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Adelheid 8: Bee Sting Cake
🕑 Added 2022-03-10 14:03:00 +0000 UTC-----
The Once and Future High King of Veles
Long ago, when the gods first started to withdraw from the realm of mortals, where hundreds of nations warred for supremacy and brought disaster to the people, a child was born to a poor kingdom. He was the prince of destiny, the future High King of Veles, prophesied by the gods.
To commemorate the birth of the future king, the gods blessed the newborn prince, Artorius Avalon.
The Holy Seraphina blessed the prince with eternal light.
The War Iras blessed the prince with unending victory.
The Silent Acyss blessed the prince with perfect health.
The Fleeting Lyonis blessed the prince with unequaled wisdom.
The Bearer Pillum blessed the prince with unlimited wealth.
However, there was one god who did not anticipate the birth of the prince. Jealous of the mortals' worship of the Holy Seraphina, the Evil Demiurge cursed the prince with the greatest sin.
The boy's parents, worried for their son, begged the Holy Seraphina to protect their son. Responding to the parents' pleas, the Holy Seraphina sent the Angel Lahash to protect the newly born prince.
With the angel's protection, Prince Artorius successfully grew to adulthood. And he did not disappoint the people nor the gods.
After seeing the war torn land of Veles and all the suffering the children of the gods suffered, the prince waged war against the injustice of the world.
With the War Iras's blessing, Artorius won every battle.
With the Silent Acyss's blessing, Artorius was never harmed.
With the Fleeting Lyonis's blessing, Artorius united the divided people.
With the Bearer Pillum's blessing, Artorius never amassed all of the world's treasure.
And with Holy Seraphina's blessing, Artorius brought prosperity to the people.
Finally, the warring lands became united under one power, one king. Artorius ascended the throne, became the High King of Veles, and founded the Holy Seraph Kingdom, bringing peace and prosperity.
Thus, the Holy Providence Era began.
Under King Artorius's reign, the devastated lands healed, the rivers of blood vanished, and the children of the gods once again prayed. Time passed, and the Holy Seraph Kingdom thrived as war became forgotten with time, but all was not well.
King Artorius had yet to marry, bringing unrest to the people. Without a successor, the people worried that peace would revert to chaos with his death. The ministers and people implored the king to find his queen.
The king responded to the people's prayers and announced his wedding. On the day of the wedding, dressed in the white bridal gown was the Angel Lahash who had protected Artorius since young. The people who saw the Holy Seraphina's emissary were dazzled by her beauty which no mortal could possess.
As the King and soon-to-be queen ascended the altar and asked for the goddess's blessing, Matilda collapsed and closed her eyes forever. The king, shocked by the development, fell to his knees.
Artorius, the High King, had committed the greatest taboo: the union between the mortal and the divine.
The High King was not punished because his destiny had not yet ended, but Lahash the Angel had gone against the commandants established by the Holy Seraphina. Thus she had been sentenced to eternal sleep, never to wake again.
Outraged, Artorius gathered all the magicians in the kingdom and commanded them to awaken his future queen, but Lahash never once opened her eyes no matter how many years passed. Even with the wisdom blessed by the Fleeting Lyonis, the king could not figure out how to awaken his future queen.
The years passed. During Artorius's reign, the world knew no war, and prosperity filled the kingdom. There was only one problem, the High King refused to appoint a queen and had no successor. As his life began to wilt, Artorius raged against the gods.
Why, why did they have to kill his beloved?
Why, why was he not blessed with eternal life?
At this moment, Merlinus, Artorius’s mentor who had accompanied the king since his days as a child, appeared. "My king, do you wish for your queen to be awakened or eternal life? You Majesty can only achieve one of the two."
Artorius believed that he could awaken Matilda with his god-given wisdom as long as he had time, so he chose eternal life
Merlinus then told the king of a ritual forbidden by the gods. If Artorius were to perform this ritual, he would attain eternal life, but the gods would forsake him to an eternity of pain.
