Chapter 23 - kingdom of demi humans.

I sat across from the empress. It's just her and me inside the tent right now, with Elizabeth and the others outside, around the fire. The tent of the Empress is much larger than the tents of the soldiers. Despite the fact that it was only one night, the soldiers set up a tent to make the empress as comfortable as possible.

"You stated that I have a disease involving life energy."

"Right."

"Does this disease have a cure?"

"Yes. There are two choices."

I started explaining the empress. The first approach is to share one's soul. As I previously stated, vital energy is the energy that makes up the soul. When one person shares his soul with another, he is also sharing his vital energy. This method, however, has a flaw.

When you share your soul, two people have the same soul, which means their lives are intertwined. As a result, if one person dies, the other will also perish. I recall a couple using this method to save the life of the other in one of my battles in the other world.

I landed a critical blow on the woman after a long fight with the couple. When he saw his beloved wife die, he shared his soul with her, saving her life. The woman's vital energy was replenished by the sharing of the soul on that occasion, preventing her death.

Given the circumstances, I proposed a compromise to the couple. I wouldn't kill them if the man explained what he had done. It was at this time that I learned about life energy and the two ways to obtain it. The first, as I previously stated, was through soul sharing. The second example is already more bizarre.

Obviously, I didn't tell the empress about my life in the other world during my explanation. I told her that I read about all of these events in an old book.

"I did. You mentioned in the book that the man used soul sharing to save the woman's life. But wasn't he supposed to perish after sharing the soul? The woman was on her deathbed."

"No, according to the book, the two people's lives are linked from the moment their souls were connected. In the situation described in the book, the man used the sharing of the soul to restore the woman's vital energy, that is, he shared his life with her."

"I see. When he shared his soul, he saved her life, but there was a catch: their lives were intertwined."

"Exactly; if one dies, the other also dies."

"This method is overly complex."

"I agree; I believe the individual must be very important."

Empress Margaret made a sour face. This treatment requires that a person be willing to give up their own life for it. Elizabeth, I believe, is that person. Empress Margaret, on the other hand, would not be satisfied.

Margaret sighed and took another sip of wine.

"There is another option. Besides, everything is just a guess; we don't know if you're sick."

"Can you show me proof that I'm sick?"

"I'll try."

I extended my hand to the empress, who pressed her hand against mine. I injected some of my own life energy into her body after we made contact. The disease manifested itself after receiving a certain amount of energy. The empress's veins, which had previously been normal, began to darken. The dark veins reached the empress's neck, indicating that the disease was slowly destroying her body.

When she saw the state of her body, the empress's eyes widened and she began to tremble slightly. I removed my hand from hers, draining my vital energy, and her body gradually returned to normal.

"This proves that I'm sick."

"Yes. You're not in critical condition yet, but you will be soon."

"Sigh. You stated that you had two options for dealing with it. What about the second?"

"Then..."

According to what I learned in the other world, a man's sperm contains vital energy. After all, male sperm contains the energy to move to the ovary and fertilize, giving birth to a new life. When the man ejaculates inside the woman, the woman, according to my understanding, can absorb vital energy from the sperm.

When the vital energy of the sperm is drained, it dies and becomes impossible to generate a new life. In short, it prevents pregnancy. This is the other method. Now, how am I supposed to tell this to the empress?

"What is the second method?"

"Well..."

After a long explanation, the mood in the empress's tent turned heavy.

"Sigh. You can go now. I have to think."

"With your permission. Good night."

...

(POV Margaret)

After Luke left the tent, I filled my glass with more wine. Having to have sex in order to survive. I thought it was absurd at first, but after hearing the explanation, it made sense. The issue is that I don't have anyone to assist me.

I've never been particularly interested in the opposite sex. I was in a political marriage with someone I didn't love. I only had a few flings with him before realizing I couldn't have children. Some women told me that having sex with their partner was healthy. These pleasures, however, will never be shared with my husband.

Sex with him was unpleasant. I didn't want to look for another one after my husband died. I preferred to be alone because I couldn't get pregnant to leave an heir and didn't have a sexual appetite. Elizabeth was the only person I had by my side.

