Chapter 47
Iarrived back at the citadel to prepare our forces, only to find Simone standing in front of the sapling of the blood peach, giving some sort of sermon to a massive attendance of Mul Branova and those not wearing the robes.
Most of the non-robed were uninitiated or older, seemingly parent-type figures who were there to listen in.
I supposed there were bound to be some who would never hold the class but would nonetheless show interest in the Mul Branova.
I didn't think Simone would ever let them formally join our ranks, largely because the class itself was a way to weed out any who might try to join for more nefarious purposes.
It was always the case that any organization, for as long as I'd lived on Earth throughout both lives, eventually drew people who joined not with the interest of helping but instead with the goal of dismantling or disseminating information from within.
Many of the Mul Branova began to politely clap at whatever Simone had just said as she gave them several bows and stepped to the side.
Jenny and Amanda took up a position by the planter as the Mul Branova came up one after the other, shedding a few drops of blood on the soil around the growing sapling, walking in a full ring around the planter reverently before bowing and walking away, returning to their seats.
It was a ceremony of sorts. I frowned slightly at their actions, but somehow, Simone had made the ceremony at least moderately tasteful. I was glad to see there were no large sacrifices happening or mass bloodletting.
I wanted it to grow, but not by any means necessary. I had been a little scared about what would happen given the Mul Branova’s zealous natures.
"Next up," I heard Simone's voice clearly, and I couldn't help but tune in as I listened.
"It is our great honor to serve Lord Bran in every capacity.
In the coming days, we'll ask some of you to travel far and wide, ensuring we are mixing the various chapters thoroughly.
And, of course, we intend to support the newest chapter down in South America.
" She was laying the groundwork for that.
I nodded along. It took significant effort to get that many people moving toward the same project in lockstep.
"Isn't that right, Lord Bran?" Simone asked, lifting her head and spotting me watching from the balcony.
I chuckled and shook my head. "Yes, it is.
We'd be very happy to have each and every one of you.
After all, it's only through your dedication and our continual efforts that we can bring as much peace as we can to the world.
" I spoke with a smile, letting my voice boom from the balcony.
It never hurt to show my face and acknowledge them from time to time.
Simone held her pose, hoping it would catch my attention.
I squinted down at the sly woman with a smile. I was done speaking and would let her carry it from here. There wasn’t much that needed to be said.
"In Lord Bran's name!" Simone called out furiously, and the Mul Branova echoed her, booming out my name, belting it out with every last drop of intensity and speck of breath they could summon.
As simple as it would be to stay and watch, I gave them all a short wave and returned to my desk to review the reports.
Sitting down at my desk, I started sorting through and reading papers in front of me, starting with reports on the Amazon.
I needed to understand just how stable the Amazon was before I could begin to pull forces and shift them around. So far, it appeared that everything was stable. The Mul Branova, as well as Cao's forces, were holding a tight grip on the region.
Elsewhere, my forces weren't being pressed too disastrously.
Though the citadel of all places seemed to be getting the most demon action at the moment.
Which was new since we'd held both Hellgates.
From our time managing the gate inside the citadel and the one an hour from Vein City, we'd had little resistance.
But it made sense that we weren't going to be able to keep that up forever.
Stronger demons were coming through each day, though it had been two years since the veil over Earth had cracked and demons were able to re-emerge.
It would be several more years before the veil was completely gone, and travel to and from Earth was unrestricted.
My solution was simple enough: I just needed to reinforce the Citadel of Blood.
I could use Simone's mixing-pot idea to do that easily enough by bringing a number of Mul Branova over.
Cao and his forces would stay in the Amazon, and I would leave two generals and their armies as floaters, depending on any issues arising while we were out dealing with the surge of demons in Africa.
Thankfully, we had Ricky’s teleporters, and reinforcements weren’t far away should anything happen.
I looked over my notes and didn't see any immediate issues. I glanced up to find Simone standing with her hands behind her back and a giant smile on her face.
"Did you like my surprise?" she asked.
"It was a wonderful surprise, Simone," I said with a smile, knowing exactly what she wanted to hear and willing to give it to her. But I suppose that was just love.
"Good. I was worried you wouldn't like it. Now, where are we going?" she asked. "And also, good job with Almeria." Simone winked. "Don't worry, I'm already helping her move in to join the rest of us."
"How?" I asked, glaring at her.
"Never doubt a woman's intuition," she said, with a face as serious as death, before she stuck out her tongue. "She came and bragged to us all about how good it was within about ten minutes of you arriving. I mean, you can't blame her, can you?"
I stared at Simone in disbelief.
