I would like to start by explaining why the chapter was a little shorter and later than usual.
Reason one, because I can do it.
Reason two, initially this chapter was supposed to be about one and a half times longer, but after the initial reading I realized that it would be unnecessary. Besides, the second part will only spoil the mood after reading.
After Irene had recovered from the initial shock and calmed down, Sigmund handed her the clothes and then left her alone for 20 minutes, citing the search for documents. After all, Irene was now suffering (or rather enjoying) a sharp increase in sensations. One could even say that she was experiencing a narcotic high, and she would need to spend a lot of time adapting to her own body.
After Sigmund came to Irene again, she already looked quite cheerful, despite the fact that Sigmund felt magic from her new clothes.
And now Sigmund and Irene entered the hall, where one could see a beautiful blue sky, high-flying clouds, and the interior floor lining was made of beautiful mahogany. Irene even felt a natural breeze, as well as some forest smells, although she did not immediately understand what she was feeling.
- What high ceilings here.
- Oh, you figured it out so quickly?
- My feelings confuse me, but with Magic Perception I sense the ceiling and flows of magic. Insignificant even against the background of natural magical flows of nature, but they are there. It might have worked on someone else, like those amateurish dummies from among the holy magicians, but not on me.
Irene again studied the confidence that was characteristic of her. Despite the fact that Sigmund could see a half-smile on her face, about the same as Aizen's, unlike the strong-willed paranoid manipulator, Sigmund saw Irene's real emotions perfectly.
Irene felt insecure and somewhat constrained.
And that was normal.
She had recently experienced several emotional roller coasters at once, she feels that she has started life anew and does not know what to do next.
In addition, she constantly feels confused, since her usual model of perceiving the world often conflicts with the old-new sensations of the body.
Sigmund put his arm around Irene's shoulder and then pointed to the side.
- I created this room specifically to calm people down. This room is in a remote area underground, so it won't bother anyone. And it is here that I propose to discuss our plans for the future. Do you agree?
- Yes, it is necessary now.
Immediately after that, Sigmund took a table and two comfortable chairs out of his magic pocket. After they both sat down, and Irene, although unconsciously, but very provocatively rubbed herself against the new chair, rubbing her thighs, Sigmund took out several folders.
- For starters, you can call me Jeanette in public, and Zig in private. Jeanette is my fake name. We are currently inside Nirvana, a walking city and an ancient weapon of the Nirvints. It feeds on the magic emitted by the planet, and regenerates on its own as long as at least one of the 6 controlling lacrima is intact. Here is a folder with a detailed description of our base and a rough plan of the premises. If you have any ideas, questions, wishes or requirements, you can express them later. We will discuss further additions and adjust the plan.
- Okay, this is an interesting place to build a guild base, although I expected something like this from you. Anything else?
Irene glanced at the current guild base blueprint and the final plan of what it will be like in the end, then put the folder in her magic pocket.
- Yes, now we need to talk about you. Your health is fine, although you had many internal and old injuries, especially related to the soul. Still, such a sudden transformation into another species, which you had, has a bad effect on health without immediate medical care.
And as Sigmund said before, he is a good scriptwriter, but a bad actor, Irene had no trouble understanding that he was speaking from his own experience.
Sigmund and Irene read each other perfectly.
- But this is not so critical now, it is important for you to undergo a rehabilitation course. Despite your health, your reaction is now greatly inhibited due to the discrepancy between the expected picture of the world and the information you receive. Because of this, you have poor control over your strength. During our last embrace, you could have simply torn a person to shreds, so you will need some training before I introduce you to the members of my guild.
- I agree with this, but who are these guild members? Is it someone important?
- No, just children with good Magic talent. I gathered them so that they would solve other, smaller problems, allowing me to focus on something more important. You will be their nanny, protector, and also teacher.
Irene's lips twisted into some kind of mocking grin.
- To be honest, I expected something more important.
- You will be my deputy in the guild, and you yourself will be interested in the work of a nanny. Here are their personal files. This is the most complete information about them that I was able to get.
The next moment, Sigmund again took out several folders, but this time there were personal files of children.
Name: Sorano Agria
Nickname: Angel
Date of birth: 03/15/764
Blood type: O+
Relatives: Yukino Agria (sister)
Magic: Unconfirmed innate magic, presumably neutral spectrum.
Magic power level: rank C+~B-
Medical record:
Health is normal. No chronic, hereditary or any other diseases were found. Immunity is normal.
Biography:
In the year 772, a raid was carried out on the village of Hortensia, during which Sorano and Yukino's parents were killed, and the sisters themselves were captured as slaves. They spent 4 months in a quarry, after which Sorano discovered her magical power. After that, the sisters were sent to other jobs. Yukino did the laundry and helped in the kitchen, and Sorano charged lacrimas. For a year and a half, twice a day, magic was pumped out of her to charge the lacrima. Due to this, Sorano spent from an hour to an hour and a half in a semi-comatose state every day, morning and afternoon. This is a possible reason for the visions of various entities, in particular, an angel saving her sisters. And due to possible similar recurring visions, the image of an angel became an obsession for Sorano. Or such a strong love of Sorano for angels is caused by a simple sympathy for the image and a desire to morally support and console herself and her sister.
Comment: It is advisable not to argue or try to convince Sorano regarding the topic of an angel, as this can undermine her morale and cause depression.
The rest of her personal affairs were about the same.
