Interstellar Age

Chapter 217 Negotiating The Release Of A Prisoner

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Erich and Ayumi held their wedding feast, and then retired for the night, where they spent it together alone. As Yumi expected, her niece was not able to match Erich's stamina, and thus she tagged in for the girl after she passed out sometime before the dawn rose.  Although Lunaria and Celestia wanted to do so as well, they were kept at bay by Yumi's royal guards. Something which created some contention between the Alfheim and Oni empresses. 

The following day, Erich awoke some time after noon feeling refreshed and ready for the new day. He was now married to the Princess of the Oni Empire, a woman who was also the current heir to the throne. Because of this, Erich now held considerable respect within the borders of the Great Oni Empire. 

But, as much as Erich wanted to spend time with his new loving bride, he seriously needed to think about his ongoing war against the Sages who had entered hiding quite some time ago. No trail of theirs had been picked up, and with each day Erich wasted spending time with his wives, the trial become colder. 

Fundamentally, what Erich needed to do was get his hands on the next member of his team. Which he had already been set upon since the start of his recruitment drive. With this in mind, he had breakfast with Lunaria and her daughter, so that he may once more request the transfer of Sinaria into his custody. 

Naturally Erich knew better than to just outright ask the Alfheim Empress this question, thus he spent well over an hour flirting with the woman, and buttering her up. Before finally the time came where the meal was coming to its end, and thus, Erich began to plead with Lunaria to listen to his request. 

"Lunaria, my love.... I know you have previously told me to forget about this, but the more I search for my team, the more I realize I need a Dark Elf. Without one, especially one with a position as high as Sinaria, I will not be guaranteed safe passage through the Svartalfheim Quadrant. And I will need to travel there to search for clues regarding the whereabouts of the Sages. Please, I beg of you to reconsider your stance on this issue!" 

Lunaria had not changed her decision in the slightest, after all she harbored a deep hatred for Dark Elves, and after some brutal interrogation she had learned a great deal about Sinaria, and the role she played in the Svartalfheim Federation, something she was quick to reveal to Erich in an attempt to dissuade him from his stubborn stance. 

"Erich, as much as I understand why you would make such a request, this woman is far more insidious than you realize! After our interrogation, we have found out that she is the Grand Inquisitor of the Svartalfheim Federation.

Which means she leads the Inquisition. As much as the Svartalfheim Federation may claim to be peace loving, open minded, and democratic. They still have a secret branch of the government which is designed to crack down on dissenters and torture them for information!

The reason they didn't torture you in particular is because I made a big stink about them returning whatever prisoners they may have taken from the mission. This caused them to become cautious, as they did not know your status in the Alfheim Federation. 

The Dark Elves are a race of liars, thieves, brigands, and murderers. They can not be trusted! You have only seen the false reality they wanted you to see! And since you seem to think this woman can be trusted, I can not risk transferring her into your custody!" 

Erich genuinely did not know how much of what Lunaria was telling him was actually true, and how much was simply her bias preventing her from seeing the truth. He did not know much about the Svartalfheim Federation, but while in their captivity, he genuinely got the feeling that Sinaria did not wish to harm him. And was doing everything in her power to prevent such a scenario. 

As much as he trusted Lunaria to look out for his own best interests, there were greater things at stake here, and he was quick to compromise with the woman. 

"Alright, fine... Just hear me out. What if you release her temporarily into my custody, with an explosive collar that is triggered by hostile thoughts? If she dares to intend me any harm, she will die on the spot. I just need her for a few years, and then you can have the woman back safely stashed away in whatever hole you have stashed her in."

There was another reason that Lunaria did not want Erich to take Sinaria with him. And that was because she knew Erich had an uncanny ability to attract members of the opposite sex. The Alfheim Empress was deeply suspicious of Sinaria, and whether or not she had already fallen for Erich's charms. Even if it were only a little bit she could never permit the woman to be by Erich's side. 

However, it was ultimately Celestia who spoke up in Erich's favor, as she tried to convince her royal mother to accept this request. 

"Mother... This is a perfectly reasonable request. Erich is right, he will need a high ranking Dark Elf hostage if he wishes to traverse through the Svartalfheim Federation with impunity, especially now that he is a fugitive, as well as an Archon. 

You should be as aware as I am of the power and influence the sages have over the galaxy and its affairs. There are still those among our race who have sympathy for their order and believe that we are foolishly waging a war against fate by exiling them. 

Who knows if there are Sages lurking in the shadows, waiting to reach out to these supporters in an attempt to conspire against us? The sooner we find those old foggies and eliminate them, the better. And if we wish to find them, Erich will need to enter Svartalfheim Space!" 

Lunaria thought about Erich's offer for some time. If she was being honest with herself, she knew that the man's request was perfectly reasonable. And she understood that she was letting her personal hatred get in the way of her sense of logic. But she could not stand the idea of her lover sleeping with a Dark Elf. The very idea drove her mad with envy. 

It was not until Erich wore a warm expression and asked a question to the woman with a soft tone in his voice did she finally relent to his request. 

"Lunaria, my love, you trusted me enough to make me an Archon. But you won't trust my judgement with this prisoner? I must admit I do not wish to believe this is true, but if it is, then you are wounding my heart. Please don't cause me such distress...." 

After hearing this, Lunaria finally broke down, and grabbed hold of Erich's chin before expressing her truest thoughts aloud. 

"You naughty boy! You know just how to make mommy relent... Fine, I will grant you temporary guardianship of the prisoner. But only for the span of a decade. If you can not find any traces of the Sages within this time-span, then I will have her rotting in a cell for eternity!" 

When Erich heard this he chuckled. It seemed like with each passing day, Lunaria tried to fulfill both the roles of a mother, and a lover to him. But if he was being honest, he did not mind this, and thus he grabbed hold of her dainty hand and kissed it before thanking the woman for her benevolence. 

"Thank you, mommy..."