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Chapter 306: Succession - Markets and Multiverses
🕑 Added 2024-10-16 07:03:17 +0000 UTC“Do you think the fighting will finally stop?” asked Maela, as she sat next to me on the porch. Over the years, Maela and I had grown close. Not close enough for me to tell her everything. She still didn't know about the Market, or Felix and Anise's specialties. However, I had shown her my 'second ability.' She had grown into a friend of mine, and I felt she deserved at least a little trust. Of course, Felix and Anise's secrets weren't mine to give away, so I only told Maela about me. After several years of physical therapy, Maela's legs were also better. She no longer had any issues controlling her legs. She could walk, run, and climb as well as any other member of town. She still complained of the occasional pain if I went more than a day without healing her legs. However, by and large, she could live a normal life now.
“I don’t know,” I said.
On one hand, the civil war looked like it was finally about to end. On the other hand… that might not mean peace or prosperity. Especially after four years of civil war, Zanna was not in good shape anymore. It wouldn't surprise me if something went wrong and another civil war started right after this one ended. Perhaps in five years, people would be rebelling against the tyranny of king Ferdinand or something.
If the other former colonies had been in a better state, we would have already left for a new home. However, Zanna wasn’t unique in its circumstances - most former colonies had found themselves in the midst of their own revolutions. Even Ennalia found itself dragged into the fighting, as its colonies sought to break free during the global chaos. Everywhere was a mess.
“Well, the civil war is finally about to end. Right?” said Maela. “The king of the monarchist faction is well positioned to win. Unless the monarchists do something dumb, they should have an easy time winning the civil war from here. After that, don't you think things will settle down?"
“Well, things look good for the monarchists," I said. "That’s why I would be more cautious. The other two factions are still fighting each other, but… they aren’t stupid. They’ll try something to spike the wheels of the monarchist faction. It could be as simple as assasination, or as complex as making a new alchemical superweapon. They might fail... but they won’t sit back and let the monarchists win the civil war.”
“True. I guess the other factions are still trying to win the civil war, even if they're unlikely to salvage the war."
“That’s not the only risk. The civil war is bad, but a single faction ruling the archipelago might not be any better. They might initiate a round of ‘purges’ to remove disloyal people after winning. It's hard to say who they'll consider 'loyal'.” The self-proclaimed ‘king’ didn’t give me good feelings, at least if the newspapers were anything to go off of. The newspapers could be misrepresenting him… but I had my guard up. Anything could go wrong before things stabilized again.
“I hope that doesn’t happen,” said Maela with a shiver. “I was hoping that things would finally settle down after all this. All of the fighting needs to stop. Zanna needs time to heal. I wish the revolution and the civil war would just... end.”
I leaned back, and gave Maela a comforting hug. “Me too, Maela. Me too.”
The two of sat back in silence, relaxing in each other's presence. A few hours passed by, before I heard a knock at the door. I opened it up, only to find Felix on the other side of it. He was… smiling?
He held up a newspaper. It was from a few days ago, but due to logistical issues, we hadn't received it until today. I squinted at it, and then blinked in surprise.
Ruler of the Monarchist faction, King Ferdinand, has died under assassin's bullet. His son, Villdym, survived a second assassination attempt later the same day! Is it a conspiracy from the Naturalists, or the Old Government?
I looked at the newspaper, and frowned.
King Ferdinand was dead? Was that true?
In fact, was that even a good thing? Wouldn’t this lead to another round of splintering? Zanna had already endured a revolution, followed by a civil war. Now, things looked like one faction had been set to finally win the civil war. As much as I feared a dangerous new government, I was also looking forward to the fighting settling down. Now, King Ferdinand was dead, right before he achieved victory. If we were unlucky, the monarchist faction might break into another set of new factions. I wasn’t sure why Felix was smiling, either. He had seemed as tired of the civil war as I was. Was there something I didn't know.
“Is there a reason you’re so happy?” I asked. “If I’m not wrong, this means another round of wars, right? The faction that was set to win the war collapsed at the finish line. I haven't heard much about Ferdinand's son, so it will be hard for him to keep the faction together. Doesn’t that mean the fighting will stretch on?”
“It might have, under normal circumstances,” said Felix. “But things are a bit different in this case. The king’s son escaped the assassination attempt, so the monarchist faction still has a figure to rally around. The son isn't as competent as Ferdinand... but he's also not incompetent. The monarchists will probably still support him to prop up their faction. King Villdym also has a rather… different policy towards a lot of things. The previous king was always talking about how he wanted to build a new colonial empire under Zanna.” Felix grinned. “Villdym is more focused on internal development and industrialization. He’s not perfect… but I can support his policies. Of course, the other two factions might pounce on the monarchist faction while they’re weakened… but I’m thinking this is also an opportunity.”
