Around a week had passed since the full induction of both Barthenor and Neske into the official following of mine. Considering how I had met them and what they were it seemed like a dream still that they even agreed to work with me at all. It would make much more sense if I was a goddess of evil, darkness, or something. However no one was going to see me complain about having such powerful followers in my possession. Others will surely still find it funny however that powerful undead are following a goddess of light primarily associated with the sun. At first I thought they only joined in order to get the chance to escape but my concern was quickly proven unfounded.
That day in my goddess domain when the two of them pledged themselves to me it had been very emotional and therefore awkward for me. In fact it had been so overwhelming that I didn't even speak to them until the following day, the excuse I gave them being to allow them to have their space. Thankfully that had been fine with them and they had needed some time to themselves anyway. I was told after the fact by each individually that they had harbored some worries still even after joining me, worries that had been dispersed once I put them to work.
Barthenor was assigned of course to the school system that was beginning to start construction all over the kingdom. The original school was still in the city of Vinedenne and had already begun classes which my teachers were handling themselves but did not include the training of more teachers. That task had originally been mine but thankfully with a hyper intelligent new subordinate I could afford to take that extra weight off my own workload.
Thus did the dread lich get installed as headmaster of the college level courses designed to train new teachers for the school system, something he took to with actual enjoyment despite his undead nature. He even helped me design the courses themselves and was a great deal of help in polishing up the various textbooks I had written. This helping with the books was in its beginning phase though with, at the moment, it just consisting of simple changes. However he promised to help me fully edit the books I had and even write new textbooks in the future.
Having a undead lich in charge, especially someone known as a “demon mage,” certainly raised some eyebrows in the human world. That was something I had expected however and tried to preemptively handle by introducing him to key figures I knew in leadership. There was only so much they could do however and others didn't like Barthenor at first. Over time however those in the academic world and mage world would eventually come around to him. There would always be a portion that never accepted him but they could be handled on their own.
The various human mages were of particular concern to me as they were the most dangerous so to speak to my school plans. They were also the most likely to make an actual threatening move agaisnt the lich should they so choose and would surely be trying to undermine the both of us in the kingdom at large. This would be counteracted by the sheer amount of good the two of us would be doing for the public itself and the support of the masses would hopefully keep the elites in check.
Barthenor was also no stranger to these kinds of politics as he had been a very prominent mage himself. Even though the centuries may pass through ages the fundamentals of politics never change. He was also immensely powerful to the point a regular human mage might not even pose a threat to him at all anyway. These were the reassurances he had given me himself when asked about my concerns and so I felt pretty confident in leaving him on his own for the most part. Of course there was still my watchful eye from the aether that kept a close eye on him where I could. Having him run completely free was still not a smart idea.
Ferherlyn continue being a huge help in regards to this entire situation as he was pretty much the only human mage I actually trusted. It actually made me feel bad just a little bit to add such a kingdom altering problem to his duties. However with the support of his own mages I had faith he would be able to make it through. I was also there for him whenever he needed me for tense or extra difficult situations, the authority of a goddess able to settle many a dispute which I demonstrated as time went on.
While the world of mages was going to be a constant thorn in the side of my plans they were a problem I would just continue dealing with as issues asserted themselves. Not much I could really do to change the minds of the order that existed to replace goddesses. They would likely always have an aversion to supernatural forces. The more mundane human elements however, such as nobles and the royal family, were much easier to bring to heel. Even if they hated the very idea of educating the public and having a lich do it they really had no power against me. Thus there was little concern there for me as again the public was going to be on my side and they kept the ruling humans in check.
Neske on the other hand was given a much simpler task compared to her master: that being to help the village of Nova Bellumis strengthen itself after the devastation visited upon it by her own designs. On the scale of us immortals it was basically just her being forced to clean up her own mess. She did not like it that much but had little choice in the matter now that she worked for me. Thus the vampire had put herself to her task with only some un-adult-like pouting behavior. She did however obey even with this pouting though.
One of the major hurdles with dealing with the vampiress was her addiction to her beloved master. Being apart from Barthenor really put her in a foul mood and this underlying behavior had to be dealt with in order to even make her useful at all. Much to my relief, and the relief of the mortals she was overseeing, this did not prove to be an impassible obstacle. It was corrected in two parts: firstly she was given permission for regular visits with her master so long as she was performing her assignment well. Secondly she had her master himself encourage slash order her to do what I said, something that certainly helped out as well.
For the moment Neske's official task was helping the werewolves she had previously wronged, though as I had explained to her my plans for her involved her helping villages and small towns all over the kingdom. Having a master vampire around was incredibly helpful when it came to things like building up human settlements. As she was immortal and without restrictions like sleep, combined with her superhuman powers, she could help with tasks humans could never do themselves. Plus she would be there for years to come, even into future generations, able to help keep consistency where the passage of years would normally erode a settlement.
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As for the perspective of the mortals she was helping? That was something I planned to handle when it came time for that bridge to be crossed. It would likely have to be handled in a unique way for each group of humans Neske was involved in and there would not be some catch all solution. The entire program was going to be kept to the places on the edge of civilization anyway as they needed the most help, so hopefully there wouldn't be much of an uproar at all. Out in the middle of nowhere humans were more likely to worship me so accepting help from a vampire would be more likely as well.
