So, in terms of all of these significant figures, I question our last guest's sudden appearance.

Why is General X here?

I can get Charlotte, to some extent, but General X?

This is enemy territory, right? The dark forces do not like her or Valarie. I look past the small general towards her bodyguards? Does she have bodyguards- Does she need them? Staring at them, it looks like it. They both wore identical suits. Black jacket, pants, white shirt, and red tie. The one towards the left has long blonde hair, holding two pistols in her gloved hands. The other woman has white hair, but she has an eyepatch over her right eye. She is holding two swords... coated in blood. I glance at my little sisters, noting their expressions.

Jennifer and Jessica... did not react as much. They might not know about where that blood came from. What surprised me was their interests in General X because... well, why would they be staring at the general?

Olivia, on the other hand, paled at their appearance. Even Ethan has the same expression. Compared to my younger sisters, Ethan knows about Valarie's notorious reputation. Seeing the head general of the madwoman will certainly make a huge impression on my brother. Everyone else is... indifferent about the situation. Even Louise. I can see that my sister had a neutral expression on her. The appearance of Charlotte and General X startled the guests though. I can see several beings pull out their secret weapons or aim their hands at the general to unleash their magic. Len interrupts them all, laughing at General X.

"I'm surprised you would be here, General X. Please, no more fighting or I will have my own troops take care of you. I ALLOWED General X to come to this gathering." Hearing those words, most of the guests lowered their weapons. Others were reluctant to do so until Len's military officers drew their weapons on them. Understanding that General X is a guest and will do no more harm, hopefully, the guests comply with Len's demand. General X smiled at this, walking towards us.

"At least they can listen to you, Hero Len. I, too, do not want to splash anymore needless bloodshed." Her smile deflates, turning into a serious expression, "Especially with the Crusade." I can see a number of guests jump at that single word.

Crusade.

I knew something was up, but... 

Don't tell me that everyone is here because of that?

Isn't a social gathering a social event. Does this sound like a military meeting? Maybe it is... My eyes turn towards the hero king. He smiles at General X, confirming the secret purpose behind this gathering.

"That can be discussed in due time. But it would be a shame if we didn't enjoy ourselves. This is still a social gathering. General, surely, you know how to relax and enjoy a party?"

"I can, thank you very much." General X smiles back, "You two, go and enjoy yourselves. I'll stay with these people." Nodding at this, her two bodyguards branch away from General X. General X approaches us, noticing Abaddon Morrin in our group. She gives a subtle nod towards her. Glancing at the Abaddon, she slowly nods back. At least she didn't try anything against General X, but I can't tell if she's holding herself back. Ethan and Olivia were afraid, stepping back a bit as she approached us.

What we didn't expect was how my twin sisters approached her and awed at her... her...

I don't know what they're awing at, but they're fascinated with General X. I think this is a rare fucking sight. The general who is renowned for being merciless and hostile was startled by two little girls just like her. I think everyone was not ready for this. Charlotte, being the other high being who can most likely go toe-to-toe with General X, lets out a laugh.

"Oh! You're small like us but you're a general?!" Jessica states, looking at General X's attire.

"You must be really smart! And cool! You look so cool!" Jennifer adds, walking around the general. I don't know if I should be crying or laughing. General X was disturbed by this. Greatly disturbed. She tries to shoo them away, politely, blushing madly at my sudden sisters. 

"Ha... I would laugh, but I got a feeling that'll be bad." King Len whispered, turning towards everyone, "Let's all enjoy ourselves now! Continue on with the pleasantries!" To lift the silence and unease, everyone started to chat amongst themselves again. I can hear music in the background, returning the warm atmosphere it had before we arrived. Some people observe our group, watching the new guests interact with each other. Abaddon Morrin kneels at Charlotte's presence. This is a first.

"No need to kneel, Abaddon Morrin."

"I have to, Crimson Overlord." Abaddon Morrin gets up, staring at her, "I didn't expect that you'll make an appearance. This certainly shocked us. I thought-"

"Since there's a Crusade, my duties are somewhat relieved... but I am going to be getting out of my job soon enough." I can hear a lot of gasps from some guests. They must have good hearing. 

"Get out? Of being a Gate Guardian? I thought you would-" She stops, noticing something. "Oh, I see." She stares at me, "You're quite lucky."

"Excuse me?" I didn't get what she saw and why she said that. When I glance at where Abaddon Morrin was staring at. I can only see Gallant standing right next to her. I blinked a couple of times, confused by the weird statement. "I guess?" 

"She's slow." Gallant sighs. I immediately sent a kick to his leg, not doing any real harm to him. The three laugh at me, hearing the three rulers have their own conversation in the background. Having amplified hearing is quite handy.

"So... This was your twist in this gathering? You surely know how to give us surprises."

"I would expect nothing less from my rival." Leon laughs.

"Please, you two know that I have to spice it up every now and then." The Hero shot back.

"Getting Aisha here, General X, and Charlotte? Sort of overdoing it, but I can guess why."

"Enough about this, let's chat about what you've been doing." Leon halts their chat about the surprise, entering into a swing of politics and things that their kingdom is dealing with. I was going to eavesdrop on their conversation until I can feel someone drag me to them. Turning, I can see Alice staring right at me in her gothic lolita, but her outfit fitted the strange era that Zezrious was in. Or the rich part of Zezrious is in. And... Uh... She's wearing pants? I'm not against it. It definitely threw my mind into a loop. It was nothing like a dress. Wearing laced boots and tight pants, she wears a tight corset over her tight dark shirt, I can visibly see her cleavage. Well, somewhat. There is some fabric that covers her skin, but you can still see through it. Around her neck is some sort of choker but it reminds me of a collared top part of a shirt. She wears a very tight long jacket that covers her back and sides, yet it still outlines her physic. Granted that I can't see her ass in those tight pants, I was looking at Alice's face. She didn't use a lot of makeup, using eyeliner and some blush, but her long hair was tidied up. It wasn't messy like the first time we met. I smell a very nice smell off of her- vanilla I think- feeling her soft skin against my own. Since her boots had heels on them, she was a bit taller than me, staring right into my eyes. I think I was locked into her gaze... till she slapped me lightly across the face.

Ouch.

Esta and Leilatha saw this, giggling. I was going to address this until I found a rather jealous Alice. 

"You stared at my mom!" She whispers this, trying to contain her voice. I bet everyone within the vicinity, aka the people around me minus Ethan, Olivia, and my twin sisters, heard this. I could hear a huge laugh coming from Jenine. Flushing from this, guilty as ever, I tried to play it off. Before I could defend myself, she pulls me in, our bodies touching as she promised me, "I am going to make sure you're looking at me the entire time when we go on our date then." When she pulls me in, I blushed at our intimacy, but I felt a tight squeeze on my left buttcheek. I don't think that was subtle, and I can hear my two lovers just gasp at the scene. I'm glad General X was a great distraction towards my little sisters. Letting go of me, I quickly said. 

"Y-You're great too! I just..."

"Pervert." Esta somehow crept beside me, whispering that into my ear. I tried to extinguish my ever growing blush, but I don't think it'll disappear for a while.

"So did you like the surprise?" Alice gives a smirk. I think she is referring to the fact that she's a daughter to the Supreme Overlord Witch Queen. I don't know a lot about witches in general, but I do know that the title is very, very important. In a lot of ways. These Witch Queens are like the overseers, the council, the spokespeople of the entire witch class. So it's kind of like a representative of a particular race. Granted that the witches can be any female of any race, these beings dictate certain laws, traditions, customs, and actions. The sheer fact that Alice is a daughter to one of them is quite... something. This is good in a lot of ways, but this could also bite me in the ass later if I'm not too careful.

Like pissing off her mom...

Who happens to be one of these supreme individuals I seriously don't want to piss off.

Looking at her mom, I can somewhat see a resemblance-

No, it's hard to say that they're mother and daughter. They're both stunning, yes, but they do not have a lot of similar traits that would stand out. I do not see any similar facial features. There are a lot of differences though. I let out a sigh, staring at my three girls.

So I have an Elven Tempest, an elven version of an assassin and rogue. I have the daughter of a Supreme Overlord Witch Queen who could most likely control or have a shit ton of influence compared to my sorry ass. And then there's Esta, who is a pure and innocent sweetheart, but she is the last of her kind and a special being for all of the elves. Then there's me, a normal human who apparently got a lot of special treatments because her mom had connections and is awesome... and happens to be a champion for a forgotten deity that was lazing about. 

Yep. Not weird at all.

I haven't answered Alice's question, the girl staring right at me.

"Yes... At the same time, I think I should expect weirder things to happen to me from here on out." I admit, letting out a sigh. "Can I have a moment of peace? Or something normal?"

"It won't be." Gallant answers me, Charlotte standing by his side. I swear I feel like those two-

"Aisha, can you kindly get these... things... away from me." General X had a somewhat flustered look on her own face. I think I should chalk this down as a very rare moment. General X, the vicious and notorious slayer for Valarie Valentine, is unable to handle my two younger sisters. I had the urge to snicker or laugh, but I know that General X will make sure I regret it. Deciding to switch their focus, I ask the twins, "Don't you want to bother the big man? He could entertain you two." My sisters took the bait. 

"Oh! We should ask if he can do that to us!"

"Like how Titan did it!" They ran over to the man, disturbing the three rulers in their own private talks. Saving General X, the girl in question came to us.

"Kids... The reason why I didn't have- You might be wondering why I am here, right?" 

"Yes, but I bet it has to do with the Crusade." I said.

"No duh," General X looks around the place, "The Crusade is no joke. And as a potential fighting force, mainly for your protection, we will have some influence in this fight as well." I raise an eyebrow at that.

"What do you mean?" General X stares at me.

"You don't understand how BIG this situation is?"

"I mean, Crusades and Hell Wraths have always been a thing." I calmly stated. General X shakes her head. 

"You- They're not to be taken lightly. Especially if you're in the area. I guess we will have to educate you a bit into how BIG the situation is. I don't think you fully understand the situation." I look towards my other members, seeing mixed expressions. Ignoring my younger siblings, Louise had a troubled expression, Esta had a confused one, Leilatha, trying to look past her mask and hood, was awfully serious, and my knights look... tense. Or are they? Gallant spoke up, giving me a clear statement.

"It's serious. Both types, Crusades and Hell Wraths, are not to be taken lightly. They consume a large number of resources and they use huge armies. Even if the city isn't a big one, they will send armies. Aisha, this isn't something to just shrug at. We have fought in a couple of Crusades and Hell Wraths... It's not pretty. Even as a stranger, you are a target. They are all out wars."

"Since I lead many campaigns in my past, they're never pretty." Charlotte adds, "It doesn't matter what rank you are or if you can fight, if you are in the area when the armies come, you're a target. You better leave or prepare for a gruesome massacre."

"Agreed." Abaddon Morrin nods her head, "I've seen what you did way back then. Fighting against multiple elite angels and taking down an army by yourself. All of us respect you, Charlotte." Gallant whistles a bit.

"Fought an entire army yourself?"

"Let's just say that I had to do my part to make sure the enemies didn't squash my own forces. It was a slaughter."

"Now, now, we shouldn't talk about war just yet." King Len enters our conversation, "General X, thank you for coming. I am sorry for the unpleasant entry into the party."

"I knew that this will happen. No need to apologize. Besides, we aren't really friends. You know this." Eh? I look at the two of them. General X had a very dull expression as King Len was... unamused and indifferent to her statement. King Len gave in first, shrugging his shoulders.

"Right. But you're here because of Aisha. You got your orders." Now, this part cued me in on what was going on. Or more specifically, King Len knows a lot more than I thought.

He's been spying on me. I know that he might have, but this just confirmed it. No, he knows a lot more. Those soldiers, the ones who had weird armor and that can go invisible, they must be his secret intelligent group. I couldn't sense their rank or feel them until they appeared before me. I think he realizes his little slip up on keeping this info shut, but I don't think he cares. I don't think he cares if I know that he spied on me or not. He didn't look my way, eyes still locked onto the general. The general, in turn, just shakes her head.

"One day, we'll settle whose troops are stronger on the battlefield. I can't wait till then."

"My troops will surely win against yours. You have no idea how big of a difference there is now."

"Now, now," Jennet steps in, defusing the situation, "I thought we were all allies... for now. There is no need to show off your military might when it should be redirected towards the invaders." 

