As the carriage rolled into the Aurum Meadows, Jee-shahn was mid-yawn, his hair a bird’s nest of “cultivation fatigue.” Atop his head, the Azure Lizard clung on like a living, judgmental crown, looking equally disheveled.
“Master, we’re here!
Stop dreaming of wine and look!” Sora shouted from the roof, his fingers still twitching as he finished counting his latest chest of coins.
Leo, stepping out first, winced at Jee-shahn’s appearance.
“Lord Jee-shahn…
My mother is waiting.
Perhaps a brush?
A bath?
A sense of dignity?” “Beer,” Jee-shahn croaked, his voice like sliding gravel.
“Sora, you promised me the nectar of the gods.
If the beer in this palace tastes like horse water, I’m turning this capital into a parking lot.” Sora broke into a cold sweat.
“It’s top-tier, Master!
I swear on my gold!
Leo, help me out here!” Leo jumped in, nodding frantically.
“The Aurum Meadows brew is legendary!
It’s already waiting in the guest wing!” Jee-shahn gave them both a look so sharp it could have sliced the carriage in half.
The two of them froze, mid-breath, until the Monster finally sighed.
“Fine.
Lead the way, boy.” The Empress and the “Contract” While the rest of the household—Emiko, Lupa (clutching a glowing-eyed Shin), and the bickering Aiko and Shizuka—were led away by servants, Jee-shahn was escorted to a private solar.
He wandered in, expecting a keg.
Instead, he found Empress Faeloria.
She sat with a grace that rivaled Emiko’s, her presence filling the room like a quiet storm.
Jee-shahn stopped dead, blinked, and turned around.
“Wrong room.
This isn’t the bar,” he muttered.
“Sit,” Faeloria commanded.
The weight of her voice was enough to make even the Azure Lizard stop scratching itself.
Jee-shahn sat.
He leaned toward the Lizard and whispered, “Save me.
She’s got that ‘Emiko Look.’ I think she’s going to make me do chores.” The Lizard shivered.
“Master, if she decides to eat us, I’m sacrificing you first.
Her eyes are terrifying.” Faeloria didn’t waste time.
“Virellia is in crisis.
I need a power that can’t be broken.
I ofer you the crown, this country, my son Leo as your heir, and my hand in marriage.
What do you say?” Jee-shahn, whose brain had stopped functioning the moment she mentioned “marriage” (which usually meant someone else would handle his paperwork), gave a vacant, panicked nod.
“Yes, my lady.
I mean…
wife.
Sure.
Whatever stops the noise.” “Good,” Faeloria smiled—a beautiful, terrifying sight.
“Now, go to the throne room.
Silence the squabbling fools.
Prepare for war.
Move.” “Yes, beloved,” Jee-shahn replied on autopilot, stumbling out of the room.
The New Emperor Arrives Outside, Sora and Leo were waiting, ears pressed to the door.
When Jee-shahn emerged looking like a man who had just seen the end of the universe, Sora hissed, “Master?
What happened?
Are we rich?”Jee-shahn ignored him, looking at Leo with a dazed expression.
“Leo…
show me the throne room.” “Yes, Father,” Leo replied dutifully.
Jee-shahn nearly tripped over his own feet.
“Father?
Don’t call me that, it makes me feel old.
And responsible.
Two things I hate.” They reached the grand doors of the throne room.
Inside, the high-ranking Demi-Humans were screaming at each other, debating who should seize the vacant seat.
The doors didn’t just open; they cracked as Jee-shahn kicked them inward.
He walked in, his regular, dusty traveling clothes clashing with the gold-leafed pillars.
Snap.
With a single flick of his fingers, the air in the room became heavy enough to crush stone.
Every noble, general, and strategist slammed into the floor, pinned to their knees by a sheer weight of cosmic indiference.
The Azure Lizard reacted to the surge of power, its scales shifting and elongating until it became a jagged, divine crown of sapphire light atop Jee-shahn’s head.
Jee-shahn climbed the steps of the dais, turned around, and flopped onto the throne with a loud, bored groan.
He looked down at the kneeling, gasping crowd.
“Sora,” Jee-shahn called out, lounging sideways over the armrest.
“Drink.” Sora, ever prepared, produced a frosted glass of beer he’d swiped from a passing tray.
Jee-shahn took a long, slow sip, let out a satisfied burp, and looked at the terrified audience.
“Listen up,” Jee-shahn said, his eyes glowing with a faint, dangerous azure light.
“My new wife is very scary and very bossy.
She told me I’m the Emperor now, which sounds like a lot of work.
So, for the next few minutes, I’m going to sit here and drink.
You lot are going to stay on your knees and contemplate how lucky you are that I’m too lazy to kill you today.” He took another sip and winked at a trembling Duke.
“Welcome to the new administration.
It’s going to be a riot.