Chapter 54: Headache

  The man in front of her kept talking, his voice growing more excited with every sentence he managed to squeeze out. He spoke of the Conclave, of ancient pacts, of a world that had apparently moved on without her, and Lily sat perfectly still on the obsidian throne while she watched him. Her posture remained calm and regal and her features did not move even once. It took effort to maintain it, because inside her head everything started to collapse under the weight of what he was unloading onto her.

  Ohhh… Please. Please stop talking for just one moment. Only one. I have been up since dawn, and the whole day was a mess. I conquered a city today. I dealt with all the shit afterwards, including Gideon and his little gang. Then Tessa turned into whatever she is now, and all I wanted was to go home and rest until tomorrow. And now you stand here and unload five hundred years of world history on me like you expect me to already understand every part of it. Wonderful. Truly wonderful…

  She inhaled slowly and nodded at the right moments when he paused, because that was the only acceptable reaction. Lily had been in this throne room for less than ten minutes and already felt a headache building behind her temples again. Not only because of his talking, but also because her passive [Governance Mastery] had decided to activate on its own again the moment she began her first audience with an outsider. The skill had started to push new streams of information into her mind, guidelines and procedures, instructions and principles fitting for a regal ruler, all of it pouring in without her consent. It was probably the result of how highly evolved the skill already was, since she had reached Kingdom Regent level, and now it seemed eager to expand its influence again the moment it sensed another chance. Whatever the cause was, she wanted nothing more than to stand up and walk out, but that option did not exist. She had an audience, and she had a role she needed to maintain.

  Ahh Jesus not again... Damn! It hurts... I swear if my nose starts bleeding, I will absolutely lose it. No. Breathe Lily. Come on. Just concentrate… What was this guy talking about again? Right… that…

  Cale lowered his head deeper, as if he was afraid to even look up. His voice trembled with a mixture of excitement and awe when he finally asked the question that had been building behind his careful politeness.

  “If I may ask you, my Princess, are you truly one of the old ones who vanished five hundred years ago?”

  Lily had listened long enough, even through the throbbing pressure behind her eyes, to piece together what he had been telling her.

  Five hundred years ago should be around the time Xantia plays. That would be the moment when I logged out for the last time ingame. Yes. I do not know how much this matters, but it feels like a huge puzzle piece. So maybe the old ones are just former players. At least that would explain why he talks about them like legends. Yea… Also, I should probably find out how out of all people the Dawnspire Conclave managed to survive until now, because these guys were always a bit… extreme. At least I think they were… Really, why does it feel like it has been centuries since I was in Xantia? It should be only around four days. Four days. For real this entire situation is going to kill me.

  But she did not allow any of that to reach her face. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, let a small silence settle over the hall, and answered with calm finality.

  “I am. And I have already declared officially, not only at the Asara Bank but also in front of the entire city of Tiara, that as long as my guild or I exist, the Xares Empire will persist. And as a matter of fact, I am currently the Empire.”

  With that confirmation from her, Cale’s entire demeanor shifted. His posture grew even more respectful, if such a thing was possible, and his tone settled into something far more serious.

  “In that case, and since I see no reason to doubt you, Princess, I will take you at your word that you are truly part of the old Empire. But the times have changed. Catacrum was, for the last centuries of your absence, the final true remnant of Xares. And since descendants of the first emperor are still among us and even sit on the Council of Catacrum, I formally wish to request that the fractured parts of the Empire reunite and that you will follow our cause to restore the former glory of the Empire.”

  At that, Lily allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment. A small vein on her forehead twitched. Yes, there it was. Another reason for a headache. At this point she should probably begin to worry. Can demons get aneurysms? she wondered. Honestly it would explain much right now.

  Descendants of the first emperor. Of course they were still around. In Xantia the imperial bloodline had always been present, because the Xares Empire had officially been founded a few hundred years before the Travelers even appeared. It was a relatively small empire back then, before it grew into one of the greatest major player hubs. The ruling family—the NPC dynasty—had become mostly ceremonial figureheads in the constitutional monarchy the Empire later developed. And when the entire Player Senate vanished overnight, just as Lily had pieced together from all the talk about the old ones, they were probably the first ones who stepped in to prevent the whole structure from collapsing.

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  But… that is another thing I do not need to untangle right now, she sighed inwardly.

  No. The more important issue was something else entirely. Director Durham had told her very clearly that the Empire had ceased to exist two hundred years ago, because a bunch of idiotic kingdoms had apparently formed a coalition and destroyed her home. These damn fuckers… She felt her thoughts beginning to spiral again.

  Calm down Lily. Back on track. Breathe.

  Durham had made such a scene when she tried to reactivate her old guild account. He had insisted that the Empire was gone, and that nothing of the old structure remained. But now this man in front of her was calmly telling her that remnants of the Empire were still active. And expecting her to reunite with them. Sure, they had offered their full support, but support never came without expecting something in return. And Lily was not ready to hand anything over. Not when she had already made up her mind to restore the Xares Empire the way she knew it.

