This is about Tactical Love Hugs

2 October 423

"Play with me!"

I could only sigh at the childish demand coming from one of the latest issues I had to now deal with. It was early in the morning, my body was terribly sore after the last few troublesome days of preparations, and I wasn't mentally capable just yet to face the chirpy and loud tone of the sudden intruder that was just so close to start jumping on my chest.

I blinked, I was shocked, but there she was, the little girl that I would usually find in my 'dreams' so to speak. A playmate, a student if I had to reach when it came to giving her books to read and study from, but in the end, there was just a single word to describe her fullest. Edna.

Yes, somehow for some reasons I had yet to properly learn about the little girl that had been mostly quiet in our usual conversations about how things were faring for both had decided to pay a little visit to me while also managing to appear physically within my bed. And that was wrong in a legal and magical way. She was dressed and I had my sleepwear on of course, but that really didn't defeat the sudden mental noises of the FBI knocking at my door. The magical issue was a little more serious and perhaps more tied to what had happened a while ago when it came to wish-granting devices that could easily tear down reality if misused. Edna was a metaphysical fragment of a being that had no connection to it beyond appearance and part of her personality.

Edna wasn't Echidna, but Edna could still become Echidna if she ended up taking the same life-events that took her to that path in her existence. By all means, even with the gem being the reason for her obtaining a full physical body and a proper well-constructed mind, there were so many issues with that possibility. The gem might be straight-forward with its wishes, which made it excellent when it came to simple wishes. But this entire situation was… too complex for it to be done through a simple wish. It took me a few moments of pushing my brain to fully wake up earlier than usual to finally get the strengths needed to greet her kindly, play a little bit with her by having her jump and down the mattress like a giddy child that she was and… then I got her to explain to me how did she got to this point.

Smiling deviously as Edna enjoyed praises, even those she perceived as indirect ones, the girl began mentioning how things came to be to this very point. While it was true that the Gem would have normally failed to properly elaborate the request behind what was unfolding right now, the truth was actually… perplexing. On multiple levels.

One thing that I had ignored for long was the entity that was supposed to guard the gem during each passage of power happened in Gusteko. A spirit that was particularly strong, just enough to match the guard of an incredible treasure, but also impressively experienced in the use of such a device. I had yet to gain a name about this individual, but I knew the spirit was female from the way she was addressed and… she had knowledge of old forms of magic I don't think anyone here in Lugnica had the chance of learning about after the passing of Flugel.

Really old magic, but not of the kind many would expect as they first hear about it. The magic itself was actually simplistic in nature since the nature of it and the purpose were definitely 'silly' when it came to normal stuff. The capacity to condensate numerous words of various languages in a single magical code.

…

Yes, it's that difficult to understand through a summarized explanation, but that was the main purpose behind it. Magic was used to create a single and easy to use 'command' that had an incredibly long wish that could be given without the gem starting to have problems and realize numerous wishes all at once. In this case, the project that was done to actualize what I was currently looking at was the fine results of months of determined research that were mostly followed by the entity herself. Edna was clever and all, but even for someone of her caliber she still required a large amount of guidance just for the sake of understanding the basis of this complex circumstance.

What I didn't know as I first looked at her was that the body she was in, albeit visible and tangible within the material world, was none other than just a manifestation. She was more of an artificial spirit when it came to existence within reality, with her mind being the only thing that differentiate her from the rest of those of her 'kind'. Between Beatrice and Edna, the latter had the advantage of being… less compliant to directives. Generally speaking, artificial spirits still had a degree of submission to their creators, but right now… well, Edna 'created' herself into that body. And the reason why it also managed to stabilize her mind within it was because the body itself was created with the purpose of keeping her fragmented soul as stable as possible while she was in that state.

It wasn't a permanent solution from what I could tell, mostly because it all revolved around her still being tied to the stone and needing to be shifting back in there when her body was close to magically collapse. It wasn't something horrible, but I quickly told her to tell me when that was happening so I could pick a good place where she could shift back and forth. As far as the magical cost was, there was none exerted on Edna. It all came from the stone and… yeah, there wasn't exactly a limit on that scary thing.