"Yes... You're right." Len backs off, staring at the Witch Overlord, "My apologies. My pride got the better of me." General X said nothing, still looking at the hero king.

Now I also got a hint to Valarie's relationship with Len. Granted that General X is only here, Valarie must be aware of... Len's nature. Or is aware of his military might. These two have things that are beyond this world, yet why are they enemies? Didn't they work with each other before? They should be friends, right? I guess I will have to figure that out later. The guests around us are still curious about me. They haven't approached yet because I was surrounded by significant figures whom they do not want to mess with. Especially General X. A lot of glares are tossed onto the child general, watching a lot of people whisper amongst each other. Other individuals have their eyes locked onto Charlotte, admiring her from afar. Regardless, Len grabs my attention by calling my name.

"Ah, Aisha, you should mingle with the guests as well. They would be dying to know who you are and such." A big hint to what I should do and an invitation for random strangers to talk to me. I wanted to back down, but I just gave a fake smile and nod at his statement.

"Yes, you're right. I should talk to the guests a bit. This is a gathering after all." 

"If you want, I can stay by your side." General X offers, staring at the crowd, "I doubt they'll approach me if I'm nearby."

"She should be fine with me by her side." Louise interjects and shot down General X's suggestion, "Besides, she needs the experience."

"You're right about that." General X mutters, walking away, "I will be checking up on my two idiots then. If you need me, just shout my name." The child heads toward the crowd, making them disperse the moment she entered a few feet of their proximity. I have done this many times before, but still, do I really have to do this? I am somewhat annoyed and thankful for Louise. Charlotte decides to talk with the other big shots, Gallant staying with her. Golem, Michael, Luke, Leilatha, Louise and Esta are with me. My younger siblings are preoccupied with Leon, leaving them in his care. The moment I separated myself from the big shots, a group of people approaches me. 

"Hello there ma'am," started the handsome blond in his suit, "May I ask who are you? You certainly cause a scene that none of us will ever forget." He seems to be in his teens along with the people around him. All of them seem to be regular nobles, having the same style that I am familiar with. Relieved to see something I'm familiar with, I answer in a calm voice.

"My name is Aisha Graham. Twentieth offspring of Amelia and Eadric Graham." Ah, yes, the nostalgic greetings that I tend to use when talking to other nobles. I really hate stating my occupation, but most people want to know your name and position. I should also toss the fact that I am a princess, but they don't need to know that. I think? Eh, it seems like there was a flash of confusion on his face the moment I said my name. It was brief though, waiting for the name to sink in for the others. Most of them do not know my name or my status, having question marks above their head. A few of them, however, asked me this question.

"The name is familiar? I think I've seen it somewhere." A girl started.

"Graham? Ah, I think I remembered reading some interesting news a few weeks ago. Something to do with Amelia Graham..."

"Isn't that the woman who somehow got Valarie and Brynhild to save her?" another woman started. 

"What does-"

"You younglings still got a lot to learn." Another party approaches us, showing a bit more pride in their stride and presence. Insulted, the young man says, "What do you want, Gerad?"

"Just wanted to approach the young lady and learn a bit about her. Just hearing this, I got a feeling that the media isn't giving us the full picture." He looks at me, bowing, "My name is Gerad Von Lurk." He seems to be in his thirties, yet he seems like a warrior. He isn't pretty, unlike the blonde who approached me. I can see scars all over his cheeks and a cut down his left eye. He barely has any hair on him, yet there is a tiny bit of it covering the top of his head. He has a thick mustache above his upper lip though. He wore an outfit like the officers of Zezrious, but he isn't of Zezrious. He has his own medals, ribbons, and chords, but the color of his outfit was a dark blue. Taking a quick look around, I doubt that this man was with the dark side. He does not have the aura or the presence. He grins at me, stating his occupation, "A noble who has meant with your older brother Caesar Graham, fought with him, and a good ties with him. He is your brother, right?"

Oh god, I felt a sudden pain strike me emotionally. It must have been obvious since Louise reacted the same way. She had to curl her hands into a fist. Gerad most have noticed our slight actions, saying, "Anyone figured it out yet? Why this is important?" There is a bit of chatter, the girls and boys trying to piece it together. None of their guesses or thoughts hint close to the mark as they list a few silly things here and there. In the end, after three minutes, Gerad kindly fills them in.

"I even gave a hint to how the news didn't display everything correctly. Amelia Graham has ties with those two geniuses and with the Bullet Hero. This isn't because of some debt or gratitude to repay Amelia's kindness. There's a lot more going on than what we're being told." I would give Gerad a thumbs up, but I don't think I would want this to be public knowledge. I stayed quiet, silently appraising this man for coming to such a conclusion. The young party seems to awe at this, looking at me with newfound interest. The bad one. Before they can say anything, Gerad says, "Aisha, it seems like you have your own ties though. Charlotte and General X? Was there presence in this gathering part of your doing?"

"What are you saying? Those two should have appeared because of the Crusade." the blonde man said.

"Or the same reason to why Len personally greet Aisha. Because of her relationship with her mother." A woman adds.

"Is it?" Gerad strokes his chin, looking at me, "I could see that from General X, but at the same time, I don't think her orders were to reveal herself or even appear before public eyes. Unless it is under Valarie's intent and purpose. But Charlotte? I know that Charlotte and Valarie aren't that close. She BARELY and RARELY appears to a bunch of parties. Her status alone is beyond us. Like geniuses, she has no need to attend this gathering even if there is a Crusade." Okay, this piece of information caught my attention. "Overlords, especially Charlotte the Crimson Overlord, has no need to participate in this gathering by all means. She has done her time, and she has led multiple campaigns and stopped many Crusades. There have been several past Crusades within this region where she could have participated in them. As a being of darkness, she could have moved against them. But the higher-ups know better because she has done much and if she doesn't want to do something on her own accord, why force her?"

"So Aisha's presence here had a huge factor into their appearances."

"Enough about them." I said, seeing what was the intention of this party's purpose, "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Yes, in a way." the blonde man answers. There was no hesitation, and I can see some hope in his eyes. The moment he said that though, I decide to shut it down. 

"So your interest is with the connections that I have, more than me?"

"Yes." Realizing what he just said, several of his pals glared at him. They have chosen a poor representative as their spokes leader. I let out a sigh, turning towards Gerad, "Am I to be seen as a tool by you or something else?"

"I am sorry about their lack of... morality or humanity. I do not have any ill intention towards you. I came here to ask about something else and get to know the younger sister whom Caesar spoke highly of." That surprised me. I blink a couple of times at his declaration. 

"Hey, what about-"

"Oi, oi, get out of the way." Whoever was coming scared the living hell out of the young party. They immediately ran away, afraid of the incoming person. I glance at the next figure who approached us. This one... I can see why they ran away from the deformed individual. Heck, it's like I was staring at strange contraption that looks like a living being. The sight of some abomination before me is a bit unsettling. Thinking about it, this being is different from the various races here. The being in question reminds me of a demon, but it has its skin and some of its flesh... changed. It has machinery inside of it. There are bits of gray tubes here and there, but I can definitely feel mana coursing through it and hear the whizzes, hisses, and gears inside of its body. Or what was showing. The man has a large cape wrapped around his body, towering a bit higher than Golem. The only thing that hinted at the mix of machinery with his flesh is his face which certainly reminded me of a demon, but a messed up one. The side of his head has two large horns curving upwards. One of his horns has a metallic gleam to it. The being has four eyes, two on each side, but a decent chunk of metal and enhancements cover his eyes. Instead of seeing yellow pupils, I can see two glowing ride eyes on his right. His mouth which reminds me of some shark. Like his eyes, his teeth reveal a hint of machinery, replacing teeth with metal. Louise jumps at the sight of the creature as Golem steps in a bit to defend her.

I would have noticed that if the small voice beside the creature didn't have my utmost attention.

"Now Dae, you should have said, 'Excuse me' or 'Pardon me' compared to... being blunt. Sorry about that." A little girl stands beside the strange being. I realized how important she is, connecting the hints to why she would be standing beside him. Heck, I am a bit impressed at this girl's class. And by class, I mean her occupation.

"You're a [Tinkerer]? And so young..."

"Not quite, but close." The girl replies with a happy tone, "I am a [Mechanist]. I dabble with technology and do other things with it."

"Like giving machinery to this demon? Demon, right?" I glance towards the weird creature.

"Yes." He replies, "I am a bit surprised at your calmness."

"I've seen... weirder things. Trust me." Seeing that robotic man at the Adventurer's Guild. It seems like the young girl is a bit too smart since she was able to point out my interaction with that man.

"Oh yeah, you did meet SZ-060. A former soldier who worked for King Len, but his body got torn to bits. Or to be precise, he lost his human body. The android is my head receptionist here."

"It was because you kept on bombarding him with questions he had no answers to. And you forced him into it." The robotic demon mutters. Looking at the [Mechanist], she has short dirty blonde hair. Her giant green eyes reveal a lot of knowledge and innocence behind them. She does not wear a dress, dressed in a plain white tank top with green pants and brown boots. I noticed the few smudges on her top, but I didn't address it. 

"I don't go to these parties, eh, gatherings, as much, but I decided to since I heard King Len was going to do something different for this gathering."

"And he did." Gerad nods his head, "It's a pleasure to see you, Lonnie."

"Ah, Gerad! How's everything on the western end? Heard that your people have been engaging against the demihumans."

"More like defending." He corrects her, shaking his head, "I don't know why they are attacking some of the settlements that do not wish to participate in those silly battles and try to make peace with them. Then again, each demihuman race has their own plans compared to being a united group."

"I heard that they are under one flag now or something," Dae adds, "Wanting to abolish and drive the humans out of their lands or something."

"Yes, but not everyone is set on it. I guess that the demihumans who attacked us are nothing but warmongers as well. Either way, other than that, everything is fine Lonnie. I suspect that you have been dabbling in your craftsmanship still? Trying to enhance Dae or trying to buddy up with the princess here, too?" Offended, Lonnie let out a gasp, but she nods her head without any sort of guilt.

"I do! Why wouldn't I? She's friends with Valarie and Brynhild. Even King Len, who might help me in my studies- if possible!" I raise an eyebrow at her. How could I help her with that?

"Couldn't you ask King Len for assistance?" I voice out.

"I could... But he's a busy man. Most of the time, when I try to talk to him, I get redirected or something. I have to go through a boring process and go through his callers..."

"Pretty much her message never goes through." Dae shortens it, "Not trying to take advantage of you or anything, but she's trying to improve herself in her works. There are only a few people who could give her more knowledge and improve on her technological advancements."

"Which leads to you two approaching me." I finished.

"Precisely! You got it!"

"I am a bit curious to what you are though? You're a demon?"

"Yes, you can say that." There was a bit of hesitation in his reply, but I didn't push it. I got a feeling there's more to it, but I would want to be on friendly terms with... these two. Gerad did not try to shoo them away after confessing their true motives. I guess he kind of knows the two? It seems like they're okay with each other, but I am a bit curious about the news I just heard. I heard about it, but I wanted to learn a bit more. Turning to Gerad, I asked him, "War with demihumans? What's this about? I only met a couple in my lifetime, so I don't hear much about their state of affairs."

"Ah, well, let's just say that some of the western human nations like to enslave demihumans for a variety of things. It got to the point where there was a rebellion that created a united front for the demihumans to attack the western kingdom. Granted that not all of the humans are into slavery, but the majority are. I am in the group that frowns upon slavery, yet we do get our fair shares of attacks regardless of our statements."

"A shame really." Lonnie shakes her head, "They should avoid you guys. They could at least throw some of their forces at the ones that deserve it."

"Just defending ourselves. And we told them, but they don't listen." Gerad just shakes his head. 

"Did Caesar reside in the west?" I never asked my parents what happened to most of my siblings since... I didn't think to ask. I knew that they were doing something, just that I didn't know where exactly and what they were doing unless they decide to say it at the dinner table or say it out loud within my earshot. Gerad nods at my inquiry.

"Yes, Caesar Graham fought a decent amount of battles over in the west. He was against slavery since his wife is a demihuman. A kitsune to be precise. With that, a decent chunk of humans changed their mindset because of him, working with most of the demihumans instead of enslaving them. Not only that, Caesar was able to obtain war dragons for his armies. He's a great man. Ambitious, young, a lot of people look up to him. Even his son wants to become a fine warrior and general. He spoke highly of you though."

