Ash wasn’t sure if Emelia was telling the truth, but he had a limited amount of knowledge when it came to politics. He knew that the path they were fixing to head down would be a bloody one, but he couldn’t think of a better solution that left him with his head intact.
After getting up, Ash was dressed in something Emelia had commissioned just for today. Unlike a normal tunic this one had be specifically made with small slits in the back so that his wings could be clearly seen. After keeping his wings wrapped tightly to his body for more than a year it felt odd to Ash to have them free. With each level he had gained, the wings on his back had grown slightly larger. At first Ash thought he was just imagining it, but he clearly remembered that at first his wings were barely a few feet long and now when completely extended they were not nearly the length of his extended arms.
Having not moved them for a long time, it took Ash a few tried to get them to do what he wanted, but after a few tries his wings fully spread out and lifted him a few feet from the ground. With his current strength and level, Ash was sure that he could maintain flight for an hour, but he did not believe that he would be able to go very high. The main drawback was that flying reduced his stamina more than ten times faster than walking and was also slower. It was an impressive skill, but in the end it was mostly useless.
Ash couldn’t help but look at himself in the long mirror situated in the corner of the room. The long black wings spreading from his back matched with the dark green cloak and black tunic that had been lined in gold with the Hawkwing emblem embroidered in gold on both his right chest and a larger version on his back. Overall it gave him a very charming yet intimidating look.
Once he was dressed, the maids led Ash to a small waiting room on the third floor of the mansion. Ash was left waiting for almost an hour before Emelia joined him in the small room. She was wearing a long one piece dress that was the mirror opposite of him. The dress was silver with black accents and a gold emblem of her house in the same places that they were on Ash’s clothes.
Ash had seen Emelia wearing many different clothes, but today his could not find the words to express her beauty. Seeing the slack look of Ash’s face, Emelia let out a slightly girlish giggle before spinning around. “How do I look?”
“Good…Great…you look great,” Ash said as his mind fumbled around from the right words to describe the woman standing in front of him.
Emelia gave a slight laugh then offered her arm to him. Still stunned, it took Ash a moment to stand and take her arm in his own. “Let us go turn the world upside down,” Emelia said her face instantly taking on an air of fierceness.
Other than Ash and Emelia, a third person walked with them to the large balcony that overlooked the garden where not only a number of nobles had gathered, but most of the city as well. The old man who accompanied Ash and Emelia was a wind mage who would amplify their voices so that they could be heard from the far reaches of the city.
“I know many rumors have been spread about over the past few days. Today, I wish to clear those rumors. As you might have or might not have heard, it has been claimed that my husband is not a pure human. The truth is that he is not, he has demon blood running through his body.”
Emelia waited as the courtyard came alive with noises. After a few seconds, she raised her hands to silence the audience. “The king and other nobles seem to think that the blood running through his veins makes him less than human. They have strongly requested that not only should I denounce him, but should have him executed.”
Once again the people roared out. Ash could hear many people agreeing with the noble’s point of view, but he could also hear much more that seemed to disagree. This time Emelia waited until the people calmed down on their own before speaking again. “I will not do this. For far too long we have separated ourselves, thinking that we are better than any others because of the purity of our blood. It doesn’t matter if they are from the beast, human, fairy, or demon tribe, they are all living beings. The goddess Altina says that all beings are equal and I am inclined to believe her. For that reason, I am enacting new laws to protect all of my people. This change will not be easy and there is a high possibility that we will face harsh opposition from our neighbors, but what is right is not often what is easy.”
After Emelia finished speaking, she nudged Ash with her elbow forcing him to take a step forward. Ash could feel his heart beating in his chest as the muscles in his throat seemed to clench so tightly that it made it hard for him to breath.
As he stepped forward, Ash let his wings fully spread out just as Emelia had instructed him. “I am Ash Hawkwing and just as my wife has said, I have both demon and human blood running through my veins. I agree with my wife that for too long people have looked down on the other races as less than human instead of embracing us as brothers. It is time for us to shake off the shackles of hate that have bound and blinded us.”
Ash’s speech was short and to the point. It was exactly what Emelia had told him to say though to Ash it felt a little heavy on the dramatic. Still the common people below seemed to cheer out as he spoke, though the nobles seemed less than pleased. After they had spoken, the guards began putting up the new laws and decrees while the nobles were ushered inside the manor for a more interactive explanation.
“Now comes the fun part,” Emelia said sarcastically as they walked down the stairs to meet with the gathered nobles.
The nobles had been gathered in the large meeting room on the first floor of the manor. As they entered, Ash counted more than forty of them. Most of the nobles were low ranking knight class nobles, but many of them still held a bit of personal power and resources. Almost as soon as they were seated, many of the nobles started asking questions but they were silenced by one word from Emelia.
“Quiet,” Emelia said in a commanding voice. The nobles instantly stopped talking, but the look on their faces clearly showed their displeasure. A few moments later, seven maids came into the room and handed out stacks of parchment to each of the nobles. “These are the new laws and decrees that I wish to be implemented and followed from this day forward.”
