The Guardian

Chapter 232: Taking Advantage

Aurora turned her attention to the conference of the church authorities.

At this moment, a woman in her thirties was speaking, wearing a white priestly robe that accentuated the more devout side.

She was Cardinal Shani Najjar, an Egyptian who participated in the undead calamity.

When the undead awoke from their slumber, bringing the country of Egypt to ruin, spreading death, that woman was the one who led her people to protect them all.

Aurora knew her in her time as a ‘heroine’, as she had fought at her side and interacted with her.

Of course, that was before she had arrived in Africa five years ago and before the European-demon war, in the time the undead calamity had awakened.

“In this chaotic time where the Abyssal Portals are at our gates. We are faced with hard decisions, but the difficulty of those decisions and our response does not determine what is right,” Cardinal Najjar said and looking into the camera, she announced. “What is the right thing to do at this time? Only the God of Time and Space can determine that, but not us.”

The first part was referring to extermination.

It was an easy answer... No, exterminating an entire race was the most convenient answer, and depending on who carried it out would be the difficulty.

Someone like a player who had a facility for handling such matters could accomplish their task without blinking, while others not so much.

What was correct at this point?

For Cardinal Najjar, who was known for devotion to her god, only that existence had the right answer.

After all, if it was true, then that deity could see into the future and determine what was right or wrong by that means.

But humans had no such possibility.

“We must decide by following our standards and our values along with all our beliefs. What will be right or wrong will depend on those who judge it through their own values,” Cardinal Najjar pointed out and, raising her voice, announced. “That is why the Church of Time and Space will move by following its ideals. Doing what we believe is right.”

Her voice was resolute in an announcement that made it clear that she would not back down from what she believed in.

“And that is the reason the church will send me to secure the goblin race and thus prevent those defeated from being used for someone else’s benefit or treated as an object of research. The church will be in charge of creating a sanctuary to accept them and I will make sure that those who surrender arrive safely,” She added, turning the conference chaotic.

Without another word, she left, leaving a representative of the church to answer the questions she had left.

There was no talk of the aim that the allied forces were carrying out, she only let it be known that the church was going there with only one objective.

After this war, it would be they who would be in charge of securing the ‘defeated’ to prevent them from being used.

They were not going for all-out peace, but they were going to ensure that extermination would not happen when the war was over.

The representative responded by pointing out that Cardinal Najjar’s words were part of her opinion as the idea of the Church of Time and Space, publicly stating that just as before, their god had remained silent.

Unlike the Goddess of Order, many gave more importance to the God of Time and Space no matter whether they were his believers or not.

That was because it was he who was in charge of creating a machine taking the earthlings to another world that, for quite some time, they thought was a game.

He was also the one who connected Terra nova with this world a few years ago... Basically; he was the God who showed his power a greater number of times.

Adding the belief that he was ‘omniscient’, then people approached that entity, thinking that in case of danger he would be their savior.

That he was said to be able to see the future made him reliable, but if one thought about it more... Then, things would change.

By seeing the future, that deity would know about the abyssal portals, would know what was happening, and worse, maybe his decisions pushed to this point... The idea could go on and be too shocking to accept.

Or maybe it was the opposite, he was indifferent to see them or help them and didn’t even care and did the first thing that came to his mind.

How to create a virtual reality machine and release it to the market by traditional means without directly revealing its power.

Aurora sighed as she thought too much.

It was why she didn’t like talking about gods so much, as pondering about those entities of great power was too complex and complicated.

Nor could she judge him for his lack of response. After all, they were not their gods but were foreign gods and had no obligations to this world.

At that moment, her holographic watch beeped, and she, who was waiting, answered the video call.

“Did you see it?” Cardinal Brousseau asked.

She was the one who told her to watch the church conference.

“Yes. Is this the sanctuary Zerzura was preparing?” Aurora asked with a curious look.

She had read what Cardinal Brousseau had prepared before, so she understood a little.

“Yes. Basically, it will be the same as before, but it will be done by the Church of Time and Space. The sanctuary may be created in the lands of Zerzura, but that possibility is tied to the reaction of the goblins to the different climates,” Cardinal Brousseau added, and giving a smile, she commented. “Then I’ll pass you the full document to take a look at.”

Aurora nodded.

There were many things to do when the goblins were defeated and the care they had to ensure was high.

The most basic example was adaptation to the climate where they were to settle, and that was critical in this world.

To the south of Zerzura was a huge magical forest whose climate was humid, to the north was a huge hot desert, and they were in the middle.

The magical energy meant that the climate could change depending on the elements, so they could always find extreme and varied climates.

