[Royal Palace of the Empire of Midoro, after Antônio learned the truth about his mother's personality, one year ago]
-'Well fuck, this has gotten a lot more complicated.'
Antônio continued smiling at his parents while his mother was trying to find the reason for his change in expression. Her eyes moved so fast that it seemed like her eyes were completely colored for a few split seconds.
He did not know what she managed to learn since right after her fast eye movements she put on a gentle smile and patted him on the head.
-"You must be tired from having studied so hard for all the past few days. Honey, could you go and tuck him in bed? I unfortunately have to deal with something that I have been putting off."
Ademir blinked at his wife and then looked at his son carefully. His ears were drooping and his nose was twitching a bit, the signs of a tired or frightened elf. Considering that he was with his parents, Ademir ruled out the second option and decided that he must be tired.
-'He must've been studying until it was late...'
He didn't like that his child was pushing himself so much when he is still so young. Ademir firmly believed that a child should just enjoy lazing and playing around when they are still young, at least until they are 100, but he would be lying if he had said that he wasn't also proud of him.
'He must've got his smarts from his mother.'
He knew that he wasn't the smartest elf around, he was simply born into royalty and had received some education but at his core, he wasn't a ruler, that is why he left most of the administrative work to the elder council and his wife.
But for some reason unknown to him, the elder council members don't really like his wife. He could see it in their meetings.
When he made a decision, he wouldn't be questioned or second guessed unless it was an incredibly stupid decision, and yet when his wife brings up relevant concerns or comes up with a brilliant decision, the elders react as if she had just insulted the Mother Tree.
Ademir slowly leaned in and gave his wife a light kiss on the forehead, which she secretly wiped off, and then he slowly picked up his son and went to put him in bed.
As soon as her husband left the room with their son, Helena let out a small smile and then thought to herself.
-'Handsome fool.'
And just as quickly as she thought that, her smile completely disappeared and out of the clothes cabinet an elf slowly climbed out. Their limbs slowly climbed out of the drawer and then silently landed on the carpeted floor of the Royal Bedchambers.
He wore a silenced artifact suit made out of the leather of a beast with Sound affinity, completely grey in color and with no ornaments on it. It was similar to latex bodysuits.
Helena slowly got out of bed and went to the nightstand where a small reading lamp was resting. She carefully adjusted the gas valve until all of the sounds coming out of the chambers were cut off.
The lamp was yet another sound artifact that generated a field which stopped sound from coming in and out of it.
-"I greet your Imperial Majesty. I have come to report what I have managed to learn about the young prince."
The elf was one of Helena's many spies living inside the palace. This one in particular was in charge of gathering and reporting information related to Antonio while also functioning as one of his secret guard.
One of their roles is also to root out any 'Demons' that may have possessed any imperial children or servants.
-"Speak quickly. Has he talked out loud in empty rooms, conversed with invisible beings or said any words in the known demonic dialects?"
The spy slowly closed his eyes and started recalling as much as he could about Antonio's behavior over the last month and then made sure that he hadn't missed anything over the last 3 years.
-"He has been acting oddly when he started showing interest in wanting to learn how to read and write but he hadn't exhibited any signs of already knowing how to read our language. He had been staring at the walls or ceiling of the rooms he is in sometimes and other times he stares at the other servants but I could not detect any lecherous gazes or behavior that wouldn't suit a normal infant.
-"Did the artifacts hidden inside the room detect anything? Soul fluctuations? Abnormal mana or ether activity?"
-"I have inspected all of the artifacts, and after making sure that there were no alterations made, I can report that they have not detected anything. Should I continue monitoring his activity? Most Demonic Spirits would have made a mistake by now."
Helena went silent and started thinking both as a Mother and as an Empress. She found her child cute and now that he had started showing signs of inheriting her intelligence she was also incredibly proud but at the same time, she was worried.
What if her original child was no more and instead some Demonic Spirit was now inhabiting her son's body?
She also had to think about the other things that could happen if her child truly was possessed. Besides losing some influence and getting insulted by the Elder Council for managing to get tricked into thinking that a Demonic Spirit was her child, the Empire could also be in danger.