But as these new issues added to the others, I had to also go around and retrieve some of the spare clothes from Alice for the time being. She was surprised by the request, but she gave me a small set of something she didn't want to wear during these important moments, and so I brought the outfit back to Edna to wear so she could wander around in peace.

It was a little winter-themed gray and dark-blue dress with a light-gray coat around her upper part, and a little blue hat that matched with her short skirt and dark-gray boots. If the little manifestation had red eyes and a paler skin, I would have mistaken her for a mostly perfect cosplay of Illyasviel von Einzbern from Fate Stay Night. With that little problem solved, it was time for me to face the last day before the big day tomorrow.

This Royal Election was possibly going to be one of the most complicated things I had to prepare, finalize, endure, and then conclude from the looks of it. I was no longer tired, but I was definitely feeling incredibly frustrated by how incredibly difficult it was to not mess things up. Nothing had prepared me to face the organization of such a big day and I wasn't still sure if everything was taken into account.

I had taken some extra steps with the Royal Intelligence Service to prepare some contingencies plans in case Pandora decided to come visit, say hi, and perhaps murder people. I had also taken a few minutes from Reinhard to instruct him to be very vigilant about suspicious things, but to not delve too much about those on his own. While he was pretty strong and OP at this stage of the timeline, I didn't want to put him at risk with what kind of unplanned threats might come and make issues. I have plenty of worries handling Pandora herself, and I really wasn't planning on setting the Sword Saint himself for some trouble that could potentially ruin Lugnica as a whole.

Sighing tiredly, I gave Edna a little tour of the castle. With most of her hair and ears covered by the hat, the servants already going through their tasks paused just as normally to greet us if we came close to them, with just a handful of those actually pausing and regarding the unusual child that I was walking around with a degree of quiet. Since it was fairly early in the morning, and Majima told me how she tended to take some bathroom breaks during nighttime due to her insomnia crippling most of her sleep all the time, I didn't need to worry about where she might be at the time since this was actually normal. She could rest, she could shut her eyes for some time, but outright sleeping was quite impossible due to how long she had been slumbering before I freed her.

It would take her very little to look around and eventually find us, but for now my current task was to reach my office and try to plan out something with Bea and Alice. The two girls had taken an interest in sharing the bed more than once due to how close they were in terms of background and current situation. It was all quite adorable, especially since Beatrice would try to lament how it was all too warm and too tight to be hugged to sleep by the slightly bigger individual. Alice only giggled and smiled at the comment, taking pride in those rather than be annoyed by the blonde's supposed dislike for this kind of closeness. We both knew how much of a lie it was and how it was just her trying to grasp at how nice it all felt after centuries of loneliness.

And since I was well aware of their working ethics, I was expecting them to be in the office and handling a couple of documents while I walked up to them. I would give them the chance to work for about ten to twenty minutes after I entered the room so we could all arrive at breakfast just in time to not miss the others. Opening the door to the modest-sized room, I was quickly greeted by the usual combo of 'Good Morning' from the two, and then… the anomaly to that interaction unfolded through a chirpy return.

"Morning~!" Edna greeted loudly, her voice catching the two occupants of the office off-guard, their reaction somewhat amusing as I saw those unfold before my own eyes. Beatrice paused, but Alice almost tilted too much with her chair and almost fell backward onto the ground due to the surprise.

They both scrambled to rush at us, eagerness and panic swelling into their minds and bodies, with Bea feeling more familiar with the latter emotion while Alice just felt something 'familiar' about it since she knew about Edna. I felt the young version of Echidna take a step back and clutch at me as her safety net in case things got too crazy with these two, but nothing bizarre happened beyond some close staring from the two.

"How?" Alice inquired surprised at the development, while the petite spirit beside her was just baffled. Her eyes were wide open as logic and shock clashed as she could clearly see that, even though Edna looked like her creator, she didn't have the same magical pattern, she lacked the Witch Factor, and she was way too giddy about meeting people than learning from a book. And that last bit was what really sold it to her that it wasn't her creator.

