Chapter 5: The Northern Tribes Prologue 

Over three weeks have passed since I have gotten Kurome, Remus, Natala, Gin, and Womyn set up here on my mountain.

They have taken quite well to their place here, coming and going as they pleased, with all of us coming together for breakfast, lunch, and dinner cooked by yours truly.

I am glad they let me do the cooking. Aside from the fact that my level in the skill increases the more I cook, I also particularly enjoy doing so.

Seeing their faces brighten in delight as they eat my cooking honestly always brings a smile to my face.

Shaking my head I look on to what I have been working on for the past three weeks. I have been making more space since I originally only utilized the mountain's interior up to sea level.

Though by now I have dug even deeper, digging the mountain's height of four kilometers straight down and creating a cylindrical semi-empty gap that I have created with the intended purpose of holding all of my robotic army.

That and all of that digging has given me so many more resources to use to create said droid army.

Speaking of them…

Multiple metal droids are lined up and primed, ready to listen to every single one of my commands.

From the small, yet deceiving EVEs all the way to the imposing and fearsome Unmanned Gear RAYs, they all are standing proud, waiting just for the single voice command from me to activate.

I mean I have some of them activated to help me maintain such a huge base that I have created for myself, but the majority of them I have stored in this massive cylindrical room.

Looking down at my very worn out but still viable teigu, I know for a fact that I couldn't have made this many without its help.

You see, in the anime, Stylish used his teigu to do things in his field at such an unnatural speed and precision that normally in this world would be considered impossible.

And that is all thanks to his teigu.

When used normally, it can easily boost one's DEX stat in the arms by two hundred at minimum, which I am sure is what Stylish did for the most part.

I hadn't seen his stats before I killed him, but if I were to hazard a guess I am assuming his DEX stat would be in the 60-70 range, making his arm's DEX at minimum capacity somewhere from 12,000 all the way to 14,000.

And this is without taking into consideration that this teigu also scales up the precision work one can do in conjunction with how fast the teigu makes your arms go.

How in the hell a pair of gloves can do that, even if they are a teigu, I honestly do not know, but hey, I ain't looking at a horse's gift in the mouth.

Anyways, from the memories I gained from the doctor, that was as far as he took his teigu. Dr. Stylish never bothered trying to discover if he could go faster.

So I did.

And man, even I am stupefied by the sheer results this teigu gave me.

Taking into consideration my DEX and INT stat, it takes me a little under twenty minutes to assemble a working Elysium Police Robot, which to be completely honest I am getting tired of calling them that so from now on they are my Elysium Enforcers, using my new manufacturing plant without the use of Perfector.

With the Perfector at minimum capacity: just under a second.

Even more insane, is when I pushed it to it's so far maximum, as it started losing durability at a worrying pace once the DEX boost hit seven hundred.

I was pumping out individual cybernetic machines by the milliseconds.

I had made ten Elysium Enforcers in less than a hundredth of a second when I realized what I had just done.

And once I had come to terms with it, I decided to try to make some of the higher quality ones instead with such speed and precision.

To be more specific I mean the MagnaGuards, which I now have exactly three thousand of them at my disposal.

To keep up with my arms, I literally was blitzing all over the workshop, using my perks {Accelerated Vision} and {Supernatural Accuracy and Precision} to just even maintain such speed of production.

And because of said test, for about three days, the MagnaGuards were my most abundant units.

And it cost me over ten thousand durability to make that many droids at such speed for a little over three or four seconds.

Though since then, that all has changed.

Aside from the three thousand MagnaGuards, I also have created fifteen thousand Elysium Enforcers, five thousand EVEs, three hundred Infinitrack Tunnelers, and fifteen Unmanned Gear RAYs.

And even then I was not done. I was hit with the inspiration of creating my own communication devices to put to use since a lot of these blueprints have the necessary steps needed to create them.

So now aside from my own cybernetic army at my disposal, I now have the first-ever comm system in place in this world.

Not a bad start considering I have been in this world for a little over a month.

