Harbingers of Change

Unlike the rest of the newly acquired territories, Millim's domain was comprised mostly of wilderness untouched by civilization and home to approximately one hundred thousand of her dragonewt subjects living in small clusters in the coastal region. They cultivated the land in the most primitive of ways, this extends to include existing farms, villages, and harbors. The remaining territories are about one-third the size of Jura, untouched by sentient hands yet hold vast untapped potential in terms of raw and monster resources.

With his adopted daughter by his side, Momonga was ready to tackle the next territory and set in motion the modernization and integration process for what was arguably the hegemony's largest untapped territory. Since Pero had stayed in Eurazania to handle the economic integration, Buku had taken his place to provide additional guidance to Mare, who Milim wanted to show off to her people as her suitor and future husband. Once both reached mental and physical maturity, they planned to marry and to Momonga's surprise, Buku, as overprotective as she was towards her children, had given her blessing.

The gate, Momonga cast, opened at the entrance of Milim's castle, which, compared to all previous places he toured, was very plain and utilitarian in its appearance, lacking most decorations expected of a mighty and powerful being such as her. The only notable feature was a statue of Milim and a massive stone altar, which was packed to the brim with flowers and various dried fruits and fish meant for their dragon Goddess.

As Milim had explained, her territories were governed by the dragon cult, a man named Middray was the High Priest, all her subjects worshiped her as their protector Goddess of the people and the territory. At first, she wanted to see the people around her as her friends, but she could never dispel their intense desire to worship her and over time she got used to it. Middray was the first dragonewt she ever met after the death of her parents and the rejection by her remaining family, and the man had taken the role of both the head priest of the religion and a loose father figure who helped her train and gain control over her power at his expense.

Milim was often careless, but she couldn't deny the immense sacrifice Middray had made to help her grow to the level she was at before meeting Momonga and his friends. He was the only one among her subjects who could reliably spar with her even though she often broke his bones and shattered his insides due to her powerful heritage that surpassed his own. These were the reasons why Middray could be as stubborn and set in his ways as he was and never get punished by Milim, for that same reason Momonga decided to treat the man with the same respect Milim did and not enforce the change upon him if he did choose not to follow them. He had well earned his keep.

There were a few clerics in the courtyard, all dressed in simple grey pants and shirts and not much else. The moment they saw Milim they, all as one, rushed over and silently kneeled before her.

"Hey guys, this is my dad, Momonga. I joined his nation so he's in charge now." She greeted the men and women revering her.

"High priest Middray warned us about your return, Lady Milim, and the coming of your revered father, Lord Momonga. Preparations have been made and a feast awaits you in the main hall," One of them replied, raising his head.

"Great, let's go." Milim hopped forward and waved for the group to follow, though Momonga caught her flinch at the mention of the feast.

'Likely a pile of fresh fruit, raw meat, and vegetables. As I understand, these people don't even bake bread.' He knew the reason why Milim wasn't too eager to sample the offerings. The girl had developed a massive sweet tooth and was also a huge fan of burgers, fries, and processed foods in general. Since she never had to worry about health due to being a spiritual being, Milim indulged in such meals with Aura often, sometimes five or more times a day. She had also developed a liking for cola and consumed the fizzy beverage any chance she got, particularly those sweetened with honey derivatives. She alone consumed enough sugar to feed an entire village of goblins, not even counting everything else in her food and drink.

The interior of the castle was as plain as the outside, though it was built with a crude sense of grandeur as there was a rather large throne made out of solid stone at the end of the hall. There were no decorations, save for the stone statues of Milim that were carved with precision and care, adorned with the occasional trinket here and there, reminiscent of Clayman's luxuries.

Two men greeted them inside with deep bows. One was a short and slim man with unruly hair and the other was a taller and strongly built bald man with a dot on his forehead, a small line of a mustache just over his lip, and a short goatee.

"Hey, Middray, Hermes, I'm back. This is my dad Momonga, and his consort Albedo." She started her introductions, quickly moving from person to person. "My boyfriend Mare, his mother Bukubukuchagama, and this is Rubedo."

Momonga saw a glint of anger, and perhaps confusion, in Middray's eyes as he sized up Mare like a father would when a daughter brought home her first boyfriend. This reminded him of how he protected Shuna and Benimaru from the advances of his friends before the two siblings became his adopted children. His curiosity piqued at the man's reaction as it spoke about the bond he shared with Milim.

