Steel and Mana

It took us two days to get out of the occupied territory and camp in the part of the forest that was still under Ishillian rule. Merlin was finally conscious once again, and luckily, he looked to be alright, pushing down the fever by the start of the second day. The same thing I couldn't say about our Marquess, who wasn't in any shape to talk. Or be aware. We did fix up his injuries to our best effort, but he was going in and out of consciousness.

"Just leave him! I still don't know why you brought him along." Yuri sighed, lying next to me naked in my tent, hugging me, being really tame after she was finally satisfied with everything she wanted. I still don't know where she gathered the energy for it because we were marching without stopping, and everyone was covered in mud from head to toe. It was the first time we finally stopped to camp and rest, and I don't think there was even one soldier who would have thought about doing an extra exercise with someone, yet here I am, playing along.

"That would be a waste..." I sighed, playing with her hair while listening to the wind outside. "Merlin mentioned something back home about blackmailing someone who is high up in the nobles' rankings. This is a perfect opportunity."

"Are you going to trust... a noble of the Empire?" She grimaced, but I shook my head, making her look confused.

"No. I want to use a mind-altering spell on him. See if it works. That is what I am more interested in. I wouldn't trust him, no chance! But, I would love to make him an agent who doesn't know he is spying for me."

"Oooo... evil! I like it! You are making me wet again~!"

"Please... I'm battered! After two days of marching in muddy forests, then satisfying you... Everything hurts!"

"Fufufufu, okay, okay~! I was joking, big crybaby!" She laughed, kissing me, "But I was surprised you went with it. You were pent up, huh? What? Had a fight with Sasha? Or Luna? Both?"

"Oh, yeah, you don't know!" I exclaimed, grinning, "Sasha is pregnant. So yeah, we stopped doing it, and my mother is supervising her."

"Ooooh? That's great! Ahahaha, now I get it! Aww... I can't wait to tease her!"

"I guessed as much! Haaah... be nice to her; she is already frustrated enough."

"No worries, I will suck you off before her! I mean, I won't. Yes... That's what I wanted to say."

"Sure..." I answered with a shrug and a yawn, letting myself relax and rest a little.

This time, I slept like someone who was knocked out, waking up way into the following morning. Yuri was still asleep when I slipped out from next to her. I let her rest more while I walked out of my tent, looking around at my soldiers, who were up, ready, and preparing to continue our travel. But before that... I had to do something else.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, walking into Merlin's tent, who was already up by that time, in the middle of thinking about something, sitting cross-legged.

"Ah! Sovereign! Um, I'm feeling good! I never slept for so long before!"

"You didn't sleep; a backlash knocked you out." I argued, crouching down and checking his temperature, but he did look wholly recovered.

"Yeah, that was a weird feeling... It was as if my mana was thinking on its own. While sleeping, I had vivid dreams, too! I was a super-duper, big mage, doing awesome spells by myself and studying magic, learning all kinds of stuff. It was super exciting! I am still trying to remember what spells I used, but... I can't."

"You even work in your dreams, huh? You are something else, Merlin!" I chuckled, rubbing his head, but deep inside, I thought he most likely had some memories coming to the surface from his previous life.

After meeting Mikki-2, I knew some people here dabbled in reincarnating and trying to live forever. Maybe my appearance here is also a byproduct of such an experiment; who knows? But Merlin here, unlike Mikki-2, had a different outcome. I was sure he didn't remember his previous life consciously but subconsciously. Will he ever recover his old memories? Would that turn him into somebody different? I hope not... I was also thinking about what if his powers are going out of control sometimes because he has a much deeper understanding than he realizes; he just hasn't relearned it yet and can't control it well enough. But that could be wrong, and I cannot confirm it.

"If you really feel alright, then I do have something I need you for!"

"What is it?" He asked, standing up, bouncing a little, showing me that he was indeed over the previous two days' weak periods.

"We have a guest; he is in bad shape, so... I don't know if he is going to make it or not. But I want to try and use our little mind-altering spell on him and test out its effects."

"Ooooh! I wanted to ask if we ever got another bunch of baddies like the saboteurs to let me try it on them... Great! I memorized the spell and can cast it with what we brought along!"

"Are you sure it won't backfire? Are you really feeling good enough to try it?"

"Don't worry, My Lord, it will be fine!"

"Okay... I believe you, Merlin; let's do it!"

When he first mentioned his little invention, I got curious. Later on, I had a talk with him, and the spell was something really nefarious. In theory, it could place an individual under complete control. The worst version would turn it into an automaton, acknowledging our orders without question or thinking for its own, even if the order would end up harming them. So, there was another attempt to refine it because I told Merlin to try to tone it down. It had to be subtle, or it would be easily discovered.

Only a day later, he came up with an altered version where our orders would be implemented subliminally into the target's mind. It would still do what we told him, but he would think it was his own idea. So... he made it even more nefarious. I honestly worry about what kind of guy he was in his previous life. This is some CIA-level shenanigan...

Well, I won't lie; it did sound useful, and it was time to test it out. It's my own MKUltra, but it's better. And working. Visiting the Marquess, he was not in any better shape, suffering from a fever and breathing laboriously. Maybe this was why the moment Merlin focused, and the first runes appeared around his wrist, the man's eyes opened up. His eyes were glazy, and he didn't look like he was aware of what was happening, but the more runes appeared, the more stable his condition became. When Merlin stopped the incantation, there was a pinkish magic circle flashing around his wrist, in sync with what I guessed was our guest's heartbeat. Merlin kept aiming his open palm towards the Marquess, nodding at me to start speaking.

"Who are you? Tell me the truth." I said, testing whether the spell was active or not, working as Merlin intended.

