664 10/12 4:14 (Autumn, Day, Midrar's Capital, Guild)
Luna leaned against the sofa, amusedly watching not only the increasingly petty conflict of the bickering couple, but also her little Human's crimson face, pale arms surrounding her waist and holding her in place on her laps, her chin pressing down against the black-haired one's left shoulder while a soft wave of Energy hid the four.
Mafel, seeing her actions, decided to join in on the teasing, leaning in against the Lunarian's shoulder, her fingers poking in the black-haired one's sides just to bother her, causing Sabel to fail in retreating from the jabbing fingers.
Only to press against Amber, the Phoenix having laid down upon the sofa's back now had free reach to join the attack, her own fingers teasing the Human's tanned and very ticklish neck while at the same time grabbing onto one of her arms, taking advantage of Luna's grip to keep her victim still.
Sabel soon was gently tormented by her Mates, her teary eyes seeking mercy yet only obtaining gentle amusement from them.
Upon seeing that Sabel's parents were calming down from their argument, Luna softened her hold, a silent signal to Mafel and Amber to stop, maintaining the obscuration field just a little longer.
"Are such arguments normal in a couple?" The grey-haired one asked casually to the Light-Attribute user, aiming on helping her wind down from her current state before Luna let down their hidden state."
Red-faced, Sabel made sure that her eyes would meet neither her Mates nor her parents. "It's normal for them. They are both very competitive Persons in their own right and, well, having almost entirely moved away from active adventuring, need some conflict to remain stable."
"Yeah, this kind of discord is normal in a household." Amber joined in as support as the only other one experienced in what a regular family, if a family composed of a Phoenix, a Demon and their child could be defined as regular, looks like.
As the distortion effect around the four faded completely, they could properly meet each other.
"So, this is my father, Sarn, and my mother, Bellemire. Mom, dad, these are m-my g-girlfriends, Luna, Mafel and Amber." The red-faced Sabel tried to stand back up on her feet, struggling and failing to escape from the Vampiric one's hold before giving up, suffering in indignation as she was stuck in place.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for letting our daughter into your life." Sarn genuinely thanked them, something complex evident on his face.
"No need to worry. She is so very cute." Luna teased while Amber and Mafel used her words as a distraction, exchanging a subtle glance, both of the more emotionally attuned ones able to feel that something was wrong in the way they both looked at them and in his choice of words.
Yet his words and gratitude were both genuine and free of any trace of malice, serving only to further confuse the two.
"So, is everything okay? I know that I didn't come back in a while, but everyone seems... I don't know, more tense than usual?" Sabel's words caused both Sarn and Bellemire to look at each other, a somewhat-tense silence briefly filling the room.
"I suppose you four should know." The latter of the two affirmed, her gaze focused mostly on Luna, more specifically her red eyes and fangs. "There was an attempted assassination on the king of Midrar and there is a high possibility the culprit is a Vampire of some kind."
Sabel immediately jumped to her feet, escaping from Luna's arms. "How did the Advisor react?" She asked, her voice full of alarm.
"As you can imagine, quite badly. He is a step away from declaring full martial law until the culprit is found." Their mother-in-law nodded to her daughter before turning to the Vampiric one. "I would suggest being especially careful of your action while in the capital."
"You all are behaving quite... calmly for the situation, aren't you? And how are you certain that a Vampire is involved?" Mafel asked, her mind trying to remember the little amount of information on the nation that she acquired from her time in Nealet and what she gleamed from Gaea's own Sea of Souls.
"Well, Midrar's situation politically is quite... complicated." Sarn started, meeting Sabel's and his wife's eyes once before continuing. "Officially, the king is in command, sure, but in truth the power is firmly in the hands of the Advisor. He was in fact offered to simply take the throne directly, but he firmly refused each one."
"Well, it makes sense. Even if only politically, if he becomes king, there will be quite the number of international issues. And this is to ignore the fact that he would be unable to emotionally handle being on the throne." Sabel's mother added. "And regarding how certain we are, well, beyond the Advisor's experience fighting Vampires, the king was ambushed by multiple Ghouls and projectiles of solidified blood."
"Oh? Is he very strong then?" Luna asked, her eyes now gleaming with curiosity.
