On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

The return journey is a quick affair. We no longer feel the need to enjoy the scenery, so we use Valeria's help to get back. In other words, we use [Teleportation]. She is the only one who can teleport all of us from such a long distance. She still has to do it twice, but that is understandable given the number of people and the Mana they contain.

Sofia, who has found out Aurelia's identity, is quite disappointed that she doesn't get to ride a dragon's back. She expresses that right beside Aurelia which is quite bold of her. I was wrong when I thought that she would be more reserved and less idiotic around the girls. It turns out that she only behaves reservedly when Valeria is beside her.

It is not that surprising, but it is quite befuddling that Aurelia and Millonia are not scary enough for her. Regardless, she has learned how to be reserved at the right moment. The moment we arrive at Cresundia, she behaves herself. She has an air befitting of a Tamer right now. The atmosphere of the Kingdom must have set her on the right path.

"That is how she usually behaves when many people are around," Andrea whispers duly. "She only has shame when new people are around."

"She has never considered us new people then," I remark.

"It is different," Andrea retorts hesitantly. "We felt death coming from all of you. It was like when we were first in your presence, we felt we were already dead. There is no reason to act reserved in the face of death, isn't there?"

"Is she used to us now?"

Some Warriors greet me as soon as they spot me. Adhering to my request, they bow politely and say nothing exaggerated and loudly. Andrea and Sofia flinch because of the sudden gesture. They do a good job of hiding it, but it is still as plain as day to me that they are afraid of the 20-foot-tall Minotaurs.

"No, and neither am I," Andrea finally answers my question.

"That explains the despair I feel from you," I offhandedly remark. "I thought both of you suffered from depression, at first."

The closer we get to my office—the palace—the more we encounter Warriors. Most of them are Cursed Creation Warriors since Cresundia is a military territory, but there are also a lot of human Warriors who behave like Cursed Creation Warriors. The latter need to tune down the amount of reverence they have toward me, though. Most of them still keep their bow even though I am no longer around.

Arriving before the gate of my office building, it immediately opens as if greeting me. Shanifa stands in front of me, bowing pristinely with a small smile. I am not good at expressing my emotions, but I can read emotions well thanks to my gift. No matter how well she hides it, I can tell she needs a vacation.

"Valeria will be quite free for the time being, so you may rest later. However, before that, I need you to brief me about the progress of the festival preparation."

"Understood, My Lord."

I walk past Shanifa, prompting her to walk beside me. As she talks about what she has done, I recall why I want to hold a festival. I want to 'loosen up.' I have been winning but never celebrated any of it. We have mourned a lot but never once did we celebrate. Although we did celebrate something at the Elven festival, that was not ours at the end of the day.

My meeting with my old colleagues also reminded me that it had been a long time since I sat and ate the same food with them. At first, I thought a banquet would be enough, but I immediately changed my mind the moment I recalled how the Warriors also needed a break. Therefore, I immediately told Shanifa to prepare for a festival while I was on vacation with the girls.

Of course, we will still get something out of the festival. Having a festival right after conquering a territory is a form of showoff. I want to tell the world that Cresundia no longer belongs to humans while also flaunting our resources. At the same time, I also want to share the feeling of festivities among the citizens.

Humans are the most unpredictable creatures. They can be the gentlest and also the fiercest. No one understands how their heart works. I have bound all of them with my Magnam Geas, but that won't stop their hearts from rotting. Although I have absolute control to stop them if they do something harmful to the territory, I would rather not kill a lot of people uselessly. Manpower is crucial in this world.

"So, the invitation is already sent and the festival will be ready in three days," I remark as I sit on my seat in my office. "What about the response?"

"Every one of our allies has responded. The Elven Race has confirmed that they will attend and Demon King Ilschevar has also guaranteed his presence."

Noting the hesitant look on Shanifa's face, I say, "Spit what bothers you."