The king, in his hubris, scoffed and said, "I am the High King of Veles. Under my reign, I have united all the realms and children of the divine under one banner, one nation. I brought my people what the gods could not, prosperity and peace. I am beyond the gods."
Merlinus smiled and then disappeared.
On the last day of Artorius's life, he summoned all his loyal subjects, the old ones who had aided him in unifying the land, the new ones who had aided him in governing the new kingdom and killed them and their family. Using the blood of loyalty, the divine taboo, and the blessing of the gods, Artorius completed the ritual of eternal life.
The gods, enraged by Artorius's betrayal and sin, cursed him to an eternity of pain.
Gone was Artorius's flesh. Only his bones remained.
Gone was Artorius's crown. Only the hatred of his subject remained.
Gone was Artorius's love. Only the feathers of Lahash remained.
Gone was the High King of Veles, and in his place was the Unholy King of Death.
Artorius fled.
He fled with Lahsha’s wings. The ashes of his life's work, the numbness of his eternal life, the land once again embroiled in war, and his lost heart. Artorius fled to a land that knew no light, a land of eternal darkness. There, the former High King of Veles saw Merlinus, his vanished mage.
"What have you done to me?" Artorius asked his mentor in anguish and rage.
"You only have yourself to blame. Had you not sinned, you would not have fallen, " Merlinus said.
"Sinned?" Artorius laughed in rage as he saw the two horns on Merlinus's head. "You! You were sent by the Evil Demiurge to tempt me. I have done no wrong. It is you who caused this!"
Merlinus only sighed and disappeared, never to be seen again.
The High King of Veles failed to fulfill his destiny. War once again ravaged the land of the gods, and the children of the gods were once again divided.
Veles will never be united again until the new prince of destiny is born.
However, some say Artorius still lurks in the shadows, sowing chaos and discord in an act of defiance against the gods. To this day, he still carries the wings of his future queen, the Angel Lahash, by his side, waiting for the chance to reclaim his love from the gods.
----
‘What a ridiculous man, giving up his kingdom for love.’ Adelheid sighed and closed the book in her hands. This was just one of the many books she had found that detailed the tale of a man becoming a monster.
Since the revelation of the true nature of her condition, the seventh princess had scoured the library for any and all instances of humans turning into monsters. The story of the founding of the Holy Seraph Kingdom was just one of the many she had read.
Adelheid glanced at the tower of books next to her. Some of them detailed legends on how humans, elves, dwarves, merfolk, beastkin, and demons came to be. Some told tales of heroes and villains that brought order and chaos to the land of Veles. Without fail, all cases of a human turning into monsters were in the form of myths and folktales. Adelheid couldn't find a single documented case of a human transforming into a monster.
‘Strange. Very strange.’ The seventh princess rested her chin on the back of her palm, deep in thought. ‘If the danger of humans turning into monsters was only superstition, Mister Redland would never tell me those words. Unless he lied, but lying to me would have no benefits, so it's likely he is telling the truth.’
Adelheid leaned back on her chair and closed her eyes. ‘So the danger of mana mutation is real, and the dangers of humans transforming into monsters is also real. Otherwise, Mister Redland would not be so confident when speaking. So, there must have been instances of humans turning to monsters, but why can I not find anything but these tales? The answer is because the documents concerning such cases have been hidden or erased.’
‘Thinking deeper, why would the empire want to hide the truth of the matter and allow the common people to have the misconception that people turning into monsters only happen in stories? Because if it became common knowledge, then the empire could not control them, or disaster would follow.’
Adelheid flipped through the books once more. All the stories detailing humans transforming into monsters spoke of how they were no longer human at heart and caused massacres. Was it something added to prevent people from seeking to turn into monsters, or did their minds really turn into that of a monster's?
