"NIKOLAI, do you trust me?"
"Of course," Nikolai answered Mona's question without missing a beat while holding his wife's hand. After Mona's nose bled badly, he begged her to take a break. Hence, right now, Mona was on the bed while taking a much-needed rest. "What do you want me to do, Mona?"
Even though Mona had become the empress the moment they got married, his wife didn't gain that much power compared to his authority as the emperor.
Moreover, both Nikolai and Mona had already started the delegation of work to Nero and Hanna who would soon succeed as the new emperor and the empress, respectively. Hence, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had more power than the empress.
[That's why Mona needs to borrow my power as the emperor if she needs to mobilize people under my authority.]
"My love, hoards of reanimated corpses would soon attack the Imperial Capital."
Nikolai's eyes widened in shock after hearing Mona's prediction. "Hoards of reanimated corpses? Aren't those the things that average necromancers create?"
Average necromancers could "revive" dead people, but they were nothing but reanimated corpses controlled like puppets.
However, there were exceptional necromancers like the Devil.
[Only a few could revive dead people like how the Devil revived Nichole and Gavin Quinzel.]
"Necromancers, no matter the level, are rare," Nikolai commented. "Is it possible that Helstor and the crows found necromancers that could control hoards of reanimated corpses all at the same time?"
"The reanimated corpses I'm talking about do not need a necromancer to control them," Mona said, shocking Nikolai. "Based on what I saw from my vision, the reanimated corpses could move on their own. But they only have one instinct: to eat humans."
To say that he was disgusted would be an understatement. "This is the first time I've heard reanimated corpses eating human flesh. Wouldn't they be closer to savage beasts than humans then?"
"That seems to be the case," his wife agreed with him. "But these reanimated corpses cannot be killed easily. We need the Extons for that."
"Duke Exton is already here in the palace."
"Let's talk to him later," his wife said. "For now, I need you to mobilize the royal knights, love."
"In what way should I mobilize them?"
"Tell the royal knights to NOT engage with the reanimated corpses in a fight should they meet them," Mona said firmly. "Just catch the reanimated corpses."
Just catch those things?
[If the Extons are needed, then…]
"Ah, I see," Nikolai said while nodding. He finally understood what his wife was trying to say. "The Imperial Family will use the Extons as our executioners."
***
IT WASN'T a pretty sight.
Neoma's heart hurt while watching the monster wild dog that Duke Exton brought eat the zombie inside the prison cell.
[That zombie was a human…]
A human forced to become a zombie, at that.
To be honest, she at least wanted to let the zombie die as a human being. Hence, she was adamant about purifying it. But she realized quickly that it was impossible to do because their purifying ability didn't work.
Hence, she had no choice but to let Duke Exton show her if his monster pet really had the ability to kill the zombie.
[The living people are more important than the dead.]
It was a horrible thought, but she had to be realistic in the face of war.
[I can't save everyone.]
Moreover, when the wild dog began attacking the zombie, the invisible force that kept on absorbing Neoma's divine power finally stopped.
"The Extons can communicate with monsters and low-level Spirits, but not in the way that Her Imperial Majesty the Empress and Your Imperial Highnesses can talk to Spirits clearly," Duke Exton explained. "It's more appropriate to say that we can read the monsters' emotions– which aren't a lot since the monsters are just usually hungry, sleepy, and angry."
"That sounds like me," Neoma deadpanned. When no one reacted to her ~lame~ joke, she cleared her throat and went into serious mode again. "So, Duke Exton. Did your monster "say" that its hungry and that the found is here?"
"I was actually summoned by Her Imperial Majesty the Empress here," the old duke explained. "For some reason, my monster pet insisted on coming along. After getting permission from the empress, we finally arrived in the palace. As soon as we did, that child dragged me here as if he could smell the food."
The "child" would be the monster wild dog, of course.
[So, it's a 'he.']
"Duke Exton, do monsters usually eat zombies?" Neoma asked. When the old duke looked confused by her question, she changed the word which probably made Duke Exton confuse. "I'm talking about the reanimated corpse."
"Ordinary monsters only eat human flesh, Princess Neoma," Duke Exton said. "But that child of mine is no ordinary monster– it's an ancient one. I suspect that my child got attracted by the reanimated corpse because of the Darkness it contained."
"An Ancient Monster?" Nero asked curiously. "Ancient Monsters lived during the Ancient Period– no wonder that the monster you brought detected the Darkness in the reanimated corpse. But Ancient Monsters are supposed to be extinct by now. The current monsters co-existing with us are very weak compared to their ancestors."
