Resting on a reclining chair, Nent was gazing absentmindedly at the moons in the sky, memories of a long-forgotten past filling her mind.
Remembering the clumsy but serious scientist and the naughty but gentle witch, a rare turmoil was brewing in her heart.
'Seven hundred years...'
Even for divine beasts, such an amount of time was not insignificant.
If her self from all those years ago could see her current self, Nent was sure that her past self would be nothing but disgusted.
Even so, she did not regret any of her actions. Even if she was given a second chance, she would still do the same.
"Mother."
A tall man with a refined expression walked in the room and called out to Nent.
He was wearing baggy white pants and an open half suit without any shirt below, showing his perfect muscles.
"Kemour, how many times did I tell you to not disturb me when I am viewing the moons?"
Nent spoke without so much as rising herself and continued her night gazing.
Kemour was one of her children, he had perfectly inherited her power over lightning and she had given him a harem composed of water, metal, and fire spirit so that the hybrids born held powerful skills.
So far, only one of her grandchildren from Kemour was born with a dual element. Sadly that child was not a perfect hybrid and did not inherit a core.
Kemour grimaced a little,
"It's about what you recuperated from Rio's camp. That cat seems to only be able to produce ice. In terms of rank, it isn't even at the count level. Most likely, Rio only used it as a way to fight the heat."
Nent frowned, back then, after observing the end of the fight between that metal spirit, the bird, and Sol, she had visited the encampment to see if there was anything special.
It was there that she saw a white cat kept in a small jail.
She thought that the cat was special and took it to study, but it seemed that she had been wrong.
Releasing a sigh, she asked,
"You didn’t disturb me just for that, right?"
Though it was a disappointment that she had been wrong about the cat, Nent didn't mind. She was used to disappointment. In fact, disappointment was the greatest constant in her life.
"Of course not. But, this should be the perfect gift for that boy. No matter what, the temperature is quite burdensome."
Nent scoffed. She did not believe that gifting some random cat would sway Sol's opinion, but even if he refused her, giving him some gift to bring their relationship closer was a good strategy.
"Tomorrow, I want you to send one of your daughters to him so that she gives him the cat. It will also be a good occasion to introduce them to each other."
Using a honey trap was one of the oldest strategies in the world. But the fact that it was still used to this day showed how effective it was.
From what she knew, Kings and Queen of Lustburg, despite being Blessed by Luxuria, were surprisingly chaste.
But Sol was different. He wasn't just a human. He was also a dragon. A dragon whose blood had awakened to an extreme degree just a few days ago.
She was sure that currently, he should be fighting against his own urges so some nudging was necessary.
Kemour certainly knew that Nent wanted his daughter to offer herself to Sol, regardless of a contract being made.
Even so, he did not particularly mind. As her mother said, they were the pioneers of a new path for the divine beasts. As such some sacrifices were necessary.
Furthermore, in this case, it wouldn't even be a sacrifice. He had seen Sol for himself, albeit briefly and his daughter would not be wronged even if she offered her body to him.
"Mother, what about you?"
He knew that the reason his mother never tried to give birth biologically was that she had found no partner worthy of her attention.
"Hum… I need to observe him more."
The easiest for her would be to send servants to him and have him fuck them then obtain samples of his sperm to use on herself and her daughters and granddaughters.
But such an artificial way to give birth would be greatly condemned.
She was already skirting at the edge of what was allowed, so she had to be careful.
He nodded at her words, guessing her thoughts, and found himself unsurprised.
"Very well then, Mother. It's time for my nightly duties. Have a good night."
The chances of hybrids being born were low. The chances for hybrid divine beasts were even lower. This was why he had to regularly visit all the members of his harem.
Even so, he showed no particular joy or expectations. For the children in Nent's family, sex was not an act of pleasure and even less that of love. It was nothing more than a mechanical process, a necessary procedure for procreation.
The next day, Sol, who hadn't slept a bit, was looking at his ceiling absentmindedly.
His cold rational mind was warring against his feelings to determine what was the best course of action.
Nent's proposal had come out as a surprise to him and put him in a great dilemma.
On one side, Nent was without a doubt a powerful king. Even though he felt that she was a little weaker than Lilith, that was with Nent being in her human form. He didn't know how powerful she could get if she went all out.
Furthermore, she was an old and experienced divine beast that should know many secrets of this world and as a direct daughter of Gabriel, her Nirvana skill should be one of the highest.
But on the other side, Nent was a cold and dangerous woman. He did not wish to put his future children in any form of danger.
There was also the matter of potential, without a doubt the higher potential the better. But no matter how high the potential was, how many could reach the King rank?
The difference in power between each rank wasn't linear. From what Sol knew, if a normal Duke was 100 then a normal King was 1000.
Of course, there were no clear numbers, but it was a personal estimation of his.
'I need to be careful.'
Technically, with his capacity, even taking 2 or 3 phoenixes wasn't impossible. But doing so would be shortsighted.
If he formed a contract with Nent, he might get lightning. But this was the same with Setsuna. In fact, Setsuna had three elements. So her versatility was at another level from the get to go.
'But, what about Sheherazade?'
Even if Sheherazade wasn't Isis, Sol was determined to form a contract with her.
While she might be a little wilful, she was not a bad person and had never tried to hurt him. Her skills were nothing to scoff at either.
Having her meant having the equivalent of an army composed of super-elites.
What if she reached the King rank? Wouldn't it mean she could have an army, or at least a small team of King ranked Undead?
This was even more so since her necromancy was different from everything he had studied and known about necromancers. In fact, calling her a necromancer was wrong in a way since she was clearly something greater.
'Okay. My decision about forming a contract with Nent will depend on Sheherazade's true identity.'
If she was a phoenix and accepted to form a contract with him, then he didn't need more and could make the necessary preparations for his departure towards the dragon's territory.
If she wasn't a phoenix, he would still try to form a contract with her, though he will have to consider convincing one of the three King ranked phoenixes.
He didn't include Nephthys since he knew she was married.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
"You can enter."
One of two servants that were assigned to him entered and bowed.
"Honored guest, forgive me for disturbing your rest. Lady Nefertiti, Granddaughter of Her grace, Nent, wishes to meet you."
