21 Chapter 20: Meeting The Nearls
After making a scandal, Ash immediately fled Leithanien because the Kurfürsten would be on his ass for being dishonorable.
"I've gotta go, we'll make babies later." He kissed them on the forehead and winked. Ash then flew away.
"What a troublesome man... He does anything he wants." Luna sighed and Soleil chuckled at his antics.
"Are you going to be okay with this? It will be quite a big uproar..." Gertrude can't imagine dealing with the crap he just pulled.
"Not really, who do you think we are Gertrude? We're the Kaiserins of Leithanien that have ruled the empire for two decades. This is barely an inconvenience at best." Soleil shrugged and they went back to their spire.
"Woah, cool I guess... Well then, I guess I should brag about how good he is in bed." Gertrude smirked and the empresses gave her a dirty look.
"No spoilers." They put a finger on her lips and they went to their chambers for some beers and pretzels.
Ash returned back to Paradiso and kept quiet about the marriage for now. Turn it into a surprise later.
"Margaret, let's train you to the maximum so you can flex on those chamber of commerce idiots." Ash went to Margaret and he had a plan in training her to the maximum.
"That is a good plan, the next Kazimierz major is almost here." Margaret nodded at him and agreed.
"You too Degenbrecher, you'll be coming with us to Kazimierz. We'll have an absolutely stacked retinue to the country of knights." Ash smiled at them.
"Sure... I did feel a bit resentful for those old fuckers trying to kill me off." She squinted her eyes and was still thankful to Enciades for hiring her as a bodyguard, paying an exorbitant price to the chamber of commerce.
"Good, good. You two are both motivated and have a bone to pick with Kazimierz. Let me introduce you to your training partner." Ash stepped aside with a smile and Narcissa was behind him.
She then waved at them and was actually excited to begin fighting with the two grand knights.
"Uhhh... Ash, I don't know if you know this, but Narcissa isn't built to fight against human opponents..." Degenbrecher's eyes twitched as she saw the feline.
"You're not kidding, are you?" Margaret saw his expression and he was dead serious in making Narcissa fight with them with her 100 ton weapons.
It was basically a hunk of metal shaped into a weapon. And she can wield like it didn't weigh anything.
"It would test you to the limit. Reaction speed, strength, instincts. And the best thing is, you don't even see her hand that is wielding them. So you gotta guess how she's gonna take a swing at you!" Ash smiled.
"You know, I really like you... But you're goddamned insane." Degenbrecher gave him the stink eye.
"She is right Ash, how can we exactly survive a hit from her if we do get hit?" Margaret broke into a cold sweat just imagining it. Seeing the titanic weapons that are floating beside her.
"Easy, I stop the kinetic energy of it. I've got the best dynamic vision too. So you don't need to worry." He shrugged and they sighed.
"Besides, I'm going to add a couple of more people. It's like a raid boss, Narcissa. You're going to be the raid boss, I'll call you the purrminator." He rubbed her ears and she purred.
"Who's going to be with us?" The two raised a brow and he thought about it.
"First would be Lappland. Then Mudrock, Sonus, and Adele. Narcissa will be teamed up with Alastor and Astaroth by the way." He added and they sighed in defeat.
"Fine, we'll see just how effective this will be." Degenbrecher pouted at him and they assembled the teams for training.
"Hey, Ash... Is this a good idea?" Adele gripped her staff tightly and gulped a mouthful of saliva. Seeing Narcissa's weaponry.
"Narcissa told us to go sicko mode. We don't know what that is, but I guess it's to do our best?" Astaroth brandished her two swords and she sliced her palm with the red one. Absorbing her blood and starting to float.
Violet lightning then started to crackle on her person and her normally shy and withdrawn personality was nowhere to be seen.
"I guess we should do our best then?" Alastor also sliced her palm and created another blade on her off hand, made of blood.
"Prepare yourselves." Narcissa brandished her weapons and pointed it at them.
"Ash, I think this is a really bad idea." Mudrock looked at him and were concerned for their health and physical status.
"Don't be a baby, they won't hurt you I promise." He clapped and the first one to move was the oldest one which is Sonus.
