The same night Miko gave everyone in his team, weapons and arts to upgrade themselves.
He sat on his bed, in his room with his back against the wall. He had his eyes closed and was motionless.
It was then that a golden light flashed in his room. From it came someone almost identical to him, only a slight more feminine.
This was Tiamat.
“……..”
She looked at Miko in silence, as he leaned on the bedroom wall.
Miko didn’t immediately say anything, despite knowing that she was there.
“………..”
There was a stifling silence in the room, with Tia staring at Miko with eyes that lacked confidence.
“Hello, Tia. Its been a while.”
After a while, Miko finally opened his eyes and spoke. His eyes were neither gentle or harsh. They lacked any strong emotion, but weren’t emotionless. These eyes made it easier for Tia to speak.
“Yes, its been a few months or so.”
Tia responded.
Miko patted the spot next to him.
“Come, sit. Seeing you standing all the way over there just doesn’t seem right.”
He said.
Tia nodded and walked over to the bed. She slowly sat beside of him and leaned against the wall as well.
“I heard that you’ve been quite busy during the time I was gone.”
Tia was the first to speak.
Miko nodded.
“I’ve decided to surpass your husband and the Era you two lived in. To do that, I need as much skills as possible.”
He answered.
“I see……”
Tia paused before asking a question.
“Are you doing this for me?”
She asked after some hesitation.
To her surprise, Miko shook his head.
“I’m doing this for myself. I realized that I’m my best when I’m thinking of only myself. As such, I’m done trying to go out of my way to please others. I’m living for myself and myself only.”
“I see….”
Tia answered.
“But don’t get me wrong. I’ll still do stuff that will benefit those I care about, but that too in the end is for myself. The people around me are essential to me, that’s way I won’t let them go without a fight.”
He then turned and faced her.
“That goes for you too.”
Before Tia could react, he looked away from her as if her reaction wasn't important.
“I won’t give you up because you’re a part of me. However, I’m done with destroying myself just to please you. As such, I’m no longer creating an empire to please you but to please myself.”
He said.
“I want to see. I want to see just what kind of empire the current me can create. Just what kind of effect I can have on the world. Me, not my past self. And in order to make that come true, I won’t hold back. I will use every fiber of my being to achieve this goal. That way, even if I destroy myself, it will be for my benefit and nobody else’s.”
Miko had a relaxed expression on his face as he spoke. It was as if he finally obtained a real goal that was his and his alone.
The desire to slaughter all the gods was never his, but Augustus’ that had been deeply embedded in him.
The desire to become king, and rebuild the country was Tia’s. It was also her desire to make a place where her descendants could flourish without worry. This was what led to Miko walking on the path to emperor.
But now, he had a goal that was completely his.
He wanted to become #1 and prove his existence to the world. Show them, that he isn’t Augustus but his own person. This goal has given Miko new vigor that he didn’t have all of his life.
He honestly felt glad to be alive for the first in a long time.
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“I see….”
Seeing his expression, Tia couldn’t help but smile.
“Hah~.”
She then stretched her arms over her head and sighed.
“I’ve been dumped. The beautiful me. This is a first.”
She said.
Miko smiled when he heard that.
“I didn’t dump you, I said that I won’t give you up didn’t I?”
“But you said that you’ll stop living for me right?”
Miko nodded.
“Then I was dumped.”
She said with a playful laugh.
“Not many women would want to hear their man say that they aren’t their #1 anymore, you know. Well, not that I mind.”
She lead on Miko.
“I prefer an ambitious man over a clingy one any day.”
Miko smiled and ran his fingers through her hair.
“That’s great to hear.”
He then put on a teasing smile.
“Who knows, you might not be my #1 woman in the future either.”
Tia glared at him when she heard that.
“That’s not funny. You can lose your woman for just saying that, you know?”
Miko laughed.
“My bad. I just wanted to see you’re angry face again. I’ve haven’t seen it in a while.”
“If you want, I can get angrier and disappear again.”
“Do that, and I’ll just get a different woman. I’m the young king of the country as well as the clan leader, I’m quite popular you know.”
“Hmph. Go ahead. You’re not the only one with options. I have a long line of suitors just waiting for me to give the okay.”
Tia fired back.
Miko’s smile changed when he heard that.
“Oh, you don’t say.”
Miko opened the drawer next to his bed and took out a black book and a pen.
The cover of the book said Death Note.
“Could you write their names in here for me? Oh, be sure to to remember their faces while you do so.”
He said with a serious face.
Tia laughed, since she scanned Miko’s memories before and knew what the book was for.
She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You and I both know that the book wouldn't work.”
She said.
“Hey, this is a magical world. Anything’s possible.”