"Beatrice, I wish to introduce you to Edna."

What followed next was definitely something that topped any insanity the blonde could have expected being tied to me. It was a lengthy explanation that soon followed, with Edna herself adding her own things on the matter as I went on with the complete explanation behind this entire ordeal. Bea's confusion melted, even though some more questions were prompted by some confusing elements to what she already knew about the ruler of Gusteko. Alice listened, having heard most of what was being relayed when we first handled Echidna. I didn't bring up the encounter, being rather wary of the reaction it could have caused to Beatrice to learn that her creator was still alive. Kind of.

With the explanation stretching for a little more than ten minutes, I barely noticed a certain pup entering inside the office, approaching us and stopping in front of an awed-looking Edna. While she did study about dogs, and I did mention about Majima on several occasions, this was the first time she met a real dog.

Of course the familiar, sensing the child-like wonder coming from the girl, took initiative and rolled down, exposing her belly for a single and clear thing. Edna didn't take too long to realize what the silent request was and soon she was crouching down and rubbing the belly of a cheeky familiar that had just discovered someone else to turn to her belly-rubbing harem.

I couldn't help but feel rather frustrated by how easily the little pup was getting love from everyone around. Knowing her real self, I really wondered how many would be keen to keep up this kind of relationship with her if that was eventually revealed.

…

Yeah, they would. Cuteness can and will damn us all. Dammit.

"It's been a long time since we shared a walk alone, John," Priscilla muttered as we both were truly sharing a stroll around the castle's garden all alone. Since the place was safe and she was stuck with me for the time being, Al was granted the chance to wander off and explore the place on his own if he promised to not be 'too much of a nuisance' as the noblewoman told him. It was clear that regardless of how mellow she was, she still took it upon herself to treat her knight in this awkward manner. It wasn't even something that showed any maliciousness, especially since the one-armed masked guy didn't seem to care too much about the wording used to address him.

With no guards around us and with Edna having decided to play around with the boys, Alice and Beatrice, it was indeed going to be a solitary conversation meant for just me and her. Fourier was busy speaking with Crush, and I had plenty of occasions now to discuss with the Duchess herself, something that I actually didn't do with Priscilla as I thought about it. It wasn't even intentional for me to dodge this kind of situation, especially since I wanted to see how she was doing after so long. I had the chance of speaking with her just barely, but I could tell that she was rather… anxious to speak with me. I thought it was just her missing me.

I thought wrong.

"It's been a while for sure, Priscilla," I replied kindly, the young woman sparing me a calm look as we both sat down under the shade of one of the few trees there. We were leaning on the trunk of the tree when she started to hum quietly.

"I wished to… ask you something. Something that I believe it's relatively important to the two of us."

This was the first time her voice took such a soft degree of tone. There was definitely a general lack of the little steel that she would normally keep when talking to me. If there was something I learned from Prisca was that she seemed to still keep a degree of strength in her words regardless of who she tended to speak with. And right now, this very detail had me very confused and kind of suspicious. Maybe I was seeing too much into it, but I decided to still bite.

"Mhh? What about?"

She took a little breath, steeling her resolve at once and… delivering quite the quiet proclamation.

"At the end of this Election, when the next ruler shall be decreed and regardless of who is going to win, I was planning to write a marriage contract to the one I wish to be settled with for the rest of my life."

…

Ah. That was some big news.

I was almost ready to ask who the lucky guy was, but I could already tell what she was indirectly asking me to marry her by the end of this event. It wasn't going to happen anytime soon even with all the efforts I had put behind this entire endeavor, but it was definitely going to happen in less than a few months from now. The elections were meant to give an immediate good ruler, and the Council of Sage couldn't be given the full extent of time that the original timeline saw them bestowed with. It had to be a speedy decision so we could have a stable and legitimized government after so long… and so that meant I was now set in quite the messy predicament. And not the first I have to untangle myself from without ruining people around me. People I cared about to be more precise on the matter.

