“Well, that went about as well as I expected.” Lia said, brushing herself off. “I couldn’t sneak up on him, and he wasn’t receptive in the slightest. How’d it go for you, Amelia?”
“Perfectly.” Amelia said, a satisfied expression on her face. “I swapped out their bags with my own, they won’t notice a thing unless he uses his Blessing on them and really looks for discrepancies.”
“Good.” Rose said. “Do you have the remotes?”
“Right here.” Amelia replied, pulling out a few bricklike objects from a pocket. “Just have whoever’s watching them break one of these, and the traps will go off.”
The traps Amelia was talking about had been one of the main reasons for this excursion in the first place. Amelia had been using scrying to spy on Yamamoto ever since they got the Hero locator, and they had decided that defeating him in a straight fight was unlikely unless they were able to lure him to an area they controlled.
Ironically, things would have been simpler if Amelia was still under the lingering influence of the Urge; as her feelings had become more and more robust, so too had it become harder for her to lie to herself and stretch the definition of “protecting someone”. Most notably, she could no longer manufacture a situation in which a person was in danger, and then use that as a pretext for protection – it had to arise naturally.
So, they had decided to go for a stealthier solution. Lia had used the artifact that would remove her presence, and was going to sneak up and cover Yamamoto in modeling wax in his sleep, but he had, unsurprisingly, been able to see through it. The artifact was strong, yes, but it wasn’t Hero strong.
When that failed, Lia had tried resorting to diplomacy, hoping Yamamoto would fall for one of her careful omissions or half-truths, but he was frustratingly wary, and decidedly not on board with the swarm’s method of expansion.
They had seen this coming, so they had one last trick to play; Lia kept Yamamoto distracted as long as possible, and Amelia switched out their gear with nearly identical tools that had a remotely triggered trap on them.
It was a simple trap, one that allow the swarm to monitor them, and teleport Yamamoto’s companions to the dungeon on trigger. Given the circumstances, it was the best they were able to do; Meg and Neph were citizens of the Glens, so, thanks to the Oath, they could not be kidnapped, and they didn’t have enough time to convert them and remain undetected.
But, if the two happened to find themselves in danger, and the swarm happened to teleport them out of a dangerous situation…that technically wasn’t a breach of the Oath, so long as they intended to return Meg and Neph eventually. And, if Meg and Neph decided to join the swarm of their own free will…that likewise wouldn’t be a violation of the Oath. They probably wouldn’t choose to join the swarm, not now, but once they had Yamamoto under their thumb…perhaps they might.
And now that Yamamoto had been visited by Lia, if his companions were to vanish, he would likely assume that she had taken them, and would come to the dungeon of his own volition. It was a risky option, yes, but nothing else really worked, aside from “puppeteer him through Connie”, but they didn’t have enough Blood Money to make that viable, so it had been ruled out.
So, all that was left was to wait for them to get into a fight so they could snatch Yamamoto’s companions, and build up their defenses so they could withstand Yamamoto’s assault. As things stood now, Lia was confident that, if Yamamoto came to attack them, Rose, Amelia, Ophelia, and herself would be able to subdue him. The issue with was that Yamamoto would have to traverse the Spine to get to the dungeon, something which was sure to skyrocket his level.
Alternatively, they could lure him to Aura. Lia was fairly confident that her Pride boost would work there, as she effectively was the shadow ruler of the kingdom, but that meant potentially tipping their hands with regards to Aura; either agents of Aura kidnapped Yamamoto’s companions, in which case Aura would effectively be declaring war on everyone else, or people were left to wonder why they had chosen Aura as their place to keep hostages when the dungeon worked just as well, which would likely lead at least Brom to conclude that Aura had been compromised.
That being said, that was something Lia was fine with, if they were able to convert Yamamoto. At that point, Lia would feel confident in their odds in a fight against the other kingdoms The problem was simply guaranteeing that he wouldn’t run if he thought he would lose.
Whatever happened, though, Lia couldn’t slack on training. So, they sent the remotes off to to have someone monitor, and Lia, Rose, and Amelia got ready to resume their excursions into the Spine.
