Lia and Rose called for everyone, but there was still some downtime while everyone was en route, and Rose was acting strange and unfocused. After a few minutes, Lia decided she probably needed to make sure Rose was fine.
“Rose, are you feeling okay?” She asked. “Amelia didn’t do anything to you, right?”
Rose shook her head. “No, I’m fine. I’m just…thinking.”
“What about” Lia asked, snuggling up close to her. “Maybe I can help?”
“Amelia.” Rose sighed. “It’s not like there’s anything wrong with the situation, but…it’s just confusing for me.”
Lia, sensing that Rose didn’t need answers so much as someone to vent her problems to, hugged Rose tighter. “Anything in particular?” She asked. “Talking it out sometimes makes me feel better.”
“Well, it’s…I mean, if Amelia had been anyone else in her past life, I wouldn’t be having this issue.” Rose said. “But…she was my old wife. And, yes, Amelia doesn’t resemble her in any way, but I can’t help but think of her when Amelia was acting all flirty with me and it just makes me feel bad. Like, I’m here with you, and all I can think of is a dead woman, a relic of the past who didn’t even love me, I don’t think.”
“That just shows how sincere you are.” Lia said. “Even when you couldn’t feel right, you still held some sort of affection for her. I’m sure that if I was in your situation, and Amelia’s soul used to be you, I would be the same way.”
“Not happening.” Rose said, pulling Lia even tighter against herself. “If I die, I’m staying in the afterlife until you come find me. I’m not gonna reincarnate over some stupid fight or something.”
“No, if you die, I’m dragging you back here kicking and screaming.” Lia said, giggling slightly. “Even if it costs all the Blood Money in the world, I won’t let your soul rest without me to rest with it.”
Lia paused for a moment at that. “I…I think I get it now.” She said slowly.
“Hm?” Rose said. “Get what?”
“This…this must be how Amelia felt.” Lia said. “I don’t think I really understood her until now, I didn’t feel this way about Liam, but…I guess you could call that true love?”
“You’re making me blush.” Rose said, leaning down to give Lia a kiss on the back of her head. “But…well, I feel the same.”
Lia was silent for a few moments more as she absorbed that. “I see. And…Amelia gave herself these feelings, for me. And…you too now, I suppose.”
Lia had a hard time reconciling that fact. Amelia’s love was…artificial, wasn’t it? Something she manufactured just so she could feel something, anything? But…if Lia looked back on her interactions these past few months, and imagined herself as Amelia, and the memory of her as Rose, she found that, aside from things which would hurt other people, she would do the same things as Amelia.
Did it matter if it started artificially if the result was the same? Did it even count as artificial if you knowingly did it to yourself out of a desire to have those feelings? Lia really didn’t know, but –
“Now you’re the one being all pensive.” Rose said, nibbling affectionately at Lia’s ear. “What’s the matter?
“I…I think I might have been really mean to Amelia just then.” Lia said quietly. “I mean…if what she feels for us is the same as what I feel for you, does it matter that she gave herself those feelings? Does it make them any less real? I mean, I didn’t even know that her feelings for me began like that, I was…literally unable to tell the difference.”
“I think that’s an answer that you’re going to have to come up with for yourself.” Rose said. “And it might be different from mine, and that’s okay. But, if you want my opinion…no, it doesn’t make those feelings less real. The Urge dulled all my feelings back when I was Reuben, but the dulling being “artificial” didn’t make the dullness any less real.
“And, if I’m being honest, I think there’s even something a little romantic about it. Being willing to do anything for the one you love, even at the cost of transforming your own mind. Well, I mean, the actual action is a little twisted, but the sentiment behind it is pure.”
“When you put it that way, I suppose it is.” Lia admitted. She was about to say more, but stopped as she heard others approach. “People are getting in, let’s unpack this later, okay?” Lia said, tilting her head up and giving Rose a kiss. “We need to do business now.”
Over the next few minutes, the important people all filtered in, Amelia coming in last. She had wished to work on her own seduction/self-improvement plan for as long as she could before this meeting, so Lia called her in right as the last people were arriving.
Once everyone was seated, Lia cleared her throat and began to speak. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.” She said. “First off, for you new recruits, if Ophelia has not already told you, I have negotiated with the Glens, and your spouses, children, and grandchildren will be sent over to live with us. We will, of course, be converting them, so if you have any requests, please bring them to Lily after the meeting is over.
“Speaking of, we have made a non-aggression pact with the Glens until three years after the defeat of the Lord of Monsters, so, at least for a while, we will not have to worry about fighting people we once knew. And, by this same contract, I am forced to ask if those of you who were on the scouting party wish to return to the Glens and work for them again.”
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There was an immediate and emphatic sound of denial from most of them, but Camellia’s assistant raised her hand. “Um…can I?” She said. “I look almost exactly the same as before, so I could be a double agent for us. And, if my family so happens to agree, I’m sure converting them would not be counted as hostile action.”
Lia thought on that for a moment. “What about the monster-detecting wards?” She asked. “They’ll go off the moment you step foot in town.”
“They won’t.” Amelia said. “I’ve been looking through the system ever since it updated, we’re not monsters anymore.”
“What?” Lia said, thoroughly baffled. “But, evolution, conversion, we almost have more in common with monsters than we do with people!”
“Okay, well, it’s…kind of technical, and I’m not sure anyone but me has the background required to really understand the specifics, but before I had used all the monster systems and sort of mashed them together and made them accessible to people with souls. It was a bit of a hack job, but now we’ve been moved over to a third category, so there’s monsters, “normal people”, and us. Most monster detection wards specifically look for monsters, and since we’re no longer in that category, they’d have to update the wards to detect us.”