"Me? How come?" I just listen to Gerad, feeling a bit... numb at this revelation. I never knew Caesar married a demihuman- I thought he married a noble? Unless he kept that away from our dad? And if he did, then he did it because...

"He said that you were quite rebellious and wild. in a way." Gerad starts, "Said that you didn't want to become a princess and go on your own path. From what he said, a lot of your family members frowned upon your behavior and that your father tries his hardest to make you change your mind, locking you up in a way. Caesar was in that mindset, at first, thinking that you were foolish and that you should have followed your parent's wishes, but he realized that you shouldn't. He was supposed to marry a noblewoman, but he found a helpless kitsune that caught his attention and fell in love with her. From there on out, he did what he wanted to do. I think your father was outraged at the thought and planned to cut all ties with him." 

"They did?" I... didn't know. I... Looking at Louise, she seems surprised as well.

"I didn't know either..."

"Yeah. Caesar admired you, Aisha. From what he last told us, the moment he heard that your place was under attack, he mobilized his own armies to save you. He was ready to do what he can do to save you." I just stared at Gerad, trying my best not to... cry? It upsets me though. Greatly. I didn't know. I... just didn't know that Caesar looked up to me and changed that much. Why? If only... I forced my tears inside of me, controlling my voice as I bear the bad news to Gerad. 

"Caesar... died. Yesterday... He..." Trying my best to say the words, Gerad quickly understood that the worse happened. He decided to ask me an important question.

"Did he die?" He said it in a voice, watching me. I just nod my head, trying hard not to cry. Even Louise was trying her best not to cry.

"I see. Can I ask how?"

"I can answer that." General X's bodyguards decide to join our group, bowing slightly towards me and the others. 

"My name is Gamma." says the blonde hair one.

"Beta." says the white hair, "A bunch of fanatics were trying to hunt down Aisha. During that time, they stumbled upon Caesar and his armies, planning to annihilate them to pull Aisha towards them along with Louise. Their plan failed, but they have eliminated most of his army and killed him in the process." 

"... and you didn't stop them in time?" Gerad, angered by this, glares at the two.

"We didn't know that they were hunting Aisha down. Even if we have our own intelligent group, the fanatics can easily bypass our eyes and ears, fooling us and doing things at the last second. We only caught wind of this because we were in the area and they made a ruckus that caught our attention." Gamma explains.

Lonnie tilts her head, "... I thought that Valarie is an ally to Aisha?"

"Yes, but a lot of our people don't like Aisha. Especially the fanatics." Beta points out. "They'll do what they must. Even deceiving us." Gerad remains silent for a while, staring at the two with clenched fists. 

"The families will be compensated." Gamma said, "We just need someone to take the money back to them. It doesn't bring the dead back to life, but it should help the families who lost their loved ones."

"I can take care of it. Just come to my temporary estate here, and I will take care of the rest. Other than that, you can kindly get out of my sight for now." The two did a slight bow again, leaving us. Before they head back to wherever they were at, Beta whispers this into my ear rather quickly.

"Careful of what you say. There are a lot of people listening... If you think you're the only one with enhanced hearing, you're wrong." I turn to her, watching them go into the crowd of people around us.

"Goddamn it all." Gerad curses, "I knew that it wasn't enough. He just rushed onwards... Ugh." Shaking his head, he says to me, "I will have to excuse myself. I have to inform his wife and the others about his death."

"Tell her that I am sorry for her loss. And... if she needs anything, she can send me a message." Gerad nods his head. I decide to add this as well, "Also, I would want to talk a bit further... later on about Caesar. If that's alright." The man gives a sad smile, agreeing to it.

"Sure. I can do that. But at a later date. Take care." He does a small bow, leaving us. 

"And this is why Valarie isn't liked as much," Dae mutters, getting a kick from Lonnie, "What?!"

"Shush Dae! Not now!"

"It's fine." I stare at the two of them, "So what do you want me to do for you two? Ask Len or Valarie about...?" 

"We can discuss this at a later date, too. I mean, I would tell you, but at the same time, I know that..." She stops herself, giving me a small smile. "Later. I will call for you later as well. Take care, Aisha. Come Dae!" The girl walks off, going into the crowd. Dae stays behind, saying, "You have my regards about your brother's death. Take care." 

As they walk away, I stand there, contemplating my past decision.

Did I make the right call to just save Louise? Was there a way to save Caesar? Was there a way to get to know him better? I feel so bad... to know that my older brother changed because of me. And how he looks up to me... It... 

"Don't think about it too hard, Aisha." Leilatha says, snapping me out of my thoughts, "You did what you had to do. Sure, it would have been nice to have done something else and it worked out, but it may or may not work. You have to do something that you think is best, and for better or worse, you have to accept it. I understand what you may be going through, but do not let this get to you. If you need to cry later, we got you." I give her a weak smile, thanking her.

"Thank you-"

"Who is that?" Louise sounds nervous. The moment I look at what she's looking at, my body went still. I start to panic, internally, trying to piece out what to do. A notification box definitely popped up before me, warning me how bad the situation is. 

WARNING! WARNING! LEADER OF THE DEATH KNIGHTS IS APPROACHING YOU!

Yeah... It seems like I might need to fear for my life now. Golem immediately steps forward, shielding me slightly as I can see Gallant move too. The leader of the Death Knight is a gorgeous woman with white hair, but everyone, except her own knights, moved away from them. She walks towards us very slowly, everyone one of them showing no emotions on their faces. She wears a nice white gown though. Red lines running all over her. It seems like the red lines match the circulatory system inside of the human body, yet it flashes every now and then. It was like it had energy running through it, magic maybe. Either way, her eyes are locked onto me, revealing the inner hatred and anger in them. Her gaze alone is making me want to run away. I can't read her rank or her knights. Her knights are wearing formal clothes, suits, and some dresses, but they still impose a great amount of fear towards us. Michael, Leilatha, and Luke also step forward, ready to protect me. The moment they were in front of us, the leader gaze at each one of us. It seems like the crowd around us certainly kept their distance, understanding the huge tension between us. They mutter to each other, wondering why this group approaches us. Sadly, none of them understand how bad this is.

I can see Golem and Gallant tensing up, fist clenched and ready to draw out their weapons if needed.

"So... this is your new Imperator? I knew that I didn't exterminate all of you. I couldn't find some bodies within the massacre." She speaks coldly, showing no empathy and hinting her disgust against us, "A shame. I thought that you would seek someone far stronger than... this."

"Shut your mouth," Gallant says. "Do not mock her."

"You shut yours, mongrel." A male knight steps forward, being pulled back by a female with long blonde hair.

"Now, now, we shouldn't stoop to their level now." she says.

"Go. No. Trouble." Golem tries to shoo them away, earning an insult.

"Can't even speak normally? Pathetic." 

"Hey! Don't insult him!" Louise says, stepping forward now, "Who are you lot?"

"We should just kill them and everyone here." suggests another male, shaking his arms around, "We got this-"

"Do you really want to start this?" Charlotte appears beside Gallant, showing some anger in her own eyes, "Cause I can ensure that most of you will die." Before any of the Death Knights say anything, their leader spoke up, silencing them all.

"Hush. All of you. I want her to know who I am and what is to come. Stop misbehaving before I end you." They obeyed, saying their apologies to their leader. "Now, I only came here to meet the new leader face-to-face. Nothing more or less. I want to know who I'm going to kill."

"I only invite you here because of your reputation, you know." King Len approaches us with Leon and Jenine in tow, "You're pushing it a tiny bit."

"And who are you with? You set this up on purpose... yet I feel like you just handed me a nice gift. Wouldn't it have been better to hide the next Imperator away from me?" I glance at Len in disbelief, yet he just shakes his head.

"She's going to be my ally. And as allies, you try to harm her, you will make me your enemy as well." There was a deadly silence as he said this. I don't remember asking for this! Granted that I am thankful for his aid, yet I feel like the situation is escalating. I would try to defuse it, but what can I do against my enemy? She's also stronger than... I don't know how strong she is, but I can tell that she could rival most of the figures around here. Maybe even Charlotte and General X. Speaking of the general, she appears beside saying, "Aisha is under Valarie's protection for now along with her knights. You fight them, you fight us." 

"I figured. You got my knights killed and didn't explain how or why. Knowing that woman, she used them for something." The leader was not fazed by the number of people backing me up, "I will-"

"Let's end this!" One of the Death Knights powered himself up, conjuring a thick armor around him and a dark red energy spear as a weapon. He tries to impale me with a spear, but several figures appear out of nowhere. I can see Abdul standing right in front of me, stopping the tip of the spear from going near me. A thick shield is wrapped around his body. Beta has appeared slicing off the man's hand as Charlotte has skillfully sliced the man's armored arm from his body with thin strips of blood coming from her hands. Angered by this, he was going to press onwards until their own leader stabs her hand into his protected chest, pulling his heart out and slashing his head off. She did this in a few seconds, using a fraction of her own powers. Or did she? I barely had the sense to keep up with her movement, let alone digest how she executed her moves so effectively. I didn't even sense a hint of energy from her as she swiftly executed her own knight. Even with his magical and physical protection, the leader of the Death Knights rip through it with ease. She crushes the man's heart, the blood being drained by her outfit along with his body. A wisp of the man's energy flows around the leader, feeling an increase in her powers. There were a lot of screams and gasps. The biggest ones were from my younger sisters. No one was prepared for this. I turn towards my twin sisters, seeing them terrified and scared. Then, they start to cry. Louise immediately rushes to them, comforting them. I frown greatly at this, staring at the leader of the Death Knights.

"Shame that a knight of mine misbehaved." She mercilessly killed her own knight, glaring at the rest of her group, "Anyone else wants to do something stupid?" They said nothing, standing still. "Sorry about that. I guess that they don't know obedience yet. Or they have been anxious and eager to finish off the Black Knights once and for all." Other than a bit of anger and annoyance, she showed no other emotion. She ignored the chatter around her, her eyes still locked onto me. 

"Leave this city." Len didn't have a nice tone anymore, displaying sternness behind his voice. "You are not welcomed in Zezrious anymore." 

"I was planning to leave after tonight anyway." She gives a deadpan smile, making sure I can see it, "You showed me what I was going to kill. Aisha, we'll be seeing each other later. Struggle and squirm for now. I'll crush you when the time comes." Turning, she walks away with her knights right behind her. They look at me for a quick second, following their leader. They head out of the building, the crowd making a path for them.

"Assholes." I can hear that from Abdul, asking me, "You alright?" It took me a while to register that his question was for me.

"Y-Yeah. I think I'm fine?" Am I really? Hell fucking no. That was scary as... I can't compare it to anything else. I knew that it would go bad, but my god... What the hell? it wasn't peaceful at all. Instead of being anxious, this ruined the mood for me. My body was shaking at the sight of the Death Knight leader, feeling a huge amount of dread on me. I couldn't really do as much, locked in place. I'm already freaking out... and trying my hardest not to breakdown right now. It's taking every ounce of my power not to run away and hide. This is... overwhelming. So overwhelming to the point where I wish I had my simple life again. I look at the people around me. My knights were ready to fight, their eyes still on the Death Knights until they left the building. Charlotte, too, was watching them leave. Len was watching them as Jenine and Leon discuss some things with each other. My younger siblings were just... traumatized. Louise is trying her best to calm them down. The crowd was in... disarray? People weren't in a panic, but they were... nervous. Everyone was asking who she was and what was going on. Luckily, as we got several figures who can calm it all down.

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"Now, now, it was an unfortunate accident, but let's just continue on with the pleasantries. Nothing to fear!" King Len states.

"As long as I'm around, nothing will happen," Charlotte adds, "Just some misunderstandings."

"Yes, everyone, enjoy the party as you see fit," Jenine says, "It would be a waste." By having three notorious figure calm everyone nerves or defuse the tension, everyone obeyed. They went about, mingling and chatting again. Granted that people are still shaken up by the event, they try to forget what they saw. I turn to King Len, wanting some answers. 

"I think we'll go onto the next part of this gathering. That spoiled my mood." Len says, still upset about it all "Come- you might want to have your siblings enjoy the party though." I didn't know who could watch over them until I can hear my older sister volunteer herself. "Sis, you go with them. I'll watch over the others." 

"I. Stay." Golem looks at me, "Guard."