And man… don't they all look awesome…

If one were to take a look at all of them lined up here, one of the many questions I know they would ask would be: Where the hell did you get all the metal to make them?

And the answer is easy.

In this very mountain.

You see, when I first mined into the mountain as I began to hollow it out, I came across a very incredible metal ore that was used to make the very Teigus created by the empire over a thousand years ago by the command of the First Emperor.

Orichalcum.

And this mountain was filled to the brim with it.

While at first, it wasn't a priority for me to obtain as I was more focused on just getting the basis of my base up and running, once I received the Small Robotics Manufacturing Plant is when I began putting this metal into full use.

Some small reading into a book on Teigus owned by Uncle Bill revealed to me that not only are most Teigus made with this metal but apparently the metal is so rare that much money went into finding all of the Orichalcum they could get to create these Teigus.

And looking at past maps from a little over a millennia shows that the current mountain I am on used to be surrounded by many other mountains that got leveled in the process of trying to find Orichalcum in the area, which explains the massive gaps between mountains in this area.

And this was one of the last standing mountains left in the surrounding area before they gave up and took their mining tools elsewhere, leaving this mountain abundant of the metal intact until I found it.

Of course, I didn't just stop there, once I made my first set of Infinitrack Tunnelers, I put them to use by making mine shafts so that my police robots can go and mine as much material as they could find.

And so for the next couple of weeks, with hundreds upon hundreds of robots being out to find resources for me, along with the absurd amount of gold currency I have at my disposal, I'm pretty sure I am one of the strongest as well as richest in this world.

After getting them all setup and organized, I felt that it was prudent for me to give them all matching colors and whatnot. Mostly blacks and silvers, with orange-colored lights and streaks.

The MagnaGuards with their recolored and revamped armor as well as their glowing orange eyes make them look like the Right Wing Death Squad from Jin-Roh: Wolf Brigade.

The EVEs with their new sleek black honeycomb-patterned finish have that stealth fighter look going for them, making their original apple-esque appearance gain a nice threatening upgrade.

Nothing much to say with both the Infinitrack Tunnelers and Elysium Enforcers aside from that they follow the same theme as the others.

Even less so with the Unmanned Gear RAYs, as the only thing I really changed from them were the accents, from red to orange.

And while this new army of mine is my current biggest accomplishment I have done in terms of sheer size, it wasn't the only thing I was working on.

"Master, Your wards have finished their training for the day, it is time for their session." Jill emotionlessly states, standing upright and still as she awaits my orders.

Ah, Jill… it only took a couple of days and a couple of botched mess-ups here and there, but eventually, after days upon days of continuous experimenting, I have successfully brainwashed Jill to do my bidding with no backlash whatsoever!

Well… this little project of mine would've originally failed since I was trying to force progress that would take months in a matter of days.

And of course, rush jobs always have consequences.

In this particular instance, she was left braindead, and even when she was brought back from that state, her personality was wiped clean.

And she would've stayed braindead had I not received help from the most unusual and dare I say most valuable source that is now in this world.

"FAUST-SAMAAAA!" A feminine voice cries out as I hear one of the entrances slam open.

And there she is.

"Aqua, what happened this time?" I ask as she throws herself to my waist, clinging onto me like a lifeline.

"Kurome is being mean again! She won't share her candies!" Aqua exclaims as crocodile tears stream out of her eyes.

"Well, you did make an enemy out of her when you used your voice into tricking her that her sister was here just so you can get some of her candies." I deadpan as I stare her down, causing Aqua to shrink into herself.

Man the clean up after that little incident is something I don't want to deal with again.

Looking back at Aqua, who is currently fidgeting after being chided by me, I let out a sigh as I can't get mad at her for her antics. Unlike with what went on in Konosuba, she's been surprisingly helpful to me.

Granted, I had to lie to her face many times as to what I am doing so as to not arouse suspicion from her. Thankfully because of her nature, she not only is incapable of lying, but she believes she cannot be lied to.

Something that I take advantage of any moment I can.

