In most cases, mages were mysterious beings.
They often lived in seclusion, standing above the mundane world thanks to their extraordinary power.
While they might offer some assistance to mortal regimes, they rarely involved themselves too deeply in worldly affairs.
The power of magic meant they had no desire for mundane fame or wealth.
After all, magic could satisfy nearly any need, and for most of them, their greatest goal was to approach truth and delve into the mysteries of magic.
In most worlds where mages existed, they were like this.
This was true in the world of Warcraft, and also in the Type-Moon world, in Warcraft, if not for the constant world-ending crises that plagued Azeroth, with apocalyptic demons appearing every so often, Dalaran would not bother itself with the fate of human kingdoms at all.
However, compared to such peers, Alaric was different.
Although, like other mages, he pursued the mysteries of magic, he also actively involved himself in the struggles of mortals.
Not for power or gain, but for a sentiment buried deep within his heart.
This sentiment stemmed from his longing for his homeland, Earth, as well as from the time he had spent with these other worlds, through novels, anime, and games.
And since arriving in the Type-Moon world, he had developed new ideas.
Heroic Spirits were a unique feature of the Type-Moon world… no, its defining characteristic.
Heroic Spirits were beings formed from heroes whose great deeds were passed down as legends after their deaths, becoming objects of faith.
Even if such figures had never truly existed in history, heroes from myths and legends could still be born through the accumulation of belief.
To Alaric, the power of Heroic Spirits was extremely fascinating.
In worlds like DND, the faith of people could serve as a source of power for gods.
In the Type-Moon world, human belief, imagination, and legend could similarly condense into powerful forces, these forces being the very source of a Heroic Spirit's power.
In simple terms, the power of a Heroic Spirit was the crystallization of their experiences and humanity's collective imagination of them.
Although living people could not become Heroic Spirits, the source of such power corresponding to them still objectively existed.
Alaric believed that the Counter Force transformed Heroic Spirits through some special form of magic. Having already mastered the Third Magic, if he could grasp this method, he would be able to freely wield the power of Heroic Spirits.
Then, what kind of power would he gain if he could harness his own Heroic Spirit aspect?
He was greatly looking forward to it.
This was also one of the reasons why he continuously involved himself in human history, from opposing the gods in Greece to aiding Nitocris in Egypt.
After saying all this, it came down to a single point.
No matter what, Alaric absolutely did not want to become a queen.
In his original vision, the title he would leave in ancient Egyptian history should have been something like "the Sage who Revitalized Egypt," "the Close Friend of the Sun King," or "the Assistant of the Queen of Magic."
In other words, he should have been a figure similar to Merlin.
Who would have thought that wise Nitocris would suddenly tell him, he was not her Merlin, but her Guinevere.
His future titles in history might instead become things like "the Pharaoh's favored consort," "the Beauty of Egypt" (judging by feminine aesthetics, Alaric could indeed qualify), or "Divine Consort"…
Could he really accept that?
And yet, looking at Nitocris's expectant, almost animal-like gaze, Alaric found himself unable to refuse outright.
With no other choice, he decided to change the subject.
Thus, through subtle probing, he finally steered the conversation toward recent governmental affairs.
At the mention of this, Nitocris immediately began complaining nonstop.
"Those people are saying they can't allow someone of unknown origin to remain by the Pharaoh's side.
They're saying they're worried I'll be seduced by a man's looks, and that a foreigner must have ill intentions and could threaten Egypt, don't they understand?
Without you, Thoth, there would be no me, and no unified Egypt!"
As she spoke, she grew even angrier. "Clearly it was you who helped me. When I was at my most helpless, you were the only one who appeared by my side and stayed with me.
Where were they back then? And now they come pretending to be loyal, saying such things to me, this is just… just, "
These "people" she referred to were, naturally, the regional nobles who had chosen to submit during the rebellion.
For the sake of local governance, most of them had been transferred to Memphis. Many confiscated estates of disgraced officials had been sold to them, filling the state treasury in the process.
"Alright, alright." Alaric pulled Nitocris onto his lap. "Don't be so angry, Nito. It's not like you only just learned what kind of people they are."
"Even if you say that…"
Although sitting on Alaric's lap, leaning against his chest, and being gently stroked through her hair and ears felt comfortable, Nitocris still couldn't shake her displeasure.
"They dare to talk like that about my future queen. I should just punish them all," she declared domineeringly at last.
Hearing this willful decision, Alaric covered his face helplessly.
It was true that the kind and gentle girl he once knew had grown into a powerful and commanding queen, but perhaps she had become a little too domineering?
Why did she always jump straight to punishing people?
Thinking this, he continued to stroke her jackal-like ears while explaining with a wry smile, "This is a sensitive time, Nito.
Four years ago, we purged the nobles of Memphis, and during the unification war we eliminated so many rebels.
While those actions were necessary, they inevitably caused unease among the nobility. These people might just be using this matter to test us."
"Test us?" Nitocris looked up at him in confusion, though the sensation of her ears being stroked made her suppress a soft sound.
"Yes, test us," Alaric said. "They want to see whether we are only targeting rebels, or the entire class of nobles."
"If it's the former, they'll be delighted. After all, those high-ranking officials we eliminated were obstacles standing in their way.
With them gone, many positions have opened up, positions these nobles are eager to divide among themselves.
Even if common-born officials are talented, in terms of education and resources, they still can't compare to the nobility."
"But if it's the latter…" Alaric shook his head slightly.
"We may have been able to punish all the officials in Memphis, and we may have been able to wipe out the rebels across the land, but can we truly eliminate every noble throughout the entire empire?
Of course, with our power it's not entirely impossible, but it would be extremely difficult. And the resulting endless warfare might ultimately destroy Egypt itself."