Name: Richard Buchanan
Nickname: Hotei
Biography:
In 771, he moved with his family and brother to the village to earn money due to financial problems in the family. Six months later, his family's village was raided, killing his parents and enslaving him and his brother. As a result of these events, Richard is convinced that the most important thing in life is how much money you have. An obsession with accumulating jewelry of various kinds manifests itself.
Comment: Do not argue with Richard about the fact that money is not the most important thing in life. It is important to convince Richard that money is ONE OF THE MAIN currencies in life (money, time, energy and emotions).
Name: Eric (no last name, orphan)
Biography:
Very early showed his talent for hearing, which is a supposed form of innate magic. As a small child, he read all adults and children well, which greatly strained, irritated and frightened those around him. Due to this, he was isolated from his peers. He also fell into slavery in 772. Having lost the last people he knew, hearing all their hidden desires, mainly aimed at murder and other types of cruelty, he began to distance himself even more from others.
Comment: Has major trust issues. It is recommended not to show aggression in his presence without a good reason. It is necessary to clearly explain to him that people around him do not always want to do what they think about. Ideally, you need to become a senior relative figure for him. Very attached to Kinana.
Irene carefully studied these personal files, after which she formed a very clear opinion.
/ She used her magic on them ... It remains only to understand what kind.
And despite the fact that this exposes Sigmund in a not entirely noble light. Irene did not see anything bad in this. These children have experienced serious shocks in their lives, they need the help that Sigmund can provide. Irene can already say from her own experience that without Sigmund's intervention, their fate would not be easy. There was a 25% chance that they would somehow free themselves, after which they would live an ordinary life or join a light guild. Another 25% that they would escape, betraying a gang of thieves or something else, becoming dark. This is especially true for Hotei and Eric. Well, the remaining 50% is that one of the masterminds of the R System plan will take them into their dark guild, from which they will never leave.
Irene doesn't really care that her new boss also used magic on her, looking through her life from top to bottom. It was obvious to her that Sigmund did it either before meeting her, or during their fight, or during the operation.
Was Irene angry about this?
No.
She felt some irritation, but nothing more.
This man literally gave her a new life, pulled her out of her personal Hell.
She has no reason to hate him.
- These kids are quite… unique. Even though they have good potential for their age, providing a high level of strength, the main question is whether they will be diligent enough to become stronger. Sorano, Yukino, Kagura, Richard and Wally have the least aspirations in this regard. Maybe by the age of 40 they will be able to reach the level of a saint, but we both understand that they are just cannon fodder, right?
Irene did not think highly of the arrogant mages of this time. She could clearly see how the overall level of strength of mages was getting lower and lower with each passing year. She already had the power of a saint mage at 17, but she was not considered someone unimaginably strong. Now 50 year olds are proud of becoming a mage and a saint.
No, she understands that in her time it was much more difficult to survive, because dragons lived then, but no human had ever fought dragons before her. An average holy mage with body-enhancing magic like Titan Magic would be hard-pressed to even budge a full-grown dragon, and there would be no talk of victory.
In her time, ordinary monsters were a big danger to a city, let alone a village, and that was considering that dragons actively caught and ate them.
And judging by the scale of the problems her new boss wants to solve, Irene is sure that he needs strong assistants.
- Don't worry, Irene, I'll make them get stronger. I'm more interested in another question. Are you interested in being their nanny?
For some reason, Sigmund's smirk made Irene tense up. She didn't like the feeling that she was dancing on someone else's palm, but for that, Sigmund must have some pretty serious leverage over her, right?
And opening the last case, Irene saw photos of a gloomy girl with deep scarlet hair and brown eyes. Just like Irene's.
/ Well, maybe it's just a coincidence? How many girls with scarlet hair have I seen in my life?
Irene herself didn't understand how her hands started to sweat, and an unpleasant lump formed in her city, taking her breath away.
Name: Erza (no last name. Orphan)
Date of birth: 07/05/765 (Presumably, the exact date is unknown)
Irene immediately slammed the personal file shut, closed her eyes and folded her palms into a house, covering her face behind them. She felt her blood pressure rise, her head swell, and her heart beat like an alarm in her ears.
Irene was still in a state of near shock due to the fact that she had a poor perception of the surrounding reality due to the emergence of old-new feelings, so now she was forced to go through an emotional storm.
And while Irene was coming to her senses, Siegmund watched his secretary's reaction with interest. To his surprise, the reaction was extremely ordinary. How many times in his life had he seen an unhappy mother who met her abandoned child?
Yes, Irene had very reasonable reasons for doing so, but this did not mean that she did not feel guilty for her actions.
Did Siegmund experience any pleasure from bringing the people around him to a state of extreme emotional peaks?
No, he did not.
Mio had to grow up quickly, Rias had to accept objective reality, his relatives had to somehow accept Ciel. Sieg was sure that they would understand him if they knew about his relationship with Ciel. Well, Alice would have grumbled like any other mother, Arthur and Elena understood him, after all, they themselves are in a rather specific relationship. Someday they would have accepted his relationship with Ciel.
Well, Erza now needs moral and emotional support. Sigmund can now act as this support and support, but ... There is no more dangerous and unreliable support than the one that can disappear at any moment.
The little sweet, kind and gentle girl is no longer there, she died, and in her place there is a young Sith who craves power, but who needs support, attention, love and guidance.
And this is exactly what Irene should become, no matter how shameful, uncomfortable, awkward and painful it may be.
In the end, Irene loves her daughter, otherwise she would not have reacted like that.
Meanwhile, Irene was quietly hysterical.
