Chapter 464: Concern and Influence

Galatea was not much of an entomologist, but occasionally, she found it surprising how easily people forgot that the Starlit Hive did not follow normal humanoid conventions. A different biological and social makeup changed things. They were arguably something of a hive mind and that meant something, even if people often forgot it.

Then there were times she saw insectoid creatures of other kinds and really wondered about how the Hivekind worked and how much of a difference sapience made, or didn’t. Case in point, the huge swarm of semi-sentient monster bees she was watching right now. At least, she was fairly sure they were about as intelligent as a smart animal and not actually ‘people’ smart.

They were also blocking the way Galatea had wanted to take.

Sighing, she lifted herself into the air and then turned, reluctantly stopping her observation of the bees. A few of them were drifting closer. She’d tried to keep a safe distance to not stir them up with her presence, but they might have still noticed her. It was better to move now. She turned and passed through a large tree trunk, her form contained within it for a second before she passed through it.

Perhaps the rain forests of central Africa were not the best destination for what she was looking for. Not that she’d really thought so, but she had seen a lot of other places already, and she hadn’t spent much time here, yet.

Still, she should probably teleport back home soon. It would be draining, and she shouldn’t test her reserves before that. With the war and everything else, letting herself run too low posed an unacceptable risk.

Galatea stopped, then ceased focusing on her surroundings and instead devoted her full attention to another scan of the wider area. Once again, she didn’t find any traces of mana that shouldn’t be here. With a sigh, she kept moving, considering future destinations. Spots of ‘twisted’ mana were hard to find. Anything beyond that was even harder.

There were no tunnels here, she’d checked. The trees’ roots went down pretty far, considering their size, but there was nothing special about that. The nearest underground dwellings were hundreds of kilometers away, and they were only a few scattered villages of dwarves, anyway. They’d probably return to the surface and integrate with the human communities a few dozen kilometers further away, or die out. There were no other communities of their own species anywhere nearby. Africa might be a huge continent, but its population density was rather thin.

Not that the entire continent was like this, of course. There were pockets of civilization, or more like large contiguous areas that eventually ran into natural or monster-infested borders, thus having little contact between them. It had probably slowed their development. The most advanced states had the printing press, but that was as far as they’d gotten. I know why, of course, Galatea thought darkly. I might be inclined to forgive the gods for many things, but not this.

Shaking her head, she focused on her next destination. There clearly wasn’t much to find here.

With a twist of mana and a step forward that took far too long and transported her across a great distance, Galatea found herself elsewhere. Somewhere familiar, in fact — still in a forest, but the trees were rather different and a bit smaller; she had aimed for the edges of the Great Forest inside the Empire. It was easier to teleport somewhere she knew there wouldn’t be any other people, and this little platform made of a broken-off tree stump was an acceptable choice. It was also located on top of a hill that allowed her to get a good sense of her surroundings; not that Galatea spent very long here before she set off again. She’d been wanting to drop by Ariedel, and this was as good a time as any.

The city was doing well, she supposed. The scars of the fighting were still visible even from here, looking down at it from a nearby hill, but the shield was up and stronger than ever. They’d adjusted their traditional defense to allow for easier entry for people from the Empire. It wouldn’t exactly be feasible to need to have everyone registered separately at one checkpoint, and collecting blood samples of all of them would be dubious anyway. Galatea doubted the Westerners would use it to try and infiltrate the city right now.

The surroundings were also rather empty of monsters. The fighting, and both the elves and the Starlit Hive hunting them, had seen to that, clearly. In the long term, this might be a bit of an issue. But considering it was the elves, they’d probably made plans for what to do.

Galatea had just about reached the gate when a sentry melted out of the woods around her. Literally; he was a high-level Forest Elite with an interesting Ability.

“Lady Galatea!” he greeted her, coming to a stop and bowing his head briefly. “Welcome to Ariedel. I will not ask your purpose here, but there are people who would like to speak to you, if you have time.”

She paused, crossing her arms. “I see. And they sent you to intercept me and relay the message?”

“Yes,” the elf replied simply. “Commander Anuis Eltarianal is in the western outpost if you would like to catch up with her. Minister Enais Eltarianal would like to speak to you as well, and told me to invite you.”

Galatea considered it for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll see her. Thank you.”

The man inclined his head and disappeared back into the woods. Galatea shook her head, copying Regina’s mannerism thoughtlessly, then made her way into the city.