"Right..." I just nod my head, allowing Golem to stay with her. 

"I will watch over them as well." Abdul says, "I don't trust those knights anyways. As long as I'm around, you have my word that your group will be safe." I slowly nod at him, having Len lead the way. I turn towards my lovers, seeing their expressions. They're all tense, but I can see a bunch of anger in their eyes. I would ask if they're fine, but they weren't. I turn to Gallant, asking him, "Who is she?" As we tail behind Len, he looks at the people around us. He asks Len, "Your majesty, do you have something to-"

"Got it." With a snap of his fingers, I can feel a tingling sensation run around us. "There you go."

"That... That was the leader of the Death Knights. I don't know her name, her real name, but her codename is Nemesis. She killed our last Imperator along with most of our faction. She was the one who wants our extinction."

"How come?" I had to ask. What drives her to do this so badly?

"No one knows why. A few guesses, but our last Imperator never explained it to us. He just knew that we'll die, or most of us will die. He allowed a select few, especially the young ones, to escape the last battle we had with them." There was a sad tone behind his voice, going on, "But she's here to make sure we're all dead. She knew that some knights escaped the last battle. She wants to make sure that we're dead. For good." 

"A bit too late though." Len says, "Aisha is the new Imperator though-"

"Did you set this up?" I couldn't control myself any longer, wanting answers, "What was the point of having her here? And how did you know I was the next Imperator? And don't act dumb, you knew I was the new leader before I met with the Death Knight leader."

"Yes and no. She was going to come to this party. Regardless of if you were here or not, she is noble in her own right. Secondly, the sheer fact that there are a lot of knights around you, more than two, and can order them around, hints at your command over them. That can only mean a couple of things, but the biggest one is being either a trusted companion, a possible candidate to be an Imperator, or you are the Imperator. You know that I spied on you, but I'm not going to say for how long." Len calmly answers, "Lastly, I already knew that you might be the next Imperator after some facts I gathered from the last bunch of Black Knights I encountered in the Pillars of Gluttony and Jenine. They stated the exact names of the knights who were on their mission to reform the Black Knights with a new leader." 

"Is this why you're interested in becoming allies with Aisha?" Leon asks, looking at me, "How strong are her knights?"

"Strong enough to piss off the Death Knights." Jenine answers, staring at him, "You don't know much though. I can fill you in later."

"Nah, it's fine. I would rather see it for myself, but if they killed the majority of these knights, why are they still hunting them?"

"I already said-"

"I know what you said, just that I find it... dumb. If it's revenge, how deep is this revenge of hers? Either way, is it alright for YOU to piss her off?" This was directed at Len. The Bullet Hero smiles, making me feel a bit... uncomfortable. Something about that smile gave mixed signals to me.

"I want to help Aisha out, and I didn't like them in the beginning anyways."

"You've got something up your sleeve." General X points out, having her two guards with her, "You MADE something that will give you an edge."

"In more ways than one." Len didn't hide it, laughing a bit as we walk down the luxurious hallways, "You'll see it in due time." I look at General X and saw her displeasure. 

"Well, I will be bringing up several other issues at this meeting... Some of them not related to the Crusade. Just a heads up to you lot." General X says, getting a few question marks above some people in our group. Abaddon Morrin has been awfully quiet though. I forgot that she was with us until my eyes landed on her. She didn't speak up when the Death Knights appeared before us. 

"Abaddon Morrin?" I usher her name, seeing her turn to me.

"Hmmm?"

"You alright?"

"I'm thinking." She says, "Don't mind me."

"Wouldn't it be better to have a military meeting after this gathering? Or tomorrow?" I voiced, wondering why Len is doing it while he's still hosting a social gathering. At the least, from what I remembered, the host should at least attend and supervise his own party to some degree. It seems like Len is doing the opposite thing. Don't get me wrong, the Crusade is extremely important, but this is still a gathering.

"What's the point of doing that when everyone is already here? It saves a lot of time." Does everyone with a lot of power do whatever they want? I just blink at Len, not questioning the weirdness of this all. I let out a sigh, Jenine whispering to me.

"You'll get used to this."

"I guess." We continue to walk down the long hallways, standing in front of a huge door. Two knights stand beside the door, standing vigilant. Their armor is designed in a very fiendish way, blending and mixing a demon with a dragon. It reminds me of a certain individual from before-

"Ah, the Abyssal Knights. I didn't know that old man is here. Why didn't you tell me, Abaddon?" Snapping out of her thoughts, 

"Ah, I forgot that you two had a history together. Apologies, Crimson Overlord." Hearing her name, the two knights turn towards us, staring right at Charlotte.

"Charlotte!?"

"I thought you would be guarding that blasted gate?"

"I would have, but I decided to get back into the swing of things... Although I might be doing some stuff of my own accord. How's the old man?"

"He's inside, waiting for you." The knight redirects his gaze towards Len before he looks at Charlotte once more, "Damn. I didn't think you would be here... Hell, I think no one expected this."

"The old man will most likely lose his composure." The other knight states, laughing a bit. They both snap out of their conversation, standing upright, "Excuse us for the chatter. Everyone is inside King Len."

"Good." King Len push the doors open, revealing a very...

I should have known that this room wouldn't be normal. I can see chairs and such, but the room is extremely advanced in terms of technology. Heck, the entire room is screaming it out. A lot of people filled a lot of seats around the huge rectangular table that displays... a ghastly figure of Zezrious? It's a small miniature model of the city that has a light blue color to it. A lot of the individuals in the room stopped their chatter, staring at us. Everyone immediately stood up the moment they realized that Charlotte was in the group.

"What is the Crimson Overlord doing here?!" An armored plated man whispers.

"I don't know?" whispered another armored man, "But someone must have pissed her off to come here!"

"Oh shit, it's the beautiful Overlord!" A girl starts to fan herself, unable to take her eyes off of her, "I'm not ready for this!"

"Calm down sis!" Another girl tries to fan her, "I-It's... This must be some illusion!"

Okay, I question my advanced hearing and wish I could filter out weird comments like that. Nonetheless, the room was in an uproar, a lot of the figures bowing and praising Charlotte. The Crimson Overlord steps forward, silencing the room. 

"It is an honor to be here, but I am here for my own accords. I might be giving up my Gate Guardian position to do as I please. Regardless, try to ignore my position and rank. I am here to observe. Who is the person in charge of the defense of Zezrious?" 

"I am. It's good to see you again! Thought you'll just rust and get bored at that damn gate." Adramelech Logan steps up, standing before Charlotte, "How are you?"

"I'm alright. Trying to promote yourself or something? Isn't this the fourth or fifth time you lead a defense and or offense?"

"I'm losing count, but Zezrious is extremely important. We didn't want to have the light side take over the city." He says, "What is Princess Aisha doing here though? Thought this meeting is military affairs only?"

"She's quite important for several things," Len defends me, motioning everyone, "Take a seat. We'll start this meeting real soon-"

"Hold up, even if you like this girl King Len, she shouldn't be here period." A darkly armored individual shouted, his rank being... A fiend? He has a standard look to him, wearing a horned helmet, "No offense."

"I agree with him," says a female mage, folding her arms, "Even if she is a princess- what-"

"Because I might join in on this fight depending on her involvement in the Crusade. Not only that, she is extremely important in terms of firepower." General X defends me as well, getting a lot of disdain and hatred the moment everyone lays their eyes on her. Despite this though, Logan nods his head.

"I can see that. I already knew there was more to that report compared to what the media typed up."

"Besides, if she plans to be my ally and a powerful leader later, why not have her get a taste of a real war?" Okay, out of all the things he could say, I didn't expect to hear that from Len. Those who didn't want my presence her just shrugged their shoulders and give up. It seems like they didn't want to piss off Len and they must have decided it wasn't worth it. My party starts to find their seats, most of my trusted companions sitting close to me. The moment everyone got in their seats, the lights dimmed down a bit. The small screen of Zezrious zooms outwards, showing a map of Zezrious and it's surrounding area. I can only awe in amazement at this small action, impressed by this machine. General X, a few seats away from me, gives me a heads up to what the table is. Or what I was seeing.

"This table is able to project a holographic image of Zezrious and a map. It can do other things, but what you're staring at right now is a hologram. Think of it like a projection image that you can do with magic... But this doesn't run on magic." I see.

"So from what I have gathered, the Crusade is going to be doing several approaches to have their forces attack these lands." Adramelech Logan explains, red arrows appearing around Zezrious, "Their weaker armies are going to be walking on foot, surrounding the country when the time comes. The biggest issue is their elite soldiers. We have no clue how they're going to come in..." I filter out the talk, hearing suggestions and speculations from the other figures. I look at Gallant, whispering to him, "What's the point of talking about specific troops?"

"You have to be precise and on point with analyzing these Crusades and Holy Wraths. You want to take account of how much forces and firepower is being thrown your way. Since this is Zezrious, the light side is sending a lot of resources to try and capture this place. Everyone being used in this war will have significant value. Even if they send a lot of weaklings, they can still overpower a high ranked being depending on various factors. From what everyone is chatting about is the elite forces. These figures can literally change the course of a battle. In wars like these, they would try to hide their main forces and reveal them at the last second. A single high ranking being might have issues handling two armies of one hundred troops, but a group with ten elites? They could do it. There are still several factors to this, but the light side is making sure they're not leaking out the vital information about their attack force to ensure their victory."

"This would fall on the spies and the intelligence groups that both sides have to dumb down the exact details. Problem is that both intelligence groups are on par with each other." General X adds, "Just watch and listen. You'll learn a bit." 

"How do we know that the armies marching towards us aren't the elite troopers?"

"They're already on the march. We have spotted them recently, traveling across Neinu. At their pace, they should be here in two to three weeks." Following the Adramelech's words, the map zooms out, revealing a decent chunk of the world. Neinu is several countries north of Zezrious, displaying a big red arrow directed towards Zezrious. Len nods his head, interrupting Adramelech, "We have already talked about this prior to this meeting. The biggest question I am concerned with is our chances of winning and who might play a factor towards this upcoming battle." The old man nods his head, saying, "The light side might have obtained a few things from the dwarves and elves, but I have no hints or signs of another faction joining in on this Crusade-"

"Careful now. The fanatics could join in on this just because." General X adds. There were a lot of groans, yet the Adramelech nods his head reluctantly.

"That is true. It hasn't been a first time when those crazy fanatics just came out of nowhere and made a huge mess of things."

"We should also consider the Death Knights as a threat as well." Ushering their name, Adramelech looks at Abaddon Morrin. He frowns at the revelation. 

"They're here?"

"They're in the area. Seems like they have a grudge against Aisha and her knights." Adramelech looks at us, nodding his head, "Damn... I didn't want to bump into those assholes again."

"Again?" I stare at the Adramelech, getting a few confused looks from some dark figures.

"I'll explain later... But yeah, we should consider them as a threat."

"They won't be an issue to me as much." Len says, "If they fight in my city, they will surely pay the price." I find it weird that Len is extremely... calm about this all. I take a few glances at him, noticing that he wasn't entirely upset or frustrated at this upcoming Crusade. Heck, I'm puzzled at how no one asked him how he would be able to handle the Death Knights? Can he really do that?

"How about those damn orcs? Ironclawz?" A woman suggests, "They're in the area. They might create an issue."

"Issue? I doubt it." Charlotte speaks up, "They will gladly fight against us and the forces of light despite the firepower. I think they can be used to our advantage to hinder and halt the armies of the light. Granted that they don't focus down on them, they will surely create some slight issues."

"I agree." Len nods his head, "As long as we're not near them, they will most likely attack the forces of light the moment they come near their lands and mine."

"Couldn't we use your weak demon army Charlotte?" A man asks. Charlotte shakes her head, "Nope. Lost a huge chunk of my forces recently so that's out of the question." I realize that no one has asked General X about her forces. And I was a bit curious to Jenine and Leon's position on this as well. They're here because they're allies to Len, right? 

"How about your forces?" I decide to speak up, asking Jenine and Leon. The two seemed amused at my question, the big man laughing a bit.

"I wouldn't want to, but I AM going to be sending a decent chunk of soldiers assist Zezrious. Without this guy, there wouldn't be a good trade between the three of us."

"I will surely do the same... Granted that we're not devoting all of our forces to Len, we are giving some help. We do not intend to declare our alignment, but we do not plan to let Zezrious fall into the wrong hands. Len can surely handle this invasion by himself though." 