Though I am not heartless, I do appease her every now and then just so I can maintain a positive relationship with her, even if said relationship is built upon some lies.

I just throw her some fancy and expensive alcohol her way that I have 'legally' obtained as well as make some trinkets to help her with making party tricks and she is happy.

She's kinda like a puppy in that aspect.

A puppy that loves drinking and doesn't utilize her abilities to their fullest unless one explicitly states new ways for her to use her powers.

But hey, can't say I don't like this choice for a companion.

Sure at first I was internally seething that my luck did not pull through this time as I remember from all of the memes and discussions I had with other people on the internet that she was just useless.

I mean I know most of us were joking when we said she was useless, but hell, even my expectations of her were blown right out the water when I started to not command her per se, but rather 'persuade' her to help me with some of my more human orientated projects.

Sure I got Bill's and Stylish's memories and skillset applied to mine, but I'd rather be safe than sorry and have Aqua as my get-out-of-jail-free card in the off-chance I fucked up.

And since I was rushing things with Jill, trust me when I say that there were more than plenty of fuck ups.

But hey, one can't push boundaries without a little trial and error.

I put my hand on top of her head and started to pat. "Well, for now just give her her space. Hopefully, over time the two of you can kiss and make up so that way I don't have to have one of the robots patch up the sword marks on the walls or mop up the water you produce to keep her at bay." I continue as I pull out some homemade snacks of my own from my inventory and give them to Aqua, who looks at the snacks with delight.

Increased Affection with Aqua 60/100(+5 For continuing to give her 'tributes'.)

Increased Obedience with Aqua 65/100(+5 For continuing to give her 'tributes'.)

"Anywho, what were they up to before Kurome chased you away?" I ask Aqua, who takes a moment to finish the snacks in her mouth before she begins to speak.

"Kurome was eating her snacks before she began attacking me, Womyn is reading in the library with Remus, and Gin and Natala are currently fighting two of your robots even though they are supposed to stop training." Aqua remarks before continuing to scarf down the snacks I have given her.

"I see… well so long as they don't get hurt too badly it should all be fine." I reply as I head for one of the many elevators I have set up throughout the mountain.

Jill and Aqua follow suit, with Aqua trying to maintain the same pace as me while Jill walks behind me.

As of right now, I have set Jill as my current Second-In-Command mainly so she can oversee my first-ever assassination squad while Aqua is there to make sure none of them suffer any life-changing injuries or death.

Well, when she's not lazing about that is.

But I have hope.

And hope helps a lot in alleviating my mind from any future problems.

As Aqua and I reach the floor I chose, we walk down the corridor and reach the entrance to my workshop, where I see eight MagnaGuards standing guard at the gate.

"Sir! The unit has been put into their respective seats." One of the MagnaGuards states as he gives me a firm salute.

In particular, this MagnaGuard is the first one I ever made.

And as such, I decided to myself that since he is the first MagnaGuard, I should give him an appropriate name that shows such.

Well, that and I may have installed some… extra upgrades that came from the other blueprints I have at my disposal.

"Adán, thank you for the info. Just keep doing what you are doing." I compliment him as I head into my workshop with Jill and Aqua in tow.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Aqua looking at me with a raised brow. "What?" I ask since I get the feeling she wants to ask me something.

"Why do you always thank your machine? Aren't they programmed to always obey you?" Aqua inquires, her brow raised at me as if she is silently judging me.

Not that I could kinda see where she's coming from. I mean she is a goddess and I get the feeling that because she used to get prayers all the time from that one world she watched over with her religious sect that she probably got used to all the honeyed words they would tell her, and as such is used to being constantly praised for her greatness.

But that is her, not me. If she wants to be a bitch to her subjects then that's on her, but I for one despite my ways actually try to put in the effort of praising those who deserve praise.

Even if they are my own metal creations.

But I don't need to explain myself to her.

"Just cuz." I state as I focus on the five assassins, who are all looking much better than when they collapsed due to being held away from their drugs.

For the most part, I have been successful in that area, with having successfully purging out all of that poison from their systems.

