Chapter 51 – Beastlands

Chapter 51 – Beastlands

"Poor woman..."

"She will be alright!" I smiled, rubbing Sasha's head as we lay in bed, ready to sleep, while she snuggled up to me.

"She must be devastated... I can't imagine what she is feeling right now."

"It will pass, and we can support her if she needs help. She is... not a bad person."

"Um. I will talk with her when she is out of bed and show her around! Maybe not in the winter, ehehe... Hey... Leon..."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Are you like her?"

The sudden question stunned me as my hand stopped playing with her hair, making my whole body stiff for a moment. Looking down, watching her bright eyes, I knew what she was thinking and reading from my gaze, so I decided not to deflect or lie.

"Yeah."

"That makes sense." She smiled, nodding her head, followed by a happy giggle.

"It does?"

"Of course! You are weird! Say weird things, know weird stuff, and come up with even weirder ideas."

"Then let me tell you something even weirder, my love!"

I held nothing back. I told her all that had happened to me, from start to finish, explaining how my old life worked, how it was, and what type of world I lived in. She listened without interrupting me once, looking at me with child-like awe.

"Woah! Your world sounds very... weird! It is magical without magic but also very... violent. Waging wars like you described is even more destructive than magic, no?"

"Yeah. We were capable of leveling whole regions without the use of magic. But that was in a different world; now, this is who I am. This is my second life. I also need to add that I enjoy this one much more than the previous, mainly thanks to you."

"Ehehehe, flatterer!" She giggled again, kissing my lips and hugging me proudly. "Will you tell this to the others?"

"No, I am not planning on that. If someone close to me asks, yes. But it is a past that is no longer important. You are the only one who knows about it, and it will remain that way if nothing happens."

"Um... good! I know you best because I am your first wife~! As it should be."

"Weird things are leaving your lips today, one after the other... what happened, Sasha?"

"N-nothing!" She said, going pink, embracing me, hiding her face.

"Sure, sure. The way you are including Luna in everything says otherwise. You two even join me in the bathroom nowadays and wash my body. Are you trying to make me have a threesome, huh?" I asked jokingly, but the way she went silent stunned me. No way. "Really? I won't say no if you are interested in it. But is she aware of it? You are not forcing her, are you?"

"100,000?" Asked Mikan, but it was wrong again.

"Huh... okay, let me go big then." I grinned before giving my tip, "500,000!"

"Very close." She smiled, finally nodding, "It was 600,000 soldiers and at least 100,000 war machines. Want to hear the sweet part? They were accompanied by 300 mages. And not just your run-of-the-mill ones!"

"Are there even mages who can be called that?" Luna snorted, feeling the old 'ghost' was full of herself.

"Hauh..."

"S-sorry!" She added quickly, seeing Mikan lower her head, but Elyzien ignored her while answering.

"There are. The size of the Empire is vast. We can get mages, but getting capable mages who are valuable is still a roll of a dice. Most of them are weak and have no real hope to amount to anything besides being supporters of the talented ones."

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at her over my cup, enjoying the aroma of my coffee.

"As a top witch, I had my own entourage of weaker witches and wizards serving my needs. Their powers were weak, barely able to cast a few spells before being exhausted. They couldn't grasp more complex formations and, in turn, were very limited in use. Their aptitude was sub-par, never to be able to cast massive, crucial spells. These types of mages, albeit important, are less so than those who could master magic for real. Their job is usually to help those like me. It is much easier to use a complex formation if it is broken down into parts and my helpers focus on their own portion."

"You say there is no chance that a mage improves... Are you sure about it?" I questioned her as it was a point I didn't believe in. There had to be a way... they simply never discovered it. I refused to look at it so grimly as them. That would be a mistake.

"You can have your optimism. You are still young, so it doesn't hurt. But as life will show you, a mage's powers and aptitude are set at birth. They can improve at first glance, but it is nothing more than finding their limits. The moment they hit it, that's it; their improvement stops, and they never move forward again. No matter what."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to." She smiled, not offended at all. "Anyway! Back to my original tale. Now, guess how many returned from the expedition, led by that time's Empress, who was also a mighty witch."

"None." I said promptly, surprising her and making me smile, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have asked it like this."

"Fufufu, good! Yep. Nobody returned. All of them were lost to the other side forever. No matter how many go in, nobody comes out. That is how the Beastlands are. It is best if you forget about it! Who knows what kind of abominations roam the other end!"

"Hmmmm... okay."

"That wasn't convincing, Young Leon." She warned me again before disappearing, "Don't play with fire, or you may burn down the world."

"It isn't like I am prepared enough to venture out." I said jokingly, looking at the others, frightened by what Ely had said. "Oh well! Listen, it seems the winter has settled down. Let's return to my city when the snowfall stops, as it is time to show it to you, Mikan. I think you will like it!"

"I thank you for your trust, Viscount Leon!" She stood up, bowing and smiling, and no matter how many times I told her to call me Leon, she was adamant about using honorifics.

"I think it is what you need. I can see that you are still unsure about what you are." I told her honestly, seeing her eyes wander downwards once again, trying to hide her uncertainty and budding depression. "My city is a place to start anew. It is where nobody can become somebody. I am sure you will find yourself there, Mikan. Even if you don't want to be a priestess anymore."

"Oooh, that was nice!" Luna whispered, gently clapping, now making me turn embarrassed as I thought back on it... It was so corny! Now that Sasha joins in the applause, capitalizing on my embarrassment, enjoying it, tasting the words felt even worse... damn it! They got me.

"It does sound nice, Viscount Leon. Um... what is the city's name?"

"Huh..." I flinched, blinking my eyes, "That... that is a good question."