I watched the people behind my attempted assassination get beheaded publicly with emotionless eyes. 12 people, all of which had different expressions on their faces waited for the executioner’s blade on their knees. Some accepted their fates and tried to meet their death with with dignity, their eyes closed as if in silent prayer. Others trembled uncontrollably, fear etched deep into their features, their last moments consumed by the terror of the inevitable. A few whispered final words—perhaps apologies, curses, or pleas for mercy that would never be granted. The executioner stood resolute, his massive form shrouded beneath a black garb obscuring his features.


    I didn’t like it.


    Calling the previous night hectic would be the understatement of the century. Needless to say, I got no real rest even though I did nothing. Most of the job was done by others while I was escorted by others like a treasured puppy. I had no part in capturing them, interrogating them, or giving them their sentence.


    It felt wrong.


    Making other people work for me still felt awkward for me even after rising through the ranks. Maybe what felt awkward was not making them work but me not working with them. However, the main source of my discontent was not it. The thing was the process of capturing them felt too fast, too quick. Were the people waiting for the executioner’s blade really the masterminds behind the attempt on my life? Or were they simple spacegoats or maybe worse the political rivals the Queen wanted gone? Without diving into the interrogation process myself, I had no way of knowing.


    The assembled Amazons, their expressions a mixture of solemn respect and steely resolve, observed the proceedings in silence. It was clear that justice—or the appearance of it—mattered greatly here. I could jump in there and demand talking to them alone but doing that would undermine the authority of Penthesilea and the justice system of Quipax and mess up my relationships with them. Considering I needed their cooperation against Moloch, how smart was it to risk it for the possibility of an injustice?


    God, I hate political bullshit.


    The executioner raised his blade again, and I forced myself to watch, to absorb the gravity of what was happening. With a swift, practiced motion, the sword came down, severing another life from this world. The crowd remained still, their discipline unyielding. The Queen’s justice had to be seen as absolute, unerring.


    “They were found too quickly and the decree was given too sharply. Are we sure they are the ones?”


    I turned to Thalia, who stood by my side, her expression unreadable. She had been a constant presence ever since what happened last night.


    Thalia''s eyes met mine, her gaze steady and unwavering. "The Queen''s investigators are thorough," she replied, her voice calm but carrying an edge of finality. "They wouldn''t act without sufficient evidence. We value justice, but they also understand the importance of swift action, especially when the security of our Champion is at stake."


    I nodded, though the unease in my chest remained. The final execution was carried out, the last head rolling onto the blood-stained platform. The crowd, stoic and disciplined, watched in silence as the bodies were removed.


    “Champion. We should go inside. Our Queen is waiting for you.”


    I took a deep breath. It will be okay. Everything will be okay.


    “Champion,” Thalia’s voice was softer now, more insistent. “We should go inside. Our Queen is waiting for you.”


    I tore my gaze away from the now-empty execution platform and nodded, allowing her to lead me back into the palace. The corridors were as grand and imposing as ever, lined with intricately woven tapestries and statues of Amazonian heroes. The silence between us was thick, only broken by the echo of our footsteps against the marble floors. When we finally reached the grand chamber where Penthesilea awaited, the doors opened with a slow, deliberate creak. Inside, the Queen sat around a desk together with Artemeni and Aurora.


    The air in the grand chamber was heavy with the weight of recent events, and as I stepped inside, I could feel the intensity of their gazes on me. Penthesilea, ever the imposing figure, sat with a regal composure that barely masked the underlying tension in the room. Artemeni’s sharp eyes studied me carefully, while Aurora’s expression was softer, more concerned.


    "Champion," Penthesilea greeted me, her voice carrying the authority of her station. "I trust you found the outcome of the executions satisfactory."


    I nodded wordlessly as I took a seat together with Thalia.


    “Not all who would want you dead is gone, of course. But I will personally make sure that they will be rooted out. But this is a job for me as the Queen. For you, we have to make sure that you are fit to conquer War God’s Battle Area and fight Moloch. ”


    The Queen''s unwavering resolve was apparent, yet beneath it, I could sense a trace of concern—a subtle acknowledgment that the recent assassination attempt had shaken the foundation of trust between us, however slightly. I tapped the desk lightly and decided to let go of my doubts. If the attackers aimed for Larve too, I would pursued the situation more deeply but for now, I had to focus on coming up with a plan for defeating Moloch.


    “Are we talking about gathering resources? I already said I don’t exactly need much. I am pretty self suffice- G?kb?rü.”


    As I was talking G?kb?rü jumped on the desk, inspecting and sniffing everyone. He already knew Thalia, Artemeni, and Aurora so he focused on Penthesilea.


    “This is a curious beast. He radiates strength.”


    Penthesilea reached for G?kb?rü and being a sleazy bastard he quickly accepted her, settling into her lap while I hid my face due to his actions.


    The Queen''s fingers gently traced the contours of his fur, her hardened exterior briefly giving way to a rare smile. "He’s quite the companion," she remarked, her tone more relaxed. "A beast with the instincts of a warrior. You’ve chosen your allies well, Champion."


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Seriously, this fleabag.


    “Yes. He is. But as I said before I don’t really need that much. Plus, it would be more impressive if I conquered the dungeon with minimum preparation.”


    Aurora and Penthesilea exchanged glances.


    “That’s correct, Champion. But what we are worried about is your skills. Or to be exact, your overall control over mana.”


