Wichita froze in place. “A Royal Skill? Are you sure?”

“Well unless your System suddenly decided to take away my ability to read, yes. What does it mean?”

“I — I don’t know. I haven’t heard of that happening before. There have been Royal Skills that affected others, but none that just gave the Royal Skill to others. This is…this is new.” Wichita knew, intellectually, that eight monarchs were not enough to have exhausted all types of Royal Skills. This still too much for her.

Royal Skills drew power from bloodlines, how could one wield it without a bloodline? Perhaps if it had been a lesser bloodline, then it was possible for the System to replicate its effect. But not with this. This was a Tier 9 bloodline, something that System should not have been able to replicate. Nor was it something it would want to. The System had been complaining about the Royal Skills since before the First Age, she doubted it would go so far to help her.

And yet here she was.

“Do it. I give you permission to use it.” she said.

Rose frowned, but Wichita felt her switch it on. And then disappear.

“What?” Jace was actually the first one to react.

“This is normal, she should be safe.” Wichita said, wondering if she would actually be safe. There was too much she did not know about the Royal Skill still.

“What is she going to experience? What is a Royal Skill? Why do you look like -” Tully began, but stopped when Rose returned?

The girl was clutching her head, though she did not appear to be otherwise injured.

“Rose…” Tully sounded worried as she approached her. Wichita and Jace followed. “Are you ok?”

The girl shuddered. “I thought it was supposed to be safe.” Jace murmured.

“I think she had an adverse reaction to the Skill.” Wichita answered, doubting her own words in her mind. “Perhaps humans aren’t -”

“No, no, I am fine.” Rose grunted and stood up on shaky legs, her eyes clouding. More notifications? Then she turned towards her. “Was that real?”

“I don’t know.”

Rose sighed. “Well, it looked real.”

“What was it?” Tully asked, clearly unable to hold her curiosity back anymore.

“A city.” Rose said. “A different world, maybe. I saw so much, it was like my power was enhanced. There was so much. Just…so much.” Wichita was getting more worried by the second. Had Rose’s mind been damaged somehow? Why was she repeating things?

“I don’t have words to describe it. I was able to sense every edge, every strong gust of wind. Like I had a sixth sense that just noticed things. Not just that, there were perspectives to it. Just about every time looked at things, there was something I hadn’t noticed before. ” her words were filled with awe towards the end.

Wichita could not really relate. What was so great about that? Even her mana sense was able to tell her that much, though Rose’s sense seemed to be more comprehensive.

“Can you use it here too?” Jace asked.

“No, of course I can't. Like, I don’t know to say this. The world was responding to what I asked over there. The more I asked, the more it would tell me. I bet if I asked it how to do magic, it would tell me.”

“Did you?” Jace asked. “Ask it to teach you to do magic, I mean.”

Rose paused. “No, I didn’t think of it. I wasn’t there for long, you know.”

Wichita intervened before they could go on a tangent. “I am sure there will be more chances to go there. But I think it is safe to presume that the Skill takes you to a ‘world’ where you can enhance your powers.”

“That sounds useful.” Jace commented.

“Yes, it is.” Wichita nodded. “Did you get any Skill changes?”

“Yes.” Rose nodded. “I got [Inkling of Perception] and my class evolved into [Perceptive Lady of the Forgotten]

Wichita was surprised to the point of freezing for the second time in minutes. “An evolved class?”

Even her own class hadn’t evolved, it had just transformed. This was out of her expectation. Perhaps Rose really did experience something important, and was unable or unwilling to describe it properly. Wichita turned to the others.

“The Royal Skill will only be there while you remain one of my subjects. But - “

“But you would suggest we use it.” Jace said, looking at Rose. “Rose looks like she will agree to anything you say now. Are you sure there aren’t any mental effects involved?”

Wichita pursed her lips. “There very well might be. A non-combat Skill like this usually doesn’t harm their user, but I am not sure what counts as harm. The System is simulating magic it deems helpful to us, but those magics might not be easy to use. I can easily think of a few that would harm us at this point.”

Like the famous [Lightning that courses through the earth]. Wichita wondered if she could get it through her Royal Skill somehow. Or have one of her followers get it. That was a legendary Skill. The dream of her life really. If she could get her hands on it -

“So do our new powers go away if we quit?” Tully asked. Wichita wondered if she should correct her. Leaving a Queen’s service was not something as simply as ‘quitting’. But oh well, it did her little good to mention it now.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“I would doubt it. The blame would be on me for letting you quit.” she said.

“Wait, you would lose something?” Jace asked, actually sounding surprised.

“Besides the effort and resources I put into your growth? I suppose it would have an effect on my Story. After all, my first subjects had bet-quit on me.” Wichita knew that Fae magic would take it as a betrayal.

“Oh, I — maybe we can come to an arrangement after we leave? I mean it’s not definite that we have to -”

“Do not worry on my account, I will deal. Just surviving is reward enough.” she replied. “Do you agree to enter my service, follow my laws and honor my words?” Wichita switched her Skill on. The [Forgotten Call] was now stretching out.

“What laws?” Tully asked.

Wichita sighed. The subject was not supposed to interrupt her. A commoner did not question a Queen. Then again, she rather doubted she would get a Queen’s respect in her life. What person would actually believe in her that much?

“There are none. I am a Queen of no nation, how would I have any laws?” she scoffed. “I just felt that the words would be suitable. Not humoring Fae magic can have cruel consequences.”