She wrote her arts in the air with her wand and the arts of the twins weakened considerably. "Such strong arts... That would've normally cancelled anything."
Sonus clicked her tongue and Rosmontis started walking. Margaret prepared her shield immediately and Mudrock stood side by side with her.
"I'll handle the swords! Margaret, Mudrock, on the hammer and Lappland on the spear!" Degenbrecher barked orders in a hurry and she took out her sword breakers, dual wielding them immediately.
Narcissa swung swung the two swords at her and she could feel her blood run cold as she saw them move towards them. It was like watching a building made out of solid metal fly at you.
She gritted her teeth and met the tungsten hunks of metal. The sleeves on her military uniform getting ripped apart as her muscles contracted to the maximum.
"Go!" Her arms trembled violently and Narcissa was starting to put more pressure on her. Making the caprinae kneel on the ground from the immense strength of her ethereal arms.
"Light!" Margaret raised her shield and flashbanged Narcissa.
Mudrock then ran towards the giant hammer beside her and smacked it with her own. But it didn't even move one bit. "This is impossible."
"Kyahaha! This is going to be fun!" Lappland used her arts and projected wolves made out of energy. Hitting the spear of Narcissa, but again. No visible effects on it.
The feline then recovered and threw the spear at Lappland. Like a massive obelisk that was travelling as fast an arrow towards her.
"Not on my watch!" Margaret arrived in front of her and put stacks of light shields above the diamond shaped shield she has on her left hand.
Lappland pushed on her and they barely managed to block the thing. And it flew right back to Narcissa as she pouted at Margaret.
"That's not nice." She furrowed her brows and prepared to attack once again.
"Ash, I'm so going to demand lots of sex after this." Degenbrecher glared at him and was getting stressed out from Narcissa's terrifying offense.
Watching the happenings from the side, Sonus and Adele prepared to take on Astaroth and Alastor.
"I'll keep them busy, it looks like they are more adept in arts. You give me cover fire." Sonus ordered Adele.
And as a really experienced person, she was able to see the weakness of the twins immediately.
Alastor charged towards Sonus and she pointed her sword at the banshee matriarch.
Sonus got wide eyed at the massive pillar of crimson flames coming from her sword and Sonus shrieked at it.
With oscillating waves, the vibrations of her counter crashed against Alastor's flames.
Adele then popped up from the side and raised her staff, creating a duet of fireballs that have a mix of oxygen and hydrogen inside of each other, making a concussive explosive.
Before it travelled to Alastor though, it was sliced open by a levitating sword that was glowing red. "That thing isn't arts, mine didn't have any effects on it, her flames too!"
Sonus was confused and the twins began their counterattack.
Astaroth swung her violet blade and bolts of lightning flew to the two. "Watch out! Extinguish!" With her oral arts, Astaroth's lightning fizzled and Adele's hasty barrier managed to block it.
Sonus then felt her instincts fire. "Get down!" She dragged Adele to the ground and a sword almost skewered them from behind.
"Tsk, what troublesome kids are these? Where the hell did he find them?" Sonus clicked her tongue.
"I'm going to prepare a trump card Sonus, buy me time. I can give you limited cover fire still." Adele made a plan with her and they continued their 2v2.
"Ahhh!" Lappland was flying away with Margaret because they got smacked by Narcissa's hammer. With the latter blocking it, but the force behind it was too strong.
"Damn! They got sent flying away." Degenbrecher looked at Narcissa who took care of them at the same time.
The two gigantic swords then swung at her at the same time horizontally. Her eyes dilated and she processed the trajectory of it to her best ability.
She then ran and jumped, going to a small gap in the middle of the two blades. Only missing her horns by centimeters.
Degenbrecher then took in a sharp breath, her heart palpitating from the insanely dangerous stunt she pulled off.
Mudrock used her arts to create goliaths from the stone on the ground. 5 meter tall golems of rock started to move and she controlled them expertly like her own limbs.
But she knew that it was just a little stopgap and it got proven pretty quickly when Narcissa's spear pierced the one in front of her and almost hit Mudrock, just inches away from her face.
"Mudrock is out." Ash announced and the other golems got whacked by the feline's hammer.