"She was very flattering. Enough to get me a little worked up," Simone said. "I mean, should it not be something worth bragging about?" she asked with a sly grin.
I saw the trap and simply avoided answering. "I fixed the situation in Egypt. Ozzy had been demoted due to some internal clan politics, and he needed my help to return to his leadership position.”
I breezed past a few of the details, not feeling the need to go too deep when the matter was settled. "As for the rest of the clan…I would assume there's going to be some rearrangements after my visit."
Simone chuckled, a massive grin on her face. "Yes, you just go to one of the five clans considered the ultimate powers in the world and get them to do what you say. Completely normal, casual behavior," Simone said, happier than I was about how it had turned out.
“Ozzy's new information showed that while he'd been out and the Ennead Clan was less active, demons had moved in. They were subtle at first, and then more forceful lately. And that means they might pose an opportunity for us to find some bigger fish,” I told her.
Simone was bobbing her head in understanding.
"Perfect, perfect. We'll go in, kill some demons, and I'll make sure everyone packs a bathing suit, so you can reward and pamper us all with a trip to the beach afterward," Simone said, nodding to herself.
"And maybe we can even bring some of the high performers among the Mul Branova," she mused to herself.
I squinted at her and subtly shook my head. "Just our close group," I said.
"Winnie and Venthra?" Simone asked, a question in her tone.
I hesitated before nodding. "You can invite them, but if they don't want to come, then they certainly can stay back."
Simone was nodding along, and then she paused before nodding to herself again. "Makes sense. I'm sure they'll both come if we ask." She sounded certain.
I was far less so. But I also handed these sorts of things off to Simone and simply stopped worrying about them. As long as they didn’t show up and throw a fit about being forced.
"And for the fight… are we bringing the Mul Branova, the generals?" she asked, then peeked over my shoulder to look at the scribbles that were my plans.
"Uh-huh, yep, yep, we can do that." She nodded along while reading.
"Have I ever mentioned how absolutely incredible you are?" I asked.
Simone kissed me on the cheek. "Yes, but please don't stop on my behalf," she said, before folding her hands in front of her and beaming at me.
"You are incredible. Fantastic. The partner I never knew I needed, but now that you're here, I couldn't imagine doing any of this without you.
" I pulled her down onto my lap and crushed her in a hug while I kissed the top of her head.
She leaned back into me, shifted my arms so they were cupping her chest, then pulled her head back until I was able to lean fully over her and press my lips to hers.
"And don't you forget it," she said, before patting me on the cheek. "Well, now that I'm all charged up"—she bounded out of my lap—"it’s time to tackle all of my new tasks!"
She shot out of the room, and I shook my head. I couldn't do half of what I'd managed without her. If I included the rest of the wonderful women I'd found orbiting me in this life, I don't think my efforts would be a tenth of what they were now.
While the Wandering King had certainly been a way to accomplish much in my past life, I could admit it had been the wrong way to go about trying to take down the demons.
I was far better off with a competent group at my back than I ever was alone, no matter how individually powerful I might have been.
"Bran." Amanda poked her head in. "Simone said you might need me to run some errands."
I paused, about to deny that statement, then closed my mouth.
"Oh, yes, I suppose that would be for the best." I hesitated for a second before realizing that I'd just told myself I was better off with all of their help.
"We've got a fight in two days, so I'm going to bring a group to go clean up the closest Hellgate, to ensure we're all at our best and well-prepared for what might come. "
"Of course, Lord Bran." Amanda bowed. "I'll assemble a team. Any particular requests?"
"You and Jenny should come," I said. "But otherwise, I want a good spread from the other chapters of the Mul Branova. Anyone in leadership positions would be wonderful for me to see in combat as well."
Amanda nodded along, with a look that said she was taking notes.
"And then, at least two of my close group." I paused, then shook my head. "Bring Winnie."
"Of course, Lord Bran," Amanda said with a bow. "Are any of the others a must-have?" she asked.
I frowned. "If Simone isn't too busy, let's try and drag her along as well. If not… " I paused. "On second thought, don't let anyone think that they're second string," I said quickly, before I could get myself in hot water.
Amanda smirked. "Of course. I'm certain none of them would ever think that."
She and I locked eyes for a long moment. Then she nodded, bowed, and stepped out.
I wiped my brow. That could have been a disaster.
I was certain most of them had other pressing work.
Gloria would probably be upset if I demanded her presence.
Meanwhile, I knew Merlin was tired of carting everyone around, and Circe was still a little upset that all of the work she'd done trying to look up and find answers for the vault wasn't used in the end.
But ultimately, they all knew and loved me as is. And in many circumstances, that meant I cared deeply but was dead set on my quest to protect them and kill demons.