Further inside, the damage was more visible. They were still rebuilding parts of the walls and other buildings. Galatea could see a surprising number of people engaged in such tasks. Some of them seemed to be using magic to try and restore or fortify the trees that formed some of Ariedel’s architectural backbone. Overall, however, it looked like fewer elves were actually living in treehouses here. That might be due to different parts of the city being affected differently, though. She stopped once she reached the Eltarianals’ mansion, glancing at it curiously. She’d actually never been here before. She could sense Enais inside, her mana signature was rather easy to identify, and no one else.

Clearly, this went both ways. The old elf started moving toward her and met Galatea in the entrance room, the door having swung open for her.

“Galatea,” she greeted her with a smile. “Thank you for coming. It is good to meet you.”

“Likewise, Special Minister,” Galatea replied. They’d technically met before, but never had the opportunity for a real conversation.

Enais invited her inside and got them settled into some kind of parlor in a remarkably short time while seeming graceful about it. They didn’t speak much beyond pleasantries. Galatea took a moment to try and get a read on Enais. She was one of the oldest people she’d ever met, and might actually have useful knowledge. But all of this would be bound up in politics, which she would really rather avoid, not that she probably had much choice right now.

“I’d offer you tea, but I’m not certain if you could partake of it,” Enais said, getting a teapot and a few cups to float over with a gesture. “Is there anything else I could get you? Sweet-smelling flowers, perhaps?”

“You’re astute, and no thank you, but I appreciate the thought.”

Enais smiled slightly and poured herself a cup. “Of course.”

“So,” Galatea said, deciding not to beat around the bush. “You wanted to speak to me.”

Enais nodded. She seemed calm and in control, in a way that was probably an impression projected by habit. On second thought, it was kind of strange that no one else was present; didn’t she have servants? The house was pretty big and also spotless.

“The people are going to vote on the question of accession to the Empire soon,” she said. “I will admit I have delayed the matter somewhat, but it is coming to a head.”

“And you are uncertain how things will work out, so you wanted to speak to me?” Galatea shook her head. “I’m a bad choice, you would have been better served speaking to others, like Janis, or even Iseis.”

Enais tapped her fingers on her teacup. “Perhaps, but I am not so certain about that,” she said. “You do have a rather unique perspective to offer. Not to mention a lot of influence should you choose to bring it to bear.”

Galatea frowned. She didn’t quite like the way the old elf had said that. “Do I? I don’t even hold any office in the Empire. I’m not involved in its politics.”

Her conversation partner smiled. “Oh? That brings me to another question I had, if you’d be willing to hear it. Are you an Imperial, Lady Galatea? A citizen of the Empire?”

Galatea made sure her frown vanished instead of deepening. “No, I am not, not quite,” she said calmly. What is she getting at with that question?

“Then what are you?”

“How do you mean?” Galatea asked stiffly.

Enais smiled again, and Galatea understood the proverbial urge to want to punch the smile off someone’s face for a brief moment. “Forgive me for prying, and you are certainly not obligated to indulge my curiosity, but I meant just what I said. Are you an Ancient? A person of your time? An artifact of your people or a creature of this world’s mana? Do you belong with the Empire, or to it?”

Galatea leaned forward slightly, feeling the tension in the way her form got slightly more solid. “You certainly don’t mince words, do you, Special Minister. Just starting right off with questions like this?” She clicked her tongue, or at least imitated the sound.

Enais inclined her head. “Perhaps I was too blunt,” she said gracefully, sounding just abashed enough to be sincere. Allowing her obvious deflection.

“You’re certainly the first person in a while to call me an artifact,” Galatea said, her tone perfectly matter-of-fact. “Most wouldn’t dare, to speak of me as if I was something that belonged to anyone. It does sound rather … objectifying.”

Enais’ eyes widened slightly, and she lowered her head again. “That was certainly not my intention,” she said, speaking a bit faster. Galatea was pretty sure she was sincere at least this time. “I never meant to imply you were not a person, Lady. I apologize for the offense and ask your forgiveness.”

“Granted,” Galatea said easily. She hadn’t really gotten the impression Enais considered her less of a person; if nothing else, the woman wouldn’t speak to her like this if that was what she thought. “I think we have strayed from the point. I am curious where you were going with this, though.”

“Indeed,” Enais agreed with another little smile. “Though I believe it is at least slightly relevant. I suppose your political influence and insight are evident either way.”

“You said that before,” Galatea frowned.