Of course, just like Australia, where the desert spread, it could be inhabited using magic.

A specialized mage could change the weather like Edward did during the international tournament, and that was the same if artifacts were used.

“Thank you,” Aurora said suddenly, and looking at Cardinal Brousseau, she commented. “I didn’t think a favor would turn into something of... This level.”

When she asked him for a favor, it was just to tip the scales by trying to leave another way, and she had mostly focused on Liam and trying to change public opinion.

She had succeeded, and even now Liam was still pulling strings to shake the balance.

That goblins were being used for research was a pretty heavy blow, but the main blow came from a guild having traded in goblins and, worse, Romanian politicians covering it up.

Now Romania was truly on fire, bringing the political trials it was supposed to bring and, above all, preparing to try the respective lawbreakers.

In a sense, they were tying up all the loose ends, bringing down the corrupt by using public opinion and chaos to their advantage.

Still, when she called in the favor, she had never expected it to come to this point where the Church of Time and Space had completely moved on.

“It wasn’t. A minor tremor can trigger the avalanche, but everything it drags along gives it strength.” Cardinal Brousseau said with a smile.

While she had started it all, the wishes and support of others turned a simple wish into what it now became.

Aurora knew she was not the only one who wished to avoid extermination.

Others understood that this was a war in which peace could only be achieved after a hard confrontation, but that did not mean that the end result was extermination.

Not everything was black and white, sometimes it was gray... Neither good nor bad, just half of both.

“Anyway, we don’t need your financial support either,” Cardinal Brousseau stressed and with a smile, she clarified. “You also don’t need to worry about Zerzura. There’s nothing important to settle.”

Aurora nodded at those words.

She had tried to support the sanctuary financially, as that was the only means by which she could show her support in the later stage.

As for Zerzura, she already knew.

Liam had informed her about the American mafia that came to the West African Republic, and while they were the remnants, they were in that nation in which their influence was nil and in which they could not move freely.

That was the problem of operating in foreign countries, her influence was nil or low and she did not have the freedom that other places where there were superficial rulers gave her.

Cardinal Brousseau told her a little about other issues.

Support was still being maintained in Kenya, where the Lord of Mombasa was preparing to install his government.

It was a huge process, as he had to establish an administrative base, a military force to secure the defenses, make alliances with guilds to guard the borders, and stimulate the economy to be self-sufficient.

Then, on the other hand, there was the acceptance of foreigners from all over Africa to secure the land.

In other areas, such as West Africa, in what would be the former borders of Cameroon overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, was ‘populated’.

It was not a government, but guilds and other individuals were still around, some of them creating problems with the magical forest and other times cooperating with them.

Poaching on the west side was frequent, and that meant that conflicts with magical beasts were common.

Since he couldn’t be everywhere, his intervention was only necessary when confronted with those more unreasonable warlords.

And that meant that their Ark’s missions changed and morphed into a less aggressive migration policy.

It was difficult to move freely when the ‘Protector of Zerzura’ was related to ‘Zerzura’ in a direct way and some might see it as a diplomatic offense.

Of course, it couldn’t be unreasonable to eliminate all the warlords that were in Africa either, and the general idea was that they only eliminated those that caused trouble.

“Anyway, I’ll take care of the sanctuary task. In case you need anything, I have already informed Cardinal Najjar about you, so you can count on her if you need support or if it is necessary to cooperate for other tasks,” Cardinal Brousseau informed her before ending the call.

Aurora sighed as she was left alone.

******

In the living room of the Zerzura building, the chatter was livelier than ever.

“I’ve already prepared to receive my random reward... If it’s like everyone says, maybe it’s a training of some sort,” Clémentine said as she lay back on the couch.

“They’re monks, though, aren’t they?” Érica asked with a strange look.

“Well, yes, but at least I know they’re monks. In your case, it’s harder. Going to a desolate area sounds strange,” Clémentine replied seriously.

They both laughed and Aurora, who was watching them along with the others, also let out a laugh.

“Seeing you two so cheerful makes me want to improve,” Aeko muttered with a sigh.

“You’re still young and can progress,” Shao Ya replied with a big smile, and looking at her team, she added. “Besides, we have more responsibilities to the guild.”

These were words of consolation, but the students and Aurora agreed.

The members of Akira’s group were not simply combat members, they were also leaders of different sections of the guild and thus had to organize and take care of various issues.

Being a student meant learning and improving, having such ideas as their sole responsibility, but at the same time, it meant that they would be seen as rookies and could not participate in different tasks.

“So, should we go on a training-only trip? You know, we can leave other people in charge and focus on training,” Akira said with a professional atmosphere.