"He can?" That came out of my mouth rather quickly.

"Yes. I could take on this Crusade without any help in all honesty." Len says this with pride, none of the dark forces retorted or decline his statement. I am utterly confused to this then.

What's the point of helping out Len? What- 

"What did you idiots give in exchange for helping this man?" General X has a huge frown on her face, but Len intercepts Adramelech before he gives an answer.

"Don't need to tell my rival about it. She doesn't need to know." General X glares at Len for a moment. A smile starts to spread across General X's face, breaking Len's calm nature.

"You'll tell me when I got this to show you all. This is extremely important."

"Excuse me?"

"I doubt that you lot have been paying attention to the world. There are things that have caught my attention that needs to be brought up. Things are changing... for the worse." The entire room went silent, all eyes on the General. Len frowns at the girl, saying, "Are you referring to the wars? I know about this already-"

"Really? If you have checked up on this, what is the west dealing with right now?"

"They're at war with the demihumans. There is no other-" 

"You know that there's something else, but you don't know what. Didn't you lose a group of elite troopers?" 

"Did you kill them?" The atmosphere is getting tense, the Bullet Hero glaring at General X. The General did not freak out, her grin spreading even further.

"No. I would never have my boys engage against yours. They would be on equal grounds and there would be huge casualties. I wouldn't be able to get away with it. From the looks of it, I am right though. Everyone here understands how strong your troops are, but there is a great danger that might also pop up in Zezrious." Taking out a strange rectangular object, she holds it up before her. "I got a recording of what has happened to that group and the things that we should be afraid of. Here you go." Tossing it across the room, King Len catches the object between his finger. He opens up something in the table, sliding the object in a slot. The moment he did that, the table displays a huge scene of a forest. It reveals a bunch of humans, but I can spot Len's elite troops fighting against...

"What the hell is that?" Adramelech and everyone are dumbfounded at the undead that is on the screen. 

The thing is undead are common creatures that shouldn't really shock everyone in this room. There are skeletons, zombies, dread knights, liches, banshees, common beings that shouldn't have frightened anyone in this room. The content of the video would not have disturbed everyone if it was a normal scene where zombies and skeletons would overwhelm their opponents. It's a common thing to use the undead in swarms, let alone have them kill and brutalize their victims. Sadly, this is completely different on a whole different level. It was like seeing Len's whole different scale of his city and his technological advances. On the screen, there was a decent amount of human soldiers and demihumans fighting against each other. The scene reveals the demihumans and humans fighting against each other, Len's elite troopers getting caught up in the heat of it. From the perspective of this holographic image, General X's spy was hiding on top of a tree. From what we were hearing, the person was cursing at how their equipment wasn't able to reach General X, confused at the sudden interference.

"Someone used a goddamn EMP... But WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" Voicing out everyone's thoughts, demihumans and humans stop their fighting to stare at a weird anomaly on the field. A figure that defied what an undead should look like. Especially a demihuman. From what I could understand, there was a lone kitsune, a fox-girl, standing between a human and demihuman. The two individuals fell to the ground though, being impaled by the kitsune's tails. Normally, a kitsune's tail would not be able to pierce through armor. This kitsune, however, was an undead of a different caliber. Something that was different from the norm. Most of the times, when a body is resurrected, they would become something else. If the person or being was a strong individual, they'll become a lich instead of retaining their former body. However, the undead on the screen is still a kitsune with most of its traits still intact. It smiled and talked to humans and demihumans, having a hint of intelligence.

"Hello, fleshings, I bring greetings from our undead master. You have been selected by our glorious master to become usable materials for our upcoming army. Enjoy your death and savor this moment." 

"Fuck that!" A human aims his musket at her, but a thin red light pierces through the air. Whatever that was, it fired at a huge distance, reminding me of the guns Len has. The gun made a huge mess on the human soldier. It burned his flesh and vaporized his entire arm. How did a small thin strand of green light do that? The person recording this focuses on the individual who fired that shot. Everyone was silent at a weird looking undead. I couldn't help but remember the strange android at the Adventurer's Guild. The being had a metallic white gleam with red energy running through his interior. It has the same body structure as a human skeleton, but heavily modified to whatever it is. All in all, it was certainly an undead, but nothing that we're familiar with. It did not have any skin, yet the bones are not... normal. The weapon it was holding is akin to Len's own guns, but this weapon that contains red energy inside of their long barreled canister. 

"What the hell is that?" Len finally spoke up, standing from his seat. "How did someone make an undead robot?!"

"Undead robot?" I ask this out loud, questioning the combination of the two. Is that even possible? 

"Yes... It's a thing apparently." Everyone continues to watch the recording, watching the sudden onslaught. Len's troopers in the recording diverted their attention towards the new threat. Figures start to emerge from the ground, coming out in swarms. Undead start to rush through the field behind the kitsune and the undead machine, seeing hundreds and hundreds of undead hybrids. These aren't normal zombies. They're not ghouls or liches, banshees or undead knights. No, these undead are hybrids that retain their intelligence and retain their former traits even after death. Kitsunes sped through the battlefield, using every ounce of their body as a weapon. Their agility and their flexibility made them impossible to kill. Regular soldiers could not handle them. The heavier and sturdier soldiers could take them down, but they might end up dying too. I can see a rank thirteen warrior swing his greatsword at an undead kitsune. The strength behind his swing sliced the body into two, but the kitsune made sure that her tails impaled her attacker before she died. Or was incapacitated. The demihumans who were fighting against the humans decided to divert their focus on the undead, struggling to stay on par with their undead counterparts. The kitsunes were not the only undead beings. Werewolves, bearmen, wolfmen, nekos, any demihuman in this world, there was an undead variant to them. Worse, there are a couple of weird ones that stood out. There was a female undead that had a mix of various limbs from multiple races. It has a couple of legs of an arachnid, wings of a dragoon, teeth of the lizard people, ears of a neko, a few tails from a kitsune, claws of a wolf... Whatever this thing is, she was quick, relentless, and merciless. She easily shreds through any soldier who stood in her way. It easily evades any attack tossed at her, ignored the realms that tried to hold her down, and it can easily fight against hordes of enemies. There is another being that caught my attention, being a combination of a bear and wolf. It was taking a lot of hits, but it seems like it didn't care as much. It soaked in the damage, watching his body regenerate its wounds rather quickly. It easily pummel any being in its vicinity, breaking through the ranks of humans and demihumans. 

Adramelech found his voice, asking the general, "Where are they coming from?"

"The west." The screen focuses on Len's elite troopers. They were able to handle themselves against the undead demihumans, certainly displaying their fierce skills and firepower. They are blasting their weird guns, emitting the same energy that the undead machine has. The amount of firepower that these elites unleashed were cutting down most of the incoming undead. Whatever training that Len puts his troops through certainly played a huge factor in their survival. Certain soldiers evaded their shots, like the kitsune, but some of Len's troops easily tackled this issue once they came near them. A soldier rushes at two kitsune, pulling out some hidden blades from his arms. The moment the two kitsunes tried to attack him, smoke burst out from the man's armor. In that second, blinding the kitsune, the armored soldier has sliced the kitsune into bits. Right after that, he immediately pulls out his guns, firing at the other kitsunes who took their eyes off of him. The giant abomination that regenerates rather quickly could not withstand the hellish volley and firepower Len's troopers set onto them. Explosions littered him, staring at a bulkier troop with open shoulder pads. I have no clue what that figure did exactly, but he was laying a lot of destruction onto the battlefield. Since Len's troops needed the range, a lot of the undead try to swarm them, but slim armored units kept them at bay by slicing them up. An armored female easily dances through the swarm, slicing with every ounce of their armored body. Spikes and blades would pop up randomly as they get surrounded by the undead. A kitsune tries to ambush them from behind, blades would burst out of her back. A mole-like being tried to ambush her from below, blades burst out of the woman's legs. When everyone tries to pile up around her, spikes and blades burst all over her. 

Just watching this, I can tell that Len's soldiers are extremely well-trained. Heck, they remind me of Caesar's elite legion troopers, but these are just deadlier in every way. How could these soldiers lose though?

A red energy shot hit one of Len's elite troopers, grabbing their attention. The undead robots slowly approach them, aiming their weapons at them. There's only a couple of them, pulling Len's soldiers to them. The other undead beings ignored Len's elites, going for the humans and demihumans. This was strange, in a way. I just made a note of that, watching Len's soldiers go after the undead machines. Len's heavier soldiers unleash a volley on them. The machines continue to walk towards Len's soldier, revealing a red shield around them as it protected them from the explosions. The machines focus their fire on one soldier, penetrating through their armor. The moment one of Len's soldier dies, a huge purple explosion rips through the field. The moment one of their own died, Len's soldiers start to summon out a very thick shield, like the one Abdul used earlier, protecting themselves. The enemies' shots were unable to get through the shield, watching these energy beams fly across the battlefield. The moment Len's soldiers start to fight seriously, the enemy starts to reveal more undead machines that we have never seen before. These machines have different builds and unique weapons to them. Len's bulkier troops continued their suppression fire, actually destroying some of the first kind of undead machine's shields. Some of their bodies finally hit the ground, killing them. It took a lot to bring them down, but it certainly boosted their morale. 

Until they start to glow and reanimate with a fresh new body. 

As several of Len's elites try to go into close quarter combat, slim robotic models rush out to counter them. Unlike the first type of machines we saw, these machines ran at the armored units. They enter close combat, using their skills to best one another. Unlike Len's soldiers, the machine soldiers are able to use every ounce of their body to deflect and block every attack. Even if an attack seems to have pierced and slash at the machine, it did not slow down or give up. Watching the fight, I realize that these machines could not kill Len's elite troopers. They certainly had them in place though, allowing another group of machines to do something against them. Explosions ripple through the battlefield, allowing another set of machines that match the first ones but hold deadlier and stronger guns. The weapon has multiple barrels in a cylinder shape, firing their weapons at Len's soldiers who were locked in close quarter combat. Even with a thick coating of energy, the strange weapons easily rip through their defenses, tearing through their shields and then killing them. The elite soldier from an intense volley of these weapons. The melee undead robots that locked Len's troops in place were sacrificial pawns to take them down. Some of Len's soldiers tried to pull away, but the undead machines would focus fire on them. It was too late to retreat. Granted that a decent amount of the undead machines were blown up, they didn't mind at all. Another new machine type appears, having a bigger size than the other machines. This one can be compared to an arachnid, but with four legs, and a big upper body with huge guns. These machines locked onto Len's sturdier and bigger elites, unleashing a deadly array of red beams and huge flares of some sort. Unable to evade the volley, Len's bulky elite soldiers were destroyed by the incoming fire. The normal looking ones were certainly evading the incoming volley, but the recording was showing a bunch of red beams covering the field. These undead soldiers would have lost to Len's troops if it was a one-on-one fight. Sadly, it's not. From the recording, despite all of the training and their gear and weaponry, these undead machines are swarming and overwhelming Len's elite troopers. I can see a soldier in the recording take down three of these undead machines before he got volleyed by the shock troopers with those weird cylinder guns. I can see another soldier just dash through the place, hacking and slashing before the heavy support unleashed their weapons at her. They did not go down without a fight, but they were being butchered due to these abnormal machines and their numbers. The moment something happened when Len's soldiers turned... I think they turned invisible, the video ends there.

I think there's a lot of mixed emotions and expressions from everyone in the room. For one, I think General X just revealed Len's elite troops and intelligence group. Secondly, we just saw how deadly his elite troopers are in combat. If this is a squad or group out of however many he has, then he can surely handle this Crusade. Thirdly, they ignored a lot of the norms. His soldiers were not affected by the realms, yet they were fighting on a level that didn't match their rank. They utilize a lot of magical and physical prowess, most likely going toe-to-toe with a god rank warrior or mage. And lastly, the amount of technological advances Len has is beyond the norm. The only one who might rival his entire faction might be Valarie. Unless we count this weird undead faction. How did they construct undead machines though? How is that even possible? And who is their leader?

General X waits for Len to look at her, giving a vicious smile. If I didn't think the Bullet Hero could get anger... He was extremely angry at this point. He looks at General X, asking her, "Who did this? Who made them?"

"If I tell you, tell me what your deal was with the dark side."

"Hold up now." Adramelech interrupts the two, "Even if you're rivals, you should just give us the information regardless of ties. This is a serious threat."

