Lord of Estaria

  Lord of Estaria

  New World - Book 2

  by

  K. R. Zax

  Copyright © 2020 by K. R. Zax

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are all product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real individuals are purely coincidental.

  No part of this work may be redistributed in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher, except in brief quotations, reviews, and other non commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Table of Contents:

  Map

  Chapter 1.

  Chapter 2.

  Chapter 3.

  Chapter 4.

  Chapter 5.

  Chapter 6.

  Chapter 7.

  Chapter 8.

  Chapter 9.

  Chapter 10.

  Chapter 11.

  Chapter 12.

  Chapter 13.

  Chapter 14.

  Chapter 15.

  Chapter 16.

  Chapter 17.

  Chapter 18.

  Chapter 19.

  Chapter 20.

  Chapter 1.

  “Ah… Hmm… Yeah, right there, Darling. Don’t stop...”

  “My lord, could you leave that for later? We will have dinner with the Duke in a few minutes and it would be rude if we showed up late.” Lillian advised me. She and the girls were in my room, wearing dresses that the Duke’s maids provided for them. If anyone were to look at my girls, he or she couldn’t ever guess that they were knights who fought with monsters just days ago. Well, they were noble ladies, and they were used to dressing like that. But for me, it was the first time I saw so many pretty girls in one room since Dr. Sam brought me back to life.

  We were accommodated in Duke McGregorov’s castle after the fight with the undead army. Two days ago we defeated the Elder Lich and yesterday the Duke held a celebration, but since most of the knights and lords didn’t feel comfortable with my presence there, I retired early.

  Tonight, however, there was a dinner with the Duke and his family and the only ones attending would be Lillian and her Order, the Three Wolf Fangs and my party.

  “Hmm… More...”

  All the girls had their eyes fixed on my woman, a few looked embarrassed and some seemed to want to be in her place.

  Yeah, after the battle they all turned into some kind of fanatics. And what’s worst is that I liked that.

  What was going on with me? I didn’t use to be this kind of guy. It must be this body’s demonic nature influencing my actions.

  And why, just why I don’t really mind it? I feel like those characters in a cartoon, with an angel and a devil on their shoulder, influencing their behavior.

  So far, the little devil was winning.

  “Lillian is right, you should stop that. And Lina needs to put her dress on.” Velira tightened her grip on the wooden staff as she said that. This evening she was wearing a cute green dress and makeup. She even braided her long blond hair. I could barely recognize her.

  “I can’t neglect my faithful kitty, and besides, she already said that she didn’t want to wear a dress.”

  Should I be calling her my wife now? We were officially married after all.

  When the Duke heard about us, and that we were planning to get married once we returned to the capital, he called for a public servant. That guy then told us to sign several papers, and that’s it.

  I still didn’t know how things worked in this world, but Lina assured me that the papers were the real deal. And since she appeared to be thrilled, I didn’t want to ruin the day by asking more questions.

  Looking back at Velira, I realized that only the members of the Three Wolf Fangs still seemed to be the same. They sure were surprised with me being a Necromancer, but they got over it quite fast.

  And I should be thankful that not one of them mentioned a thing after Lillian’s statement about my Demonic aura. But man, this was such a big and luxurious place. Unlike the exterior, which looked like any ordinary castle with gray stone walls, that seemed to stood there for ages. The walls in the interior were smooth and painted in soft peach or cream colors. There were ornaments and paintings in the hallways, old suits of armor with small plates beneath them with detailed descriptions about who it belonged to, and in which battles it was used.

  There was so much history everywhere. Even the big bed with baldachin on which I was sitting looked like a sturdy castle, and the butler claimed that it was over two hundred years old. He also told me of the history of the room: who were the people on the paintings, who stayed here and for what reason, etc.

  “Lina, could you please try to keep your voice down a little?” Lillian looked at the blushing maids that run out of the room after pouring drinks for the girls. “He’s just scratching you behind the ear, it can’t be that good.”

  “I… Darling… Magic… Ah…” Lina had a lewd expression on her face as she was lying on the bed, with her head resting on my lap.

  She is right. I was perfecting my ‘Pleasure Stimulating’ spell while playing with her. Unfortunately, most of my skills were still low, so I could probably only affect half of the girls here if I used this spell in combination with my Dark Tentacles.

  The great thing about Dark Magic was the ability to touch the soul, and when it was mixed with the other elements, it could affect body.

  Man, magic could be truly fearsome. But if I can’t master this spell, how will I ever hope to have a big harem if I’m unable to take care of all of them?

  “M-my Lord and Ladies, the preparations for dinner are ready,” a maid announced after she entered the room. Thanks to my ability to sense life force, I knew that she was standing outside for two minutes, listening on our conversation.

