Chapter 1004 1003: Warrior Culture

Chapter 1004 1003: Warrior Culture

"Did I say something wrong?"

The Sultana's confusion persisted even as my headache began to subside, and I couldn't help but sigh as I glanced up at her for a brief moment, just long enough to ask "How long have the two of you been together now?" before looking back at the tile, which was much less harsh on my recovering eyes.

"A long time now. Why?"

"And you still haven't learned that Lady Kio is a bit too proud to admit certain things to certain people..?"

I didn't need to see her expression to know that she was staring at me in shock, her lips parted in an 'o' as she stood there frozen, the pieces of this rather simple puzzle clicking inside her mind and making me sigh again as I added "My Mother is her... 'rival', I suppose, at least inside her mind. And again... her 'rival' is my Mother, so by extension she's treating me similar to my Mother."

She nodded slowly at that, before turning to look at the palace that Lady Kio had retreated to, her tail swishing side to side as she lost herself to her thoughts for a little while, leaving me to nestle against my mate and enjoy the soothing pats that trailed down my back and the occasional ruffling of my ears.

"Mother had a point y'know. That tattoo is both a boon and a bane to how you fight, and this... this is the bane of it. If you were actually fighting, or were sparring against someone who was being serious about beating the lesson into you, this wouldn't be beneficial whatsoever."

I groaned softly as she pinched the middle of my back, the Jackalkin ensuring she had all of my attention as she scolded me, which was a rather odd thing considering our usual relationship dynamic; and yet, the concern in her eyes, the way she was comforting me, the slight strain in her voice...

All of it made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside, and a small, darker part of me was absolutely tickled pink at how my mate was fussing over me, focusing on me, and only on me... and not on anyone else.

So I leaned further into her pats and indulged myself in her care, loving the way she ran her hands through my hair to untangle it or how she stroked my back carefully, all while the others stole glances at us and did their best to give us space, save for the Sultana who eventually turned back and looked down at us, still perplexed about earlier.

"But it's been literally decades since they were in the Academy together? If not longer? Why is she just now..? What?"

Opening my eyes again, I stared at her veiled face and wondered how she hadn't been seriously harmed just yet by Lady Kio, only to realize why when I dredged up my memories from both today, last night and the last time we had seen them.

Still standing beside me, the Sultana observed the two before turning towards the Demoness that was nearby, who was in the midst of grappling with a few Caninekin at the same time, her size difference giving her the advantage one on one but not three on one... which was what she was doing currently.

Leone on the other hand was chatting quietly with the older man who the Sultana trusted as a healer, the two discussing whatever came to mind in regards to potions and alchemy, leaving just me to try and figure out what to do to entertain myself...

Which was clear as I glanced up at the Sultana, deciding that speaking with her one on one would be worth more than some training right now... mainly because my head was still killing me and the idea of wanting to spar again almost made me vomit...

"A bit. Perhaps being exposed to Lady Fenyras numbed me to this style of training, since I can see the worth in harsher sparring than what I was previously accustomed to. Still... seeing it in everyone around, and not just the 'elites'... that is the surprise. The margin for error isn't a concern for you?"

"Oh, it is. Some still perish in simple spars, and they are regrettable losses, but even then... the amount is negligible every year, and those who perish... well, usually we have already advised them to give up the mantle of a warrior, but they don't listen. In the Empire, the average soldier spars till exhaustion but with limited risk to their well being. Here... we fight, we bleed, we break. It forges stronger warriors, and it shapes them into a well trained, well oiled machine that few other countries want to go to war against."

"Iron sharpens iron?"

Looking down at me, the Sultana nodded, and she muttered "Iron sharpens iron, and blood whets the blades. You either rust and break, or you add to yourself with the blood of your comrades. It is a cruel methodology of training, but it works. Oh, it works..."

"Is this a new methodology, or has it always existed?"

"For as long as I can remember, the strong ruled the weak. If you could fight, even as a slave you were treated like royalty. The stronger you became, the more respected you were. There are few things from my years as a slave that I genuinely look back upon fondly, but the cruelty around me and the motivation to break free from my chains..."

Her voice trailed off, and she stroked the edge of her veil gently, before peeling back a corner of it and showing me the patchwork scars that covered her face, the sheer amount of burns, cuts and missing flesh causing me to unconsciously pull back for a moment, something that made her laugh mirthlessly.

"My owner was a bitch. Her wife envied my looks, hated how I stole her wife's attention from her. Hated how her mate snuck into the slave's quarters just to rut with me. So, she thought herself superior since she was free, and I was not, and to ensure that I was reminded of that... she snuck into my quarters one night, and she did so with blades and acids clutched in her envious fingers. She tried to break me, but in her jealousy she forgot that her wife did so as well... just in different ways. That night, I got to witness how the strong can cull the weak in a mere heartbeat. The sound of her neck snapping still rings in my ears sometimes..."

Crouching down, the Sultana stared straight at me, her eyes beneath the veil hidden, but so clearly open as she leaned closer and whispered "And when I tell you that that sound is sweeter than any sugar or nectar you could find in this world... I would kill again and again just to hear it. The same way I would kill to hear my Mistress' pleading as I served her her due desserts. You understand that feeling, don't you? I can see it in your eyes, pup..."