine is taken from the blood of men. It contains the essence of what makes a man a man. How can I explain this... It's something their balls produce. I took the blood of men and refined it. A woman can use this to change her body. It makes muscles grow, a beard sprout, among other things. I started using this at a very young age. Before my breasts could grow and my hips widen. That's how I could avoid female puberty."

She nodded and even cracked a faint smile. "You had the System before anyone noticed. An Emergency Activation? Yes, that makes sense. You killed that [Knight] too easy."

"Guilty as charged," I grinned.

"How did you do that?"

I showed her the [Bracelet of Ruby Kitten Transformation], "I had this bracelet that can transform an unawakened child into a cat. Using this, I snuck out of the Palace and sought some criminals. We got into a fight and I defeated them. Because it was a life-or-death situation, the System Activated me."

"I can't see its information," she hissed in frustration. "But I can sense it's magical."

Her {Appraise} result wasn't enough to beat the concealment. The difficulty to see the full information was 273, and anything between that and 227 would display a fake window telling the item was cursed. She rolled lower than both thresholds.

"It's concealed. Now that I answered your questions, please, mom. Grant me this boon."

She glanced between the maze downstairs and her room as if she was looking for an escape route.

"Forget about this prophecy bullshit. The Mad Empress didn't have any such powers. She was just rambling about her worst fears. Forget about the [Emperor]. Even my father cannot hurt anyone in here. I am strong enough to defeat him, mom."

She shrunk an inch as she let her fear take hold. Her shoulders slumped and she trembled even though my wards kept the Autumn cold outside.

"What's your true level?"

"Ninety-eight. I have two Capstone Perks."

She gasped. "You're a Reborn Soul? Two times already?"

A "Reborn Soul" was someone with an Attribute Capstone Perk. It was extremely rare but these people were often slated for greatness. To an ordinary person, a single Capstone made a huge difference.

"More than two but I didn't reach the level cap in all of them. I'm on my way to attain my third. I'm thinking of getting the one for Luck."

She nodded bashfully. I gave Rhiannon time to digest the information. All the time she could ever need. "Do you remember your past lives?"

"I do but the Capstone doesn't do that on its own. I have other traits. I can tell you everything about me, mom, but first, grant my request, please," I begged.

"Does Mona know?"

"Everything. I kept only one secret from my sister and that only because it isn't just my secret to share."

She shoved her doubts down her throat with a gulp. "Summon her."

I contacted Mona by sending her a divine message. Within minutes, she had joined us. The [Holy Thaumaturge] gasped in disbelief when she saw me in my female form. She pressed against the barrier and I let her in.

"Mother," she curtsied. The cheeky girl had eschewed protocol and tested the waters.

"Daughter. Please stand and join us," Rhiannon brushed the girl's faux pas and extended a hand.

With a squeal, Mona skipped next to me and grabbed my arm.

"Good," mom cooed as she stared tenderly at us. She took a step forward and placed a hand each on our arms. "Mona," she said the name as if trying to figure out how it sounded.

I pinched my sister's flank. She snapped out of her small panic attack. The years of separation and lies gurgled out of the back of our minds like a vengeful septic tank that festered for too long.

Mona lowered her head, "Yes, mother?"

"Look in my eyes, daughter. Mona, I'm sorry I let my fear drive you away. You remind me of your grandmother, the last [Queen] of Raswaria."

"Thank you, mother," Mona blinked a few tears.

Rhiannon wetted her lips as she turned her body to face me. Her hand brushed my shoulder as she moved to hold my head behind my ear. Then she did the same to Mona. "What should I call you? I can't use your male name."

"Then give me one, mom," I answered. "One we'll use when we are alone just the three of us."

Rhiannon sighed, "My mother once told me my name meant 'great queen'. Mona is also a name from Raswaria, which means 'noble one'. You, my youngest daughter," she said looking at me, drawing a victorious squeal from my sister, "Shall be called 'Raina'. It also means 'queen'."

I beamed a happy smile. She'd accepted me as a female. "Thank you for this wonderful name, mom." I shifted back to my true form. As Percival, I towered over both women.

"Now, my secrets. Here, mom." I created a Quest for her. This is what Rhiannon saw.

>  

>

> The Matriarch offers you a Quest.

>

> Listen to Percival's tale of past lives to the end.

>

> Rewards: The [Mental Mastery] Proficiency as a free pick, with a starting score of 200.

The 200 points of Proficiency were expensive. Enough to anoint half as many priests. But it was the last part I needed to repair Rhiannon's failing psyche. As the Proficiency stated, "Subtract linear (P) percentile points from the effectiveness of fear, pain, and mental debuffs."

"Why the Matriarch is so interested in you?" She wondered as she accepted the Quest.

I shifted back to Raina. "Because I am the Matriarch, mom. I also was Silverstreak, the fairy who defeated the Mad Empress after she enslaved the fairies."

I marked the quest as completed earlier as I feared Rhiannon would have a breakdown. The Proficiency caused her to straighten her back. Serenity took over her semblance.

She grabbed our hands and dragged us away from the balcony, "Let's move inside. I believe we should get comfortable. Mona, you sit next to me."

We spent the night as I told her an abridged version of everything, showing her my previous lives' forms.

a