Each noble began to read through numerous papers they had been given. With each turn of a page Ash could visibly see their faces changing until a young looking noble jumped to his feet his face red in anger. “This going too far,” the youth said angrily.
“Should I remind you whose land this is,” Emelia said in a cold voice. Soon ten knights appeared from hidden doors in the room and the young man quickly bit back his next comment and sat back down.
“If anyone finds these too hard to follow, then you are more than welcome to give up your title. If you keep your title and refuse to follow the new laws, then you will be executed for sedition. Does anyone have any questions?”
“Your grace, as I understand it you are ordering us to give the same treatment to nonhumans as we would humans.” An older man said after reading through the papers one more time. Unlike many of the others, his face didn’t show a trace of displeasure.
“That is correct Baron Horn,” Emelia said calmly.
“It is one thing to relax slavery and give them citizenship, but to not only give them weapons, but also train them. That is nothing short of handing the duchy to the filthy beasts on a silver platter.”
“I can understand your fears Chevalier Thompson, but we don’t have enough men at arms to fight off the other duchies when they attack. We have lost the kings backing and without it you can be sure that the other nobles will be looking to expand, especially since we have such rich resources.” Emelia responded coldly.
“That is all the more reason that we shouldn’t go down this path,” the young baron said. “It would be better to bow down to the king for now and consolidate our strength for the future.”
“And hand over my husband to the headsman?” Emelia asked, her voice seething with barely controlled anger.
“Better one than thousands,” another man said with a snort.
“No matte
r, the only opinions that matters here are mine,” Emelia said dismissively. “You will follow these laws and not just to the letter, but also in spirit. I do not care if you think you can skirt around them. If I find you trying to do so, your body can feed the fields for the next harvest. You will offer sanctuary to any person wishing to be a citizen and you will train them, and those that show talent you will send to me so that they can join the knighthood.”
When she mentioned the knights, every noble’s face slightly twisted even those that had so far been passive. It was one thing to allow them to join a standard militia, but the knights held much more power. A knight even had the power to bring a noble to justice under the name of the duchess. Though the nobles seemed reluctant in the end, they had no power to officially denounce the laws of the duchess.
Ash had thought that with the questions settled, it would be over but instead after the meeting there was a large and lavish dinner. Ash sat to the direct left of Emelia and no one was placed to her right. Normally the person to the right would be the trusted advisor, but by having it empty it showed that the position was currently open and even though the nobles didn’t like the new policies, the allure of increasing their current station was too good to pass up.
As the dinner progressed, there was little talk but what little was said was all flowery words in order to grab Emelia’s attention. The young baron who had been so confrontational earlier was now praising not only Emelia, but Ash as well though his manor was slightly off and even Ash could tell that his words of praise were forced.
Once the meal was finished, the nobles retired back to the meeting room. The large table that had been in place earlier had now been moved and replaced with large comfy sofas and chairs. A few nobles tried to bring up the new policies, but Emelia quickly reminded them it was a time for socializing and not politics. She didn’t dissuade discussion, because she didn’t want to talk about it, but to keep people from bombarding Ash with arguments he wasn’t prepared to discuss.
The small gathering lasted late into the night and since most of the nobles had houses in the duchy capital, only a few stayed at Emelia’s manor for the night.
“That was exhausting,” Ash said as he pulled the stuffy doublet that he was wearing off and sat it on the chair in the corner of his and Emelia’s room. “How do you think everything went?”
“Only time will tell,” Emelia said as she washed her face with a small basin of water situated on the night stand. “A few will try and see if they can get around the new laws and I will have them executed. I only hope that it is limited to the lower nobles. The more power the noble has, the more rebound and unrest will occur with their death. Right now all we can do is wait and see how they act. I have already sent knights to the lands bordering the other duchies just in case of unforeseen troubles with the nobles.”
“I don’t know how you can keep so calm with everything that is happening,” Ash said, sighing deeply as he sat down on the corner of the bed.
Emelia wrapped her arms around Ash’s neck and pressed herself against his back. “I was raised to deal with things like this,” She whispered in his ear. “We all have our strong points and weak points. If I had to go to the front lines and fight I would be worse than useless. That is why we make a good pair. You are my sword and shield while I am the pen. Without one the other cannot exist.”
Ash leaned back and looked up into Emelia’s eyes. “I just wish things could be simple.”
“Everyone wishes for their lives to be simple, but sadly few people ever get that wish,” Emelia said after lightly kissing Ash. “Now get some sleep, I doubt you will get many more nights of easy rest in the future.
7-7
Early the next morning, Ash headed straight home hoping to get a little fighting in the labyrinth done before midday, only to find Lillanis and the others waiting on him. When Ash noticed that they had their packs hung over their shoulders, a slight frown appeared on his face. “Something going on?” Ash asked though he could already guess at the answer.
