A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Erik looked at Nora, who had gone from a fiery proselytiser to a content puppy. Her eyes were closed and an absentminded smile played on her lips. Her body wriggled a little, as if all she was missing were a tail to wag. With Anne purring like a cat on his other side, their shapeshifting types became immediately obvious.

"You asked me here to judge the fate of some troublemakers, right?"

Murmuring softly, Nora nodded. "Yes, Master… I'm happy to report I managed to show a few of them the light, but what's left seems intend on resisting your divinity… I'd need more time than I have before their absence is noticed…"

Smirking, Erik glanced at Enkai. "They've already noticed, Nora. That's why our grumpy friend is here."

"Ah, I see…" she blubbered comfortably, Erik's hand still scratching her hair. "We— We should deal with them, then…"

Despite her intention, she didn't move a muscle. They stood there in silence for several more seconds as Enkai's expression became increasingly stormy. Erik watched the expressions in the room with an amused smirk.

Finally, he noticed Enkai was truly about to blow, so he removed his hands from his two cute servant's heads. "Alright, we should probably move then, huh?"

"H— Huh…?" both girls stammered, blinking some confusion away as they opened their eyes again.

"Oh… right," Nora grumbled, disappointed, and already missing his touch.

Sighing, she and Anne took the lead. "Follow us, Master. And the old man, I guess, if he has to…" They walked over to the door Nora came out from earlier, and opened it.

Meanwhile, Enkai's expression soured further. He parted his lips to bite back with words, but one warning glare from Erik stopped him. Unwillingly, he swallowed his snark and instead demanded in a gruff tone: "Say a little more, girl. What did you mean with troublemakers, and showing them the light?"

Reluctantly, Nora glanced over her shoulder at Erik, and only when he nodded did she respond.

"Did you not even know some of these ungrateful Enkarians were planning to disturb fourth Mistress's wedding to Master?" she asked, with no small amount of haughty snark. "Have you lost all touch to the people you were supposed to rule? I suppose it's a good thing Master has taken over…"

They began walking down a short flight of stairs.

"You—!" Enkai snarled, but feeling Erik's presence next to him, he quickly toned it down. Rather, he fell quiet for a moment, sunk into thoughts.

"Fine…" he mumbled after a few seconds. "I'll admit… I knew Erik had his critics, and there were those unhappy with Naeku's choice, but I never imagined they would take action. What proof do you have…?"

Nora snorted dismissively. "Enough…"

Smirking, Erik rolled his eyes. "I'd like to know, Nora…"

"Of course, Master!" she immediately answered brightly. By now, they'd reached a door which Erik was sure led to the main hall, but they waited there for a moment.

Nora, looking at Erik, completely ignored an annoyed Enkai. "We have no physical proof, but they were all overheard plotting their protests and riots. Most of them were coordinating with each other, but a few worked separately."

She shrugged calmly and explained further. "Since coming here, they've also spilled more of their plans. Some of them wanted to convince Naeku not to marry you, others were opposed to integrating this kingdom into your empire. A few actually wanted to kill you, others simply wanted you to accept a reward for saving them and then leave."

Her lips curled into a wicked grin. "Of course, we've appropriately disciplined those who actually plotted to harm your divine self, Master…"

"Bullshit!" Enkai cried out, eyes wide. "They wouldn't be so stupid as to think they could they could kill him! A third-ranker!"

Snorting again, Nora looked at him disdainfully. "Of course not, but they hoped to convince you and Ankhur to turn against him. They had already concocted several delusional fantasies about Master abusing their princess, to the point where they actually believed him to be some kind of brutal monster."

She shrugged dismissively. "They thought they could anger him to the point that he'd start a slaughter, and that would convince you to turn on him."

She pursed her lips into a playful smile, turning back to Erik. "Of course, what they didn't realise, was that my beloved Master is a gentle soul… and that there's people who will happily be brutal monsters for him."

Rolling his eyes, Erik scoffed. "The days of my soul being gentle are long past, Nora—Edda ripped that part out of me."

"That said," he frowned, and took her chin between his fingers. "I won't be starting any slaughters among civilians, and I expect my people to restrain themselves similarly… understood? Even if there comes a time where such brutality is necessary, I will do it myself."

"As you wish, Master…" Nora purred, seemingly full of obedience, but with a spark in her eyes that made Erik doubt her sincerity in this matter. There was an abyss behind her eyes that showed the depths she'd go to for him, and it made him shiver a little. 'Proselytisers are terrifying,' he muttered in his mind.

"But everything else is still on the table, right?" she blinked, innocently.

Erik sighed, and nodded with a smirk. "Yes, Nora. If you keep casualties among innocents to a minimum, you can do whatever you wish to increase my authority and ensure the safety of my family."

He had no plans to rein in Nora's efforts with this religion, and it was certainly useful to have an army of fanatics at your beck and call… The implications of this whole thing were still a little worrying to him, but not enough for him to dismiss something so useful out of hand.

Beside them, Enkai had his eyes narrowed in displeasure. "When we get back, I'm informing Ankhur and Naeku about all this…" he growled.

Erik glanced over his shoulder at the older man with a calm, confident gaze. Enkai locked eyes with him, and they ended up in a staring contest, their pressure slowly mounting.

Unfortunately for Enkai, Erik's pure power was impossible to resist. As pressure built and lightning practically crackled between their eyes, it was Enkai who first took a step back and averted his gaze, sweat trickling down his back.

Pursing his lips in satisfaction, Erik turned back to Nora and nodded at her.

Smiling brightly, Elora finally opened the door and stepped through. As soon as she did, Erik followed, and dropped the perception blocking he'd erected with his omnisense.

Instantly, dozens of eyes turned to them, followed by gasps and wide eyes.

There stood the man they revered, dressed in nothing but a pair of wide pants and a bracelet around his wrist…