Although Adelheid did not interact with the ministers controlling the empire's affairs or even the emperor, her grandfather, she could infer that the empire wanted to expand. The empire was not satisfied with its current level of power. They wanted more land and power. Perhaps they even wanted to unify the land of Veles as the High King Atortorius of legend once had.
From her interaction with the second prince, her father, Adelheid had already detected all this. And the person her father respected the most was the emperor, so this was the emperor's will.
‘So why does the empire not have an army of monsters? ‘
The answer was naturally power and control. If the newly turned human monster became strong to the point that the empire could not control them, why would they listen to the empire? It was likely they would be uncontrollable and do as they wish.
However, that did not mean the empire did not conduct any experiments. Only, it was likely the core powers such as certain ministers knew of the experiments. If Eric Redland were part of the people involved, that would explain why he was so certain that Adelheid might undergo mana mutation.
‘Of course, I could be wrong,’ Adelheid thought, but she didn't think so. From her knowledge of Earth, even without magic, a country known as the United States of America had conducted human experimentation in secret. It was likely that not only was the Vuldar Empire conducting such experiments but other countries too. Although without the goal of transforming people into monsters, just increasing their potential.
There exists medicine that can temporarily increase the power of those who drink it, such as Iras's Strength or Pillum's Power sold by the churches. They claim it to be a divine blessing in liquid form, but Adelheid scoffed at those proclamations.
‘Now, the question is how I should act. Naturally, I will continue to learn magic and suppress any chance of undergoing mana mutation. But I can not ignore the possibility of undergoing mana mutation. I am going to need to get more information on the process.’
Adelheid opened her eyes and sighed. She didn't know how Eric Redland or Prince Albrecht would react if they knew that she was preparing for the possibility of mana mutation. Would they stamp out her little plans or silently watch?
‘Turning into a monster is better than death,’ Adelheid thought before giving a strange smile. ‘It is really strange. Compared to the possibility of turning into a mindless monster, I fear death more. I do not think I was such a cowardly person in my previous life, or is it because I know this is my second life?’
"Your Highness, are you well?"
Adelheid turned towards Sofia who was giving a look of concern. Not only her, but even Matilda was giving her looks of worry. Shaking her head, the Adelheid said, "I am fine. I'm just thinking of some matters."
During the week that Adelheid had locked herself in her room, she forbade anyone from entering. Thinking back, it was really a stupid move for one who feared death like her. For the week, she did not eat, drink, or even ingest the tonic. Surprisingly, Adelheid discovered that the lack of nutrition and medicine only slightly weakened her. After a meal and a bowl of tonic, she was back to normal.
‘Is it because of mana? I heard that mana is pretty miraculous. This miracle that kept me alive is also a possible cause of my death.’ Adelheid revealed a bitter smile that should not be present on a child her age before sighing again.
Masking her thoughts, Adelheid began to tap the armrest with her fingers as she contemplated her next actions. ‘As I advance as a mage, I will eventually uncover the secrets of mana. Right now, I need to have subordinates to carry out my will. If I stretch my hand into politics, I do not know how my brother will react. After all, it is said that the imperial family is the most heartless. I'm not sure if this is the case for the Vuldar Imperial Family, but power changes people. If I am not careful, I might agitate my brother or even my father and bring about my death. And the military is no good as well for the same reason, so my only option is business.’
Adelheid knew she had two cousins that lived outside the palace. Out of curiosity, she had inquired about them and learned that neither of them dabbled in politics, but they owned some well-known establishments in Midgard. So from this, she concluded that dabbling in business wouldn't ruffle anyone's feathers. Well, the important ones, at least.
‘To gather information pertaining to mana mutation, not only do I need the business to reach the point of being able to influence politics, but I also have to have competent subordinates. Right now, I need to consider my two greatest problems.’
‘One, I need to have subordinates to carry out my will. I can ask Prince Albrecht and slowly replace his people with my own people once I do not need them anymore. The bigger issue I need to consider is the direction of my business.’