The problem arose when their bodies began to react negatively from the lack of substance in their system. Now even with all the knowledge I have in my mind that was stolen from both Bill and Stylish, since they never thought about reversing the changes they make to their guinea pigs, I didn't know where to start for a minute.

Now while I can understand why many of the modern scientists in my past world always believe in doing hypothesis' and virtual simulations before conducting physical studies, I had no such time and I had nobody alive to test these pharmaceutical concoctions I created since everybody that I have stuffed in my Inventory is dead.

And obviously I don't want to test them on the very people I'm trying to save in case I fuck up.

I mean sure I can have Aqua heal them on the off-chance I fuck up, but I don't want to cause them any unnecessary pain in doing so.

Aqua is an obvious out since I don't want to lose Rep with someone who can revive me in the off chance I die here.

Jill, was an option for like a second before deciding against it. She's no longer the same person as before so I don't feel it is right to subject her to those things.

I'm not gonna turn myself into the next Josef Mengele.

At least not with the people under my employ.

So that left only one option available.

Myself.

Thankfully, my perk {Pain Suppression} more than did its job of blocking out any form of pain I felt from the concoctions I made and injected into my bloodstream.

And even with {Pain Suppression} activated, that shit felt weird coursing throughout my body.

And of course, testing out different drug mixtures over the course of a day would get me some form of resistance.

Drug Resistance (Passive) Lv.81/1000

Afraid of overdosing? Well with this such thoughts are but of the past! You are absurdly resistant to most drugs created by mortals. You have a 162% boost to your immune system reacting to unrecognized harmful substances and destroying them accordingly. You also have a 40.5% chance of your body developing an immunity to the drug when it enters your body.

Poison Resistance (Passive) Lv.81/1000

Why pick your poison when it won't even do much to you? You have a 162% boost to your immune system reacting to the poison and destroying them accordingly. You also have a 40.5% chance of your body developing an immunity to the poison when it enters your body.

Apparently many of the different types of drugs I pumped into my system were not only fatal, but I also gave myself high enough doses that would apparently kill even strong humans hundreds of times over.

But I am no mere human.

Not anymore.

Even with debuffs stacking above other debuffs, my health and stamina regeneration was more than enough to overcome such troubles with ease.

God, I love being so OP.

And with my troubles and learning what each drug I made did, I finally made the right combination to substitute out their old drugs and get them on the road to recovery.

Or it would, if not for the apparent continued use of pumping drugs into my system creating a new perk for me that has changed the game for me.

Perk for continuously pumping your body full of fatal doses of drugs and somehow surviving while also having the {Herculean Physiology} perk: {Ambrosian Blood} - Your blood has been through such arduous things and has evolved into something even greater than that of a demigod. Your blood can be directly transfused to any living being, regardless of blood type, to heal them and even to get rid of status debuffs. When you transfuse your blood to someone else, they will gain a boost to their health and stamina regeneration rates for the next five minutes before suffering from {Fatigue} for the next half hour. You can also use your blood as crafting material.

Now this…

This is the gateway to creating my own health and supporting items.

Not just for me, but also for my fellow allies as well!

And so, with the combined knowledge of Stylish and Bill with my Ambrosian Blood and a casting of Blessing from Aqua, my miracle drug was created!

And to my surprise, not only did it do what I intended to do but even more!

The drug was originally made to permanently absolve their need for enhancement drugs, but now that my blood got mixed into it along with getting blessed by Aqua not only did it do as intended, it also boosted all of their physical stats by 1% of my own!

The one thing it also did that I was completely not expecting was completely removing all forms of brainwashing from their mind.

All at once.

And the fallout was not pretty.

They all began thinking rationally with all of the mental blocks put there by Bill now being completely shattered. For the first time in their lives since being sold to the Empire, they had the realization of how shitty their life under the empire truly was.

And since they believe that I am from the Empire, I was the first one they began to take their frustrations and anger out.

Now normally I wouldn't take that kind of thing lying down, but after seeing the things teenagers have been through…

They deserve to vent it all out.