Gah, why does this happen to me this frequently?

Sure, I had taken steps meant to foster some close friendships, but I was very sure that I didn't make any attempts to show them inclination towards romance. I can understand Satella with her inexperience in proper love, or even Crusch due to her admiration towards me- but I really did my best to remain just a close confidant and nothing more.

"And while I know you might feel this as a sudden rush from my part to secure your affections… I can assure you that I took time in thinking about this. I'm well aware of your inherent attraction and consideration for Lady Karsten and the fact that you've been so kind to keep yourself from ruining the friendship between the Prince and the Duchess," She started to explain calmly. "But I had the chance to also study this aspect of yours. You're so kind and generous when it came to sacrificing this part of yourself for others… yet I can't just accept it. Not when you've done so much for us, and… for me. I will not allow you to refuse my love."

Priscilla leaned closer, and I felt tense as she gave me a teasing smile before… settling her chin on my shoulder, her head nuzzling close to my neck and her arms around my waist. I saw her sigh and then I saw her look up at me with a cheeky pair of red eyes.

"Of course that doesn't mean I will offer myself completely to you. That would defeat the purpose of giving you just something. Marriage is when things will definitely grant me the chance to be a little more… bold about this," The noblewoman remarked and, as things were now, I couldn't help but finally comment.

"Do I get a choice?"

"Would you even consider being with me if I gave you one?"

And that's where she got me. As far as I could tell, in that very circumstance, I ended up being lured in the greatest ambush I ever faced. I was literally coerced into that line of thought due to her forward behavior, something that didn't seem as sharp or stern as usual, but rather filled with a degree of softness that left me incredibly stumped. Right now, I could say without hesitation, that while there was some devious cleverness behind this entire ordeal, Priscilla's reasoning and desires were the ones she was so openly bringing up in that mostly one-sided conversation.

Differently from both Crusch and Satella, there was no restraint or hesitation within the woman in bringing forth her ambitions, and to be rather forceful if I had to be quite blunt about her entire effort. It wasn't like I couldn't just push her away if she tried anything funny, but… she wasn't. That's the thing, the only 'forceful thing' that she was doing was giving me a tight embrace, a loving one at that, and merely saying that she wasn't going to let me go for nothing. All because I had been kind enough to brave into her own viciousness and discover what was once lost to many.

I was… completely floored. I didn't have words to say for a while, but instead of being deterred or even annoyed by my silence, Priscilla took this only as a good reason to enjoy even more that embrace she decided to start. Nuzzling some more, I was stuck with my thoughts while the noblewoman outright exploited this chance to just rest and love the closeness I was allowing her to have.

"Prisca. Can I ask you why you think this is a good idea?"

She hummed. "Because it worked so well for you."

…

"What?"

"You're always the one that offers things to people. You offer a hand, you offer a hug, a shoulder to cry on- is there even a point with you being surprised that we find ourselves in this situation? Haven't you hugged me like this before today?"

She wasn't exactly wrong but-

"That doesn't mean marriage is the direct logical solution," I remarked and the lady's eyes narrowed at me.

"I thought for long about it. I'm well aware that you're just trying to shy away from this commitment, mostly because 'you do not seek to hurt me by tying yourself to me', and I can assure you that it's not going to work as an excuse to stop me from handing you that contract."

"So… you're fully set at that, and you're not going to give in no matter what I'm going to say?"

"That would be the case, yes."

…

"Okay."

I felt her tense up in the embrace. "You're not… going to oppose this?"

"Would I manage to get you to accept a compromise when you yourself are willing to put a lot of us into this? Our friendship, I mean."

…

"Now you're trying to paint me as the villain-"

"It's not that," I interrupted her with a serious look. "It's just… It's just so complicated. Friendship is messy as it is with so many people, now I also have to worry about people caring for me beyond just being friends."

"And so you're just pushing them away? Even by being this gentle, you're still not going to let this settle without hurting someone. May it be those you care for or yourself," She chided fiercely and I groaned at the pressure.