However, Aurora knew that just wanting to leave work and focus on the task of getting better was just an excuse.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like her job.

Akira had created that guild to help, but now that there were more people and the guild was more stable, they could give themselves some time to put it aside.

The conversation around training began, leading to the students becoming more animated as they saw that their seniors wanted to improve.

Nicole’s enthusiasm was the most contagious, as her eyes sparkled when they talked about training.

Clémentine and Érica would also start their training soon.

In fact, Christmas would be their last quiet day, as they had agreed to receive the random reward and already had a date.

That meant that it was possible that by the time they reached the new year, they would already be training.

Everyone had their own tasks and plans.

Leslie, who was still in the Army and was only given one day off for Christmas, also had to return to the Army.

Nicole had no restrictions, but losing several days when she could train with Emperor Victor was like wasting tons of gold by throwing it away.

She was training under an SSS-ranked fighter and with little tips, she could improve her performance completely.

Even though Andrés was helping Liam at the moment, he had his work too... Two partial jobs and he needed to get back soon.

Aurora was similar.

She had to be back at her job by the next day and although she didn’t know how the authorities were organizing; she understood that it was possible that the allied forces would be moving soon.

“Aurora, do you have a moment?” Cithrel asked after appearing through an upstairs doorway.

Aurora nodded and followed her towards the guest floor and although she hesitated as she saw her approach the room, she didn’t stop.

“Nervous?” Cithrel asked, and with a flirtatious tone and an ambiguous smile, she murmured. “You have to be. I bite.”

Aurora blushed, as Cithrel with her murmur winked flirtatiously at her.

“It feels like walking into a predator’s mouth,” Aurora murmured as she entered the room and looking at Cithrel, she gave her a teasing smile and added. “A perverted one.”

Cithrel’s expression flinched at the last word that clearly affected her.

To some, it could be taken as an insult, but the connotation Aurora was using was the one used by Alice... A very particular tone in which it blended in quite naturally.

Cithrel gave a smile as if to hide his laughter and entered the room.

Aurora wondered why she didn’t fight back, but she realized it immediately when she followed her into the room.

She had given her comment in the middle of the open door and hadn’t seen inside, so she couldn’t see the projected figures waiting inside.

One of those figures was Duke Kristoph, and the other was Urfin Jadegrog... The two individuals after Cithrel, with the highest authority of the Falion Empire on Earth and two loyal servants of the empire.

Aurora’s expression quivered as she met Duke Kristoph’s gaze, known as a powerful vampire.

“So, what did you say it was?” Cithrel asked with a vengeful smile.

She had called her boss’s boss’s boss a pervert… And they had heard it!

Urfin looked away from the projection, clearly abandoning it completely and letting Duke Kristoph continue to stare at her with the coldness that a powerful individual showed.

Aurora coughed and commented. “That you are very beautiful, Your Highness. You have a dazzling elegance and a smile that makes my heart flutter.”

—To go from offending a princess to flirting with her in front of the eyes of overprotectors is a more serious crime.

Her system gave a belated comment, and Aurora’s expression quivered even more as she saw Duke Kristoph raise his eyebrow.

That vampire was a cold individual who didn’t let emotions show!

For Aurora to raise an eyebrow was as if he was about to give her a final judgment.

Cithrel chuckled at the look on her face and motioned for her to sit down.

“You have spunk. It’s a nice thing to see in someone as beautiful as you,” Cithrel said with an elegant smile as she sat down.

She was taking the opportunity to flirt with her!

“Thank you, Your Highness...” Aurora murmured in response.

She was now ahead of who her bosses were and while Cithrel was the one higher in command, in the ‘field’ who she had to obey were Urfin and Duke Kristoph... So, Aurora put on her good girl side.

Cithrel’s smile grew bigger and her eyes shone brighter.

Clearly, she liked it when she was helpless and had no problem taking advantage of this situation.

“It’s okay, relax. You’re my friend, not my subordinate, servant, or vassal. You are my equal,” Cithrel announced with an elegant smile and, looking at the projections, she asked. “Do you understand?”

Her smile was very cordial and friendly, but her eyes were serious and heavy.

Cithrel was letting on what her status was and that to such a traditionalist empire was of extreme importance.

That she was her ‘equal’ marked her as someone with her same ‘status’... The same status that the Crown Princess and future empress of the Falion Empire had.

Aurora watched her being curious, but both Urfin and Duke Kristoph knelt in unison.

“We understand, Your Highness.” They responded at the same time as if they had practiced kneeling.

It was a magical projection they were seeing, so the entire body of both individuals could be seen and right now, they were seen kneeling.

