Sipping upon a hot cup of tea, enjoying its aroma and warmth as it trickled into his system, even though he was alone and without any external eyes to view and judge his every action, he refused to allow his muscles to relax, to allow his back to recline into a slope, maintaining and training his discipline into one expected of a man of his peerage and position.
Before he could consume more of the lovely liquid, a gentle knock resonated from behind. Turning, over his shoulder, the prince was readjusting his attire whilst gazing into the art frame that acted like a one way mirror would. Allowing the people within the room to see who was outside, but not vice versa.
It was only after Asai equally quickly fixed his attire, readjusted his tunic and smothered out the creases did he rise and speak.
"Come in."
Having received permission from the allotted tenant's voice, the art work flickered to life as it now worked both ways, like a window.
As the two men were of equal ranks, peerage that stood upon an undefined and obscure line, neither of the two bowed or saluted. Merely smiling at one another, but even if their ranks were extremely close to equal, Asai still acted out the host's role by gesturing and pouring the visitor to his suite a cup of tea.
Ignoring the sugar cubes and the little milk jug, Victor girl the hot liquid a swirl before partaking, only after having enjoyed its warmth and delicacy did he speak his mind, to reveal the thoughts he held within.
"My little sister. When did you marry her? No wait, that's not important, what's important is... Will the two of you be holding an official marriage ceremony?" About to take another sip of his tea, he paused and spoke his thoughts out aloud, somewhat saving the duke the hassle of revealing information he wasn't yet ready to expose. "Ah, what am I asking, of course you will. Knowing her, she's probably planning to marry you after this war is over, to give hope to the kingdom, to all those he had lost and suffered from it... I see... I see..."
Whilst Asai was mostly the type to justify his means with the end result, he didn't want to test his luck by lying to the prince's face. He knew not whether the members of the royal family had the innate ability to tell lies from truth apart, and whether or not the version of the story he told would also be told through Victoria Del Lagos' mouth. As all it took, was for the prince to head home and ask, for his house of cards to crumble. "Lying to the face of the prince? Doesn't sound like a happy ending..."
And even if the prince had no innate ability to decipher dialogue for honesty, he decided to give credit and weight to the prince's background which naturally came with an extensive education and training typical of a man who was groomed to inherit the crown.
As Asai was being mostly quiet, just nodding and sipping on his tea, allowing him to express his thoughts and attempt to foster a better friendship between them. Victor actually misunderstood it as his natural tendency, perhaps this is what his sister desired in a man? A man who would be willing to listen to her every demand and order, and with every train of thought passing through the station, he found it incredibly fitting that Victoria and her secret hobby would decide to be with such a man. As such, Victor calmly finished his tea as he prayed for the duke's sake, that Victoria wouldn't whip him too hard, as he was beginning to foster a sense of brotherhood.
There were hardly a man who had to endure, undergo and live a life flooded with such burdens, Duke Lumix was far too old to sympathize with. His deceased brother, Arthur Del Lagos was a direct threat to him, brainwashed by his biological mother to defeat him. And Rosemi naturally kept her distance from him, as he freely endorsed his lust and appetite for beautiful women across the kingdom.
"Just- what makes the duke and I so different?" He wondered.
"Prince."
Victor stiffened, gently snapped out of his thoughts as he gave the man his attention.
"Duke."
"You and I, we've seen and experienced the most of their culture, their society, their notions and values. What do you suggest we do? What happens after we defeat their military and dethrone their king? What happens then?"
"Expand upon that."
"When they no longer have a military force, no king, no army hostile to us. What befalls their people? The elderly, the young, the women who were all unfortunate bystanders? Ignored by lady luck, born in a kingdom that strived for destruction over diplomatic peace. Are we going to commit genocide?"
Hearing that vile, familiar word, shivers crept through his spine as his appetite instantly died out. A short memory of a loyal knight who once pledged himself to annihilating the elves resurfaced within his mind.
"Genocide... huh. Well, it depends. When their kingdom no longer has a military to continue their aggression against us, we can utilize that time to learn and observe their culture, to see whether or not they're inherently hostile or merely indoctrinated from birth. If they're saveable, and willing to forge friendly relations with the rest of the continent, perhaps we can let bygones be bygones... Just as we've done with the elves, and the dhans that you know govern over."
In clear memory of the numerous reports he had read, the humans had attacked the elves, and the dhans were hostile towards the humans, and yet, they were now allies fighting upon the same front, wearing the same colours. In addition to their recent relations, he had also read the reports regarding the dark-elves, who were now equally assisting their elven counterparts.
No longer having beliefs over himself being paraded as king, as the chosen one who would lead humanity to greater heights. Victor calmly accepted his position in life, and was entirely satisfied with the friends, family and fiancé he currently had to enjoy life with. With zero interest in usurping the throne from his own blood sister, someone who could've easily had him assassinated and propagated it as suicide due to his immense failure in Via Marea, Victor was beginning to look forward to a world filled with peace.