Even if the target is I.

Aqua tried to come to my aid, but after having Kurome point her blade at her with a genuine intent to maim, I knew I had to step in and try to put my foot down.

Even with all of the bad stuff they suffered through the hands of Bill and the Empire as a whole, from the executions, the brainwashing, and being force-fed drugs that were slowly killing them, all of that anger was equally mixed in with confused fear and betrayal.

And seeing their faces mixed with such emotion as they look at me as if I were partly at fault for their suffering…

It hurt.

It hurt more than I would like to admit.

Even after getting together to eat and making small talk to get to know each other, they justifiably felt that they no longer want to be part of an empire that does such atrocious things to their own soldiers.

And all that guilt I tried to suppress in my heart began to pour out when Remus asked my one simple question with a look of betrayal and despair.

"Why?"

Why? Just a one-worded question, and yet it is the one that did me in.

So I told them the truth.

That I wasn't part of the empire.

That I was the one who killed both Bill and Dr. Stylish.

That I essentially kidnapped them fully knowing about the brainwashing and their allegiance to the empire and using that to my advantage.

I even told them what I had originally planned, which was to essentially take over the empire and instate myself as the new emperor, and usher in a new era of prosperity.

They were all silent… and to be quite honest I thought they were planning on leaving before Remus rushed forward and gave me a hug, followed by the remaining four looking at each other before turning their attention back to me.

"We forgive you."

They forgave me… just like that. After everything they went through and even after finding out that I essentially kidnapped them to be under my services instead of the Empire.

And that just made me feel even more guilty.

Shaking my heads from continuing down that road I look at them all sitting on their chairs, waiting patiently for me.

Since I no longer really needed those chairs to undo the brainwashing, I wanted to see if there any other thing I use them for aside from glorified couch chairs or even spare parts.

Thankfully I did.

If one has seen any of the matrix movies you'd get where this is going.

But as much as I would like to fully dive into their minds today, what I need to say to them doesn't necessitate the need for it, so for now, they are just glorified couch chairs.

"Everyone," I begin, getting all of their attention as they look at me intently. "As you can imagine, we have progressed far in only a short amount of time." And a quick glance at their stats only further proves my point.

Remus, Clumsy Optimistic Assassin, Lv. 26

Affection: 75

Obedience: 100

Thoughts about you: She genuinely loves you, but is too shy to say it in your face at the moment.

HP: 2100/2100

SP: 2100/2100

STR: 239

END: 210

DEX: 259

INT: 79

WIS: 28

CHA: 107

LCK: 30

Kurome, Prodigal Assassin, Lv. 40

Affection: 45

Obedience: 90

Thoughts about you: She thinks you are the type of person a leader should be.

HP: 2600/2600

SP: 2600/2600

STR: 274

END: 260

DEX: 305

INT: 114

WIS: 112

CHA: 129

LCK: 99

Natala, Group A De-Facto Leader, Lv. 38

Reputation: 50

Obedience: 90

Thoughts about you: Aspires to be as strong as you.

HP: 3220/3220

SP: 3220/3220

STR: 245

END: 322

DEX: 267

INT: 113

WIS: 100

CHA:111

LCK: 87

Gin, Delinquent Assassin, Lv. 32

Affection: 42

Obedience: 85

Thoughts about you: Highly respects you.

HP: 2000/2000

SP: 2000/2000

STR: 250

END: 200

DEX: 234

INT: 94

WIS: 53

CHA: 135

LCK: 85

Womyn, Bookworm Assassin, Lv. 29

Affection: 55

Obedience: 95

Thoughts about you: Really grateful for everything you have done for her and her team, especially when you let her take out the Slave I for a test drive.

HP: 1870/1870

SP: 1870/1870

STR: 199

END: 187

DEX: 217

INT: 117

WIS: 105

CHA: 108

LCK: 23

"Not just me or the army I have built, but you five as well. You all have improved dramatically since I have taken you five under my wing." I continue as they all nod.

"Well, technically you kidnapped us." Gin remarks with a raised brow as she crosses her arms under her sizable bust.

