Chapter 122

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"He's been like this for a while," I told Alessia as I stood over Rikard. His eyes were closed, and his uniform was freshly changed and covereda myriad of fresh scars. His sword was clenched in both hands, and the blade was pointed down, and the hilt rested softly against his chest.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Alessia's sweet voice rang gently in my ear as I stared at my fallen captain. The guilt weighed on my heart.

I felt guilty because I could have saved him. But instead, I put my daughter ahead of him and then Alessia. Maybe if I was faster, I could have saved him and maybe even more of my soldiers. They were all mine, and they trusted me. Did I betray that? "He is in a coma. Kharon said he would never awaken outside of defending the stronghold and the domain. But in any other regard, he will remain like this." The words tasted bitter as they left my tongue. What a horrible fate to be trapped in something like that. It was my fault.

"Empress, it isn't your fault." Her words stopped me from falling any further into the depths of my mind. I could feel tears burning in the corner of my eyes as I tried to stop them from falling.

"I tried to tell myself that, but I can't help but feel like it is. They are all my men. I could have done more to save them. I could have saved Rikard." Alessia took my hand in hers as she stood there.

"Trust me when I tell you that there is nothing you could have done differently. Rikard would have marched him and his men out a thousand times and happily gave his life each time. Don't blame yourself for that." Her thumb gently traced a path against the back of my hand as she spoke.

I sighed as I stood there. I know she was right. That's how he has always been. That's how I made him. I calmed myself a bit as I thought about her words. In a way, it was still my fault, but I needed to stop blaming myself. This was Rikard's choice at the end of the day. But I will still mourn over him, as he was one of the first bosses I ever made.

I reached out and laid my hand against him. His decaying flesh cool against my touch. "Rest well, captain," I told him as I gave him a soft pat. At least, in the end, he earned his rest.

"What's next, Empress?" Alessia asked as I retracted my hand away from the fallen captain.

"I want to meet up with Kharon and figure out a few things, and then we need to host this funeral." I crossed my arms and worked on my plan. Octavian will be here until after the funeral, and then he and the entire second legion will depart, along with all the mercenaries that had gathered here. I needed to rebuild the first legion, and with the captain only being able to wake up to defend the stronghold, he needed a replacement. That means I will promote Flint and need to find another unit to replace him as the lieutenant. I strummed my fingers against my arm as I tried to think about what I wanted to do. At least until nothing else came up.

With a sigh, I turned away from Rikard and motioned for Alessia to follow me. I needed to get away from this room and process some of my emotions. We wandered down the hallway, almost aimlessly, for a bit, at least until a thought floated across my mind. It was a strange one, but something that I felt would do me well.

"Alessia, how would you feel if I traveled outside Asterian territory?" I knew what she was going to say, and I was going to figure out how to talk her into it. But it was about time that I made my appearance in the outside world. I wanted to make my presence known and that I will not tolerate the actions taken here the last few days. Plus, it would allow me to go outside and purchase equipment and resources that I would otherwise not have access to. The only downside would be that I would lack access to my domain for the time I would be out there and could be open to attack.

She tensed up slightly, and she shook her head. "I dislike the idea. It makes me uncomfortable. There are so many variables at play that I can't control, making me fear for your safety."

"Then let's figure out what we can do to ensure my safety then. We can expand the Palatine guard so that we have a central security force. Besides, with you next to me, I doubt anyone will have the heart to attack me. Plus, I'll also reach out and inform Redrick I will visit for diplomatic reasons and trade. It's highly doubtful that he will let such a valuable trade partner come to harm, no?" I gazed into her eyes, trying to read what she was feeling. As usual, she was hard to read outside of extreme events. But I think I cracked her shell just a little with that statement.

"I suppose so, but it will take a few days to create a couple more palatines. They are expensive and complicated to make. That said, if you want to bring Nyx along, we will have to wait for a while since I refuse to let her leave the area with no guards. But I will also need time to create a cohesive plan for your safety."

I gazed into her eyes for a moment as I tried to think some more things through. I could move my legion with me, but I don't think the outside world would be alright with that, so I would have to settle with the palatines. But I also didn't want to wait for a few weeks, and I refused to leave Nyx behind. It wouldn't be fair to her. "Create a handful of palatines in no more than a few days. I'll bring along a few legion members with me, and we can give Nyx the palatines to protect her. That, mixed with whatever detail Redrick would give us, should be enough, no?"

"But if Nyx takes all the palatines, then what about you? I can't let you remain unguarded." She crossed her arms and stared at me, and I could feel the biting touches of frustration in her words.

"But I won't be. I have you, after all." I flashed her a smile and shifted my weight to the side as I pressed myself into her. "With you, I feel as safe as could be. Besides, I can take care of myself, you know. If it makes you feel better, I'll select my next class before we leave."

She rested her head against mine as we both basked in the silence for some time. I really liked that she felt so protective of me. I also couldn't be angry at it because I was even more so over her. But I really wanted to leave the domain for a bit. It would be nice to get some fresh air and let Nyx out for some time. Not to mention the sheer amount of resources I could rake in since I had access to the currency they used. But I had some questions for Kharon before I left.

"Fine, but I have a few conditions. The first is that you select your next class. The second is that you find a fighting style you like and stick to it. Being diverse is good, but I'll feel better knowing that you have a focus on one. If you do, I will do my best to create the next class of palatines so we can venture out. But you also need to keep a tighter leash on Nyx. She can be a bit on the exploitative side."

I winced slightly as Alessia spoke. She was right. I had a habit of bouncing around and learning everything that I could. But now, I needed to focus on only one fighting style. Lately, I've been really enjoying close combat without a sword. There was just something about fighting someone with my fist that I really enjoyed. Maybe it was the power; maybe it was something more. I didn't know. "Deal. I'll figure it out. Also, what do you mean?" I caught onto her last words. It sounded like Nyx, but the way she worded it made me think there was something more.

"Nyx has a habit of wandering around. It makes guarding her a pain. However, I'm not saying it's bad, but she can be a handful." As we spoke, Alessia laced an arm around my waist, dragging me further into her. Not that I minded since we were by ourselves. It was the only time I allowed the affection since I wanted to keep up the public image. But I would never deny that we were together.

I didn't want to punish that aspect of Nyx. She was curious about the world, and I wanted her to experience it. But I agree it would be bad if I let her wander around an area we didn't know. So I would put a leash on her and keep her close, but I would do it in a way that wouldn't be overbearing. "I see. I'll talk to her. Anyway, let's go find Kharon. I have a few questions for him."