Chapter 1126 Waking Up
Daneel woke up to the sound of two people talking softly.
"-wasn't kidding when I said that I wanted to reach the peak of power. I just… want to see what's up there! Of course, I also want to grow powerful enough to never fear anyone or anything, but that's just a bonus. I don't know when it started, but this curiosity is killing me!"
He almost smiled when he realized that it was Xuan talking about her dream, but he stopped himself as he immediately saw that opportunities where he would be able to hear the innermost thoughts of his loved ones were rare.
He did wonder, for a moment, whether it was unethical to do so… but when Eloise spoke after that, all such thoughts left his mind and he listened with all his attention.
"Wow… having such clarity must feel nice. I asked because I can't really think about what my answer would be. Cassandra was the one who told me about how the others are talking about the future… so I thought I would broach it here, too. When he wakes up, I wanted to ask our sleepy Godking, but knowing that he would want to know our answers in return, I thought it would be good if we had ours ready. But now you've scared me! If you had been unclear, too, we could have discussed to find each other's answers… so what should I do now?!"
I almost forgot that you hate it when you don't know an answer…
The slight panic that entered her tone towards the end was quite abrupt. Hearing it, Daneel had instantly remembered how Eloise would always be extremely unsettled whenever she was doing something in the Kingdom without having all the information she needed.
He had found this out when she had actually snapped at him and then immediately apologized at least a hundred times when he had approached her to ask something. He had only been amused as he had found out something that he didn't know before, and the mortified expression that had come on her face at that moment was something he would never forget.
"Calm down! It's almost like you're worried about a plan for the war… this is trivial! Just think about your goals when you were a Princess in the Kingdom of Lanthanor. If they still feel right, they haven't changed, and if they don't… just think about how you can replace them!"
If Daneel had been awake, he would have applauded the idea. In his place, though, Eloise clapped her hands with what could only be joy, but when she remembered that she was supposed to be quiet, he could hear her immediately fall silent before biting her lip with concern.
During the silence, he could tell that she must be looking at him to see whether she had woken him up, but after assuring herself that he was still deep within the sea he had given himself up to before, she whispered, "That's a great idea! Gimme a moment…"
He was still in her lap, so he could hear her eyes close. He imagined her in deep thought, and it was such an adorable sight that he was sorely tempted to get up and shower them both with immeasurable love and uncountable kisses.
However, he wanted to hear her answer, so he waited. It came after a minute, and just like Xuan, he perked up his ears and devoured each word that she said with the utmost of focus.
"When I was a princess… all I wanted to do was save the Kingdom. Thankfully, my prince came along to fulfill that wish… so after that, the only thing left for me was to erase the blight that had stained our family name due to the actions of my father. I hoped that by doing all that I could for the continent, I would be able to restore the legendary heritage of the Lanthanore family to what it had been… and now, I know that I've succeeded in this. But the answer I was looking for was regarding my future… and when I look forward, just like you, I feel so much curiosity that I'm afraid it'll swallow me whole."
Oh? Since when did my other lady Queen also start to covet pow-
"I feel curious about the outside world. All my life, I've been amazed by all the natural beauty of Angaria… but I've always wanted to find out what's out there. That has only grown stronger after we started to find out things about the Mainland… so that is what I wish for. But, before that… I feel that Angaria would do well with a couple of little Godkings."
His thought had been cut off midway when Eloise continued, and now, after she finished speaking… he immediately opened his eyes and jumped to his feet.
"Your wish is my command, my lady."
At first, the room echoed with shrieks of surprise, but then, as it became filled with sighs of delight soon after, Daneel showed his two queens just how much he had missed them.
An hour later, he was standing on the terrace of the Kingdom of Lanthanor once again. He had only had a few hours of sleep followed by an hour of lovemaking, but that was more than enough to let him regain his peak form. Now, his thoughts were once again on the conversation he had just overheard.
What do I see in my future?
The first thing he saw was exactly what Eloise had just spoken about. He had always loved children. Back on Earth, when he had still been living in the orphanage, he had often been tasked with taking care of the youngest occupants who had no parents. He had always used to be the one who could do the job best, and even after he left to pursue his future, his every visit had always been filled with heartfelt appeals that begged him to stay back.
He had never thought about having children of his own… and now that it was possible, he didn't know how to feel.
He let himself think on it for a few seconds, and then… a happy smile stretched across his lips, as he imagined himself flying after a pair of unruly kids shouting with glee. They were sitting on the back of a dragon, its majestic wings allowing it to effortlessly glide toward the Heavens while he followed with his two queens in tow.
This magical scene seemed so precious that he was loath to stop thinking about it. Still, after a moment, he came back to the question once again and found himself just as stymied as he had been before.
He knew that the answer must lay within his past, so he began to look back. He thought of Earth, of his downfall, of his transmigration to Lanthanor, of his fascination when he found out about the wonders of Angaria, and of his determination to change the situation that he found his family in.
He started seeing hints of what he was looking for, but the complete answer still eluded him. He continued on the journey, traveling to Eldinor and his first schemes, to the Black Raven Kingdom and its destruction, to the battles he had lost and the friends he had gained. He pondered on all the power he had obtained, and all the love he had ignored. He went through each and every moment as they could all be recalled precisely, so there was no chance that he would fall into the common pitfall of humanity where people tended to gloss over their mistakes whenever they looked back.
Finally, when he reached the present, it almost seemed as if this had all been a futile exercise… but then, a single instant from a long time ago suddenly stood out to him.
It was that when he had firmly taken the decision to climb the throne of Lanthanor despite saying repeatedly, until then, that he would not follow the mission of the system to dominate the world, and in his mind, the reason behind which he had done so rang loud and clear.
Holding these words in his heart, he saw a clear glimpse of his future.
It was so bold that many would call him foolish, but they would have said the same to that little, powerless boy in Lanthanor whose lofty dreams had eventually come true.
Knowing that this was enough, he set these thoughts aside and remember that he hadn't asked the system whether there were any pending notifications that he hadn't heard.
Sure enough, there was one, and when the system repeated it… he couldn't help but gasp with surprise, before breaking into applause.
[Individual known as 'Jonah' has implanted a device filled with all of his memories in hosts body when host was unconscious. Memories are ready to perused. Valuable information has been found which will assist the simulations. Similar issues for the third wave have begun to be run again. Host will be notified of the results when they are available.]