After a while, I regained enough HP to my dignity to stop contemplating suicide by embarrassment. Thankfully, before Helena returned with everything I asked for. An hour or so later, a there was a knock on my door.

“Enter,” I said, after straightening my hair and my clothes, a pointless effort after Helena and the other maids’ exceptional work.

“Excuse me,” Hitoshi said while entering, followed closely by Henry and their respective maids.

Both have gotten the makeover treatment.

Henry was dressed similarly to me in brown clothing, alternating with gold and white. An odd combination, but somehow the gold parts shined brighter without being piercing and the brown fabric had the same hue as deeply tanned skin that contrasted with his complexion well. A big necklace of a cross with a X was on his neck.

Hitoshi was dressed in clothing of blue and white that remind me of a fantasy forest ranger. Rather than a dinner party, he looked more prepared to start hunting deer with a bow and arrow. Of course, with the colors he had on, there were no chances of him being able to camouflage with his surroundings unless it was on the ocean. A stitched pattern of a four-sided diamond with swirls radiating outward was on his left breast.

My appreciation for Helena’s work shot up immensely. As far as I'm aware, the only sign of the association to my Temple was the brooch. These two were practically poster boys.

They also had eyes like a dead man that lost something of immeasurable value. Hitoshi’s face was still very red. I raise a glass in sympathy within my heart at their anguish.

“I see that you have gotten the maid’s treatment as well,” glancing over to their maids knowingly.

“You had it too didn’t you, don’t pretend you're all right,” Henry spat, his eyes still aching within the very core of his dignity.

“You know what they say, when in Rome, and it’s just a bath. And Hitoshi, you’re from a country where public baths are common. Are you saying that you have never been washed by your mom or aunts before when you were a kid or tried to spy on the females’ side?”

“That’s not the same! And I’m not a criminal!” Hitoshi cried, “And stop acting! You look calm, but your eyes look shifty like a someone whose porn collection was just-”

“Isz there something I can help you with?” I choked a bit at the beginning there, cutting him off. I underestimated him since how stupid he's been of late around Maria, but I now remember that he was rather sensible and observant. I dropped my guard against him, I should try to prepare some countermeasure involving a pretty girl. 

“Yeah, I have a question that I want your opinions for, but first, I don’t think everyone introduced themselves first. I'm sure you already know, but I’m Henry,” Henry greeted Hitoshi’s maid and Helena, raising his hand for a handshake.

“Thank you for the formal greeting Lord Henry, my name is Andri,” rather than going for the hand, she had curtsied. She also turned to me and curtsied again.

Andri was a head shorter than Helena, who was a 5’8 by my reckoning. She has curly blonde hair that curled towards her face and reached past her shoulder blades. She has ivory colored skin that looked like she needed to get some more sun but made her look appealing in a sense of delicacy. Like a fragile flower or a small animal. I feel she would fit better as a sheltered princess rather than a maid.

“I, as well, greet Lord Hitoshi and Lord Joshua, I am Casely,” Henry’s maid curtsied.

She was tall for a female, with braided brown hair that changed color between blonde to coppery red with the light. Her facial features rivaled some of the most beautiful woman I saw on magazines and movies back on Earth. Her maid uniform struggled to hide her substantial breasts. When she curtsied, her chest jiggled in a way that mocked the conventional laws of physics and momentum. With her caramel tanned skin, she looked more like a Californian movie star.

Hitoshi was locked on to her the moment the gravity-defying event occurred, I added Casely to the list of potential tools I can use against Hitoshi in the event he turns against me. Also, I realized that if she washed Henry’s hair the same way Helena washed mine, then those breasts probably… Henry’s head…

I peek over at Henry, he was looking away from Casely as hard as he could, while having a very noticeable slouch. My pity for him became mixed with a much darker feeling.

Helena introduced herself as I welcomed both maids and asked again what they want to talk about.

“Right, what do you think about making peace with the Demons?” Henry asked with a serious look.

“I think that I'm unqualified to answer that. I’m not a politician or a strategist, I also never seen a Demon before let alone talked with one. So, I can’t say,” I replied honestly without hesitation.

