Chapter 432 – Fixing Up Elo

A Priestess is waiting outside Dragon's Temple, waiting for me.

"Yuki is close to finishing the first set of potions, Your Royal Highness," the Priestess says. "We would like to complete the rituals as soon as possible. We need you to help with some of the ritual runes. No blood, just feeding it a bit of your mana."

"You mean I'm not giving any blood, right?" I ask. Things never seem to stop. But this will let me get to the lower realm to collect some dust and women. I'll also need to find a plot of land. Maybe the old manor, or perhaps some space on the castle grounds? Space already knows about it, so I can do it inside the extra space she creates.

"Yes, Your Royal Highness," the Priestess says. "The one good thing about war is that there is always plenty of blood to go around. Not that we would ask for your blood, even if we didn't have plenty of it."

"I'm not the best to ask for blood," I say. "But I can do it if needed. But I'm happy to put some mana into a few runes while we wait on Yuki. Is Elo doing well?"

"Yes, Your Royal Highness," the Priestess says. "She is a bit weak, but she is ready for the rituals."

"Rituals?" I ask.

"That is our hope, Your Royal Highness," the Priestess says. "We hope to do both the brood ritual and the healing ritual today. We'll understand if you don't feel up to it, or if the healing ritual takes too much time or mana for you to do the other ritual. It would just make it easier for the dragons to accept her being on the throne instead of you if she were carrying your brood. While they were rude at the first court, they know that you've now got the true dragon supporting you. It's also hard to roll back to an old Queen who is just a decade away from her likely death on the throne."

"I think we can do both," I say. "We'll have to be careful that Elo is ready to handle the pregnancy." I also need to figure out how to give her more years of life. I don't want to be dealing with the throne in a decade, and I won't have a kid ready to take over by then either. Aurora and Shyla will have to work on it. I'm sure they can do something.

And Nanoka can't have much time left either, or will she be fine because she wasn't abused? Her Mother is alive, and her grandmother, too, I think. So it must be the other health issues shortening Elo's life. I can fix that.

...

Elo is naked in the middle of a ritual circle in the same room as before. The circle is closer to a seven-pointed star, though I'm not sure why. I may be able to draw the runes perfectly, but I still can't read them, and I don't have Geta or Sarania here to ask them. Maybe Kou knows, but who cares? It won't change anything. I just need to know how to set them up and write them, which I do know. I'll also need blood, but I'm sure Tanatsu has more than a few ways of getting blood herself.

Well, I'm sure it'll be a while before Yuki completes the potion, so I take my time working my mana into the seven runes while the Priestesses double-check their work.

...

Kou ended up in my lap. She wasn't happy about it, but she didn't have much of a choice when I pulled out a brush. I needed something to do while I waited. Well, it was just half an hour. Enough time to get a tail perfect. I'll have to get all my tails together again soon for a long night of pampering. Maybe with my third body this time?

"Here, dear," Yuki says. "I'm not sure how to use them."

"I know how," I say. "Just watch over Kou. I think I put her to sleep."

"Of course," Yuki says.

We switch places, and I move to the middle of the star. Three potions are needed. One to start the ritual and begin the process of melting the mana. The second begins the dissolving of the soul. The third ends it and allows the mana and soul to reform. Elo wanted her sister's soul to stay inside her, so I just have to mix it well enough that she doesn't have competing ideas inside her. Tanatsu's lover will need all of the minds removed and the foreign mana to be forced to accept its new owner. That'll be a bit harder, but I'll have some practice.

I give a small prayer, happy that Dragon doesn't pull me up for it. The first potion easily goes down Elo's throat, and the runes start to light up. My mana invades her body, a few strings going right for the gates I shouldn't know about, giving me a much clearer view of Elo's mana than what Elora showed me the first time I saw mana.

I just see two different kinds of magma mana, two different shades of red. Slowly, the colors start to disappear, grey taking over the calm sea. Once half of the mana is grey, I pour the second potion into her mouth. I don't know how to see the soul. I just have to feel for it and hope I'm not going insane or something, which is probably why Dragon wanted me to do this with her watching me.

I can feel some things stirring around in her; I'm guessing those are the souls I need to blend. One is a bit thicker than the other, so I just need to smooth them out. I wish the blending were a simple thing to do. I'm not as good at cooking as my Mother, and now I'm trying to do it blind, with a woman's life on the line. Not that I think being good at cooking would help all that much.

'Alzi, not to be rude, but I don't think you should be doing this by yourself.' Dragon says.

'I promised.'

'Handle the Goddesses before you handle that promise. Maybe visit Hearth and get her pregnant, too. Let me finish this ritual, and then I'll bring you up during the next ritual, and we can mess with divinity a bit more. You should pay a bit more attention to your body; you have a knife next to your breasts, and you don't even care.'

'You know?' A knife? How could I miss a knife?