/ What is the chance? Just ... what is the probability that I will meet my daughter so soon? What are the chances that I'll even meet her? And what are the chances that she'll be in the same group of children as the former slaves?!
Irene has a complicated relationship with her daughter.
To put it mildly.
Irene didn't like Erza's father, she despised him, and at some point in her life she even hated him. And this hatred appeared because he tried to kill the future Erza.
Then Irene underwent the final transformation into a dragon, thereby completely destroying any hint of normal hormonal cycles suitable for pregnancy.
And the body of an adult dragon is not at all suitable for carrying a human child, and therefore the pregnancy period increased many times over.
Acnalogia, who was noticeably stronger than her, began to chase after her, and because she was pregnant, she could not really train to become stronger and kill Acnalogia. All this time, Irene was waiting for the moment when she could give birth normally.
And since Irene was completely insensitive to her own body, she gave herself a cesarean section as soon as her water broke.
Irene was incredibly happy that her daughter was born alive, healthy and even normal. Irene even believed that she would finally be able to live "normally", but after that Irene fed Erza once, twice, three times, ten times, after which her milk ran out.
Completely.
Irene tried to milk her breasts for a long time to get milk, but nothing helped, she didn't even feel whether she was putting enough force into it or not.
And then she was in the forest, children eat little, and therefore often. About once every 6 hours.
Irene couldn't run to the city quickly then, Erza simply wouldn't have survived because of her high speed. She couldn't use magic either. Teleportation magic was unknown to her, and the One Universe would have killed Erza. Besides, any shelter works by the hour, and not every shelter is equipped in such a way that the caretaker is with the children at night. And finding milk at night, in an unfamiliar city and without outside help with a small child in your arms was almost impossible.
So it turned out that Irene only had to get to the nearest village, enchant someone to take care of her daughter, and then run away. Most of the villages lived off agriculture or trade, they definitely had livestock, since most of the time there was no need to take care of a cow. One or two cows can graze on the pasture and eat grass. Well, if there are many such cows, then finding milk will not be so difficult.
By that time, Irene had been in about the same place for a month, and so she needed to run.
So it turned out that everything that could go wrong, went wrong.
/ She probably hates me with all her soul ... How can I even look her in the eye? She has never seen me, if I just tell her that I am her mother, she will hate me and never talk to me again... I am not sure that she does not blame me for all her troubles, although in some ways she will be right...
The realization of the last phrase broke Irene's heart once again. She wanted to be with her daughter, but...
Did she have the right to do so?
/ Would she be better off without me?
Irene's heart was in turmoil, she did not know what to do.
And then she heard the sound of knuckles on the table. Irene's gaze changed from her daughter's personal file to her boss. "Jeannette" was sitting in her place and still smiling, like a holy virgin savior.
For some reason, Irene suddenly wanted to hit her in the face.
- Well, since you have more or less come to your senses, we can continue the conversation about little Erza.
- And what kind of conversation did we have anyway?
- About her future, and what role you will play in it.
Realizing that something had to be decided about Erza, Irene calmed her disappointment and began to think with a sober head.
- Okay, what are we going to do? Although no, first tell me about her condition. Not these dry and cold words. What is really wrong with her?
Seeing Irene's very serious and purposeful look, Sigmund realized that they would not let him just leave this topic.
- Well, as you wish. Erza's condition until recently was... satisfactory. Yes, she had few friends, yes, she did not understand why the boys from the village teased her, she also did not understand why her parents abandoned her, but she lived well. And even if you came out of nowhere, and then began to assure that you were her mother and would take her with you, she, although confused, would jump for joy, without asking unnecessary questions.
Irene's mood fell even more from the realization of this fact. If she had solved her problems a year ago, then everything would have been wonderful!
- And now?
- And now she is simply broken. Treating her like a simple child is impossible now. The constant series of misfortunes has already broken her spirit, and the period of slavery, as well as witnessing the uncontrollable human cruelty, finally broke her. At the moment, Erza trusts only Kagura, but even with her she keeps her distance, and me, since, in her opinion, I am the only one who does not want to betray her or mock her. Besides, I saved her, provide her with everything she needs and promised to make her strong.
- Is it that bad?
It was hard for Irene to hear this, the realization of how broken her daughter already was brings her even more suffering than the usual physical pain.
- Yes, but not so neglected that it is irreparable. Now she is at the age when her character is actively forming. Yes, cruelty and indifference to strangers will not go away anywhere, as well as general detachment and coldness in communication, but in some places this is even good. The main problem with your future communication with Erza is that if you approach her and tell her the truth, she will not believe you and will hate you even more than before. Now she can convince herself that her parents died on a mission because they were too weak, or were too poor to support her. As you can guess, you do not fit either option. She is unlikely to believe you that you were offended by some dragon, for her now your power is equal to the power of a god.
- Maybe ... Is there any option?
Irene refused to harm in that she would never be able to make peace with her daughter. Although no, it will be enough for her that she understands her, it will be enough for her.
- Yes. Eric and Erza have the same problem with trust. Only Eric has it easier, because he knows how to read people, and therefore if he sees sincerity, he will quickly meet you halfway. Well, and Erza's trust will have to be earned. Here's how we will do it. I will simply introduce you to all the children and introduce you as their Magic teacher. Your knowledge and skills are more than enough for this. But we will not say anything about your relationship with Erza. No matter how suspicious your general appearance is, Erza is too detached to ask you directly.
- And if he asks?
