Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit-Chapter 129: Make a Good Impression

"I see, so this Ancient Magic Artifact lets people swap bodies for two hours...interesting. I wonder why it was made? It isn’t dangerous, and I can’t think of any practical use for it in battle," Remarked Lyra, as she inspected the Magic Item curiously.

"Please be careful with that, your Majesty, you don’t want to accidentally activate it," Responded Jules warily.

"Isn’t it only supposed to activate it when two people hold it? So, this should be perfectly safe," Pointed out Lyra.

It was the next day, the 6th of May, 1919. Not long after Colt and Lexia’s body swap fiasco ended, The Irregulars handed the Magic Item off to Jules. After receiving it, she decided to make a report to Lyra, to decide on what to do with it.

"We don’t know how exactly it works, so better not risk anything. More importantly, what should we do it?" Jules asked her.

"Good question...while it does seem to be harmless, it is an Ancient Magic Artifact, so we shouldn’t take it too lightly. I guess we should lock it up, at least for now," Replied Lyra after mulling it over, Jules letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

"I agree with that, we should be careful with it. We’ll hide it in the hidden vault in the treasury, it should be safe there," Nodded Jules in response.

"You know, I have to say, I’m curious about what it would feel like to swap bodies with someone. It’s sure to be a surreal experience, that’s for sure. Did the two who got swapped say anything about what it was like?" Inquired Lyra curiously.

"Well, uh...one of them said it was a fun, unique experience, and the other absolutely hated every second of it," Jules informed her.

"Yeah, I wonder what it would be like to swap bodies with someone of the opposite sex? Like, how different would things feel in a man’s body?" Mused Lyra with a look of intrigue in her eyes.

"I would highly advise against that, your Majesty...do you really want some random guy in your body?"

"Good point, I probably wouldn’t be too comfortable with that. Still, swapping with the opposite sex aside, I do kinda want to see what it would be like to swap bodies with someone at all...maybe we should try it, Jules, why don’t we swap bodies?" Suggested Lyra with a sly smile.

"Uh...I really don’t think we should, what if something goes wrong and the change ends up being permanent?" Pointed out Jules warily.

"Aw, you’re no fun...but, yeah, I suppose you make a good point," Relented Lyra, looking a bit disappointed as she wrapped the Magic Item back up again.

"Well, anyway, that does it for my report. So, if there’s nothing else, may I take my leave, your Majesty?"

"I’m still not used to you calling me that, it’s kinda weird. And to answer your question, there actually is something else. As you know, the last few leaders of Persona didn’t put any effort into maintaining our relationships with the nations of Sylph and Anima, and I’ve been working hard to re-establish good relationships with those nations.

And I’ve made some progress with the Elven nation of Sylph, I proposed forming an alliance, and while there was some resistance from their side initially, they finally agreed to hold a conference to discuss the terms of the alliance. That said, they do seem pretty apprehensive, so if we rub them the wrong way, they’ll probably call it off...that’s why I’ll be heading to Sylph myself, to attend this conference," Lyra informed her.

"I see, I understand, your Majesty...in which case, I’ll accompany you, we can’t let you go there unprotected, after all. I can leave the Vice-Commander in charge of the Order until we get back," Replied Jules, after mulling it over.

"Right, we can count on Siele to take care of things in your absence. The problem is...who do I put in charge of the throne? No matter how I slide it, the only one I can think of to assume my duties is Krest," Sighed Lyra wistfully.

"What? No! Er, I mean...I don’t believe that’s a good idea, your Majesty. He’s, uh...not exactly the most reliable candidate for this role."

"Yes, I know...but despite the way he is, he isn’t totally incompetent. Since he was the First Prince, he was initially considered to be the next in line, after all, so he was taught all the basics and given the necessary knowledge he’d need. He’ll probably put in the bare minimum amount of effort, but I have reasonable confidence that he’ll get the job done adequately enough. I think that’s good enough for what should be just a short while," Reasoned Lyra thoughtfully.

"Are you sure he still has all that knowledge? That was a long time ago, you were placed above him in the line of succession over fifteen years ago," Jules pointed out apprehensively.

"True, but his memory is quite exceptional, it always has been. That was why father tried to groom him as his successor for so long, before eventually giving up after failing to have him develop even the slightest interest in the throne."

"Fine, I suppose we don’t really have much of a choice. I’m more than a little skeptical, but I guess I’ll just have to trust that he’ll be able to handle things while we’re away. Now, then, we need to decide on who else should accompany us...I probably won’t be enough to keep you safe all by myself, so we should have some of our other top Knights accompany us," Suggested Jules objectively.

"Yeah, we should take every precaution we can. Do you have anyone in particular in mind?" Lyra asked her in response.

"Yes, I do...the Third Squad is easily our strongest, so I’d say the majority of your guards on this journey should be selected from there. I’d like to take Aster Stark, Raven Kyzer, and Colt and Celia Lekta with us. That’ll leave behind Tacitus Drake, Ravella Kyzer and Lexia Bell in charge of the respective locations under the Third Squad’s jurisdiction, I believe they’re all more than capable of handling it.

Additionally, I’d like to add the Vice-Captains of the other two squads as well, Jacks Aldi and Wein Beryl, plus a few First-Class Knights. A total of ten guards should be sufficient. We’ll also need drivers for the carriages to transport us there, and at least a couple of maids to attend to you."

"Yeah, that sounds more than adequate, though I can take care of myself just fine, so we don’t really need to take any of my maids along-..." freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"I must beg to differ, your Majesty. We’re heading to a foreign nation that’s wary of us, and you’re our leader, so you need to make a good impression. Going with too few people may make it seem like you’re not as important as you are, so if anything, two attendants are the bare minimum," Stated Jules firmly.

"Yeah, okay, I suppose you’re not wrong. It’s too bad we can’t take all of The Irregulars, I’m sure those who are going to be left out will be disappointed, I bet they would’ve liked to take a trip to another nation."

"Well, this isn’t a vacation, so it’s not like they would have any time for sightseeing and the like even if they were included. And besides, we can’t leave the locations under their jurisdiction too low on manpower, so it wouldn’t be practical to take all of them with us," Reasoned Jules.

"I don’t mean to sound like Krest, but you really need to lighten up, Jules. You don’t have to take everything so seriously all the time, you know," Responded Lyra with a wry smile.

"I must disagree, especially in this case. One wrong move and we might end up making enemies of the Elves, the last thing we want is to trigger a war, especially now that things are finally peaceful here in Persona. So, I can’t afford to lighten up...in fact, it’s only right that I take this matter especially seriously," Replied Jules with a weary sigh.