"I do hope they surrender though, and allow themselves to be acquired and transitioned into a vassal state. Whilst the glory won't be mine to take, I'm sure Victoria will make a fine empress. Imagine that, the first empire to ever rise in this world will be led by humans, being a part of that history is good enough for me."
Daydreaming about world peace, and of his future family with Daisy Tonis, a warm smile spread across Victor's smile as he wondered whether or not he was even worthy of receiving such happiness.
"Actually... After the dekans, we need to do something about the giants in Etton, the frozen lands. They're hostile."
The instant the news processed within his mind, Victor choked upon his tea. His questioning gaze was enough to prompt the duke into expanding upon such a topic.
"The giants are worshipping a dekan, who is parading around as their celestial dragon guardian, giving them orders and basically secretly controlling their kingdom from the shadows. From what I gathered, that dekan will resurface the instant he hears news of Armenes' downfall. When we manage to remove the dekan royal family from power, I wouldn't be surprised if this fake dragon tries to usurp the kingless kingdom..."
Annoyance twisted the prince's brows, as he recalled his last sighting of the giants, remembering them to be friendly as they had attacked the dekan forces he was battling at the time.
"Well, whatever it is. It's no longer my position to burden myself with such decisions. Whatever path our queen decides upon, as swords, we shall enact her majesty's justice.
kophzi Asai De Trichia insight:
This isn't a topic I enjoy dwelling upon, as I doubt many would even enjoy reading about, but regarding Asai's mental health.
SpoilerIt's pretty down bad. First, he entered the world and somewhat lived in denial, followed the whims of his body and of others who manipulated him, being randomly thrown into a foreign world all alone and without family, he was lost and actually succumbed to mental blocks that weren't healthy.
Hence why he saw the people of the world as NPCs, rather than as humans, stealing, pickpocketing, killing and interacting with them as such. And whilst he did gradually change his mindset, as he began to open up his heart and allow people into his sphere of friendship and protection, he also suffered more in facing the reality that he had killed so many without a care, he had seen so much gore, death, battle, monsters and war. Even the humans who had died trying to conquer the castle against the elves.
Falling into a mixture of self-persuasion that they died for a good cause, they died because of his orders to charge, they died because he wasn't good enough. His mental health was going down, and we occasionally had glimpses into it, whenever he had time to reorganize his mind, and reaffirm his believes towards this new world. Perhaps it was when news of Mel's supposed death arrived, that was the last straw that broke the camel's back, and he couldn't stop himself from selfish indulgence, and breaking down from within, secluding himself within his room. (Robin's birthday chapter.)
If I had never introduced Robin and the other characters to support his emotional/mental health, I'm certain Asai would've become an anti-hero/villain instead. Hence his title (Monster) He wouldn't went down the path of the individual, creating a small elite of warriors and forcing his will upon others like a tyrant. (A path I had written up, but decided to scrap.)
[Alcoholic] is actually his coping mechanism, as we've seen, [Masochist] doesn't turn his brain to mush like Leslie, the elf who is a true masochist and desires to be stepped upon by woman. He has the ability to control his urges and tendencies from these passives, but choses not to, because he needs the short relief/respite to keep his mentality from breaking.
The others believe him to be stoic, unyielding, powerful, independent and strong, but in truth, he's just keeping it all to himself and coping with everyone and everything around him as copium.
The [Yokai Mask] was a great addition to his items, as his heart was becoming soft, his mind always falling to moral subjection as life wasn't as black and white as he wished it to be. For his enemies to be truly cruel and evil, thus giving him the moral high ground to deliver justice. With the mask amplifying his bloodlust and adrenaline for slaughter, his softer side is actually subdued, as such soft feelings will only cause him to hesitate in battle.
Now suffering from imposter syndrome, but refusing to admit it. He barely reveals his mind and thoughts to others outside his close circle, as he is now burdened with authority, power, and the title of a grand duke that governs and holds so many lives within his every decision. In fact, he's yet to fully come to terms with such power, hence why he has Mary running Trichia and Akira running Par'Talucca for him.
Which is rationalized by the idea that, he should focus upon areas that he excels at, that being battle and war, and not governance and administration.
Just wanted to write this segment, because I'm sure readers have noticed that Asai would occasionally act differently. Also, I understand that most author's want to portray their MC as this super genius, intelligent, perfect human beings who has his way simply by walking into the room and bitch-slapping anyone who even looks at him wrongly from chapter 1. (The current trend that I keep finding in both web novels and newest manga releases.)
