Queen Calista turned around, facing the duo with a small smile. The small rain cloud above her palm dissipated, igniting in a fit of torrential winds and rain before fading quickly. Her furry ears and tail twitched as she glanced upon the two Vulpur's standing before her. Felonious took a step forward, kissing the queen's palm before speaking.
"I apologize for my extended lack of absence, but that's not the reason we came here."
He took a step back, slowly nodding his head. "One of the emperor's closest advisors had a particularly troubling mission for me."
Felonious dug into a hidden pocket of his robe, taking out the folded letter. Following this, he handed it to the queen with a solemn expression. Queen Calista took the letter and pursed her lips as she unfolded it. Upon seeing the contents of the letter, she arched an eyebrow. The queen remained silent for a few seconds before looking back up at them both.
"This Kael asks of us numerous professions that we don't have, or at least, have very little of?"
Felonious nodded his head. "I find the whole ordeal quite strange. Perhaps he doesn't know much regarding our culture?"
"I wouldn't doubt that. The Katshin Empire claims to assume the position of deities. I presume you know what they've been doing for the past half a millenia?"
Both of them recalled their brief historical knowledge regarding the Katshin Empire. According to countless entries and first-hand sources, the Katshin Empire was prestigious in almost every aspect of an empire's betterment. They had ample crops, a good army, intelligent leaders, but all records of such a concept dated past the era when Emperor Katsuki's mother claimed the throne.
She was actually an outsider to the country, one who challenged the ruler in a ceremonial battle to claim the throne. Due to her being a skilled and respectful warrior, she usurped the previous king and claimed the throne for herself, only to pass it to her son shortly before her own passing.
When Emperor Katsuki claimed the throne for himself, he followed in his own mothers footsteps and preserved everything she had made changes to. Yes, she was a valiant warrior on the field, but one can also be a pacifist at the same time. After all, a powerful mind would claim killing is not murder, but a righteous necessity if it means doing good.
"They were once powerful, but after the Katsuki family claimed a majority of the political power, everything seemed to go downhill to an extent." Felonious stroked the tufts on his cheek and thought for a few moments.
The Katshin Empire's influence may have grown in terms of warfare and combat ability, but the usage of a single-party system—a singular king making all decisions—would surely escalate things. Emperor Izuku may also be making active decisions, but it's up to the most powerful ruler if they're able to be passed to begin with.
"I can see why Kael sent you. He wants you to get people to help Seraphis Kingdom, the main focus of our power at this moment. If Kael is the king's closest advisor, perhaps he wouldn't mind if you also leverage help for his end of the stick."
Queen Calista made a deduction and sat down on her throne—an unassuming chair made of sticks, rocks, and colorful flowers.
Hearing this, Felonious nodded his head, but was abruptly engulfed by a surge of confusion. "You're open to the idea, but you don't have the resources."
At this moment, Queen Calista smiled softly as she pointed to the corner of the room. In the corner was a door that led to a different section of the palace. Both Vulpur's turned to the door, curiosity evident in their expressions. The door suddenly opened, and a few Vulpur's walked out, all clad in solemn-looking clothing.
"Only fools make decisions on their own. I never told my people about my inner circle, that would ...make everyone uneasy."
"Uneasy?" Felonious arched an eyebrow.
The queen kept speaking with a smile. "When you're someone everyone looks up to, the slightest crack or imperfection in one's reputation could shatter it entirely. Everyone here assumes I make my own decisions, ones that better the people. If I were all the wiser, I'd assume the Katshin Empire's people assume that about their own emperor as well."
"I do have a friend who works for the emperor, I'd assume he's seen things I haven't. I've only gotten close to the emperor a handful of times, while he serves him tea every morning and noon."
Queen Calista's expression suddenly grew more solemn as she sighed. "I assume you're talking about Demetruis, correct?"
"I-I am." Felonious rubbed the back of his neck.
The queen cleared her throat and spoke up, pointing to one of the Vulpurs. She had short brown tufts on her cheek and a matching tail and ears. Her clothing was all brown in color, but the hue didn't make her appear dirty in any way.
"This is Perola, my main agricultural supervisor. She ensures our crops remain bountiful and can give me the best supervision possible."
Perola bowed her head without saying a word, smiling softly with gratitude.
Next to her was a taller Vulpur with black and white tufts, ears, and a tail.
"Now, this is our main information broker. He gives me collective information regarding the people, and he gathers information from agents to a certain extent. Otherwise it all circulates through certain underground factions."
"And his name?" Ceder glanced at the black and white man with fox-like features.
"I don't have a name," they replied in a deep voice.
"Why not?" The other Vulpur expressed evident confusion.
Queen Calista conjured a glass of ice water from an illusory storm cloud before sipping it. "If he's captured and interrogated, he won't have any identity to spill. Even if he's mentally probed, he won't have anything of value—not even his information."
"Why not?"
