The race... Well, to put it mildly, it was absolute anarchy. Turns out, it had been a no-holds-barred kind of race. This means that the Einherjar can use everything they have at their disposal to win the course, with the only requirement being that they must stay on their water scooters. And when you put forth some super-duper-powerful girls with built-in competitive streaks in a race, chaos would be the ultimate result.

From the get-go and all the way to the end, magic, and firearms of all sorts are traded between the three contestants. The amount of firepower being dished out at one given moment had been enough to warrant an intervention by Yggdra. My oldest lover had to erect a barrier for the spectators, otherwise people would be caught in the crossfire. Just the spectacle alone had warranted the full attention of everyone on the island. Soon enough, all the ladies, me included, had to join in the fun and cheering on the Einherjar. Emboldened by the attention they were receiving, the Einherjar put the pedal to the medal and came up with all manners of tricks in their arsenals to undermine the others. The race went up in terms of heat, up until the point that a mutually assured destruction befalled all contestants right at the home run.

In simpler terms, they blew themselves up sky-high, Einherjar and scooters included. While it must have been painful for them, it made for a hilarious sight to see such overpowered individuals freefalling from a kilometer high alongside parts and pieces of their rides. The icing on the cake here was that, instead of catching them, Yggdra removed the barrier, letting them fall headfirst into the sand like an ostrich would.

And the holes were quite deep too...

Of course, Architect, Adeline, and Alina were powerful enough to shrug off the landing or even save themselves the trouble of diving headfirst into the sand. But where's the fun in that? There's no doubt in my mind that the Einherjar had set themselves up like that to add to the harmonious atmosphere. A matter of which they accomplished successfully since the kids and most of the adults got a good kick out of it.

Once we'd finished pulling them out of the sand, the time had come for another activity. Eden's late arrival had caused the little girls, aside from Ningyo and Mei, to be very curious about the velvet-haired lady. Once they'd learned that Eden, alongside Elyisa, was a certified world-class idol, the more excited members of the girls started begging them to perform a seaside concert. While unplanned, the atmosphere and environment were more than adequate for them to get in the mood. Hence, with the aid of Nicolae and Yggdra, a concert venue was raised, with the Takodachis being the ones to play the instruments. It didn't take much time before the first note of music was heard, thus encapsulating the attention of both the newcomers and long-time enjoyers of the pair of idols.

By the time the hour-long concert was finished, everyone clapped and cheered for their performance. It was by this point that the ladies and girls started feeling peckish. Fortunately for everyone, Agent had long excused herself to prepare ingredients for a beachside BBQ party. With the coming of dusk, it was a good time for me to start the grilling process with the aid of Agent and Mommy Hel. Bonfires were lit, fireworks were launched, with food and drinks were constantly passed around the large group might fine ladies. Added in a mixture of laughter and singing and you got a perfect recipe for a wonderful night all around.

Now resting my back on a giant carpet that's enough for everybody, I lazily gaze up at the vision of the moon, breathing out in contentment. All around me are the women that I love and the girls that I've come to cherish due to many reasons. Yeah, this is a beautiful day alright, and it's only day one of the vacation. After that, it's back to the grind.

All the more reason to make every second count for everyone involved.

-----------------------------------------

Ten days have passed since the impromptu vacation that little Yuki has spearheaded. While it has been a fun and engaging period in all sorts of manners, time waits for no one. When we have been indulging in the rare respite, the date and time for the Stockholm Conference have been decided with the unanimous agreement between all invited nations. Yuki has been the one to inform me of the date, and now, I've made landfall on the neutral land of Sweden. Arriving by a naval convoy, I've come to be pleasantly surprised by Sweden's climate where the day-night cycle is just unique when compared to Belka. It's one thing to know about it, it's another thing to experience it firsthand.

"Empress." I turn around in the direction of the voice. It has been Bryn who has called out to me. "The motorcade is ready for your arrival."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

I nod, smiling at her before extending my arm outward as a signal for her to latch on. Bryn just eyeing me as if I have just forgotten the TPO. "Now, now, don't you deny me of this, my dear. Hel and Yuki are holding the fort back home, and I, as an Empress, will not suffer not having a fine lady hanging off my arm."

