Igneel's POV
As I sat on the throne, I waited for Mulan. She slowly walked up while all the officials and the former leader of the empire watched.
She looked stiff as she walked, but she was brave and didn't stumble. Eventually, she stopped at a chair closest to the thrones.
As she attempted to sit down, I stopped her.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
She froze, thinking she did something wrong. She looked up at me for direction. I moved my hand and presented the throne next to mine.
I had set this up beforehand. Everyone was probably confused about why I did this, but now with my action, they understood.
"Your seat is here," I said.
She looked around and gulped before walking up the steps, then sat on the throne next to mine.
"Your majesty, this is—"
"Choose your next words wisely. If they are not satisfactory, your life is forfeit," I added coldly.
The official grit his teeth and spoke.
"Even if she is the queen, she is still a woman—"
Boom
I stomped the ground and cracked the floor.
"Your words are unsatisfactory," I said coldly and lifted my hand.
Slowly fire formed, then shot straight at the man. He caught fire and began to burn alive.
"Ahhhh, mercy!"
Everyone watched in horror. I then felt my robe being tugged. I turned to Mulan, whose face had turned pale. Understanding her distress, I increased the intensity of the fire and turned him into ash in the blink of an eye.
"I'm sorry," I said, stroking her hair.
She calmed a little but was still tense. I then turned to the officials and people in the throne room.
"I'll make this clear now. My word is law, and I declare that the queen has the same authority as mine."
This sent ripples through everyone. They started whispering among themselves.
"Silence," I commanded.
The entire room fell silent.
"I've done some research, and what I found disgusts me. From now on, child marriage shall be terminated. The age at which a person becomes an adult is 21—that is when almost every person's brain fully matures. Anyone under will be considered a child."
Sounds kind of hypocritical since technically I'm 1 year old, but I'm not the same as them.
"But your highness, the life expectancy is—"
"You don't have to worry about that. I have already researched the herbs found in this region and have developed multiple solutions. I've also designed new structures for hygiene," I said, a little disgusted.
They looked confused at the last statement but still nodded. I thought they would be more concerned and proactive, but I guess burning that guy to ash really scared them.
"Also—"
"Igneel," someone called.
I paused, hearing the familiar voice. I turned to the source.
"Mother…Father," I answered.
Damn it, I wanted more time. Why couldn't Father stop her longer? I stepped down and went up to them, Mulan following behind me.
She looked me over then turned to Mulan. Noticing her bulging stomach, I gulped. Damn, Mother was also pregnant. Hopefully her emotions aren't too out of control.
"Looks like your wife is pregnant," she said.
I nodded.
"I'm sorry for not telling you," I apologized. She waved me off.
"It's fine, you're an adult now, aren't you?" she said.
Whoa, she's taking things a lot easier than I thought she would.
Mulan bowed.
"Hello, mother-in-law," she greeted.
"Well, at least you picked a good one," she smiled.
I could only scratch my head in embarrassment while Mulan blushed. The surrounding officials watched everything and didn't make a sound.
"But I'm still mad. You will receive punishment."
Damn, she won't get Father to beat me, right? I turned to my father; he turned away from me.
"The punishment—" she let the silence continue.
I gulped. She had never been mad at me before, just punished me for things I did wrong but was never mad. Now that she's actually mad, what would she do?
Suddenly she took a whip out of her storage ring. My eyes widened as it seemed familiar. It's the whip Father made a while back. Its ability is to cause immense pain—no damage, just pain.
The stronger the user, the stronger the attacks will be. My fear dissipated and gave way to calm. Mother isn't strong; she won't be able to use it to its full capacity.
She then flicked her hand slightly, and the whip smacked the ground, causing a crater.
Everyone took a step back. Mulan was sent to safety by my father, but I stood right in front of my angry mother.
Shit, how is she so strong? I checked her stats and my eyes widened. I turned to my father, who grinned sheepishly.
Damn it, you actually gave her skills just for this? I put up my hand and signaled all the others to leave. Seeing the signal, they all quietly left.
"You wouldn't really whip me, would you?" I asked.
She paused for a moment but then nodded.
"No, the real punishment is there," she pointed.
I turned and noticed Moon, Crystal, and a bunch of other girls.
"What is this?" I asked.
"These are the girls from the princess school in Enchanta. Your punishment is to watch them."
I looked them over before nodding. All of them seemed quite well-behaved except for Moon. I'll just get someone to show them around and teach them about the culture.
"And you have to watch them yourself. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a punishment," she added.
"What!?"
Seeing her glare, I grumbled to myself and agreed.
"Whatever, I'll do it," I said.
She smiled.
"Good, now show me around this place. I want to see everything," she smiled.
A few hours later
Erik's POV
I sat in a small restaurant in the imperial city with everyone around me.
"Igneel," I called.
His focus turned to me.
"Yes?"