At that, Amelia snorted. “I doubt they’ll be able to figure it out before it’s too late, though. All the monster detecting wards I’ve seen are ones devised by one of the old Heroes, or inferior replicas of those wards. Modern ward-makers just aren’t that skilled; I mean, the wards for the Glens’ palace were ridiculously easy to find gaps in.”
“Are you sure that’s not just you being you?” Lia asked. “You’re kind of on a different level than normal people.”
“Case in point. I made the swarm originally, the gods solidified the design, they don’t have anything on me or the gods.” Amelia said smugly. “I give them eight to ten years before they have a prototype of similar effectiveness, longer if they find my notes.”
“Longer?” Mia asked doubtfully.
“Yeah, the notes I left in places they could find were purposefully misleading, with just enough truth to make them think they’re legit. Now that the system’s changed, though, they’re almost entirely worthless, and if they try to use those notes as a foundation for research, it’s not going to end well.”
“So…is that a yes, then?” Camellia’s assistant asked hopefully. “I promise I’m not trying to betray you or anything, I just want to be helpful in a way the others can’t be.”
Lia looked to Rose, who nodded. “I see no –” Lia cut off mid-sentence, a palpable feeling of tension and dread gripping her heart.
By the looks of it, the others felt the same. “I…think that counts as breaking the non-aggression pact.” Lia panted. “Since you’re trying to undermine them from within. I’m gonna have to say no.”
Immediately, the horrible sensation vanished. “Sorry.” Lia said. “But it was a good thought. We can think about sending out spies to other countries later, when we’re more established.”
Camellia’s assistant nodded understandingly, so Lia turned back to the rest of the group. “So, as for why I’m calling you here today, the swarm has gotten large enough that we can’t keep operating as we have been. As such, I’m going to be forming official branches of government, so to speak.
“Those of you who are chosen to be in charge will be given near-full autonomy; if your department has not been assigned a task by Rose or myself, pursue whatever you feel is most important at the moment. If you have been given a task, how you choose to perform it will be up to your discretion. I expect reports on what policies you make and the directions you take, and I retain the right to veto anything I dislike, but other than that do as you will.
“First off, I am putting Lily in charge of economics. We may not use money at the moment, but I do eventually plan for us to. In the meantime, Lily will…basically be doing exactly what she is now, except in an official capacity. Anyone wishing to work domestically, be it farming, carpentry, or whatever else will report directly to Lily.”
“It is an honor, my Queen.” Lily said, rising from her seat and giving a bow. “Thank you very much.”
Lia paused for a moment. “This may not be the most opportune time to ask, but have you regained all memories of your past life?”
“I have, my Queen.” Lily confirmed. “I was no one important, just a minor governmental official who was unable to excel because of politics. History has forgotten my old self, and I too wish to move on from it.”
“I see.” Lia said. “Thank you for telling me, you may sit.”
After she sat, Lia turned to her next division. “Camellia and Dahlia, you have been given joint command of our exploration department. As with Lily, please keep doing what you have been doing.”
Camellia grabbed Dahlia’s hand, and they both stood up. “Thank you, my Queen.” Camellia said, sharing a quick glance with Dahlia. “We, um, would like to take this time to announce that the two of us have begun to date.” She said. “And…thanks for bringing us together like this. We didn’t live at the same time before, so meeting like this is only possible because of you and Amelia.”
“U-um, and if we may be so bold, we have a request.” Dahlia added. “We have been talking with Ophelia, and we have made a decision; if we encounter a monster with multiple heads, would you be willing to allow Allie to cocoon us, and convert us both together with that monster?”
There was a long silence as everyone processed that. “You…wish to be turned into one person by way of conversion?” Lia said finally.
“Um, yes and no.” Dahlia said. “Our hope is that we can have a situation similar to Ophelia’s, except our consciousnesses remain distinct but connected. We wish to combine our physical capabilities and allow for instant communication. And…if we do end up merging completely, we’re fine with that too.”
Lia thought about that for a moment. “I see no reason to say no, provided you both still wish to do so when you find this monster. You may sit.”
They sat, and Lia turned to Ophelia. “Ophelia, you are in charge of scouting and intelligence gathering. For now, I want you to be in charge of patrolling the area directly around our dungeon, checking for scouts from other countries or signs of powerful monsters that may be moving in.”
Ophelia, who had only brought one body to the meeting, stood. “Consider it done, Mistress.” She said, seeming much more like her old self than she had an hour ago.
“Feel free to leave one body at home if you wish.” Lia said. “Your safety is a priority, and it seems a rather easy way to keep us from losing you.”
Relief filled Ophelia’s expression, though she quickly schooled it back to a neutral position. “Thank you, Mistress.”
“You may sit.” Lia said, then turned to her parents. “Mom, Mama, you two will be in charge of homeland security. For now, this means supervising fortifications in the dungeon, and taking care of threats that happen to breach into this place. If you need help in making sure the fortifications you make are adequate, do not hesitate to ask Rose.”
“Finally, we have the main army. Rose will be commander-in-chief, and we have already decided to make Chrys and Amelia her first generals. Furthermore, Rose is officially appointed as second in command of the entire swarm, and her orders are to be treated as my own unless I say something to the contrary. Should neither she nor myself be available, my parents are third in command, followed by Ophelia. Amelia, outside of your role in the army, you are considered outside the chain of command, and answer directly to me, but may not order others around. Should the plan you are working on go well, you will officially be made third in command.”
Lia swept her gaze across the table, and, seeing that no one seemed dissatisfied, continued. “For the next two days, everyone is given the day off. On the day after that, we will take stock of the swarm and distribute labor as necessary. Dismissed.”