“Perfect, if you understand. Then you can get up and start talking,” Cithrel ordered in a simple tone.

It was cordial and respectful, but the presence it released was that of a powerful ruler.

It was not a sudden change, it all felt natural... That was the disposition of a ruler of a great empire.

They both obeyed the command and stood up.

While they were seated, they remained standing, but even with that difference, both showed no change in their faces.

Even Urfin, who was usually more casual, was now giving the appearance worthy of Greece’s Chief of National Security.

“We have designed a spell to stabilize the abyssal portal. Now, even if they commit suicide to destabilize it or try to activate some magic circle, we can prevent it.” Duke Kristoph reported confidently.

“I’ve already seen the spell, it’s an impressive design, and the data they gathered from the abyssal portals before they let creatures out was advantageous, but its usefulness is on a theoretical level,” Cithrel replied and looking at the Duke, asked. “How sure are you that it will work on the battlefield where all sorts of spells can be cast and pitted against creatures that have weapons we don’t know about?”

The Princess of the Falion Empire was not considered a genius for her status, Aurora had seen her fight, but had never seen her demonstrate her full power.

For an imperial family whose lineage was said to be highly magically talented, Cithrel was an expert at the combat and theoretical level, but above all now, she let on that she was a perfectionist and very cautious.

“We have prepared for most possible scenarios. Even if they use a strange artifact like last time, we will be able to take action,” Duke Kristoph replied and with a clear tone, he explained. “On the psionic side, our weaker side is Cardinal Auguste. On the technological side where we are deficient will be present a team from the Cosmos Enterprise and in case of emergency, there is Cardinal Najjar, leaving the magical side to us.”

Last time, the goblins used a strange artifact that led to all members of that race having a considerable increase in strength.

However, now the allied forces were about to go all out... Basically, seeking to bring the abyssal portal into control.

The spell the mages designed was to prevent the abyssal portal from becoming unstable and the goblins from causing damage when using it, but they were also trying to allow the SS ranks to move freely in its vicinity.

It was quite remarkable for the mages to design an apt spell so quickly, but at that level, it was apparent how far ahead the Falion Empire was in magical research.

On its deficient sides would be other powerful individuals.

Psionic was a realm of the mind and in it would be Cardinal Auguste and although Aurora didn’t like him, she couldn’t deny that he was strong... Very strong.

On the technology side was the Cosmos Enterprise, who was very advanced in that area and had the upper hand.

Cardinal Najjar was perfect for emergencies thanks to the fact that as a priestess she could employ the power of her god without praying.

“The plan is undated so as not to cause an incident, but it will be polished and will be carried out before the new year,” Duke Kristoph added.

Today was Christmas, so it was December 25th and that meant it would be seven days until January 1st... One week, that wasn’t much time.

“The addition of the Church of Time and Space was surprising, but timely,” Duke Kristoph added and looking sideways at Aurora, he reported. “The Church of Order has backed down on the extermination and agreed to leave the goblins in charge of the Church of Time and Space.”

He knew she had been moving, and it was likely that Urfin would inform him of her group’ possibilities and Liam’s ability, but Aurora’s expression didn’t change.

From the smile Cithrel was giving her, she evidenced that they were also the ones who supported this third path opened by the Church of Time and Space.

“Once we have fully organized the plan and prepared, we will begin. I will, of course, keep you informed, Your Highness.” Duke Kristoph finished.

The Church of Time and Space had decided to unite now at the conference and while they surely spoke directly with the allied forces earlier, it was necessary to organize everything with greater calm.

Avoiding failures and problems, trying to ensure success.

What they were up against was not small groups, this time they were going for the abyssal portal and that meant they were going all out.

The goblins had an army... And they surely had to go through it to get to the abyssal portal and secure it completely.

After all, they most certainly wouldn’t give up and would fight to the death.

Cithrel only nodded and allowed him to finish the communication.

“Thank you...” Aurora said, as soon as they were alone and meeting Cithrel’s gaze, she commented. “You’ve been helping me a lot in very important things.”

Her comment was sincere and clear.

Cithrel directly mentioned the ‘status’ she gave her, emphasizing the position she had when relating to Imperial authorities.

Not only was it to show that she, as her ‘friend’, could banter directly with Cithrel in any way without anyone being able to judge her, but it also manifested her importance and that meant that her two bosses would give her a higher priority.

Duke Kristoph was noted as a very loyal and strict vampire, so he would not hesitate to express his favoritism right away, supporting her as a ‘friend’ of the princess he served.

Her thanks were also for her support since the abyssal portal had begun... Aurora was very grateful to her friend.