Demonic Spirits are chaotic and unpredictable. They can sometimes be good and introduce new ideas, inventions and abilities but most times, they also invite chaos. They upset the natural balance of power, get rid of old and powerful families, make kings out of slaves or cause Calamities.
The Deities also do not like it when Demonic Spirits invade Midor.
She slowly took in a deep breath and started thinking rationally. If she were to make a crucial mistake and stop the monitoring simply because she got emotional then she would be letting a Demonic Spirit prattle around in her child's corpse.
She was always the one that manipulated others, used loved ones, no matter if they were children, spouses, relatives or pets, but now that it was about Her child and Her loved ones, she was hesitating.
What if she mistakenly identified her child as a Demonic Spirit? The things They would do to Antonio...
Barely a few micro-seconds passed as she thought all of this and more and by the time she was done, she decided to be an Empress before she was a Mother.
-"Double the monitoring. Add in ancient languages in his reading lessons and become his private tutor, try saying something in the most well known Demonic Dialects and judge his reactions. If he does anything that is even remotely suspicious then I want you to report to me immediately and make sure that no one finds out."
Helena then dismissed her spy and after he left she deactivated the noise cancelling artifact and then rubbed her neck, subtly activating her ear ring artifacts and sending yet a telepathic message to the spy.
'Don't do anything I just said and see if he reacts as if he expected you to test him and monitor each and every item he touches. See what books he reads and then ask difficult questions related to the books but whose answers cannot be found in those books. If he ends up managing to answer correctly then I want you to report to me immediately.'
She then deactivated her artifacts once again and then started reading a book without bothering to turn the lights on.
As she did so, the Ultimate Conqueror System remained for 5 more minutes and then phased out of the room, remaining undetected to the several defensive artifacts inside the royal bedchamber.
-'Ugh, I just had to be sent to a realm that has experience dealing with otherworlder's. Has Natir already gone senile or something? Why did he even bother hiring us when his 'children' are so paranoid? I'm envious of the newbie, while I am stuck having to deal with a man child with a superiority complex and the other one has to deal with a girl that is basically advertising herself as an otherworlder, the newbie is relaxing in the countryside.
I cannot wait to finally meet that newbie and blow off some steam, at least I have the perk of having a host that can actually become someone powerful instead of being stuck with the future boy toy of a useless goddess.'
The UC System had to use some of their power in order to listen in to the thought transmission, not wanting to risk failing his assignment or have to somehow get an elf infant to escape the Royal Palace and remain undetected until he got enough power.
[A few minutes later, after Ademir tucked in Antonio and returned to his bedchambers.]
Antonio was currently thinking about just how powerful his parents really were. Some of the examples used when explaining their stats were low-balling their abilities but he simply assumed that the system was giving out examples of what they can casually do, not their full power.
Just as he was about to open his eyes and call out to his system inside his mind, something that he always did as he always found it weird how some novel protagonists spoke out loud to their system's, the system interface appeared inside his mind.
[Warning! Warning! Warning!
Your mother, Helene Midoro, is suspicious of you and thinks that you are a Demonic Spirit. Your new trait, Midorian Language Mastery has been sealed in order to avoid suspicion and certain pieces of information provided to you by the system and from your previous life will be forgotten as well.
All future system rewards, information and certain system features will be sealed or closed off until you become free of suspicion for your own safety.]
Antonio's facial expression was completely frozen and before he could do or say anything, he suddenly felt incredibly dizzy and tired while his own train of thought was interrupted by his own memories slowly getting sealed, and then his memories of the placing of these seals were sealed as well.
It didn't take long for the young elf to finally pass out from the strange sensation.
[The following morning]
Antonio Midoro slowly woke up in his soft, cotton stuffed mattress and silk-like bed cover, covered by a blanket so soft that it was akin to clouds.
The two suns were slowly rising, lighting up the beautiful lands of the Royal Elvish Capital. The buildings were made out of expensive MarbleWood tree's that were shaped to look like houses, with thick, interlocking branches that served as roofs and plentiful leaves which protected the interior's from the falling rain.
As the light of the two stars reached these leaves, their slightly reflective, oil slick surfaces reflected them back in numerous colors, creating a kaleidoscope of color for those wealthy enough to see it from above.