For Irene, the most important thing now was to establish a relationship with her daughter, and therefore she could not allow herself to make even the slightest mistake.
- Answer that you were imprisoned in anti-magic shackles, the pregnancy was difficult and the child was born extremely weak, which is why it did not survive. You can keep quiet about the last part, they are smart enough to think up the rest of the story. Besides, it will explain all your possible ambiguous views on Erza.
- And when she finds out the truth, won't she get even angrier?
- Then tell her that I made you say it. The most important thing for you now is to gain at least a little of her trust. To become closer to her. Right now you are a stranger to her, she will treat you accordingly. Erza is now eager to become stronger, she will accept any outside help, and therefore, with a high degree of probability, she will simply ignore the potential relationship with you, considering it insignificant.
- This... Sounds like a plan...
Despite the fact that Irene did not like the idea of lying to her daughter, but in the current situation, she could not do otherwise. Besides, her version of events is practically no different from reality, and therefore it is not exactly that she was lying to her... she was just not telling the whole story.
- Yes. I'll go about my business, and in the meantime, go explore all the underground floors. I'll be gone for a couple of days at most, the children will get to know each other by then, and you'll get used to your body.
- Will everything be okay with them?
- I was gone for only half a day. They all lived in the village, so they know what's what. They'll be able to cook something to eat, their refrigerator is full.
This calmed Irene, whose nerves were stretched to the limit, but unnoticed by her, they relaxed, and with that, a wild fatigue fell upon the Dragon Queen.
***
After leaving his guild, Sigmund went to fulfill his "maximum plan". He had already checked all the individuals he was interested in, at that time they were quite young and did not have enough magical power, which is necessary for the minimum justification for joining the Guild and confirming a person as a mage.
Sigmund also realized that this world was another distortion. Sigmund could close his eyes to the more realistic and logical actions of most mages, especially dark ones. After all, the Fairy Tail manga was only 16+, no unnecessary cruelty would be shown there. The age adjustment of Sorano and Yukino could also be just a mistake by the mangaka, in the original their age difference was 7 years, but in the sisters' memories they do not have such an age gap. Here, there is only a two-year difference.
However, Sigmund discovered that other potentially powerful individuals had shifted closer to the "golden generation". The first difference was Sherria, aka Wendy's future friend and also a God Slayer. She was supposed to be born only in 2 years, but now she is much closer in age to her cousin, Sherry Blendy, who was born in 767. Sherria was born in 768, making her only 3 years younger than Erza.
The main dandy of all Fairy Tail, and one of Sigmund's main targets, Rufus Lore was also born around the same time as the main cast. According to the original approximate timeline, he should be about 2 years old, but was born in 767, being the same age as Levy. Now he is 7 years old, but he has much less Magic than the same Juvia or Sorano.
Also pleased with Zencrow, who has not yet managed to join the dark guild. Born in 766, now eight, but will only reach his full potential with the God Slayer magic that Hades possesses.
Brandish Mu, also born in 767. Incredible potential as a mage, and also one of the easiest targets for recruitment. All that is needed is to gain the trust of the Heartfilia family by 777 and leave several kido talismans as a gift to Brandish and her mother Grammy. Around this time, Sigmund will have to cure Layla in order to gain the trust of Heartfilia, Grammy and Brandish, as well as Anna.
During this period of time, the Dragon Slayers may appear, as originally intended, without being scattered throughout Ishgar. Having all the dragon slayers in the guild at once is a good prospect.
However, Sigmund is pressed for time. Ciel, although a rather kind, docile and understanding girl, but making her wait for too long is not Sigmund's style.
Of course, in this world there is also such a promising girl as Juvia, who is not a year younger, but a year older than Erza, which is somewhat confusing. Juvia has been traveling around various villages for several months now, like a plague girl who is disowned by everyone who has given her to her.
What can we say if she was sent away from her hometown of Oaks more than 800 kilometers?
Here, no relatives will get rid of her, they are deliberately trying to get rid of her.
/ Forgive me, Juvia, but you will have to wait another day. I can't make Ciel wait for any reason.
In the end, it is not his concern now.
And yes, despite all his compassion, Sigmund is a very tough person. Not cruel, but tough and detached. It's hard not to perceive strangers around you as simple idiots when 99.99% of them won't even try to understand you, much less accept you. Sigmund has tried to establish contacts many times in his life, but each time he gets burned more and more.
He hasn't cared about people's lives for a long time.
As if he could psychologically spend 50 years looking for his wife when he was starving to death due to his high spiritual strength in his third life. He needed to play social interactions one way or another, and that was what he mostly did.
He organized order in the outlying areas of Rukongai, created special centers for at least some systematic recording of newly arrived souls so that they could find their relatives, created jobs for messengers who went around the areas once a month and gave lists of who lived in which area.
However, he remained a stranger even in Rukongai.
Then he met Orihime, she was a ray of light in his life, always comforting and healing his emotional wounds with her kindness, positivity and lively energy.
Her beauty was infectious.
Sigmund felt that next to her he became young again.
However, reality decided to hit him again. His wife didn't remember him at all.
Then he slowly but surely tried to heal his wounds. Orihime was good at it, but the others... mostly mediocre.
Well, he had a brotherly relationship with Chad, with him Sigmund felt almost the same as with his children or wife from his second life.
Ichigo was a fool with a big stick, who was easy to manipulate. Sigmund was not interested in him, especially after he began to look at him in the same way as Aizen, if not worse. And this despite the fact that he did nothing bad to him.