“Oh.” Tully almost sounded disappointed. “I agree then.”

Jace rolled his eyes. “Oh sure.”

Wichita looked at them. “Did you get your classes?”

“…no.” Tully answered. “Aren’t we supposed to go to sleep before it happens?”

Wichita wanted to scream and rail against the System. How did they not get a class from that! The bloody System was cheating again!

“No, an earned class does not need that. Did you at least get the Royal Skill?” she asked. Perhaps that would push them over the edge.

“Yes.” the two of them answered at once. Wichita looked around her at the seemingly safe place.

“I think you should use it now. The forest seems to be in a good mood right now.” she said. In fact, it seemed to be an area made specifically for this type of shenanigans. Like it had known they would need some time to get their classes and prepare. And it had given it to them,

Was it being kind, or did it think it would be more interesting to deal with them when they were stronger? Did the forest want to hunt?

Jace and Tully disappeared as she turned to Rose. The girl was still staring at some trees, likely trying out her Skill.

“What are you looking for?” she asked.

“There is something between these trees. I can’t really see it, but my Skill keeps telling me it’s there. And that it’s important.” Rose answered.

“That would be the cracks in reality. The forest really does not want us to leave.” Wichita answered as her two new subjects returned. The Royal Skill’s duration was really, really short.

“What do you mean cracks in reality?” Rose practically shouted, but Wichita’s attention was already elsewhere. Jace just looked confused, but Tully was another matter. A glistening silver blade extended from her fingers to her mana sense, containing incredible potential for destruction. The kind of potential that Lierot’s purifying flame had held.

Wichita let out a whoop, unable to contain herself as relief flooded her body. Yes, yes, yes.

“I name you my blade.” she said, barely able to contain her giddiness. “I name you first among my warriors, the vanguard of my forces.” Wichita had forgotten the rest of it, but she had a feeling it would be enough.

“I got a new class option!” Tully’s eyes brightened. Wichita froze at class options. As in more than one. Of course. Leirot had needed to go through a false life to get something of equivalent potency. Tully had got something similar through legitimate means. Of course, she had earned several classes.

“What did you get?” Even Rose seemed eager. “Don’t take something too dangerous.” Wichita could feel the glare coming her way. Had she done something wrong? Why was the girl angry at her?

“Don’t take something that will - “

“I already took it.” Tully pouted.

“What?” Wichita and Rose said at the same time. Jace facepalmed.

“What do you mean you took a class?!” Rose practically yelled. “Did you not listen to anything we said? A class is an important -”

"“The rarer the class it’s better right? The System told me it was a Legend class. The only one I got. And I couldn’t tell anyone about it before picking it.” Tully shrugged.

Wichita’s eyes narrowed. “Was it First Traitor?” That class was famous for killing more than one new monarch. Oh dear, she should run -

“No, it’s [Justice of the Forgotten Queen]” Tully said, sending Wichita head spinning. The class was new, but it was not an unexpected variant. The question was why it was being offered to Tully, or why it was even of the time limited variety. Or heck, why had the System seen fit to tell her its rarity?

To that end, a Legend class as Justice? Wichita had a feeling that this was not a normal variant of the class.

“I got a couple of Skills too!” Tully continued. “[Sword Call] and [Sword Forge].”

Wichita took a deep breath. This was not what she had expected. “What did you get through the Royal Skill?”

“I don’t know. The Skill took me to a place full of swords. There were like thousands of ‘em. I just picked the one that was shining. Then I had these sword thingies coming from my finger when I returned.”

Wichita’s eyes widened. That — she knew that place! “The Court of Swords!” she exclaimed.

“Wait you know that place?” Rose asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes, the Iridor used to bring anyone with skill in the sword there. Just about anyone that had potential as a warrior really. There are less than five people in known history that got chosen by the swords there.” she said. “I can’t believe the System was able to duplicate it.”

Or that it had used such a precious thing on her Royal Skill. This was suspicious.

“Why are you so sure that it was a duplicate? Couldn’t it be the real thing? If those Iridor people can do it, couldn’t the System? Isn’t it like more powerful.” Rose said. Why was she so attached to it being real?

“No.” Wichita scowled at the boy, though he knew he was just speaking out of ignorance. “The System is not more powerful than the Iridor. The Iridor were a race that reached Tier 9 at adulthood. The System’s power only reaches Tier 8. Not to mention that the Court of Swords is in a different world, with different laws of magic. What Tully wields is Sword Qi, something that doesn’t even exist on this world. The System doesn’t have enough power to pull off that kind of teleportation.”

The Arcana had been researching the bloody thing for a long time, they knew more about it than they cared to. The System did not have the capability to do something-Wichita yelped in surprise as the trees had started moving. The forest had apparently decided that the rest period had been long enough.

“I should have taken that nap.” Rose murmured as all three of them headed for the two exits. The trees seemed to be moving, like a pair of doors closing, five tree on each side changed their orientation at once. Wichita did not want to know what happened if they were in their path.

“So, left or right?” she asked.

“What does your perception tell you?” she asked before anyone else could interrupt.

“Oh, uh, left.” Rose said, sounding way too nervous. “Send a bit of your Sword Qi in there.” she ordered Tully, who followed her commands eagerly.

“Now we move.” she said, running into the left path as the trees closed behind them.

“Well, I don’t think it’s very important or anything.” Jace said as they walked in. “But I got [Unworthy] as my class. The System kinda forced it on me after the Royal Skill refused to work.”