  No, judging by how much she was sweating, the maid probably spent that time basking in the obscene sounds coming from my room. She apparently even did some naughty things while no one was observing her. Too bad that I couldn’t see her while she was doing it.

  Hey, now that I think about it, did Superman ever peeped? He had those ‘I am evil now’ moments in a few comics, so I think he might have done it.

  As we walked through the hallways, once again I stared at the beauty and elegance of the Duke’s castle. Stylish woodwork, crystal chandeliers, porcelain, gold and silver decorations… I once went on a tour of the Windsor castle with my father and mother, and this place reminded me of that time.

  We were led to a hall with a big table made of polished white marble. The whole place was sparkling, and everything looked perfect.

  There were maids already waiting for us, and showing everyone the sitting schedule, according to which, me and Lillian ended on the left side, close to the head of the table where Duke McGregorov will be sitting.

  When everyone was in their places, an old butler opened a door and we all stood up when the members of the Duke’s family walked into the room.

  First were the Duke’s children, the youngest was a boy of around 7 years, and the other two were girls of about 14 to 15 years old. Lillian whispered all the details to me as every one of them made their appearance. Duke Irval had another three sons, but they weren’t present since one of them was studying magic at Tsarigrad, while the two others were on the south-eastern border, learning with the experienced Lords and army commanders.

  Next were his wives. He had three of them, two humans and a wolf-kin, and they looked absolutely gorgeous. Frills, lace and ribbons, jewelry and just the right amount of makeup to emphasize their beauty. They all will be sitting across from us, on the Duke’s right side.

  “My lord, could you try not to stare that openly at them? We do not want to offend the Duke.” Lillian warned me as she
stepped on my foot.

  “Oh, I just wanted to see if you’d be doing your job properly.” I lied and avert my eyes. When her initial obsession with my Demonic aura wore off, she confessed that she felt ashamed for asking if I wanted to kill the soldiers. Still, sometimes she seemed like she would do whatever I asked of her, even if she didn’t really agreed with it. So, since she was a Princess and had enough common sense, I asked her to be my adviser and prevent me from embarrassing myself too much in front of the nobles and officials from the Empire.

  I also told her, and the other girls, that they could call off the pledge of allegiance and go back to how things used to be, but I got an immediate rejection. Lillian even told me that she would rather take her own life than to step on her word. ‘A knight has nothing but his honor,’ she said, and assured me she was proud of serving under me, whether I’m a true Demon. Or not.

  “Everyone!” Duke Irval raised his cup for a toast. “For victory and the Empire!” He drained the contents in one swoop and sat down.

  We all followed his example, and the maids went around, refilling the cups where needed. The wine was superb, and I liked the designs of the silver cups; they had different heroic scenes carved on them and had sapphires and emeralds embed on the top.

  “So, are you still planning to go with the others tomorrow?” The Duke asked me during the first course, which was a very flavorful vegetable soup. It was hard to believe, but I think his cooks were slightly better than the ones in the Night Bird Inn.

  “Yes, my lord. We are grateful for your generosity, but as adventurers, we have the obligation to report back after finishing the quest.” Truth is, I just want to go back, hunt some monsters, and count the coins.

  “Darn shame, boy. It would be great if you could stay here, I could even grant you a title and some land. That sounds good, doesn’t it?” The Duke was persistent, and to be honest, his offer piqued my interest.

  “Dear,” one of Irval’s wives, Aletia, reproached him. “Young Master Alex and his friends have to make a report, and given the circumstances, they will probably have a meeting with Empress Nalisia. It would be rude if you kept him here.”

  “True, I already sent her a report.”

  “You did, my lord?” I asked, acting surprised at his words. Of course he sent one, I saw several horsemen riding away after the battle with the Lich. Sure, some of them were headed for Tolia, but I was confident that he sent some to Tsarigrad as well. The thing I wanted to know now was: “Did you put in a good word for me? You know? Since I’m a Necromancer and all that?”

  Yes, that kept worrying me. What if I go back and they arrest me? Lillian told me about the laws concerning Necromancers and foul use of Dark Magic, but she assured me that she would defend me with her life.

  Stupid girl. Pledging her sword and life to someone like me, she may as well be my slave now. They are all belong to me now.

  That being said, no one is allowed to take my property away from me. And if anyone tries – I’ll break his fucking bones.

  “Hahaha!” The Duke chuckled, and even some of his wives giggled. “But of course I did! I owe you my life and the lives of my family! If that bastard won, he would’ve come straight for Tolia next! And damn!” He hit the table with his fist so hard that the soup spilled on the silk cover. “My blood boils at that thought. I underestimated that old bag of bones. Kriss! I would like to kill him myself.”

