"What I'm saying is that mutual cooperation greatly benefits both parties, even if the trust isn't all there yet. I'm sure you've seen the reports pertaining to the Victoria dukedom. What if a surge happens again but all of this kingdom is under my protection?"
As someone who had just spent the past few days looking at casualty reports, Anastasia really wanted to agree with Mac and accept the aid he offered. But reality wasn't that kind, and even though she was a knight captain Anastasia wasn't the one who could make that decision.
"I can't make that decision, you know that."
"Yeah, no need to be serious, we're just taking a break."
Picking up the cat and putting it on its back as it continued purring, Mac gestured Anastasia closer as he entered certain death territory and started rubbing the cat's belly.
"I am aware that you people don't trust me because you question my motives. That is why I've decided to wait and see for the moment."
"I see."
Resisting the urge to also start petting the cat, Anastasia looked longingly at the purring creature as she responded to Mac.
"I'm thinking of different ways of offering support for the moment, but for now I'll be monitoring for another surge."
Taking Anastasia's hand, Mac placed it on top of the purring cat's head and made sure Anastasia also got to enjoy herself. Mac was sure there was an alternative timeline where he took control of the kingdom with military force and was thus in position to suppress this monster surge.
(It might have reduced casualties, but thinking like a dictator will make me like that shitstain.)
Remembering his sadistic, wet tissue disappointment of a father made Mac's mood sour for a moment, but he quickly moved on from that. Releasing the cat and letting it go back to its important pest control duty, Mac continued his abduction turned leisure walk with Anastasia.
"What's it like, to walk the street where you're from?"
Starting to relax a little, Anastasia asked something she had been wondering about for a while.
Instead of immediately responding, Mac looked around the busy street that was filled with people going about their day. Some people looked to be working, while others were taking a leisurely afternoon walk like Mac himself.
"It's mostly the same as here, except for the traffic in the sky overhead, there's usually always a hundred drones buzzing about over one's head. delivering cargo or surveying the street."
Mac could only remember one time in his life where there were no drones flying around when he walked the streets of his capital. That day had been one of the darkest in his life, and the trauma had made him what he was today.
"My people aren't really that different from yours, except for the fact that most people live to the age of 600 of your years… No, they're not decrepit old people, do you think I'm a decrepit old person? No."
Seeing Anastasia's face twist in amusement made Mac go on the defensive, which made her giggle.
"I'm sorry, it's just the image of an entire street filled with 'decrepit old people' sounds really amusing."
Briefly basking in the pleasant sound of Anastasia laughing, Mac got back to being offended.
"Well, I'm sorry about being old, or immortal I guess."
Immortality was something obtainable to most people where Mac called home, but it wasn't something most people went for due to the implications.
"Imortality… You casually mentioning one of the aspirations of the mage tower like it was nothing is something you shouldn't do when talking to other people."
"Okay mom, but what's the mage tower? First time I've heard of it."
Getting slapped on the head for the mom comment, Mac nevertheless was rewarded with an explanation.
"The mage tower is an independent, multinational organisation like the merchant guild, adventurers guild and cartographers guild. It conducts magic research, develops spells, trains and certifies mages and even helps settle some disputes between countries. I received my magic education from the tower when I was a child, and it's the same with most of the nobles."
"I see."
Issuing a search and identification order through his neural uplink, Mac instantly realised that this was who he needed to get into contact with if he wanted to learn about this entire 'magic' thing.
(There's also the case of those massive gravitational and spatial anomalies I've been ignoring up until now, sadly the adventurers guild blacklisted me so I can't just go buy myself a raiding team to go look at these 'dungeons'.)
"Didn't you say we were taking a break?"
Seeing Mac's eyes lose focus, Anastasia tried slapping the back of his head but was quickly blocked by Mac when he returned from orbit.
"Yeah, sorry about that."
As the conversation came to a natural lull, Anastasia realised she was starting to regain some of her energy, sure she was still running on a sleep deficit, but getting forcefully dragged away from her office for a bit had helped her psyche. Gradually the busy scenery changed as the pair moved away from the city centre and government and official buildings were replaced with family homes and quaint shops as the drone of officials, knights and nobles faded in exchange for more regular people.
"Thanks for this, and thanks for that other situation too, I am really in your debt Mac."
"You're welcome."
Honestly accepting the thanks he was given like the good boy he was, Mac's smile faded a little when he realised Anastasia was thanking him as a member of the Victoria family, and not as a person.
"Still, I would love to open up a few clinics here in the capital and other major cities that'll make what I did for Mari look like child's play."
"And I would love to see that happen, but I'm not the one in charge of that decision."
Sensing more behind Anastasia's words, Mac's eyes lost focus for a second as he updated himself on the political landscape.
