Where do we end up when we save the world?
Where do we end up when we save the world?
New here? I'm Roha — want a quick tour?
I simply needed it for something else.
Just like that, they took and removed the best faction from the setting.
Stealing candy from children on the street, knocking over trash cans, and cackling maliciously.
This is very tempting, but I love Azazel too much to subject him to jealousy-induced suffering :<
| Year 834 He loved tending to flowers, and at home in the palace, he had his own private garden that he would not let even the servants enter. But in the garden through which he now walked, it was not flowers that grew, but something else—not cheerful, bright, and pure, but grim and, truth be told, horrifying. Here he was surrounded by various grotesque life forms: enormous tentacles, toothy maws, worms that inspired fear and loathing, and much more. But he understood that as long as the black-and-red scabbard with gold stripes remained at his belt, these creatures would not dare touch him. Eugian Reime, Emperor of the Reime Empire, strode boldly toward his destination—a couch of flesh and steel upon which slept Eia, one of the high demons of the long-forgotten Eos. Here, according to his father's order, thanks to devices attached to her body and the work of scientists, Eia gave life to monstrous creatures. Biological weapons, one of the secrets of the Reime Empire. No matter how much he wished otherwise, Eugian forced himself to visit this place to remind himself of the burden that those who bear the title of Emperor must live with. “Is it right to sympathize with a demon?”—the young ruler often asked himself this question. He wanted, if not to grant this demon freedom, then at least to release her from suffering, but he never dared to do so. The events of the “three-day war” thirty years ago clearly demonstrated that this weapon was necessary to secure his country against the Larian Republic. Just as Kamiya Ren achieved power in the territories of Akkerwald and Brightwin, Symphonia Reime seized the position of Chancellor of the Republic following the fall of Viridian T. Larian. Much time has passed since then and this position has passed through many hands, but all future leaders of Larian were represented by Symphonia's clan. According to what Eugian' same father told him, Symphonia had been corrupted by political struggle and would use any means to achieve her goals and, as time showed, was still intent on uniting the empire's territories under her own leadership—all for a dream she had pursued since her youth. Thirty years ago, she and her supporters attempted to seize the empire, but facing the threat of biological weapons being used on Larian cities, they hurried to agree to a truce. Project “Aquilegia,” despite its inhumanity, saved the empire from the ill intentions of its powerful neighbor. Eia, however, was not the only one in Reime's shackles. Numerous demons of Eos who survived the war, as well as Reime citizens with demonic blood, were resettled by Kamiya Ren into reservations in the east, where they lived and worked without access to the benefits of the empire gained during its rebirth and economic prosperity. And yet, in the event of war, it was they who were expected to be the first to stand in defense of the empire. Eugian Reime made certain attempts to improve their lives, but he understood perfectly well that this changed nothing. Nevertheless, despite his own guilt, he did not dare to change everything fundamentally, even though he possessed the necessary authority and influence to do so. Deciding that he had seen enough for today, the young emperor headed toward the exit of the “Aquilegia” complex. Eugian Reime (26) ascended the throne at the age of nineteen and over 7 years of his reign brought great changes to the empire's laws established by his father before him. Primarily, he abolished censorship and repeatedly expanded citizens' rights. Because of this, Eugian Reime was popular with the people, and beyond that, he was loved by servants for his sociability and kindness. He never abused his power and always treated those around him with respect, regardless of his status. Eugian sincerely works for the good of the empire and always puts the needs of citizens first. Despite this, he considered himself a weak ruler and suffered from an inferiority complex regarding his father, who was capable of turning any of his intentions and ideals into reality, even if everyone around him was against it. Unlike him, Eugian was not capable of this. Even if he was sure of the correctness of his ideas, he feared somehow harming his subjects in the course of new changes. In other words, the burden of rule was too heavy for him. Now he sat in one of the rooms of the imperial palace in the company of his sister, who had just returned from a trip to the beaches of Eren. Kamiya Rinze, unlike Eugian, was not burdened by state affairs and, having no financial difficulties by right of birth, lived for her own pleasure—traveling, engaging in music, painting, dancing, and everything that could interest her and bring her joy. Unlike him, she achieved success in all her endeavors. Eugian