"Shit, this is crazy." Degenbrecher wiped sweat from her brow. Narcissa's attacks were all blindingly fast due to the strength of her arts. And they're basically unlockable due to the force behind it.
The caprinae charged at Narcissa while she was distracted, using her superior speed to arrive right next to her almost in an instant.
Swinging her sword breakers, Degenbrecher hoped that Ash will call the win on them.
But her swords hit something invisible and they stopped moving after just a small give on the force. "Shit." Degenbrecher cursed as she saw Narcissa look at her.
Her ethereal arms were coating her body at a 360° angle all the time after all. And the best match against her is a caster with potent temperature changing arts to affect her hands.
Degenbrecher got swatted by her and she was going to skip on the ground like a pebble when she suddenly stopped in midair.
"Okay, Degenbrecher would have bad injuries due to that, out." Ash made her float right next to her.
"Margaret and Lappland won't be able to defeat Narcissa, you win my little purrminator." Ash smiled at her and Narcissa beamed at him.
"Can you be any slower!?" Sonus was being double teamed by the twins, her reserves quickly tanking.
They were throwing fire and lightning at her like it was water balloons and Sonus wondered how much energy did the twins have. It's like they have endless reserves to cast huge and flashy arts.
"Done! Thanks for waiting!" Adele started to float in the air from the amount of energy she was using and she turned into a mini catastrophe.
Fireballs started to erupt from her like a volcano and the battlefield quickly became hectic. Explosions everywhere as the fireballs packed a punch.
The twins fired their arts at the rain of fire on them and Sonus quickly capitalized on their distraction. Going behind them and releasing a screech that would definitely take them out.
"Okay, Alastor and Astaroth are out." Ash manipulated the sound waves from Sonus and the two winners panted.
"We... Were able to squeeze a victory." Adele looked at the twins in awe, they were in all intents and purposes, noobs after all.
"These two will be monsters with training." Sonus frowned and thought that Paradiso might be able to unite the Sarkaz.
They then felt a hand grip them and Ash cancelled Narcissa's arts. "Out, Narcissa's team wins. You forgot about the team leader." Ash pointed at the feline.
Margaret and Lappland went back to the group with frowns. Looking at the battlefield that had numerous holes. Molten rock everywhere, and arcs of electricity still buzzing.
"Isn't this fun? You guys will get stronger really quick with this." Ash nodded sagely and they deadpanned at him.
"By stronger, meaning we would be able to dodge better. Then yes, yes we will." Degenbrecher rolled her eyes.
"What? Dodging is a very important skill you know?" Ash looked at Narcissa and the twins and they nodded. Gaining allies in his argument.
"Next is, of course we do it again until you can fight them much better." Ash announced and they groaned.
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Ash was being helped by Margaret to wear his suit. And they were getting ready to enter Kazimierz without an invitation. (pic)
After all, an emperor doesn't need one. "Do I look good Margaret? I do miss wearing suits." He fixed his tie and Margaret just stared at him.
"Speechless I see?" He chuckled and Margaret shook her head and sobered up. "You look amazing." She smiled at him and he nodded. "Damn straight I do."
Degenbrecher and the others saw him and they nodded at his new look.
"Hello sexy, you should wear suits more often." Degenbrecher walked up to him and rolled her R's.
"Looking good baws." Lappland gave him a thumbs up. "Sharp, it looks good." Mudrock nodded at him.
"It's fine." Sonus wasn't being honest and she was thinking of having another child besides her son that joined Babel.
"Ash, looking nice." Narcissa gave him a thumbs up with the twins.
"You're going to make me blush everyone." Ash smiled at them.
"Looks like you're in serious business boss man." Croissant whistled and Texas just ate some Pocky, to distract herself.
"Leader, you should definitely come to Laterano with me later. So I can brag to my friends about you!" Exusiai grinned.
"Interested in becoming an idol Ash?" Sora gave him a mic and he started singing backstreet boys with his acquired banshee DNA.
"Woah, you should totally become an idol! We're gonna make so much money if you become one! Hehehe~" Croissant wanted to profit off of him.
"Come on, how about we go to Kazimierz and raise another international incident?" Ash wanted to raise a ruckus at Kazimierz and start his regime as Leithanien's emperor that causes trouble everywhere.