"That finance minister really doesn't like me, I wonder why?"
Seeing Mac put things together in a matter of seconds but still manage to miss the point made Anastasia chuckle a bit before she turned serious.
"He doesn't really hate you, so to say. What the Willow family really hates is my family, and I think they're also envious of us."
Sensing there was more to the situation than old and bitter rivalries without any real reason behind them, Mac stayed silent and waited for Anastasia to elaborate, which she did after breathing a sigh.
"Duke Willow had a daughter around my age, she was born sickly and left the world last year… I think he envies my family for the help we got just after he was done burying his child."
"Well, fuck."
Mac wasn't a parent, so he couldn't imagine the pain of losing a child, but he could estimate the pain of losing a child just before a ground breaking cure was discovered. Adding and compounding that grief and envy with rivalries made for a staunch opposition against Mac and everything he associated with.
"And what about the Crown?
"They're neutral, but curious about the ways you could better the lives of their people. Not that they'll ever admit that or contact you, Duke Willow might secede if they embrace you and Duke Victoria like that."
"Well, fuck."
Seeing Mac look all defeated did stir some feelings in Anastasia, not that she was willing to admit it, so she threw him a metaphorical bone.
"Although that might change if you've to retrieve the first banner."
"The first banner?"
Seeing Mac's confusion at what she perceived as common knowledge once again stomped Anastasia and reminded her that Mac was from around here.
"It's a legend from around the time of the founding of the Rose kingdom."
Gesturing to a nearby bench, Anastasia sat down next to Mac as she continued.
"The first king had just emerged victorious against the demon king and claimed this land when remnants of the demon king captured his daughter and dragged her away, into the hearst dungeon."
This was a story every child of the Rose kingdom was told, and Anastasia herself remembered sitting in the lap of her older brother when they both were little as both their parents regaled the story with theatrics and help from servants.
"Struck with anger at this cowardly tactic the first king personally led a campaign to rescue his blood, but the entire expedition was lost, leading the still infant second king to take the throne under the stewardship of the Dukes Willow, Victoria and Raven."
Finishing up the story with a bit of history, Anastasia saw Mac's eyes lose focus for a moment as she broke into a smile.
(Countless adventurers, knights and powerful mages have all tried in vain to retrieve the first banner throughout history… So why is it that I don't doubt for a second that you can do it with ease?)
"The first banner is the original flag of our kingdom, said to be a gift from the heavens. If you manage to retrieve it in an act of goodwill and present it to the Queen, then not even Duke Willow and his supporters will be able to continue their holdout."
Returning to surface after ordering fleet movements, resupply and multiple squads of drones, Mac bloomed a confident, cocky smile.
"I gotta go now, thanks for the tip~"
Standing up quickly, Mac said his farewell, gave the top of Anastasia's head a quick kiss as thanks and dodged her fist before running off.
"Thanks babe!~"
"I'm going to fucking kill you!"
Outrunning the knight captain's half serious pursuit with a wave and easy smile, Mac increased his phase into a full sprint, then accelerated further, making full use of his enhanced body.
"Hanna, I need you for a quick job, quadruple pay."
Jumping over a group of slow moving people before leaping over the outer gate of the capital, Mac was nearly picked up by a dropship before Hanna responded.
[What kind of job are we talking about, boss?]
Figuring that with the amount of coin Mac was offering, Hanna would need to kill people she was apprehensive about his offer. She wasn't prepared for his next words.
"Just a bit of dungeon diving, I need an advisor."
[Stand by.]
Taking a moment to consider the offer, Hanna responded after considering.
[Sure. When, where and how are we 'dungeon diving'?]
Figuring Mac just had a passing interest in adventurers and their work she still didn't know how ambitious his goals were.
"Tomorrow at first light, I'll pick you up. We're exploring the hearst dungeon."
A little over 8 hours later Mac and Hanna were dropped off with a detachment of human type drones right in front of the entrance to the hearst dungeon. Ignoring the gaggle of adventurers that had formed when he was dropped off by a dropship, Mac checked his SOD-09 and cleared its chamber before loading a magazine as the drones around him were slaved to his direct command.
The dungeon entrance itself seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary through normal eyes, just a large cavern opening on the side of a rockface, but Mac's other senses told quite a different story. Gravitational readings were highly abnormal for something this non-radioactive, and although it was slight, Mac could measure light warping slightly around the entrance into the nondescript cave.
"Let's go."
Having also readied her weapon, and perhaps tired of being stared at, Hanna chambered a round in her own SOD-09 as she started walking. Taking up position next to Hanna, Mac matched his stride to that of the former adventurer as a cold smile formed on his face. Now just together with a fellow killer there was no need to modulate his expression.