Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Seventeen days have passed since the end of the mana fire, and the basics of normalcy have returned to much of the world. The Fievegal’s seemingly endless supply of modernized trucks and buses created as a fusion of Earth designs and the magic technology of Zenkon have been a godsend in restoring the flow of the eastern economy, as well as providing relief supplies to the disrupted areas.

Urflasdat is slowly being repopulated, since the Citadel sent a special kind of mana-powered meter that, while ridiculously heavy in its lead shell, could compare the mana suppression around the meter with known adjustments in sterile conditions for various masses of radioactive materials summoned in the Citadel, which can be estimated for a more reasonable value.

As hypothesized, the radiation levels around Urflasdat dropped much more rapidly than one would expect, being in hazardous levels for the first week or so, and rapidly decaying down over the next few days.

Zuzia rests her head against the headrest of the sideways-facing seat of a bus hauling her, the mercenaries Wulfsten, Halkadon, and Verbert, a handful of Stalvaltan Guardsmen of higher rank, and Kalegrynten, the Grand Premier of the country known as Mattarglos, which is directly north of Ahmpur and controls Fort Peony.

The passengers of the bus are mostly quiet as it drives the group in relative luxury compared to the larger capacity, lower-comfort counterparts and military-style trucks carrying soldiers and refugees around. They’re all exhausted, and thanks to the relative calmness that everyone has been able to restore, it’s time for most of the relief teams to return home.

Most of the numerous Empresses and inner circle of the Fievegal have returned to the Citadel already for various reasons, including an exhaustion of their direct usefulness or to avoid creating new problems with Ahmpur as the nation took over the rest of the direct relief efforts.

Zuzia wonders if there will be any long-term diplomatic issues from the Fievegal’s near-literal occupation of another nation with extremely dubious permission. The Fievegal’s ability to fly over other countries and never cross their normal border crossings, meaning they can avoid tolls and inspections, which should be horrifying for the other developed countries of this world that have riches to lose and poor opinions of the Fievegal already.

She does wonder how and why the dragons were essentially ignored as a threat prior to the Fievegal, since they are flying superweapons, essentially, but their population is small and vulnerable, so it’s probable that they hesitated to go on the offensive when the odds were stacked too steeply against them.

“I’m surprised you didn’t return to the Citadel sooner, young Lady,” blurts out a gruff voice from the cattycorner seat to hers. Coincidentally enough, it is the feline Grand Premier, also lounging in his chair, covered in dirt and soot, and missing one of his ears from a battle long ago.

Zuzia opens one eye to look at him, asking politely, “Me?”

He nods. “I didn’t know it right away because you were mixed in with your gentlemen over there, but you’re the otherworlder Zuzia, right?”

“That’s right,” replies Zuzia, lifting her hair up to show the underside that is lighter than the grimy, tangled rats nest it has become over the last few days of work, bathing with cold water from magic crystals or heated drums of lukewarm water.

“The last of the Empresses returned a couple of days ago, to my knowledge, as well as our draconic friends.”

Halkadon jokes, “The dragons were making everyone nervous, so it was a courtesy, if anything.”

Kalegrynten briefly purses his lips as he accepts that as true, since it is. And Zuzia finally sits up slightly.

“You don’t think I’m one of Daniel’s mistresses, do you?”

“I don’t know much at all about you, my Lady,” replies the buff and gruff feline with a friendly tone, in spite of how deep his voice is. “Just curious what has a pretty lady like you hauling logs and clearing bricks all day and hanging out with a bunch of dirty old soldiers and laborers.”

The mercenaries and soldiers present chuckle or laugh, if they’re awake in the first place. Some are cleaning weapons, others are slowly drinking water or juice, and at least one of them is taking notes in a small booklet.

Zuzia replies with a smirk. “I could ask a grand noble like yourself the same question, Lord Grand Premier.” She bows playfully, hoping he takes it as the friendly jab that it is, but realizing that an aristocratic society like this might not favor that too much. That said, Kalegrynten has been present here and there when Zuzia has overheard or been part of Fievegal-centric conversations, and he seems to be on extremely good terms with the Fievegal, as well as good friends with Daniel, Neith, Magnir, and Treia.

