Reincarnated as a Phoenix

Chapter 42.5 – Empire’s POV

---This takes place shortly after the city incident way back in the beginning, 0.5 is for that reason and is a little shorter than usual as well---

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Roughly ten months ago…

(Temporary Perspective Change)

“Thank you, chancellor Marcello”

The chancellor leaves the room now just leaving just me and Leone alone in the study, he’s just shared the damning news that we’ve lost an entire city in the blink of an eye, I really should be angry but all I can feel is disappointment right now. Leone is sitting on my study table while I’m in my desk chair.

“I already told you what would happen if you went down this route Alistair”

Of course, she now feels the need to start lecturing. She is the reason for it though.

“Must you start?”

“This is what happens when you ignore my advice”

That’s it, she’s getting me irritated now.

“Don’t you be acting innocent in all this, you’re the witch who decided to share this information with me and decided to try and capture that odd bird that just so happened to be hatched from a dragon”

“My goal is only to assist the royal family. If you tell me to do something stupid, then it’s on you. I didn’t misinterpret your orders and you know that”

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This immortal witch just sits there picking her nails, she really couldn’t give two shits about everything that’s gone down. Sure, I guess I could be a little more sensitive to all the citizens that were lost as well but I feel more aggrieved on the amount of progress we’ve lost, that city in question held a lot of this empire’s top soldiers. I guess this is the price to pay for trying to achieve an immortal empire.

Fucking dragons, why is it so hard to just capture one? Wyverns are an absolute joke to capture yet the thing we so desperately want, just cannot be achieved. So close, yet so far out of reach.

All we need is one dragon, then this empire’s future is all but guaranteed, are we asking for that much? Just one, lousy, stinking beast that we can put a crest on, must we suffer such injustice?

Of course, we come across the daughter of the only dragon my ancestors couldn’t capture or kill, it had to be that red monstrosity, didn’t it?

Oh, can’t forget I lost my brother Blake in that city, it’s a shame but he was always a bit of an idiot anyway. Still a bit unsure why Leone put that bird with him after the crest failed to apply but my best guess is that even she was a bit confused on the whole situation and just wanted to give me an update, I guess phoenixes must be resistant to the crest.

“*Sigh*… this really is troublesome”

“Why are you getting so concerned anyway? Just go and grovel up to them, the daughter is safe so you’ll survive, probably”

She’s really making that suggestion? That I, the royal prince who basically controls nearly an entire continent go and beg to some dragons for forgiveness?

It wouldn’t be hard to do such a thing, just would need to plan the whole thing out so that the situation would still end up in our favour, manipulation could work. Huh, that is something I could do thinking about it.

“Am I not allowed to be concerned?”

“Hmph, we both know the only reason you’re annoyed is that you’ve taken an ego hit, I did practically raise you after all”

Urgh, such great memories being raised by the woman who raised quite a few generations of the family. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she’s trying to manipulate me by bringing that up right now.

“You ever decide to try to use the pacification crest on me, you’ll regret it you know”

She just gives that laugh hmph thing she tends to do and continues on like usual.

“Hmph, it wouldn’t work anyway. Trust me, I tried it on your father more than once, I’m stuck assisting your family till the day I die”

She swore an oath to my great, great, great grandfather, might be skipping a generation or two but I believe it was one of them anyway, she’s been stuck assisting our family till the curse releases. Fortunately for us, she never realized there was a massive loophole in that agreement. As long as one of us sits on the throne, she cannot die of old age and has to serve the royal family.

It serves both parties well enough since she gets to live forever and this empire always has a mage of immense power serving us, she would get out of the agreement if she could though. Thinking about it, Leone might be even older than first thought, she was known as an immortal witch even before she signed the agreement with our family, I’m just fixating on pointless things now though.

“Ah father, I really wish such a thing did work now, that would’ve been better for everyone”

She gives a light chuckle to my comment, father has always proven a thorn in our sides ever since he passed on all empire duties to me, bad health plays a part in everything I guess. He still puts his nose in places he shouldn't even when he’s given my all this control I’ve been desiring since childhood.