The windows made out of crystalized sap slowly let the light into the sleeping chambers of the sole Elvish Prince of the Midoro Empire, helping him wake up due to the slight discomfort.
His slightly brown, tanned skin was as smooth as that of a baby's and his light green hair and eyes sparkled like cut emerald's.
He slowly stretched his body and let out a soft yawn, trying to decide between sleeping for another hour or going to the Royal Library in order to study now that he had revealed his reading prowess. His head felt unnaturally heavy, as if he had a massive hangover due to a night of nonstop drinking which he then forgot.
'Ugh, my head...I haven't felt this bad since I secretly drank some of my dad's vodka...'
[It is most probably accumulated mental exhaustion due to your studying Host. I suggest taking it easy today, even the mightiest of Conqueror's took breaks, and you are no exception.]
'I suppose you're right... Why do I feel like I am forgetting something though?'
[You have most probably forgotten about your reward Host. Due to managing to conquer your mind, besides the standard reward of 100 Conqueror Points you have also gained access to the Ultimate Conqueror Store as you have proven that you are a patient and intelligent Conqueror.]
'Oh yea that's right. Do I have anything that I can buy currently?'
As Antonio was talking with his system he also acknowledged the maids that entered his room who then started helping him dress. He would normally feel uncomfortable about being seen naked by strangers but due to still having the physical body of a child and experience with getting his diapers changed as a baby, he did not feel anything.
[Unfortunately you do not Host, but you do have the ability to peruse some of the items available through the store for future reference.]
'Good enough. Show me my Status Window and the System Store.'
[As you wish Host.]
[Conqueror Status]
Name: Antônio Midoro
Species: Midorian Nature Elf(Is attuned to Nature, mental block against intentionally harming Nature but grants affinity for Nature Spirits.)
Stats:
STR(You have grown in strength but an average adult could still overpower you easily.):0.3
AGI(Higher reaction speed than most. Improved through training):2.5
DEX(Slightly more flexible than a normal person, improved through training.):1.5
END(You have much more stamina due to being a child and also repeatedly running around the palace.):1.8
THG(You are still a child so you still scrape easily but you aren't as fragile as before.):0.6
PER(You have trained your sight, hearing and smell and thus are much more perceptive than regular people.):2.5
WIS(Through self discipline and managing to learn enough of a foreign language in order to read and write, you have grown mentally when compared to before.):1.5
CHR(Due to your elf genetics and what you inherited from your parents, along with various treatments and a specialized diet, you have become a very cute kid.):50
INT(Learned a bit of Yvonnian Elvish):1
LCK(You have been born as the next heir of the Midoro empire along with gaining the blessing of Natir. You are the Ultimate Conqueror, you have great luck and are extremely likely to find yourself in favorable situations.):100
Mana Capacity(+300 from the blessing of the god of elves Natir): 500/500(Full)
Ether Capacity(Due to your Nature Elf heritage, you can also use Ether, the capacity is equal to 1/10 of your mana capacity):50/50(Full)
Trait(s):
-High level Nature Spirit Affinity( You are seen as kin by the nature spirits and other creatures attuned to nature.)
-Spirit Sight(Unlike other races, Elves can see the spirits living among them. Spirits have no strict shape but the young ones typically appear as wisps of energy while the older ones take different shapes, like humans, elves, dragon, instruments, etc.)
-Blessing of Natir(The god of the elves Natir has granted you his blessing, granting you slightly increased stats along with a much higher mana capacity.)
Skill(s):
None
Title(s):
-Blessed by Natir(Given by Natir)
-Heir of the Midoro Empire(Given by the royal family)
-The Ultimate Conqueror(Given by the Ultimate Conqueror System)
Conqueror Points: 100
[End Conqueror Status]
[Conqueror Store]
[Nature Spirit Affinity increasing Potion: Can increase the Nature Spirit Affinity of a being by various stages, depending on the current level. The maximum is increasing a High Nature Spirit Affinity to a Peak Nature Spirit Affinity.]:10.000 Conqueror Points.
