Saki

  I don't know how long I lay there, but eventually I sat up. Tama was eating a fish. She looked up at me as I sat up and was instantly crouching in front of me. She held out a burnt fish and I laughed.

  "Why am I not shocked, Tama," I said as I took the burnt fish. I took a bite and instantly coughed as the horrible taste flooded my taste buds. Tama looked at me worriedly, but I waved her off and giggled. "Tama, we need to hurry to Drestor."

  She instantly nodded seriously and said, "Nya! We have to hurryTama doesn't want to be a Princess!"

  I sighed and replied simply, "Tama... you are already a princess. We aren't preventing your ascension, we are trying to make a better first impression for your royalty."

  Tama looked upset at that and turned before vanishing.

  For a moment I wondered if she had just ditched me, but she returned a few seconds later with a Gryphon. It was dead, and she was holding onto its leg like it was a small animal. She held it up and said, "Tama will pay with Gryphon legs to not be queen!"

  I facepalmed hard.

  "Tama, you can't negotiate the entire kingdom with Gryphon legs," I said as I tried not to laugh at the absurdity playing in my head. I could just imagine Tama showing up to the Regent and giving her a Gryphon leg.

  Tama's face went red as she got frustrated and she stomped on the ground. "Tama can get more! She got lots of those shiny round things for one Gryphon.

  Maybe she can get so many shiny round things she won't need to be queen!"

  I considered her words, not because they made sense, but because I needed a way to get her to stop trying to run away. I came to a simple conclusionI had two options.

  The first was obvious: lie to her and wait for the royal guards to come take her. The likelihood of them succeeding against Tama was minimal; I saw her face a Lich head-on and not blink. But it wouldn't be my problem.

  The issue with that was that Tama was my best friend, and recently learned to be the literal Goddess of Creation. Betraying her not only hurt on an emotional level but was extremely stupid. Which left the second option: convince her being Queen wouldn't be that bad. That meant I needed to be able to sell her on the idea.

  "Okay, Tama, let's look at this differently. Why don't you want to be queen?" I asked. I had a feeling I already knew the answer, and I had a stronger feeling Tama did not.

  "Tama doesn't want to be Queen because she doesn't want to be in charge!" she said as she started to dissect the Gryphon.

  I nodded and asked, "And... why don't you want to be in charge?" I raised my eyebrow and twitched my ears as if I was waiting. She considered as she started the now dead fire.

  "Tama doesn't know how to be in charge."

  I nodded again and answered with a genuine look of sadness. "But what happens if you don't lead, Tama?"

  Tama paused, one of the Gryphon's legs now cut off and being cooked as she considered my words. She froze after a second and looked away. Got her.

  "Tama... Tama doesn't see why that matters," she said weakly.

  I sighed and looked deep into her blue eyes. She looked away, but I saw it. She knew what I meant. Finally, she said quietly, "Tama won't make a good Empress. She is immature and impulsive." Her tail wrapped around her body and her hands shook.

  She was actually scared. The Nekojin who literally destroyed shadow dragons, conquered goblin cities, and just killed a Gryphon for a snack... was shaking in fear at the thought of leading anyone.

  I walked over behind her and put my arms gently around her. I felt her sob quietly and we sat there in silence. Finally, I whispered in her ear something I knew would cheer her up. "But Tama, there is good news." She looked up and we made eye contact and I said, "As long as I am around, you will always have me to help."

  Tama's eyes filled with tears and she dropped the Gryphon leg, turning she hugged me and whispered, "Thank you, Saki." She slowly turned and grabbed the Gryphon leg. When I tried to pull away, she kept hold of me and started to eat her Gryphon leg. I giggled and pushed her off of me.

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  "Gross, Tama!" I said in mock disgust.

  Tama giggled and pounced on me. We rolled around on the grassy floor before I ended up on top and started tickling her.

  Tristy saw it as an attack apparently and I had to dodge a fireball that hit Tama dead on. I laughed uncontrollably as Tristy begged forgiveness to a laughing Tama. It was kind of hard because she was being chased by Anna, who had been Tama's gi at that moment.

  Eventually, things calmed down, and I made note of where the sun was above us.

