Chương 140: Chapter 133 - A Duel and Return to Junstruce

Chelsea was afraid to move. With her Strength sitting that high, even a careless motion felt dangerous. She could picture herself cracking the table or snapping the chair legs, just by trying to scoot back. She quickly removed The Valkyr of Havoc from her active titles. Her Strength dropped back to a much more manageable 2, 647. Chelsea relaxed slightly. That number was still absurd to her, but it felt safe compared to what she had just seen. There was still one more title to inspect.

The Mother to the Motherless [Error: No information known.] Initially assigning this title grants: Ability: Erase Title: The Unloved Ability: Bestow Title: The Child of the Holy Empress While assigned, grants: Passive Ability: Locate Unloved Passive Ability: Locate Motherless OK. Those seemed like very Mother to the Motherless abilities. Chelsea then took a peek at her new race. Blessed Demon Demon subtype: [Error: No information known.] Special attribute: Milk of the Holy Mother.

-Mature Blessed Demons produce Milk of the Holy Mother. -This feature cannot be turned off.

"What the fuck?" Chelsea said, scrunching up her face.

"Everything okay, Chelsea?" Ivy asked. Chelsea looked up. Ivy was approaching with a towel wrapped around herself, with Rose following close behind. Rose looked completely different now that the dirt had been washed away. Her ashen hair hung clean around her shoulders, and color had begun returning to her face.

"New title and race," Chelsea replied.

"Apparently, it makes me lactate? The title does other really cool stuff, but my race making me make milk is weird as hell." She looked at Ivy more closely.

"Oh, wait. You're a perfect test subject for some of this stuff." Chelsea removed her current titles and assigned The Mother to the Motherless as her primary title. Erase Title: The Unloved acquired. Bestow Title: The Child of the Holy Empress acquired. Locate Unloved activated. Locate Motherless activated. Chelsea looked up. Something was wrong. Across Ivy's face, written in large red capital letters, was the word UNLOVED. A huge red X covered her face beneath it.

"You okay?" Ivy asked. Tears began gathering in Chelsea's eyes.

"Ivy." Her own voice came out softer than she expected.

"Uh?" Ivy looked at her in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"Come here. Let me get rid of that nasty title."

"Chelsea? What are you talking about?" Ivy asked. Chelsea looked toward Rose. Nothing appeared over her face. She checked Liam next. He was clear as well. When Chelsea turned her attention away from Ivy, the red X remained at the edge of her vision, shifting to indicate where the Unloved person stood. The ability allowed her to track Ivy even without looking directly at her.

"I'm serious, Ivy. Come. Sit. I want to try getting rid of your Unloved title. I have an ability that gets rid of that one specifically." Ivy hesitated before moving toward the table. Chelsea opened the description for her other new ability. She could only bestow The Child of the Holy Empress on someone considered Motherless. Ivy still had a father. Did that qualify her as Motherless, or did she need to be fully orphaned? Ivy lowered herself into the metal chair across from Chelsea.

"Please do!"

"Uh, it's not letting me use it. Maybe I have to be in your status. Here, lean in." Chelsea assigned The Inspector and held out her hand. Ivy did as instructed, leaning across the table until Chelsea could press her palm against the elf's still-damp temple. Chelsea opened Ivy's information and immediately raised her eyebrows.

"You gained a level since I left Junstruce! Also, you have two blessings? Who is Nickeln?"

"God of Sorcery," Ivy answered, trying to remain calm and still beneath Chelsea's hand. Chelsea searched through the information until she found what she needed.

"There's the title. Here we go." She activated 'Erase Title.' The red lettering vanished from Ivy's face. The large X disappeared with it, leaving nothing behind. Chelsea stared at her for a moment to make certain it wouldn't return.

"It worked," she whispered. Ivy rubbed at her eyes and sniffed.

"Thank you, Chels." Chelsea lowered her hand from Ivy's temple. She could feel the tension leaving her shoulders now that the word was gone. There was another ability waiting beside the first, but Chelsea stopped herself before opening it. Whatever it did, the name alone made its purpose clear enough, and using it on Ivy would make their relationship far stranger than either of them needed.

"So, I have a title I can give people but uh… I don't think I'll be assigning that title to you anytime soon."

"Why not?" Ivy asked.

"Pretty sure I would be adopting you as my kid?" She replied, questioning if that's really how it worked.

"That would be weird." Ivy nodded along.

"Yeah. Yeah don't do that."

"So, Sir Liam, what am I supposed to be doing?" Chelsea asked. Liam furrowed his brows.