The gatonine leader gives a hearty laugh, and he replies, “You otherworlders are a charming bunch.” He sits up to lean on his own thighs and talk to Zuzia directly. “I did assume there might have been some sort of relationship between you and Daniel, given the risks he took to free you.”

Zuzia smiles a little bitterly. “It was Neith and Serrentuk bearing the brunt of that risk, from what I saw first hand. But, you’re right. That would imply something.” She looks at her gloved hands. Her hands are scarred, especially on her knuckles and the backs of her hands and her palm that she was trying to prevent herself from being fully swallowed by the third-stage of Sayrdarralouche’s transformation.

“Imply, but only that much.”

“How much do you know about… what happened?” asks Zuzia. She looks at Kalegrynten, who cocks his head in turn.

He has a human face, but with a distinctly sharp canine tooth that is normally visible thanks to a scar across his mouth, and his nubbed-ear reminds her of an old tomcat that has remained king of his neighborhood for a very long time, relaxed and calm with anyone that isn’t his enemy, but fierce when it comes time for his claws to come out. Unlike most of the gatonines she has met, including Verbert, Kalegrynten could pass for a professional heavyweight fighter on Earth. This is even more impressive to the young woman because of his apparent age.

The gatonine looks around at everyone present, and he seems to think for a moment. He asks quietly, “Are you asking about something ‘special’, or an act of the divine?”

Zuzia replies with a dry scoff. “The first one.”

“I’ve known the situation the whole time. I don’t know what decisions were made. I believe it ended in the best way possible, given the alternative.”

Zuzia nods. Rumors are spreading that the ‘column of fire into the sky’ was some sort of gateway or terrible power of one of two truly supernatural powers beyond simple magic, which the denizens of Zenkon are quite familiar with; the first is the obvious; God or the ‘gods’ that various peoples recognize, and the second being the world itself, which is apparently considered some form of living being or even deity in its own right due to the presence of mana in the world.

“If it makes you feel any better,” starts Wulfsten. “This was one of the ‘cleanest’ disasters I’ve ever witnessed.”

Zuzia looks at the human mercenary, and Verbert adds in turn, “Less theft and,... uh… unwilling… ‘partnerships’.”

The Polish woman is quiet for a moment. She knows they’re not wrong. The goblins of the Fievegal are easily the most numerous of their soldiers and they cackle and laugh at the thought of looting everything in sight, only to maintain order by the threat that they have permission to loot criminals and enemy soldiers that they take down. This threat seems to be working, because a couple hundred goblin soldiers armed with pistols and compact machine guns were deployed to Urflasdat alongside dattakoriens, eastern races, and a couple of Uhl’tall officers, and public order immediately returned to the stragglers who either couldn’t or refused to leave the city after the fact.

“A small comfort, I guess, in the face of calamity…” Zuzia leans back in her seat and crosses her arms. “You have no idea how… irritating it is. It feels like… he’s getting away with it. And, he certainly hasn’t shown his face since.”

Kalegrynten replies quietly, “Daniel arrived at the Citadel severely wounded.”

Zuzia looks at him, and the gruff gatonine adds, “Veiranoei informed me before she returned to the Citadel.”

The honey-haired brunette nods as she takes it in. She noticed the Empresses dwindling in number before they stopped arriving at the campsites. Zuzia suspects she has some kind of assets watching over her, considering a golem is currently ‘living’ in her place under Yaulander’s iron fist. She knows Doephluev and Hekate, at a minimum, can come and go from the battlefield at will, and the dragons and Yaulwembor can obviously move extremely fast, even if they can’t teleport. Serrentuk can move through some sort of magic that allows him to use shadows as ‘doorways’ to each other, and if there’s even one makeshift Reaper drone watching over her from above, she likely won’t be out of sight of the Fievegal for the rest of her life. She appreciates that the bulk of the reasoning behind that is for Zuzia’s safety, but the best way to spy on someone is to convince them it’s for their own good.

“Well, if he can open his eyes and his ears still work, he better prepare himself for my wrath.”

Zuzia’s arrival at the Citadel after the bus ascends the main entry-ramp into the massive hangar, her subsequent demands to be taken directly to Daniel, and the scene she finds makes it a little awkward.