I snicker inside when Bryn sighs audibly before readjusting her white formal officer attire. She then moves to my right, interlocking her arm with mine outstretched. And that, right there, has completed the set of mine, Lucifer de Venusian, appearance. It just isn't right for the Devil to not have a beautiful lady accompany her, really. We then make our way to the parked convoy, with the Reichsguards acting as our bodyguards both on the ground and in the air.

On the way, I can't stop myself from idly thinking. While it's feasible to airlift everything by air, the decision has been made to transport my diplomatic retinue by sea. A small part of the reason has been to keep our modern air assets as hidden as possible, but the majority of that is just to have a maximum amount of firepower at my behest at any given time. Yuki had emphasized the need to give me the best security available in case of foul play. Hence, I now have access to not just an armored motorcade of multiple military vehicles and three soup-upped limousines, but also an entire Carrier Strike Group parked just outside the range of Sweden's naval patrols. Overkill? Maybe, but if we are going by Yuki's words then it's just barely enough to kill anything that crops up. Even I, as a Devil, think that her mindset is pretty darn extreme, sometimes. Though I can't help but find it endearing, the way she acts so protective of Bryn and me when we venture past the confine of Belka without her company.

Yuki was a bit peeved when I suggested to her that I would handle the Conference, alone. My thought at the time had been to help alleviate Yuki's burdens, and to show the world another side of Belka. After a bit of coaxing, Yuki relented, but only with the condition of Bryn having to accompany me every step of the way. I already guessed that would be the case so I wholeheartedly accepted, both to nab the pretty Valkyrie and to assuage Yuki's worry. The fact that I can see Bryn going in and out of her serious business mode is a nice bonus to have.

My dear Valkyrie has been proactive in setting up an airtight security detail. She has communicated with the Swedish authority ahead of time to plan the routes for the motorcade, the deployment of our assets, and venues for cooperation between the multiple parties to ensure a smooth conference. Bryn has been the one person to pull off blockading an entire harbor from prying eyes, making Belka the only one able to use it for the duration of the conference. Of course, there have to be concessions from our own to be able to do that, but apparently, Yuki has already taken care of that for us, letting Bryn focus solely on getting everything up and running smoothly. She has to be thorough, after all, they're on foreign soil, and one mistake can cost everything on such a high-profile event. Pulling no punches, Bryn asks for an entire company of Belkan Marines to be stationed at the harbor as a quick-response force. Just that alone has probably trumped all other escorts that other foreign dignitaries would bring to the table. Nonetheless, Bryn also takes direct command of the Reichguards that accompanied me, measuring up to another company's worth of men and women.

Sweden has been spooked by this, understandably so as we have to inform the host nation of some parts of the security details. That said, Yuki apparently has done something to quickly sweep everything under the rug. Sweden is all fine and dandy now to welcome a military detachment of Belka right at their capital's doorstep... As long as we don't do anything too overt, that is. The sheer presence that the armored motorcade exudes will be stretching that line thin. Not to mention the many requests from us to post hidden snipers and overwatches all over the city. The many security proposals we have given the Swedish must have caused them to pull their hair out. Many of such protocols we impose must have been unheard of by the entire world, much less a neutral country that is Sweden.

I have to bring my idle thoughts to a halt, however, as a limousine has opened its door to welcome me and Bryn inside. Once we're comfortably situated, the convoy starts moving with the marines removing the blockade of the harbor to allow us through.

"Do tell me again, Bryn, what's our itinerary for the day?" I asked of her while pouring us some wine.

Bryn nods, replying after pulling up a mental timetable. "The first day will be for the dignitaries to settle in. We will be checking in at the Hogberga Garden Hotel where a light breakfast will be served. After that, if you so wish, we can participate in an afternoon tea party later. It's by dinner though, that we will be seeing most, if not all the dignitaries in a public setting. It's only by tomorrow that the Conference will be held in a semi-public hall, spanning an entire week."

I nod idly while passing her a glass of luscious red wine. "So an entire week away from home then. Thanks Yggdra that Yuki made it so that we can have video calls whenever we wanted. Otherwise, we will be stuck with an incessant headache that is political and no fun.

I raise a toast with another glass of wine. "Cheers, for our cute little Marshal."

Bryn mirrors mine with a light smile. "Cheers. May our Marshal not feel too lonely without us around."

I giggle at that. "I sure as Hell can drink to that."

CLINK