"Now that you have a territory of your own, I will give you some tasks," I said.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I want you to train an army of your own and then conquer some nearby kingdoms or, if possible, empires," I said.
He paused briefly and then nodded.
"I have a request."
"Speak," I commanded.
"I need Moon, specifically her ability to make honey," he said.
I turned to Merida who was staring at me.
"Ah, you're gonna have to ask Merida," I muttered.
He nodded in understanding.
"Mother—"
"Absolutely not. Your sister is currently attending school," she said.
Igneel fell silent. He opened his mouth to speak again but froze when Merida glared at him.
Damn, when did she become so domineering? The pressure of being a queen was too much, I guess.
"Honey, how about this," I said and put some food on her plate.
She used her fork and took a bite.
"It's okay. The chef at home is better," she said.
Of course they are—I gave them the cooking skill. I grabbed more food and put it onto her plate.
As I did, I felt a summon appear next to me. I turned to him and smiled. He held a sword—the one I had asked him to find.
I grabbed it from him, and he disappeared into the shadows.
"What is that?" Merida asked.
"Ah, this is Shan Yu's sword—the fallen leader of the Huns. I remembered it was here and told my summon to retrieve it from the burnt land," I smiled.
She raised an eyebrow.
"It's one of the wicked nine artifacts. Remember the sorcerer Vor that the king of Enchanta warned us about," I said.
She paused for a moment, then nodded with recognition.
"But why are you collecting it? Isn't it dangerous to keep in one place?" she asked.
"Don't worry. I'm not planning to keep it in one place. I'll spread it around the territory," I added.
She nodded in agreement.
"Darling!"
I immediately turned to Elsa when I heard her distressed voice. She clutched her stomach, and I noticed liquid pouring down her dress.
Her water broke! I quickly teleported us back to the castle.
"Doctors!!!"
Everyone became alert at my command. Maids and the prepared doctors arrived in the room within minutes and began the birthing process.
A few hours later
I stood outside the room. Initially only Elsa was giving birth. But ten minutes after returning to the castle, Merida went into labor too. Igneel had teleported her and the other princesses back.
"Wah wah wah!"
The moment I heard the baby cries, I rushed inside. Seeing both mothers holding their newborns, I smiled with relief.
I gave them both a kiss. Looking at the children in their arms, my eyes widened. One had a skill called god of water, and the other had a skill called siren.
God of water: the ability to control and create all water.
Siren: the voice has power.
I noticed a pattern—Merida only had boys while Elsa only had girls. Is this a sign?
I remembered the girls and turned to the door. I smiled seeing them peeking through.
"All of you come in," I said.
Moon was the first to enter, followed by Crystal and then the other princesses.
"Today is a special occasion. All of you will witness the naming of the future rulers of my empire," I said with pride.
They were in awe of my aura. I laughed internally seeing their respect.
I cleared my throat, then turned to the boy first as several names went through my head.
"Clyde Haddock," I said with a powerful voice. "Your affinity with water will serve you well."
The child, hearing his name, showed signs of awareness. I nodded and turned to the girl in Elsa's arms.
I smiled as a name immediately came to mind.
"Your name shall be Melody. As beautiful as your mother, your voice will be even more so," I smiled.
Merida and Elsa nodded at the names.
"Let me see," Moon said, jumping onto the bed. Seeing Clyde, she smiled and then ran to Melody.
The others grew curious and moved closer to the newborns.
"Wow, they're so cute," they said in unison.
As they interacted, I began contemplating. How did Clyde get the god of water ability?
"It is simple. The moment you gave the powerful water skill to Merida, he inherited it from her. Though the chances were quite low since she was about to give birth when she received the skill."
"But the skill I gave her wasn't as powerful as the one he got."
"It's because the skill evolved with the child. Usually a god will be born with a unique ability, typically inherited from a parent. No matter the initial power level, it can become unique and, in extremely rare cases, divine."
What a surprise. I rubbed my hands together. If I keep having children, won't I have an army of gods by the time I conquer the world?
"Yes, but be warned. Some children might inherit problematic traits. For example, your berserk skill. If a child inherits it, they would become a bloodthirsty killer."
I paused. Why must you ruin everything? I looked at my skills and sighed. "Can I delete a skill?"
"Yes, but it will cost you a piece of your soul. The stronger the skill, the more soul you must sacrifice, since skills are connected to your soul."
"How much would it affect me?"
"Not much, since you're a god and gods normally have larger, more powerful souls. The skill doesn't even take a fraction of your soul."
Without hesitation, I destroyed the berserk skill. Why do I suddenly feel slightly weaker?
"This isn't a problem. Your soul will regenerate and you'll be fine within a few days."
I nodded. This was good news. At least now I won't have to worry about losing control.
Note: ima start collecting the wicked nine and lead the story to the boss. If you know what I mean.