  Based on what I assumed was the time of day, the location of the sun, and the way the trees grew, I was able to after Tama showed me she indeed had another thing Lyran had given her, a navigator... I was starting to think my hatred for the mage was misplaced. He gave Tama a lot to take care of her.

  We took the path I set out and began traveling. It wasn't long before we reached the edge of Trelloark. Turns out, we weren't even that deep. I could literally see Drestor in the distance and considered truly for the first time how close we truly were this whole time.

  True, based on that crevice, we had been thousands of feet underground. But literally on the same location, different layer? That was crazy. It made me wonder where the Lich had been trying to go... and where he was now. I didn't have time to finish him before, but I had erased a lot of him. It would take time for Trevor to rebuild himself, if he even could.

  We made our way to the city with ease. Due to coming from the Trelloark side, we couldn't see what happened to the adventurers, the undead army, or the goblin army. If I wasn't mistaken, the undead most likely became useless after Tama and I dealt with Trevor. Also, no, I refused to use his stupid 'Lich name'Jabrome was a stupid name and he should feel bad for using it.

  I made sure Tama had Anna on in her gi form, and that Tristy was presentable before sighing and reaching the city gate. It was open and guards were standing on either side. That was a very good sign. Both guards bowed and said, "Princess Tamaneko, we welcome you to Drestor."

  At that moment, my heart sank. I could have sworn we had been much quicker than the royal guards. Then Anna spoke and rage filled me. "Oh, did I forget to mention, the royal guards were already on their way for the undead threat? They arrived here yesterday, apparently."

  I avoided the sudden gnawing desire to erase Anna out of existence and instead forced a smile and stepped forward. I grabbed Tama's wrist before she could blink away and spoke. "Her royal highness is not in the mood for visitors at the moment.

  Please bring us to Matriarch Talia immediately." I made a point to imbue my voice with the royal compulsion magic and the guards stood and spoke in unison, "At once, High Advisor."

  They turned and together they guided us to the guild hall. It was necessary, but I knew better than to push it. We needed to reach Talia yesterday.

  As soon as we entered the guild hall, I made a point to dismiss the guards and squeeze Tama's hand gently as she tried and failed to free herself from my grasp. We both knew she was strong enough.

  But she wasn't using strength, she was trying to show resistance without hurting me. I ignored the adventurers and made my way to the hallway, where I saw, along the entire hallway...

  large muscular men and women in full golden armor holding massive pikes and helmets. It seems the royal guards were already here.

  Then the door at the very back opened and Talia, followed by an older woman around her forties, stepped out. In an instant, I realized we had gone from, as the travelers would say, out of the frying pan and into the fire. Standing at the end of the hallway in full royal regalia was none other than Tama's aunt.

  The regent herself had come. There was no mistaking it either; they might as well have been twins. The aunt was slightly taller, at around five foot three, and she looked older. But everything else could have been a mirror image.

  The long purple hair, the deep blue eyes, the perked up cat ears and fluffy tail. I was looking at what I could only describe as an older Tama. I felt Tama instantly try to break free, and she was more forceful this time. Still not enough to actually break free or hurt me though.

  I let her go. I didn't need to turn around to know she was gone. I don't know how far or where she would go. But I wasn't going to force her to face this... not like this.

  Three of the guards in the hallway rushed past me to catch her. They wouldn't make it in timeTama was speed incarnate. Three more surrounded me. I made no move other than to put my hands in the air.

  Technically, I was a royal advisor, but I was royal advisor to a princess. If Tama were queen, I would have control even over the regent. But as it stood, I was done for.

  Then I heard a surprising sound: "Leave Saki alone!" and suddenly, all three guards surrounding me fell over dead and I paled in horror.

  My head jerked to the right as Tama reappeared. She held her katana and had it pointed at her aunt as she spoke. "You will not hurt Tama's friends!"

  To both my surprise, shock, and horror, Tama's aunt, the regent... laughed. Hard. Talia rolled her eyes and Tama suddenly looked uncertain. I myself had no idea what was happening. Then she spoke and I realized one fundamental thing about Tama's entire family. They were all crazy.

  "That was amazing, Tama! Talia was telling me how good you are at combat, but I didn't even see you move! You are so much like your mother, well maybe not strength-wise. You outclass all of us. You have truly grown to be a warrior and a perfect Princess!"

  Chapter 95: The Regent