Prince Himl's consciousness slowly ca back. He was held on his feet by a knight and his gaze drifted to the still-burning arm on the ground. It was severed before the flas could reach his shoulder and burn him whole.
This close to his plans becoming reality, it was not how his birthday party should've ended. He felt trapped, tricked. Did the [Saintess] know he'd be up against the Goddess' fucking [Champion]? Obviously. Why did she tell him to kill the book mimic? Envy? To put the halfling girl in her place?
Regardless, this was all a fiasco. He should call them off...
"HUSBAND!" A pained female voice cried.
Himl looked in the direction of the sound and saw the kitsune [Saintess] running toward him. His heart fluttered. Was she worried about his well-being? Did he impress her enough to get her as his [Queen]? As if gently carried by the winds, the woman jumped over the nobles on the grandstand, six tails of different colors trailing behind her like festive strears in the wind. She graciously landed on the arena and dashed toward him.
Himl smiled despite all the pain and reached out with his good arm. "My beloved, you—"
The [Saintess] ran past him, the wind following and blowing a cloud of dust on the [Prince]'s face. Himl spun and lost his precarious balance. If not for the loyal [Knight] holding him, he'd eat so dirt. He looked with abject horror as the Kitsune approached the halfling and hugged her.
"Husband? Wait aren't they both fe..."
He fainted again.
*
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I could hear the nobles gossiping about the motives that led Himl to challenge us. No less than half of them were stealing glances at the [Saintess]. That damn crazy vixen.
Barbara gushed.
Barbara giggled. The [Saintess] stared at her, and her smile beca a frown.
[Fate Magic Affinity] was a Perk not affected by the curse in this life. I could sense Fate, that schadenfreude-loving bitch casting her gaze upon .
Barbara asked in an accusatory tone.
she scoffed.
The word "mansplain" ca to mind but that was not what I was doing.
Barbara fidgeted a bit,
I affird, a bit offended by her insinuation.
she said.
I pulled my body off of her hands, arms, and torso, faster than when I did the opposite for dramatic effect. Kasumi, as I learned was the [Saintess]' na, stared at us with a pouty frown.
"Please let hold him," She begged.
"Nethe is a girl mimic," Barbara stated in her brattish voice. "And the both of us are still mad at you for pushing the [Prince] into dueling us."
"Pfft, you would be fine," She scoffed. "There's nothing in this world that can defeat my husband."
So knights glared at her, then at . Yeah, go ahead, bla the monster in the palace. Shows how progressive this world is, despite thousands of years. I an, Earth's civilization reached space in half the ti these guys took to reach the Renaissance. Spoiler alert, we weren't there yet.
The bla for all that was magic. The smartest minds this world could make were too busy trying to achieve personal power and secretive eldritch secrets, rather than cooperating to push the boundaries of scientific knowledge. When an [Archmage] died, most of their knowledge was lost. Also, people didn't need technological solutions when magic could do it better. Thomas Edison would starve with his electrical light bulbs against the glowing enchanted orbs one could buy for a copper in bygone Windere. Marlowe had all pupils craft them as exercises, and they had a surplus of the stuff. They dumped the enchanted crystal orbs for cheap on the market.
"Bunch of primitive morons," I grumbled.
"Nethe!" Barbara scolded. I flinched like a newborn puppy. She stared upwards at the [Saintess], "Nethe is not your husband. What happened at the [Empire] stays at the [Empire]. Leagues under the Maelstrom, that is."
It was common knowledge that the Empire sank after the fight between the two Goddesses. In truth, it was taken away by Pandora, leaving a continent-sized hole in the world which filled with churning water that was magically churning to this day, making it the most dangerous ocean of all tis. At the ti, nobody on the planet knew the Empire was basically isekai'd, not even , though.
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So guards took offense and it was a testant to their discipline that a fight didn't break off in the middle of the palace.
When we finally reached the majestic doors leading to the throne room, I understood the detour. It was to give the nobles ti to move from the arena to the throne room.
We would either get a bribe to relinquish our claim on the [Crown Prince]'s life or mom would have another crown to her collection.
The whole detour charade was pointless as they made us wait for more than half an hour before calling us in. With a perfect rectangle of [Royal Knights] boxing us, we were ushered into the main aisle.
House Hamilton and their faction were bunched in the corner further away from the [King]. Isaac gave us a nod that was supposed to be reassuring.
If anyone had to guess, was the [King] pissed? Yes, he was. As pissed as a baby's bed when the baby slept without his diapers. In the night the baby drank a gallon of water right before bedti. He was so pissed he could fertilize the Royal Gardens just by rolling on the dirt. He was so pissed his mom would... never mind. I think that's enough.
"I'll dispense the formalities," The man on the throne growled and went straight to the point. "Why did you involve my son in a dispute between two factions of the Church?"
*
shift-8
Nobles gasped like it was the last episode of their favorite 'soup' opera. I got the term from mom's mories but it seems that the nobility in her original world used to have supper at the grand theater. Try not to spill the broth with all the drumming, then public sha on those who did. Weird but I can see the purpose of it.
Arista, Lily, and Barbara turned their eyes on the troublemaker.
"We are not affiliated with the Church," [Saintess] Kasumi stated matter-of-factly. "And this was not to settle a dispute. I'm not at odds with my Hub... with them."
"Then what was that charade? Why did you have to impose such humiliation upon my House? I should have you all executed!"
Kasumi's tails raised, puffed up like the heckles of an angry dog. "You can surely try, your Majesty," She purred nacingly. "But the lake you see every morning outside your balcony should be a stark reminder of what happened last ti the King of Pekothas angered the Goddess. Regardless, you Satyrs are too hasty to claim yourselves descendants of the Goddess' bloodline, but I see no familial love in your eyes."
"Served him right for weaponizing my mom," Lily spat.
Kasumi continued, her voice rising and divine magic gathering around her "You stand before the Goddess' chosen. We are the fulcrum of this world's fate. You, a re [King], dare defy the Goddess' [Saintess] and her [Champion]? In the presence of three of her Aspects? Not to ntion..." She looked at . "No, that's it."
I told her, opening myself to a telepathic reply.
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