“You are the one with most knowledge about this world out of any of us. You also look pretty smart based on what I’ve seen so far. I was wondering if you think it is possible. If we can all solve this without fighting it will be for the best,” said Henry.

From the corner of my eye, one of my nodes note that the maids’ expression has changed subtly. Pressed lips and pinched eyebrows while looking at Henry, clear signs of disapproval.

“I agree that if we can resolve this without conflict, it will be for the best. I don’t want to fight, we have minors here as well,” I gestured towards Hitoshi.

“but we can’t. We may be the champions of humanity, but we're better akin to outside mediators due to the lack of ties we have to society. So, we have to negotiate, not only with the Demons, but with the humans as well. I can’t speak for Demons, but humans here seem to want victory over peace.”

The general tone of all the books I read so far concerning the war was shame. Shame for its defeat, anger over its loss, and the fervent promise of a comeback. They've been on the losing side and on the defensive for the past millennium; rather than war fatigue, the desire for vengeance was stronger. If such books are used for common education and reference by society, then the general populace will be aching for blood.

“For now, simply fighting and trying to disrupt their military power is the only option we have. Dominic has a sick child back on Earth, do you want to tell him that he has stay here with us for years as we play mediators? Peace negotiations and ceasefires between warring parties takes years to discuss back on Earth, longer than some wars. And that's with airplanes and long-range communication devices to reduce travel time, neither of which we have here,” messengers were still main method to travel between nations. I haven’t read about any magic that was capable of communicating long distances, but I can’t rule out that they weren't here.

“But if we can just talk with them,” Henry interrupted.

“Then we have nothing to say to them other than to please stop. Humans have little land and resources they can spare or would want to. Negotiations are done from a position of strength; anything less is no different to surrender. So, until we balance the odds in our favor, like reducing their war potential or finding a way to deal with the Miasma, we hold no sway over them,” I pushed on regardless.

Henry looked like he swallowed a bitter pill, Hitoshi was the same as well but nodded at my words. The maids looked at me like I was some type of wise sage or a celebrity on Ted Talks. My ears were burning at the attention.

“How is everyone else by the way? The commotion seems to have settled down,” I asked.

“Anna and Maria are still getting ready. Their butlers were still deciding their dresses. Dominic fell asleep and we didn’t want to wake him. And Lucas…” Henry said before stalling.

“…What happened?” I asked in fear of our resident adolescence-diseased child.

“Kyun wanted to put him in an actual dress, she said it was her duty to dress him up as nicely as possible. We weren’t able to stop her, so we asked to at least stick to men’s clothing…” Hitoshi replied sheepishly.

“Kyun?” I asked.

“Kyunilca is the personal maid of Lord Lucas. Worry not my Lords, we'll have a talk with her shortly on the proper conduct as a maid,” Casely answered, disapproval in her tone.

I shuddered at the idea that she has already tamed that hyperactive brat to the point that he was treated as a toy. I heard that girls mature faster than boys, but still, how terrifying… It seems to have earned her the ire of her seniors though. 

“What is all this?” Henry asked while he looked at all the books and papers that Helena brought me.

“Reference materials for my studies,” I answered.

“Why are you studying so much? I was told we were going to be given lessons on everything?” asked Hitoshi.

“Being an outsider is a unique viewpoint. With it, I can draw new conclusions and come up with solutions that the locals may not. If we were to be taught by a local, then there's good chance that we're only being told what they want us to hear or inherit their bias. Granted, a lot of the books are similar to propaganda, but it's still better than being taught by fanatical priest or a shady politician,” I countered.

Henry and Hitoshi had a pondering expression on their faces as they digested what I just told them. After a few minutes, they grabbed a few of the books to start reading. Talking only to ask a few questions or two.

Several bells rang from some towers and we all filed out for dinner.

We entered a lavish dining hall that featured a single long table that was already leaden with food and plates. Bowls of salads, plates with meat from a small farm’s worth of livestock, trays of fruits and pastries lined the table in neat ordered lines. Each were uniform and similar in three set intervals in a way that didn’t seem real. Like someone copy and pasted the same photo three times side by side.