Daniel is, indeed, in bed and being held all but literally prisoner by the Empresses. The eyepatch isn’t for show, and Zuzia is torn between the same question Daniel didn’t know the answer to either; remove it or leave the remnants be.

He’s not crippled or broken, but seeing that he literally lost an eye gives Zuzia a moment of pause. She is hung up a little on the direct comparison to her last captor, and the irony doesn’t pass her by.

“Hey, Zuzia. I’m… sure you have a lot to say…” Daniel does his best to climb out of bed, and it’s clear that he’s exhausted. All of the women that have claimed some kind of close relationship to Daniel, or are already officially named Empresses, are gathered around Daniel’s bed, as if to protect him from Zuzia. Hekate is front and center, and Neith and Magnir are on either side of the American’s bed. She feels a little sad that they think she would simply storm across the room and murder him, though it definitely crossed her mind that the isekai protagonist of his own little story would surround himself with protectors.

No… Knowing these people, he probably didn’t make them protect him.

Zuzia states, “I’d like to speak alone, Daniel.”

Hekate starts to object, “No! As the Empress, I have a right to hear anything you’re going to say to him!”

Treia adds to that, “We don’t mean any offense, Zuzia, but you have to understand that Daniel is important to us and to the Fievegal.”

“He won’t keep it secret from us anyways,” retorts Geirahoel. “So, making all of us leave would be a waste of…”

“Ladies… Mukoris…” starts Daniel. Hearing it for the second time, even two weeks after the fact, his voice is hoarse and ragged, and his left eye is somewhat glass. But, his gaze is still the same as Zuzia knows, if a little more exhausted with a heavy weight behind it.

Ryuogriar is the one to sigh. “Earthlings are entirely frustrating…” She looks directly at Zuzia and approaches fearlessly, carrying the two infants she is responsible for; Fal the baby feldrok, and Samael, the dragon’s own recently born hatchling. “Lady Zuzia, it is because I trust you and your principles that I knew it would come to this, and that I knew our presence here was the right answer. Not because you would attack, but because I want you to know that we stand behind our Emperor, even if we don’t agree completely.”

“So, you know what he did?” asks Zuzia, her tone calm, but distinctly curious exactly how much anyone was told.

Jeavana replies, “Half of us were there. And, you’ve already talked it through with us.”

“Which is why I’d like to hear it directly from the man himself,” replies Zuzia. “For the last two weeks, I listened to rumors being spread by imperial soldiers, Ahmpur mercenaries, refugees, and everyone else that came and went for any reason. And, I was curious about why the Fievegal was remaining suspiciously quiet, and the Emperor himself hid away in his castle.”

A few of the women shift in irritation or anger, but Ryuogriar steps closer to Zuzia and whispers, “Mukori is a more gentle soul than you might assume, Zuzia. I am sincerely asking you to keep your condemnation… civil.”

Zuzia narrows her eyes briefly at the dragon, but the red-eyed dragon is not threatening or speaking condescendingly. She’s making an honest plea because she cares about both sides of the issue, but is clearly accepting of the outcome.

“Ryuo-Mukori…” starts Daniel, suspecting something cruel is being said, in spite of his requests.

The platinum-blonde dragon says over her shoulder, “Pay it no mind, Mukori. I was simply making a small request.”

Zuzia scoffs quietly, but she doesn’t object. Thanks to this, Ryuogriar says to everyone else, “We shall give the two some privacy for now. Hekate, your Greatness, my dear sweet friend…”

“Ughhhh! Fine!” snaps the feldrok girl. She says to Daniel, “Daniel! If you need me, I will arrive at once and attack with great vengeance and furious anger!”

Daniel asks quietly almost exactly one second before Zuzia can, “How do you know any of these references to only mix them up?”

Hekate’s ears perk up, and her tail twitches. She turns to look at Daniel, and he gives a somewhat gentle ‘shoo’ motion with his hand, and she narrows her amber eyes into a light scowl.

“Mała, I promise I won’t hurt Daniel. Even if he deserves it and even if I want to, which I’ve had some time to cool down, so I’m mostly just… disappointed.” She feels far more than simply ‘disappointed’, since there are a lot of people that will never receive justice, but in a way, from what she heard while working with the refugees and the search and rescue efforts that found a fair handful of people that could be saved, the thought that it’s an act of a god or other immensely powerful spirit is a bitter comfort in a way, because even though it’s heartbreaking, it’s something beyond their ability to have prevented.