“And you replied that you did not hold an official office in the Empire,” Enais responded. “You might see why that response is interesting to me?”

Galatea tilted her head. “It’s not like the Empire runs on corruption and cronyism, my own ‘influence’ notwithstanding. You should know that much.” She paused for a moment, looking at Enais. “It is something you dislike, I see.”

The old elf shrugged slightly. “It is not how we do things here, but I suppose I see your point. Still …”

“You’d want me to get an official title?”

“From my perspective, not holding an office does not make your influence less real, only less accountable,” Enais commented, taking a sip of her tea.

 Galatea shook her head. “What sort of title would I even get, Special Minister without portfolio? Advisor to the Empress? Please, that would be just as vague.” It would hardly change anything.

“I suppose I am not a good person to make that argument,” Enais acknowledged, tilting her teacup. “But we’ve strayed from the point again, a little. Accountability is part of what I wanted to speak about.”

Galatea nodded. She hadn’t forgotten the start of their conversation, and obviously, she knew why Enais was talking about this. “Your people have qualms about joining a monarchy, I take it.”

Enais finally moved her hand from her teacup and sat up slightly straighter. “Can you blame us, Lady Galatea?” she asked. “I know we are likely not the same as the democracies you are familiar with, but we do live by the principle that people should rule themselves. Giving that up, even for greater economic access or increased security, is a bitter pill to swallow for many. After all, we are already allied to the Empire and have joined them in this war.”

Galatea inclined her head in response. She could hardly argue with that. “I understand.” She paused for a moment. “That doesn’t answer why you were eager to speak to me, not that I don’t sympathize with your issue. I’d prefer if you simply got to the point directly.”

The woman nodded. “True. You are one of very few people I could hope would be somewhat objective about this and also have a clear-eyed view of where the Empire will be heading in the coming decades, regardless of this war.”

Galatea paused. She supposed, put like this, it did make sense. “I see. I certainly don’t mind talking to you about this, of course. As long as you understand I can hardly give you any guarantees, Minister. And weren’t you in favor of accession?”

“I am, broadly speaking,” Enais agreed. “But not without reservations, and I know many others feel the same, so I have a certain obligation to them. So, I’ll be blunt. It is known you are a close confidant of the empress. How likely are we to see the Empire restructured, to see this proposed parliamentary structure implemented, or to see the monarchy fading in power?”

Galatea sat there quietly for a long moment, not answering right away. That is the million-mark question, isn’t it? she mused. Enais was actually not the first person to ask her something like this, if not this directly. She’d generally dodged the question. She wasn’t really sure what an honest answer would sound like, and she definitely didn’t want to make any commitments.

“I can’t see the future,” she finally answered. “I can’t see what will happen. As much as I’d like to, it would be disingenuous to assure you that the Empire will certainly become a democracy. None of us can know that.” She sighed. “But I do know a few things. I know that Regina holds her ideals genuinely, whatever else may be said of her. Power once gained is not easily given up, that is true. But I believe that the arc of history bends toward justice, in the end … not because of cosmic order, but because people go out and push it in that direction. And once they are able to care, people — at least humans — generally want to have a say in their own fate. And I know that Regina is not the kind of person who would have armed forces shoot at her own people simply because they are protesting. And all else aside …” she paused, shrugging slightly, looking at the elf. “The Empire does have an heir in place, one who is longer-lived than its ruler, elevated from obscurity and more obviously a champion of democratic participation, and who is very genuine about her ideals as well.”

Enais smiled. “And we long-lived elves can afford to wait a few decades or a century, you mean?” She hummed slightly, picking up her cup again. “Thank you, Lady Galatea. You have given me much to think about.”

“Anytime,” Galatea answered, a bit drily.

“But I’m sure you have questions of your own as well. I did rather monopolize this meeting.”

She shrugged slightly. “It did occur to me that you knew about the Hivekind before anyone else was aware, and you must have gotten your information from somewhere. We have recently had cause to revisit old questions about the time around the Cataclysm, and Ariedel seems like one of the best places to look for old records.”

“Because of the Mesen, you mean?” Enais asked calmly.

“You know about them?”

Enais smiled slightly. “I do have my ways. And my daughter trusts me. But in any case, yes, of course. I’d be happy to help you look through what information we have preserved, Lady Galatea. Perhaps we will find something of use.”

“I look forward to it,” Galatea replied with a smile. To her slight surprise, she meant it. Maybe the old elf wasn’t so bad after all.