The ladies were already there waiting for us.

Annalise was dressed in a pearl blue dress that emphasized her, now I realize, impressive bust. The dress was similar to do a Chinese cheongsam that had a more European design to it but was still slimming when it came near her waists and hips. She had an impressive set necklace of precious stones. The most impressive was a diamond looking gem that had an insignia attached to it. It was four-sided square, but the left-hand side was missing, and a slanted line radiating to the left was on both the top and bottom. There was also a horizontal line jutting out from the empty side of the square. Her red hair was styled into ringlets, something that I have only seen in cartoons, but framed her face wonderfully.

Maria was dressed in a something that looked like a noble lady’s dress from the Middle Ages of our world. The top was simple black, and tight across her shoulders and chest, a strange orange headdress was attached to her back like a wedding veil that was topped with a six-pointed star, the symbol of the Goddess of Fire was a lot tamer than I would have thought, and a red flower. Her long hair was tucked underneath into a neat bun and hidden. The bottom portion of dress just exploded with colors. As she moved, frills of red, yellow, orange, pink, and gold all flashed. Not all at the same time, but when she moved, the colors would subtly change from one color to the next in a cacophony of colors as the frills moved up and down. I felt I could see her walk back and forth like a model on a runway show for hours and never feel bored. The same effects were done to sleeves of her dress, though smaller in scale.

Both looked stunning and I drew my breath when I saw them. Henry immediately stopped walking to stare. Hitoshi seemed to have crashed mentally. He stared at Maria without breathing or blinking, if his eyes were not following her, I would have thought he had died.

Lucas and Dominic followed us shortly.

Lucas was dressed in loose fitting purple robes that reminded me of a toga. A single white shirt was under his robe, with gold trims and lines woven into intricate patterns on the fabric. He looked like a mini Greco-Roman Demigod that came to a frat party. He had a silver tiara on his head that looked like a small crown. A stone with a design that looked a rising sun flanked by thick clouds was centered at the very center of the crown. He also looked like he had makeup done on him that was hastily wiped off. I take it Kyun’s playing escalated beyond clothing.

Dominic was dressed similarly to me and Henry. His color scheme was a sage blue that looked purple and black in the light, with a silver robe that were inlaid with bits of shining silver. As he walked, the light moved across his body like stars. It appears that he too has joined the Temples’ choir boy service along with Henry and Hitoshi.

Everyone's servants were there with us, I got a good look at all of them. They were all good looking, Kyun looked adorable in particular. She was a bit taller than Lucas and the maid uniform was a bit ill-fitting. My guess was that she was in her growth spurt. Her eyes were a bit red, she must've been scolded recently about using a chosen hero of the Gods as a barbie doll. 

We all took our seats together. We were told not to start eating until the King and his family joins and so we waited. We all complimented each other’s appearances, then tried to hurriedly change the subject whenever we accidentally start to discuss how we got into these outfits. And asked questions to our servants about the food, until finally the Royal family arrived. We all stood up in attention.

The first to arrive were the Prince and the Princesses. The Prince strongly resembled his father with black hair and blue eyes. He was clean shaven, which enhanced his youthful handsome appearance in contrast to his father. He was dressed in the traditional robes of red and purple. A small golden crown laid on his head with a magic array in the center. According to the books I read, that was the Sigil of Chromalos, given directly to the first King by Hvilsear himself.

The Princesses, though I'm told they were apart by a year, resembled each other as similar as twins. Their hair were long and braided, more brown than black. They still had the blue eyes. They were well featured with a soft olive-shaped face. They wore dresses, one of red and one of blue, that were more traditional like the royal dresses I knew of compared to what the ladies on our side were wearing right now.

The King and Queen shortly followed, the King looking the same as we saw him, with less accessories, and the Queen was wearing a gold dress this time.

“Welcome, welcome, we are so glad that you are able to attend, everyone,” the King said.

He seemed much more agreeable without his voice echoing from everywhere.

“Further introductions are in order. This is my wife and queen, Gliveldeth, my son, Navos, and my daughters, Vanira and Teloran.”

