A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

When it was all done, Erik and Astrid were joined by the rest of their family, and they instantly started hugging each other and laughing together. Meanwhile, Erik looked up at the sky with a soft sigh and smiled.

Finally, he'd officially married his wives. Not only that, but he'd done it in a ceremony performed in front of his new subjects. 'It all still feels a little unreal,' he chuckled to himself. 'I'm back on Earth, my mother's alive and well, I've got several women who love me, and rely on me.'

But then his mood soured a little. 'And yet… things are far from good right now. It's hard to enjoy anything while Edda is still out there, not to mention the Humanitas Sangh as a whole, and that insane fairy at their head. They're busy with the council now, but there's no telling how long that will last, or what the result of their clash will be.'

A frown appeared on his brow. 'I need to move fast. First of all, I need to unite Africa to stand a chance against either the Council or the hunters. Unless I break through to the fourth rank before anyone else, there's no chance I can do it on my own, even if all my wives reach the third rank. After all, with third rank beasts appearing, I've no doubt that many humans and supernatural are soon to follow.'

He continued thoughtfully, 'After that… It'll depend on the status of the war between them and the Council. Elora suggested travelling to the other side of Asia, to see how far the hunters have truly spread, which might not be a bad idea. I can't just search western Asia aimlessly, hoping to find Edda and that fairy somewhere, but I should be able to travel through their lands undetected.'

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a pair of pale arms wrapping around his chest. "Ready for the reception, Master?" Emma chirped happily, her eyes looking up at him brightly.

'Heh, of course she noticed my broodiness,' Erik chuckled inwardly, before shaking himself free of these thoughts before he spiralled any more.

He looked down at Emma and smiled as his arms wrapped around her. "I absolutely am!" Before Emma could respond, he grinned and heaved her up into his arms as he turned around. "Eep," she yelped, but happily let him do as he wished.

"Let's go eat, feast, and drink!" he roared, loud enough for not only his family to hear, but the crowd down below as well. After Emma lifted the gloom earlier, the people were once again in a festive mood, so his roar was answered by many more.

Thus, with Emma in his arms, he walked down the stairs in the middle of the platform, heading down into the bowls of this structure. Behind him, his family followed, laughing and talking all the way. Naeku's family came as well, although they still needed a moment longer to get over Emily's actions…

***

A little while later, the city had returned to its festive state from earlier, with countless people roaming the streets as they danced, laughed, and made merry. Naturally, the main talking points were the emperor, his wives, and the ceremonies they witnessed.

Unsurprisingly, Emily and her ceremony were mentioned very little. It appeared they'd prefer to simply forget about it.

Meanwhile, the palace was host to a more subdued celebration. Here, they held the wedding reception in a large hall. Although the palace was relatively austere, it still held a few rooms that were perfect for this purpose.

It wasn't just Erik and Naeku's families who were there, either. It was filled mainly with those who had previously stood on the platform just below the top one—the elite of Enkare Nkai. Although Ankhur preferred to avoid the term 'nobles,' that was essentially what they were—just a more practical version.

These families were headed by the most powerful second-rankers the kingdom had. They had high positions in the armed forces and ruled the large cities spread across the kingdom in Ankhur's name.

Regardless, they were mostly Ankhur's problem to deal with. Most of them were below Erik's notice. Most of them simply fawned over him, anyway. Regardless of their true thoughts about Erik's rise to power within their kingdom, they were intelligent enough to know when to shut up.

There was nothing they could do except accept the situation. At least, until more of them reached the third rank as well.

There was only one family that Erik spent a little more time with: Enkai's. Erik actually liked the grumpy best friend of Ankhur, and did a little more to accommodate the flattery coming from his family.

However, for the most part, Erik simply spent the evening enjoying time with his officially married wives. They drank, they laughed, they danced, and they ate. Time passed quickly, but at some point, Runa came to him.

His mother was a little tipsy from the potent, Runebound-level alcohol Emma was able to make and grinned widely at her son. "Hey, Silvy! You love me, right? And you'd do anything for your loving mother?"

Instantly, Erik rolled his eyes, even as his lips curled into a smirk. "Yeah, yeah. What can I do for you, Mom…?"

Runa chuckled conspiratorily and draped an arm over her son's shoulder, quickly turning him towards a particular corner of the room. There were many people in that direction, but Erik immediately realised who she wanted him to see.

"Think you can distract her for a little while?" she whispered into his ear mischievously. "They won't leave each other's side. I mean, he's tried to talk to Naeku a few times, but she's clearly uninterested."

Erik's eyes shone. He'd been planning to talk to her tonight anyway, so this was a good opportunity. More than that, he might be able to enlist his mother in another thing he wanted to accomplish tonight.

"Alright, Mom, I can do that," he nodded, ignoring the part of him that was still a little squeamish at getting involved with his mother's sex life. "But then you have to convince Naeku to talk to him when you're done. I've already snuck them into the wedding against her will, so I don't think she'll accept any more convincing from me on this matter."

"Deal!" Runa immediately agreed excitedly, before quickly ushering Erik in the direction of their targets.