Apocalypse Reborn: Another Again: Chapter 2

Apocalypse Reborn: Another Again: Chapter 2

…

After gathering more information that was untouched by the lens that the Academy was the greatest polity on the continent and its supreme rulers, I found more information on the King of Wisdom.

A child that guided armies through the outer realms of the Academy and impossibly ensured that they remained whole and hale despite all the dangers.

A child who was appointed king by a dying warlord who just met him days ago.

A child whose tactics destroyed the Children of the Elm even though they had a Citadel of their own.

A child who was making inroads towards making an alliance with the Conquerors of the Desert. Conquerors who were typically ambivalent towards Descendants due to their enslavement were engaged with them in trade with open borders.

That was just what I managed to gather from my political contacts.

From the merchants that I had ties with, the news was even more grim.

Factories manned by people were popping up in both the regions that he held. The Children of the Elm’s former lands were being administered by a merchant champion named Sarala. The rare and prized spices and reagents from the outer realms were being cultivated and sold in massive amounts. Our merchants were making profits, and we were reaping the taxes, but they were buying the stuff from the King of Wisdom, and the number of new products popping up that the Academy was devouring was already eye-watering.

Everything from spices to makeup and even alchemical reagents of the highest quality were being purchased by the ton. They only had to grow it and make sure they had stable supplies, while we handled shipping costs, storage, sales, and taxes. They needed sunlight, water, and land that they had in abundance, then everything could be harvested for… for nearly nothing!

Apparently, they were already moving away from money, because their primary currency was Citadel production output. Gold and silver coins minted by the Academy were useful to them as a means to purchase raw materials. Raw materials that they processed in factories with machines produced by the Citadel, which we couldn’t hope to match. The merchants only saw products, but behind it all was a supply chain and workforce that we already couldn’t match growing even larger.

Not to mention the fact that our money was already considered inferior currency in the new economic superpower rising on our border!

Everything I learned from my past life told me that the King of Wisdom was someone that we needed to bring to our side.

Someone that we had to ally with as equals.

Father, however, thought differently.

…

“Industrial capacity cannot match institutional knowledge and standing armies.” Father tapped the paper I wrote. It held all my sources. Going around for the better part of two months talking to people was something he noticed, but I presented him with my initial findings, and he permitted it. After another month, I assembled everything in a neat report for him to go over, and he read it over in a day and decided. I really wished that he had spent more than a day on the report before coming to a decision on the matter, even if I did trim everything down to just twenty pages. “That is without considering the assets that we have that they cannot match, such as our ability to train Champions, along with all the mercenary companies we can hire.”

“Industry is still industry, Father. Every factory that they have has hundreds of people in it who are capable of supporting thousands.” The Academy had a guild that artisans and skilled workers worked under. Requests were made through guilds and fulfilled by their members. Guild membership was treasured and competitive, giving us the pick of artisans and skilled workers, but across the nation their combined output in processed materials was in the hundreds of tons per year. A dozen suits of plate armor a month was incredibly good against the outer realm’s one or two a month, but that wasn’t the case now. Pikes and bolts were being mass-produced, pikemen were being covered in Citadel Alloys, and apparently everything was being delivered through the air! “Not to mention, with the amount of wealth flowing within their lands, they can hire champions until they are capable of training them themselves!”

“Whatever armies they amass will be smashed apart by our own. They will be green, lacking in magical assets, and be torn asunder by a coordinated army. Let alone one supported by a multitude of mercenary companies.” Father stated with a shake of his head. I couldn’t refute that fact. Even with Citadel Guardians in play, what he said was true. We had the sheer number of bodies needed to seize those Citadels. It would be bloody, but we could. “Not only that, but they will fight amongst themselves for control. Four more will rise, and then the outer realm will be engulfed in truly immense amounts of bloodshed, as it has always done.”

Precedent.

I hated it, since I knew that was my father’s preferred form of reasoning, thanks to the Academy’s undisputed rule over centuries by following precedent.

I wanted to argue against his point, but my time with him was limited.

“Then, please, allow me to befriend their current ruler and see if we can bring them aboard to our faction. Let us take advantage of this change and bring the benefits of the Citadel to our people.” My words had him raise an eyebrow, but he didn’t interrupt. That was a good sign. Whenever he interrupted, that was a clear sign that line of conversation was effectively over. He was the head of the Academy and my father. Speaking against him was foolish at best, and at worst I could see him pull support from my endeavors. “If we capitalize on him, if we can have him conquer the rest of the Citadels for us, wouldn’t that be for the best? He will look to us for teachers, clerks, and more, and we can turn him into a figurehead while controlling whatever he creates.”

Father was silent for a long time at my words before a smile formed on his face.

“I always worried that you didn’t have the ambition needed to become the next headmaster, but hearing this? I know that you are well suited for the task. Go and bring the boy under our wing. I’ll see to it that none raise a fuss about your actions.” Father’s words had me bow in thanks, but I knew that it was a foregone conclusion. The Academy will never treat the Citadel masters like allies. I chose my words carefully. I said ‘bring aboard’ to signify that I wanted them standing with us, but Father stated ‘bring under our wing’ when he gave his permission. Conflict was all but guaranteed, because when the Citadel users finally outstrip us, we’ll try to bring them down… and we’ll fail. “Ah, that’s all the time I have for you today, my child. Go forth with my blessing.”

I bowed and thanked him, even as the taste of bitter defeat lingered on my tongue.

I needed to find another angle to this.

…

Celia raised an eyebrow at my request.