Isshin was disgusting to him.
Ryuken was not interested in him, well, and then Sigmund killed his son, and then him.
Gotei was openly afraid of him.
Useless commander-in-chief Kyoraku considered him the main threat to the balance of the three worlds. The other captains considered him a potential enemy, literally the second Yahweh and Aizen, but they tried to smile at him, plotting their own intrigues behind his back.
The New Arrancar looked at him as Their New God, they were already of little interest to him, especially because these Arrancar for the most part just wanted to live a normal life, getting rid of the fear of regression.
Grimmjow was his best friend, as well as a wonderful godfather and uncle to his children.
Pesche and Dondochaka were funny little brothers.
He had a great relationship with Tia, Nell and Unohana, but... they had a complicated relationship.
Tia looked at Orihime and her nephews with ossified pain and white envy. Tia really wanted her own child, but she could not give birth, she did not even have a uterus, that was where she had a hole Hollow. Nell was openly jealous when she saw him and Orihime together.
Due to the peculiarity of the formation of a new personality in Gillians, their emotions, desires and aspirations often mix. Almost always, the new intelligent Gillian chooses a common denominator to live on - his instincts.
And after that, centuries can pass until the new Hollow fully determines his desires and aspirations.
Nell was a young Hollow, even at the end of his life she still did not fully understand her desires.
But Unohana ... was the most unique. She directly said that she had her eye on Sigmund, she said this to Orihime. Sigmund even remembered her phrase.
"When your life is measured in decades, you can live in a couple with one person, but when your life is measured in centuries or even thousands of years, personal boundaries are gradually erased. After two people open their souls to each other, understand each other, the process of rapprochement begins. People of the same sex become best friends, and those of the opposite sex become lovers... Orihime, no matter how much you dislike me now, in time we will become sisters. In the end, when people become truly close, one's pain becomes the other's pain. This pain only unites people. And it is in the nature of every person to want to prevent this pain."
(Quote from Unohana, not Pain, I can tell)
Unohana said this with a monumental confidence that even scared Sigmund himself a little, and that's an indicator.
And this was one of the few times when Orihime was really angry at someone.
However, Unohana was not afraid of such a reaction, there was a wide, joyful and kind smile on her face, as if an older sister was watching her younger sister do something cutely embarrassing and stupid once again.
She had a similar smile after Aizen left the Gotei 13, telling Orihime that "I look forward to your imminent death. I hope we can not only get along, but work with each other."
And no matter how evil Orihime was, and no matter how much she tried to deny these words, she couldn't do it.
All the inhabitants of Rukongai did exactly this.
All the new Arrancar did exactly this.
Even the officers and captains who survived two wars arranged harems for themselves.
What can we say if after ordinary conversations once every couple of months, even Sigmund was able to become friends with Aizen!
With Aizen, of all people!
In fact, if it weren't for his personal feud with Aizen, Sigmund would have become Aizen's best friend and would have helped him become the Soul King only because he completely shared his position.
Well, at the end of his life, right before being sent to Hell, Tsukishima almost completely freed Aizen from his seals in Muken, asking him to wait for the worlds to stabilize, and also not to touch the people dear to him.
Aizen swore not to touch them.
And the worst thing is that Sigmund believed Aizen's words more than all the words, oaths and promises of the entire Gotei 13 and Soul Society.
Aizen was never known for pettiness, nor for vengeful tendencies.
Sigmund knows his life like the back of his hand, he can say this with complete confidence.
Aizen with his level of power and Hogyoku basically did not need to somehow touch Sigmund's dear people.
It is hard to imagine what a nightmare the duo of Aizen and Tsukishima would have created if they had worked together from the very beginning.
Towards the end of her life, even the stubborn Orihime admitted that she was wrong, but at that moment AD became unstable, after which it disrupted the balance of the three worlds, beginning to suck in the souls of all the dead.
In general, despite his cruelty to strangers, Sigmund was quite gentle and kind to at least somewhat close people. Sigmund simply didn't think that Juvia would be able to awaken her magical power so early, and to solve her problem and initially recruit her, she requires even more attention than all the other children before.
It was simply not in his plans.
Initially, Sigmund planned to finish everything in a week, but he did not expect that there would be so many dark mages in this world. It was unrealistic to understand just from the anime how many dark mages exactly form various Alliances and groups.
Even the very existence of Assassin's Guilds almost at the official level is simply confusing.
And that's not to mention the fact that anyone can place an official task to penetrate the personal property of the Duke in order to steal some item.
And it will be completely legal!
And considering that most mages awaken their magical power in stressful and extreme situations, with the exception of hereditary mages, most of these mages either simply got scared before the age of 12, or did not live a very good life. And given the constant work of various slave traders, the actions of dark Guilds, demons and other factors, there are a lot of embittered young mages. Yes, somewhere around 2/3 just go crazy at first, after which they sit in a cell for a month and are released, or they take a direct flight under the wing of the Guilds. The rest become dark mages.
The same Jellal showed this situation perfectly. Yes, then Ultear also did something to him, but honestly. How much could a little girl who studied the lost magic "Ark of Time" from books, while simultaneously devoting part of her attention to some mental nonsense, instill in him? The most she did was push Jellal in the right direction and shift the emphasis, nothing more.
And despite the fact that Juvia now has every chance of becoming a dark mage, Sigmund put it off for a day.
Just for a day.
After all, he could take her away from almost any guild, be it light or dark.