But Asai isn't like that. He's human.
kophzi
[collapse]
Sipping upon a hot cup of tea, enjoying its aroma and warmth as it trickled into his system, even though he was alone and without any external eyes to view and judge his every action, he refused to allow his muscles to relax, to allow his back to recline into a slope, maintaining and training his discipline into one expected of a man of his peerage and position.
Before he could consume more of the lovely liquid, a gentle knock resonated from behind. Turning, over his shoulder, the prince was readjusting his attire whilst gazing into the art frame that acted like a one way mirror would. Allowing the people within the room to see who was outside, but not vice versa.
It was only after Asai equally quickly fixed his attire, readjusted his tunic and smothered out the creases did he rise and speak.
"Come in."
Having received permission from the allotted tenant's voice, the art work flickered to life as it now worked both ways, like a window.
As the two men were of equal ranks, peerage that stood upon an undefined and obscure line, neither of the two bowed or saluted. Merely smiling at one another, but even if their ranks were extremely close to equal, Asai still acted out the host's role by gesturing and pouring the visitor to his suite a cup of tea.
Ignoring the sugar cubes and the little milk jug, Victor girl the hot liquid a swirl before partaking, only after having enjoyed its warmth and delicacy did he speak his mind, to reveal the thoughts he held within.
"My little sister. When did you marry her? No wait, that's not important, what's important is... Will the two of you be holding an official marriage ceremony?" About to take another sip of his tea, he paused and spoke his thoughts out aloud, somewhat saving the duke the hassle of revealing information he wasn't yet ready to expose. "Ah, what am I asking, of course you will. Knowing her, she's probably planning to marry you after this war is over, to give hope to the kingdom, to all those he had lost and suffered from it... I see... I see..."
Whilst Asai was mostly the type to justify his means with the end result, he didn't want to test his luck by lying to the prince's face. He knew not whether the members of the royal family had the innate ability to tell lies from truth apart, and whether or not the version of the story he told would also be told through Victoria Del Lagos' mouth. As all it took, was for the prince to head home and ask, for his house of cards to crumble. "Lying to the face of the prince? Doesn't sound like a happy ending..."
And even if the prince had no innate ability to decipher dialogue for honesty, he decided to give credit and weight to the prince's background which naturally came with an extensive education and training typical of a man who was groomed to inherit the crown.
As Asai was being mostly quiet, just nodding and sipping on his tea, allowing him to express his thoughts and attempt to foster a better friendship between them. Victor actually misunderstood it as his natural tendency, perhaps this is what his sister desired in a man? A man who would be willing to listen to her every demand and order, and with every train of thought passing through the station, he found it incredibly fitting that Victoria and her secret hobby would decide to be with such a man. As such, Victor calmly finished his tea as he prayed for the duke's sake, that Victoria wouldn't whip him too hard, as he was beginning to foster a sense of brotherhood.
There were hardly a man who had to endure, undergo and live a life flooded with such burdens, Duke Lumix was far too old to sympathize with. His deceased brother, Arthur Del Lagos was a direct threat to him, brainwashed by his biological mother to defeat him. And Rosemi naturally kept her distance from him, as he freely endorsed his lust and appetite for beautiful women across the kingdom.
"Just- what makes the duke and I so different?" He wondered.
"Prince."
Victor stiffened, gently snapped out of his thoughts as he gave the man his attention.
"Duke."
"You and I, we've seen and experienced the most of their culture, their society, their notions and values. What do you suggest we do? What happens after we defeat their military and dethrone their king? What happens then?"
"Expand upon that."
"When they no longer have a military force, no king, no army hostile to us. What befalls their people? The elderly, the young, the women who were all unfortunate bystanders? Ignored by lady luck, born in a kingdom that strived for destruction over diplomatic peace. Are we going to commit genocide?"
Hearing that vile, familiar word, shivers crept through his spine as his appetite instantly died out. A short memory of a loyal knight who once pledged himself to annihilating the elves resurfaced within his mind.
"Genocide... huh. Well, it depends. When their kingdom no longer has a military to continue their aggression against us, we can utilize that time to learn and observe their culture, to see whether or not they're inherently hostile or merely indoctrinated from birth. If they're saveable, and willing to forge friendly relations with the rest of the continent, perhaps we can let bygones be bygones... Just as we've done with the elves, and the dhans that you know govern over."
In clear memory of the numerous reports he had read, the humans had attacked the elves, and the dhans were hostile towards the humans, and yet, they were now allies fighting upon the same front, wearing the same colours. In addition to their recent relations, he had also read the reports regarding the dark-elves, who were now equally assisting their elven counterparts.
No longer having beliefs over himself being paraded as king, as the chosen one who would lead humanity to greater heights. Victor calmly accepted his position in life, and was entirely satisfied with the friends, family and fiancé he currently had to enjoy life with. With zero interest in usurping the throne from his own blood sister, someone who could've easily had him assassinated and propagated it as suicide due to his immense failure in Via Marea, Victor was beginning to look forward to a world filled with peace.
