Lady Hatshepsut
As I laid on my throne, bored out of my mind, nobles squabbled with each other in my court.
“The sales tax rate on Britannia Tea is far too high. With the Republic’s ridiculous prices and the cuts those Tyrian bandits take on top as well, Tameryian might as well simply give up tea entirely!” A nobleman yelled.
“The entire value of annual trade of tea between the Republic and the Theocracy does not make up even 0.1% of the total trade we do. It’s only the gentry that consume Tea at any reasonable scale anyway, so they can most certainly afford these prices. On top of that, maintaining good relations with the upper-class plantation owners in the Republic will do wonders for our diplomatic efforts.” Another retorted.
“Why don’t we just let them take the clothes of our backs in the name of diplomacy?! Why aren’t we just planting the damned leaves in our land?!” the first said.
“With what soil, you fool?! We live in a thin line of greenery in the midst of a vast desert! It’s barely enough to feed our expanding population!”
“Who cares about that?! Food can be imported from anywhere, but money doesn’t grow on trees!”
I tuned out the fools and their pointless debate to relax as one of my attendants gently fanned me while another reverently held a bowl of grapes for my use.
‘By Amon-Re, if I have to listen to one more argument about luxury product tariffs…’
Suddenly, the doors to the throne room burst open, and my secretary rushed down the hall to kneel at my feet.
“My Pharaoh, I have an urgent report for you! We’ve received word from the delegation in Romellus, and they wish to report to you personally!” she said with her head bowed.
‘Hmm…’
I steadied my posture and looked at my court imperiously, pausing for effect as the hall waited for my next word.
“Present the device to me, then exit the throne room. That goes for everyone – guards included.” I said.
Without a word, the noblemen, the attendants, and the guards bowed deeply before they quickly and wordlessly made their way out. My secretary did as she was ordered, staying on one knee and gingerly holding the artifact out for me to take, after which she hurried in her colleagues’ footsteps.
When the doors finally closed, I activated the device, and Akila’s voice reverbed in my head.
“Major Amset, reporting.” She said reverently.
“You have my attention, Major. What happened?” I asked.
***
“…and that brings us to the present moment, Your Grace.”
I gently tapped a finger on my throne’s armrest as I thought over the Major’s report.
“Thank you for your report, Major Amset. Standby for further orders; I should get back to you in a few hours.”
“By your will, Your Grace.” She said before I cut the connection.
Thankfully, I’d dismissed the entire court to hear this report, which fortunately meant they couldn’t see the frown on my face.
‘On one hand, we don’t have to worry as seriously as before about war coming to our shores. On the other hand, that’s not a guarantee they won’t turn against us, and the effects of their civil war will still have wide-reaching effects on the political stability of the entire continent. Mobilizing our own armies will put them on edge and may provoke a war, while not doing so means giving them our heads on a silver platter, should they turn those armies against us. After all, armies do not mobilize overnight, and ours is no exception. On top of all of that, I’ve yet to consider the uncertain status and security of the delegation sent to Romellus or and the diplomatic disaster waiting to happen should so much as a scratch be found on the dragon cubs.’
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
I held my brow in frustration, then stood up from my throne and heaved a heavy sigh.
“Good grief. It seems that half-measures won’t be enough to get out of this mess.”
I headed down the stairs to the throne, and as I walked down the decorated carpet on my way to the doors, my ornamented dress faded, revealing a richly decorated set of armor beneath it. A gold encrusted Khopesh appeared at my hip and a round shield engraved with the sun – the symbol of Amon-Re, the patron god of this nation, on my back as I finally stood before the doors to the throne room.
“Open.” I commanded.
Obeying my word, the great doors to the throne swung open, revealing the surprised guards who stood with their backs to them to keep anyone from entering.
“Close the Throne Room for today.” I ordered.
“I am going on an expedition and will not be back for a few hours.”
The guards looked flustered as they nodded in obedience.
“By your will, Your Grace. Shall I send for the rest of the royal guard to accompany you?” He asked.
“No. Where I am going, only the Gods may enter.” I said as I made for the exit to the royal palace.