And exiting the Garganta, Sigmund looked at the village of the Sun from a bird's eye view. Although he had little interest in the magical giants, he was interested in learning about Atals Flame. This Hellfire Dragon was a backup option for information on Dragon Slayer Magic in case something happened to Irene in this world. It was almost an unviable option, to be honest, but even so, Sigmund was able to obtain most of his soul for himself.
/ Despite the fact that he died many years ago, his attachment to this place helped keep his soul relatively intact. The soul has many holes and wounds, like the souls of the Rukongai after Hogyoku Aizen, but there is nothing here that I could not fix. In the worst case, it will be the basis for an artificial soul that powers Nirvana. A backup reactor of Magic, if it works out, and if not, it will be one of the blanks for Sacred Gear or an analogue of the key of celestial spirits. Still, material of such quality cannot be thrown away. Well, now ... let's get ready for a date and go to Ciel.
***
Ciel looked at the wall clock excitedly, waiting for her lover to arrive.
Even though he had wisely given her a day and a half to get ready, she was running out of time.
Ciel spent a long time choosing the clothes she would wear on the date, after all, this was her first official date in her life, which had to be perfect!
Jeans and a loose blouse looked good on her, as did any other clothes, but Ciel really didn't like how much the jeans emphasized her butt. In addition, it didn't look very elegant or pretty.
/ Half of today's youth wear the same clothes in their free time, although schoolchildren prefer trousers and skirts.
A long skirt to the knees or even longer looked completely strange. Despite all her beauty, Ciel was of average height, and therefore such skirts looked bad on her. Well, regular and short ones left too much skin.
/ Besides, it looks too vulgar.
Ciel even thought about trying on something more traditional, but nothing came to mind. Although various yukata are still worn today, they need at least some reason.
/ Besides, I will stand out too much, and if Sigmund is not wearing something similar, then I will look stupid.
One of the options for "sexy classics" was a qipao, but...
/ Too vulgar. Too much exposed skin. Almost nothing covers. He will not like it.
At this point, she became sad, because nothing suited her, because she either looked like a completely unattractive nun, or too vulgar, like some kind of gyaru.
And she really does not like both options.
At some point, she came up with the idea of using her Astral Dress, since it was transparent enough to show the contours, but nothing else, but she found it strange.
/ Going on a date in combat gear... Well, it's just weird, like I'm trying to kill him on a date...
And despite all the options, Ciel settled on a very ordinary white dress that covered her entire figure, as well as her legs just above the knee. A wide-brimmed hat that covered her entire head, as well as sandals.
()
/ Hardly satisfactory, but better than everything else.
And so, adjusting her dress once again in front of the mirror, Ciel felt that her boyfriend had returned for a date with her.
Ciel was happy about this, after which she ran to the exit of the laboratory to meet her lover. And she met him, only he looked different than she remembered.
This time, Sigmund was much taller, even taller than Ciel herself, although she was not short. The once childish facial features had straightened out, revealing a more formed face. Sigmund's body itself looked as if he was about 17 years old, his piercing, slightly narrowed gaze created some intrigue and an atmosphere of "I know something you don't know", and his slight smile completed the image.
()
- Didn't expect to see me like this, dear?
The slight but definitely kind smile on Siegmund's face captivated Ciel for a moment, but she quickly recovered.
- No, I was a little surprised when I didn't recognize you. If I hadn't felt your reiatsu, I would have mistaken you for someone else. How did you do it?
- Self-modification rank C. I practiced this skill a little to look older, but I don't think you'd like kissing a 10-year-old boy, and it would ruin the first impression... Or do you like me better as Shota?
Siegmund's sly smile and kind tease amused Ciel, unnoticed by her, relaxing her nerves. And since Ciel was already feeling comfortable, she decided to get even. She made a thoughtful face, grabbing her chin with her hand in a thoughtful gesture, and then replied.
- Hm... After saying that, your cute Shota look is quite attractive... I look at your small body, and my heart constantly trembles.
Sigmund raised his eyebrows exaggeratedly. He perfectly read both the atmosphere and the mood of Ciel. For him, she was an open book. A little while later, he came up close to Ciel from behind and gently hugged her, crossing his arms over her stomach.
- Really? Too bad, but nature will take its toll sooner or later. In the end, I will grow out of the image of Shota... Although... Maybe our children will look like this?
Ciel.exe has stopped working.
Feeling Siegmund's warmth on her body, his gentle embrace, his quiet but provocative words, spoken as if in anticipation, Ciel's mind immediately went to another world. A world in which the two of them lived on this very island, lying in the shade of a tree, watching a group of children play on the seashore. The boy would have light purple hair and the same eyes, and the girl would have bright blonde hair with eyes like emeralds. And while their children played on the beach, Ciel, along with Siegmund, gently stroked her slightly swollen belly.
/ It would be wonderful...
However, Ciel brought Sieg out of her illusions, elegantly walking around her. His slightly rough hands were on Ciel's waist, causing her to have light goosebumps all over her body, as well as some kind of soft tingling and anticipation.
- Well, now that you've calmed down... I'm back, my dear. You look beautiful. Your gentle and innocent charm makes me want to hold you close and never let go. And this lavender scent is very calming.
Ciel heard these simple words, however, despite the fact that they were very forest, only they would not make her feel so happy.
Now Ciel felt like she had entered her own little Paradise, her distant and unattainable utopia, an Eden just for her and her beloved.
Despite her age, Ciel understood people very well, not as well as Sigmund, but enough to understand people's desires.