"I know but-"

"But then that means you still feel stronger emotions for those that you have for now declined to return affections to."

"Yes-" I said out of instinct, instantly pausing as I realized what I had just said. "Wait, I mean..."

I couldn't elaborate a response, not with her howling so loudly and with so much amusement at what she just heard. Priscilla knew what buttons to press to get me to snap and give a truthful answer to her questions, just like I tend to do with her when she was hiding something important for me to help her with. That's what happens when I allow so many people to get so close to me. They learn my own flaws and use it on me… to bring me to this point. I was slightly embarrassed, and completely irked by this development, but I just couldn't salvage what was said.

"I knew it. I wouldn't have believed otherwise and now my suspicions are given evidence to be a truth," She commented giddily, her arms tightening around my waist. "So you love me… and the others."

…

"It's… more complicated than just love-"

"Do you wish for us to be more than just friends?"

…

"If things… grow calmer, maybe."

"And by us I mean, me and… Lady Karsten." And Satella.

At this point, I doubted Priscilla was just going to sprout about this around and ruin the intimacy we were in. One thing was to tease, another was to outright ruin anything we built until that moment and… she wasn't wrong. As much as I lied about it, I did find these three incredibly attractive and I saw them more as just possible friends. Maybe it was because I just grew emotions for them as they did for me. I can lie like a prick as much as I wanted, especially to keep myself from worrying too much about it, but the truth was… quite simple. And upsetting at times as I had to care for all of them and worry for the crazy stuff around the corner.

"Yes. I'm… can we just… not talk about it?"

She huffed. "I would like to learn more," The noblewoman admitted. "But I suppose you will indulge my inquiry later tonight. Perhaps with some… cuddling."

Goddammit, Prisca.

I could just nod at this, well-aware that at this point there wasn't anything I could say to actually discourage her bold approach. I was perhaps going to recover once we were done with Lunch, but I really doubted it was going to be a full immunity with this new and unusual quirk of her. And as we quietly enjoyed the shade offered by the trees… someone spied on us.

What we weren't aware about at the time was that someone was currently standing on some of the tree's branches above us. Perched there, the eavesdropper silently looked at us with a mix of surprise and deep amusement. Soft locks of pink swayed at the small gust of wind, showing her blue eyes alternating to an inquisitive pitch-black orbs.

'Interesting', the quiet spy wondered as she kept on looking at us and studying the matter for her own ambitions.

Afterthoughts: Priscilla is the second girl that had a greater glimpse into the MC's own emotions, with the first one being Satella… but of course, that doesn't mean that she is in a disadvantage because of it. In fact, having for long been an individual that sought to better herself by exploiting this kind of elements, now that she has to handle love, this approach is further heightened by the fact that she shares these emotions with the MC.

Omake EX 7: Clearly (not) Paperwork

The situation was surreal. I couldn't exactly come up with better adjectives as I was more baffled than not about what I found myself watching at. Here we were, staring at a copy of myself that had a tiny crown, two… escorts on the side and-

Seriously, how I'm supposed to genuinely hold my laughs if this guy has ponies as his guards. Ponies.

And not even the same kind of ponies. One had a shining fur which reminded me of those from the… Crystal Empire? I can't exactly remember the few clips I had seen from Youtube's recommendation bar since it's been years from the last time I had the opportunity to check on that. The other… was bat-like in some aspects. Wings, eyes, the ears looked different.

The worst part? Fourier was eyeing this development with a giddy look. This counterpart was older, but he seemed to strut around with natural confidence in the role. That wasn't… something I would normally do.

"That version of you-"

"Fourier-" I warned with a serious look, still unsure how to try and handle this kind of mishap and really certain the blond would jump the gun too easily just to befriend the other Bukharin.

"He is a King!"

"That I did notice," I flatly replied. "But that doesn't mean that, since he is me, that he is a good me or a bad me. He can mean well for his nation but-"

"It's you!"

I groaned. "Fourier..."