[Plant Magic Spell Book: A spell book which contains the knowledge needed to learn various spells related to plants, ranging from slight growth boosts to commanding plants to attack your enemies. It is a standard spell book which can be bought at most Magical Libraries.]:1.000 Conqueror Points.
[Natir's Breath:Implants the knowledge of the spell called 'Natir's Breath', it is a large area Nature Spell which can influence the life force of Animals, Plants and Fungi, allowing the caster to either provide a 'buff' or a 'debuff', as nature can be both kind and cruel.]:100.000 Conqueror Points.
[Mother Tree's Cell Membrane:A cell membrane from the Mother Tree. It is an extremely large tower shield, over 5 meters in height, which can block attacks from beings as powerful as Peak Apotheotic. Owning it will show that you are affiliated with the Mother Tree and that you have a connection with her. It is sealed by the Mother Tree in order to not cause destruction.]:100.000.000 Conqueror Points.
[Nature Spirit Snacks: A bag of snacks which many Nature Spirits like, if you show it to them and offer them, they may help you cast spells that you normally wouldn't be able to cast by offering their own energy.]
(...)
Antonio's attention was fixated on the fourth item shown in the System Store. The maids had already left his room and he was currently facing the outside, 'looking' at the dazzling sight below.
'W-what?'
He was unsettled by the description of the item for several reasons. As he read the term 'Peak Apotheotic' he was also given the needed information to know the approximate power and the bare minimum of Existence Ranks.
A high Apotheotic being can alter reality and typically has enough power to completely destroy several solar system's with a single, full power attack.
And just the...cell membrane of this being...while sealed...can protect against attacks from beings even more powerful than that?
'I...how...'
He was completely bewildered and astonished but he still had the needed presence of mind to make such expressions in front of a breath taking view just in case.
His legs were trembling a bit and so he went back in bed and slept for the entire day.
In his dreams he was in a place which was completely pitch black and in the distance he could see something sitting atop a hill.
Both the hill and the thing sitting upon it were almost impossible to see clearly, like trying to see through fog. The thing sitting on the hill looked to be swaying from side to side but before he could see anything else, it all went dark once more.
[...]
Antonio Midoro slowly woke up in his soft, cotton stuffed mattress and silk-like bed cover, covered by a blanket so soft that it was akin to clouds.
The two suns were slowly rising, lighting up the beautiful lands of the Royal Elvish Capital. The buildings were made out of expensive MarbleWood tree's that were shaped to look like houses, with thick, interlocking branches that served as roofs and plentiful leaves which protected the interior's from the falling rain.
As the light of the two stars reached these leaves, their slightly reflective, oil slick surfaces reflected them back in numerous colors, creating a kaleidoscope of color for those wealthy enough to see it from above.
The branches of the tree's were slightly trembling.
The kaleidoscope of light formed various illusory dots that danced around as the two suns slowly moved.
At the top of the Midoro Royal Palace, the illusory lines danced and moved.
At the top of the Midor Divine Realm, the illusory shapes danced and moved.
The illusory dots formed illusory lines which formed illusory shapes of various colors, visible and invisible to man.
Then the shapes coalesced and formed strange patterns that made no sense when seen from up close, but if one were to see it from above the planet, they would see something quite beautiful.
A large, all encompassing eye was projected upon Midor, staring unblinkingly.
The pupil was unfocused and unmoving and so, once Midor continued rotated and the two suns 'moved' across the sky, the kaleidoscope of color slowly vanished, and the eye disappeared.
Unnoticed, undetected, and unknown.
[GreenWood village, Smith family home.]
The entire Smith family was sleeping peacefully, with even Stephen managing to find out how to 'fall asleep'. It was late morning and the two suns, Neiro and Minara, were higher in the sky when compared to the Elf Empire of Midoro where they were still rising.
Anastasia and Bertholdt Smith were peacefully resting in their cheap bed.
Vamas and Lana Smith were letting out cute snores as they slept, recovering the energy they spent the day prior.
Stephen was enjoying a dream in which he was peacefully driving his truck on a desert road while listening to his favorite song.
And Neiro Smith was wide awake, staring at the roof with wide, unblinking eyes.
And when the illusory eye disappeared, he closed his eyes as well.