"My apologies, Your Grace. I don't understand the question." Chelsea glanced toward Ivy, who seemed to understand exactly what she meant, then looked back at the knight.

"Like, am I supposed to go around saying hi to everyone? What do I do?"

"Your Grace, if I may speak plainly?"

"Please! The 'Your Grace' shit is getting old. It's Chelsea."

"Very well, Miss Chelsea. You're the highest power in not only the city, but the empire. It's arguable that you're the highest mortal power on the continent. You do whatever you want to do." Chelsea nodded slowly and looked beyond the furnished portion of the room toward the garden. That answer gave her no direction on what to do with this power. Her attention drifted back to her new bodyguard.

"Is… um… Freya… is she making you?" Ivy asked. Chelsea saw the small amount of hope in her eyes. She reached across the space between them and took Ivy's hand in both of hers. The elf was still only partially dressed after bathing, but Chelsea didn't notice.

"No. I'm sorry, Ivy. After everything that was going on, she was there by my side the whole time. We both made it known there were feelings, and they've not only grown but flourished since." Ivy nodded.

"I und…" She cleared her throat and wiped at her eyes.

"I understand. That role has been filled. Is there any place still in your life for me?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course there is!" Chelsea let out a laugh.

"Who's going to keep me grounded while dealing with 'Your Grace.' every ten seconds?" She looked up at the knight.

"Speaking of which, I wouldn't mind sparring with you now, Liam." Chelsea stood and walked toward him. She raised her left hand.

"Let me look at your attributes so I can adjust mine accordingly. I want this to be a fight of technique, not Strength." Liam bent down enough for her to reach him. Chelsea pressed her hand against him and opened his attributes. Her eyebrows rose immediately. Four thousand Strength. Thirty-one hundred Constitution.

"Impressive," she said. Chelsea began working through the numbers in her head.

"Need to figure out a way for you to drop about fourteen hundred Strength. Oh, wait. No, never mind. I'll just use…" Chelsea began mumbling to herself about equations and removing one piece of gear and adding others. Liam looked toward Ivy, apparently unsure whether Chelsea was serious.

"She's a math genius," Ivy said.

"Just let her get it out. She's an A-rank merchant." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"S-rank," Chelsea corrected, half paying attention to the conversation. She removed her boots, then collected her shield and spear. The instant she equipped one, her attributes rose higher than intended.

"Shit, I forgot about those. Okay. Switch out blessing. Goddess of doorways it is." Chelsea removed her gloves and belt, checking the numbers after each piece came away.

"Boom. Perfection!"

"Your attributes are so high that you have to remove armor to be at my level?" Liam asked.

"Yeah. Sorry. I have titles and blessings that are just ridiculous."

"Miss Chelsea, what level are you, if I may be so bold?"

"I'll tell you only if you beat me. Otherwise, you don't want to know." Chelsea laughed.

"It may bruise the old ego a bit."

"I'm curious how you've improved since I last saw you," Ivy said.

"Your Grace," Rose said in her still dry, hoarse voice.

"I'm sorry to question you, but is it a good idea to fight him?"

"Probably not," Chelsea replied with a laugh.

"I'm sure he's been training to fight his entire life, and I've only been training for a year."

"A year?" Liam asked.

"And you bested Sir Erik? That's impressive." Chelsea gave him a curtsy.

"Thank you." She walked out into the open field beyond the bedroom, searching for an area with plenty of space. As she went, Chelsea assigned Bodarex's blessing and activated The Baby Bird, The Flying Transport, and The Bird of Prey to raise her Flight skill levels. Once everything was in place, she switched back to Hilda's blessing and checked her attributes one final time. Nothing had changed. She was ready.

"Ivy!" Chelsea called across the field.

"Feel free to raid the dressers for clothes for you two." She bent down and picked up a rock small enough to fit in her palm.

"I'm going to throw this into the air. Once it hits the ground, we start. Sound good?"

"Of course," Liam replied.

"Don't go easy on me just because I'm the Empress. I want a real sparring session."

"Yes, Miss Chelsea." Chelsea threw the rock high into the air and lowered herself into a fighting stance. Liam drew a greatsword in one hand and a short sword in the other. Chelsea had never fought anyone using that combination before, but she didn't doubt she would prevail. Their attributes were almost perfectly matched, and she had spent the last year training three or four times a day under some of the best trainers on the continent. The rock struck the ground. Unlike her fight with Erik, Chelsea charged first.