“You wish for me to form an alliance with the King of Wisdom and the Conquerors? The Conquerors I understand, but Jack’s people are a different matter. They have committed systemic destruction of the Children of the Elm.” As far as I could tell, most people thought that was a good thing. Celia’s lack of vitriol regarding the statement also made it clear that she felt similarly. But it was probably casus belli for the Guardians thanks to their societal foundations. They maintained and held standards left behind by the Ancients. “Our current plan is to join with the Conquerors and see them defeated. The new age of the Citadels cannot be led by those who would cleanse whole populations and destroy populations as their foundation.”

The words didn’t hold any ‘oomph.’ Celia was practically reciting lines from a script.

Basically, she could be convinced.

“I have been given latitude from my father to bring them under my wing. Rather than allow them to do as they wish, we will guide them.” That made Celia’s eyes brighten with ‘understanding.’ She was hearing what she wanted to hear. That the Academy was stepping up and guiding other Descendants. “If we fail, we would like your aid. It would lessen the burden on the Academy greatly if the Guardians of the Moon were in control of such great treasures and used them for their noble cause.”

Before my very eyes, Celia sat up straighter and practically preened at all my praise.
Father said that vampires craved recognition. Countless years of diligence and duty made them desire it. The praise of their peasantry was to be expected, but to be acknowledged by those with authority and power was something that they yearned for. We called for their aid sparingly across the academy’s history, but they came each time for little more than public acknowledgement, trifling riches, and goodwill.

If Celia were a boy, I’d honestly consider marrying her, but that wasn’t in the cards.

“I see. The Academy’s intentions are noble. I believe that they are worthy of supporting, and I believe that the council will see it in a similar manner.” I gave a smile and a nod of gratitude at her words. Each one practiced. Each one showcasing deference to her. Not submission, but gratitude. The smile on Celia’s face was almost tooth-achingly sweet. “Hm. You will need to be careful around Jack, however. His title is well-earned. There is no class here where I am his better, and he peruses your library at a truly breakneck pace.”

Suddenly, she leaned forward and briefly looked like a young girl gossiping rather than a champion who led an entire nation.

“Take care if you wish to bring him to your side romantically. The council will not look favorably upon a union between a boy his age and a young woman your age.”

I couldn’t deny my intentions fast enough.

I’m desperate and want to live, but not desperate enough to woo a child!

…

Jack’s schedule was, frankly, insane.

He attended classes and breezed through them. He had two champions training at the same time, Ilych and Rita, who were keeping up with their respective curriculums. Meanwhile, every class that he took, he passed within weeks and spent his time reading instead. He joined his two Champions whenever they went out on combat missions to test themselves, while also leading them and a detachment of troops in the underground beneath the Academy. When he wasn’t studying, participating in combat practice, delving into dungeons, and more, he was speaking with merchants, blacksmiths, alchemists, and more.

The fact that he had a mansion with servants was the talk of more than a few of my circles. They turned their nose up at the thought of a barbarian king trying to pretend he was wealthy. The truth was, however, that the servants and the mansion were all necessary for him to spend every waking moment effectively. Sure, he took some days off, but they were after almost two weeks of constant work. I tried his schedule for a day, with my own staff notified and ready to support me, and I was left struggling and barely awake. The next day I was practically comatose.

I had to double-check that he was truly a regular Descendant, and the fact that he was… was terrifying.

In the end, I took great care to discern what I could of him before moving forward.

That was my mistake, as suddenly, he found an ancient golem during one of his excursions.

And I found myself in front of him with orders from my father to put my plans into motion, as he now saw the King of Wisdom as a threat in earnest.

He pulled out all the stops, inviting him to our private garden at our home for tea, which was a mark of high status. Anyone who complained in our ranks was silenced, while he informed me that failure was not an option and that no one will see what occurs in the garden.

I almost wished that he meant that I should make the child my fiancé, when in fact he wanted me to kill the boy to take the Golem.

Even if it meant waging a war against the loyal people who remained at the Citadels under his control.

I dressed myself with a possible battle in mind; my status as a champion was held in records as a supportive one, even though my father had me train in secret. Ilych and Rita were to remain on family grounds, but Father had his own champions sneak in through hidden passages.

If we couldn’t bring him under our wing, then we would kill him and his people, go to war, and take the golem for ourselves.

Not even considering the possibility that we couldn’t win.

Not even considering the possibility that the Conquerors might help them.

Everything was suddenly going wrong.

Then, he arrived with the Golem.

I blinked at the sight of the too-familiar face from another life on the Golem’s face, stunned for a moment, then he suddenly looked at me with more interest than ever.

“Huh, you recognize Ayah’s face… but you haven’t been active properly.” English. English words streamed out of his mouth towards me while Ayah looked at him in confusion. That was 2B’s face. Tanned and with black hair, but definitely 2B. I suddenly felt dizzy and managed to sit down, and he took a seat in front of me. His eyes were sharp. “It looks like your starting area was the Academy as its heiress, but where’s your power? Do you think you can just inform the Academy last minute and let them win?”

“What… what do you mean?” English almost felt foreign to my tongue, but I managed to get the words out. Jack studied me, meeting my eyes, before his mouth opened in astonishment. “What do I need to warn the Academy about?”

He rattled off a name, and he sighed and leaned back when I didn’t recognize it.

He was silent for a while before speaking again.

“Alright, we have a lot to talk about, but first thing’s first: we have four to five apocalypses coming our way. This is a real-time strategy game where millions die within the span of a decade.” Those words were enough to rattle me, but then he pointed my way. “The Academy is the first to get wiped out, because it’s the center of power for the continent. We need to work together, or we all die.”

If I wasn’t reborn as a superhuman, I’d probably have fainted from shock.