*Terrasin deVon Almistraus*

Terrasin honestly thought that Lucas’s protests were a bit much. Archi was a bit on the young side, but not by much. Many noble ladies were married around her age- though admittedly it was more common for them to be engaged and then married a year or two later. Still, to prefer a civil war to a marriage seemed… Well, selfish.

“Actually, the more I think about this,” Lucas had calmed down enough to begin speaking again it seemed. “I have to ask why you do not simply codify a separation of church and state- no, nevermind. I can already see why that would not work…”

Then Lucas smiled, though Terrasin knew enough about his personality to realize that did not necessarily mean anything good.

“The issue is that I am seen as a representative of the Church, putting a servant of the Church in a position of power right? And the ‘solution’ you proposed was to marry me to Lady Versi to give me ties to nobility and thereby even out the influence on me- why not simply use the opportunity of a ‘hero’ to simply create a new post above the Dukes? One that could only be held by a ‘hero,’ a title that allows me to work without opposition and work without interference.”

“Lucas,” Terrasin sighed. “It does not work like that. Titles are traditional to begin with, and leaving that aside, the disruption caused by such a titles existence… It would be seen as a power grab by the Royal Family…”

“But who would argue too loudly?” Prince Treslux seemed to be thinking about the suggestion, “If the post was simply for a Hero- it is already implied that the Hero should be treated with respect and obeyed, this simply gives it the support of the Royal Family.”

Terrasin narrowed her eyes… She could see where this was going, Treslux thought they could weather the backlash of creating the post and thus, put the Hero under the authority of the Royal Family. Not that Lucas would care, or probably even pay attention, but again- perception is everything. This might even have repercussions in the balance of power between human countries, because Francinea could claim that authority!

“Sounds good to me,” Lucas said easily, and Terrasin sighed internally. Why couldn’t he wait and think for a second? “That can only expedite my work- presuming you don’t get in my way as well.”

“I wouldn’t, and I can make sure that my Lord Father and brothers understand the situation as well.” Prince Treslux smiled, “though we do need to find a way to placate the lords who have been brought out.”

“If I might ask for this to slow down for a moment,” Terrasin interjected. “Lucas, this puts you under the authority of the Francinea Crown- this is not necessarily a better solution, it just falls on the side he prefers.”

Lucas seemed to think for a second and Treslux just laughed as Lucas nodded and said, “It seems that way, but is that really an issue? I can just ignore them if it comes down to it, honestly, I don’t much care at this point beyond stopping this battle and wasting my time. This title would give me the authority to force my changes on the Dukes and in a few years they will see the evidence of my assertions and my authority will shift from the title to the perception of my own wisdom.”

“You know Lucas,” Prince Treslux said as his chuckles died down. “I like you a lot. Kill a noble during a negotiation, and then accept a proposal while announcing how after a few years the proposal will be useless- and that is after rejecting what would likely be the easiest possible course for a solution!”

*Lucas Jaeger*

Ok, maybe there was something wrong with Lucas- he had honestly forgot about the man he had killed. No, there was something wrong with him, he had to step back from his perceptions and compare himself to societal norms based on logic and averages. Unlike the popular saying, it is possible for someone who is insane to know they are insane. That said, from what Lucas understood, going from sociopathic tendencies to full on sociopathy at his age was unlikely in the extreme- nigh impossible barring a traumatic brain injury.

Or perhaps this is a result of how he regards the people of this world? A sociopath is someone who does not care about others or the rules of society- well, there is more, but that would be a working definition for him as he considered this. The rules of this society were archaic by modern standards, is it odd that he would not care for them? Likely, he had been condescending towards those who did follow them- which was everyone in this world- and had unconsciously lowered his opinions of them as people as a result.

Lucas sighed, “unfortunately, I lack the education to understand the mental issues that seem to be arising from me coming to this world. I will take some precautions for the future, but for now we need to address the current problem- and I think they can be tied up in one solution.”

It had come to him while speaking, and Lucas was actually quite proud of his new idea- even if Terra gave him a dubious look. One he deserved, admittedly.

“In addition to my title, grant Terra a title as well,” Lucas laid out his idea. “With her sole authority being to tell me to stop. In short, she would act as a check on my power similar to the Royal Family of Francinea- but without any power to affect change in your kingdom. This would placate the other countries, because you don’t have the lone hold on me, and allow me to do what I need to get done.”

“Also,” Lucas added grudgingly. “It is quite clear to me that I need some sort of moral leash. It appears that the transition to your world is affecting my moral reasoning- likely it was shaky to begin with- and I will likely have to spend the time to fully consider my ethical system.”

That he even needed to say that proved there was something wrong with him… Normal people barely needed to be aware of ethics to act somewhat decently, Lucas would have to go back over his memories of various philosophy books and ethics classes he had had over his life and then apply them to his current situation. Adhering to the ethical system not because he actually felt that it was good, but because he had apparently devolved to the point where only rule based morality would work for him.

*Prince Treslux*

The Hero seemed to be lost in thought, but his solution had merit. Lady Almistraus seemed to agree with it as well- which Treslux found even more funny- but he could not let himself laugh at this point. Lucas was intelligent, and Terrasin clearly had some talent for politics that would develop as she aged, but they both failed to realize that this adjustment had not changed much.

The balance of power between Francinea and Almistis would not change as a result of adding Princess Terrasin into the deal- but what about the other countries? Almistis would not gain any power, they would simply avoid losing it. On the other hand, Francinea would gain an upper hand in its dealing with other countries.

“I think this is workable,” Treslux nodded, keeping his face straight. “It would be easiest to send most of these forces north to the front lines for a while. If our reports about the cult are correct, I can spin this to the army that are initial reports are mistaken and praise you all for your accomplishments. And I can use that to announce your titles, though it will take time to gain my father’s approval, I am certain that it will go smoothly.”

His father would jump at the chance to gain leverage over the neighboring countries. If that leverage can be used to gain more support for the battle against the demons it could cut a large amount of Francinea’s expenditures. Though he would have to wait to talk to his father about all the ramifications- for all his pride in his own intelligence and cunning, he had learned from the best- his father was far superior in terms of those qualities than him.