“An opportunity for what?” I frowned, before I felt my facial muscles relax. “Oh, I see. Are you planning on leaving?” That was the only way I could see Felix turning this new round of chaos into an 'opportunity.'
Felix nodded.
“I have a faction I actually like in the civil war now. The faction is also in a strong position to win the civil war, but has a few glaring weaknesses. I can help mitigate those weaknesses, and Villdym might be very interested in my help. The path to getting in contact with the leader of a large political faction might be rocky… but I have some social capital to burn.” Felix grinned. “After all, I’m one of the inventors of the railroad. I also have a few interesting alchemical inventions that I’ve made over the past few years. That should spark some interest. If it works, I can start to build factories and set everything up. As long a Villdym isn’t too opposed to a former citizen of Damilius helping him, this could work.”
Maela shifted as she listened to Felix's words. “That seems… risky. Are you sure you want to participate in this mess? You might also get assassinated... or Ferdinand's son might not be as good as you think. If he's pretending to be a good person, but is just as power-hungry as Ferdinand... it won't end well."
Felix grinned at Maela. “It might be a bit risky, but… it’s not too bad. I have the means to protect myself, and I’ve always had a few hopes and dreams for the future. This is a good way to fulfill them. As for Villdym turning out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing...” Felix shrugged. "If so, I'll leave. I don't need to give my help to a warmonger."
<If you need help with that, I'll help you too,> I said to Felix over the bracelet. I wanted to get away from all of the fighting, but I would always step in if my friends needed me.
<I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'll need your help,> he said. <I actually have a bit of confidence in this world. I want to see if I can stand on my own... although I'll still ask for help if I need it.>
I nodded.
With Felix’s access to the shaping magic system, he would have a big advantage in keeping himself safe from potential assassins. Especially since he had made several smaller upgrades to his hands over the years. While he might not be quite as well suited to scouting and finding hidden enemies as I was, he was still a Transmigrator. He had an unfair stat advantage, an extra magic system, and extraordinary talent in binding essence. This was a situation where Felix could definitely excel. I smiled at him.
“So you’re planning on participating in the last rounds of the civil war?”
“I am. I came to say goodbye,” said Felix, before he gave me a hug. “I assume you don’t want to come with me?”
I nodded. “I’ve had enough of war and killing for a while. If there’s a monster outbreak, or something like that, I’ll jump into the front lines immediately. But… during the battles with the Worldstriders, I was fighting to keep Anise safe. I don’t feel like I have a stake in this war. I’m happy healing people in town and hanging out with my friends.”
Felix nodded. “I expected as much. In that case, this is where we part ways. I’ll see you again later.” He winked at me. “If all else fails, then I’ll still see you again when you get old enough. I have a feeling you’ll be making it to old age this time.”
I smiled at him, while Maela gave us a rather confused look. I chuckled, and gave Felix another, tighter hug. “Stay safe. But you can do this. You have a lot of advantages that you can make use of. I trust you to do what’s right… and to kick some butt along the way. This is a real chance for you to make a big difference in a world. For the first time.”
Felix grinned.
“I already said goodbye to Anise, so… see you later.” With that, Felix walked out of the house. I watched him go, before I nodded to myself. I hoped that this would turn out well. Part of me still whispered worry for my friend, but... another part of me was proud and hopeful. Felix had done exceptionally well this world. If he could play a big role in this war, he would have an even larger stockpile of Achievement when we returned to the Market. I wasn't sure if he would succeed, but he had a chance. I just hoped it would turn out for the best.
Author’s Note:
When I was about halfway through editing the chapter, the internet decided to die. It came back fast enough for me to upload the chapter before going to sleep, but I was super salty. The special spellcheck/grammar check program I use is online T_T. Thanks internet service provider -_-.
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Comments
Dax
Great pains we're taken to state how their town was left untouched by the civil war (even when that would be incredibly unrealistic imo - every faction in a civil war wants recruits and supplies) and they've had literal years of downtime, but miria is talking like she hasn't had a few years to relax already? Seems a little odd to me.
Arkeus
I do hope Felix has enough time to really get a wide range of knowledge of the whole alchemy system before his death. Somewhat surprised he never really tried to make ability potions yet.