What do I do now? I can't ask anyone to assist me. Luke is my only option.

....

(From Luke's perspective.)

Everyone got out of bed early. We returned to the road after breaking camp. I was in the same carriage as the empress, just like yesterday. The mood between we was a little awkward after last night.

The Empress spent the majority of the journey staring out the carriage window, and we didn't say anything. We arrived at the realm of demihumans after a long journey. Their kingdom has a much hotter climate than the empire.

I came across a massive city, similar to the imperial capital, while passing through the wall. The city of demi humans, on the other hand, appears to be warmer and more colorful. This was the first time I had left the empire's borders. The city streets were teeming with demihumans of all kinds.

We arrived at the palace after walking through some streets. It was a large palace, full of gold, with a lion-like demi-human statue at the entrance. I had no idea who he was, but he appeared to be someone of importance.

As we exited the carriage, we were greeted by guards with tiger features (ferocious ears, tails, and facial features) and a woman with fox features. She bowed to the empress and Carina, the demihuman realm's princess.

We entered the palace through a corridor lined with paintings of ancient kings, vases, and costly decorations. Several maids with cat-like features were cleaning these decorations, and a few guards stood guard in the hall.

When we arrived at the throne room.

"I announce the arrival of Empress Margaret, human leader."

The woman with fox features has been revealed. I see four thrones when I look at the altar. The king, queen, and a demihuman who is most likely the prince occupied three of them. Carina, the princess, sat on the vacant throne.

The king, contrary to my expectations, resembles a lion. He has a strong and large body, golden hair that shines, sharp eyes, and a powerful aura. He must be on the same level as the empress based on his strength. His son was a carbon copy.

Looking at the queen, I knew who Carina had chosen. The queen, like Carina, has wolf characteristics. Because of how similar the two look, the queen would be older Carina.

Elizabeth, who was kneeling, slapped me on the leg. I knelt down as she instructed. Margaret was the only one left standing, and she made a passing reference to the king.

"Greetings, Mufasa, King of the Demihumans."

Mufasa is his name. When the empress mentioned it, both the king and queen rose to return the bow. Carina took her seat and struck the princess pose after exchanging bows. Mother and daughter exchanged smiles and glances. After all, the two hadn't seen each other in quite some time.

"Who is that young man kneeling behind you, Empress Margaret?"

Mufasa asked curiously, looking at me. His son also turned his gaze to me. But unlike his father, he had a slightly hostile look.

"This is my new vassal, Luke Blady."

This was the first time I was announced as the empress's vassal.

"He looks pretty weak."

"Don't judge a book by its cover. It's full of surprises. Besides, he's still in a training period."

"I see. My servants will take you to your rooms now. I hope you are as relaxed as possible."

"Thank you for your hospitality."

This appears to be a standard greeting they exchange whenever they see each other. Margaret then bid farewell to the royal family and exited the throne room, accompanied by servants. Elizabeth and I were right behind her.

"What exactly are we doing here?" I inquired of Elizabeth.

"Our alliance will be 500 years old in two weeks. Every ten years, the leaders of each nation gather for a party to commemorate the alliance. This year's party will take place in the realm of demi-humans."

"I don't recall a party in the empire celebrating the alliance ten years ago."

"Because it was in the elven realm."

"Got it. The elves will then appear."

"Only the royal family of elves, I believe."

Elizabeth and I were assigned the same room after leaving the empress in her room. We'll request a room near the empress. Our room had two beds and was quite large.

"Why did we arrive two weeks early?" I inquired.

"I wrote to King Mufasa and asked if we could arrive earlier so the empress could relax a little. She is constantly working, as you are aware. It took me a while to persuade Margaret after receiving confirmation from the king, but she eventually agreed ."

"I'm taking a two-week vacation in the demihuman realm."

"Exactly. As you can see, the climate here is warmer than that of the empire, and it has beautiful beaches."

"I understand."

[Luke.]

A voice I hadn't heard in a while spoke to me.

'What?'

[Remember when I told you about the elementals?]

'Yea.'

[I can feel the presence of one of them a few milia from here.]

....