Seriously, did they get bigger or something?

"Gin! Be more mindful of what you say!" Remus exclaims as she comes to my defense as she throws her boot at Gin, who tries to duck from the soaring shoe but gets grazed by it anyhow.

"Anyways~!" I interrupt. "The point is that you all have gotten much stronger and therefore you guys are ready for your first assignments!" I proclaim as I hand each of them a folder containing all of the information they need.

"Reconnaissance?" Womyn inquires as she speed reads the entire folder.

"Yes, you five will be going to the Southern Lands and search for any potential allies down there. Try to find any of the surviving members of the former Ban Tribe and bring them back here if possible." I inform them as they continue to read the file given to them. "Obviously I don't need to remind any of you that your anonymity is very important so please wear those masks I made for each of you since aside from the fact they hide your face, it also masks your voice as well. And if you find anything noteworthy or valuable, bring that as well. If it's too big, just let me know and I'll send a squad of EVEs your way and assist you." I explain, with Jill coming forward with five satchels. "In these satchels, I have placed all that you need. Food, supplies, money, and most importantly these phones." I continue as I pull out my own phone. "Use these to communicate with me for anything, so long as it is important."

Jill then begins to hand out each satchel to starting with Remus and ending with Natala. "While you five are down there, I will be heading further north into the territory of the Northern Tribes. Hopefully, by the end of what I have in mind, we'll be able to reach an agreement of sorts."

"How long will you be gone?" Kurome asks, having an interested look on her face.

"Who knows, hopefully not long, just going to establish a presence there that will hopefully over time get me some positive reputation with the people up north." I respond as I put my phone away and into my pocket. "Nevertheless, the safety of you four is of more importance to me, so if you are in any serious danger, please do not hesitate to contact me."

While sure on the off-chance that they do get killed I can just bring Aqua and revive them, I'd rather not let it reach that point.

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Natala inquires as he looks at me intently.

"Yes actually. If you catch sight of any patrol coming from the Empire's army, feel free to… dispose of them. Think of it as extra training while away. Other than that, Take the next two days for rest, and on the third day by nine in the morning, I expect you all to be ready to leave. I on the other hand must take my leave now. If I want to make a change, it's better to start now than never. If you need any food, there's plenty in the refrigerator. I bid you all farewell for now." I finish as I begin to stand up and give them all a nod as I walk away and exit my workshop. "Adán, you along with Dos through Ocho are coming with me on a journey towards the northern lands." I state to my Magnagaurds as they all immediately line up behind me and begin to follow me as I walk back towards the viewing area where I can see all of my robotic creations lined up, ready to be activated.

"My creations! Levántanse!" I call out, using the keyword to activate them all.

Thank God Spanish isn't a language that exists in this world.

Trust me, I checked.

It only takes a second, but once their systems have initialized and have connected to the main database where I have stored all copies of data I have on this world, they all look up towards me awaiting my next orders.

"Elysium Enforcers! I want half of you to assist the EVE units to patrol the surrounding areas outside! The other half help with expanding and maintaining the inside of this mountain! Tunnelers! You all help your other brethren in mining as much Orichalcum as you can! EVEs! I want four thousand of you to explore and gain as much intel as you can from the Empire and the lands and factions surrounding it! The remaining EVEs go assist the other EVEs with patrolling the skies above the mountain and ensure there are no unwelcome trespassers! MagnaGuards! I want twenty-five of you to shadow Kurome, Remus, Womyn, Natala, and Gin and make sure they don't get in a situation that is too much for them to handle! If they do, extract them as fast as possible! RAYs!" I pause from my yelling as they stare at me intently, no doubt awaiting what my orders are.

…

…

Shit, what do I have them do?

I mean they are huge as hell and intimidating, but I can't really think of something they can do as I just planned on using them when I go attack the Empire and decide to visit the warring states of Wakoku and conquer it.

Hmm…

…

Well, I guess I could begin getting danger beasts and try to make my own form of teigus. And the stronger they are the better.