She drove her spear toward Liam with the first of what she intended to be several quick thrusts. The weapon struck nothing. Something hard slammed into her from behind. Chelsea hit the ground face-first, grass pressing against her cheek as Liam's hand closed around the back of her neck. The fight was over. Just like that, she had lost. Chelsea hadn't lost a duel in months. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to be completely outmaneuvered.

"Are you all right, Miss Chelsea?" Liam asked. Chelsea began giggling beneath his hand.

"That was incredible!" she yelled.

"That had to be an ability, right?" Liam released her and helped her back to her feet.

"It was. It's a local teleport that I can only use on you. It's meant to bring me to your side instantly for protection. I simply used it offensively against you. Apologies." Chelsea gasped and placed a hand against her chest.

"You bully! Out here beating up on a poor level one." Liam laughed, and Chelsea smirked up at him.

"Miss Chelsea, I did win. So, what is your level?" Chelsea turned toward the two elves, who were pulling on white-and-gold clothing near the furnished portion of the room.

"Ivy!" she shouted. The blonde elf looked over.

"Yeah?" she called back.

"What level am I? You're allowed to say!"

"One!" Ivy yelled before returning to what she was doing. Liam stared at Chelsea. Like nearly everyone else who learned something unexpected about her, he began sputtering out pieces of words.

"Wha… That… But… Imposs…"

"I know, right?" Chelsea replied.

"How?" he finally asked. Then he cleared his throat and forced himself back into a more formal posture.

"My apologies."

"It's fine. I was brought into this world with an ailment that keeps me young and beautiful forever. That also means I stay at level one."

"Your Gr… Miss Chelsea, I have so many more questions."

"Oh, I'm sure. For now, let's go do some cathedral maintenance. I'll explain the weird stuff I have going on with me eventually." Chelsea pointed her spear toward him.

"Just know that, yes, you won our sparring session, but you won't always." She returned to the others and approached Rose.

"Miss Rose, I hope you're feeling a bit better after the bath."

"I am, Your Grace, and thank you for letting me borrow such exquisite clothes."

"Oh, no. You can have them." Chelsea looked over the white-and-gold outfit Rose had chosen. It fit her surprisingly well.

"Ivy tells me you're a seamstress. Do you happen to make dresses?"

"I do, Your Grace, though I may be a touch rusty, and my work may be out of fashion."

"Are you, or rather, were you any good? Or were you just starting out?"

"I was the exclusive tailor for the royal family in Junstruce until Her Highness the queen passed away. When her son took over with his new wife, she didn't want to wear the same dresses her mother-in-law wore. This was seventy-something years ago, so… or maybe eighty-something?" Rose gasped, covered her mouth, and bowed her head.

"My apologies for rambling, Your Grace."

"No, you're fine. How would you like to work for me?" Chelsea asked.

"Don't answer now, and don't think this is some sort of order. If you decide not to take the job, the Church will pay to have a new shop opened for you, or we can give you a lump sum of gold if you just want to retire."

"Your Grace," Rose replied. She didn't look up. Her body had begun trembling beneath the clean clothes. Ivy reached over and rubbed her back.

"It's okay. You choose whatever you want. Don't be afraid of choosing wrong. These are legitimate choices. Chelsea really is offering you these things. It's not a trick." The broken elf kept her head lowered and nodded.

"Good. Now, let's head somewhere super fun." Ivy gave Chelsea a flat stare.

"And where is that?"

"Accounting," Chelsea said with a wide smile.

"Time to see how much gold we have to work with and how much corruption runs through my shiny new church."

"Oh, it's your church now?" Ivy asked with a laugh.

"Prior to evolving your class, how much did you know about the Church?"

"I knew it existed," Chelsea replied with a laugh. She raised one fist toward the sky and shifted into her most dramatic voice.

"But the gods have willed it. I am to right the wrongs and correct the course of this ship." Liam watched her for a moment.

"Miss Chelsea, may I ask how old you are?" Chelsea turned toward him and gave the practiced smile she used on everyone.

"Sir Liam, I am nineteen. May I ask your age?" He closed his eyes and released a long sigh. When he opened them again, frustration was clear across his face.

"Thirty-four." Chelsea's eyes and a new thought occurred to her.

"Never mind on the accounting. We're heading to my manor. Hey, Liam, is there a teleporter somewhere in the cathedral?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Chelsea, but I can't allow you to use it." Chelsea turned fully toward him, her brows drawing together.

"In fact, I'm not to allow you outside the walls of the cathedral."

"So, let me get this straight. I'm the highest power and authority in the world, and you just told me I'm allowed to do whatever I want. Except that?" She glanced at Ivy before looking back at Liam.