"This man here is an Order 7 of the Edict pathway. At such a level, he can erase his own memories and they can't be found again."
"Wow..." Felonuous and Ceder's eyes widened in astonishment.
The queen then pointed to the last Vulpur, who had slightly pink fur and matching features. His hair was cut short and slicked, revealing his eccentric blue eyes.
"This is among my most valuable within my inner circle. This is Monsour, the one who's in charge of the loans we can distribute to others."
"My pleasure," Monsour said with a sly smile, bowing at the duo.
"Now..." Queen Calista paused for a few seconds, her expression hardening slightly.
"Following the feast, my social advisor will connect you, and they'll show you to the correct people."
"Correct people?" Hearing this, Felonious felt his stomach churn slightly.
The queen nodded. "Yes, sending my closest inner circle with you would be reckless on my end. Without the necessary guidance, this kingdom we've built would collapse."
She stood up from her throne, making her way to a wooden closet in the corner. "As the sun and moon pass overhead, and the seasons grow warm, cold, and ambient, so will this kingdom. Eventually, they'll grow old and die, so the next generation is actively being trained as we speak."
Queen Calista reached into her closet, taking out a more extravagant dress. It was green in color, and it seemed to shimmer with the water under a bright, sunny sky.
"The pupils will be of your own usage; I believe we've trained them to such an extent."
...
The feast wasn't a traditional feast. Instead of countless people gathered along a long table, it was often Vulpur's dwelling within their houses to feast. Harvesters within the forest often returned with sacks filled with large, plump berries. The crops were now being harvested due to the weather. In Indunease culture, the pinnacle of winter was often labeled the harvesting season, but the lack of snow sometimes made it difficult to properly decipher the exact interval.
Large, colorful melons were separated from their roots, long green vegetables were cleaned within the springs and chopped into pieces. The insides of the berries were bubbled and broiled, strained and altered to become a thin drink. The shells of the berries were ground up into a seasoning to top delicate desserts.
Within the countless wooden houses suspended in the sky, countless Vulpurs celebrated the arrival of Felonious from the Katshin Empire. On regular terms, it was a celebration in honor of Mother Nature and Her blessings upon humanity. But now, it was because a long-time ally of the Indun Empire, Felonious, had returned from his multi-month stay in the Katshin Empire.
Within a house suspended high in the trees, Velomeia chopped up the colorful, ripe berries she had collected earlier and stuffed them into a wooden bow, grinding them into a fine powder with a wooden pounder. Her gaze then turned to the stove, where the jelly within the berries was boiling and being prepared.
Charlie was already situated at the table, almost tipping over on his stool as he swayed back and forth. It was his first ever feasting day, so his excitement was palpable. Another figure entered the kitchen area, a Vulpur with light greenish-blue hair, ears, and a tail. This was Calliope, Velomeia's eldest daughter. She was sixteen years old, while Charlie was about half her age.
"Is the topping almost finished?" Calliope approached the metallic stove on the countertop, looking at the boiling crimson-colored paste within it.
"Yes, but I've told you too many times to stay away from open fire; you could burn yourself."
"Fine," she groaned, walking to a stool and sitting down.
Calliope remained silent for a few moments, rolling a small insect in between her fingers before shifting her attention to Charlie, whose wide eyes were fixated on the same creature.
"I found this in the woods while exploring. My books say that if you eat it, you get magical powers."
Hearing this, Charlie immediately reached for the small bug, but Calliope retorted, retracting her hands before the younger boy could take it.
"It's a legend; who knows if it's true. We already had you conditioned to eat our food, and that took months. Would you want to get sent into more isolation because you ate something you shouldn't have?"
"That would be a nightmare, you've only seen me for a few moments beforehand," Felonious said with a smile as he walked into the kitchen.
"Papa!" Calliope didn't waste any time, wrapping the Vulpur in a tight hug. Her tail habitually coiled around Felonious's ankles, almost cutting off blood flow.
"H-hey, you're not a little pup anymore, watch the tail!" Felonuous chuckled breathlessly, slowly prying the girl off of him.
"I'm just glad you haven't rebelled yet and left the house; I guess that means I raised you well."
"Ahem—" Velomeia cleared her throat, shooting her husband a death glare.
Felonious's cheeks flushed as he immediately corrected himself. "Sorry, I suppose we raised you well."
"Serves you right. Anyways, the paste is almost done." Velomeia walked over to the table with another dish in hand.
The dish was a wide spread of fruits, vegetables, dips, and pastes, fresh spring water, milk from exotic bugs, and other delicious servings.
Charlie wiped a trail of drool running down his mouth and immediately reached for a colorful fruit, but Felonuous's paw-like hand stopped him.
"Papa, I'm hungry!" Charlie whined, looking up at Felonuous with puppy-eyes.
"How about we honor who gave us this food first?" The Vulpur man knelt beside the table, closing his eyes as he began to pray.