  “Shut it, husband.” Faris, his wolf-kin wife, growled and pointed her clawed finger at him. “You think you’re the only one who was fooled? If I’d known that things would be that dangerous, I would’ve gone with you. But no, instead, I had to guard the city. Can you imagine how boring it was? Staying here, twisting my thumbs, while you had an ‘all you can kill’ buffet of undead?”

  The other women looked at her, and Krasya murmured ‘here she goes again’ as Duchess Faris threw threats at her husband. God, are all wolf girls like this? No wonder he married her, she’s fun to have around.

  Ahem. “Master Alex,” Safia, Duchess Aletia’s daughter addressed me while Faris and Irval started insulting each other hastily. “Have you heard that tales of your battle with the Lich already made their way through the entire city? Just this morning I heard from one soldier that bards are buying them drinks in taverns, eager to hear every bit of information about the battle.”

  “Uh, I guess is a good thing that they aren’t simply making up stories, but are actually trying to get some truth.” As far as I know, bards are the equivalent of the media from my era. They would tell any kind of story, no matter if it’s fake, as long as it sounds great. They were like walking click-baits. Still, I hope they won’t make some exaggerated changes.

  “I already heard one of the new songs this afternoon.” The girl looked at me with her big, innocent eyes. “Is it true that you charged through 50000 undead monsters to reach the Lich? And he was 10 meters tall and was spitting fire from his eyes?”

  “No?” Bloody hell! I knew it. Those a-holes have no credibility.

  “Oh, sorry,” the girl said sheepishly, “I should have guessed that much. I mean, the song said that you fought for three days and three nights, so I knew that he was exaggerating, but...”

  Sigh.

  “My Lady,” I put a pleasant smile. “You shouldn’t concern yourself with that. It is enough if you had a nice time enjoying the song that those lying vermin made.”

  She and her sister, Lady Nata, giggled at my remark. Well, I am glad that they were having a good time.

  “Exaggeration is a bard’s best friend, or so people say.” Duchess Krasya took a sip of her wine and a maid came to refill her cup. A heavy drinker. This bastard knows how to pick his women.

  “That is correct,” Lillian joined the conversation as the maids brought in the second course. It looked like some seafood: baked fish and oysters. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they even describe you as a knight with a magic sword.”

  “It would sound fitting for a Hero,” Lady Nata said, clapping her hands. “Maybe they could even add a dragon! I love stories with Heroes and Dragons!”

  “My Lady, I am no Hero.” I should have expected something like this. Heroes, knights in shining armor, and Princes on white horses are trending in this era. And for some reason, the whole notion of being compared to one sickens me.

  “You shouldn’t be so modest either.” Duchess Aletia said. “If you were an evil person, you would’ve run away the moment you thought things weren’t looking good. Instead, when you saw the struggles of the surrounding people, not only did you decided to help, but you also revealed your Necromancy skills in front of everyone.”

  “That is correct,” Duchess Krasya agreed wholeheartedly. “You risked being attacked and hated by your allies, in order to save them.”

  “Well, that’s not tr… Ow!” Lillian stepped on my foot when I was about to speak my mind. “Ahem, forgive me, my Ladies, there seems to be an annoying grain of sand in my boot. Anyway, you are right. I couldn’t just let everyone die, especially not the girls.”

  They were all smiling, and nodding their heads, like my lie made so much sense. I didn’t do it for the men, but they are under the impression that I value everyone’s lives. For God’s sake, I felt like a third-rate actor.

  “For example, the Princess,” I took Lillian’s hand in mine. When talking about girls, I could throw in some honesty, right? “How could I possibly let such a beautiful girl die in that kind of place? And worst! All of these… Cute young Ladies. They could have met a terrible end if I left the battlefield.”

  “My lord,” Lillian took a handkerchief with her free hand, and delicately wiped my mouth. “You have a bit of Evil on your face.”

  Chapter 2.

  The dinner went overly fine last night. I didn’t make a complete fool of myself, and I managed to charm the Ladies.

  Everyone was mounted and ready to start our journey back to the capital. Duke McGregorov was also there to see us off, despite the early hour. Though, h
e seemed worn out from all the drinking last night.

  “A damn good morning!” The Duke said, as he looked at the clear sky. “If only I was younger, I would travel all over the Empire and beyond!”

  “Well, you are in charge of this region, so it must be tough for you. All that paperwork and stuff.” Does he have aides? Some trustworthy people who would manage the city when he’s not here?

  “Boy,” he put a hand on my shoulder and lowered his voice. “I do have capable people to take care of things, but I also have three wives. As great as that sounds, sometimes I feel like I’m not in control of my own life anymore. If they grab your balls, you can say goodbye to your freedom and...”

  “Dear, what are you talking with our guest about? Don’t tell me you are giving him some rude advice?” Duchess Aletia and her daughter Safia joined us in the castle’s courtyard. It surprised me to see them here this early in the morning. And they surely surprised the Duke.