They started travelling to Kazimierz and behind him was a retinue that they won't be able to ignore.
Degenbrecher and Margaret right at his side as grand knights. Sonus, Mudrock, Shing, and Liz for the Sarkaz team.
Texas was slowly moving away from Lappland while creating a wall of penguin logistics operators.
Narcissa and the twins were right in front of him as annihilation specialists with super strong arts.
They began travelling to Kazimierz and Ash used his telekinesis.
Everybody flew to Kazimierz with just his powers and they enjoyed the flight, especially Narcissa along with the twins.
Of course, they violated the airspace of Kazimierz and landed in the middle of downtown at the capital of the country.
"So this is the Kawalerielki Alliance? Doesn't look much like a place where knights would be." Ash looked around and it's more like a metropolis.
"Well, that's what happens when the corporations take over Ash. Gentrification is prevalent and the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi who were once the rulers of Kazimierz now lose to the chamber of commerce." Margaret squinted her eyes.
The Adeptus once upheld the honor of the knights. And they let the capitalists devolve the major into a commercialized sport without any honor.
"The chamber of commerce calls upon the armored union like they are their little pets. Kazimierz is now a cesspool, a shadow of their former selves that stormed Ursus to save prisoners of war from behind enemy lines." Degenbrecher looked melancholic.
"Isn't the Armored Union created to overthrow the corrupt and tyrannical pegasi? Assassinating them to free the oppressed? What a sad fate their noble cause has devolved to." Shining sighed.
"Ash, should we destroy them?" Narcissa asked him with a blank face and the others broke into a cold sweat.
Because she could lay waste to Kazimierz in a heartbeat if he orders her to do so.
Everyone then stared right at him who was contemplating it. "Let's do it later. Come on, Margaret. Lead us to our temporary home."
Ash gestured for her to go to the Nearl household. Margaret led them there and arrived at the Nearl estate which is pretty big.
Margaret just walked into the estate and the servants were all shocked to see NTR knight return to Kazimierz.
"Lady Margaret has come back!" A maid cried out and Ash's entourage just looked around the pretty old fashioned mansion they were in.
"So? You said you have a sister right? Where is she, I already introduced myself to SilverAsh's family. It's time for the Nearls too." Ash waited patiently for her family to show up.
And after a minute, they heard a commotion. "Big sister Margaret is here!? Is it true? Sister! Where are you?" They heard a girl run and she slipped, rolling on the stairs as a blonde pegasus face planted right in front of them. (pic)
"Ooh, that's gotta hurt." Ash winced and he helped her up with Margaret. "Maria... What are you doing?" She sighed heavily and thought that Maria was still a bit clumsy.
"Sister..." Maria looked at Margaret with a gaze full of admiration, excitement, and delight. Like she saw her favorite celebrity in person.
"Umu, I'm here." Margaret dusted her off and Maria started to tear up. She then hugged her sister and cried.
Margaret got surprised and she smiled. "There, there, I was only away for about three years." She calmed her down.
"Then it's three years too long!" Maria hugged her tightly and the team just watched their reunion.
"Awww, such wholesome sisters. Texas, why can't we be like that? Or do you secretly like me?" Lappland looked at Texas and the Lupo took a Pocky, hiding behind Mudrock that was in her armor.
"What's the commotion?" Another blonde pegasus appeared and she yawned. But then, she saw Margaret which surprised her. (pic)
"Margaret!? What are you doing here, you're still in exile! You'll get in trouble with your uncle!" The woman chided her and Margaret smirked.
"It matters not, for I am a grand knight of Kazimierz no longer. I, am a knight of the emperor of Leithanien, aunt Zofia." Margaret explained and the two Nearls froze in shock.
"Hey, hey, don't forget to include me." Degenbrecher patted Margaret on the back and she smiled.
"The Black Knight... The most legendary Grand knight of the majors." Maria uttered and they were just simply stupefied.
"Hey, can't we have some tea or something? Even my old man would offer some even if he was a bitch." Lappland raised her hand and destroyed the atmosphere.
"Come, come..." Zofia guided them to the saloon of the house immediately.
The Nearls just stared at each other and Margaret sipped some tea calmly. Waiting for them to ask questions.