"I do hope they surrender though, and allow themselves to be acquired and transitioned into a vassal state. Whilst the glory won't be mine to take, I'm sure Victoria will make a fine empress. Imagine that, the first empire to ever rise in this world will be led by humans, being a part of that history is good enough for me."
Daydreaming about world peace, and of his future family with Daisy Tonis, a warm smile spread across Victor's smile as he wondered whether or not he was even worthy of receiving such happiness.
"Actually... After the dekans, we need to do something about the giants in Etton, the frozen lands. They're hostile."
The instant the news processed within his mind, Victor choked upon his tea. His questioning gaze was enough to prompt the duke into expanding upon such a topic.
"The giants are worshipping a dekan, who is parading around as their celestial dragon guardian, giving them orders and basically secretly controlling their kingdom from the shadows. From what I gathered, that dekan will resurface the instant he hears news of Armenes' downfall. When we manage to remove the dekan royal family from power, I wouldn't be surprised if this fake dragon tries to usurp the kingless kingdom..."
Annoyance twisted the prince's brows, as he recalled his last sighting of the giants, remembering them to be friendly as they had attacked the dekan forces he was battling at the time.
"Well, whatever it is. It's no longer my position to burden myself with such decisions. Whatever path our queen decides upon, as swords, we shall enact her majesty's justice.
kophzi Asai De Trichia insight:
This isn't a topic I enjoy dwelling upon, as I doubt many would even enjoy reading about, but regarding Asai's mental health.
SpoilerIt's pretty down bad. First, he entered the world and somewhat lived in denial, followed the whims of his body and of others who manipulated him, being randomly thrown into a foreign world all alone and without family, he was lost and actually succumbed to mental blocks that weren't healthy.
Hence why he saw the people of the world as NPCs, rather than as humans, stealing, pickpocketing, killing and interacting with them as such. And whilst he did gradually change his mindset, as he began to open up his heart and allow people into his sphere of friendship and protection, he also suffered more in facing the reality that he had killed so many without a care, he had seen so much gore, death, battle, monsters and war. Even the humans who had died trying to conquer the castle against the elves.
Falling into a mixture of self-persuasion that they died for a good cause, they died because of his orders to charge, they died because he wasn't good enough. His mental health was going down, and we occasionally had glimpses into it, whenever he had time to reorganize his mind, and reaffirm his believes towards this new world. Perhaps it was when news of Mel's supposed death arrived, that was the last straw that broke the camel's back, and he couldn't stop himself from selfish indulgence, and breaking down from within, secluding himself within his room. (Robin's birthday chapter.)
If I had never introduced Robin and the other characters to support his emotional/mental health, I'm certain Asai would've become an anti-hero/villain instead. Hence his title (Monster) He wouldn't went down the path of the individual, creating a small elite of warriors and forcing his will upon others like a tyrant. (A path I had written up, but decided to scrap.)
[Alcoholic] is actually his coping mechanism, as we've seen, [Masochist] doesn't turn his brain to mush like Leslie, the elf who is a true masochist and desires to be stepped upon by woman. He has the ability to control his urges and tendencies from these passives, but choses not to, because he needs the short relief/respite to keep his mentality from breaking.
The others believe him to be stoic, unyielding, powerful, independent and strong, but in truth, he's just keeping it all to himself and coping with everyone and everything around him as copium.
The [Yokai Mask] was a great addition to his items, as his heart was becoming soft, his mind always falling to moral subjection as life wasn't as black and white as he wished it to be. For his enemies to be truly cruel and evil, thus giving him the moral high ground to deliver justice. With the mask amplifying his bloodlust and adrenaline for slaughter, his softer side is actually subdued, as such soft feelings will only cause him to hesitate in battle.
Now suffering from imposter syndrome, but refusing to admit it. He barely reveals his mind and thoughts to others outside his close circle, as he is now burdened with authority, power, and the title of a grand duke that governs and holds so many lives within his every decision. In fact, he's yet to fully come to terms with such power, hence why he has Mary running Trichia and Akira running Par'Talucca for him.
Which is rationalized by the idea that, he should focus upon areas that he excels at, that being battle and war, and not governance and administration.
Just wanted to write this segment, because I'm sure readers have noticed that Asai would occasionally act differently. Also, I understand that most author's want to portray their MC as this super genius, intelligent, perfect human beings who has his way simply by walking into the room and bitch-slapping anyone who even looks at him wrongly from chapter 1. (The current trend that I keep finding in both web novels and newest manga releases.)
But Asai isn't like that. He's human.
kophzi
[collapse]