“No, that’s where you’re wrong,” Cithrel pointed out and, giving a smile, stated. “There are in some matters in which our interests are aligned. As for importance... Some things in my eyes seem less important than you think.”

The first part of her statement only made it clear that the Falion Empire was aligned with peace and that was why she didn’t mind taking some blame for having ‘failed’ to prevent the sale of goblins, as long as they could achieve their goal.

As for the second thing... What a Princess of a powerful empire looked upon as important was most likely something of a very high order.

Still...

“Thank you. This time, I’ve felt like I’ve been taking advantage of you. It’s not a feeling I like, but in the end, it was the only choices I had,” Aurora said, giving a bitter smile.

The line to define work and friendship was quite difficult to pin down... Aurora did not wish to take advantage of Cithrel’s status and authority, but being honest, that was the only thing she could do when she found herself working for the Falion Empire.

It was true that she knew Urfin and had worked with him, but Cithrel played a big role in influencing Duke Kristoph, who was the one commanding everything.

“That’s why I enjoy being your friend. You know how to differentiate things very well, even so, it’s still the same. I like to treat my friends very well. After all, I only have one,” Cithrel revealed with a smile and, seeing Aurora’s face turn serious, she laughed and pointed. “This means ruling the most powerful empire in Terra nova. Being ‘Royalty’ means looking down on everyone from above, standing back, and being indifferent. That means having the power of dozens of calamities who are extremely loyal and can only be subjects.”

Aurora only heard stories of how powerful the Falion Empire was, but possibly underestimated it... And that it was.

Being the most powerful Empire in ‘Terra nova’ had a unique meaning, when on that world there were gods that acted frequently and freely, while being connected to dozens of other worlds.

“And Venali?” Aurora asked curiously.

“She is... My companion, my loyal servant, and my personal guardian,” Cithrel replied, correcting himself halfway through and looking at Aurora, whose expression didn’t change, she gave a smile and commented. “That’s why now that you have taken advantage of me, you have to let me take advantage of you.”

Hearing those words, Aurora’s expression trembled, and if before she felt a certain melancholy for the loneliness that Cithrel expressed, not being able to understand the weight she carried on her shoulders, at this moment she felt slightly strange.

And for such a reason, she hugged herself as she retreated into the armchair.

“I’m sorry, I don’t sell my body.” She muttered under her breath.

Cithrel’s expression quivered, and she looked at her, but quickly realized she fell for a joke and laughed.

“Now that you say that, maybe I should take advantage of myself that way... Of course, always as friends,” Cithrel commented, taking the opportunity and seeing Aurora blushing, added. “I’ll be gentle.”

A flirtatious and kind tone that was very believable.

They both looked at each other and then giggled in amusement.

Aurora knew Cithrel wasn’t kidding... Being the Empress of the Falion Empire wasn’t a game, it was responsibilities and too many restrictions.

Bred to rule and to read people, the likelihood that she would be advised to stay away from those who could take advantage of her and use her power and authority was high.

This was proven right now. She was not someone who gave her friendship easily and was likely to be someone who very clearly determined the positions of those around her.

If Aurora was the closest, the second closest person was Taqiyya, though such closeness could be far from simple ‘friendship’.

“Honestly, I need a hand locating someone. And then another and surely another. The final person I’m looking for has hidden himself very well... No, it’s possible he’s removed all record of himself, and the people who know him are either dead or powerful enough to look at me and lie to my face or give me a little clue, which is the same thing,” Cithrel said in a serious tone.

For someone to refuse her something, that person had to be important and, above all, could not be tempted.

After all, the Falion Empire was rich, extremely rich and if someone like Cithrel tried to make a deal, she could shower someone with wealth, power, or authority.

While the Falion Empire was not of this world and did not have a powerful force on a military level, it was on Terra nova where one could hear stories of miraculous treasures that were surely available to Cithrel.

“Alright. I’ll ask Liam to see if he can give you a hand. I’m also close to the Apicius Enterprise and they’ve had dealings with many important people. Maybe they can offer a lead,” Aurora replied immediately, sensing Cithrel’s frustration and thinking it through, she added. “In case of need, I can ask my parents for help. They are retired, but they had more authority in the Church of Time and Space. That means they have possibilities to help find who you are looking for.”

She did not ask her who her target was, as she had a general idea and only wished to let Cithrel inform her openly when she wished.

She could also ask Zerzura for help, but the city only had influence in Africa and the search range seemed more extensive.

Aurora’s way of responding was quick and clear, without hesitation at any point.

“I’m finding it a joy to take advantage of you,” Cithrel murmured with a smile at her words.

Aurora’s expression quivered at such an ambiguous tone.