Though that usually tends to mean that they are huge as well.

"…Hunt the biggest and or the most unique danger beasts you can find! Remaining MagnaGuards, half of you will assist the RAYs with their mission, and the other half will protect the mountain's internal corridors! Now, remember! While I am gone Jill will be in charge, so please listen to her as well! Now, avancemos!" I order, and like a well-oiled machine, they do as they are told.

I turn my head and glance at the first Eight MagnaGuards I have made with a smirk. "C'mon fellas, we have some people we need to meet."

A Couple Weeks Later With Viceroy Ragiri…

Man, I love hunting.

It is one of the last things in life that still brings me joy.

Especially with how things have been going in the Empire as of late.

That damn bastard Honest…

I know for a fact that the last emperor and his wife were killed by that bastard.

He isn't as slick as he thinks himself to be.

I know of the poison the man used to kill the two of them.

Anybody with a high enough position that was very privy to the dark political side of things knows.

But by then almost everybody in the high positions that lord over everyone else was in Honest's deep pockets.

And those who weren't…

Well, they were never heard of again.

A suicide here, an accidental drowning there, and the occasional homicide done by a deranged man kept all of the good people left in check to stay out of his way.

Unfortunately, he was one of them.

But even then, that doesn't mean that he can't screw him over, even if it means destroying a nation with over a thousand years in history.

Not that it matters anymore, much of the history of the Empire has been lost to time thanks to bastards like him.

Oh, why Chouri did you ever decide to retire?

Don't you see that that was Honest's plan all along!

He knew with you in that position that he wouldn't be able to put his plans into motion.

I know you were grieving the untimely demise of your son, but even you should've seen the darkness in his heart!

When he was appointed as the new Prime Minister I knew I should've acted.

But like a fool, I didn't.

Nevertheless, as a fool who has learned from his mistakes, I hope to rectify that. The Northern Tribes are my last hope here. My lands are near the borders and Numa Seika is coming to my castle to discuss with me and I sure hope all of the information I have will get me in his good graces.

I may not have any family left, but my homeland of Rakurou is all I have now. The Empire will fall eventually but I have to make sure my homeland survives the fallout.

Even if it means my death I will make sure of it!

"Sir! The Ragurou-Bambis are in our sights!" one of my men calls out to me, bringing me back from my thoughts as I catch sight of such high-quality deer.

In a single motion, I take my out an arrow from my quiver and notch it before letting it loose.

The arrow sings in the air as it cuts through the air before hitting its intended target.

As the arrow lodges itself straight through the middle of the Raguro-Bambi's neck, I get down and begin walking towards my kill when I am suddenly pulled back by one of my guards.

"Who are you!? State your business!" my other guard yells as the others get in front of me.

"I was told by your fellow citizens that you enjoy a good hunt once in a while Viceroy Ragiri. I just merely searched for some high-quality deer and once I did I merely followed them for a while, knowing that there was a chance of meeting you." The towering man states, his hat shadowing over his eyes but not covering the smile he has on his face.

I note that his cloak is covering most of his body, no doubt hiding some weapons under it just in case of anything.

Is this man an assassin sent to kill me?

Surely it cannot be? I made sure to cover my tracks well and in the off chance my work was discovered, I made multiple false leads that led somewhere else other than to me.

"We won't ask you again! Who are you and state your business!" another one of my guards shouts as they all ready their weapons to maim the man, and their actions have brought me out of my stupor and have me notch an arrow just in case of anything.

The man raises his hands in surrender as he lets out a chuckle. "I am not here to hurt you my good man, the opposite in truth." The tall man then removes the hat from his unnaturally handsome face and begins to run his fingers through his hair. "In fact, if I wanted to kill everyone here, I would've done so." He finishes with a grin growing on his face as out of nowhere I notice that we are surrounded by tall men in armor as they have staves with lightning coming out of the end all pointing towards us.

"As for my name and what kind of business I have with you…" He begins to walk closer with a strong presence I have never before. "My name is Faust, and I have a proposition you most definitely will want to hear."