'My mark messes with your mind, so yes, I know what you wish to do and your plans. I love the boldness and admire the strength of will to ask for more. Kill them. Bring the ones you love to the ritual. Stand as close as possible to the ritual when Malralloz brings you up. I'm sorry you won't get to perform the blasphemy this time. I'm sure you were excited to do that. But you'll have a different view on things when you go to heal the next woman, I think. Or you'll simply be able to see souls correctly. That much, I'm certain of.'

'Like a Goddess does?'

'Potentially. The side you fall on will determine how easy it is for you to heal the girl.'

'Nothing is that easy.'

'This ritual will be. Bathe in the mana I bring down, and don't tell anyone I'm doing it. I don't need people to think I'm growing soft.'

A chill runs down my spine, followed by a calming hand and a warm blanket. Elo's mana is completely grey now, but it shines gold for a second before settling back to red. The small wisps that I guessed were her different souls disappear and get replaced with just a single entity. I stay connected with Elo while the warm blanket covers me.

'Give her the last potion.'

As I pour the last potion down Elo's throat, the warm blanket slowly recedes, but I get a bit greedy and keep peeking in at Elo. She's going to be mine anyway.

'Enough, hatchling. Carry her to the next ritual and fill her as you wish. She'll handle it. I promise. As you know, she has sinned against me as well. She can take the pain as punishment. And then, go and get your revenge. I was always annoyed that we had the Failure of Justice instead of Revenge. Thank you for fixing that mistake. Let even the Goddesses know they should fear taking advantage of my dragons. Let them feel your claws. Make it so that none dare to call you hatchling, ever again.'

'Only you do that.'

'Quiet, hatchling.'

Someone wants a hate fucking. She must've been getting horny, watching me take her last true dragon as I wished.

'Be careful with those thoughts.'

I return my senses to the world and see that Elo is looking much better. I didn't even realize how pale she was before. She even seems to be blushing right now. What thoughts is Dragon sending to her? "You awake?" I ask.

"Yes, My Queen," Elo says. "I'm prepared if you are."

"Dragon told me as many as I wish," I say.

"I'm in your care, My Queen," Elo says. "My mind, body, and will are yours. I see my mistakes, and I accept the consequences."

"We'll see what you think in a few months," I say.

"I won't be so happy in a few months, My Queen," Elo says. "I'm not stupid. I know this will be painful. Queens are meant to die giving birth to the future generation. I denied my Mother that chance. And now, I must fix it, bringing the generations that my Mother, I, and my daughter should've into the world. And then more, if the Goddesses and you are willing."

"Very well," I say. I pick her up and turn to see Kou standing straight with just a single tail showing. I'm glad she appreciates my work. "I have a dragon brood to make."

"I'm glad you're ready for that," the High Priestess says. "We have it ready in the next room."

This one doesn't look like much of a ritual. The room just has some candles along the edges and a bed in the middle. I toss Elo into the bed and look to the Priestess.

"One second, Your Royal Highness," she says. "Just a few marks, with normal ink this time. Just flood her with your mana, and they'll be fine."

"That's nice," I say. "I'm a bit tired of blood."

The marking really seems like some circle rather than an actual rune, which is probably why the Queens usually die during their first brood. I guess this is their method of power transfer, so I don't think I should ask them to fix it so that the women live. Things don't seem to go well when the power transfer doesn't happen as intended. Hopefully, I don't suffer too much from not allowing Elo to die after the first brood. I can have her die in childbirth when one of my kids is ready to take over the throne.

"Mana and children are all she needs," the Priestess says. "I'll give you both some space."

"Thank you," I say. Elo is pretty, but I can't give her too many kids. I'm getting overwhelmed with kids already, but we'll see what happens when I'm in the heat of it.

I give her a soft kiss and slip out of my robe. Her eyes flutter open, and she bites her lips as my body is revealed to her. And then Kou sneaks in to finish undressing me.

"Make me carry your brood," Elo says. "Take me."

"I shall," I say. "You won't get to make a choice anymore. Not even a hint at what you want." My aura flares out and caresses her entire body. She lets out a groan, and I bury my shaft deep inside her. Her tits grow in my hands, and in no time at all, her muscles tense up, and I let my seed pour into her with my mana.

I take a peek at the knife tattoo Dragon mentioned and see it hiding under my left armpit. A certain baby wants Daddy to get revenge on her already!

I remain hilted and let what happens happen. They all said it would be fine.

*** Dragon ***

This girl really will say whatever she wants, even thinking about mounting me and having her way like I'm some lazy dragon! I'm the Goddess of Dragons, so I'll at least be an equal partner in the sex. It is a bit scary, how many Goddesses know about this secret plot to kill three Goddesses. But I doubt anyone is going to run off and tell the three victims about the plot. Not anymore, at least. A few Goddesses have a belly now, and Power got her temple because of Alzi. Justice kind of lost her following after those events, too. I should show up just to see how clean the cuts are.

And now she's going to have me working overtime, helping Elo carry her newest brood. I need to limit her.

It's too bad she won't be a true dragon for long. She's going to be such a great true dragon.