The King looked at me and gave me a sly grin, “What do you need, Natasha?”

I sighed, He's that kind of person?

“I'd have to explain a few things first,” he lied back on the bed and fixed his posture, moving the pillows behind him.

One of the Clerics, an Urkila Tigea, approached him and tried helping.

The King glared at him and shouted, “DON'T!”

The man stepped back and looked down, “Apologies, Your Majesty...”

An awkward moment of silence followed the interaction.

“I'm...” the King sighed, his face flushed and his voice increased in volume, “not senile! Don't take this away from me!”

I noticed his hands were shaking.

The Queen sighed and covered her mouth. Her eyebrows went down and she closed her eyes.

Rinald gave me a pained look.

I see, I nodded, looking around the room to escape the awkward situation.

The windows were wide open and the gentle smell of fresh air made its way into the room, probably to keep a constant airflow for the sake of the ill King.

“How about we give you some space, dear husband?” the Queen managed to say with a pained voice.

Rinald, the man I assumed to be another Prince by what he said to him, Agnes, Alastor, and most Clerics left the room.

The Queen stopped before leaving and turned around, looking at the King with love in her eyes. Her tall ears shifted slightly, “I- we love you, Gordon.”

The King choked a little, the kind that happens right before breaking down in tears. He whispered, “I'm sorry, Josalia.”

She nodded with a complicated smile and closed the door. Not before giving me a pleading look.

The atmosphere turned a bit gloomy after that scene.

Family is a complicated thing, I pondered.

The people still in the room were a single Cleric, Lapia, and me. We watched in silence as the King fixed the pillows. He took a deep, shaky breath and let out a long sigh after finding a comfortable position.

I pulled a chair close and Lapia sat next to me.

“So,” the King began as if nothing had happened. “When ruling a country, one needs to consider two things when thinking about the economy: Necessity and Luxury. Food is a necessity so it should be accessible to all without exception or limitation. Without food we'd die. Alcohol is a luxury so the price is high since we can live without it. This outlook is what defines pricing in most countries. With the addition of currency, our predecessors came up with a balanced enough system that allows for fair access to all products while simultaneously presenting beneficial conditions so the Merchant class family can grow. Entering a settlement is a necessity. Disposable tools are a relative necessity. Having a roof overhead is a necessity. Owning a house, however, is a luxury,” he raised a hand and opened his fingers. “The mobility of people removes value from owning a house. Eight out of ten people spend more than half of their life moving from place to place. Taking this into account, the service of providing temporary housing became a necessity and thus owning a house to provide such service is a luxury. Things that don't help us achieve self actualization is a luxury,” he sighed and looked at me. “A Craftsman, for example, requires a wide variety of products to achieve self actualization, so their requirements are a necessity. Class stagnation is to be avoided at all costs. If they set up shop, however, they face luxury since they are not a Merchant. All of these intricacies are properly written and taught to those who sell their products and services,” he looked up at me, “So, Natasha. What do you need?”

I took a few seconds to digest the King's words.

“I'm a Warrior, so I need to enter a dungeon,” I pointed out. “I got charged a gold coin to enter them.”

The King shook his head, “That's not what I mean, and you're not entirely correct.”

Lapia nodded, “I see.”

I rolled my eyes. I can't be this dumb. Sure, I suck at math but economy is more about concepts.

“Before being a Warrior, you're a Halve,” he pointed at me. “Do you wake up hungry or thirsty? Do you need sleep?”

I shook my head.

“Do you need to enter a mid-tier dungeon?” he raised his eyebrows. “Yesterday I was informed you faced a Giganto Cyclops on your way here,” he smiled, “I bet that felt incredibly satisfying.”

I chuckled, “Yeah, it did.”

The King nodded, “So your self actualization is out there. Not inside a city. As a Halve, civilization itself is a luxury simply because you don't need it. A country of Halves would exist by now if it were a necessity.”

“Okay,” I nodded. “I can see the reason for the gate tax. What about the dungeon tax?”

He gave me a victorious smirk, “I'm glad you asked.” A thin booklet materialized in his hands, then he opened the first page, “You Excellency Natasha Novak, your actions in Mountroad's dungeon have resulted in a substantial monetary loss for the city, and by extension, the country.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

I gulped and the cold hand of regret gripped my soul.

The King continued while reading, “While clearing the dungeon by yourself is not a problem in itself, the loss of produce it holds by you keeping the loot has halted the local economy for the following six to ten years. You turned two bounties in; Beast hides and Golem cores. The city did not see any return in meat, bones, blood, plants, or any materials after your second time entering. Five to seven million gold coins worth of loot simply evaporated by your actions alone. I'm sure a single gold coin pales in comparison. I'd argue the tax is quite lax.”

“Ahem...” I cleared my throat, a little embarrassed. “Yeah...”

“The local City Council received quite the number of complaints,” he gave me a severe look. “We're not even mentioning Lakeview's dungeon. Fortunately, the latter were informed and a team managed to scavenge what your party left behind. It's not an ideal situation, however. Halves are taxed more precisely because of this potential loss,” he closed the booklet and gave me a smile. “We have adequate preparation for these contingencies since this is not the first, nor the last time this has happened. I hope this clears up your doubts about the taxation your species faces. There is nothing of actual value to you in a mid-tier dungeon: no increase in power, no loot that you factually need, and the possibility that you won't bring out what you kill justifies the increase.”