"Yes, if we are speaking about combat power and experience, he is firmly at the very top of Midrar. He was able to conquer alone all known Dungeons across Dirrar. Even if far from the top of the World, he is not to be underestimated." Bellemire nodded, silently observing her daughter's three paramours for their reactions.
"I can understand not wanting the throne, but why would it be a problem if he was to take it? Especially if he was offered it multiple times." Amber asked only to receive a shocking answer in turn.
"Well, simply because having a Lich as king would cause quite the conflict with other nations." Sarn's words caused Mafel, Amber and even Luna to jump lightly, their surprise evident on their face. "It's not exactly a secret, his story inspired plenty of songs and plays."
"It all started around 400 years ago, when Higrar was completely taken over by a group of Vampires that started a conflict with the rest of Dirrar. Naturally, both Midrar and Lowrar responded to the threat by allying with each other, starting a desperate Resistance against the resulting army of People, Ghouls and Vampires alike." Sabel started to narrate, wanting to share an important piece of her nation's history with her Mates.
"Naturally, the then king of Midrar joined in with his army and at his side was his most trusted and beloved companion, a great mage able to wield all nine Attributes simultaneously. Yet in the course of those seven years of conflict, the situation continued worsening. The lightest of the cause was that they could launch raids during the day and night alike.
"Another, important yet only temporary, was that during Red Moons the situation would be even worse. Monsters did not attack Vampire-owned cities, forcing the coalition to split their army in dealing with the sudden influx of Monsters, further diminishing morale while Ghouls and Vampires alike became tireless killing machines under that baleful light.
"Finally, and most horrendously, all prisoners of what would later be officially called Nigrar, had a very simple choice to make. Either willingly bow their heads to their new masters by sighing a Vow of Loyalty or become a Ghoul and be thrown at the frontline, killing and being killed by their allies."
Sabel stopped, retrieving a small bottle of water and gulping down a couple of mouthfuls while Bellemire, her mother, continued. "As you can imagine, the rebellion rapidly grew desperate, bringing out more and more countermeasures that were similarly inhumane and normally considered taboo.
"Spells that broke People, not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually. Spell that twisted the mind of the victims, others that had only the function of causing pain. Applying explosive Spells to soldiers, both to make sure that they wouldn't die in vain and that they would be unable to join the enemy. Undesirables used as bait and weapons.
"And this is only what was written down. We don't know to which point they pushed themselves. There are even rumours of Demon Summoning being involved, even if there is nothing concrete-"
"Oh no, that one is true. My mom was summoned to help the resistance at the end of the second year." Amber proudly joined in. "She helped interrogate captured soldiers and both helping and hindering in the creation of large-scale Spells as needed. Her price was just the ritual sacrifice of one Human life for each day of the conflict in exchange for her genuine assistance."
At seeing the stunned expressions on most of the other, she immediately continued. "What?! Don't look at me like that, that was the initial offer. She expected, you know, for them to negotiate for a lower cost, but they accepted right away. She was quite confused of it all, you know?"
Silence filled the room, the three genuine habitants of Midrar having to once more contend with the actions of the past generation, Sarn being the first to recover. "What a coincidence that the daughter of so instrumental an individual would once more visit this nation." He let out, trying to distract his wife and daughter.
"It's not a coincidence. Mom still has some contacts in the continent so told me that I should start exploring short-lived individuals starting from here."
"Contacts?"
"You know, various diabolists, warlocks and descendant of Mages she taught during the war. Things like that." Amber's casual words only caused the Guild Master to scratch his head while the old cleric refocused, her interest in history blaring violently.
"Would it be possible to ask her to help record the events of the war in a more complete form?"
"S-sure, it shouldn't be a problem. The next time we speak, I will ask her and then send it here through the Guild. Is that okay?" The Phoenix asked, retreating slightly upon seeing the intensity within the blonde's gaze, rapidly looking at her Mates for assistance.
"You were telling us the story of the Advisor, right? I can guess that the mage you hinted at, the king's companion, is him, but how did we arrive from mage to Lich?" Mafel joined in, half to respond to Amber's plea and half because genuinely interested in Undeads in general.
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