While not true in the direct sense, since Daniel could have prevented it, she can understand why people would rather believe that it was a higher power than live in fear of a person just over the mountains that holds such a power. This was always a low-level threat that existed with the many superpowers of Earth, most notably, USA, Russia, and China, who were the living embodiment of the term "Mutually-Assured Destruction”, or M.A.D. for short. Not that most people were hiding in bunkers or anything, but it was a sort of tension factor, especially when there was talk of war, that at any moment, the radiation levels around the world would take a sharp upward turn inversely proportional to the sharp downward turn of the global population.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Hekate is the final piece of the dam, and everyone files out, with Neith being the last one to leave Daniel’s side, stopping a moment to pat Zuzia gently on the shoulder and give her a soft smile. It’s a relief that a badass dragon that risked his life to free Zuzia from becoming a terrible weapon while being horribly abused still thinks of her as a friend.

Once they’re alone, Daniel asks softly, “If you’ll allow me to, I won’t make excuses, but… I will explain myself. You deserve that much.”

“I think I’ve heard various versions of it already,” replies Zuzia as she approaches him. She sits on the end of his king-sized bed, since this appears to be his private quarters, though it’s devoid of any apparent personal effects, and is almost sterile with how plain it is, as if he just moved in.

Willing to hear him out, since she truly has had time to cool down, and seeing Daniel with his eye missing isn’t entirely enough, but it’s at least something towards his debt, Zuzia adds, “Hit me.” She leans back on her hands, mostly facing Daniel as her right leg hangs off of the bed. She has all the time in the world, sweaty and stinky as she is, to hear whatever it is Daniel has to say.

“For starters, I am sorry. I… would do anything I could if I had a guarantee of success, or that I knew the exact time that all would be lost so I could have detonated one second before that moment. With the information that we had, though, and with how quickly various other situations were deteriorating, I would make the same decision again.”

Zuzia’s expression already starts to tighten into a glare, and Daniel adds, knowing his time is quickly running out, “I regret that it came to it, but when I heard your resolve against taking action, I… lied to you and Rikuto to get you to believe we were on the same page…”

“Damn right you did,” growls the brunette Polish woman. That said, he is hitting on all of the points that anger her, and though she can feel that anger welling up, Daniel does seem to be sincere. It’s not that he’s shameless or unapologetic.

“I decided it would be better if the burden was mine and mine alone, even if you hate me.”

“Even if I killed you?” asks Zuzia, now letting her anger slip by.

“Many people would have fought to stop you, but… yes. If I must die, then I would simply be one more life added to the price tag which saved the millions or billions more on this world. I regret the loss of life, but not nearly as much as I would have had we failed.”

“There was still time!” snaps Zuzia, sitting up. “Men, women, children, elders. All of them innocent. None of them were hostile. Their futures are gone now.”

Daniel nods. “I told you I won’t make excuses. I made a terrible calculation that had to be made. The factor of time was a gamble, and I don’t particularly like to gamble.”

Zuzia balls her hands into fists. Daniel remains calm, even though Zuzia could vaporize him, the wall behind him, and potentially the wall behind that with one punch if she puts all of her strength into it. She’s not going to, but she hurts for all of the people who were lost due to a deliberate action. Logically, she hears his words. If the supereruption, Sayrdarralouche, or even simply the mana-fire’s width reached their critical points, there would be nothing that could be done.

Since there were remnant mana fires after the detonation, they likely were close to the breaking point for just the mana fire’s width alone.

But, Daniel’s direct action took innocent lives, and she can’t simply ignore that fact.

Suddenly, motion catches her attention. She watches with a bit of surprise as Daniel slowly and wearily slides his legs out. They aren’t crippled, but his exhaustion is apparent in every movement. He seems like an old man at the moment, in spite of his physical appearance seemingly ‘pinned’ to his young twenties, just like Zuzia, who is 29, but looks every bit like her 21 year old self here on Zenkon.