Adelheid swiveled her chair and looked out the window. Initially, the palace didn't have any chairs that allowed the user to swivel, but under Adelheid's orders, the Department of the Palace—the department responsible for the upkeep of the imperial household and palace grounds—quickly built a chair according to her specifications.
‘I know silk is a highly profitable business. I know how silk is made on Earth, but the problem is whether the same bug exists in Veles. No, I should think of another method to make money. Although, any business I start will not likely fail due to my identity, an ordinary business will not aid me at all. I need to think of a product that is not readily available that I can produce using my knowledge.’
Adelheid couldn't think of a good product to sell. As an imperial princess, she wanted for nothing, so she did not know what shortages people had. ‘I need to survey my potential customers. I need to know who to target, the aristocrat or the common people.’
She continued to think until she was reminded that she had a dinner appointment with her father, the second prince.
"I heard that you locked yourself in your room for a week," Albrecht said.
‘I'm right here, am I not? During my week of isolation, you did not visit, yet now you ask about my condition. Besides, Mister Redland is your follower, is he not? I do not believe he dares to speak of me about mana mutation without your consent,’ Adelheid ridiculed in her heart. "Everything is fine. I just heard some shocking news, that is all."
Albrecht nodded. "That's good. You are my child and the seventh princess of the Vuldar Empire. As a member of the imperial family, you must be strong."
"Strong? Is brother strong?" Adelheid asked. It was almost the end of the year, so her brother should return soon. ‘I wonder what would happen if I was weak. Would you ignore or discard me?’
Albrecht revealed a smile as if he really was a normal father and not a prince of an ambitious empire. "William is strong, extremely strong. Based on personal strength, he has already reached the rank of an aura journeyman. He only needs a few more years before he becomes an aura master. Not only that, your brother graduated as the number one student of the Vuldar Military Academy! Now, his Order of the Golden Eagle's strength is renowned throughout the empire. He only lacks experience commanding an army. Once he gains the experience, none of the Beast Kingdom's army will stand a chance against him."
Adelheid quietly listened to Albrecht go on and on about William. She interjected some praises when required but otherwise allowed Albrecht to continue. This was the first time she discovered that Albrecht could talk nonstop. She briefly wondered what Albrecht's reaction would be if the emperor directly skipped over him and proclaimed William the crown prince.
Finally, dinner reached the end, and desserts were brought out. Adelheid reached for the Linzer cookies and some plum tart. Afterward, she looked around but couldn't find the bee sting cake.
Adelheid didn't really like the cakes and sweets made by the pastry chefs of the castle, as the main component was sugar. Everything was just so tooth-achingly sweet. She preferred the tartness of fruit that cut away the biting sweetness or the subdued sweetness from honey that was used in bee sting cake.
"Is there not any bee sting cake?" Adelheid asked. Almost without fail, there would always be bee sting cake whenever she dined with her father, and bee sting cake only appeared when she dined with her father, so it was one of the few things she looked forward to.
Albrecht swallowed the dessert in his mouth and sent a glance to Alfred.
"According to the chef, the honey hunters could not find any beehives, so the kitchen does not have any more honey now," Alfred answered without delay.
‘How efficient,’ Adelheid thought. Alfred didn't even need to ask the chef and already knew the answer to her question, but Adelheid's focus was on another point. "What are honey hunters?"
Honey hunters, as it turned out, were foragers who specialized in finding bee nests in the wild and harvesting the honey from them.
"Are there no honey farmers?" Adelheid asked. In her former life, honey was a common ingredient that was easily attainable. It turned out that honey was a luxury product with a unique sweetness greater than manufactured sugar. However, because there were no bee farmers, and honey depended on whether foragers could find the bee nests, meaning honey wasn't always in supply.
Learning of this, Adelheid's conundrum that had been plaguing her the whole day was resolved. ‘Since there are no bee farmers, my business can focus on the honey market. Since honey is a high-end product, I will not worry if I can sell it or not since the demand for honey is greater than the supply available.’