And right now, she felt that all of Sigmund's attention was focused only on her alone. There was nothing that he could not notice about her.
He carefully watched her mood.
He looked closely and appreciated her efforts in choosing clothes.
He even noticed that she changed her shampoo from lavender and strawberry to lavender shampoo. It only meant that Sigmund truly valued Ciel and the time he spent with her, trying to remember every detail, every moment he spent with her. His veiled declaration of love was not something feigned.
- Thank you…
Immediately after these sweet words, Ciel began to blush cutely, which only touched Sigmund.
- Well, since we've already met, how about we go to the movies right away? If my memory serves me right, another romantic movie should start around this time. Let's quickly buy tickets and go to the movies.
Ciel liked her boyfriend's foresight, it was thanks to such pleasant little things that she felt safe. She felt that her boyfriend was the embodiment of reliability.
An ideal person.
An ideal guy.
- Yes!
And even the seemingly gloomy and scary walk along the underside of the worlds, where just one step into the abyss meant death, together with Sigmund, Ciel felt inspired. As if they were making their way through the mysterious sky to such distant and beautiful stars.
This journey was only for the two of them.
Ciel and Sigmund got out in one of the alleys, not far from the largest cinema, where they hoped to get a secluded place for themselves.
And making their way through the crowd, Ciel literally felt with her skin how the gazes of passersby began to stick to them.
Despite her conservative outfit, Ciel still looked charming. Just the sight of her took the breath away of the men nearby. They stood like statues, stupidly looking at her, mesmerized by her beauty.
/ How annoying they are... I wish they would all disappear...
And despite the fact that Ciel did not feel any perverted or devouring glances from them, Ciel still felt unpleasant because someone other than Sigmund was looking at her like that. But most of all, she was irritated because other girls began to look at Sigmund.
And if only they were some nice girls, she would understand, but some second-rate gyaru over 30 were looking at him with a hungry look!
They weren't anything worthwhile at all, but they dared to look provocatively at her boyfriend!
Especially on her date!
And just as Ciel's mood began to fall, and her thoughts began to go into a dark channel, she felt her palm being squeezed a little tighter.
Ciel immediately looked at Sigmund, who was looking at her over his shoulder with a kind grin, after which he winked at her.
/ Yes, exactly. Only Sigmund is important now, the rest should not be paid attention to.
And immediately after that, Ciel approached and hugged Sigmund by the hand, at the same time intertwining her fingers with Sigmund's. And right after that, she seemed to feel how the guys' hearts broke into pieces, and the girls became embittered.
This could not help but improve Ciel's mood.
And standing in line, hugging each other, they began to look at each other languidly, smiling at the same time. Each was smiling at something of their own, but they practically felt magnetism towards each other. At one point, Ciel felt how his fingers began to gently massage her side, from which she even blushed a little. At another moment, Ciel was already running her fingers over Sigmund's polished and hard chest and abs, from which he only smiled wider, pressing her to himself even more.
/ So this is what it is like when your favorite guy flirts and plays with you... It's as if a pleasant balm spreads throughout your entire body, soothing the very soul.
Despite the fact that Ciel had been open about her feelings and intentions from the very beginning, Sigmund was quite... Professional in his actions. Despite everything, Ciel felt like she was getting into the friend zone, which upset her. Sigmund treated her almost the same way Alice treated Elena. This couldn't help but sadden Ciel, but she couldn't do anything, she only increased her pressure, trying to get to the heart of her beloved.
And she succeeded.
In the end, love is when two people go towards each other.
This does not mean that both have to go the same distance.
Before this, only Ciel tried to close the distance between them.
Now it was Sigmund's turn to meet him halfway.
- Can you tell me what kind of romantic movies there are?
Sigmund smiled sweetly at the cashier, who looked at him understandingly.
- In 5 minutes you can watch "Titanic". It is currently the most viewed movie, a movie about true love.
And despite the fact that the cashier was very nice, for some reason Sigmund shuddered.
- Uh, no, excuse me, are there any other romantic movies planned today?
- Well, yes. In three hours they will show classic movies. Don't you like "Titanic"?
- Well, I don't want to spoil the mood because of a movie where the ungrateful main character on her deathbed remembers not her husband, children or grandchildren, but some homeless guy with whom she was in bed twice, and who taught her to spit.
Ciel saw how the cashier wanted to say something against, perhaps convince Sigmund, saying that he got something mixed up, but after a few seconds she fell silent and punched two tickets for another movie. This could not help but shock Ciel.
/ So you're saying that millions and millions of people around the world watch this "Titanic" on various romantic dates?! And these people call it a "movie about true love"?! Ugh! Disgusting! If I watched this movie, not only would my romantic mood be ruined, I would start to feel sick from it halfway through! How can you sympathize with some slut in the place of the main character?!
And when Ciel and Sigmund started to leave the box office, Ciel could swear that she heard a whisper along the lines of "I can't watch Titanic anymore."
And leaving the cinema, Sigmund looked into Ciel's eyes.
- Sorry that we can't watch some romantic movie now, it's just that... It just wasn't suitable for someone like us. Especially for your first date.
Ciel just smiled and pressed herself closer to her boyfriend.
- It's okay. In fact, I'm even glad that you did exactly that. I want to remember my first date down to the last detail. Even if I listened to the movie with one ear, I would still figure out the situation, after which the mood would be ruined.
Sigmund was well aware of his girlfriend's abilities, she was a genius, and therefore was able to look at the overall picture of the film through the director's production.
