27.1. We Can't Rely on Humans - Part 1

"The incident with that Eartborn was eye-opening. Our rulers have to be protected and we shouldn't rely on humans," the Celestial says calmly. "Their loyalty is... questionable."

"Hey, we're hired professionals bound by contract while you're just a bunch of ex-gamers," Karl the bodyguard speaks up, pissed. I rarely ever hear him talk but the Celestial offended him deeply. It seems he really takes pride in his job.

"Is this toy yours, human?" the Celestial purses his lips in provocation and, for a reason I can't understand, he's holding a gun in his hand.

"W-what the...?" Karl reaches for his belt but the weapon case is empty. Did that Celestial take it using telekinesis?!

Karl widens his eyes in surprise but his training immediately kicks in. However miraculous our magic is, Celestials are hopeless at anything physical and the bodyguard is well aware of that. His movement is too quick for a fragile winged person so the Celestial is suddenly lying on the ground with Karl easily overpowering him and claiming his gun back.

I get goosebumps under my feathers because all the Celestials around us activate their mana and are about to hit Karl with telekinesis while remaining bodyguards pull out their guns. I'm prepared to protect Karl with my own telekinesis if it comes to the worst but my Viceroy readily steps in.

"Stop it this instant!" Liana shouts, seriously furious now. The anger I can feel from her isn't human emotion, it's genuine Celestial wrath. Just like when we caught that leaker in her mansion, only this time it doesn't astonish me as much. It feels to me somehow more natural than human anger.

"B-but Your Excellency, that human...," the Celestial lying on the ground gasps for breath.

"That man is my employee and I will hear no more, do you understand?" she hisses through her teeth and lets her mana leak.

Thanks to her intervention, I can analyse the situation more as a bystander and better focus on details. It seems leaking one's mana will really become a Celestial equivalent of the Dragonkin intimidation technique and it's something we started doing naturally without thinking.

"As you wish, Viceroy," the Celestial stops struggling and the others stand back. The bodyguards put their guns back to the cases and Karl slowly releases the Celestial. But irritation is still in the air.

"D-damn," Erik sighs out, clutches my hand and switches to telepathy. That was seriously crazy, Ryuu. What the hell just happened?

It was as if the Celestial nature clashed with the human one, I answer, unsure.

"Everyone into the briefing room," Liana clicks her tongue and her tone doesn't allow any disobedience.

The briefing room is on this floor so we find ourselves sitting in the conference chairs just a few moments later. Except for my friends, the place is full of Celestials which is an unusual sight. I got used to our gang consisting of all races.

"So first of all, incidents like this can never happen again, is that clear?" Liana starts sharply and is eyeing the Celestials sternly. "The humans who stayed in my skyscraper do want to help us, don't forget that."

"Yes, Viceroy," the group mumbles obediently.

"Secondly," she continues. "Were you serious about that preposition?"

"Of course," the Celestial man who disarmed Karl nods and the others follow. I feel great resolution coming from them.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Vermiel, Your Majesty," the man smiles. "I used to be the guild master of Crossed Spells but it probably doesn't ring a bell to you, we were just a medium-sized guild for casual players. Still, my ingame level was 68."

"What gave you that idea, Vermiel?" I'm curious.

"Isn't it obvious?" he frowns. "This isn't a game anymore. That incident with the Earthborn was fortunately just an accident but it showed how easy it is to hurt you, Your Majesty. Your bodyguards were useless, you were hurt in front of dozens of witnesses."

"It wasn't decided that I'll become the Celestial Emperor even here," I say quickly.

Liana kicks me under the table. Not strongly but I still have to do my best to conceal the pain and keep my face straight.

Stupid, don't diminish yourself in front of others! she berates me, sending her thoughts as she inconspicuously touches my left wing with her right one.

"What is to decide?" Vermiel doesn't understand. "You are our Emperor."

I have to analyse the situation for a moment because I don't feel any doubts in his mind which confuses me. Does he really mean it? And the others? How do they feel about it? I look at the Celestials and they seem to agree with Vermiel to the point it's them who are confused about my hesitation.

"Are you okay, Your Majesty? Are you still shaken that he ripped off your feather?" a Celestial woman with brown wings is genuinely worried because I don't say anything.

Aefener, they look at you and see their Emperor, Liana tells me in her thoughts. We've changed more than you want to admit to yourself.

But you still act normal around me, I oppose.

Because I have to, you need it. But have I ever questioned that I'm anything else to you than your Viceroy? she says and I don't feel any doubts from her either.

"Of course, he's your Emperor," Emi remarks rather impatiently. "Why are we even discussing it? We don't have time to waste."

I look at the Clawfang Alpha. Emi had no problem accepting her role from the very beginning. How brave and strange when she's basically the same age as me. But now that I think about it... did Fefnir and Liana have any doubts? Because I can't seem to recall any. Twyla and Werden were a bit hesitant I think but only during their transformation. After that they've readily accepted their roles.

"Well, I don't want to meddle in the Celestial business but I agree," Fefnir speaks up. "My liege Deminas actually proposed the same thing today. We should still cooperate with humans but we can't rely solely on them."

Ingri stays silent, feeling not quite qualified to join but I can tell she agrees as well.

"Cooperation," Liana articulates carefully. "The human security is still essential... at least until we get full control over our abilities. But I do agree that we should strengthen the defences with our own people as soon as possible."

