Maximus and the plants are slowly expanding the space, but it will take years at this rate. That doesn’t even begin to cover all the other things that I feel like I must save. My knowledge of magic and enchanting for instance, that will take up a huge amount of storage.

  However, even if I had the storage, I doubt that I would be able to store the dragon knowledge. Even if I did manage to, there is no guarantee that my new mind would be able to handle it. I was barely able to after multiple evolutions and having insanely high mental stats.

  Well, I guess a dragon probably wouldn’t call my mental stats insanely high, or my physical stats for that matter. My only chance of being able to use it would be if I were reborn as a dragon, but then I wouldn’t need it. So, I can rule out the dragon knowledge, but that still leaves me with a lot that I want to save.

  The entire time I have been thinking things through, I have been grooming Maximus and adding my will to expanding the palace. I keep both up until I feel Mercy start stirring next to me, which distracts me from my thoughts. I give Maximus one last pat and then exit the soul palace to greet Mercy.

  We have a little fun before we head down to breakfast and I leave a big tip for whoever has to clean the room. We eat with the others and then immediately set out, the caravan gets moving quickly. At the caravan’s speed, we should arrive in the capital shortly after our lunch stop.

  Skipping lunch is discussed, but Amn decides against it, we are expected to arrive after lunch. Mercy and I spend the time cuddling and watching the scenery pass by. It is kind of nice being able to just relax and not have any responsibilities to worry about.

  I know that it probably won’t last for long, but I am doing my best to enjoy it while it lasts. I also don’t know how long Mercy will be with me, so I enjoy her company while it lasts as well. Although, I don’t really have to try to enjoy her company, but I don’t want to take her for granted.

  That’s why I am not working on anything or trying to come up with something to do. I already feel bad for the amount of time I spent on the carriage and the cabin. Luckily, she doesn’t seem to mind the time I spent working and is just happy to be with me.

  The fact that she is so willing to put up with it makes me feel like I have been neglecting her. She hasn’t said anything, but I am going to try to make it up to her anyway. If I am wrong, then she will just get some extra attention, I doubt she will complain about that.

  We arrive in the capital about an hour after stopping for lunch, but we are heading for the castle. We have to get the political stuff out of the way first before we can do some shopping. It takes fifteen minutes to pass through the capital and reach the castle, mostly due to traffic.

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  When we reach the castle it is obvious that it was once a defensive installation. That is no longer the case, the out wall has been removed and the original building has been expanded. It now looks more like a governmental building that has part of a castle growing out of it.

  Honestly, they should just tear it all down and start over, it would certainly look better. However, I doubt that is going to happen, it would require emptying the building for too long. Not to mention how expensive it would be, it probably isn’t worth it just for appearances.

  At least, it isn’t worth it to most people, I would do it just to increase the morale of the city. Having pride in the place you live can do a lot to make the people happier. I think that would be worth it, but I have no idea how the finances of this kingdom stand.

  Just to pass the time, I discuss it with Mercy to see what she thinks of the idea. She is of a similar mindset to me, she thinks the current castle is ugly and would definitely rebuild it. Her reasoning is different, she wouldn’t want to be queen of such an ugly castle.

  I am still laughing at her answer when the caravan finally enters the castle’s stableyard. We quickly exit the carriage and Lizzy puts it away to the astonishment of the servants. Amn seeing that, shrinks his carriage and puts it away, he probably wanted to show off.

  The poor servants that were supposed to take care of the carriages are left standing around confused. There are far too many of them for just the two remaining carriages of Mavel and Gremshow. However, I’m sure they will figure it out, I join Amn as a servant leads us into the castle.

  We are led directly into the throne room, where the king and queen are waiting for us. As Amn starts making introductions I take a look at the king and queen. The king is an older man, slightly overweight, and his hair and beard are pure white.

  Other than the permanent looking frown on his face, he looks a lot like a mall santa. His queen looks a bit better, she still has some blonde streaks in her silver hair and is in much better shape. When they stand up to greet us, I am surprised to see that the queen is taller than the king.

  That isn’t to say that the queen is all that tall, she is normal height, the king is just that short. I am really hoping that he doesn’t have a complex about it, otherwise he is going to hate me.

  Emperor Amn says “Ash, this is my good friend, King Cecil.”

  King Cecil says “Welcome to my kingdom! This is my lovely wife, Estel.”

  “It is my pleasure to meet you both.”

  Queen Estel says “I hate to be rude, but what are you, Emperor Ash?”

  “You can just call me Ash, and I am a dragonling, a lesser relative of a dragon.”

  King Cecil says “How interesting! Is your empire made up of your kind?”

  “No, my empire is made up of humans, beastmen, and elves. As far as I know I am the only one of my kind.”

  Queen Estel says “That sounds lonely. At least you have a beautiful wife by your side! Although, if you are both here, who is keeping an eye on things for you?”

  Mercy says “His other three wives are currently running things.”

  King Cecil says “Four wives?! How ambitious!”

  Mercy says “Actually, it was our idea. We had to basically force him into marrying all of us, but it was worth the effort. None of us regret our decisions.”

  Queen Estel says “I smell gossip! I want to hear all about it before you leave tomorrow!”