-Callia-

  With the old knight watching, I carefully reviewed the events as I understood them regarding the baron's invasion. From what I knew, the key motive was some kind of lingering grudge against Dad. Of course I knew there were a lot of details I didn’t have. I was more involved with the action; Callen had been more involved in the greater overall picture. However, Mayor Hew was in the capital, so I just suggested getting a verbal report from the mayor.

  As I finished the report, Callen sent me a bunch of pancakes from Mom with instructions to share them. Had it been my brother recommending I share them, I might’ve questioned the orders, but he was passing along instructions from Mom to specifically share with the queen. A lifetime of mom-based discipline meant the task had to be done. I summoned the plate covered in a generous helping of pancakes and carefully added them to the table laden with the highest quality specialist chef-grade foods.

  “Um, Callen found a way to go home while I was out hunting with you, my queen. Apparently my mom insists I share some of our breakfast with you.” I awkwardly glanced at the queen as I introduced my addition to the table.

  “Is she a cooking specialist of some kind?” The curiosity in her voice made me all the more apprehensive.

  “No,” I plainly stated.

  “What is her specialty?” I give a slight pause before answering.

  “Childcare, specifically young children.” The queen looked at me carefully, nodding in appreciation.

  “Does the food she makes have special properties?”

  “No,” I start to fidget slightly while under scrutiny.

  Then she grabs her utensils, cutting off a piece and tasting it. She starts chewing slowly and stops. An expression of puzzlement crosses her face.

  “Is there any particular reason she had this sent? No offense but this tastes mundane. Incredibly mundane.” I sigh in relief as Karia doesn’t seem particularly upset.

  “Callen thinks Mom is skeptical about me meeting you and ordered him to send this to me so I could share.” She just gives me a puzzled look and the others at the table also seem unable to comprehend what just happened. The silence lasts a bit longer than I’m comfortable with before the queen breaks into hysteric laughter.

  “I SEE, it's not because the pancakes were special but because your mom is a specialist in child care! You can say no to anyone, even an angry noble with an army, but the moment Mom says to do something, it gets done!” As she explains it to the others, the strict younger knight starts giggling, and the older knight gets a twinkle in his eyes as he struggles to suppress the smile. Meanwhile, I’ve ducked my head in shame as I realize how accurate the statement was. Mom didn’t even believe I was with the queen but I still obeyed her to the letter. Karia reached over and eagerly started rubbing my head affectionately. “Such an obedient child is something to be admired! My own son spends all his time in the city trying to make himself some kind of hero. A complete troublemaker!” At that comment I couldn’t help but reflexively interject with my own comment.

  “Just because I listen to Mom doesn’t mean I don’t make trouble.” Karia just pauses a moment before smiling merrily.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “That’s right. I almost forgot the story my son told me about how you met. Not even a step into the city, and you were already infiltrating slave operations and attempting to choke out a prince!” This time I couldn’t think of any words to object, but unintentionally I pouted at how unfair the world was. Sadly that only made the others at the table even more amused. While the meeting was fun it also eventually came to an end.

  The rest of the day passed much the same way my morning with the assassins did. I spent some time with the queen, and some time on my own, but throughout the day assassins trickled in trying to make trouble. I think the most creative approach was a man hiding inside a large cake. While the disguise and skill were sufficient for the others, it was painfully obvious to me. Instead of ruining everyone's dinner with a bloody mess, I just grabbed the cake and tossed it out the window. The others were confused until the desperate screams of a freefalling assassin emerged from the cake before it went splat on an unoccupied section of wall. The assassin himself had the misfortune of getting impaled by a torch.

  I also met my first elf in the capital. I’ll admit I thought he was a gnome or something. Apparently elves without levels only naturally grow to one or two feet tall. The elves I was familiar with lived in the wilderness and sent their children away at an extremely young age to unlock stats. My theory of growing into a giant human was a matter of fact for elves. Other than the interesting fact about the elf, I also discovered they are complete jerks. The man literally spat in my direction, calling me a frontier barbarian when I told him about my past encounters with elves.