"The races of Draconia were designed to complement each other," Fefnir reminds everyone. "We Dragonkin are indispensable when it comes to direct combat while Celestials are much better suited for more delicate tasks that require precision and elemental magic."

"The Dragonkin are slow, though," Emi says. "No offence, Fefnir, I'm just stating a fact."

"None taken," he waves his massive scaly hand. "I was actually about to say that Clawfangs are perfect for things that require agility and stealth."

"Hey, what about us?" Ingri frowns because she feels left out.

"I don't think the Earthborn are keen on joining our security forces, Ingri," Liana shrugs. "Or are you?"

"Ehm... n-nope," Ingri shakes her head violently and I notice something profoundly green sprouting in her hair. "But we do want to help, of course."

"Well, who are the best biologists, chemists and healers?" Emi grins at her. "Liana can give your people resources to start experimenting for real."

"We also desperately need someone who would be able to uncover possible threats in advance," Liana adds. "I'm talking about things like poisoned rations but also drugs specially designed to pacify us should there be any in future."

"My people can certainly do that," Ingri says proudly.

We keep discussing smart allocation of our people for another half an hour until Liana realises, to our horror, that we still have to formulate our arguments for the tomorrow's meeting with the Prime Minister.

"Thank you for your feedback, everyone, you're dismissed," she says when we close up the topic for today.

"Your Excellency," the Celestial woman with brown wings stands up and seems a bit nervous. "Sorry to be so outspoken but we have to start guarding you and Your Majesty immediately, not later. The danger is real and losing you two would be catastrophic."

"What's your name?" Liana asks. "And it's okay to speak up, we welcome anyone's ideas. Draconia Online had a rather medieval governing system but we won't adapt things that aren't beneficial to us. We're still people of the 22nd century."

"I'm Muriel," she introduces herself. "I might not have been part of the royal guild but I did participate in official role-play events and my guild set up many dungeon records."

"Oh, are you possibly from Slender Crescent?" Liana guesses. Slender Crescent was our rival guild who stole quite a few records from us.

"I am," Muriel smiles. "One of their best combat mages. And I hope you'll hear me out when I say that we have to starts guarding you right away."

"You're right," Liana agrees. "I usually prefer to think things through and double-check everything and everyone involved but we don't have the luxury of time. We have to trust each other, there's no other way."

The Celestials victoriously grin and it takes them just a minute to decide who joins our human bodyguards right now to take the first guarding shift.

"What about Emi and Fefnir?" I bring up because we didn't speak about their protection at all. "And Ingri might not be a ruler but she's become a public figure as well."

"Ingri stays with us so she gets our protection, I'm training her to become my secretary," Liana officially announces what I suspected some while ago.

"Don't worry about me, Aefener," Emi laughs. "My pack will protect me and I'm not a fragile Celestial anyway."

"No worries here either," Fefnir seconds. "You know how hard it is to harm a Dragonkin and my people won't leave me alone either. They're just not as obviously clingy as yours."

"Miss Ingri, it was you who designed His Majesty's and Her Excellency's robes, right?" Vermiel asks and is looking at our robes in envy.

"Uchm, drop that Miss thingy," Ingri is horrified. "Yeah, I did. Why?"

"Would you possibly find time to design Celestial uniforms for the Imperial Guard?" he pleads. "Human clothes don't fit us, we feel ridiculous. And cold."

"Oh, o-of course," Ingri blushes. "It would be my pleasure."

"The Dragonkin will probably want the same," Fefnir coughs.

"And Clawfangs," Emi nudges her.

"You still have your online schooling, Ingri," Liana reminds her. "We should ask other artistically talented people among us to help out. You can be in charge of coordinating them, though."

"O-okay," Ingri blushes again that she's been given such an important task.

Most of the Celestials leave but Muriel and three others stay and join the bodyguards. But they at least go outside to give us privacy. Fefnir carefully closes the door behind them and checks that the room is sound-proof so that we can speak freely again.

"It makes a huge difference when I don't have to hide my telepathy," I appreciate.

"What did you feel from them, Aefener? Are they up for the job? I have to admit I was quite taken aback by them disarming my human security as if it was nothing," Liana sighs tiredly.

"They do feel confident about it," I shrug.

"Can they be trusted?" Fefnir frowns.

"We shouldn't doubt our own people," Emi says resolutely. "I don't think a Draconian would betray another Draconian... at least not in favour of humans."

They switched completely, Ruu, do you realise it? Erik talks to me in his mind and I feel he's a bit panicky about Emi's remark. They're thinking in terms of Draconians versus humans.

That's not true. It's not versus, I try to oppose.

Are you sure or do you want to believe that?

"Aefener, Erik," Liana clicks her tongue in annoyance. "You're doing it again. And it's really rude. Pay attention."

"S-sorry," we apologise in unison but I know it's bothering Erik and we'll have to come back to it soon.

"Anyway, so what do you think about these points?" Liana shows us her rough plan.

And we spent forever discussing every detail and adding new things that come to our minds. It's not only about reclaiming our basic rights, it's about profound changes that will influence the whole society. Emi might feel confident about her being the Alpha of Clawfangs but she's no politician. Fefnir can stay calm in almost every situation but he's not better off either. Liana is the most qualified among us, not doubt about that, but she's no human rights activist. She's a businessperson. And I'm... just me.

But we continue doing our best for the good of our people. Hopefully. At half past eight, we're totally exhausted and starving but mostly done.