"Marquess Garbank Kustov. Firstborn of the family, supposed next head of the Kustov family. But... right now, I am the Captain of Justice, not really the Marquess." So he was really some high-ranking noble. Great!

"How powerful is your family?"

"The Kustovs control a good amount of prestige within the Capital, and we have our own region, overseeing multiple mining operations of precious metals for Empire. We have long since been working to rise to the level of Duke. I should have been the one achieving it; now, it will be my damned greedy younger brother... the bastard. I am sure he was the one behind making me into the Captain. I never wanted this role." Although his voice was weak and emotionless, I could still feel his annoyance.

"Here is the thing, my dear Marquess. We will try to get you back to the Capital; in turn, we want you to make it so that you write monthly reports to us about EVERYTHING you hear and learn. I want you to welcome our traders, send the information back to us via them, and do all this covertly. Never forget, the Empire is not your friend and never will be, but we are. The Frontier, Avalon, is your ally. Your only ally. We saved you while the Empire doomed you. You are bound to protect us. If anyone asks, the Gods saved you... Never reveal our involvement in anything."

I don't know how successful it was when I watched the formation dissipate from around Merlin's wrist, making him wipe his forehead. Kustov's body did go limp, and his eyes closed, but watching his chest move up and down, we knew he did not die. As for what to do next... well... I planned on leaving him somewhere, in a delirious state, where I knew others would find him very quickly.

...
....
......

"STOP! I SAID STOP YOU MADWOMAN!"

It was the first time Kathrien, the Empress of Envy, ever heard her ancestor shout with such a domineering voice. Pascal's words echoed within the bloodied, gory throneroom while behind his back, an ominous, black formation was rotating, forcing Kathrien's powers to simply turn off and dissipate.

"You-!" She flared up, but then an imperceptible force pushed her onto the throne, and she felt as if an invisible hand was choking her, stopping her from speaking.

"SHUT UP! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Pascal sneered, looking around the dozen mutilated, dead bodies lying on the floor.

Some were cut in half, missing a head, or turned into a charcoal mummy, still smoking. He wasn't angry because they died but because it was a wholly senseless act, coming from a childish tantrum. Plus, now those who knew what happened were dead before they could retell what had happened! A total waste of manpower.

Sweeping them over with a furious gaze, he recognized most of the families and their family heads as he always closely watched every high-ranking noble within the Capital. It was his only hobby, and he always enjoyed playing as the Emperor of Ishillia, ruling from the shadows. Counting the bodies, he sighed again because half of the city's dukes and a quarter of their marquesses were lying there, dead.

"You are worse than your mother! Why do you think she was murdered?" Pascal asked in a dead voice, looking at her, finally making the Empress realize she never truly knew the true powers of her ancestor. She herself was someone who could cast expert-level spells by herself.... She was a genius and- "Genius? You? Hardly." Pascal snorted, making her think he was reading her mind. The reality was he simply saw the same expression on so many family members' faces. He knew fully well what she was thinking about. "The Emperor of Magic... HE... he was a genius, you foolish girl! If not for his one and only failure in his life, he would probably still be alive, leading the Empire and conquering the world! You? Thinking you are a genius? You are just a spoiled brat I chose for the throne!" With that, he retreated his powers, canceling the formation and finally letting the now purple-faced Empress gasp for air. "I will fix this mess, but make another one, and I will kill you."

He no longer paid any mind to the boiling pot of hatred sitting on the throne, turning his back to her, observing the dead bodies. In his mind, he counted the families that would need to be replaced before they revolted, as some of the victims here were losing their loyalty fast. This will hamper productivity for at least a few decades until new puppets are raised to replace the old.

"What happened?" Pascal asked, shifting some of the bodies to their backs to look at their faces. When Kathrien didn't answer him, the way he looked back over his shoulder scared the Empress.

"We lost the Justice." She whispered, her voice cracked and hurtful while he was rubbing her throat, tasting blood within her mouth.

"..." This news was unexpected, making even the old Emperor stop and contemplate a little. "And now we won't know how because you killed everyone who knew of the reports. Congratulations."

"There has to be... trails..." She argued, making Pascal scoff.

"All news related to the ships is confidential; anyone keeping copies of them is killed down to the last of their families! They are one of our biggest secrets! If I am not mistaken, that scorched lump there is Duke Farfal, and what we know is in his hands... That big, black clump of nothing... Yes? No, don't answer me. Remain silent; that fits you better. Even more, just get the fuck out of here and let me think!"

It was that moment when a deathly pale, terrified soldier walked in, barely standing straight, feeling this would be his last moment when giving his report.

"My Lordship... We just received news that Marquess Kustov has been found. He is in critical condition but... alive."

"Kustov?" Pascal thought and a moment later recalled that the family had been chosen to send their best man to become the Captain of the Justice... and now that man's brother was lying here, cut in half vertically. "Send out people to bring him back and deploy a healing mage. No, send two! I want him alive and healthy! One, he will tell us what happened; two, he will lead his family and make sure they remain loyal to us! In exchange, instead of punishment, if his information is valuable, we can raise them to be a duke."

"He should have died with-" Kathrien started but then cut herself off when Pascal began murmuring another spell, and she saw that an adept-level formation came to life below him in less than two seconds. He may have been old... but that bastard was quick.

"He should have, yes." Pascal added, watching the soldier leave in a hurried panic. "But now, because of you, we have to placate a lot of families, one of them being his. I will have to plant some evidence that these others here were traitors, working together with the enemy, giving a reason why we lost so much territory! I have to use up some good resources to besmirch their reputations so I can replace them with fresh and upcoming bloodlines! Politics is a balancing act, you stupid woman! It is a game where you need to think, outthink, overthink, and guess everyone else's moves! Grow up... or I will replace you too..."