[FMMIKA] Chapter 226: Meeting Gaia

As Artorius and the Artorias joyfully discussed the seventy-two 'fixing' methods for the Counter Force, the Counter Force—Gaia, was deep in pleasant contemplation, making final preparations before making an appearance.

In truth, Gaia had been eagerly anticipating a meeting with Artorius since yesterday. She genuinely wanted to have a good conversation with him about the fate of Earth and the future of humanity and hoped for a positive outcome.

'Though Artorius holds a dominant position, I am the Counter Force of this planet. As long as Artorius wishes to continue developing on this planet, he cannot do without my support! Conversely, with my support, Artorius's path can be more secure. It's a win-win situation.'

After thinking this through with great satisfaction, Gaia's mood shifted to worry and contemplation.

'But what about Crimson Moon...?'

While Artorius and Crimson Moon did not have direct conflicts, theoretically, they were not in a hostile state. However, given the recent events, including the near-complete 'fixing' of Altrouge and the obliteration of most vampires by the powerful light beam during Artorius's family battle, it was clear that, in practice, the empire had engaged in a conflict with Crimson Moon.

Gaia found herself in a difficult position, caught between them.

At least for now, Gaia still considered Crimson Moon a close friend.

'Let's have a good talk with Artorius, and for my sake, let's avoid further confrontation with Crimson Moon. It would be great if they could all protect me and be happy together.'

At this moment, Gaia felt rather self-assured.

She believed that Crimson Moon liked protecting her, and Artorius also enjoyed protecting her. So, they should be able to communicate effectively.

'Speaking of which, I wonder how Crimson Moon is doing lately... Well, after discussing things with Artorius, I'll go check on her.'

With this thought in mind, Gaia happily made up her mind, but later on, she realized she was mistaken.

When Gaia appeared in Artorius's office, there were no flowers, applause, balloons, shiny plastic banners reading 'Welcome, Gaia, Thank You for Your Guidance' or any of that sort.

Instead, there was a solemn atmosphere reminiscent of a court, and a group of Artoria Species, all of them had similar faces, cast suspicious gazes in her direction.

At that moment, Gaia felt an overwhelming urge to use the restroom, although as Counter Force, she didn't have that function.

To meet an important person like Artorius, Gaia had taken great care in dressing up. The Counter Force standing before the Pendragons now looked quite impressive.

She had beautiful, golden hair, sapphire-like eyes, a cute face with slightly chubby cheeks, a princess-like dress, and legs adorned in pure white stockings. Anyone seeing her for the first time would be drawn to her cuteness, moved by her grace, and ultimately bow down before her, becoming her loyal servant.

Of course, this didn't include Artorius and his mothers.

Without saying a word, the women of the Pendragons had already surrounded her from various directions. It seemed that they were just waiting for Artorius to give the order to pounce on her, beat her up, and lock her in the underground dungeon as Altrouge's neighbor.

Probably, the women of the Pendragons wouldn't hesitate to assist Artorius in various ways to fix Gaia like Altrouge. They would ensure that this Counter Force became a slave and someone who couldn't live without the Pendragons.

"Um, that..."

Although Artorius and his group hadn't said a word, the immense pressure made Gaia start trembling. She curled into a ball, then looked at him with pleading eyes, her voice shaky and on the verge of tears.

"I came..."

"Welcome, Gaia."

Artorius stood up and opened his arms as he walked toward Gaia and embraced her with a smile. This was, of course, a hug devoid of any desire or lust, purely a welcoming gesture.

"We've been expecting you for a while and we're very glad you could make it. Your arrival has brought radiance to the empire."

"..."

"Umm, yes."

Hearing Artorius say that and being embraced by him, Gaia was somewhat relieved and smiled again.

'It couldn't be better.' Gaia said inwardly. 'It seems that the ones who're unfriendly to me are these Artoria Species from the foreign world. Artorius has always been good to me. After all, he grew up here. In a way, I'm like Artorius's mother, right?'