Momonga could only guess why Middray hadn't fully embraced the role and only acted as a loose parental figure, but he likely simply couldn't discipline Milim or deemed such actions as heretical, since she was seen as a Goddess by the dragonewts. He could give advice, but perhaps not much more.

"Lady Milim, I am overjoyed to see you return to us!" Middray exclaimed, his face twisting into a genuinely warm smile as his sharp gaze never left Mare, only occasionally falling from him to glance at Milim.

"That's great. So Momonga will take over the ruling part while I, together with my uncle Veldora, are the guardians of Tempest. Don't cause any trouble for my dad," Milim warned sternly.

"Of course, Lady Milim, I will serve Lord Momonga. I'm sure he understands the ways of nature better than I do. However, I insist on testing the merit of your suitor. The boy should have both mental and physical strength to take your side," Middray stated while popping his knuckles.

Milim froze at the request for a moment but quickly regained composure. "Mare, Middray is important to me so please don't hurt him too much."

Momonga could see Buku tensing up and likely ready to turn the man into fine paste at the mere idea of challenging her son. { Let him prove himself. } he sent a message to her.

{ That old prick wants to scare him off! And he isn't even her father to act like this! } Buku growled back while giving Middray a murderous glare, aura straining under her rings.

{ Mare can stand up for himself. You, as his mother of all people, should encourage it. If you intervene, it will only make him look like a coward before Milim's first true father figure. } Momonga reminded her about the very basics of good parenting. Buku tended to cradle the boy too much, even though he was more than capable of not only performing his duties as a high executor but also standing his ground when needed. The elf had seen his fair share of battles in the wild and more than his fair share of duels in the Labyrinth, he could dole out a fight when he wanted to.

Momonga had on occasion caught Mare emulating him, as it seemed that the elven boy used him as a role model more often than his uncle Pero, and thus in his eyes knew that he could handle the situation.

Middray meanwhile took a defensive stance, a drop of sweat appearing on his forehead, as Hermes slowly moved away from the head priest who had the foolish idea to challenge a boy that Milim had deemed as a suitable romantic partner, choosing to lean more towards the side of the room with his goddess.

"Sure, I'll go easy on him." Mare dropped his staff on the floor, the massive stone plates below cracking under its weight, and took a step forward. His white shirt and black shorts over a thin and soft frame were a deceptive appearance, to say the least.

Middray had assumed that the boy was weak and unaccustomed to battle as his hands looked soft and his nails were slightly grown out in a rather feminine manner, likely cared for day in and day out by dedicated servants during his every move. But the fact that the staff he carried weighed at least several tons gave a glimpse of Mare's true strength.

Mare's task was simple: to show his power while avoiding the killing of Milim's servant. He moved with speed and precision, first shattering Middray's right kneecap to make the man lose balance and fall. The dragonewt, to his credit, managed to remain upright and even attempted to punch him back, an attack Mare effortlessly dodged. With Middray's shoulder within his reach, he disabled his opponent's right hand with a precise jab and pulled Middray down by the arm he had used for the attack in the blink of an eye. As Middray fell, Mare drove his knee into the man's chest, shattering most of his ribs but avoiding crushing his heart and other internal organs.

The whole fight had taken less than one-tenth of a second, with Middray now lying on the floor, disabled and crippled.

Mare took a step back, awaiting any sort of response to gauge if he needed to strike again or not. Middray let out a frustrated groan and got back in a standing position, balancing himself on his left foot while using his still-working arm to shield himself, aura flaring. There was no debate that he wouldn't win or even do any damage to the boy. The power difference was simply too large and the only one he could compare Mare to was Milim herself.

Despite the immense pain he was in, Middray let out a good-natured laugh. "Just as I thought, you are worthy of lady Milim, young man," as he popped his knee and arm in place, letting his regeneration do the rest and retracting his aura.

"Middray, you're stupid, you know. Mare could have easily killed you if he wasn't careful," Milim grumbled.

"But he didn't, meaning he listens to you and is mindful of your wishes." Middray shared his conclusions, patting his chest. "And he joined me in close combat, although I suspect he wields magic as well, showing both the courage and the respect for the opponent."

"Of course he listens to me, I'm his girlfriend. That doesn't mean you can just fight anyone you want! So stop messing around, dad doesn't have time for your shenanigans." Milim protested the whole interaction while appearing like a teenage girl arguing with her stubborn uncle.