  Shortly before the day ended, a series of craftsmen arrived with my new gear in tow. Several boxes of ammunition, a black adamantium dagger, and a gorgeous new bow made with two different kinds of wood. The outer layer was an ebony black wood, but the inner layer was a light green that glowed faintly cyan. The only piece that I felt uncertain about was the new set of armor. It was beautifully made from wyvern scale leather that clung to my body like a second skin, and I felt confident in its durability, vastly outperforming my normal leather. The problem was the second skin aspect. Looking at myself in the mirror, my face turned red at just how revealing the suit was. No skin, but all my curves outlined alluringly. The material was specifically chosen because it would stretch to match my body even if I grew three times bigger.

  I was examining myself in the mirror when Callen contacted me. He had completed a new Void Gate and wanted to test it. Taking a moment to focus on the void space, I grabbed the door and brought it out into my room. Remembering the skinsuit I was wearing, I quickly grabbed a coat to toss over my shoulders. It helped undo the revealing nature of the skinsuit. Looking back at the door, I was greeted by a beautiful piece of art. However, Callen passed on instructions on how to activate the gate.

  I set my hand on it and fed the enchantment mana before the empty passageway turned into a wooden board. A moment later the board disappeared, and on the other side Callen, Mom, and Rylin were waiting. A huge smile broke out on my face while Mom and Rylin came through. I held the gate open so Callen could check his work, but my free arm immediately embraced Mom and Rylin gently.

  “Lia!” Little Rylin held out his arms eagerly embracing me while I hugged them. After a long embrace we let go and mom took a look around the room.

  “Is this the capital?” An amused smirk came onto my face.

  “Not just the capital but the royal castle.” The teasing tone in my voice made Mom stiffen as something that seemed impossible suddenly seemed less so. I continued my statement. “In fact, the queen tried the pancakes you sent us. Though her evaluation wasn’t exactly singing praise.”

  “You gave the queen my pancakes?” Mom’s voice whispers with both awe and horror.

  “Yep! She praised your ability as a caretaker extensively, wishing the prince was as obedient as me!” I could see the blank shock and disbelief on her face. I grinned widely as realization hit her, and for the first time in my life, I saw Mom look mortified and embarrassed. Sadly my mana was depleting quickly so I had to send mom away. Still, as she left, she gave one last comment.

  “By the way, Callia dear, I recommend wearing some pants with that outfit. It's a bit too revealing.” Immediately the tables turned, and she left, leaving me feeling embarrassed. A soft smile lingered on my face as I settled down for the night. Tomorrow was the moment we had set out for nearly a month ago.

  Church and the State

  Paladin Korin called his team to a stop as he arrived outside the royal palace. Seeing several of the royal guards cutting down monsters trying to sneak into the palace served to both relieve and frustrate him. The church Citadel existed within the kingdom as a tolerated necessity. The existence of the chosen was something they were uniquely suited to handle, but the strength of a properly trained chosen was also something that couldn’t be dismissed. So their organization was something tolerated so long as it didn’t interfere beyond the hunting of demons and the protection of the chosen.

  He approached the palace guard while bracing himself for the nightmare his investigation would inevitably become. Last time he visited the palace, someone took offense, and one of his paladins was caught in the various assassination plots. Seriously, who hires twenty amateur assassins to attack every hour of the day? Though he suspected the attacks were just a means of attacking an outside party that couldn't retaliate so that the surviving assassins would be more qualified for a more important target. Still, if Korin could’ve chosen between a mission hunting a demon in the deep wilderness or spending time tending to the fragile egos of court nobles, he would’ve chosen the wilderness. He had the palace guard contact the only contact on decent terms with the church, Her Highness Queen Karia.

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  Romans 12:20 (NIV) - On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”