Once he’s on his feet, Daniel sinks to a knight-like kneel in front of Zuzia. He says calmly, “Zuzia, I know what I’ve done. I am sorry that those lives could not be saved, but I genuinely believe I didn’t have an option. If anything else went wrong, all would have been lost. I won’t ask for your forgiveness until I have done more to repay what I’ve done, and to that end, my goal is to work actively to make the lives of everyone better, including the survivors and families of Urflasdat, the families of the fallen soldiers and laborers, and anyone harmed by the fallout. And, I promise to work towards this end, both as the Emperor of the Fievegal, and a man of Earth, who knows exactly how terrible using the nuclear weapons at all could be.” He looks up at Zuzia, asking with sincerity visible in his surviving left eye, “I will need your help. Help to prevent the need for making a terrible choice in the absence of tolerable or good options. I need the strength to protect the world, and there is something far worse than the mana fire that I’ll need to prepare for. You can do what you must with me if you feel that threat can be dealt with in my absence, and frankly, it probably can. Somehow. But, I have ideas, and I am willing to give every single one of them to try to stay ahead of the escalation of threats our enemies and even forces of nature are posing. So… even if you can’t forgive me right now,... Can you… Will you, Zuzia, help me stay at the cutting edge to protect the future?”

Zuzia stares into Daniel’s left eye, which is ironically easier than not knowing which eye to look at if he had both. He currently has the destroyed flesh hidden under an eyepatch, and his left eye, which is a deep, dark brown full of the weight of his decisions, seems to show a window directly into Daniel’s soul.

The Polish woman looks to the side for a moment, asking bitterly, “Are you trying to become a hero to the world? The protagonist to your own little isekai story?”

Daniel smiles slightly, and his reply is just as sincere, even if his voice is raspy and a bit gravelly compared to when she met him before. “No. I have no strong desire to return to Earth, nor a need to fight and slay the gods of Zenkon or God almighty Himself. I pride myself on not being a middle-schooler, and no actual god has the attention span of a child needing entertainment. But, at the same time, work that may save the world needs to be done. And,... I am the Emperor of the small, a worker bee flung into a position I’m probably not suited for.”

Zuzia gives her own snort of cynical amusement.

The American adds, “I don’t need the accolades of a hero. I just want, I demand, the ground to still be underneath all of our feet, whether I’m the one who keeps it there or it’s someone else. Glory, fame, and honor are meaningless if the world is nothing but ash.”

Zuzia turns her gaze back to his. He does his best to smile, not in a fake or deceiving way, but hopeful that, at the very least, they can cooperate.

The brunette lets out a long sigh. She replies, letting some of her bitterness seep through, “You know, they’re calling what you did an act of ‘God’, or I guess, Amalaskae, since I heard ‘Goddess’ a lot…”

Daniel gives an awkward, somewhat guilty expression, but Zuzia continues to her actual point. “I will not accept anyone treating you like a hero for this event… I know I can’t stop your little harem, since… ultimately, I agree… with the end result. I know the world isn’t dead, and you merely took a few fingers from the other hand when you chopped off the bad arm… I know that, but… It was murder. Heroes don’t commit murder.”

Daniel shakes his head. “I agree. But, I’m not a hero. I’m not a god. I’m not even a particularly… not even remotely good Emperor. I’m just a relatively proud American from a small town that’s decent at fixing things or figuring out how to explain them to the right people. If noone talks about me ever again, I won’t be upset, as long as there is a world for everyone, especially the children of the future, to live in.”

The young polish woman ponders his reply, hearing his words. She would be upset if he intended to try to cash in on a heroic reputation for saving the world, when the thing he had do in order to accomplish it was about the worst possible thing that could be done, and could have easily been far, far worse if the evacuation hadn’t progressed as far as it already had.

One more idea hits her, though, from what Zuzia has gathered speaking to Neith, Treia, and a few others in casual conversation, it’s the least likely because it would be the exact same thing he’s fighting against when he’s not working against literal monsters.

“So, you want to sell the ‘fixes’ and security that are needed because of things you’ve done, is that it?”

Daniel’s expression pinches slightly as he makes all of the same relevant connections Zuzia does. From a certain British classic written in the 1930s to the constant revelations of living conspiracies exposed on the internet for all the world to see, creating the problem and selling the solution has always been a popular borderline between fiction and reality, very much blurring the line because what really does happen is often just as strange as the fiction that doesn’t. All the better if the problem also makes money for the ones pulling the strings.

