Chapter 236 – Crossing the Border

*** Yuki ***

"What a pretty girl," Victoria says, petting my hair like I'm a dog. "You love getting fucked by Nakuma, don't you, bitch?"

"Shut up," I say. Nakuma is glued to my back, our tails intertwined. Otherwise, she'll wake up and demand we have more sex. She doesn't really demand it; she just forces me on my knees and starts. "I'm just so tired."

"Yes, you spent so much time in that fucking brothel doing nothing, and now you have real work to do," Victoria says. "Don't worry. Tomorrow, we'll cross the border, and these fun nights will stop."

"I know. Why do you think I put up with Nakuma's issues?"

"I thought you loved her?"

"Fuck you."

"You are a joy to be around," Victoria says. "Do you have that stupid path you wanted to take planned out?"

"Yes, I need three more ingredients, and they can only be found in major cities. I agree it is a risky plan, but it isn't my fault that you didn't let us go through the major cities in your country."

"We shouldn't be going through any!"

"Do you want to pull this off? This isn't killing some monsters or burning down part of the forest with a crowd of women to clean up after us," I say. It is so hard to feel powerful with Nakuma drooling on my back. "We have three people to kill an entire house, except for two people, and drag them all the way back to the capital without getting caught. If I say we need something, we need it."

"Can't Nakuma just teleport us the fuck back?" Victoria asks. "Isn't that the whole fucking point of having a space mage with us?"

"What do you think these ingredients are for? I have everything we need to kill them and burn down the house. I need these so that Nakuma can do just that. Unless you want to walk into a temple and beg the Goddess of Space to help us?"

"This will take us longer."

"We have the entire war to do this. Now, I am tired and sore and fucking over you two. So shut up and let me get some sleep."

*** Phrogni, Second Queen of the Dragons and Mother of Zarzi ***

"I heard my Daughter was here," I say to the Priestess. Zarzi was meant to show up immediately. I was stupid and gave her a few days to show herself, but it seems she failed to scare a little chick and went off hiding herself.

"Yes, your Highness," the Priestess says.

A silly silver. So many of them go to the temple just so they don't have to bow to the beautiful golds, especially after we made such a good example of the last one who thought they were worth something.

"Show me."

"She is busy right now."

"I don't think I was asking if she had time. I said, show me. Are you trying to say a royal dragon isn't good enough to see a silly girl who's hiding from her mother?"

"She is a High Priestess. Someone even you must respect. Or do you intend to insult our Goddess?" the silver says, the corners of her mouth crawling up her stupid face.

You think you have me, do you? "No, it seems improper that I haven't met our newest High Priestess. Take me to see her."

"Fine, but don't blame me if you have to wait. The High Priestess is very important for a number of rituals."

How is that useless girl important? Are they cutting off her limbs or something? A worthless red becoming a High Priestess and joining rituals already...

Maybe I should've sent her to the temple immediately if they had a use for her.

The silver takes me to a cave where not even my sister would be allowed to pray. What is the Goddess thinking? Does she want us to rebel?

"Here we are. Just give me a moment to see if the ritual is finished or not."

"No, I'll be entering now," I say, moving past the girl. Inside, I find my useless daughter fat and being waited on by her wives, who I should have never given her. "Zarzi, would you kindly explain how you put on so much weight? Maybe instead of having your wives feed you, you could go hunt or hang from a rope?"

"High Priestess. Not your daughter," Zarzi dares to say. One of her wives is even fanning her. What is this treatment? They all loathed each other when they left. "I'm not fat. I'm pregnant."

"You haven't been around a man in years."

"Alzi is a man."

"The bastard. It does not have a name."

"Alzi does have a name, and I carry his children," Zarzi says. "Enough children that the Goddess is letting me serve her. I am relaxing so that I don't risk any of the kids in my womb. They are precious to me, the Goddess of us Dragons, and to my Lord."

"Your Lord?! You think you can call that bastard your Lord?" I say. Fuck was Zarzi smart for once, running under the Goddess's skirt for protection. "I should've killed you in my womb."

"That is not how you speak to the High Priestess," the silver bitch interjects. "Watch your tone, or I will have to ask you to leave."

"How many more bastards are you creating?" I ask. The Goddess better be ready to defend her temple.

"A hundred. Just like the old days, and I didn't even need a ritual to do it."

"Now you're tricking the Goddess?"