  At least that answers the question why of all things the Dawnspire Conclave is still around, she thought with a tired groan inside her head.

  The Conclave had originally been founded by a group of players inside the Empire who thought it would be fun to roleplay a ceremonial cult around the First Emperor and his descendants. It had evolved into a strange kind of deepstate-with-legitimacy, because they had claimed the descendants of the imperial family and used them as figureheads in their rituals. There had never been a real problem with them, since they accepted the rules of the Senate and held a few ceremonial seats. But they absolutely loved to roleplay as the emperor’s most loyal shadows, knights, guardians, and whatever else their imagination could conjure.

  And now I am sitting here, being asked to reunite their entire fantasy with my nonexistent knowledge of imperial politics over the last few centuries. Perfect. Just perfect.

  That could only mean trouble in the future. But no, she was thinking too far ahead again. Because if what he said was true, then a war was coming anyway. Her arrival might have accelerated things, but the Conclave, or Catacrum, or whatever had clearly been preparing for a long time, since they could move with such confidence now. And in that case, she… she would feel wrong ignoring the call. She had sworn to protect the Empire once. Yes, it had only been online in a game, but she had sworn it.

  But not only is this Conclave moving. No, Cale also warned me about the damn Ecclesia… Yea… Really? Out of all people, that fucking Luxandra is still screwing with me. Shouldn’t her damn church be long gone? It should have disappeared the moment the game ended five hundred years ago, right? So how the hell is her bullshit still following me? I swear if she is somehow here, I… No… Calm down. Breathe… stop spiraling Lily… You just need to make sure you do not lose control and stay focused. That isn’t so hard, right?

  She fixed her eyes on Cale again and straightened slightly on the throne.

  “Out of goodwill and in recognition of our shared ties, I will accept your generous offer of assistance. Since we have a city to defend, your support is welcome. In return I will do my best to reunite the fractured Empire under one banner again. But I will say this only once. I am a ruling Princess of the Xares Empire. I will not bow to any council or heir I do not officially recognize. Since I am currently the only imperial authority present, I will take charge over all official matters of the Empire. And listen carefully, mortal, because this part is important. If we reach the core lands, including Xerathene, the capital will fall under my jurisdiction.”

  Cale blinked, caught between surprise and excitement. In all his enthusiasm about finding an old one, he had probably not considered that reunification might come with… complications. After a moment he chose his words carefully.

  “Since I am authorized to speak for the Council, I agree that uniting our forces is the wisest course. I cannot speak for territory we do not possess yet, nor for lands we are unlikely to reach in the near future. But I can promise you that your status as Princess of the Empire will be recognized by the Council, and you will not be bound to their word. However, they will not abandon their own claim immediately. That is an internal matter that can be resolved in time. The Conclave sees itself as a former part of the old Empire, but Catacrum has stood alone in the south for centuries after suffering many losses…”

  Lily raised a hand and interrupted him.

  “I understand, and that is acceptable for now. So, we have an agreement.”

  “Thank you, Princess,” Cale said with a deep bow. “I will make contact with the Council and report our meeting. As I mentioned, Catacrum is already on the move, but they require time to reach the north. I had planned to say we should be safe here in the Forgotten Woods until the main force arrives, but you mentioned a city to defend…?”

  Lily could not keep the small grin from her lips.

  “Right. You see, I just came back from it.”

  She rose from her throne, looking down at everyone present, and placed her hand on Tessa’s shoulder. The girl flinched slightly under the attention.

  “Since everyone from our little base project is here, I have some news to announce.”

  The cultists all looked equally surprised. Only Igrath remained stone-faced, although he glanced at Tessa for the first time, apparently realizing only now that she was present.

  “First,” Lily said, “this is Tessa Noze. She is my new apprentice. So, everyone will give her the appropriate respect.”

  Reactions spread through the group in their usual strange fashion. Marie and Garron nodded approvingly. The twins shared a quick look and then bowed in perfect unison. Sevrin lit up as if he had just discovered a new holy icon to worship. Marlon turned red, clearly flustered the moment he looked at Tessa. Igrath gave a single heavy nod. “Honored apprentice.” And Cale also bowed respectfully.

  Tessa twitched again under Lily’s hand, as if she wanted to escape all the attention, but since she could not, she managed a shy smile. “Glad to meet you all.”

  Lily continued.

  “Second. The city of Tiara is no longer part of the Kingdom of Burm. I took control of it today. It is now officially the first city of the reestablished Xares Empire, which I declared publicly as well. Since that is all, you are all dismissed. We will see each other tomorrow.”

  For one heartbeat the throne room was silent.

  Then every single person except Igrath shouted at once.

  “What?”