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You have some explaining to do, Connie. Ichiro said grumpily. What do you mean she’s a good person? She’s clearly trying to take over the world and brainwash everyone!
She’s also solving world hunger, creating world peace, and ending all discrimination.
That doesn’t make world domination okay!
She is currently physically incapable of seeing her actions as wrong. She knows, academically, that the way she’s going about achieving her goal is not the most…above board, but she’s trying to be as good about it as she possibly can. Frankly, were you in her situation, I would be significantly more concerned about the swarm.
What’s that supposed to mean? Ichiro asked indignantly. I was chosen for my sense of justice, there’s no way she’s better than me.
You can think that if you want, but it doesn’t make my statement any less true. You would absolutely look to create a harem of your own in that situation, and we both know that consent can get a little dubious when there’s such a power disparity.
She offered me a harem, though!
She offered you the chance at one. The swarm doesn’t care about monogamy. Personally, she was going to remain strictly monogamous, and only even opened up to the idea of polyamory after some prodding and on the condition that all participants of the relationship love each other equally. Personally, I think that’s a little more…tasteful than what you’re going for.
So, that’s enough for you to play both sides, regardless of the consequences for the people of this world?
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Ichiro, you’ve only seen the best parts of this world, people try and give a good impression when you’re around. For 90% of the people of this world, their lives would be greatly improved by joining the swarm. They wouldn’t have to labor away as serfs, they would be guaranteed food and shelter, and whatever education they want. This is something that most people just don’t get in this world. Riddle me this, Ichiro:
Given another couple thousand years, this world’s society would likely reach the same level as yours. In the meantime, an untold number would suffer in these conditions, and many would die in wars fought to line someone else’s pockets. If these things are going to happen anyway, why should we stop it happening this time, when it’ll prevent future suffering?
Because forced happiness is not true happiness. They’re wasting their time away as serfs of another kind, bound to the whims of a couple of women. Power corrupts, and she will be no different. This utopia you describe can never be.
If we could prove that the power wouldn’t go to her head, would you think differently?
Maybe, Ichiro said frustratedly, but it’s a moot point, that’s not how the world works.
I can give my godly guarantee that it won’t. And, if it somehow does, I have every intention to shut the swarm down then and there.
Look, you and I clearly aren’t going to see eye to eye on this issue, but I would advise you to think on what I have to say. Leave the Glens; the Glens may well be the kindest kingdom this world has to offer, save only the swarm. Go incognito, and see the truth of the world for yourself before you make a decision on the matter.
As promised, I won’t withdraw my Blessings from you, no matter what you decide. But also know that, whatever you decide, some of the gods will decry you for it. The world is not as black and white as we would like to think, and there are gods on both sides of this debate.
And where do you stand?
With myself. I’m making my own judgements about the situation, and I would advise you to do the same. The world is incredibly complicated, and choosing to stick to one preconceived idea without taking the time to fully understand other points of view is doing yourself a disservice.
Ichiro sighed. Where would you suggest I go, then? It’s not like I can just call up the swarm and ask them any more than I already have.
Aura might be a good place to start. Just keep your head down, and don’t make a big deal of it.
Fine. Aura it is.
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When Lia, Rose, and Amelia returned from their leveling session, they were greeted by the sight of Lily pacing nervously in front of the portal.
“Lily, is everything okay?” Lia asked.
“My Queen!” Lily said, perking up. “We have encountered a significant problem. We can’t retrieve the Hero’s companions.”
“Why not?” Lia asked. “Are the remotes not working?”
Lily shook her head. “As far as we can tell, they’re fully functional, but every time we try to activate them, the Oath prevents us from doing so.”
“What?” Rose asked, stunned. “That doesn’t sound right. If we were in breach of the Oath, we should have been prevented in the planning stages, and if not then, then when we planted the devices in the bags. To be stopped now seems…strange.”
“How exactly is it determined when we’re in breach of the Oath?” Lia asked. “Does the Goddess of Law decide, or is it somehow automated?”
“A bit of both, I think.” Rose said. “Which means…I can only assume that the Goddess of Law is playing favorites. Frustrating. We’re going to have to change our plans.”