Such a film would be too bitter a stain on the memory of her first date.
- Well, since we can't go to the movie right away, then where should we go?
- It would be nice to go to some cafe, preferably not in the open air, so that we would be disturbed less.
Ciel was not against spending a couple of hours flirting, and so she agreed without looking back.
And Ciel was right, Sigmund knew this city criminally well, having managed to find a cafe with a second floor in the open air. This place offered a rather picturesque view of the city, besides, there were very few people here, after all, today was Tuesday.
/ He had definitely been preparing for this date. It was quite difficult to find this cafe, and besides, it would have closed after the movie… It was nice to be taken care of like that.
Ciel wasn't stupid, on the contrary, she was a genius. Her level of intelligence and speed of learning were phenomenal, and therefore she noticed many details even against her will.
However, today she noticed only the best, which only strengthened her faith in Sigmund, proving that she had chosen him for a reason.
/ Who would make several plans for a simple date today? And how many guys have at least approximately the same level of attention to detail?
Even walking around the city and not really looking closely, Ciel was able to notice several couples on a date where the guy was very absent-minded.
If Ciel were on a date with such a guy, she would consider such behavior offensive. However, now she felt that all of Sigmund's attention was focused on her.
And noticing that Sigmund was a little late with the cafe manager, Ciel decided to listen to that conversation.
- ... here's 300,000 yen, you serve us, after which you try not to disturb us. Is that okay?
- Okay, as long as you don't grossly violate the cafe's rules, you can do whatever you want.
Ciel didn't immediately understand what exactly the conversation was about, but a little later she saw that Sigmund had moved the table closer to the edge, placing the chairs close to each other. And three minutes later, Ciel was already sitting on Sigmund's lap, while a gentle breeze blew on her from the side, bringing the sweet aroma of the cake that had just been brought.
- Open your mouth, darling.
- Aaaam!
Sigmund was being really cute with his arm around her waist while trying to feed her a piece of cake. Ciel could feel Sigmund's gaze on her, looking straight into her eyes.
Ciel was a little awkward at first, as they were so close together, but she quickly adjusted and started enjoying it all.
/ He made special arrangements with the staff to set up our date. He moved the table, breaking safety regulations, set up chairs, sat me on his lap to feed me my favorite cake. I can even smell the sweet smell of cake and Sigmund all the time! Sly guy!
And despite the fact that Ciel was the one on their first date, she also wanted to spoon feed her boyfriend.
And despite the fact that she liked everything, this snack in the cafe was sweet torture, since Ciel many times caught herself just staring at Siegmund, while he looked at her with a knowing smile. She especially often stared at his lips. She wanted to kiss him, but she had long dreamed of Siegmund being the first to kiss her!
And after spending a whole hour in the cafe, Siegmund began to lead her to various exciting places in this city. Unnoticed by Ciel herself, Siegmund somehow managed to find a very picturesque garden.
During their date, Ciel and Siegmund managed to take a sufficient number of photos, mostly selfies, which would later warm Ciel's heart.
However, in this beautiful garden there were too many picturesque places in which Siegmund photographed Ciel.
But nothing lasted forever, at some point Sigmund and Ciel came to the temple of the Goddess Inari. Neither Sigmund nor Ciel worshiped gods. It was hard to worship local gods when they themselves could be called such, but the process of the ancient sacrament and ritual itself was too tempting not to participate in it.
And at some point, a light rain began to fall. It was so light that it practically did not bother anyone, but Sigmund seemed to be waiting for it.
- Ciel, do you know what is going on now?
- Rain?
Despite her brilliant intellect, Ciel often simply could not keep up with Sigmund. He was too experienced, smart and knew much more than she did.
- Not quite. This is a mushroom rain, but it is also called a fox's wedding. I think you understand what I'm getting at, right?
A sly, fox-like smile began to grace Siegmund's face, which only amused Ciel.
- I can imagine, but what next?
- I just couldn't help but mention it... And I'll say it straight. Ciel, I love you. Will you be my girlfriend?
- Yes!
Ciel didn't hesitate, answering instantly, immediately after which she felt Siegmund press her body as close to his as possible, at the same time taking possession of her lips.
Ciel watched this with wide open eyes, frozen, like a deer in the headlights.
The kiss was innocent, but for Ciel it was enough, Siegmund kissed her first, fulfilling one of her wishes.
When the slight shock passed, Ciel felt the warmth and taste of her lover's lips, a slight sweetness that remained from their previous snack.
Ciel heard her heart pounding terribly loudly.
Ciel felt like she was overwhelmed with joy.
Ciel felt like she couldn't be any happier.
Ciel relaxed and hugged Siegmund back, giving herself completely to him with all her heart.
After a long 10 minutes of dizzying kissing, Siegmund and Ciel broke the kiss. The spirit secretly touched her lips with her fingertips, feeling the phantom touch and warmth of her beloved's lips.
Ciel began to smile like a real happy fool.
It was the sweetest, best first kiss that Ciel could only dream of.
She looked up at Siegmund, then smiled playfully, seductively licking her lips.
- I want more.
- I know.
And right after that, Ciel herself began the kiss, this time she wanted to experience an adult kiss.
And Siegmund immediately began to teach her this pleasant way of expressing her feelings.
And they still have two hours of film ahead of them, where no one will disturb them.
I would be glad to receive more comments, reviews and any ideas for my fanfic. Well, and if possible, throw your stones of power at me.