SHK CH 716 (Patreon)

“I also know that Sol needs us to stabilize his dimension and I am happy for that. But right here, right now, there isn’t really much I can bring.” She started counting, “Just in the young generation, Clara is the Administrator of Lustburg. The Supreme Secretary. Even though she isn’t even a Duke, I think she is more important than me in the group. Isis is the princess of the Underworld. Nuwa is the Princess of Gluttony Foss. You are the Princess of Wratharis. Even Chloe, who is still on the fence, is the Holy Daughter of Slothein. Then we have Aurora, who is the Holy Daughter of Lustburg.”

“You are also a princess.”

“A princess without power. I have been working on growing my own army but it’s hard you know and now Sol is going to marry Medea and get control of the Witches. Then he will marry you and get Wratharis. What about me?”

“So…You feel useless?”

Lilin gave a death stare at Setsuna who simply smirked and in the end the first one to give up was Lilin.

“Yeah, happy? I feel quite useless.”

“I think the problem is that you are aimless.” Setsuna tapped Lilin’s forehead. “Your whole world resolves around Sol. So much that you seem to have forgotten your own goal. What about your dream of becoming a renowned Swordmaster? Or beating your mom? Have you already given up?”

“...” Lilin stayed silent. “I don’t know.”

“You know, it’s quite ironic how a Dream Demon like is unable to have a dream of her own.” 

“Dreams are good. But it’s exactly because I am a dream demon that I understand. Dreams can never beat reality.  Dreams always scatter when dawn arrives.”

“And what is the reality that made you give up?”

“The reality is that I can never become the strongest swordmaster. I can never beat my mother. I simply do not love the sword as much as she does. My Path is different from hers.”

“Then you simply have to find a new dream.”

Setsuna said and Lilin laughed before lying down on Setsuna’s lap. Her head on the wolf girl's thigh, she simply closed her eyes.  

“Enough about this depressing talk. How is the situation? You are about to become a Queen.”

Setsuna shook her head at the thinly veiled change of topic but she knew that there was no need to try to continue. This was a step all those around Sol had to go through. 

Who would have though that having a mate too competent could be an issue? She chuckled inwardly.

“Well, to be honest, I haven’t done much. Shuten Doji has been taking care of everything that could even be a hindrance.”

“Haha, do you not fear becoming the second coming of the Puppet King?” Lilin laughed but Setsuna just shrugged her shoulder.

Neptune the Puppet King. The Grandfather of Sol and the one who created Lilith and Lilin by using the blood of the Nightmare Queen. Setsuna did not know much about him as most of his vile acts were hidden. All he was known for was for being manipulated by the nobles of Lustburg. 

Of course, those in the known understood that Neptune simply was never interested in ruling, which allowed the nobles to run wild. But this didn’t matter.

“Like Sol said, If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Calling Shuten an enemy is an exaggeration but as she is now, I wouldn’t mind letting her become the shadow ruler of Wratharis.I know that I do not have the skills to be a competent ruler and I do not have the will either. I am first and foremost a Knight. Not a Princess nor a Queen.”

Setsuna did not doubt her own self. She had put those doubts to rest ever since she faced her true self and reached the Duke Realm. 

What she wanted, what she wished to accomplish, and what her dreams were. All those things were what made her true. 

Seeing her friend like this, Lilin gave a wistful smile, “You are strong. I thought that after getting your revenge you would be lost.”

“Revenge should never be the goal. It was nothing but a mean. A means for me to reach inner peace and advance to the next level in life. Now that Lupus is dead and my revenge accomplished, I can simply be myself and live happily alongside those I love.” 

“You…You are about to become a King?”

Setsuna nodded, “Indeed. I can already feel my name forming. It’s just a matter of time.”

“Congratulations.” Lilin clapped while keeping her head on Setsuna’s lap. She was truly happy for her friend. 

“Thanks.”

“I guess everyone is going well for you.”

“Not exactly. There are still a few rebels who are causing problems. Extremist nobles who were under Lupus’ faction. From what I know, some of them recently started contacting the dwarves. We believe the dwarves are smuggling weapons to Wratharis.”

“What? They dare? Even after Sol gave them a warning?” Isis did not know all the details but she knew that Sol used his power to kill many nobles or important people in Greed Dike. This was mostly a warning, nothing more, and yet they still dared to meddle in matters that did not concern themselves. Were they tired of living?

“Don’t ask me. I don’t know who the one making the dwarves act like such morons. But it doesn’t matter. What matters is that soon, we will erase the extremists. We are just waiting to round all of them or most of them.”

“Why not just stop them now?”

Setsuna shook her head, “Shuten said that beyond just catching the extremist, the most important is getting a just cause.”

“For?”

“Conquest.” Setsuna grinned, her blue eyes gleaming with a murderous light. “Starting a war is easy. But to truly conquer a kingdom, we need a just cause and those stupid people are giving one to us. Soon, Wratharis and Lustburg will declare war on Greed Dike.”

Lilin smiled at Setsuna’s words. She had been wondering if they were seriously going to wait a few months for Slothein to impeach them. 

But it seemed like she had been wrong. 

This was going to be so much more fun.