A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing-Chapter 639 - - A prowling mother
Runa looked at him with playful relief. "Hehe, thanks, Silvy, but I wasn't asking what you thought of it, remember?"
Realization struck, causing Erik to blink. Then, he chuckled and looked at his mother wryly. "Right, I may have jumped the gun a little… but don't pretend you weren't going to ask me that after seeing my initial reaction!"
Sighing, Runa pulled him into a hug again. "Of course, I was, Silvy," she smiled, speaking his nickname in a tone that made it seem like she wanted to call him silly instead. "And I'm glad you're okay with it…"
It was a short hug. She quickly pushed him off again and smirked. "Not that it would have stopped me if you weren't! I was okay with your harem, so you'll have to be okay with mine, if you like it or not!"
Not surprised at all, Erik chuckled. "Of course, Mom."
But then she frowned. "Just… don't think I feel liberated or anything, alright? I'm doing this because I don't think I'll ever meet another person who makes me want to inhibit myself, and because I know Leifur would want me to move on. Not… Not because—"
Erik, seeing her expression quickly worsening, interrupted her. "I know, Mom," he smiled and cupped her cheek comfortably. "Dad would want you to be happy, whatever form that happiness takes. If there's an afterlife, I'm sure he's smiling."
Runa smiled back. She could see there was still a part of him that was struggling with her decision, but she was glad he was willing to ignore it for her. Her confidence in him was the only reason she dared to come forward with it so openly. Truthfully, if he'd objected, she wasn't sure what she'd do.
"I'm sure you're right," she answered, but before she could say any more, a third voice interrupted her.
"Alright, alright!" Leila exclaimed with a wide, excited grin. "Enough of the touchy feely crap! Dish, girl! You got your eye on anyone yet?! I want to help! Want me to introduce you to some of my conquests? They've been boring me lately, but—"
"No, no, that's okay," Runa interrupted her, while giving Erik a meaningful glance. He immediately understood what she meant and chuckled inwardly. Clearly, mother and son had both realized the same thing about Leila.
She looked back at Leila with a conspiratory grin. "But… I do have my eye on a first target! He's a bit younger than me, but he's cute, and since Erik claims our lifespans have increased significantly…" She shrugged a little strangely, before continuing, "Why not see if I still have the charms to rope in a younger man?"
"Oooh, I like it!" Leila cried out, practically jumping up and down from excitement for her friend. "The young ones are so easy to mold! Who is it?! Tell me, tell me!"
Meanwhile, Erik rolled his eyes. He turned around and once again started slinking over to the door.
He looked forward to making sure Leila would never want anyone but him, but for now, this conversation had already made him uncomfortable enough—he didn't also need to hear about the young meat his mother was prowling after.
Unfortunately, he was soon forced to halt in his tracks.
"Hehe," Runa chuckled proudly, enjoying her friend's enthusiasm. "It's the son of that stern woman Silvy fought with recently! He seems awkward, genuine, and already accustomed to obeying older women, hehehe… He'll be putty in my hands!"
A shudder went through Erik's spine. He groaned inwardly and felt his breakfast grumble in his stomach. Yet… he still turned around. If his mother was going after Kudzai, then he needed to involve himself for the sake of his and Elora's plans.
With a sigh, he steeled his heart, his stomach, and his ears, before plunging back into the conversation...
***
It was an hour later before the trio finally left the room. Although they'd talked about Kudzai for a while, the two women eventually resumed fussing over Erik's appearance. Fortunately, they still had a little time before the ceremony started.
Outside the palace, the city was vibrating with activity. Celebrating citizens flooded the streets, dancing, laughing, and talking as they went. For many of them, this was the first time visiting Enkare Nkai since the war and Erik's ascension, and for some, it was the first time.
What these people saw astounded them. They'd heard rumours from those who travelled between the cities more regularly, but to see it in the flesh was something else.
Unlike the rest of the kingdom, Enkare Nkai now had not only a thriving economy but also running water, an electricity equivalent, and other modern-day luxuries.
Erik and the others hadn't yet had time to export these things to the rest of the kingdom, so it was somewhat of a culture shock for them. The training centres became almost equivalent to tourist attractions, as large crowds gathered in front of them to learn about the features they purported.
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One newcomer stood in front of the building with wide eyes, focused on a sigil stone someone else was showing him. "That's where you store this… currency?" the man asked, voice filled with awe.
"That's right!" the woman who was showing him the stone nodded proudly. "We call 'em Tickrons, and they started distributing them about a month ago. It took a while, but now everyone's got one!"
She waved over a friend of hers, who quickly came to inquire what was up. "Hey, Lisa! Take out your Tickron! I want to show this guy how it works!"
"Sure!" she answered, and took out another sigil stone, while the first woman turned to the man again. "See! You can exchange Tickits by touching the stones like this, and both agreeing to the trade!"
After showing the man what they meant as he stared at the process in awe, Lisa went back to talking to some other newcomers, while the man was far from done asking questions. "And those Tickits allow you to train in the facility over there? Is it really worth that much?"
The woman nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely! You wouldn't believe how fast my progress has been, even in just these past few weeks! I won't deny I was sceptical about this Emperor we got now, but I can't argue with the results. I mean, look around!" she exclaimed, waving her arm at the surroundings. "Can you believe we've got a thriving economy again?!"
As soon as Erik was mentioned, the man became sceptical and uncertain, but the woman quickly dragged him long towards the building. "Come! Let me show you! The facilities are free for today!"