"Why did you send an invitation to the Luxibrae Alliance?" she asks in genuine confusion. "What if one of the representatives decided to attend our festival?"

"Judging by your words, none of them would come, wouldn't they?" I chuckle faintly. "Had one of them decided to attend, we would do nothing. But I was sure none of them would accept the invitation since their attendance would be equal to their loss celebration."

"What if they decided to use this as a chance to attack us?"

"I would applaud them for their foolishness. Ilschevar and the Dragons will be attending the festival, after all."

"You have thought this through," Shanifa states, at a loss.

"How did they respond to the invitation?"

"The Luxibrae Alliance sent us a box filled with a Minotaur's testicles and a note saying, 'Suck on these!' It was quite a… traumatizing experience."

I can't help a snort coming out of my nose. I didn't expect that joke to also exist in this world. That is very disrespectful, but I have to applaud them for their response. They have a twisted sense of humor, but I find it funny. Though, I still have to find out which Warrior lost their family jewels. It doesn't matter if he is already dead, he deserves them back.

"Anything interesting to add?" I ask, putting my thoughts about family jewels aside.

"Demon King Ilschevar asked me to give him three empty invitations."

"Hoh? That is interesting, indeed."

Ilschevar is going to invite his close associates and that is surprising. Given how detached he is from the world outside Verniculos, it is quite baffling that he has friends. I don't know any of them yet, but there is a high chance that, at least, one of them is a Demon King. As for the rest, I am sure none of them is human. 

Gesturing at Andrea and Sofia who have been silently standing on the sidelines, I say, "Shanifa, can you bring these two to our newly built Warrior Complex?"

Shanifa gazes at them critically, causing them to stiffen up, before nodding her head. "I will bring them to the Middle-Class residence."

"That high, huh?"

The Warrior Complex is a special place to host our Warriors and their families. It has three residence tiers. From the most to the least grandiose, it has Lower-Class Residence, Middle-Class Residence, and Upper-Class Residence. Even though the tier works like a caste, the least grandiose residence is still way better than the average residence.

Each Warrior is assigned to the regions based on their achievements and contributions which doesn't have anything to do with their Ranks. On top of appreciating them for their service, I can also keep their competitiveness this way.

"They seem to have potential. Your judgment has nothing to do with my judgment," Shanifa clarifies, bringing my attention back to her.

"Good eyes."

Thanking my praise for her eyes, she excused herself along with Andrea and Sofia. As soon as the three women are out of the office, Millonia and Aurelia make themselves comfortable on the sofa not far from my desk. They could have done that when the three were still in the room, but they didn't. They have been acting professionally whenever I am in business mode lately.

As for Valeria, she only behaves carelessly whenever we are alone. Given that I have also entrusted Shanifa's job to her, she silently takes the reports and documents on my desk to help me do my job.

"We don't have much to work on; at least, regarding the festival. Everything is well executed," Valeria remarks with a hint of appreciation. "The only thing you have to do is give three empty invitations to Lord Ilschevar."

"I have them here," I point at the three envelopes on my desk. "I just need to throw them on his face."

"That is not wise. He is still someone you have to respect, after all."

"Ah, so you have always sided with him all along," I say bitterly. It is interesting to see the look of panic that strikes Valeria's face. It immediately disappears as soon as I chuckle, though. "Relax, I am just messing with you."

"You don't look like you are," she retorts, referring to my expression.

I just shake my head in amusement. Both of us are not the best at expressing ourselves. Picking up the letters, I open a Portal connecting me directly to Ilschevar's throne chamber in front of me. He looks at me as if he has been waiting for me. Using my Mana, I deliver the three empty invitations to him. I can feel Valeria quirking her eyebrow, but she doesn't say anything.

"My, what a polite Successor you are," he chuckles.

"See you at the festival," I say, ignoring his remark.

"Expect my attendance."

I don't miss his smirk as I close the portal. I know he has no ill intent toward me, but I have a great urge to punch his face.