"I know it is." General X states, looking at the man, "I wanted to show this to reveal to you lot that there's more to just Crusades and Holy Wraths and other pitiful things. We got several calamities coming our way. Honestly, our faction wouldn't care if everyone else starts to die off. We're READY for this. Even if the fanatics aren't on our side, they will do what Valarie says. And they can easily be pawns in these struggles. I know Len made something recently that might change it all too... Especially if he bothered you lot about it and allowed this alliance to go through. Like Jenine says, Len can handle this Crusade all by himself if he wanted to. You saw what his troops are capable of- the ones you haven't really seen as much. Yet it means nothing against the undead. Especially robotic ones."

"Genes. Dead bodies of certain races. Fresh ones especially." King Len answers General X question. Now it was the general's turn to display some anger. 

"You... You're doing that?"

"From what you just showed me, I will improve my troops even further with such things."

"So you're going that far? That far for what?" There's a lot of question marks everyone's head. Genes? Why is General X so upset about Len getting a bunch of dead bodies? I couldn't wrap my head around the real meaning behind this, but the General looks at the people around her.

"You didn't ask this guy why he wanted those things? I bet you sorry lot just handed him what he wants for your own overall benefits? For fuck's sake, do you not know what you have done?"

"That's pushing it. Do not say anything else, or we will fight you right here and now." Adramelech warns, having most of the people around the table arming themselves, "We did this because we needed it. Some annoying faction has taken a lot of lives and lands from us... You have no say in our choices." 

I think I can chalk this down as one of my worse gatherings ever. I remained silent, just watching from the sidelines. Before the situation escalates, Charlotte speaks up.

"Enough! As an Overlord, I will enact my position to demand silence and an explanation from you, King Len. I shouldn't butt in, but I understand that there's something going on. It's a huge concern if General X is fretting over whatever project you're doing with the materials we handed you. As a hero, you can ignore the questions and demands from any one of us, but from an Overlord, you will answer it right here and now."

"I agree as well. I shall invoke my status to ask you what you plan to do with the bodies." Jenine adds, having two influential figures press the Bullet Hero. He looks at the two for a bit, staring at General X again. He lets out a sigh, snapping his fingers as the table displays diagrams of...

"Knew it. Super soldiers. You're mixing genetics from other creatures and you're using genetics to construct better soldiers." The moment General X reveals this, there was a huge uproar around the table. 

"Super soldiers?" I repeat the word, knowing that it is certainly a foreign concept. 

"Define what a super soldier is?" Charlotte asks the general, "It seems like you're... familiar with this. Does Valarie have super soldiers?" 

"No. It would take a while to explain it in great details, but I just know about it from someone. Unlike any other means, placing robotics inside of an individual, enhancing their skills, training them, super soldiers are beings that surpasses the norm. They are literally super soldiers. The reason why I knew that he was going to do something like this is because of the words he used. Genes- genetics- a scientific word that involves tampering with one's being. DNA, characteristics, traits, you name it. With what Len has, he's able to do this. I knew he could do this, just that he didn't go down this path just yet because he didn't need to. His soldiers were already up there..."

"But from what you showed me, they're not. So it's time for me to change it up." The entire room increased its volume, creating an uproar. I got a feeling that there are some hardcore religious purists that loathe this method. 

"So you're CREATING beings? Only the divine can do that!"

"How dare you do this blasphemy method!" a woman scream.

"Shut it, do you know that we're allied with him! Do not disrespect the man!" 

"You can shove that up your ass! Don't you see that he's trying to toy around with the natural balance!"

Arguments erupt all around us, Adramelech trying to calm everyone down. Charlotte and Jenine are in deep thought, their eyes glued to Len. He did not flinch or back away from his words. He didn't hide them, allowing the truth to sink in. I am a bit curious about how exactly General X knew about this. From the way she worded it if you paid close attention, she said that HE COULD HAVE. Could have... Meaning that Len was able to do this all along. With that being said, there are things that bothered me. The biggest one would be why would he need to ally with the dark side to get the things he needs? Wouldn't it have been easier for him to just get it himself? It shouldn't be hard... Especially with the things he has. He vaguely gave us the items he has, but he didn't state what he got specifically. The only thing I can come up with is the fact that the dark side gave him something that wasn't easy to get. Guessing from some of the high figures around the table, they came to that sort of conclusion as well. General X must know this already. She just wanted to get it confirmed by the man himself...

Or is she trying to indirectly show something that we're all not aware of?

I am a bit surprised that Charlotte and Jenine used their position to get him to talk. As the arguments continue on around us, I sort of wished I didn't attend this meeting. My mood is certainly becoming... sour. I would rather enjoy a date with my girls, family, and friends now than this mess. I can see that Gallant is also shaking his head at this meeting. 

 Seriously, why am I here?

Trying to figure out what to do, I look at the stuff in front of me. The table was displaying Len's super soldier diagrams in front of me. I read a couple of lines, looking at the design and the rundown of the things that might change for a person. I filter out all of the arguments, engrossed in the descriptions and boxes that pop up. I read over the many lines that appear, a bit fascinated to how this was possible. Well, on paper. Doing it might be a different story, but there are hints to how the process works. There are some things that I was a bit confused on... Especially with giving very specific traits to a super soldier or certain words that made me ponder on what Len was doing exactly. Duplicate? Splicing? Cloning? I know what the words mean, just curious to how can Len do these things. Then again, he has advanced technology that can assist him in his projects. Without realizing it, I start to swipe my hand at the diagrams, seeing more text as I scroll down and up. I even swipe left and right to check out the other possible super soldiers King Len plans to make. After I read a decent chunk of boxes, I got a better grasp on what a super soldier is. Or the things that it can offer compared to a regular being. I am questioning some very specific and odd things, but I understand that a super soldier is beyond the norm.

The first super soldier group I read up on were directed more towards the humans. There are a lot of combinations and possibilities Len could do, but it involves mixing, restructuring, and changing the body in some way. An example would be to give a second heart or provide stronger internal organs to keep the individual from dying too quickly. Other examples would be strengthening the skin with some other species, giving racial traits like fast regeneration from a werewolf of demihuman, or give higher stats compared to the average human. Moving on from the tampering of the human body, the equipment that can be attached to them would be extremely different. I can't really explain it, but it seems like they would be more intuned with the specific gear that they can equip with. I don't know how this will work or what the specific gear is, but I guess King Len has that covered. I doubt he'll tell me about it, but it will certainly be deadly. If his troops are capable of taking down a bunch of undead demihumans, these upgrades will most likely help them take out those undead machines. Although those machines can reanimate themselves and come back from the dead, there must be a reason why they did that in the first place. Still, this is certainly playing against the natural creation of beings and tampering in a whole different field that a lot of people may not like.

Before I can continue my train of thought, King Len was addressing me. Gallant had to nudge me back to reality as everyone was looking at me. Extremely puzzled by this, I turn to King Len, unable to suppress my own shock and confusion.

"Wait, what?" Have they been trying to get my attention for a while?

"Your thoughts?" Eh? What do you mean my thoughts?! About what exactly?!

"Excuse me?" 

"You were reading my load outs and design for my super soldiers. Since you haven't explored the world as much, or seen such a thing, what are your thoughts about it?" I had to blink for a second, processing his words. Did he want MY OPINION about this? 

"You want my opinion about this?"

"Yes."

"You know... I am just a lowly warrior, right? Let alone... I am not a huge figure in all of this."

"But you're not influenced as much by the dark or light side, you're quite open-minded, you're not religious, and you're still young. What are your thoughts, Aisha?" I quickly take a look around me to see that everyone is waiting for my response. Great... Just great. Pressure. Extreme pressure from the king and everyone in this goddamn room! Why did I have to stare at the stupid boxes and touch things!? As I freak out on the inside, I gather my honest thoughts about what I read up on.

"It's doable. And there are benefits to it- ignoring the morality and religious side of things." I state, "I can see that it's possible and it's a thing. We just saw a bunch of undead mixing different races within themselves to become stronger and better, so we shouldn't just ignore this or pass up on this sort of revelation. Like General X says, super soldiers are just a better variant of the original being. A super soldier of a human could have traits that could make them two or three times as better without their equipment. They might have a strength of a bull, a dragon even, and they could have multiple organs or tougher skin to give them an edge in battle. It has a limitless possibility to further enhance future soldiers. The only thing is the equipment that is needed for this. I doubt that magic can pull this off for a lot of reasons. All in all, super soldiers might be needed to combat against those undead robots." After I concluded my statement, the people in the room start to discuss with one another. Gallant pats me on the back. I would slap him for doing that since I wasn't ready for it, but we're in public. I sort of wish that King Len wouldn't do that to me, yet I can see a smile on his face.

"Well said."

"Blah, she's your girl. Of course, she'll say things that'll please you." The same knight from before spoke up, folding his arms. 

"He's not hers. She's with us." Alice said, displaying a bit of fierceness towards the man, "If you're not open-minded to at least respect Princess Aisha, I will surely kick your ass."

"Excuse me?!"

"Agni, shut up." Abaddon Morrin orders, "She's a friend of mine, so do not bad mouth her."

"If I remember correctly, she kissed ya. And won the auction over that elf you wanted."

"Agni, quiet." Adramelech says, letting out a sigh, "I have no quarrel against this notion and this is your domain. You are not inclined to follow our every instruction, and you are free to do as you please Bullet Hero. We have already made a deal the moment we become allies." And obviously, with or without super soldiers, your forces can certainly deal a lot of damage towards us."

"Still, I have a few questions for you, General X." Len turns to her, "How were you able to record such a thing? And how did your observer get away? From last I heard, everyone from that group has been annihilated. If they disrupt my communications, how were you able to get a detailed recording and have the observer get away?"

"You got your secrets, I got mine. Unlike your allegiance with allies, we're not inclined to tell you as much." Len didn't pursue the question, letting it go.

"General X, are you telling us that these undead forces are coming our way? They're coming to Zezrious?" When Abaddon Morrin spoke up, silenced cuts through all of the chatter. All eyes went to General X, wanting an answer from the person who recorded this. General X folds her hands in front of her, looking quite serious.

"Honestly, I can't tell."

"Who is leading them? Is it a necromancer?" Len asks.

"I think you would- No. It might be something else than a necromancer. The being might have something similar to that, but I highly doubt that they're just a regular necromancer. Heck, I feel like they created their own unique class that can toy around with the undead. We got a generous tip about this threat, but I feel like there's more to it. I can assume that the being is in the divine ranks who did not go into the Divine Realm."

"An Archlich maybe?" Adramelech suggest.

"No, highly doubt that. I got no proof, but I feel like those would be underneath their leader. I remember fighting Archliches, they would raise a ton of common undead. I haven't seen an Archlich make an undead MACHINE. Understand that machines are things that you can't normally make into an undead. Sure, you can program, fix it up, but REVIVING them like a human? That should be impossible."

"But it could be done with magic." Charlotte points out. Jenine steps in, nodding to Charlotte's point.

"We, witches, have been able to do a lot with our magic. Curses, hexes, we're dangerous because we can easily make one's life into a living hell."

"But these undead machines are not something of this world yet. It must have been created recently or developed." General X counters, making Jenine and Charlotte understand how bad the situation is.

"... so the leader is a genius of some sort?" Leon asks.

"Either new or haven't declared themselves out in the world. Geniuses can openly declare their findings and have the world judge them, but this one must have been cooped up at his place, amassing this undead army for world domination. Meaning that he is a threat and calamity towards everyone. From what I gathered, he might have a couple of these undead forces wander about. Worse, since they still retain their intelligence, they can easily blend in societies and spy on us."

