[FMMIKA] Chapter 240: New Alliance and Next Goal

The experiment was a success.

The once rebellious and seductive Queen of Connacht had become the most devout follower of the Dragon Emperor.

A new chapter in the empire's history had been written.

Although the secrets of reincarnation authority were not fully in the empire's grasp, this was undeniably a good start.

Everyone was delighted, except for the slightly mysterious gaze of Scathach, who sat by with a knowing look.

They all gathered happily for a celebration.

The Artorias, as usual, took advantage of their numbers, filled their bellies, and then dragged Artorius away one by one for a wild time on the bed. The scene was chaotic, and Medb, seeing it for the first time, wore a slightly perplexed expression.

"So..." Scathach, sitting beside Medb, said casually, "How do you feel?"

Ignoring the mess of plates and cups around them, the Queen of the Land of Shadows spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Ahh, how should I put it, it feels very complicated."

Medb, who could easily be considered a stunning beauty and had the potential to be a troublemaker capable of stirring up conflict in any country, wore an expression that matched her tone. Indeed, it was all 'very complicated.'

"It's as if all the hundreds of years of my life before now had no meaning at all."

"Clearly, those were things I did myself, and at that time, I understood my intentions, thoughts, and even the logic behind them. But..."

At this point, Medb shook her head.

"Now, looking back, it's as if it was someone else's story."

"The past is the past..." Scathach said, watching Medb's melancholic expression.

She didn't care about Medb's past, as she had mentioned before, and just as she had said, none of it mattered. What was important was the future, what Medb would do within the empire from now on.

"Well, in the end, I'll just have to obey the great and supreme emperor and carry out my duties diligently." Medb replied, causing Scathach to wear a somewhat skeptical expression.

"That doesn't sound like something you'd say."

"Maybe not..." Medb continued, "My thinking, logic, and intelligence are intact, and I know I'm not brainwashed either. I've just accepted a series of 'cognitions' and 'views' from the empire."

"The Empire represents Humanity."

"The Dragon Emperor represents the Empire."

"The will of the Dragon Emperor is the will of Humanity."

"The Dragon Emperor will lead the Empire to fight for the development, existence, and well-being of Humanity."

"To obey the Dragon Emperor, to obey the Empire, to dedicate oneself to it, is to be a Hero of the Empire, a Hero of Humanity. It is what we, as Heroic Spirit, must do."

"...I see."

Although she had known this for a long time and had even contributed to this theory as one of the designers of the Throne of Empire, Scathach found herself with a somewhat subtle expression after hearing Medb say those words with conviction.

"Do you really believe in all of that?"

"It's a rule engraved in my soul..." Medb said earnestly to Scathach.

When she said this, Medb's expression was very serious, completely different from the woman Scathach had known before, who was selfish, arrogant, and always acted like a foolish young girl.

"Can you be more specific?"

All of Medb's answers didn't satisfy Scathach at all; in fact, quite the opposite.

Scathach furrowed her brow and said to Medb, "I don't recall that the entry of souls into the Throne of Empire would change their belief or ideology into that of a hero."

"The question is... why should I tell you?" Medb retorted.

Listening to Scathach's probing, Medb finally wore a sly expression, tilting her head as she looked at Scathach. This nostalgic demeanor, oddly enough, made Scathach breathe a sigh of relief.

Indeed, even though her belief or ideology had been altered, her core remained that mischievous and charming girl who inspired both affection and annoyance.

Although Medb refused to answer Scathach's question, that denial was, in a way, an affirmation.

Since that was the case, it was enough.

"Because our interests align, I want to ask you... you want to pledge loyalty to him and give everything to him, right? But does the Dragon Emperor truly need your loyalty, need your 'everything'?"

"..."

"That's my business, not yours."

Hearing Scathach asked that, Medb's expression stiffened slightly, but she pressed on, somewhat brazenly declaring:

"With my abilities, I can make significant contributions to the empire and earn the favor of His Majesty."

"Is that so?" Scathach continued to gaze at Medb. After a moment of silence, Medb's expression no longer exuded the same confidence. She dared not lock eyes with Scathach again, choosing to look elsewhere.

"There are too many Artoria Species..." Scathach said.

Medb remained silent, but Scathach continued:

"Hundreds of them."

"And they each have their unique qualities."

"Their 'loyalty' to the Dragon Emperor is second to none..."

"So, even if you want to offer your so-called 'loyalty', the Dragon Emperor may not necessarily need it."

"Then, what about you?! Did His Majesty need yours?!" Hearing Scathach's words, Medb finally couldn't hold back her frustration as she asked Scathach loudly, "I know you like His Majesty, but it's clearly just a teacher and disciple relationship! You're no different than me!"