Miko placed his hands on her back and drew her closer.
The two then shared and passionate kiss for a few seconds before parting.
“Besides, if it didn’t work I could still use it as a Hitlist in the future.”
The two laughed and kissed again. They then spent the rest of the night in each other’s arms.
The next couple days, Tia started showing her face more in the palace and around the other branches. This made a lot of people feel relieved, since they were all worried about her.
“I see that you’ve made up.”
Luka said to Miko who was sitting on his throne, while going through some documents.
“I guess you can say that.”
Miko answered with indifference.
“You don’t seem as excited as I thought you would be.”
Luka said after seeing in his reaction.
“No, I’m in a good mood. It’s just that there’s something that’s on my mind lately. That’s all.”
Miko then placed down the documents.
He looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could he heard a knock on the throne room door.
“Your Highness, there’s a foreign visitor requesting to see you.”
He heard a servant speak from beyond the door.
“Oh? And where is this visitor from?”
Miko asked.
“He’s an envoy from the Aloe Kingdom.”
A vicious light flashed in Miko’s eyes when he heard that. He smiled and looked at Luka. She knew what it meant for an envoy from the Aloe Kingdom to come.
The plan was in full swing.
“I see. Make him wait for a hour before letting him in. Tell him that I need to prepare a welcoming party as courtesy first.”
Miko replied.
“As you wish, Your Highness. I will pass on your message.”
The servant responded.
“Make sure to treat him well.”
Miko then looked at Luka.
“Gather the others, and be sure to tell them to behave.”
Luka nodded and then disappeared into a shadow. When she was gone, Miko stood up from his throne and walked down the steps.
“Now then, I need to do something about all this ferocity and bloodlust I naturally give off.”
He closed his eyes as if trying calm his heart. Soon his heartbeat slowed down, little by little.
“I must return to a time of innocence. One without blood and wars, to a time when I wasn’t the monster I am now. Back to way back then.”
After slosing down his breathing and calming down his heart for a few minutes, Miko reopened his eyes.
If someone else was there they would feel puzzled when looking at him. That was because his aura became so gentle that they wouldn’t be able to associate it with the infamous mass murder who was Gamiko Dragna the Third.
The look in Miko’s eyes had so became gentle as well. His blue eyes looked like the gentle waters of a sea that did not know storms.
The overall feeling he gave was innocence and benevolence. As if he was nothing but a sheltered lamb.
“That should do it.”
Even his voice became more gentle and soothing. This made him seem even more feminine and angelic, fitting of his appearance.
An hour later, Luka and returned with Miko’s generals including Sasha who had brought Tessa with her.
“Mother, sister. It’s been a long time.”
Miko approached them and said.
“It only been a few months, not that long.”
Sasha replied with a smile.
‘Only a few months?’
Miko immediately found something different about his mother’s character, but he didn’t let it show on his face or his aura.
He then looked at Tessa.
“You’ve gotten taller.”
“Thanks, you look prettier than usual, big bro.”
Tessa replied.
From Miko’s interaction, he couldn’t sense anything different about her, but his instincts told him otherwise.
“……I’ll look into it later on.”
He thought to himself.
“Okay, everyone. Could you please take your seats? Our guest is about to arrive.”
Miko said while he gestured to the long table that had been prepared with all kinds of different dishes.
He took a seat at the head of the table and gestured that everyone else sat at the sides.
“Hey, is that really Miko?”
Jin asked Luka in a whisper.
“I think so. But I do admit that despite not looking any different, it’s hard to recognize him. That’s how much his demeanor has changed.”
Luka answered.
“Is there any meaning to this?”
Hina asked.
“There must be. It’s not like Miko was kidnapped and replaced with a double or anything.”
Said Sora.
When he said that, everyone suddenly had the same thought.
‘Maybe he was really kidnapped and switched?’
That was how odd it was for Miko to give off an aura of a saint.
They even watched how he patiently sat at the head of the table waiting for the envoy with a smile.
The normal Miko would have sure sat in an opposing or challenging manner ready to belittle his guest. If he didn’t do that, then surely he would’ve started eating without waiting on the guest.
Hell, he wouldn’t even prepare a feast in the first place. After all, he was just meeting an envoy from the Aloe Kingdom. The kingdom might be the largest kingdom near the Dragna kingdom, but it was a small kingdom on a global scale. Miko didn’t even show the infamous branch leaders any respect, so why would he show the king of the Aloe kingdom respect much less an insignificant envoy?
It was then everyone realized something.
‘Miko was planning something, and it was most like terrifying.’
It was then a knock came at the door.
“Your Highest, the envoy is here.”
A servant said from beyond the door.
Miko showed an innocent smile and said-
“I see. Let him in.”