2719 Bare Minimum (Part 1) "Lith has made his choice and by my blood, it's the best he could!" Salaark roared. Mogar laughed, their voice devoid of joy and filled with mockery. "That was not the choice!" The beast replied. "As for your other question, do the clouds disappear after the storm? No, they just move along with the wind. You think the storm is over whereas it has just moved somewhere else. "The clouds are still there." Salaark went pale, gritting her teeth to avoid making a scene. She gave a deep bow to Mogar before bidding them goodbye and going back to take part in the celebrations. *** Gorgon Empire, floating fortress and capital of the Empire, city of Manaron. Milea Genys, the Magic Empress, had just received news of Elysia's birth and cursed the Imperial throne that both kept her from the celebrations and from having the time to develop a better relationship with the first Supreme Magus on Mogar. Having no time to waste in recriminations, she summoned Kella Sunbry-Genys to her office. The young girl was Dusk's host and Milea's adoptive daughter. She was now fourteen years old and attended the fourth year at the Red Emperor Academy. "Greetings, Empress. I mean, mother. Or should I say, Mom?" Between the sleepiness from being woken up in the middle of the night and her strained relationship with the Empress, Kelia was at a loss for words. "Mom or mother, please." Milea sighed. "If people hear you call me Empress, they'll assume we are on bad terms and try to turn you against me. Our citizens are not happy with my leadership and the last thing I need right now is dealing with a coup." "A coup?" Kelia and Dusk said in unison, her eyes flaring orange due to his influence. "Is there something in the water or has the people of the Empire just lost their minds? "We mean, the famine, the undead invasion from Jiera, the war against Veeza the Lich, the Undead Courts, and lastly Thrud! If not for you, the country would have crumbled!" "Indeed. Yet those are the very same weapons aimed at my throat to question my judgment and undermine my rule." Milea sat back and steepled her fingers. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢 "How exactly?" Kelia was astonished. "You solved those crises and fixed the aftermath. Heck, compared to the Wars of the Griffons, you dealt with Veeza's army painlessly. "Also, if you didn't beat her fast enough, the Empire would have been pincered between the Undead and the Mad Queen. At that point, our country would have dissolved." "You are right, but you are also na?ˉve." Milea had a chair come from behind, hitting the girl's knees and forcing her to sit down. "To our poor citizens, it doesn't matter that I solved those problems, only that they happened under my rule. "Hence, in their mind, it's my fault for not nipping them in the bud. From where they sit, fixing my own mess is not an achievement but the bare minimum." "How can anyone stop a mass invasion, a famine, or a mad Lich? Do the citizens consider you a god or what?" "Kelia, people like peace, and when they don't have it, they like to find someone to blame." The Empress had tea and hot pastries appear on her desk for an early breakfast. "At the same time, my enemies use those events, analyzing them in hindsight to find flaws in my decisions and claiming that they would have done better." "That's rich!" Kelia grunted, but after biting the first cream puff, she started stuffing her face, feeling more hungry than angry. She had been a poor orphan living on the streets for too long and had moved to the safety of the academy for too little time to shut down her survival instinct in the presence of warm food. "I would love to see any pompous idiot try to best you in anything. I asked Dusk if he could do better and he said no." "That's why no one has yet to make a move against me." Milea replied. "Talking is easy, dealing with real problems, not so much. During these crises my political rivals all backed me, no question asked, because they didn't want to face those monsters themselves. "They are waiting for the situation to calm down so that they can replace me and hog all the merit for my achievements since people would start noticing the effects of my reforms only after a new Emperor has been elected. "It's a simple, but effective plan." "And you are just going to sit there and take it?" Kelia would have spat out in surprise, if the thought of wasting food wasn't unbearable to her. She swallowed the muffin like a piton before talking, instead. "Actually, I've given it a thought." Milea said, making the girl spill her tea. "I mean, without this damn crown and throne, I could finally get back to my lab. I could complete the experiments I need to perfect my magic before sharing it with the Empire. "If not for my duty as the Empress, I would have long been a Magus!" She snarled. "Yet I've decided otherwise. I plan on using this time to set a few pieces in motion that will turn the political tide in my favor and once it starts, I'm going to need your help." "Me?" Kelia dumbly pointed at herself. "I've just acquired a bright green core whereas you are a bright violet. What can I possibly do for you?" "You can give a massive help in the colonization of Jiera." Milea touched her desk, triggering the activation of the hologram of a train. "After Magus Verhen's birthday Gala, I've reached an agreement with the Royals. "Their Train will transport our people as well during the first trip. We'll join our forces to make sure that everything goes well and then we'll go separate ways." "I thought we were going to move via a flying fortress." The Red Sun replied."When we had no better option." Milea replied. "Our fortresses are safer than a train but much slower. Also, between the famine and everything, I don't feel safe losing one and giving away the necessary food to feed the inhabitants of the fortress for the duration of the trip. "The train will allow us to send a skeleton crew. Once you reach the position of the chosen settlement in Jiera, you only have to establish a Warp Gate and after that, the Empire will have a solid foothold in two continents!" "It's a great plan, but why me?" "Because you are bound to the Red Sun and need experience." Milea sighed. "Your presence will strengthen our security and we can use someone who has access to most Divine Beasts' bloodline abilities. "Just Life Maelstrom alone increases our strength by tenfold. Don't worry, there is no rush, yet. You'll finish the fourth year and then go to Jiera during your break. You have plenty of time to practice and finish growing up." "Why so late?" Kelia asked. "I mean, it's winter for us and I'm already on break. It's summer in Jiera now. It's the perfect moment to move and avoid storms."