Daniel replies, “Capitalism, in its purest form, is the strongest form of human interaction. The purest form of fair exchange. I believed that then, and I believe that now. People are the problem with all systems, and if it were up to me, the most fair and balanced capitalism ever would be my only goal, not… the rampant corruption we both know exists.”

Zuzia nods. She’s not foolish enough to believe that she or Daniel are incorruptible, since they’re only human. But, what makes her relieved with the man in front of her is the fact that he is fully aware of that fact as well, even if he is holding the title of Emperor.

The brunette takes a deep breath and exhales. Daniel sounds sincere, and he has pledged to work towards repairing the damage. It’s not as good as answering for the deaths of innocent people, but Zuzia isn’t naive enough to believe that putting him in jail or killing him would serve any real purpose. The mana fire had to be stopped. She closes her hand into a fist over her heart, resting her eyes closed for a moment as she resolves herself to never forget about them.

Zuzia opens her eyes and offers her hand to Daniel. She states bluntly as he looks at her proffered gesture, “I’m not forgiving you, and I may never do so. But, you’re more useful alive. And, I kind of want to watch you suffer the weight of the crown itself.”

Daniel manages to chuckle, and he shakes her outstretched hand. “It was already pretty heavy… And I don’t even wear one.”

Zuzia nods, and after their handshake, Daniel starts to stand up. Zuzia is just fast enough to catch him when he starts to fall. He still has a decent build for his height, most likely gained through his work surviving this world and constantly going on adventures.

There’s an awkward moment between them as Zuzia supports his weight, and she helps him stand all the way up to return to his bed.

“Thanks…” murmurs Daniel.

“I’m only angry at you. I’m not a jerk…” replies Zuzia softly.

She doesn’t hate Daniel, even if she hates what he did. She will never, ever feel anything romantic towards him at this point, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work towards the same goal. ‘Friends’ might be a stretch, but there are a lot of reasons for them to work together, and only feelings of justice or revenge to counter that.

Zuzia helps Daniel back into his bed, and he states, “I think all the exhaustion has finally caught up with me… That, and the painkiller I’m taking is sapping whatever I do have right back out…”

“Sure, sure, House. A star emperor over here.”

Daniel laughs as he lays back against his pillows. “Keep it up, and you’re going to be the same rank as Neith.”

“What, ‘General’?” retorts Zuzia with a more joking edge to her tone returning.

“Grand Prince.”

Zuzia’s smug expression drains, and she stares at Daniel. This time, it’s his turn to grin deviously. “Don’t worry. It’s a win-win. You’ll technically outrank Yaulander.”

Zuzia turns and starts to walk blankly towards the door. She stops and turns to say something, just as quickly abandoning it and continuing towards the exit. When she’s almost to the door, hearing Daniel chuckle, she turns and says, “I’m going to take a long-deserved soak in a nice hot bath. I’m going to get a stiff drink of the hardest liquor you have. And then I’m coming back up here to kick your dupę, whether you’re still crippled or not.”

Daniel laughs, which starts a short coughing fit. He gestures when she starts to move towards him to signal that he’s fine. Once he can speak again, he says, “Ask Kera’tai where the work-in-progress room is. You won’t be disappointed. Your Majesty.”

Zuzia glares at him, and she points at him to say something else, but the idea of it is mind-boggling. Ryuogriar teasing that she would be made a noble was one thing, but a Grand Prince or Grand Princess, especially the latter holding her own title, is effectively a ruler of a piece of the nation unto themselves. Not only that, she’d be entangled into the world of politics in the most contentious nation on the continent right now, if not the world.

Unable to form the right response in her head, Zuzia simply whirls and flings the door open, finding many, but not all, of Daniel’s companions waiting. Hekate races in to check on the American, and Zuzia spots Kera’tai. “Kera’tai, if you would…”

Zuzia doesn’t antagonize the others at all, simply dismissing herself with, “He’s fine. Excuse me.” She then approaches the Chi’rinnis, who politely greets her.

“Zuzia, thank you… What can I do for you?”

Zuzia closes the distance and says softly, “Daniel told me to ask you to show me to the ‘work-in-progress’ room. I assume you know what that means?”