“Greetings again. I know this is presumptuous of me but thank you for choosing to stay with us in our time of need,” the queen said, with a slight bow.

“Yes, thank you for your sacrifice,” Navos said, it was clear that he didn't think much of us. His smile looked about as fake as can be, and his line deadpan like he just pulled one of the thousands of pre-planned responses in his head.

“Hello, and thanks-,” “-again for choosing to fight,” the princesses chirped. Oh god, they were one of those twins... Wait, no they weren’t actually twins. They only looked exactly alike and finished each other sentences… Are we sure they weren’t twins?

We all greeted the Royal family and introduce ourselves. As this was happening, I looked at Helena and motioned towards the Princesses with an eyebrow raised. She nodded with a face of understanding as if to say my reaction was natural, and yes, they weren’t twins, they were just like that.

I was concerned that we can read each other so well already, it has only been a single day since we met.

After some pleasant small talk, we all sat down and started on the meal.

The King mostly conversed with Henry, since he was the unofficial leader of our group and the chosen of the God of Light, who was pretty much the patron god of the country.

Annalise struck it off with queen really well and was discussing what appeared to be three different topics at once without pause.

That left the Prince and the Princesses to the rest of us, oh joy…

“Hmph, none of you look like warriors,” the Prince scoffed.

“Brother,” “that’s not nice,” “they are valued guests,” “who were sent here,” “by the Gods to help,” “us. Show some respect,” the Princesses scolded. Make it stop! At least finish a sentence structure before passing it off!

“We were just normal people before being summoned here. I’m sorry if we fail to meet your standards,” Dominic said, his tone even and devoid of sarcasm.

“As long as you can serve your purpose, as soon as I take over the throne when I come of age, the Demons’ defeat is certain. So just work as hard as you can until then,” the Prince commented in a depreciating manner.

In this world, it’s more common for kings and family heads to retire and have their heirs take over when they reach 25, rather to only pass it on after their deaths. A tradition more in line with the Shogunate of Japan. I was very pleased with this policy, the number of kingdoms that fell to ruin due to having rulers well past their expiration date were too many to count.

That said, Your Majesty, please have a backup in mind. If this imbecile become king then the fall of your kingdom, not the Demons, is inevitable.

Our conversation continued with some thinly veiled insults, self-praises, and imagined future accomplishments from the Prince. What do I do? I feel like that he’s competing with Henry for the title of most cliché fantasy character ever. I hated the spoiled, entitled, and delusional aristocrat characters the most, and always jumped in joy when they got what they had coming to them. I already had two separate plans to kill him, that’s how infuriating he was. Especially with how he looked at us. He looked like he was gazing at insects, his eyes were dyed in lust when he looked at Maria though. He also looked that way when staring at the maids. When he looked Helena, his nostrils flared as if in heat and I squeezed my goblet so hard in anger that I left behind an imprint of my fingers due to the enhanced strength.  I could see why despite being eighteen years old in a Medieval country, he still had no formal fiancé.

His words weren't without cause though. The crown, the Sigil of Chromalos, had a specially-made magic array that functioned as a quasi-blessing. It greatly aided in the strength and development of Light magic to the wearer. It only worked on those of the direct descent to the first king. With it, the Royal family produced warriors and magicians on a whole another class compared to the standard of this world. They avoided dynastic struggles and seizures of power through a combination of claims to divine authority and brute force, with one family staying in power for almost nine hundred years; the entire existence of the kingdom. With such a tool basically making him a walking cheat all his life, it's no wonder he was so arrogant.

The Princesses were easier to deal with, though were troubling in a different way. They finished each other sentences, had synchronized movements, and often ate what were each other’s plate in addition to their own. I'm convinced that they weren't twins, no twins would be this in sync with one another without being nauseated. Maria was looking at them in rapt fascination like they were some two-headed monster. Hitoshi has recovered enough to note his surroundings and was staring as well. Lucas just scoffed down as much food as he could. We weren’t starved, but the foods we had given were all extremely bland compared to what we used to on Earth, his action was understandable seeing the feast before us.

