Epilogue – Elsewhere
Princess Mariun Skysword winced as she sat down at the small table in the King’s private dining room. Her brother, King Sewell Skysword, did a manful job of not noticing, right up until the servant served breakfast and left, and shutting the door behind them. Then, he burst out laughing.
“My, my, sister. I take it from the way you are moving that your discussions with Baroness Pureheart were ‘fulfilling’? I do hope that she satisfied your curiosity about her. How many rounds of questioning did you give her?”
“Ha, ha. Very funny, brother.” Mariun sighed as she cut into the leftover boar meat from last night’s meal. “The truth is, things went in a very unexpected direction. And, unfortunately, it seems like any plan to arrange a bastard heir through her will have to wait, at least until she lays her egg.”
Sewell blinked, not believing his ears. “Excuse me, what? Did you say that the baroness was going to lay an egg?”
“Yes, apparently, when she picked up the Dragonslayer and Dragonlayer titles, it was not long after that she discovered she now possesses the Dragonbred title. She expects to be laying the egg somewhere near Halfmark. She intends to name the child her heir, no matter what emerges from the egg.”
Sewell whistled softly. “That… that has implications far beyond the simple leadership of the barony. Not so much for anything within the next couple decades, but, if a dragon emerges from the egg, once it gets to full size, as a Lesser Dragon, there will be few people on this continent who could hope to contend with it.”
“It is a danger, yes. But it is also an opportunity. If you ensure that your heirs, once you sire them, make sure to keep a measure of respect between crown and dragon, then there will be few more potent guardians for the kingdom. A dragon loyal to the kingdom, and any dragons they sire? That would be a sea change in the balance of power on the continent. And that is without even considering how long Pureheart herself will be around.”
Sewell’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that, sister? You already discovered that she is a reincarnated soul from another world. Is she a full angel, then, like her titles suggest?”
“Not a full angel. A Greater Angelic Succubus. She used ritual magic in the middle of the Necropolis of Akkras dungeon, before it was destroyed, making her the fusion of the Greater Succubus and Greater Angel lines. It is why the Voice of the World calls her Impossible. And it means that she has a succubus’s [Shapeshifting] ability. More than that, though, since she was able to turn herself into a hellhound while we were… occupied.”
Sewell laughed. “After all those times you teased me about wanting to take my lovers from behind, you found yourself on all fours, made into a hellhound’s bitch?”
“Yes, yes. Laugh it up. Though, I will say that I gained the Accommodating title from the experience. Which made the third round easier, when she transformed into a copy of me, but with a tool that would put you to shame, and kissed me while she took my ass.”
“Well, I am glad that someone finally gave you the proper fucking that you’ve been wanting for a while. It has been too long since you allowed anyone into your bed. I was worried you might be deciding to turn spinster far too young.”
“Shush, you. Just because I don’t sneak out to the stables to enjoy a romp with the stable boys every tenthday like you, doesn’t mean I’m in any danger of becoming a spinster. But, our love lives aside, the more important thing is that Pureheart’s name is actually Mhyrsha Shadowsoul. Her father, in this world, is the Demon General in charge of Meskaele. which explains why a team of Tier 2 assassins was sent to end her once she went ‘rogue’. Pure-blood demons are not allowed to go against the will of the Great Demon Emperor, after all.”
“Except that she’s no longer a pure-blood demon.”
“Yes, but the Demons don’t know that,” Mariun grinned, before getting serious again. “Of course, the demons are less of a problem for us, right now. The Theocracy is weakened by recent events, but not deterred. Indeed, my sources say that they are more desperate than ever. They need something to keep the ‘faithful’ from questioning them, especially since Eztar’s faithful have been unable to cast their spells since the god’s descent into a mortal avatar. They will be pushing for war. Which brings up the interesting skill Shadowsoul ‘lent’ me, thanks to our time together.”
“Lent you?” Sewell’s brow raised, inquisitively. As it should, since the ability to lend skills to another was not something he’d heard of before.
“Shadowsoul has a Tier 2 Courtesan profession,” she said, and Sewell nodded. The Tier 1 Courtesan was able to convey a wide variety of boons through sensual contact, so it wasn’t surprising that a Tier 2 version would be able to do more. “She gave me the [Perceive Soul] skill, though only for a day. I’ve spent the time since I woke, in the middle of the night, quietly checking on everyone in the palace. So far, there is no sign of anyone under the [Soulslave Ritual]. But the best thing is that I checked my Available Skills, through the Voice of the World. I’ve unlocked [Perceive Soul] as a General Skill.”
“Well, then. Perhaps I should arrange a liaison with Shadowsoul. Being able to unlock a rare skill like that would be a major boon. Especially considering the news I got just last night.”
“Oh? Something you’ve heard of that even I haven’t?”
Sewell laughed. “I’m sure you’ll have a report on your desk when you get to it, but I was contacted by [Sending Stone], as the matter concerned the succession to the Shadescar Barony. It seems that, after his trusted butler ran off with the treasury, Nab Longchaser could not bear the shame, and committed suicide. Sayer Longchaser, as his heir, has temporarily taken up the title of Baron, and will need to be confirmed as such when we meet.”
“Really? Well, Sayer is not as foolish as his father. If he had a hand in helping his father through the door, then he would not have done it directly, where the Kinslayer title would mark him. But that would make his sister, Malkyn, a more attractive match than she would have been before. He is already married, with a child of his own, so Malkyn would not be in the direct line of succession for the barony. And she would not give Longchaser a claim to the throne in the future.”
“Really, this again?”
“You need a Queen, Sewell. And an heir. Plus, from all reports, Malkyn is not as grasping or power-hungry as her kin. As an Ink Mage and Painter, she could be an unexpected powerhouse, since she can summon the figures that she personally paints or inks, using them as guardians or attackers as she sees fit. She could decorate the royal chambers while adding to their protections. It is a solid match, and the rest of the barons would not object too much, considering how weak Shadescar has become, from the loss of the dungeon, their treasury, and their baron.”
“All right, you’ve made your point. I will see about it, when we meet with the Longchasers tonight for dinner. If it seems good, then we can announce the match during the celebration tomorrow.”