However, I do feel like I am getting better at it and have to fix less issues each time. Using both divine and mana enchantments is definitely a lot more challenging, but it is worth the effort. Of course, Mercy clinging to me so that I can’t move does add a little to the challenge.

  Unfortunately, her clinging to me does mean that I can’t really test out the sword right now. So, instead I work on how to link it to the ring and enhance its enchantments. As it is, it isn’t going to be able to fully hide something on the level of an artifact.

  The ring doesn’t have any remaining capacity, so by linking it to the sword I can use the sword’s. I not only improve the existing enchants, I also add some extra ones to help hide the sword. I also add another enchantment to make it harder for people to notice I am wearing the ring.

  Hopefully, if anyone ever searches me they won’t even notice that the ring is there. I doubt that kind of situation will ever come up, but it is nice to know I have an edge if it does. Although, honestly in that situation I would just drop shapeshift and use my claws.

  Once I am satisfied with everything, I throw up a barrier and put in the last enchantments. Then I sit and suffer as the ripple bounces around inside the barrier for almost an hour. It makes me realize that I need to learn more about the ripple and figure out a better solution.

  However, since I have nothing left to enchant, let alone make into an artifact, it will have to wait until later. Right now I really want to test the forms of my new weapon, but I can’t do that without waking Mercy. With nothing else to do until she wakes up, I access the network and start checking on things.

  Unfortunately, at this time of night almost everyone is asleep so I can’t talk to many people. I end up just leaving messages for people with suggestions about the current situation. After that, I spend some time checking on the network itself and find that it has enough power now.

  So, I set a timer and send messages to warn everyone that at noon the demon revealer will activate. From that point on, no demon will ever be able to hide anywhere within the network. At least, I am fairly sure that they won’t be able to figure out how to beat my detector.

  The reason I am warning everyone is in case there are demons hiding in the current area covered by the network. It wouldn’t surprise me too much if there are, it has been a while since the last revealing pulse. Plenty of time for them to have infiltrated and I am sure they would want to keep track of me.

  I want everyone ready so that if any demons are revealed they don’t get a chance to escape. They are really good at running away if given half of a chance, so I don’t plan to. I will certainly feel better once I know that my lands are completely cleaned of demons.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  My empire is in a rather sensitive time right now and the demons could easily cause a lot of problems. I’m pretty sure my people could handle it, but I’d rather avoid the whole mess it would create. Besides, my people have enough to do without having to fix problems caused by the demons.

  It will also be nice to have one less thing to worry about, I have too many of those. A lot of them aren’t too likely to happen, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about them. I also tend to make contingency plans for them, just in case they do actually happen.

  I know that it is mostly a waste of time and effort, but I just can’t stop myself. My mind just tends to wander down a path of possibilities and I can’t stop thinking about them. The only way I can get them out of my mind is to make plans to account for them.

  Not having to worry about the demons would help a lot, I have a lot of plans for things they might do. I have wasted hours thinking about all the ways they could cause problems. Not that I don’t have plenty of other things to worry about, mainly the problems the humans might cause.

  My worrying about all the things I worry about leads me into a spiral that lasts until Mercy wakes up. Her waking up actually saves me from the dark place my thoughts have led me. As such, I greet her very affectionately when her eyes open and that quickly leads to other things.

  We only go for one round, then cuddle as we eat breakfast in bed before getting up and moving. I put the cabin away once we leave and head over to join Lizzy and the others. The caravan guards and the servants are already up and getting ready for the day.

  Within an hour, the rulers are awake and eating breakfast as the caravan prepares to finally leave the oasis. It was only an extra day and was worth the time spent, but I am still glad to get moving again. Lizzy is fairly excited for us to be using the new carriage for the first time and is grumbling at the wait.

  However, Leylisha handles her well and manages to distract her so I don’t have to say anything. The two of them seem to be getting along really well from the little I have seen. If so, then I consider it a good thing, Lizzy needs more people to interact with besides me.

  In fact, now that I think about it, Leylisha might make a good partner for Lizzy. I have already taken a look at my bond with Lizzy, I should be able to transfer it to someone else. I’m obviously not going to force her, but it is an option I will give Lizzy later.

  Leylisha, as a dedicated mounted fighter, would be a much better partner for Lizzy than I am. I tend to prefer flying anyway and I don’t have the time to stay with Lizzy all the time. Time will tell, but I think that the two of them would be the best match and I am sure Leylisha would be interested.

  The decision will be entirely Lizzy’s and I have no idea which way she is going to go. Out of all the women I deal with, Lizzy is the hardest for me to predict, probably because she isn’t human. She doesn’t follow the same logic as a humanoid would, she follows her instincts more.

  The problem is that I don’t really understand her instincts, if I did I could predict her choices. The problem is that she doesn’t always follow her instincts, or she only partially does. It makes it hard to learn when she is going to show an instinctual reaction or a thoughtful one.

  Then again, it isn’t like I can fully predict the actions of any of my other women. It is pretty much impossible for me to understand the mind of a woman, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. Most of the time, my attempts to predict them just end up getting me in trouble.