Chapter 163: Arrangement

Arrangement

As soon as she uttered those words, Xander saw her Paths suddenly stretch out in different directions rapidly.

"... What was that?" Xander asked with clear interest.

"Clones." Mira hummed, dropping her hand from her chest. "Or something similar. Now I don’t need to personally enter someone’s dreams to do something. I can do it remotely. So my efficiency is much higher. It’s also safer." Xander exhaled.

’This is just from a trace of my intent. Then what would happen if I fed her more over time?’ The thought was... tempting, if Xander was being honest. However, he didn’t act out on it. Most likely, she still needed time to adjust to her new abilities. Moreover, she was still on probation, so making her too strong wouldn’t be wise.

’And that’s if it even works again. For all I know this was a one time thing, and no matter how much more intent I feed her, nothing changes.’ He mused. But even then, this result was already very good.

"Ugh, finally, I can take a break. With my clones doing the work, I don’t need to move personally." She walked over to his bed and flopped into it, somehow missing Mia and Keir and she let out a preen. Evidently, she was still unaware of their presence.

"... Are you a cat?" Xander asked with an odd expression, and Mira opened one eye to look at him.

"Look ’boss’, I’d already been working my ass off even before this little arrangement of ours. And now I’ve been gathering information for you too. I’m a Succubus, not infallible. I need to rest too, you know." She shifted to lay on her side, head against her palm while her wings folded behind her. In her black dress, she looked extremely alluring, and Xander had to put in conscious effort not to ogle her.

"Well, sorry, but you’re out of luck." He suddenly said, making Mira blink.

"Huh?" Xander didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he held out his free hand, and in it, a sword was projected.

"Your magic and other abilities have all experienced great boons from your evolution, yes. However, your physical body has also gained a lot, has it not?" Mira blinked, her head tilting with what might have been caution.

"... Perchance." Xander nodded.

"Good. Get up." Mira whined.

"But I just got uuup." Xander folded his arms, and she grumbled.

"Ugh, fine. Fine." She stood with the grace of a petulant child, arms folded.

"So now what?" She huffed, expecting Xander to ask her to attack him. Instead...

He tossed the sword at her. A sleek, sheathed Katana. Mira caught it subconsciously, looked at it, then looked at him with confusion.

"Uh, what?" Xander smiled.

"Since your physique has improved, possibly in line with what I can do, then how about we see just how inclined to swordsmanship you’ve become?" Mira stared, then she shuddered.

"N-Now hold on—"

"Enough talk. Defend yourself."

"Eeeek!"

***

The third and final day of the Ball had arrived, and the group was informed that it would simply be a very, very long meeting between all the high-ranking individuals of the Kingdom, the foreign delegates, and, naturally, the King and Queen.

As such, the group was... pretty free for the rest of the day. That being said, though, they were not idle.

The first thing Xander did was relay all the information Mira had acquired to the rest of the group, and Aubrey immediately began creating plans and possible countermeasures for an unexpected attack.

It was during this that the bead Archmage Finn had given Xander suddenly grew warm to the touch, catching his attention.

After making sure, he confirmed that someone—presumably Felicia—was trying to communicate with him.

He informed the group of this, and no one held any objections as he took out the bead, injected his Mana, and Xander watched a doorway appear in the space in front of him.

Calmly, he stepped through and... found himself in a pretty idyllic place.

There was a simple log cabin in the middle of a grassy plain. Near the front of the cabin was a two set swing, and from what he could see, the back had what looked like a field.

He sniffed the air once. It was clean.

’Did he create this place using only runes?’ Xander thought as he looked to the front of the cabin where a figure could be seen on the swing.

Walking closer, he carefully inspected Felicia.

Gone was the elegant Royal attire. Now she simply wore a yellow sundress and a wide brimmed hat. It gave her a far more youthful appearance, even as her gray eyes stared into nothing.

"I thought you said your family watched your every move like Hawks. How do you have time to spend here?" Xander asked with what might have been amusement, and Felicia faced him with a warm smile, swing moving back and forth below her.

"Typically, yes. But Sir Finn is very helpful for that." Xander glanced towards the cabin. Seated on a chair near the entrance was the robed Archmage, his hood still obscuring his face.

’Does he always wear that robe? I’m starting to think it’s a part of him.’ Xander lampoon before looking back at Felicia.

"On that note, I’d imagine your family had a lot of questions when you came to speak to me." Xander sat on the second swing and asked curiously. Felicia nodded.

"My siblings suspected that I was attempting to bring you over to my side so I could gain some level of political leverage. My mother thought I was interested in you romantically. Only my father remained a mystery in his thoughts. Either way, I just told them that you seemed like you’d make a nice friend, and they left it at that." Xander tilted his head, and he had to admit, such a thing must be... exhausting.

"Needing to report your reasons every time you speak to someone outside those your family approves. That’s gotta be tiring." He said with genuine sympathy.

She just smiled slightly.

"Well, you know what they say. The stricter one’s family, the better they get at lying." After that, both of them just sat in silence for a few seconds.

Then, finally, Xander spoke.

"So, why’d you call me here? I presume it’s because of Ben?" Xander asked, looking at the Cabin. He could see the boy staring at them through the window. As soon as their eyes met, he waved, and Xander reciprocated the motion.

"Indeed." Felicia ’looked’ at him. Gray eyes trying to find his to no avail.

"Correct." Hearing her affirmative answer, Xander shifted slightly, preparing to listen. But her next words surprised him.

"I want you to take him." Xander paused, then blinked.

"... Take him?" He repeated.

"Mhm. And before you start questioning my choices, I actually have a reason." She gestured to the Cabin.

"Ever since we found Ben, he’s been staying in this place and rarely ever got a chance to go out. All he does is practice his Ritual Magic and study runes under sir Finn. It’s not a bad thing, but I think it’s tike he finally got out and started putting his abilities to use, fathering experience." She let out a small breath.

"After all his greatest importance is his abilities. He can only grow them so much while inside a greenhouse. However, we never actually had any opportunities to send him out. Sir Finn is busy with Royal matters, my situation is self-explanatory, and Samuel has his own tasks. So I never really had anyone I could entrust him with." She looked at Xander again, face bright.

"But then you came along. Not only are you rapidly gaining influence, you can also teach him using your methodologies as well, making him very versatile. You’re also strong, and your father is a Archmage who has much more freedom than sir Finn. And so on." When he heard her reason, Xander fell silent.

’Well... she’s not wrong.’ Xander did have quite a bit going for him. Whether or not Xavier would accept him bringing Ben along... wasn’t really a question. If Mia vetted whoever it was, then Xavier wouldn’t care.

’First Mira, now Ben. Am I just collecting people like Pokémon now?’ He rubbed his chin. That being said, he thought about his status as a ’Hole in Fate’ and how the hole he had made was large due to how much he was affecting events in Tatonia.

Ben was similarly a hole due to being a Transmigrator as well, but Felicia also explained that due to his limited contact with people outside, his influence was almost nonexistent.

’If I’m compared to a sort of gravity well, that its inevitably that as the larger one, the smaller one would enter my orbit... Interesting.’ Xander took a breath.

"Well, the pros outweigh the cons, I suppose. Alright, sure." Felicia clapped her hands lightly.

"Wonderful. Thank you, Xander." Xander just hummed.

"It’s nothing. Although." He fished something from his spatial ring and held it out to her.

Felicia tilted her head.

"This is...?" Xander explained calmly.

"A recording device. As for what’s on it, well..." He smirked.

"How would you feel about learning martial arts?"