"It's my primary role to ensure the safety and protection of the Holy Empress. If you give me an order that contradicts that, then I'm required to refuse."

"By that logic, you could say that going anywhere in the cathedral could put me in danger and bar me from even going to the bathroom, since I could drown in my own urine." Liam's expression didn't change.

"By not allowing me to go home, you're putting not only this cathedral in danger, but because I'm in it, me in danger."

"Please explain," he replied, his face hard.

"I told my mother, Adriane Wixx, that I was heading to this cathedral and that I'd be back by tonight. If her daughter doesn't arrive, what do you think will happen?"

"I'll be called to stop her," he replied. Chelsea laughed.

"You can't stop that monster. I looked at your attributes. You'd need four times everything to even come close to her." Liam stared down at her.

"What do you propose?"

"The word hasn't spread yet. No one knows there even is an Empress. Let's head to my manor in Junstruce and let me tell my family what I am. Outside this city, I'll just look like Chelsea Wixx with feathery wings and way cooler horns. No glowing. I won't even use my hover ability. I'll change my title back to the Valkyr one too." Liam considered the proposal in silence. Chelsea gave him her best smile and waited.

"Fine, but I'll go through the teleporter first. If I feel the risk is too high, I'll have us return at once to the cathedral."

"Deal!" Chelsea said immediately.

"Also, you're going to have to let me out of the cathedral in the future. I'm the Holy Empress of the Forgotten Children. I need to go see the orphanages."

"We'll need to schedule those visits," he replied.

"Whatever it takes," Chelsea replied.

"Let's get going before word spreads about me any more." The four of them left the Empress's room and returned to the dark hallway. Chelsea's glow revealed the path ahead as Liam guided them back toward the hidden entrance. Once they crossed the threshold, the unassuming door vanished into the wall behind them. They continued toward the chamber where Chelsea had been tried. Instead of entering through the oval door, Liam turned toward what appeared to be a solid section of wall just outside it.

"It's on this floor?" Chelsea asked.

"Why did they make me walk through the streets?"

"Standard protocol. We don't give out cards that enter the main cathedral. Other kingdoms have similar rules." Liam pressed against a concealed section of the wall. It slid aside, revealing a small office with a man seated behind a desk. Stacks of teleportation cards surrounded him. They were arranged across the desk and stored in narrow shelves along the walls, forming a collection that rivaled the one maintained by the old woman in Valhalla. The man looked up. His eyes widened.

"Y-Your Grace." He bowed so quickly that his forehead struck the desk.

"Hey, stop before you hurt yourself," Chelsea said.

"You're fine. I'm not my predecessor. We need four cards to Junstruce's capital. Specifically, the Merchant's Guild. Do you have those?"

"At once, Your Grace." The man stood and reached for a stack of cards to his left. His hands trembled slightly as he counted out four and offered them to her.

"If there's anything else I can do, please don't hesitate to ask, Your Grace." Chelsea accepted the cards, then glanced over the much larger collection surrounding him.

"I'm curious. Do you have any cards to Valhalla?"

"Valhalla, Your Grace?" His expression tightened with concern.

"I'm afraid not. Those are incredibly rare and hard to come by." Chelsea reached into her pouch and withdrew two cards.

"These go to the Hall of the Valkyr. Keep them safe." His eyes widened again.

"Directly to the Hall?" He started to reach for the cards, then slowed his hand as if he were afraid to touch them.

"Uh, yes. Of course, Your Grace." Ivy spoke from beside Rose.

"Oh, I have one in my bag, if I can get that back from the dungeon. We also need to get Miss Rose's belongings too."

"Your Grace, you don't need to bother yourself with my things," Rose said quietly. Chelsea stepped away from the card collector while Liam led them toward the opposite wall.

"Miss Rose, it's no bother. You deserve your stuff. And please, call me Chelsea."

"Ch-Chelsea. Right," Rose replied. Liam opened another concealed section of the wall. Behind it was a small room containing a teleportation pedestal. Chelsea distributed the four cards. Liam went through first, as promised. Ivy followed him. Chelsea stepped onto the pedestal next, with Rose coming through last. The room changed around her. Chelsea recognized it immediately. It was the same teleportation room in the Merchant's Guild that she had used earlier that morning.

Once Rose arrived, Chelsea turned toward the group and lowered her voice.