"Explain." Charlotte raises an eyebrow at the last statement. Prepared for this, General X toss another object at Len. Catching it, he slides it into the table. Another recording pops up, revealing the aftermath of the battle. There are a lot of dead bodies, but the undead won the battle. They are walking through the battlefield, killing or capturing any survivors. None of Len's troops are alive, showing the remaining humans or demihumans. The recording decides to zoom in one of the undead kitsunes. The undead picks up a lifeless kitsune, examining the body for a bit. I was a bit confused at this, but Gallant quickly covers my eyes. I was going to pry them off, but he says, "Don't. It'll be for your own good... Trust me." I have no clue why he did that, but I can hear a bunch of curses and other noises. I think someone started to hurl? I shake a bit, wondering what's going on. Gallant whispers to me in a tense voice, "The undead kitsune is peeling the flesh off of the dead body. My face turns extremely pale, thanking Gallant. I think I wouldn't be able to handle the... I mean, I had my fair shares of slicing off limbs, but the thought of seeing- I stop my train of thought, trying to ignore some of the sounds coming from the recording. I shudder, hoping that Esta isn't watching the recording. Or any one of my girls. A few minutes fly by until Gallant takes his hands off of me. The moment he did that, the undead kitsune looked like the kitsune they killed. There was blood on her, but the skin looks... flawless. There were no scratches or cuts, it was like she never went into battle. An undead machine walks up to her and talks to her? Okay, these machines aren't moving their mouths, but something comes out of them. They're communicating with the kitsune, the woman saying, "We will infiltrate their forts and see if we can get anything useful from them. We'll report back in a few days at this spot. Yes, we understand, master." 

Len stops the recording there, rubbing his chin.

"Is it only demihumans?"

"They can be dressed up as humans as well. And before you do anything, I already checked this room. There's no undead spy in here." General X leans back in her chair, saying once more, "But there is a chance that some of these undead beings might be in the area. They could easily join in as allies or enemies. From what I gathered, they're looking for something. I have no clue what they're trying to look for, but I know that they're looking for something."

"That means we got another thing to deal with. Why are you showing this to us though?" Adramelech asks, "Wouldn't it be better to address this on a global scale?"

"I could, and most likely, I will. I just wanted to give Len a reason to hate this person and help out as much as possible. They did kill his soldiers after all without his knowledge. Consider this as a gift, from a friend to another. Other than that, there might be a chance that these beings might try to mess with the other things that are going on. For example, your war with the orcs, they could sabotage both sides as they see fit. There's a reason to why I bring this up here though..."

"Because we could easily figure out who is alive or not." Jenine finishes General X thoughts, the Adramelech looking at Jenine. 

"Ah, that's true."

"How could Jenine help them?" I asked no one in particular, but Alice whispers an answer to me.

"Because we're witches and we can easily cast a curse that will tell if you're alive or dead. Or certain other things. There are circumstances where it doesn't really do anything, but those are rare cases. Most things that are undead cannot have a curse on them. There are exceptions, but I can discuss this at a later point." 

"I think we're all thankful for your generous tip, General X, but I got a sneaking suspicion that you want something from us as well? Right?" Agni bluntly states this, getting some glares from the higher-ups. But that is a good point, why did she suggest this to the dark side? I can guess why she revealed it to everyone else, but why did she just suggest using Jenine's witches and gave them a helpful tip on seeking out these undead spies or saboteurs?

"Simple, you'll fight against these guys when the time comes. You'll help, with or without your permission, because these guys are a major threat that can jeopardize a lot of your people.  I want to make sure that you have enough forces when the time comes."

"It's not like we can ignore this anyways..." A male grumbles. There are a lot of nods, understanding that they will have to do something about this. Agni didn't back down though, the dark red armored man saying, "Yeah. We have to do something about it, but we are still getting harassed by your idiotic fan groups. We're losing a decent chunk of people from those idiots."

"True. We don't really control them as much, but we could just redirect them towards... I don't know, the light."

"Okay, you definitely want something from us. What is it?" Adramelech catches onto General X, letting out a sigh.

"Let's just say you can chalk this up as an 'I owe you.'" General X smiles, "I'll have some of my people make sure that the fanatics won't trouble you as much."

"If you say so." Adramelech shrugs.

"So they're possible enemy forces in this upcoming Crusade? Anything else?" Abaddon Morrin gets back to the main point of this meeting, watching the table revert back to its original display of Zezrious and its surrounding areas. Adramelech and some other officials start to point out the possible areas that might be targeted, but no one else spoke out as much. General X silently observe the discussion, giving some nods every now and then. Charlotte seems to talk with Jenine, whispering about certain things I can't really hear. Leon hasn't really said as much throughout the meeting. My girls are quiet, not saying as much along with my knights. Len was doing most of the talking, agreeing or suggesting things to Adramelech Logan about the strategies that they could implement and how their forces can work together. To shorten the boring talks, King Len has a lot of measures in place if they ever penetrate through the first section of Zezrious. Since the enemy plans to surround Zezrious, noncombatants can leave the city until the Crusade is over or be protected in the deeper section of Zezrious. Even with the chances that the enemy could plant teleportation devices in Zezrious, King Len assure them that they won't be able to use them effectively. I barely paid attention to the discussion now, scratching my head about the other factions that might join in.

Other than the light, Death Knights could join in, the orcs, but highly doubt it, mercenaries, enemies that Len might have, maybe the fanatics, and lastly these undead machines. That's a lot of unknown factors, but Len seems confident in his city's defenses. Then again, Len has a secret army that will wipe the floor with a lot of these factions. Maybe. I couldn't read most of the Death Knights, and a few of them might be able to butcher Len's troops with ease. But then what about King Len? The Bullet Hero? He is a hero for a reason, despite his [Hidden Rank]. Either way, a calamity is coming. Well, the General hinted at several other incoming calamities. World disasters that can plunge the world into utter chaos. There have been a few every hundred years or so, but they aren't this bad. Well, from what I've read. There's someone who is leading a bunch of undead beings with undead machines to back it up. And it's not an Archlich. The Archlich is just a higher variant of an Elder Lich. Above the Archlich would be an Overlord Lich, but I got a feeling that this undead leader isn't a lich. 

Throughout these revelations, I have been pondering on why King Len wants to be my ally. I am thankful for his kind gesture, but something isn't right. The man seems... weird. Strange. He's doing a lot for me. The sheer fact he threatens Nemesis, got me to attend this gathering and military meeting, and has kept an eye on me, he clearly wants something from me. But what? What do I have other than chaos magic or my companions? Like General X, you can't just be nice out of the kindness of your heart-

Does he want to make me do a favor when the time comes? Something only I can do? Perhaps.

I could be overthinking this, and he simply wants to impress me and wants to befriend me... or make me his beloved. 

The thought of dating him left a sour taste in my mouth. 

I should talk with General X about this man. I got a feeling there's stuff that she knows that could enlighten me about this man. Honestly, I could-

Oh, wait... I have that device. I could just call HER. Like... right now. Getting up, Len turns to me. I let out a short chuckle, saying, "I have to use the restroom."

"Ah. You know where it is?" Before I can say anything, Alice, Esta, and Leilatha stood up.

"I can show her. We'll accompany her." Watching Alice lead the way out. I follow Alice as Esta and Leilatha followed me. The moment we step outside of the room, I can see the three of them let out a breath of relief. Alice turns to me, shaking her head.

"I hate those military meetings. I would have skipped them, but you were there." Huh?

"You didn't need to follow us in if you didn't want to? I am a bit... perplexed to why Len wants us in the meeting. Well, maybe you since your mother is allied with him, but I don't see why I was in there. I get the fact that I might become Len's ally, and I am an outsider that has an open mind, but I feel like that's an excuse."

"It is." That came from one of the Abyssal knights. "King Len wants to offer you a deal of some sort. He didn't explain what exactly, but he said that you will be at the meeting because he wants you here."

"Anything interesting happening in there? Heard a bunch of screaming and shit earlier?" The other knight asks. Leilatha lets out a sigh, shaking her head.

"A lot of bad news. Your commander will explain it to you in due time. It'll be a good surprise, in a way."

"Don't like that." The knight shakes his own head.

"Usually when we hear that, it's bad news. Great. I didn't want a complicated Crusade. Looks like we're going to be having a rough fight." The other knight bounces in place, shaking his arms and legs, "Hopefully, we can handle it."

"Oh yeah, what are you four doing out here? The meeting is still taking place right?" The knight realizes that we left when the meeting is still in progress.

"We're going to the restrooms," Esta replies. "We'll be back." The two knights nod their heads.

"Yeah, they're taking a while to wrap up this meeting."

"Bet the old man is going over every possible attack that the light could use."

"It's Zezrious. Who would try to invade this stronghold..." We decide to leave the two knights alone, going to the restrooms. As we walk to our destination, I decide to ask my girls, "How are you all?"

"Annoyed." Leilatha answers.

"Okay." Alice says.

"Meehhhhhhh..." Esta said a weird response. 

"Eh? What got to you three?" Why are they annoyed/okay/meeeehhhh?

"Well, I wanted to a punch that one dark being for saying shit to you, want to keep you away from King Len because there's something wrong with him, and I feel like you're becoming a target for a lot of people. Honestly, I feel a bit powerless." Leilatha answers honestly, giving me a worried look. Alice lets out a grunt, agreeing with the Elven Tempest.

"You and me both... Maybe even Esta. We were supposed to enjoy a nice day with Aisha, but it went to shit. I think I'm gonna be hating these gatherings a bit more. Well, maybe I could ask my mom to have one where it can be exclusive to trusted individuals. We're going to make it up with our date though, which I'm looking forward to." 

"You don't like Len?" When I ask this, all three of them spoke up in unison.

"""No."""

Eh?! Even Esta said no. I look to my adorable elf who has a very... irritated/confusing expression on her. She has been quite gloomy. It was a face that certainly wasn't cute. 

"He tried to kiss your hand... Unacceptable."

"What?" That threw me off. Hearing Esta mutter that, Leilatha and Alice agree with that.

"Yeah... that was pushing it." The Elven Tempest pulls out a dagger, "I haven't even got on our date and he does that... What is he trying to do? Piss us off? Cause he is."

"Yeah. Aisha, were you okay with that?" Alice turns to me. I blink a couple of times, trying to hide the fact that I sort of enjoyed it... a tiny bit. But if it upsets my girls, I shouldn't really say that now, should I? Besides, I feel like there's something off about the Bullet Hero. Which is why I'm going to the restrooms. By the time we reach the door, I open it up to see multiple stalls. I look at the door itself, seeing if there was a lock. 

And there is one.

"Hey, I'm going to be making a call actually. So don't mind me."

"A call? What do you mean?" Alice gives me a puzzled expression along with the other two.

"Well... I got a device from Valarie that allows me to call her up. I am a bit curious about her history with King Len. Also, my mom can tell me about him as well." I pull the device out of my storage ring, showing them the gizmo.

"As long as it's not from King Len." Leilatha mutters, "Guess we'll take care of our business." All three of them enter the stalls as I press the button. I didn't know if I have to leave my finger on the button, but I did for a few seconds. The moment I let go, I can see an image of-

"Ah, Aisha, you called me? So what you want to chat about?"

"A-A-AISHA!?"

"Should... I call later." I think I wasn't mentally prepared to see Valarie cornering my mom against the wall, about to... My mom is blushing violently as Valarie lets go of her. "I think I should call-"

"No! It's fine! D-Don't hang up!" My mom says, still blushing. I can hear her curse at Valarie, the redhead laughing.

"I wasn't expecting any call from you, but from what I gathered, you're at that meeting?" How did she know? "Trust me, I keep tabs on where my best general is at. Besides, I ordered and bothered Len to have her attend that gathering. I knew that they'll drag you to it."

"Who dragged my daughter to what now!?" Guess my mom doesn't know what's going on on my end.

"She's at Zezrious annual social gathering, but I got a feeling that Len is also doing a military meeting as well. He would wrap up all of these meetings in one go. Typical. Anyways, why are you calling inside of a restroom? Got tired of the talks?"

"In the beginning, it was interesting. Now, they're just discussing stuff that doesn't really catch my attention as much."

"Oh? What to tell us what happened?" I decided to give a short version of what happened, watching the two give an array of emotions. Well, my mom seems horrified more than anything.

"I got a feeling you already know about the undead machines and the calamity towards the west, but I bumped into the Death Knights and their leader, have King Len flirting with me, and other things." I didn't want to tell mom about Caesar's death. Not now. Both of them were greatly concerned about the part where I bumped into the Death Knights.

"They were there? Seriously? I thought they were back at their..."

"I'm making sure that we got enough of my elites watching over you Aisha. I don't want them killing you or your knights."

"I don't know. Their leader might be a force to be reckoned with. I just couldn't do much when she stood in front of us. Heck, her knights might be at the same rank as well."

"I'll figure something out," Valarie assures me, worried for me, but that changes in an instant to a smirk "Also, from the looks of things, you must have done it."

"You're right... Aisha, you did it, didn't you?" Eh?