Adelheid's hands stilled as she began to think further. ‘I know the structure of beehives, so there is a starting point. I just need to order the carpenters of the Department of the Palace to construct the necessary facilities for me and hire the honey hunters to catch the queen bee. Going further, I can use my knowledge to sell unique ingredients unseen after I earn a fortune selling honey.’
Adelhand glanced at the numerous pastries placed on the dining table. All of them were finely made and elaborately decorated, but one category of dessert was missing, chocolate. ‘If I can introduce a new category of dessert, my company's status will rise even more. Plus… I recall that chocolate desserts were very popular, and I have knowledge of their tastes, but I have not had any chocolate yet in this world. I really want to taste it!’
She glanced at Albrecht, who was also silent and in contemplation, and decided to strike while the iron was hot. "Father, I want to start a business."
Albrecht took a moment to process his daughter's words. "Why do you want to start a business out of nowhere?"
‘Because I want to gather power and research mana mutation., Adelheid thought, but of course, she didn't say that out loud. "I want to buy more mana silk, but I do not have enough money, so I want to earn money to buy silk."
"Oh? I heard from Alfred that you were enamored with the mana silk. Not bad, already knowing that you have to use your own ability to accomplish your desires. As expected of my daughter. Alright, no matter what happens, I will support you," Albrecht said.
Adelheid smiled and waited.
And waited, but Albrecht just continued to eat.
‘Hey, you can not just leave me hanging. I need a way to start a business. Should you not give me a helper or anything?’ Seeing Albrecht not speaking anymore, Adelheid pouted, a skill she had mastered in order to plead Albrecht find a magic teacher for her.
"Father," Adelheid started, her tone more sickeningly sweet than the cakes present on the table. "Do you have any people you can recommend to me? I am not allowed to leave the palace, so I need someone to represent me outside. My maids are also too young, so I worry."
Upon seeing Adelheid's pout, Albrecht unconsciously smiled back. Had it been any other children, they would have cried upon seeing Albrecht's terrifying smile. "You are right, dear. I will give you a butler and introduce a merchant to you."
"Thank you, father, you are the best!" At this point, Adelheid felt that even if the listeners didn't have cavities, she already did. However, there was one more thing Adelheid wanted to ask. "Father, ummm, can I leave the palace and explore the city?"
Hearing Adelheid's request, Albrecht's smile slowly disappeared. "Dear, you are still too young. The outside world is dangerous. You should stay within the palace for the time being."
Adelheid inwardly sighed at hearing Albrecht's answer. This wasn't the first time Adelheid had asked, but her father rejected her each and every time. "Then when can I explore the capital?"
‘Is the safety of Midgard, the capital of the Vuldar Empire, really so bad that I can not leave the castle. Impossible. As one of the six most powerful nations, the capital's public safety should not be so low. There must be some other reason,’ Adelheid thought.
"When you can protect yourself," Albrecht said.
‘So it comes back to this. In order to leave the castle, I have to be strong. I really do not understand the second prince's stance towards me. Sometimes, the second prince is full of concern towards me when we have dinner, but when we are not meeting, he is so cold and uncaring, as if I was just a stranger and not his daughter,’ Adelheid thought. "I understand, father."
After dinner with Prince Albrecht, before Adelheid met her new butler and the promised merchant, her next lesson with Eric Redland came.
"My apologies, Mister Redland. I was feeling unwell for the past week, so I was unable to attend your lessons," Adelheid said, showing none of her frightened expression from their previous meeting.
"No worries, no worries," the court mage said with the same fawning smile he always had. "Your Highness's health isn't always well. I can understand a few missed lessons."
‘Was my bad health not caused by you?!’ Adelheid accused in her mind, but her expression revealed none of her inner thoughts, only a polite smile. "Yes, my health has always been like this."
"Now, Your Highness, let us officially begin creating your first wand."