"I learned from my history class before that Ancient Monsters had fallen into a deep slumber after the world was saved from the Absolute Darkness," Hanna added, giving Duke Exton a suspicious look. "Your Grace, did the Extons hunt and wake the Ancient Monsters you found just to make them your "pet?""
Duke Exton avoided Hanna's gaze.
"Did you get permission from the emperor?" Nero asked sternly. "Even the Ancient Monsters belong to the Imperial Family."
Duke Exton was forced to face Nero. "The Extons have rights over the monsters found in the empire, Your Imperial Highness."
Nero raised an eyebrow at the old duke. "Not over the Ancient Monsters, though."
With that, Duke Exton nervously avoided Nero's scrutinizing gaze.
Neoma, who was about to strike a deal with Duke Exton, was interrupted when she heard the monster burp loudly.
[Ah, he's done eating.]
She felt a pang in her heart when she realized that no one was left of the zombie except for the tattered clothes on the floor.
[This is so fucking cruel.]
"Good job," Duke Exton said to the monster wild dog. "Go and sleep now."
The monster wild dog let out a howl before melting like a candle.
Then the "melted" monster turned into a small marble.
When Duke Exton opened his hand, the black marble automatically flew towards His Grace's direction like a baseball thrown at the pitcher.
It was cool when Duke Exton caught the black marble in his hand.
[This isn't the time to be entertained by silly stuff.]
"Nero, Hanna, please escort Duke Exton to the palace," Neoma said in a serious voice. "I have something left to do here."
"What are you going to do… argh."
It was Nero, but he stopped talking when Hanna gently nudged the Crown Prince.
"We understand, Princess Neoma," Hanna said, addressing her properly in front of the old duke. "The Crown Prince and I will escort Duke Exton to the palace."
After saying that, Hanna, Nero, and Duke Exton finally left.
Now it was only Neoma and Lewis there.
"Princess Neoma?" Lewis asked worriedly when Neoma opened the prison cell where the zombie was locked up a moment ago. "You're not going to do something crazy, are you?"
"Of course not," Neoma said, then she knelt on the floor and picked up the torn clothes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I didn't even get your name. But I remember your face. I promise to find out who you are no matter how long it takes. Every single victim of this tragedy deserves a proper burial. But, for now…"
She pulled out a handful of her white hair with a tinge of pink at the strands.
Then she concentrated hard until the hair turned into a white and pink rose.
Yes, it was a two-toned flower.
The upper part of the rose was white, but the lower part was pink– just like Neoma's hair.
It was a flower made of Mana.
"This will do for now," Neoma said softly as she put the white-pink rose next to the tattered clothes, then she closed her eyes. "I swear on my beautiful face that I will fuck up whoever did this to you– so you may rest in peace."
***
IT WAS indeed the First Calamity.
That was Neoma's conclusion after hearing her mother's vision.
Right now, she was in the conference room with Nero, Hanna, Manu, Skylus, Duke Exton, Mama Boss, and Papa Boss.
They were just waiting for Uncle Glenn, Aunt Brigitte, and Monik to arrive.
[I wonder why the letter didn't mention anything about Claude…]
"The Ancient Monsters under the Extons command are only around fifty, Your Imperial Majesties," Duke Exton said to Mama Boss and Papa Boss. "I'm not confident if they are enough to stop hoards of reanimated corpses that will attack the Imperial Capital soon. Moreover, my successor and I can't control all the Ancient Monsters all at the same time. We can only control five at maximum."
"Don't worry about that, Duke Exton," Mama Boss said, smiling. "Queen Brigitte will control the Ancient Monsters."
Obviously, the duke was confused.
But, before Duke Exton could even ask, a loud and urgent knock on the door was heard.
Papa Boss, who was obviously annoyed, knitted his eyebrows. "Come in."
The door opened and Geoffrey Kinsley, who was holding a portable stone tab the size of a computer tablet, entered the room while bowing in apology.
"I apologize for interrupting the meeting, but I have urgent news," Geoffrey said, addressing everyone politely, before he placed the portable stone tab in front of Papa Boss. "Lord Helstor suddenly interrupted our communication devices and forced a connection."
Papa Boss let out a sigh. "Connect it."
"As you command, Your Majesty," Geoffrey said, then he activated the communication device with a simple press of the button. "It's done, Your Majesty."
Papa Boss was just about to say something when Helstor's fugly face occupied the screen.
[Argh, so fugly.]
<"I, the God of Eternal Darkness, formally declare my intention to support Prince Calyx de Moonasterio in seizing the de Moonasterion throne that rightfully belongs to him.">
Wasn't that "declaration" the same as waging war on the Imperial Family?
Neoma slammed her hand on the table, effectively breaking it in half. "How dare that fugly fuckface declare war on us when we're supposed to do it first?!"
***
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