But before Gaia could catch her breath, the next question from Artorius left her in confusion and anxiety.

"Our conversation determines the future of the world, so Gaia, do you have any plans for the future of our world?"

"..."

Gaia remained silent, not answering Artorius's question immediately. If possible, what she wanted was a world entirely for herself. Where everyone in the world, all living beings, revolved around her, thinking of her, and allowing her to live happily and carefree forever.

Of course, even if Gaia was foolish, she knew this was impossible. Through 'observations' of the future, Counter Force naturally knew that this 'world' had countless possibilities.

But in all these countless possibilities, not a single one allowed her to survive.

Whether it was the timeline of Land of Steel, Coral of the Moon, Human Order Incineration, or Human Order Revision, in this way or that way or some other way...

In every timeline, some humanity went extinct, and some survived. But in the end, Gaia couldn't make it.

In a sense, Gaia, who could foresee the future, had long known and realized one thing, that Crimson Moon was actually a scoundrel.

In some timelines, Crimson Moon would be beaten up by Magicians, Heroic Spirits, or Magical Girls and eventually perish.

But in some timelines, Crimson Moon could actually succeed, there was a possibility of defeating her—although even in those timelines, the ultimate victory might not be Crimson Moon's.

But, one thing was certain—Crimson Moon was a scoundrel, a scammer, and a scheming woman, a big liar who deceived her feelings.

But what else could she do?

Apart from Crimson Moon, what else could she do?

Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health, and the same goes for drinking excessively or being infatuated with some bastard. But at least in that moment, you could gain some comfort, a little peace of mind.

For the current Gaia, that was her only choice. When there were no good choices, she could only choose the relatively less bad one.

That was... until Dragon Emperor Artorius stood before her, bringing her a whole new choice.

"I..."

So, after a moment of silence, Gaia finally voiced her deepest desire.

"I want to survive."

She looked earnestly at Artorius, and then spoke these words, one by one.

It sounded ordinary, almost humble. But upon closer examination, one would realize that fulfilling Gaia's wish was extremely challenging. It was even more difficult than facing off against her and simply cutting her down.

However, in the end, after some contemplation and under the serious gaze of the surrounding Artorias, Artorius nodded and responded to Gaia's request with a positive attitude.

"I will do my best." The Dragon Emperor didn't make any grand promises. "I can't guarantee that you'll live forever, after all, in this world, nothing is eternal, do you understand?"

"..."

"But, as long as nothing unexpected happens, I will live to the end of my life."

After another moment of silence, Gaia nodded to his answer and replied, "I understand."

Artorius also nodded, confirming the conditions of the Counter Force.

"Is this all?"

"Yes, that's my condition."

"I see. Then, let's talk about my condition next and how I will fulfill your condition, you need to know that too." Artorius said calmly.

"...Go on, tell me. I'll listen carefully."

"..."

'Something doesn't seem right.'

'Weren't we supposed to charge in and beat this fellow to a pulp and toss her into the dungeon as soon as Artorius gave the order? Why hasn't that happened?'

'Could it be that Artorius actually wants to negotiate with this fellow? No way, right?'

'Quiet!'

Even though the Artorias around Artorius didn't speak, their level of understanding was so high that they could convey their thoughts with just eye contact.

Seeing Artorius and Gaia actually having a civil discussion, the Artorias were all surprised. They exchanged glances and even some of the Heroines were eager to take the lead.

Of course, before that could happen, Lion King frowned and used her sharp gaze to intimidate them into silence.

Perhaps it was because of her slightly older age, or maybe Artorius's favoritism, but Lion King had spent more time with him.

For whatever reason, Lion King had made rapid progress in these past few days, even surpassing Z, who was touted as the Heroine among the Heroines.

Lion King had become the strongest among all the Artoria Species.

Now, as they watched Lion King warned them, despite their displeasure, the Artorias had no choice but to hold their tongues and watch what Artorius and Gaia would say next.