Chapter 88: Empress Cleopatra

Duran was dumbfounded when I told Albedo so as he could hear so. Then, I decided to explain to him as well,

"The more data you will get. The slimmer the chance we will win. Cause I have found out that she can read our mind. And if she can read our mind. Then she will know what we will do. Thus, we will be losing the chance for it. In my word before I was summoned, that kind could be countered by psychological battle. But... It was only me who capable of it."

"Psychology... Is it a mental battle?" Duran asked me promptly after I'm explaining to him that.

Then, I replied to him as I asked,

"What is a mental battle?"

"Mental battle is a kind of battle tactics that you will use to read someone's behavior and act according to the flow they created."

Well... That's psychology man. In a war, Psychology was used to read someone's movement so we can slide to an enemy's weak point efficiently. But, I think that not everyone knows about that in this era. I mean... This era is pretty much the first civilization. Which was pretty much not that hi-tech in education compared to us. 

But I legit surprised when Duran had mentioned those. Yes. If we have two-person or more who capable of psychological battle. Then the chance of winning will be rise to five percent. I decided to ask him,

"Do you have any more people you can recommend for this psychological battle? We will have to deploy three to the slums and one follows us. Three of them will help in the counseling in that slums in order to give them proper insurance which led them managed to recover their own health which was affected by the pandemic."

"I have a twin of shamans who are good in what you called psychology. Do you need me to call them?" Duran asked me about that. And it's obvious that I will need that a lot. So I answered him,

"Grab them in. And we will need another two."

"Got it, Albedo," Duran called Albedo which she had figured out what she had to do. She left the palace as she greeted Duran in respect. And then, it was only two of us remaining in the palace that was slightly cracked left and right after the battle.

"Anyone else you can introduce for me to help in this war? We need two more."

"Hmm... Adviser Adrian might be able to help..." Duran replied to me which had led me to reminisce about Reili's ancestry.

I remember that there was someone who named "Adrian" in her ancestry that led me to ask her,

"What is an Adviser? Is that a kind of financial adviser?"

And she replied to me,

"He was the Adviser for emperor Duran who had served him for twenty years. During his era. Psychology had been learned for the first time as my ancestor was the founder of that knowledge. And without him, the emperor would not be able to break the boundaries in the war. But.... After his death... Everything had gone downhill until the empire was disbanded within five centuries ahead. It was pretty unfortunate. But you know. If there is a way to go back to the past. Then I will change it."

Reili... I'm in the past now. The past where I will be able to see your ancestor. Maybe, I will be able to help some to restore it.

I'm thinking about the scenery of this palace as well. If I managed to create the time paradox. Then it was most likely that I will be able to return the palace to what it was used to. And most likely as well that the paradox will be able to change everything in the future. 

To be honest, I don't want to do this. But if this is the only way to resolve anything that I want to resolve without resorting to the force against the Technoknights. Then I will have to use this way to resolve what the citizens wanted in that village.

In the end, I decided to ask Duran,

"Can you call him over? I want to ask him one or two things about everything that I had to know."

"Easy. I will call him over when Albedo returns. And the other is..."

"You don't have to mention anything, my lord."

There was an elegant woman who walked towards us. She wore a golden robe with an empress crown in her head. Which led Duran to knelt as he said,

"Duran reporting in, mother."

Wait, what? Mother?

What the hell. Is that woman a mother already? I thought that she is in the same age as me. But, the woman had flipped her elegant red fan open as she needs to cover her own mouth. She chucked after she had done so. Thus, she asked me,

"Do you need my help, youngster?"

"Yes, Mother. We need some people who capable of mental battles."

"Mental Battles?" The woman in that gold robe and wearing a nice red night dress asked her son. With a swift response, the man answered her.

"Yes, mother. This young lady needs them to wage a war against the Ansherkam empire. They were attacking us as well which had led this young lady to have her left hand injured."

"Don't mind it, Duran. I'm fine. I should thank Albedo later for this." I remarked him promptly as he stated so. Which led the woman to chuckle and then, flipped her brown fan back. She continued as she said,

"You look reliable, young lady. Who are you exactly?"

I remember in those Chinese wuxia shows that you have to kneel in front of the empress if they had stared you in that menacing look. So, I decided to take a safe route by bowing to her respectfully as I'm introducing myself.

"I'm Kuso Amakusa, the Technoknight chosen by Albedo the goddess of war Corona. And I came from the future."

"Future?" Her eyes were stared at me menacingly. In other means, she must know something about that. 

To be honest. I'm not sure what she actually knew about. But... One thing that had led me to have a surprised face was...

"I know that you are finding someone who capable of psychology, am I right?"

"Psychology? As expected, mother. The prodigal woman who capable in predicting." Duran remarked as he knelt in respect. Which led his mother to ask,

"Raise up, Duran. We can't talk like this."

"As you wish, mother," Duran answered her as he stood. And then, he looked at me and he introduced,

"This is my mother. The empress dowager of this empire. Empress Cleopatra. She was the one who governs this empire together with my father before. But, she had her time mostly spent at the main hall. While this palace is the front hall that could be access straightaway by the citizens."

Ah. What a big deal of woman. But I wonder, what Empress Dowager was? It sounds like another term of wuxia shows again. So, I decided to ask Duran as I asked,

"What is Empress Dowager, by any chance?" 

"Simply said, I'm a widowed empress. I think you have known that my husband had just died, am I right?" Empress Cleopatra looked at me in a solemn tone as she asked me so. I want to continue to ask. But that her expression alone had hinted to me that I should not ask further. So... I decided to shift to another topic as I started.

"Alright, auntie. First of all, I'm not quite accustomed to empire-styled honorific. So apologize for my impoliteness."

"Ahahaha!! It's fine. Rather, I felt awkward when someone is actually called me an empress or so."

Well. Her face had said otherwise, I think that she was trying to adjust with my custom? Yes, no kidding about it. She was really trying her best not to disappoint me. Meanwhile, I'm used to someone who always talked something straightaway from their minds. It is not a new thing for me to be honest. 

However, I know that she was an elder. So I prefer not to call her randomly by name or something. But, she started instead.

"You don't have to worry about honorific or so. I'm pretty accustomed to the foreign culture."

Gosh! I'm glad that she didn't mention me being...

"Or I could say... You are from the faraway place named Japan, am I right?"

Fuck! She knew it.

"You are really an alien?" Duran looked at me in his starry eyes. As a guy myself. I knew that this won't go anywhere far but someone who will go simp on me.

I decided to say,

"You can say so."

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