"Did what?" I asked, being oblivious.

"You had sex, didn't you? Who's the lucky gal?" Valarie drops the bomb on me, my face turning bright red. I start to stutter, seeing a smirk on my mom's face too. Not cool! I try to cover my face, trying to deny the truth to them. "Oh come now, we're all adults here. Besides, you HAVE to do it. That's my curse now... A bit of a shame that you didn't come to me-

"SHUT IT, YOU WOMANIZER!" Mom slaps Valarie's shoulder, getting another laugh from the redhead.

"I hear two voices, not one. Who are you speaking with Aisha?" I turn to stare at my three girlfriends. The moment I let Valarie and my mom see the three of them, Valarie laughs in earnest now. My mom seems... happy?

"Awww, you got three girlfriends?"

"I knew she had it in her. But three? Damn... You're vicious for a starter. Are you trying to impress us? Cause you are."

"N-N-No, it's not like that!"

"It is," Leilatha interjects. "Totally is."

"Yep," Alice adds. "We're her girls."

"They're pretty. Who are they?" The three of them surround me as I try to hide my embarrassment. My mom and Valarie look at them, nodding their heads in approval. Valarie notice something, asking me, "Do you have a thing for elves?"

"N-No! I-It just happened! P-Please, d-don't embarrass me." I cried. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. "Also... This is Valarie and my... mom."

"Wow, that girl's cute. I'm a bit jealous." My mom says, pointing to Esta. Esta starts to blush heavily, fidgeting in place. She lets out cute giggles.

"I-I am not that cute."

"No way. You totally are." 

"Okay, I would want to continue on with this, but we can save it for later. Did you want to know who Len is and what he is to us? I can tell that something bothered you, and most likely, it's from that guy."

"I swear, he's not a bad guy though-"

"You left when he changed, Amelia." Valarie's voice changed to a serious one, "He changed the moment we went our separate ways and he returned home. When he returned to Zezrious, after what has happened, he changed. Aisha, Brynhild and I were there during the time Len became the 'Bullet Hero.' We know what has happened and why he changed. It's a simple tale, but I will say this right now. I don't think it'll be safe for me to tell you in great details about Len's history... especially since I can't make the area you're in soundproof, but DO NOT trust him. If you want, ask General X for the details. Now, get back to the meeting. I got a feeling that Len had someone follow you. If you're not back at the meeting in a few minutes, one of his elites will come and check up on you. We can chat later if you still want to talk."

"Hey, I barely chat with my own daughter now-"

"Amelia, you'll get your chance. Just wait. We'll talk to you later Aisha. See ya." The image of the two disappears. I let out a sigh, shoving the device in my storage ring. Seeing my three girls, I asked them, "What you think?"

"Yeah, don't trust him." Alice says, "I met him and I always had a feeling something is off about him. Even Leon and my mom have the same thoughts. Something has happened the moment he took over Zezrious. My mom noticed the change, but she never addressed it because of Len's unpredictable nature. If you plan to talk to Valarie and or General X, I want in."

"Same here," Leilatha strokes her chin, "I don't trust him because of some other things, but I would rather see if my suspicions are correct."

"Me too." Esta says, "Because you're our lover. Not his." I blush at that, but I nod my head. I won't deny their wishes, letting them in on this as well. I mean, we are lovers in a way. Granted that I still question how I got three girls to fall in love with me and if I am capable of being a worthy lover, but I don't mind it one bit. Honestly, if I didn't go to the military meeting, I would have blindly liked King Len, but right now, I got a lot of questions. And I know I'm doubting his character because of all the hints and things I've heard and saw. It's not enough evidence to say that he's a bad character, but he has spied on me and wants something from me. Yes, like how General X was at the meeting, King Len knows that I can do something and only I can get it. So he'll be nice to me and most likely ask me to do a favor in due time.

We step out of the restroom, heading back into the meeting room. The knights stopped us for a bit, letting us know that it has ended.

"Apparently, the meeting has ended. Everything went out well... in terms of sharing information and preparing the defenses. However, your party and the Bullet Hero are still in the room. They want a private talk with you." 

"Don't mess up kid, it seems like it's extremely important." The two Abyssal knights start to walk away from the door, passing two invisible figures that decloak in front of us. They're Len's elite troopers, wielding rifles in their hands. They stand where the knights were at, motioning us to go inside. 

"The King awaits you." They seem... emotionless. I nod my head, leading my girls back into the room. The lights are back on, showing most of the people that came with me. 

"Welcome back Aisha," Len grabs my attention, "I need to talk to you about something." Heading back to my seat, I sat back down, staring at Len.

"What is it?" I brace for whatever he has to throw at me. From everything that has happened today, he could not possibly break through my guard. Undead machines, undead demihumans, Nemesis, the Death Knights, what could he do to throw me in a loop? What can he say to break my nerves of steel?

"I want to make a deal with you. Since you weren't disgusted at my idea and you actually read my projects, would you want to have some super soldiers?" I think I lied about my nerves of steel. This definitely threw me off my game, making me freeze up at his sudden offer. I think several other people were dumbfounded at this as well. Jenine and Leon stared at King Len.

"What? You're serious about this girl? I thought you were joking... or... Goddamn it Len... Do you understand what you're saying here!?" Leon was stuttering, baffled at Len.

"You really want to make an alliance with Aisha that badly?" Jenine has a bit more control, but she was shaken at his declaration.

"That's a bold move, Len. You're giving her super soldiers? You understand that you're giving her stuff that is very costly on your end. Heck, I think I can understand why you would say this now when everyone has left... Well, mostly everyone." General X looks at Charlotte and Abaddon Morrin.

"I... will pretend that I didn't hear this meeting. I am not inclined to share everything." The Abaddon states, "It's a shame we don't get this benefit, but I can guess why Len wants to do this for the princess."

"I don't care as much." Charlotte shrugs, "A bit amusing though. Don't you two have an interest in her as well?" Eh? Charlotte was looking at Jenine and Leon who were looking right at me. They nod in unison.

"We do. I mean she was already in my radar the moment my daughter talked about her in her letters." Alice blushes heavily, "I want my daughter to be happy, so I do want to ensure Aisha's safety and establish good ties with the Imperator. I do have somethings I can offer, but what about you Leon? I didn't know you want to make ties with her?"

"If Len is so obsessed with her, why not? I don't get the Imperator thing, but I do know that she will become someone of great influence down the road. I heard about her before we even met. Caesar, a good man, spoke about his younger sister and her big ambitions. I understand that those with strong desires will do great things, and I like it when someone chases after their dreams despite the odds of their fellow peers, societies, and against all odds. Since we're doing this, let's hear your deal, Len."

"Heh. guess I was the last person to know about her then. I can assume that even if she doesn't choose one of our deals, we're going to help her regardless."

"Oh, that's a definite." Jenine says, "I'm not going to just shrug her off when she doesn't take my deal. If she does."

"Pffft, I would want to know her a bit more. Heck, her family even. I might have a couple of offsprings who might be interested- Eh, well not to say that I would force a marriage proposal on you. Just that it'll be nice to have my kids play with your siblings." Leon corrects himself, Len laughing. 

"Good because if you didn't, we'll have problems."

"You know that if you go to war with one of us, it's gonna be bad for you. Besides, we can just call up the General if we wanted to." Len looks at the white hair girl, who- when did she pull out a cup of coffee? She sips it, nodding her head, agreeing with Leon.

"We'll gladly go to war against you although it'll be pointless right now. We got several issues that we should direct our focus on. Besides, Valarie will have the final verdict anyways. I can't guarantee our participation in a war with Len depending on the circumstances."

"Anyways, let's hear these offers. I am a bit interested in who might win." Charlotte says, the Abaddon nodding her head.

"Well, you saw what the super soldiers could do. The endless possibilities and the benefits that they can bring. I will give you at least ten super soldiers every three months from here on out. It might be a bit longer depending on specifics. You can tell me what you want specifically like gender, the physic, characteristics, what race, abilities, traits, and et cetera. To add to this, one of these super soldiers will be outfitted with some unique gear that is suited for them. Just one out of the ten though. You will still have to equip these super soldiers with your own equipment, but you'll get them later on. If you don't take this deal, you can trade for the gear most of my soldier can use. This includes the guns, vehicles, and other devices that you're not familiar with. Also, you will have access to the inner section of Zezrious for free." Len wraps up his deal, Jenine speaking up next.

"I won't be able to give you a constant surplus of troops, but I can give you some elite witches later down the road. Yet my proposal is more of a title I can bestow onto you that will make all witches acknowledge and follow your every command, in a way. The title won't work well on Overlords or certain statuses and individuals though. You can think of it as a title that will make most witches help you and obey. As long as it's reasonable, mind you. All witches are your allies, even if they fight against you. You can enter any witch city, enter any restricted area, and you will always be an ally to us. We will answer your call if you need help. Even if you don't accept this, you're an ally to us because you're the Imperator and you will still be able to have some command over witches... as long as you continue to date my daughter. Just that the title I can bestow on you has a lot more power over most witches." I try to decipher this, but I just tilt my head at how this offer lacked... any true benefit? Maybe I'm missing something. Charlotte notices my confusion, evaluating on Jenine's deal.

"This has substance. You might not know this, but the witches have a lot of secrets. Being able to enter restricted areas can certainly allow you access to a numerous amount of things. I won't really say what it is since that's secretive stuff. Not only that, the title Jenine will place on you will literally make a lot of witches see you as an ally than an enemy."

"Witches can be annoying in a way," muttered General X, folding her arms, "They will betray you if they get word from their Overlords. There's a reason why I barely have any witches in my higher echelons of elites. They will obey their Overlords, destroying themselves or others in the process. I remember a few witches easily kill a bunch of fanatics for obeying a command their Overlord Witches. Honestly, it's a good system. Just that I can't trust most witches in my command though." 

"I see." That is handy. And what sort of secrets? Lastly, Leon decides to pitch in his offer. 

"I'll give you at least a hundred mithril elites, decked out with the finest armor and weapons from the dwarven smiths I have contact with, fifty trained wyverns, three armored giants, and one hydra every month from here on out if you take my deal. Most of the humans on the western side will establish trade relations with you and become your allies. I will also put in a good word towards my giant allies and demihuman allies. Even if you don't take this deal, I will most likely introduce you to a bunch of people who wanted to meet Caesar's little sister and will give you a couple of dwarven blacksmiths. I will still put a decent word towards a couple of the giant and demihuman factions that might want to talk to ya." I nod at Leon's deal, being rather simplistic, but good in terms of... giving me a constant flow of soldiers. Although I realized that money is going to be an issue.

Wait, am I trying to build an army?

"Hold on. I don't even have a settlement or anything."

"We'll just hold onto the troops and give them to you when you do." Len explains, "The super soldiers will need no allowance whatsoever. You will need to provide them the equipment as I stated."

"If you do accept my deal, I'll pay for the troops' fee and salary until you're ready to take them in," Leon says, "Out of our deals, Jenine has a cheap deal."

"Somewhat. But we just gave her vague details of our deals. If you want to, you could visit each one of us privately and we can give you a better description of our deals." Jenine says. 

I nod my head. That's tempting. If I really want to be thorough with these deals, I could visit each ruler in their own domain and get a better rundown on these specific things. Jenine and Leon are offering deals that have a lot of ties to them. Jenine is offering a title and secrets that the witches have inside of their domain. I wonder what these secrets are, but I doubt that Jenine will openly tell me about it. And it'll be good to know that there will always be an ally if they're a witch. Yet Leon is giving a lot of units to help me make an army... when I have the needs to make one or when I get a settlement. I wonder how he got connections to the giants and demihumans. I might want to ask the quality of these troops and their training, but I do get that mithril is quite sturdy. It might not be tough as the Black Knight's armor or Len's elite troopers' armor, yet it's nothing to scoff at. And made by dwarven smiths? I got a feeling there's a bit more to just mithril armor, but I need to confirm it with Leon. Despite these deals, Len is offering a bunch of super soldiers to me. A very tempting idea. VERY tempting... yet I got a feeling that I'll definitely owe him by accepting it. He didn't say it, but I can feel that he knows that I might choose his deal. 

And it's a tempting deal. Yet I could go with Jenine suggestion and get more details. Prolong the decision making until I get a better grasp of things. I would want to consult with everyone else as well, get their opinions...

But what should I do though?