"Margaret... What do you mean by you're a knight of Leithanien?" Zofia squinted her eyes and thought she has turned her back on Kazimierz.
"You heard me, I'm actually escorting him right now." Margaret shrugged and the two looked around. And the only guy they saw, was Ash.
"Him?" They were surprised and Ash raised a brow at that.
"Y-your majesty, we are very sorry for the poor display from earlier." Maria bowed at him nervously.
"You are forgiven, so you're Maria huh? Margaret talked a lot about you. Says you were always has been an energetic child." He smiled and Maria didn't know what to say to that.
"Umm, your majesty. Permission to ask a question please?" Zofia's voice shook and he nodded.
"Don't call me your majesty, just call me Ash yeah? After all, you're relatives of Margaret." He gestured for her to speak.
"Not to be rude or anything, but what in the world are you doing here in Kazimierz?" Zofia was confused. The emperor of Leithanien is right at their house.
They can be under heavy fire for housing him there. "Ahhh, about that. We're going to burn the chamber of commerce to the ground and make Kazimierz great again." He nodded sagely.
"You WHAT!?" The two broke into a cold sweat and looked at the people they have with them.
There were multiple Sarkaz that looked really strong. Being a knight herself before she took an arrow to her left wrist. She could feel the strength rolling off from them.
Mudrock was holding a literal sledge hammer that's bigger than her head. Sonus has that arrogant aura on her that only comes from pure confidence.
Alastor and Astaroth's arts were always leaking and their titanic reserves are untamed. Shining had an eery feel to her like she could cut your soul out at any time.
Their retinue just felt like a special squadron that is for infiltration and annihilation.
"Well, something like that. But we're mostly here to be tourists. Our side mission is taking care of the corruption of the chamber of commerce." Margaret elaborated.
"Overturning one of the ruling bodies of Kazimierz is your side project?" Zofia almost felt her soul come out of her body.
"It's pretty easy you know? We can assassinate all the top brass is one example." Ash shrugged and Lappland loved the sound of that.
"Baws, that's a great idea! You're a genius!" Lappland grinned like a lunatic and she laughed maniacally.
"Uhhh, that woman is really dangerous..." Maria could feel the insanity coming from her. Lappland was being genuine, she really wanted to assassinate someone.
"How about it aunt Zofia? We could really use someone like you to teach our military." Margaret extended an invitation to her.
"Kuu! Margaret... What did I tell you by calling me that? I might be your aunt by blood, but I'm only a few years older than you! Call me big sister! I'm still young and unmarried." Zofia glared at her.
"Ahhh, sorry, sorry. I thought you'd be married by now. After all, I have a lover. Though it was most likely fate that we met." Margaret looked at Ash with a sweet smile.
"Y-you... And the emperor of Leithanien? Wow..." Maria and Zofia tried to process that information. It was a sudden bomb that Margaret dropped on them.
"Margaret is such an outstanding individual, we just couldn't help it." Ash patted her head and they were all lovey dovey, making Zofia's eyes twitch.
"But what is your real purpose in going back Margaret? You were pretty got three years ago due to your open distaste of the commercialization of the majors." Zofia got serious and thought of the safety of her niece.
Margaret just looked towards Ash and he intertwined his fingers together. "Well, I did not lie Zofia. A bit of commercialization for a greater economy is good."
He nodded at the chamber of commerce for that correct decision. "But the corruption in their office is so obvious. They don't let the silverlance pegasi come during the major, that reeks of corruption and crimes."
Ash looked up the majors of Kazimierz and their special forces, the campaigning knights that protect Kazimierz. Silverlance pegasi are banned from entering the city during the triennial major.
"Those bastards are hiding something. And Armorless Union isn't doing anything against them. Meaning that both of them are working together. They should've been assassinating people there left and right." He shrugged.
"T-that maybe so... But what are you going to do about that?" Zofia raised a brow and he grinned.
"Easy, we do it the hard way. They flaunt around their political strength and misuse it so easily. Then we kill all the ones who are guilty. Cancer has to be taken out before it metastisizes and kills the country." Ash smirked and Kazimierz will be embroiled in the very first hostile takeover of Leithanien's emperor.
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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.