“Work-in-progress?” repeats the tribal-looking forest nymph. She visibly thinks for a minute, and she perks up. “Oh! For… a bath?”

Zuzia is relieved, and she nods. “Yes.” She quickly makes a realization, since Kera’tai is one of the Empresses. “This… will be just a bath, right? Hot water, soap… maybe shampoo?”

“I don’t know what shampoo is, but yes. Well, it’s a better bath, but it’s not fully finished, yet. But, it’s usable.”

“And… the water is… clean, right? You and Daniel…”

Kera’tai giggles, and she grins playfully at Zuzia, remaining suspiciously quiet for humorous intent. She then answers sincerely, “Yes, the water is cycled and cleaned regularly. You will not be joining the mothers of the Fievegal so easily.”

Zuzia scowls at the Chi’rinnis Empress, and she replies with a feigned icy tone, “I’m gonna allow that, because I’m covered in three weeks of grime, and I want to finally relax.”

“Yes, of course. Follow me.”

Zuzia can feel her body relaxing. She hasn’t felt truly safe since coming to this world, but the calm atmosphere inside the Citadel, in spite of its lonely size, is comforting.

And, when Kera’tai shows her to the ‘bath’ room, it is a similarly dragon-proportioned room with how gigantic the space is, but with all of the facilities fit for human-sized occupants.

In order to lure Zuzia back to Mornistae, which was as transparent as modern polycarbonate, Rikuto promoted his Japanese-style bathhouse, which continuously runs hot and warm water through a large tub that can be used by multiple people at a time.

What Zuzia is looking at now fully constitutes an entire spa, including a swimming pool that isn’t yet finished, a bubbler-jaccuzi, what appear to be several basins for various other kinds of baths, and more.

Zuzia looks at the Chi’rinnis Empress, and the pretty nymph smiles. “Take your time and enjoy, Zuzia.”

“I… is there a changing room? Wash-down station?”

“This one is for the royal family, which is why it’s not yet finished. You can wash the main grime off over there, with the showers, if you want. The water is adjustable in temperature. Soap’s over there, though it’s a simple kind. The rest… Uh… Daniel and I didn’t play with too much yet…”

Zuzia looks at her guide with a skeptical gaze.

Kera’tai smiles innocently. “No one will be angry if you spray water everywhere, Zuzia. So, feel free to try things out, since you’d know better than I do.”

Zuzia sighs. “Alright, that’s fair. Thank you, Kera’tai. Truly.”

“Thank you for going easier on Daniel than we all feared…”

“I haven’t forgiven him, but…” Zuzia sighs. “There’s not much to gain from getting rid of him, and it seems like he has remorse for what he did, which is a start.” She then makes eye contact with the naturally-striped woman. “How did you know? Were you just eavesdropping the whole time?”

“Well, you apparently only raised your voice the one time, which Hekate heard. She worried, but we managed to keep her from barging in, since Sir Neith and Ryuo both insisted you were worthy of being trusted.”

“I appreciate that… I just… worry about the fallen… and the justice they’re owed.”

“You’re right, which is why the Fievegal will be committed to making ourselves stronger so we can prevent it from reaching that point again. And, even if it does, we can help everyone that we couldn’t help this time.”

Zuzia nods. It’s pretty much the same thing Daniel said; a logical answer to a heavyweight problem, and one that doesn’t go away just because you smack down the person doing the best he could in a terrible situation.

“I’d like to relax here for at least an hour or two… I don’t expect to drown, but if you have someone you can send in to check on me occasionally…”

“Yes, I’ll make sure someone checks on you.”

“A woman, specifically. Just in case I need to say that,” adds Zuzia with a slightly embarrassed grin saying it out loud. She doesn’t have a strong preference for her own intimate time, but for someone just checking on her, she’d prefer they not try anything funny with Neith, Magnir, or Serrentuk. And definitely not Daniel, of course.

“Yes, of course,” replies Kera’tai warmly. “I’ll leave you to it then. Please ask for Xyreko if you need anything. She can generally observe any room in the Citadel by some means. And… she can be quite discreet.”

Zuzia sighs. She almost feels like Kera’tai thinks she’s a degenerate. But, it doesn’t matter. She’s here to bathe and finally unwind.

That’s the goal, anyways.

***