"..."

Scathach didn't respond to Medb's retort. She simply smiled and watched Medb in silence. After a while, it was Medb who lost her momentum because she knew her words were off-base.

Even if Artorius had only given Scathach a fraction of his attention, it was still more than Medb could ever hope for. After all, she had nothing to begin with.

"Let's cooperate."

After an awkward silence that lasted for a while, Scathach spoke up again.

Given her advantageous position in terms of mindset and resources, she was more direct in her words and said:

"Right now, those Artoria Species hold the upper hand. They are numerous, each with unique skills and personality, and they receive more favor from Artorius.

They occupy the vast majority of resources and can present a united front. If this continues, there won't be any room left around Artorius for anyone who isn't an Artoria Species. Fortunately, this situation is starting to change.

With the establishment of the Throne of Empire, more women loyal to the Dragon Emperor will emerge. The Dragon Emperor will undoubtedly take an interest in them. But the problem is... if it comes down to a one-on-one fight, we are still no match for Artoria Species. So—"

"So, what you mean is... we, as a non-Artoria Species, should unite as well? To better serve His Majesty?" Medb interrupted Scathach and asked with understanding.

"Yes, we should unite to better serve him."

With these words, Medb and Scathach exchanged smiles, their intentions clear without words.

Thus, an alliance that would forever remain loyal to the Dragon Emperor was born.

It was easy to imagine that as the empire expanded rapidly, this alliance would grow swiftly in numbers and loyalty to the Dragon Emperor, perhaps even surpassing that of Artoria Species.

After all, no matter how many Artoria Species there were, they couldn't possibly outnumber the non-Artoria Species. As the denominator grew larger, the numerator became less significant.

Perhaps the day would come when their loyalty exceeded that of Artoria Species, and the alliance would fall apart.

Of course, judging by the current situation, that day was still far off, very far off.

Despite Scathach's assistance and Artorius's interest in the new Medb, Medb's first performance was less than good.

Compared to Artoria or Lion King, who had excellent physical abilities and a squad of knights at her disposal, Medb, who needed a carriage just to leave the house, was rather useless.

Perhaps she was technically stronger, but it didn't compensate for her lack of physical prowess and stamina, as she was easily overwhelmed by the Dragon Emperor's 'spear' prowess in bed.

In the end, it was Scathach who had to step in and satisfy the Dragon Emperor's raging 'spear'.

From this perspective, the non-Artoria Species alliance still had a long way to go.

'It's a good start.'

Artorius's mood was in stark contrast to Medb's less-than-ideal feelings as he was in high spirits.

'The Throne of Empire is complete.'

'The space base and space expansion are on track.'

'Now, it's time for...'

'Humanity affairs.'

'Proper human history.'

'And a deeper understanding of the 'Age of Gods'.'

'The empire's expansion will shift from 'space' to 'time'.'

Thinking of this, Artorius smiled happily and turned to look at the tired and disheveled Scathach, who was sitting half-dressed on the bed, covering her vital parts with a blanket and smoking a post-coital cigarette.

"Teacher."

"Hmm?"

When Scathach looked over with a furrowed brow, Artorius asked with a smile, "With the empire's technology, can we create a time machine?"

"We can... but, what do you want to do?"

"I just want to know, the actions taken by that King of the Demon Gods. Has he progressed to a certain extent? What about the organization known as Chaldea, the one responsible for maintaining human order? How far have they gone?"

Artorius's question wasn't meant for Scathach but for Gaia.

"W-Well, you see... it's not that I don't want to tell you, but when it comes to the world's timelines..."

"I know..." Artorius nodded, understanding Gaia's point.

If one could control time, it wouldn't be a problem to travel to any point in time. So, the progress of King of the Demon Gods or Chaldea didn't really matter—provided one could withstand the backlash caused by time paradoxes.

'First, let's choose a less significant Singularity.' Artorius thought to himself, 'Let's test the waters first, and then... of course, that will have to wait a long time until the empire's technology reaches the point where we can cut through timelines as we please. Time, if only I had spent more time with that girl Aoko."

"Your Majesty~"

While Artorius was still contemplating, a soft voice came from beside him.

It was Medb, who hadn't yet learned her lesson and was once again extending her invitation to serve the Dragon Emperor loyally.

"Haven't you learned your lesson?"

Artorius laughed joyfully, temporarily putting aside serious matters.

Saving the world, altering timelines, tampering with proper human history—all of these things could wait.

"Let's start with a small goal. First, let's 'completely' control this world."

"Ahh~ ahh~ mfhhh~ slowerrr~ Your Majesty~!"

Amidst Artorius's joyful laughter and Medb's sensual cry, the timeline began to change.