A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Over the next week or so, the entire Enkarian palace was a hotbed of activity as the wedding plans were in full swing. At the same time, news quickly spread about how the people's beloved princes would soon marry the man who'd recently become their emperor.

It was the kind of news that quickly replaced the last remnants of gloom that remained from their war with the hunters. It even worked to distract from the recent attacks by third-ranked beasts that were doing the rounds.

The news even reached beyond the kingdom of Enkare Nkai to the surrounding factions. In the past, several of these factions had vied for Naeku's hand in order to ally with her relatively powerful kingdom, but these proposals had quickly died down after the Humanitas Sangh invaded.

When the war started, the other nearby African factions quickly went silent. They thanked their guardian deities that Naeku rejected their offers. Instead of being forced to go to war with a powerful entity, they had a chance to cautiously watch from a distance instead, and they gladly took that option.

After word reached them with details about the Enkarian victory, speculations about this emperor and his future plans went wild. Many of these formerly passive factions are now clamouring for a marriage invite…

At the same time, opinions within the Enkarian kingdom varied only a little. Many had witnessed the fond interactions between Erik and Naeku, causing most to assume the marriage was happening out of love.

Yet, there were some dissenting voices. Some didn't like the fact that their princess was marrying a non-Enkarian, others that she was marrying at all, and a few simply objected to the concept of Erik altogether. That last group overlapped perfectly with the small group of Enkarians still unhappy with their kingdom's loss of independence.

Fortunately, these voices were minor enough to not make a major difference. For the most part, a celebratory vibe passed through the entirety of their kingdom as they prepared for their princess's marriage.

Meanwhile, inside the palace, tasks were divided in a relatively generic manner, meaning all the men stayed out of it. Even though most of the women in Erik and Naeku's families valued their independence and generally disliked traditional gender roles, the fact was that Erik, Ankhur, Enkai, and Tarek simply had nothing to add.

Erik gave his opinions during the first day of planning, when he was alone with Naeku, but afterwards he'd taken his hands off. Obviously he considered the ceremony important, but he mostly considered it a way to honor his wives and their support.

Being able to show off his beautiful wives to the people he now ruled over was just a nice bonus…

Currently, the four men were sitting in Ankhur's study. In classic fashion, they sat in luxurious chairs, nursing alcoholic drinks in whiskey glasses while the womenfolk fussed about outside.

It was a situation that made Erik feel a little awkward, but there truly was nothing for him to do. Between Naeku, Runa, Erik's wives, Ankhur's wives, Ankhur's sister, Ankhur's mother, and even little Alice, it was already a circus out there. None of these men would add anything constructive.

Ankhur was the first to break the silence. "This tastes quite good, and it actually makes me feel a slight buzz," he commented while sipping his drink. "You said your wife Emma made this? I haven't been able to enjoy a drink since the awakening…"

His words earned quick agreement from Enkai and Tarek, his father.

"She did," Erik smiled gently with a nod. "She's been training in alchemy for a while now, and it's paying off. The recipe came from the European Council, however."

"Right, the Council…" Ankhur frowned thoughtfully, before raising an eyebrow. "How long do you think they can hold against the Humanitas Sangh? It's only due to their threat that we're still able to sit here calmly…"

Erik swirled the drink in his glass and wryly shook his head. "I'm not sure, to be honest. Owned land or the number of first- to second ranked soldiers really won't matter much. The only important metric is the strength of the leaders, and I've only met a few of them."

He looked up and frowned, shifting in his chair. "I've met three of their Councillors, with two of their strongest among them, and I'd say either of the latter two could give Lilith a run for her money."

With the other men listening intently, he continued his analysis. "The surprising strength of Lilith's body makes her harder to deal with than regular Arcanists, but she's still not physically strong enough to go blow for blow with a Runebound. Certainly not one as powerful as Katya."

"Having said that," he sighed and shrugged. "This may become an issue of quantity versus quality. Based on what we've seen so far, I think the Humanitas Sangh has access to far more third rankers than the Council does, even if they're much lower in quality. There should only be a handful like Lilith."

"Do you think the hunters have some special method of churning out third rankers…?" Enkai asked with some concern.

"That does seem likely," Erik nodded thoughtfully. "But whether that, and whatever small number of Lilith-type third rankers they have, is enough to overwhelm the Council is anyone's guess."

He smirked wryly, "Plus, we can't forget about their leader. She's relatively weak, but old—very old. She probably knows more than everyone in this palace combined, including Elora. An advantage like that cannot be underestimated."

Suddenly, Tarek nodded solemnly. "Old people truly are the greatest assets."

He said it so seriously and with so much conviction, that the room fell silent as the others blinked at him. Then, they all began to chuckle, the previous gloom broken. "Right you are, Dad!" Ankhur laughed and raised his glass in toast.

Enkai and Erik quickly followed, while Tarek grinned victoriously, before turning to look at Erik with narrowed eyes. "You should remember that if you ever do anything to harm my granddaughter, boy! You may be the Emperor or whatever, and I'm sure you could squash me like an old bug, but the cantankerousness of a stubborn old man has toppled many an empire!"

Erik laughed in good nature and nodded as he raised his glass. "That's quite a threat, old man! I'll have to make sure I treat her well, then."

Tarek gave a satisfied grumble, and the conversation drifted to more casual topics, until the door suddenly opened.

In the opening stood Leila, Ankhur's sister, and Naeku's aunt. "Sorry to interrupt this gathering of manly men, but the bride's ordered me to bring her the groom!" she smirked with a small amount of ridicule and teasing.

Erik, a little surprised Naeku hadn't simply asked one of his wives to contact him through their bond, still stood up and nodded at the other three men. "Duty calls!"