First and foremost however were the werewolves of Nova Bellumis themselves. Their perspective and reaction to Neske's assistance would help set the tone for how the process would go for all other settlements in the future. Much to my relief they were generally alright with her being put to use helping them rebuild, though the first few days required my presence for them to feel safe. I couldn't blame them for that and thankfully after both sides got a bit more used to each other's presence I was able to back off and let Neske take over while still closely monitoring from afar.
They were still quite unhappy with the vampire for what she did to their village which no one could blame them for. However they were understanding of the fact she had been working under orders and the extremely low body count helped to lessen the severity of her crimes in their eyes. From their perspective they had only lost a few hunters that would have been lost to the skeleton menace even without her involvement. Besides that the only thing they had truly lost was their previous village. But they had lost villages before due to the persecution of humans.
These things combined with the fact Neske was here actively help make up for her transgressions truly made the werewolves quick to forgive the vampiress. This was both highly relieving for me and just a little surprising. This came as a huge shock to her however as she had expected to have her name cursed forever by these lowlife mortals. The villagers reacting in this way also began to alter her mindset towards them and though she didn't pray to me her mind was starting to become more known to me. Plus there was a clear difference in the way she behaved starting to develop.
One might say that Neske's perspective on mortals was starting to shift to a more favorable outlook. While she still insisted that they were worthless insects only deserving to bow and worship at the feet of those such as her it was clear her disgust towards them was fading. Even her views of me as a goddess were changing due to this assignment. As she watched how the villagers acted towards me and I to them she began to understand the true benefits of using one's power to the betterment of others.
As time went on Neske began to regard me more as her own superior which honestly shocked me, though it was quite nice and welcome. These changes in her outlook was my ultimate goal so even if it was surprising to see actually happen it was still amazing. It seemed that as time went on the vampire began to view herself as a miniature version of myself. She was an immortal figure of great power that deserved the adoration of mortals, her disgust misplaced as she truly should pity their foolish little lives.
While not an ideal outlook by any means it was a good start. I hoped to be able to mold her further into a more benevolent assistant as she truly did have both a passion and aptitude for leadership. The desire of despots is usually centered around a genuine desire to leads others for their benefit after all, even if such designs are twisted to evil with the passage of time. Deep down in that lifeless heart it seemed Neske really did care about those she viewed as beneath her. Perhaps it was because of what sort of life she lived while a human so many centuries ago.
The village of Nova Bellumis had already benefited greatly from Neske's presence. With her help they had managed to build actually sturdy homes and had the beginnings of defensive walls. This was going so well in fact that the humans of the neighboring village were getting jealous and I had to promise them they were be next on her list of beneficiaries. Both she and the werewolves actually agreed to that promise surprisingly quickly which was a relief for me. It was only slightly concerning to see how much the vampire's eyes lit up with the prospect of ordering around more mortals.
Either way it was clear that this relationship between mortal and vampire was mutually beneficial. The mortals had their village continue to improve in ways that would have taken much longer on their own. For the vampire she was learning true leadership and having her hatred of those she viewed as below her tempered to the point she could interact with them on friendly terms. All in all it was an amazing feeling for me to get to see this all unfold. As a goddess above them all it made me feel good to see them get along.
So the great experimental project of having a lich and vampire lord help mortal-kind continued. If I had gone off the suggestions of my human advisors none of this would have even happened. Only Miya had actually been open to the idea of these two dangerous undead helping me out with the kingdom. All the rest either begged me to keep them locked away or straight up eliminate them completely. Sure the future was unknown and these two could turn on me but for now they seemed truly loyal to my cause. There was a forever for my mind to change on them after all and if I couldn't get along with a lich there was no way I could ever form an alliance with another goddess.
That really was one of the secret true purposes for my experiment here. Proving that my methods work in making friends out of Barthenor was proof of concept of such methods work on on a goddess. Obviously it did not escape me that most, if not all, other goddesses would be much older and more powerful than me. Making friends out of potential enemies was my highest priority and the path I would take whenever it was available. My own difficulty with trusting others would serve as both a boon and curse when the time came for these potential friendships.
Conflict would inevitably arise between me and another goddess as well of course. There is no way I could make allies out of all those that cross my path. I would have to fight likely even to the death other of my kind, a truly terrifying concept. The world I originally came from was one of unprecedented peace in history so this world where battles for life were commonplace was still frightening for me. It was my faith in both myself and my father that I would be able to make it through. The more allies or even friends I could get to help me make my way in this new world the better. To this end I even had begun learning the goddess binding magic Barthenor was privy to.
All these things were worries for another day. Hypotheticals and contingencies for a future that may or may no even come. For the time being, here in the present, all I need worry about are my worshipers and the ongoing integration of my new followers. The Demon Mage of Henjuk and his most powerful undead minion, once monsters that terrorized the kingdom, now turned into forces of good to benefit its people. My riskiest scheme yet that has potential positives that could eclipse even my original expectations. I pray to my father that it all works out.