    Aurora fixed her glasses. Hmm. My overall control over mana? I guess I never exactly thought about it. I learned how to control mana by reverse engineering my Armor Collapsing Claw and nearly dying during G?kb?rü’s birth. Both Lily and Morrigan gave me pointers about it but I never got a proper education on it. It was about instinct and brute force rather than finesse. It got the job done, sure, but it wasn’t always the most efficient or reliable.


    “What is exactly wrong?”


    I asked. Aurora cleared her throat, her eyes narrowing slightly as she gathered her thoughts. She raised three fingers.


    “Three things are important when it comes to the use of mana. Capacity, output, and control.”


    Aurora paused, letting her words sink in before continuing. "From what we''ve ob, served, your output is immense—far beyond that of most warriors, only rivaled by Her Majesty. Your capacity is acceptable, greater than many warriors but lesser than great mages. Your control on the other hand…”


    Aurora let her voice trail off, her gaze sharp and analytical. I could feel her scrutinizing every detail of my expression, waiting for a reaction.


    “It is not a big problem. Those with high outputs usually lack the finer control and you are not a mage so bringing your control to acceptable levels could be achieved in 6 months to a year.”


    Aurora continued casually but I couldn’t help to frown. Even 6 months felt too long since we had a blade dangling above our necks named Moloch.


    “That’s nearly as much as time I could control mana…”


    I muttered to mostly myself. Honestly, on paper, it wasn’t that much time. I have been here for slightly more than a year and I learned to manipulate mana around 6 to 8 months ago. Acquiring respectable mastery over any skill in 1 to 2 years was expected. I touched my nonexistent beard and lifted my head to ask Aurora what I needed to do only to meet with her bewildered expression.


    “Hm? What happened? Do I have something in my face?”


    Aurora blinked, her confusion quickly shifting into a more analytical gaze as she leaned forward slightly. "Champion," she began cautiously, "are you saying that you''ve only been manipulating mana for the past six to eight months?"


    I nodded, feeling a little uneasy under the weight of her stare.


    “Well, I was summoned here roughly a year ago. I ran around like a headless chicken, trying to understand what was going on in the first half without mana. Only after I got some pointers from others I was able to learn how to manipulate mana.”


    Aurora exchanged a glance with Penthesilea, who raised an eyebrow but remained silent. The Amazon Queen was rarely surprised, but even she seemed taken aback by this revelation. Aurora''s lips pursed in thought, her eyes narrowing as she processed the information.


    "Your progress is... astounding," she finally said, her tone a mixture of admiration and concern. "Most warriors spend years—decades even—honing their control over mana to the level you''re at now. The fact that you''ve achieved so much in such a short time is impressive. But did you say you only learned how to control mana after coming to this world?”


    Damn. Looks like I awakened a mage’s curiosity.


    “Yeah. My world didn’t have mana. It was a place much, much different than here.”


    Aurora leaned back in her chair, the intensity of her gaze unwavering. "A world without mana... It''s hard to imagine such a place. And yet, you''ve adapted to ours with remarkable speed." She paused, her analytical mind clearly racing with possibilities. She muttered things to herself as she drew things into the air.


    “It probably has more to do with the body Aliera gave to me and less with my talent.”


    I moved my fingers, inspecting the calluses on my hands with a hint of pride. Finally. They were like a baby’s ass when I first came here. It was nice to have tough hands.


    “This body is based on my original body. I have the same face, same moles, same everything. But according to Aliera, it is optimized to be better.”


    I turned to others and saw Thalia’s eyes burn with religious zeal. Oh, no.


    “Your flesh is sculpted by our Goddess?”


    I chuckled awkwardly at Thalia’s sudden fervor. Her eyes gleamed with something bordering on reverence, and I could almost see the wheels turning in her mind, likely connecting my abilities to divine favor. It wasn''t that Aliera created my body with her own hands but it was too complicated to explain when I had this many things on my plate.


    “Uh, yeah, something like that,” I replied, trying to downplay the situation. “Aliera might have done a bit of tweaking, but it''s still just me.”


    Penthesilea cleared her throat, drawing everyone''s attention back to her.


    “I highly suggest that you keep that fact to yourself, Champion. Unless you want to be busy every night, of course.”


    I tilted my head to the side as I tried to understand what she meant.


    “You are already strong, handsome, and carry a great deal of authority. Many Amazons would throw themselves to your feet given the chance. If they also learn that your flesh is divine, I doubt we could stop them from acquiring your seed.”


    “Ha?”


    I blinked, trying to process what she just said. This sounded like a dream if I were still a teenager. Now that I was an adult or even an old man in a teenager’s body, it sounded like a nightmare. Keeping a stable and healthy relationship with a single person was hard, especially for someone like me and you are saying that there are multiple ready to jump my bones? I would be lying if I said a part of me didn’t enjoy it but honestly, it was more trouble than it is worth.


    “Okay. We are closing this topic and never opening it again. Aurora. How can I improve my mana control?”


    Aurora straightened her body.


    “Seeing as your rate of development is simply beyond what could be considered fast, I have an idea but we need some time to prepare.”


    She sounded weirdly excited.


    “What is it?”


    I asked hesitantly, not liking the mad scientist smile she wore on her face. She fixed her glasses and to my horror, her smile just widened.


    “Time Dilation Chamber.”