"I don't want to interrupt your little exchange but… I've to say that I like what I see," King John muttered. "Reminds me of what I have with Luna. Are you perhaps cuddle friends too?"

I was glad it was just me and Fourier right now (and a massive portal that allowed this little entourage to pass through), or I would have died of shame at that shameless behavior in bringing up such a 'shameful' topic to bring to the public. A tiny blush remained on my face and it worsened as the prince nodded.

"Yes. I suppose this Luna is-"

"A close friend of mine," The King replied curtly. "I guess you have many questions."

"Some of which I would like to keep unanswered," I remarked fiercely, gaining the amused look of my other self. "I'm not joking, you prick."

"Oh, and so that's how you treat yourself?" He shot back.

"I'll have you know that I behave like this mostly because you came here, unannounced and pretty much trying to impose a grade of confidence that it's plain unusual for someone like me. I'm not that cocky on a normal basis," I remarked and… this was the first time I felt outright irked by someone. Especially when this someone was actually a version of me. Older, a little more successful, but clearly getting in boots a little bigger than himself. "So, how did that happen?"

"Sudden tyrant-slaying."

My mouth opened and then closed. I was curious to learn more details, but I decided against asking for more.

"Oh? You defeated a bad person?"

"Pony," The king version of me replied. "His name was Sombra and… it wasn't that much."

"I hope so. I doubt you learned magic before getting thrown in that situation," I flatly remarked and he sighed.

"Seriously, you should calm down and-"

"How about you go back home and get comfy with your throne? I'm sure things would be better if we just ignored this actually happened," I interrupted with clear annoyance in my throat. "Like… it's not even a planned visit from your part, right now many will see it as a possible invasion."

He gave me a surprised look. "And this is just because-"

"I can say from the armaments of your guards that you're a tiny bit more advanced than us. I believe it would be best if first contact didn't become a reason for a world-wide war, thank you very much," I interjected again. "You may be a little different than me in some part, but I doubt you are a war enthusiast."

…

He sighed. "No, I guess you have a point about it. Plus, I doubt things would be fine for you diplomatic-wise. I'm… not the only monarch on the other side."

"And opening diplomatic channels with nations in another world would be a disastrous endeavor. Especially since this magic you're using to be there doesn't seem to be refined enough to not fail," I added with a sigh. "Seriously, no back up?"

"I like to be risky-"

"And that confirms that you really are too different from me. Go home, king John."

He snorted at the shushing gesture I was using on him, but soon he muttered orders for his two guards to follow behind as he actually walked back through the portal and had it closed for good. There was silence at first, then I glanced to the side as I saw Fourier turning slowly at me with a confused and completely stumped look.

"What did just-"

"Lots of insanity."

"So you're saying that- that it's best we didn't let them in?"

"Something like that," I confirmed with a nod. "Albeit it was me we're talking about, this guy isn't the same as me in its fullest. Not only is he older but also has taken a particular route in his life before getting to that point."

"...And?"

"And as much as I'm normally a good guy, I wouldn't give my support to a nation that might or not threaten the interests of the one I'm loyal to," I replied with a sigh. "I don't want you to take this wrong, Fourier, but it's only for the best we had that issue solved here and in that way."

"B-But they could-"

"Let's be honest here for a moment, Fourier. Do you think anyone is going to take them seriously if we told them about what just happened there? Sure, Dragons and other magical beings are a thing but… talking ponies? Advanced technologies on the other side of a mysterious portal that nobody knows what's on the other side but us? The first thing they would think of is that this was actually a bluff to show off new armaments and promptly trigger new problems with us."

…

"So we let him go back home… because it would have actually been bad on us if he stayed?"

"That's the overly simplified version… and there are contexts missing there too… but yes, that would be the case."

…

"Oh."

"How about I prepare you some cookies? I had this new recipe that I wanted to-"

"Cookies!"

I sighed, relieved that the distraction was still as effective as I thought it would be in these circumstances. Still…

I can't just imagine me of all people leading a nation with ponies as the main subjects…