“Alisha, how’s your progress?” Lia asked. “We may need to get a little riskier with our conversion of Aura.”
Every important woman in the capitol has been converted, and any woman who is alone for more than an hour with a converted person is converted as well. Alisha said telepathically. She had recently gotten a Skill that allowed her to communicate telepathically, much to her delight. We also have agents sent out to every village, outlying mine, or out of the way place that we feel no one will notice changes to, and they should be finished in five days.
We have obtained people from all the professions Lily was looking for, and they are in transit back to the capitol for Amelia to send back here, which should be finished in three days. I am also slowly working on converting the army, using the pretense of long border missions to claim territory in the Spine to explain the prolonged disappearances that come with men being converted.
“That’s…more than I thought.” Lia admitted. “Good work.”
I endeavor to please, my Queen. Besides, the more of Aura we have converted, the more stable my rule is, so it is crucial to have them converted as quick as possible.
“Put some special effort in getting architects, construction managers, and anyone who would be good at building fortifications or traps.” Lia instructed. “We’re going to need to construct some sort of arena in Aura that we can use to fight him in favorable circumstances. Do we have information of his abilities at all?”
“I took a quick readout while I was setting those traps.” Amelia volunteered. “He has four Jobs, two that deal heavily in nature and life magic, one that emphasizes protecting others, and a final one that seems to be some sort of generalist Job.”
“Good to know. Rose, can you help draw up some countermeasures for those abilities?” Lia asked.
“Already on it.” Rose said. “Lily, thanks for your help. Do you need anything else from us?”
“What should I do with the people manning the remotes?”
“Have someone keep watch, just so we know their movements.” Rose instructed. “Don’t bother trying to teleport them, just keep monitor them.”
“Understood, ma’am.” Lily said, pushing her glasses up and walking away.
“Lia, can you strike a deal with Connie?” Rose asked. “We need to know what other gods have it out for us. I’ll discuss logistics with Amelia.”
“I was thinking the same.” Lia said, opening up a portal to the Dimension of Discounts and stepping inside.
“Lia!” Connie said warmly. “Here to talk about Ichiro? I’m afraid I don’t have any goofy stories today, though. He’s been rather cold with me since your visit.”
“Sort of.” Lia said awkwardly. “I was, um…hoping to talk about information brokering.”
“I’m listening.” Connie said, putting her feet up at the counter she was at. “What kind of info?”
“I was hoping you could tell me what gods hate the swarm and what gods like it.” Lia said. “The Goddess of Law seems keen on making our lives harder, and we don’t want to run into any other unpleasant surprises like that.”
Connie grimaced. “What’d she do?” She asked. “We’re not supposed to interfere with the mortal realm much, so who does and doesn’t like you theoretically shouldn’t have much of an impact on anything. She’s probably trying to exploit a loophole, and Jerry won’t be too happy about that, I don’t think.”
Lia took a moment to explain the situation to Connie, whose expression grew more and more stormy as Lia did. “Yeah, that’s super not okay.” Connie said. “It would have been fine if she just blocked the plan from the go, but she was being deliberately misleading with you. She’s one of your staunchest detractors, so this isn’t a big surprise, just…disappointing.
“I’m going to let Jerry know about it, and I won’t even charge you for that, that’s an explicit violation of our godly duties, done because of personal feelings. In the future, however, I would suggest being extremely careful with Oaths. She’s going to be as restrictive as possible with you, and you’re going to be inviting trouble by swearing more.”
Lia blinked in surprise. “Really? Thanks!”
Connie shrugged. “It’s my job. I’m still open to give you your popularity info, if you want, but it really shouldn’t matter.”
Lia shook her head. “That’s fine. But I will take a few sodas, to go.”
Connie flashed Lia a smile. “Much appreciated, I’ll leave them near the portal. Anything else, or shall I go talk to the boss?”
“No, thanks again, Connie.”
“Of course! And remember, our weekly appointment is in two days, so be sure to be there!” Connie gave a wave, and then vanished.
Lia smiled slightly, leaning down and picking up the case of soda that appeared at her feet before turning and exiting the portal, ready to share all she had learned.