He’ll still have the role of emperor till the day he departs from the world, hopefully that day comes sooner rather than later. Old bastard will probably live another thirty years knowing my luck, could just kill him in his sleep but really is no point. The only thing I’m actually lacking is the emperor title, I have all the power nonofficially from this role anyway. I do consider smothering him with a pillow in his sleep time to time though, especially when he starts arranging marriage meetings like usual.

“What’s your intention then? How do you plan to resolve this situation or are you just going to sit on your thumbs and see if this passes?”

I take a second to ponder an answer and start tapping at my desk again, it’s a tiny habit I need to stop when I’m thinking heavily on things.

“No, I’ll have to go visit them anyway, we now know that there are two potential dragons that we could get onside. The reward of such an action outweighs any annoyance I have at having to basically beg”

She actually shakes her head at me still sitting up on my desk, did I say something stupid? Of course I didn’t”

“You seriously still want to try and enslave them? I’m not against the idea but still, do you wish to sacrifice the entire continent if another mistake happens?”

“You made the mistake, remember? We’ll just take this very slowly and peacefully. Once they grow to hold a certain amount of trust in us, then we can try our luck with the black or brown one, maybe even both”

I know very much this an extremely dangerous risk to take but this empire has been slowly declining down to my ancestors for centuries now, at one time, we held three out of the four continents and thrived especially in the dragon ruling era. Unfortunately, controlling a nearly extinct species is something that we still struggle to do, even now.

Leone is always going to be on course with my schemes but she still holds her own reservations about the whole thing, I guess she’s the yin to my yang after all.

“And you don’t think the red dragon might respond?”

“Of course, it will get pissed but would it be able to kill its own family in response? This risk is more than justified now especially considering how much power we lost in that city”

“You always did like playing with fire. You’re really going to have to play a long game here though, if any of those dragons or that phoenix gets wind of your plans, everything will completely collapse”

“I know… but it’s a risk this empire needs to take”

I can’t help but give a smile to this, nothing wrong about taking a risk when the payoff is this huge. Not just one but two potential dragon candidates. If we can apply the crest in a way that the red dragon doesn’t even notice happening, then it should have no clue what’s happened to the others, the effected dragons as well will be none the wiser except have an extreme loyalty to this empire. I’m just convincing myself even further now.

“When do you plan to set off then?”

“The sooner, the better… I wonder, have captain Jekyll and that guard who survived, what was his name again?”

Reason for Jekyll is that he’s one of the strongest captains that I have left, it’s a good thing he was keeping the rebel situation intact. He may be powerful but even when I’m giving him less and less forces to allow the rebels more strength, he’s still able to hold the ground we’ve gained. That stalemate is really proving worthwhile for us.

The guard is just to have a familiar face for the family there, maybe it might make us appear more trustworthy rewarding someone who helped the dragons. I could probably give him back that dragon scale as well, that might help even further making us look like an empire who looks after our people. Maybe even give him a promotion as well, the flying knights could use some more members.

In all honesty, he should’ve died in that city like the rest of them but I reckon I can make some use out of him going forward, he seems a little inexperienced but definitely has some ability and backbone behind him, he did survive an Armageddon like experience after all.

“Nathan I believe it was”

“Yes, him. Have both of those two join us in a month or so, then we’ll make our journey in search of their cave”

“I’m coming along as well? You sure that’s a good idea?”

She actually looks a little irritated by that, I’m not allowing her to get out of this situation.

“You’re involved in this situation as much as I am… huh, maybe we can use the dragons love of their own children against them as well”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“It’s just putting on a face or act Leone, everyone knows you’re as vindictive as the Gods themselves so such a thing is impossible for you”

“Appreciate the compliment”

Of course she takes that as a compliment, doesn’t surprise me all honesty.