Dominic was talking to the King and Queen about children. I also learned more about his son. His name was Todd, four years old, and has cystic fibrosis. I kept my head down to my plate so he wouldn’t see my expression. My older sister was a med student, so I had some familiarity to some of the more famous diseases. Cystic fibrosis was a genetic disease that cause a buildup of heavy fluids in the lungs and other tubes and vessels. I don’t really know much about the medical standards of Africa other than hearsay, but cystic fibrosis is one of the most fatal diseases plaguing youths in first-world countries and has no cure. Being taken away so suddenly, leaving his sick child behind, I can’t begin to imagine what he felt back in that chamber.

“I see, we have done something horrible to you, to you all. I understand that you have your own circumstances back in your home world, I can’t thank you again for risking your lives and agreeing to help us, I can only bow my head in apology,” the King said, addressing us.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, fortunately we were already living with the parents of my child’s mother, so at least he has a home and people to care for him,” Dominic said sadly.

“Your Majesty, forgive me, but what are the effects of healing magic on sickness and disease?” I asked shortly after their conversation ended. This world may be less advanced, but they had access to magic, so their level of technology compared to Earth was unknown. I don’t have any census data or books about the health of the local population, but the history books have many mentions of royalty and other officials dying from a disease of one sort or another at various ages. Not to mention the details of the Miasma affecting the general public.

“Only the greatest Priests and Priestesses of the Goddess of Life can cure them, healing wounds is easy, healing what cannot be seen is another challenge all together,” the King replied, looking pleased. “As the Chosen of High Gwenivere, are you already interested in joining Her Service?”

“I can’t say that yet, it's more of an idle curiosity,” I corrected him.

So, medical technology and knowledge were only to the level of the Middle Ages. The efficiency in what was basically stitching and field dressing might be higher thanks to magic, but knowledge of bacteria and viruses must be nonexistent if only those with highest access of the Temple’s resources can cure them. That added credence to one of my theories on the properties of the Miasma. I need to grab a sample as soon as possible.

“Messengers have already been dispatched to various Temples. They will be sending your teachers as soon as they can. You are all rather special after all,” the King stated proudly. Navos clicked his tongue on the sidelines.

“Until then, my library, knights, ministers, and servants are at your disposal for your training and education.”

We thanked him and after another hour, according to Annalise whose the only one with a watch, we finally retired and returned to our rooms.

Another commotion started up again after when the servants helped us undress into our sleepwear. I didn’t mind as I mentally perused the conversations and the actions of the King and the Royal family during the dinner.

The Crown Prince was an imbecile whose too secure in own position to actually better himself. If he had a brother or another claimant to the throne, then maybe he would work harder for the right; but as the only male in the immediate royal line, there was no pressure for him to earn his position. The Princesses were decent, other than their strange attachment with one another. If there were any rumors of them having lesbian incestuous relationship, I could see why. The queen appeared normal, but she gave birth to those three, so chances were that she’s weird too.

The king may seem polite and helpful, but despite the fact that the genealogy book saying he had four brothers, there was no hint of them or their progeny anywhere. There were no other male claimants to the throne because of this as well. The man’s a snake, and most of his questions were to probe our desires and motivations, to see which one of us he can twist or buy into his circle. I have no doubt we will be receiving overtures of gifts and promises in exchange for favors from him via servants and retainers.

I can’t criticize him for this or think that was evil. He was the youngest of his brothers and worked hard for the throne and continues to struggle even now, in humanity’s darkest hour. Considering that he had more to lose than us outsiders, the weight on his shoulders were heavier and he was the most motivated. I can’t fault him for playing the game of thrones or trying to take advantage of us. That didn't mean I'll do as he wished though. My survival and wellbeing were my foremost priority, all other concerns were secondary.

Though I’m no doctor, I do possess more knowledge of biology than the people of this world. When I get my magic lessons, I will need to run some tests. And find some more guinea pigs as well.

I turn my attention towards a flipped bowl near the fireplace. In it was a small mouse. I caught it shortly before Helena returned with the books. I fed it some bread and fruit I swiped from the dinner table.

“Naming is a pain, so I will just call you Number 1. We are going to accomplish great things together,” I said looking down.

Number 1 nibbled on a berry.