"I'm Chelsea Wixx. In this city, I'm not 'Your Grace.' I'm still the Valkyr of Havoc to these people. Understood?" The others nodded. Chelsea stepped into the hallway first. The Merchant's Guild was busier than it had been when she left. Clerks moved between rooms, merchants waited near the counters, and several conversations filled the building. The activity slowed almost immediately as people recognized her. Chelsea continued down the hall, greeting each person she passed.

She had worked hard to build a good relationship with the guild and had no intention of damaging it now. One of the merchants in particular handled a business in which she had invested a considerable amount of gold. Whether she was the Holy Empress or not, she still wanted to remain on good terms with the people responsible for protecting her money. Once they reached the main lobby, the clerk behind the desk looked up and gave Chelsea a broad smile.

"Miss Wixx, it's wonderful to see you again." Chelsea stepped over to exchange a few words with him before continuing toward the entrance. By the time she and the others finally left the building, several more people had called out greetings to her.

"It seems you're well respected in the Merchant's Guild," Liam said as they descended the front steps.

"Being S-rank now, she's basically the head of the entire Merchant's Guild," Ivy explained.

"Like, the whole Merchant's Guild across the continent."

"It was just five simple little tests," Chelsea replied.

"Not really worth them handing the reins over to me because of it."

"I took that test again when I moved to the Holy City," Rose said.

"It was certainly hard. I passed just enough to get a C-rank." She let out a dry, scratchy laugh.

"Took me damn near the whole time too."

"That's an impressive feat!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"Miss Wixx!" Someone called to her as they passed a bakery. Chelsea looked through the open front and saw a middle-aged fairy woman waving from behind the counter.

"Good morning, Miss Mealdra. Your wings are glowing as bright as ever today!" The woman giggled.

"Have a great day, Miss Wixx."

"Are you friends with everyone in this city?" Liam asked once they had continued down the street.

"Pretty much," Ivy said with a laugh.

"You should've seen the mayhem when she moved to Valhalla. People came up to me every day asking if she was all right and wanting to check on her."

"My mother never told me about that," Chelsea replied.

"Sorry."

"It was fine. They all meant well." They turned onto Chelsea's street and began walking faster toward the manor. Even then, two different people stopped her to ask how she had been and when she had returned. Once the manor came into view, the guard opened the gate for them. Chelsea released a long breath after they crossed the threshold.

"Usually, it doesn't bother me talking to everyone. I enjoy it, in fact. But I'm eager to let my mother know what's going on."

"I was wondering about that," Ivy said.

"It should've taken three times longer to get here." Chelsea slowed. Several people stood in front of the manor. Their armor and posture marked them as soldiers.

"What now?" she said quietly.

"Miss Chelsea, I'll go first and find out what's going on," Liam said.

"Oh, wait. No, don't worry about it. I recognize some of them." Chelsea continued forward until she reached the royal guards gathered near the entrance.

"Sergeant," she said as she approached the group.

"Are you here for me or my mother?"

"It's my understanding we're here for you, Miss Wixx," the leader replied.

"Go ahead inside." His attention moved past her.

"Wait. I recognize that elf, but who are the other two?"

"Close friend of the family," Chelsea lied, pointing toward Liam. Then she gestured toward Rose.

"Possible future business partner. I can vouch for them. If anything happens, throw me in the dungeons." The guard studied the large armored man behind her.

"Oh, come on, Jack. How else would he get a set of my armor?" Chelsea asked with a sigh.

"Very well," he replied.

"Don't let this come back to bite me."

"Of course not." Chelsea gave him a curtsy. The guards allowed the group to pass without further trouble. Chelsea entered the manor and headed directly toward the room where she expected to find Adriane.

"Oh, it seems you're in luck," Adriane said as Chelsea entered. Her mother's gaze settled on Chelsea's new horns, and her expression shifted with immediate curiosity. Chelsea stopped when she noticed the rest of the room. The king and queen of Junstruce were there, along with Prince William and the princess. All four rose to greet her.

"Hey there, everybody," Chelsea said. Prince William began snickering at her casual greeting. The princess stared at Chelsea with open awe, while the king and queen appeared far more amused. The king spoke first.

"Miss Wixx, I'd like to congratulate you on your marvelous accomplishment. I hope our two families can continue our close relations in future dealings." Hey it's Riley. OK I've been doing these recommendations a TON lately. I keep finding amazing books from authors that are on the rise. This is one of those. It's today's shoutout. I threw his book on an old chapter like a month ago not paying much attention. I started reading it a few days ago... OMG..... OMG it's sooooo fun.

I kind of rolled my eyes when I first saw it but nooo don't let the silly idea sway you! Go check it out! Isekaid Too Late. Please Don't Eat the Guinea Pig