"The Goddess confirmed it herself. A number of rituals require me to have a certain number of kids, one of which requires a hundred in my womb. The ritual was successful. It even confirmed I have some golden scales in my womb," Zarzi says. Her wives are at least tensing up, even if the little idiot feels smart. "My Lord is very generous, and our Great patron Goddess is most benevolent."

"How did you get your wives to actually like you? I had to practically drag them down the aisle to marry you, and now they have to wait on you like you're a child."

"They can tell you that if they wish," Zarzi says. "But for me, it was figuring out my issue was you. I wanted to impress you and couldn't. I took that out on them when they are actually very sweet."

"Oh, yes, blame your mother for all your failings."

"The High Priestess has finally shown us kindness," the one fanning her says. "She has gotten to know us now and does what she can to help us. We aren't in love yet, but we are friends now."

"I don't believe I asked," I say. "You are lucky I came here instead of my sister. She would have ripped your heads off by now."

"The Goddess would not allow that," Zarzi says. "I am a High Priestess. You'd best remember that I serve OUR Goddess directly and faithfully. Remind the Queen to respect both me and the temple. What you have done already is bad enough."

I take a step toward my unfilial daughter and feel a cold power clamp down on me.

"You're looking a little worried there, Mother," Zarzi says, grinning like a kid who stole a cookie. "The Goddess doesn't trust one that has shown so little regard for the one that truly rules this realm. Be careful with your next moves. You may feel my belly if you like, but try to move any mana, and you won't be leaving."

"I'm not stupid enough to kill your kids," I say. At least I'm not stupid enough to try it now. Zarzi isn't worthy enough to carry royals, just as that traitorous bastard wasn't thirty years ago.

"Then be gentle. They are still young."

Each step comes with more weight. Sweat is running down my back, but I still don't believe that this kid has so many kids in her belly. Only the Queen is worthy of carrying a brood of that size, and the Goddess hasn't agreed to it for a thousand years.

I was going to give my sweet sister a few hundred years as the Queen before I snatched it from her and took my place as the next one to sire a brood. It should have been me!

I move my shaky hand down and feel my daughter's belly, and I know I'm too late. I won't be the next. "Good luck," I whisper. "Reds aren't made for this."

"I know, Mother," Zarzi says. "That is why I have the Goddess watching over me. I pray to the Goddess of Fertility as well. I need both of them and my future husband if I'm to make it through this alive."

"Of course," I say, my hand refusing to leave that womb. The womb that should be mine. I feel the sweat building up under my wings, warning me not to do anything rash. But this fucking worthless shit stole my future.

My own worthless daughter.

"Mother," Zarzi says. "I know you wish to have what I have. Alzi would be willing to have you join me, I am sure. Just pray to our Goddess and Fertility, and when the time comes, get on your knees and beg my Lord for your chance."

"Shut up."

"No, this is important. You can take more than I can. You have the right to the ritual. My Lord will be willing if you are kind. They have a gentle heart."

"Shut up about that bastard," I whisper. Am I wrong?

"I wish you luck," Zarzi whispers. "Now I need to rest. The kids take a lot of energy, and I have a ritual tonight."

"Your Highness, please follow me," the silver says. I feel the pressure building even more, threatening me if I don't follow the stupid Priestess out.

"Fine. Be well, my daughter."

*** Alzi ***

The army is moving through the giant rune first. Probably to save the nobles in case the Goddess decides to teleport everyone into a hole or something. It took a while to get Elora to believe me when I said that I had already paid the cost of the teleportation.

She cried for like thirty minutes when I said I did it already. I wanted to laugh, but then I remembered all the times my pregnancy made me break down and cry or yell or lash out for no reason.

'No reason' might be a bit of a stretch for when I was in the brothel.

I can be happy that she was thankful and asked me a few too many times if I was ok with the cost and if she needed to share the burden.

It only stopped when she fell asleep, and I am way too used to cuddling with her. I blame the nobles' beauty for getting me trapped in their web.

"Ready, Alzi? It's our turn next," Geta says. "Once we're through, the war will truly begin for us. You'll have to catch up with Oriphusa, and then we'll all follow the medic rules. Understand?"

"Yes, but I'm not strong enough to carry Elora."

"I'll get our dear wife. Thank you for all you do, Alzi. Soon, you'll be in your rightful place.""Sure."