“With the news that the duchy will soon be at war, we thought it was time to move on,” Lillanis said with a slightly sad face. “We are adventurers and labyrinth explorers. If we stay any longer then…”
“It’s ok,” Ash said as Lillanis fought to get the words out. “Ever since you arrived, it was given that one day you would be leaving though I wish it wasn’t so soon.”
Lillanis walked up to Ash and gave him a warm kiss then backed away slightly blushing. “I hope that in the future our paths will once again bring us together.”
“It has been fun,” Jacob said with a light laugh.
“Thank you for all the help you have given us,” Halon said in a slightly annoyed voice while he looked at Lillanis.
Ash stood, along with a few others and watched them leave. Chief among them was Allice, whose eyes were slightly red. Putting his hand on Allice’s shoulder, he pulled her into a hug as she broke down and started to cry. Ash lightly patted her back without complaint until she had vented out all her hidden and pent up feelings.
Ash felt a slight pulling in his chest himself but kept it pushed down and once he was able to get Allice to calm down went to the labyrinth with Shina who was in an extremely happy mood. Ash wanted to admonish Shina for her attitude, but every time he looked at her his spirits lifted slightly.
When they left, Lillanis and the others gave back the party stones he had given them so many of his slaves now had them. The only one that was no longer in his care was the one that Marilyn carried. As he thought about the young knight, he wondered where she was, but just as soon as he thought about her, they reached the entrance to the labyrinth and the thought was cleared from his mind.
Ash and Shina warped to the twenty-fifth floor. Ash was a little apprehensive about fighting the dark knights with only Shina for support, but thanks to Altina’s blessing he was able to bless the swords so that they could do more damage.
It didn’t take long for Ash to find the first dark knight. Though it had only been a few days since the last time he fought them, the oppressive atmosphere they gave off made him hesitate slightly, taking away his chance to get in the first strike.
Sensing Ash and Shina’s approach, the dark knight turned toward them and charged blade first. Ash acted on instinct drawing his sword from its scabbard in one stroke hitting the knight hard in the chest, spitting it open and sending it to its death. Before, it took five or six strikes to kill the dark knights but now it had only taken one. Slightly confused, Ash sat down and tried to figure everything out. Seeing Ash’s confused state, Shina walked over to him. “Is something wrong master?”
“I know my level went up a large amount but I didn’t think it went up so much that the fight should have been that much easier,” Ash said without thinking.
“Master, you know levels change how much the points in each state help,” Shina said cautiously.
“What do you mean?” Ash asked, looking up surprised at the revelation Shina had just causally blurted out.
“A level twenty warrior with a strength of fifty will be weaker than a level thirty warrior with a strength of forty. Mt father never could tell me how much of a difference it makes, but it is true that there is more of a difference between levels than just the numbers. My father also said that strength you gain yourself is always stronger than strength you are given, though I am not sure how much truth that holds.”
Ash had been told that it was harder to build up your strength at higher levels. That was the reason that Seven Sword’s members were not allowed to gain levels until they had reached a certain point in their strength training. If it was true that a strength point to a level two was stronger than that of a level one, then it made sense for it to be harder to increase it at the higher levels. This was both welcomed and disastrous news. It meant that he was much stronger than before, but also that it made it much harder to gage the strength of opponents who were higher level than himself. On the other hand, he couldn’t ev
en see the stats of someone more than five levels higher than himself so maybe that was a blessing in disguise. All in all, it gave him a lot to think about in the future.
“Shina, I want to fight alone for a bit to test out my strength,” Ash said as he once again got to his feet.
“Yes master,” Shina said with a slightly sulky voice.
Ash lost count of the dark knight that he fought as he was completely focused on observing how much his strength and speed had changed. The first few fights, Ash went all out, but killed the dark knights with a single strike so for the next few he tried to limit himself, but that made it even harder to judge how much he had changed. In the end, Ash believed only by fighting a stronger monster would he truly be able to gage his newly gained strength. Ash wanted to move forward in the labyrinth, but the urge to get all of the monster abilities still lured him to fight more.
“Tring.”
[You have reached the absorption level for the Dark Knight. Abilities available; Dark Eyes (active).]
[You have randomly received the ability Dark Eyes.]
[Dark Eyes: cost 50MP- strike directly at the soul of the opponent causing them to lose strength and dealing a small amount of damage. Level 1-0%]
Seeing the description of the skill, Ash could understand why it had caused him so much trouble. Even with his stats since it effected the soul directly. As he looked at his ability page, he noticed the large number of them he had amassed. At the rate he was going, he would get so many he wouldn’t be able to keep up with them without looking at his own status page. Still Ash figured it was better to have too many then too few.
With all the skills gained from the dark knight, Ash thought about fighting the boss, but he pushed the thought aside. There was still many other things that he had to do today and spending all his time fighting in the labyrinth was just running away from his responsibilities. “Shall we head back?” Ash asked Shina with a thin smile. Shina didn’t respond, she just smiled back and quietly followed behind Ash.
Reborn: Knight's Code Page 5