“Mhm,” I nodded with a sigh. “That was a bit irresponsible of me.”

“A little,” the King chuckled. “But that is balanced by the fact you were helping your companions achieve their own self actualization by increasing their power. They will become immensely helpful in the future if they decide to be. No amount of money can guarantee power so there is a certain leniency to the circumstances at hand.”

“Should I pay for the losses?” I scratched my left ear. “That's a lot of money.”

The King shrugged, “We can't force you to. It'd be commendable if you do, however.”

I should be more careful in the future, I concluded.

“Lady Lapia,” the King adressed my girlfriend. “If there's anything on your mind, please go ahead.”

I turned to her and she had a face that said 'Is it, though?'.

She bowed, “Thank you, Your Majesty.” She straightened and spoke, “If I may ask, who decided that civilization is not a necessity to Halves? I don't remember having read this claim.”

The King nodded, “Mhm. When the first countries were founded, Halves informed the different Rulers of their capabilities in case they were needed when the countries faced insurmountable odds. Back then, they could have formed a country by themselves. When asked why they didn't, their answer was a lack of interest in living in civilization. I'm sure you've read Perculis' publications?”

Lapia nodded, “I have, Your Majesty.”

The King smiled, “He said, and I quote, 'Why sit in power when we can be out there, having fun and living adventure'. This was actually a response not to the possibility of ruling as many think it is but to the nomadic nature of Halves. Just as we stagnate if we don't work on our Classes, Halves stagnate if too much time is spent in a single place. There is an... odd connection between Nature and Halves,” he turned to me. “Is that true in your case?”

I checked my species information.

-Forest is your home and your peace.

“Something like that,” I nodded.

The King raised an eyebrow, “Considering Halves in the past have pushed for a different pricing precisely because of this, it would take a Meeting of Eternals to change it,” he gave me a grin. “If you convince Yulianna, that would be a great achievement.”

So one of the many lines we have carved to differentiate ourselves from the people is also the tax? I sighed. Well, taking monetary advantage of adoration is pretty fucked up and not a very 'protector' thing to do. If anything, it makes even more sense to pay extra so society may flourish.

“I see,” Lapia nodded. “That clears up a good amount of doubts I previously had. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Not at all,” the King nodded with a smile, then turned to me, “Is there anything else you would like to ask?”

“Nothing much,” I replied, looking into his turquoise eyes. “We can go into what brings me here today.”

The King nodded with a tight smile. His eyes turned a little downcast and his ears pressed against his head.

“How about you describe your symptoms to me?” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and my chin on my hands. “I'm sure you've repeated them countless times by now, right?.”

“I have,” he nodded and blinked a few times. “I see these... horrible... nightmares every night. I wake up with the injuries you saw a few minutes ago. I thought I was assaulted at night when I first woke up with them. My wife and husband weren't affected, thanks to Galeia.”

Husband? Oh? My eyebrows rose at that. Is that why the other Prince-looking fellow is a Shishi? That's cool.

The King gestured to the Cleric that had stayed in the room, “Claire here is the one that has supervised me the most. She knows more about the specifics.”

I looked at the female Shishi Tigea on the other side of the bed. She had her eyes closed at the moment and I noticed her body was shivering slightly. She was sitting right next to an open window so it made sense.

I turned back to the King, “Can you describe these nightmares to me?”

“It begins with me taking a stroll through Paarjo accompanied by my family,” he took a shaky breath. “Then I see my wife die in front of me. Every. Single. Night. My husband is next, then my children, then the people of the country,” a few tears rolled down his cheeks. “Then, when I think it's my turn to die... this creature shows up. It has a female form, skin as gray as ash, eyes as black and deep as night, hair as red as fire, and six horns on top of its head. It speaks to me in the most disturbing of languages every night and...” he gulped and his eyes tightened in pain, “takes advantage of me.”

“That's horrible,” Lapia whispered in horror, shock, sympathy, and anger.

I stared at the King with utmost seriousness, “Does this creature have a tail and hooves?”

The King's eyes gained a small amount of light, then slowly looked up to me, he had trouble swallowing and his voice came out raspy, “Yes...”

I nodded, That's a Demon. Who would have thunk.

“Does the creature sound like this?” I asked, then spoke Infernal, “Good night, King.”

The King's eyes shifted to absolute terror and his lips shook in fear.

Lapia turned to me with apprehension in her eyes.

I went over the 'catalog' or 'menu' of Demons I had butchered and consumed in Hell and seen in my own dreams looking for this specific one. I hit the jackpot pretty quickly. It was the one I had written down in my journal recently while I was still in Lakeview.

So, the creature rapes the King in his dreams after killing his entire family and the people of his Kingdom, I winced at my own thoughts. No matter how clinically I looked at it, it was a terrible situation to be in. Sounds like a mind Demon. Or a Succubus if I were to take popular media into account.

"Gordon," I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "I think you're possessed by a Demon."