***
I stood upon my shield with my hands behind my back as it carried me upstream through the Line River straight from Thebos. I used air-attributed mana to push me forward and water-attributed mana to reduce the water’s resistance to my shield. I was moving through the water many times faster than a galloping horse, and my mana was going to last for more than long enough to reach my destination. At this rate, I’ll arrive at the Valley of the Kings within the hour.
“I was hoping to not have to meet with the crusty old fools, but their input may prove too beneficial for me to ignore.” I sighed.
As I moved through the river’s waters, a divine voice echoed in my mind. I held my breath as every powerful word spoken was as serene as the waters of a still pond and as clear as the open skies.
“O Pharaoh of Tamery, Head of Her House, Petty God of Prosperity.” The noble voice said.
“Thou art wise to seek the council of your forefathers. Once thou hast partaken in their wisdom, thy duty is to justify thy verdict before thine gods. We awaiteth your judgement with great interest.”
The voice faded, and the cold sweat forming down the back of my neck warmed with it.
The Head of the Gods – who hasn’t spoken to me since my appointment as Pharaoh in nearly fifty years – has implied that all of the Seven are taking the current situation very seriously.
“What a headache.” I sighed.
This may just be a sign of turbulent times unseen since the end of the Celestial War, and I don’t like it one bit.
***
“…Here I am.” I sighed.
I always knew I was destined to enter this place, but I had expected my purposes here to be of the more permanent nature. Standing before me was a nondescript entrance to a cave lodged in the valley’s edge. Or at least it would’ve seemed ordinary, if not for the space-warping magic roiling silently within its depths or the great, 10-meter-tall, sandstone chimera sphinx sitting right in the middle of its entrance.
As a massive creature with the head of beautiful woman, the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and thirteen tails with large knives attached to their end, the Guardian of the Gate looked like an uncanny horror. At its feet lay the mangled corpses of the few monsters that dared to challenge it or intrude on the sacred grounds behind it, a clear message to any others who entertained thoughts of doing the same.
[Guardian of the Gate – Lv. ???]
Rank S creature. ɢɦʄɖֆǟ ȶʀաʏɦɢʄֆ ɢʀʄɛաʄɢɖӼʋ ɢֆɦɢֆɢʄɦ ɦֆʐɮɢ ƈɮǟɢȶ ɨӄօքǟʄɖʍֆ ʄʝɖռɢ քɨօǟɢ Ӽɮռƈʄɢǟ ɖʄֆɢǟʄɖǟʋƈӼǟ ɖʄֆɢɮ ɦɢʄֆɖʄɖɦɮք օӼƈʋɮռɖӼɢɦʄʀռ
I took a deep breath, than took a step forward – a step that marked my true entrance to the Valley of the Kings.
The Guardian of the Gate did not move; its lips did not even twitch. And yet, an eerily beautiful and deeply unsettling voice emerged from its throat all the same.
“Halt, intruder. You, who walk amongst the living, now tread upon the sanctuary of the dead. By what right do you claim entrance to the Tomb of Kings?” it said.
“By right of rule. I am Pharaoh, and I seek the sagacity of my precursors, as owed to me by covenant.” I said.
I was unable to breathe, and my heart was beating rapidly. If this beast detected so much as a hint of fear, it would annihilate me and trap my soul within the tomb. And yet, I stared at it with unyielding intensity, challenging it to even think about questioning my right to enter. As the rulers of a nation which holds so much trust in its leader, not a single Pharaoh in all of history is capable of showing weakness to those who would prey on it.
After an excruciating silence, the Guardian finally spoke once more.
“Who bestowed the right of rule upon you?” it asked.
A trick question – a sign that it recognized the existence of the stated right to enter, but not that it was given to me. The original name of the Patron God of this nation is only ever uttered under two circumstances. The first is upon the crowning of a Pharaoh, where the Patron God himself speaks it to the new leader of the nation. The second is right here, right now, as proof a pharaoh’s identity to the Guardian.
“Re-Horakhty, God of the Sun.”
The red eyes of the sphinx glowed faintly before dimming soon after.
“Welcome, Pharaoh. Enter in peace, both in life, and in death.”