himself, although competent in many matters and questions, possessed no exceptional talents in anything, or perhaps he simply lacked the perseverance and self-confidence to see things through to the end. He finished his studies at the Reime Military Academy ninth out of seventy-five graduates, which was undoubtedly not a result one could be proud of, but also nothing to be ashamed of. The only thing he was better at than others was marksmanship, which eventually led the instructor to assign him the role of sniper; however, weapons, war, or hunting were not things he felt interest in, and so after graduating from the academy, he set the rifle aside. — How did your meeting with the Iksian ambassador go? — Rinze was not supposed to know state secrets, but since Eugian had trusted her since childhood, he often shared various pieces of information with her. Perhaps to seek advice, or maybe just to lift the weight from his soul. — Fruitlessly. Iksia proposes starting an economic war against Larian. I refused. — Hmm… That's not such a bad idea. Of course, our country also gains a great deal in trade relations with the Republic, but in the end, Larian gets more out of it, and as long as that old hag controls the government, we will always be in hostile own relations. Thanks to Iksia's market, we would get an alternative to Larian goods and could also start an initiative to create those industries that are poorly developed here. Of course, we will suffer immediate losses, but in the long term, our country will gain more than it loses. — Perhaps so, but many companies dependent on Larian exports will suffer colossal losses, goods will become more expensive due to costlier transportation, many people will be left without work… Even if the empire wins from this, its people will not. — Empathy is a good thing, but you must understand that your decisions at this moment can affect the state of affairs in the future, and the next generation might not thank you for it. A ruler stands above others precisely because he is capable of making the most effective decisions regardless of the sacrifices he must make to do so. In the end, a good autocracy is better than a good democracy, but a bad democracy is better than a bad autocracy… The main thing is not to become like Tiary. But you should already realize that you will not succeed in keeping your conscience clean and being an effective ruler. — ... — Eugian sighed heavily. — I could never beat you. Even if I am sure of the correctness of my methods and ideals, my arguments cannot overcome yours. Having finished with a pile of state affairs, the emperor hurried toward a room hidden from others, to which only he and trusted servants had access. Opening the door, he was immediately plunged into darkness. Light-blocking curtains prevented sunbeams from penetrating inside, so he hurried to turn on the lamp standing on one of the nightstands. When the light of the ephemeral lamp illuminated the room, Eugian's eyes moved toward the bed where a young woman sat, hugging her knees with her arms and burying her face in them. — Dia... Dia, it's me. — The emperor carefully sat beside the girl, who responded with a pair of tear-streaked eyes. Diascia was one of the numerous victims of Kamiya Ren's experiments researching "fragments of fate" and ways to forcibly awaken them in people. Practice showed that the experiments were most effective on subjects aged 8-12, so children were predominantly subjected to the experiments. And although the previous emperor managed to achieve success in these studies, the number of survivors was extremely low. When Eugian inherited the crown of the empire and learned about these experiments, he ordered them to be stopped immediately. Unfortunately, some of the researchers working on this project stabbed the emperor in the back and fled abroad with the research results, subsequently selling them to an unknown buyer. Despite this failure, Eugian helped the survivors with everything in his power, and Diascia became especially attached to him. Over time, it was discovered that she suffered from a number of psychological disorders and was panicky about everyone except him. In the seven years they had known each other, Diascia grew from a girl into an adult woman, but her mental problems remained with her. Eugian also became attached to her, but feeling that she was psychologically dependent on him as a result of her traumatic past, he did not dare give her what she wanted from him. At the same time, although he wanted to give her the opportunity to live independently, this did not seem possible due to her psychological state. Working with specialists led to nothing good; even the most diverse medicines did not help. Truth be told, Eugian did not know what to do, and this, like many other problems he faced, ate him up from the inside. — "If only I could devote more time to you...", — this was the only solution he could arrive at now. Who knows, perhaps with him, Diascia could gradually get used to the surrounding world and eventually live a normal life. However, in view of state duties, even such a simple thing was currently beyond his capabilities. |