"Of course. Please forgive me for indulging in this desire to test your suitor." Middray bowed, his body now fully regenerated.

"It's fine. Let's get on with this." Milim waved him off, showing just how lenient she was towards the man.

"Indeed. I assume you want Middray to remain in charge of your direct followers?" Momonga asked.

"He has been since the beginning, so he should probably remain in charge. He can be stubborn and set in his ways though." Milim glanced at the man with a tired sigh.

"Hmm, perhaps in that case the roles governing your people and ruling over the region should be split up. The territory is pretty much uninhabited at the moment," Momonga mused out loud. One hundred thousand or so dragonewts could be contained in a small area and allowed to maintain their isolated and private lifestyle, while the rest of the dragon province would gradually be colonized by other inhabitants of the hegemony.

"Sure." Milim agreed, not wanting to deal with the governing part one bit. Middray and the rest of her worshipers would be happy if left as is and the rest of her former domain wouldn't be her problem. If her father was happy with the idea, she wasn't one to counter it. She was more concerned about the last part of her visit: the inevitable feast.

With a heavy heart, she led the group towards the dining area where clerics hastily displayed the fruits of their labor on the table. Momonga sat down in the seat of honor, with Milim taking a seat next to him, and sampled the presented offering with curiosity as he hadn't seen some of the fruit and roots anywhere else before. Milim's aura had resulted in many unique mutations and species of the local wildlife, according to a nearby priest upon questioning.

Milim, on the other hand, chewed on a root without any enthusiasm while not breaking eye contact with Middray, who seemed to be very proud of the banquet.

"Mind telling me the reason behind only offering raw products? I see that not even the meat is cooked in any manner," Momonga addressed the head priest.

"What nature offers is always the best, there is no need to spoil this gift by tempering with it," Middray replied.

"Now I see why Milim doesn't come here often. I would murder someone if I was forced to eat only this," Buku commented dryly.

"See! She agrees with me." Milim pointed at Buku, frustration evident.

"Lady Milim, I cannot, in my best conscience, offer you subpar and honestly ruined offerings," Middray retorted, stubborn as ever.

Hermes, standing beside him, chipped in, "Lady Milim knows better. The rest of the world had learned long ago how to improve food. We could at least use spices."

"Nonsense. Their strange ways are nothing but degradation to the bounties of what we come from. You know better than that." Middray clapped the younger man's back, making him stumble forward from his standing position. The latter barely caught himself, taking his place once more.

"You seem to have more progressive views?" Momonga now addressed Hermes. Someone needed to be left in charge of the region and it was clear Middray would cause nothing but headaches if left in charge of administration, arguing over every little thing that conflicted with his worldview. Momonga understood where he came from, the fruits and vegetables of this land did seem to be quite healthy for normal material beings, but that was the end of it. Hermes, who by Milim's report, was the second in command of her cult, seemed like a better option for governance, at least for now.

"I have traveled and seen the world, my lord. I am also well aware that Lady Milim prefers more advanced civilizations." Hermes took a step away from Middray, in fear of getting hit again.

"I see. In that case, I have made my decision. Middray, you will gather those who wish to preserve the old ways and remain in the culture of this city, which will be kept according to your vision. Hermes, meanwhile, will take those who wish to develop the region and start the colonization process of the uninhabited areas under our new rules and movements. I will leave Hermes in charge of the whole region with only loose oversight from Milim. You will receive whatever help you need," Momonga declared.

"I will be honored, My Lord." Hermes instantly bowed, clearly very enthusiastic about the prospect of modernization.

"I will see to it that the traditions are upheld and that Lady Milim has her most devoted servants always ready to receive and revere her," Middray followed up while glancing at Hermes, his eyes narrowing.

"Good. I will send some of my servants to guide you both." Momonga nodded, as he heard a sigh of relief from Milim.

{ Thanks for taking over. } She messaged him.

{ You'll still have to deal with your cult. } Momonga replied with humor in his tone.

{ I know Dad, I know. But hey, I can stomach eating this once a month or so. } She subtly waved at the table.

Editing by aidan_lo.

Proofreading by Alassandro, Sluethen, Malguis, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, fvvck, clagan, CakeEight, aidan_lo, Working_Stiff, and Stac

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