“ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!”

My voice boomed through the room, magic lacing the words with enough force to make the windows rattle. “I’ve had it with this nonsense!”

The Red Empress froze mid-lunge, her fingers still crackling with unstable magic. Luna, still perched behind you, paused mid-raspberry—but left her tongue sticking out, just to be extra defiant.

The Empress’s eye twitched. “You—YOU—” She jabbed a finger at Luna, her voice trembling with barely contained fury. “Damn it all, I will turn you into—”

“NOBODY IS TURNING ANYONE INTO ANYTHING!” you snapped, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Empress quit it with the theatrics already. Luna, enough of your games—you’ve punished her more than enough.”

Luna finally retracted her tongue—slowly—but her smirk said she’d already won. “…Fine. But only ’cause you said so, brother.”

The Empress inhaled sharply, her glare shifting to you now. “Oh, so she listens to you? Of course she does—”

“BECAUSE I AM THE LITTLE PRINCESS OF THIS HOUSE! HMPH!” Luna helpfully clarified.

Silence.

“Hiya! What are you doing, Empress?” I shook my head, deciding not to continue.

“Umm… son?”

I heard my mom’s voice, and when I turned, I saw her staring at me, Luna, and the Empress in turn—still not sure what was going on.

“Oh! Mom, let me introduce you to her.” I gestured toward the Empress. “This is the Red Empress. She’s… important to me, and we share a unique bond.”

“Ohh, so she’s the one, hmm?” Mom mused.

“Yeah, it’s her.”

Mom’s expression shifted to one of confusion. “But why is she acting like that? Didn’t you say she’s always cold toward others? That she carries herself like a leader, even around authority? Now this—this is quite different from how you described her, son.”

I sighed. Mom clearly didn’t understand who this woman in front of her was, but the raised eyebrow and sharp look she shot me made it clear—she blamed me for giving her the wrong impression.

“Mom, it’s not my fault, okay? The Empress usually acts like that. What you just saw was her acting. And with Luna in the mix, she completely forgot she was supposed to be acting just now!”

Mom hummed thoughtfully. “Ohh… so it’s like what my mother used to say—calculating, but easily unsettled?”

“Huh? What did you just say?”

I asked her again, but she said nothing—just huffed before turning toward the Empress with a warm smile.

“Welcome home, Empress. And, um… sorry for the awkwardness. It’s that boy’s fault for not giving us a proper description. We mistook you for someone else.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

Was she seriously blaming me for this? I didn’t do anything! And now—look, look!—even after I explained that the Empress was just acting, she still didn’t believe me at all.

I sighed. Even Mom doesn’t trust me…

Luna, who had been hiding behind me, peeked out and whispered, “It’s okay, brother. I believe you.”

She had read my expression completely. I smiled at her—at least my sister was on my side.

But I didn’t get to smile for long.

“Heh.” Luna smirked. “What ‘Red Empress’? She’s a Red Vampire, I tell you, brother!”

“You, Luna…” I sighed, flicking her forehead lightly.

She just grinned, completely unfazed. Still not stopping, huh?

Meanwhile, the Empress, who had just been welcomed by Mom, finally spoke.

“It’s not like that, Elder. You don’t need to apologize at all. It’s Master’s fault, after all.”

“Hmm, hmm.” She nodded repeatedly, as if to emphasize her point.

Mom burst into hearty laughter.

“Okay, okay. And Empress, you can call me ‘Mother,’ just like that stupid son of mine.”

She turned to the Empress with a warm but firm look. “As for you calling him ‘Master,’ that doesn’t sound good at all. Just call him by his name, okay? He won’t have a problem with it.”

Then she shot me a sharp glare. “Do you have a problem with that? If you do—too bad. And if you don’t, good. At least this will stop you from getting a big head.”

Seeing that look, I completely understood her meaning. I gulped before forcing a smile and nodding.

“Indeed, Mom is right. Empress, just call me Kallus. Simply… Kallus.”

Internally, I was screaming. Damn you, Empress! I’ve told you countless times not to call me ‘Master,’ and you still do. But this time—you did it deliberately, didn’t you?!

I shot her a brief glare before huffing and looking away.

Mom and the Empress chatted briefly before she left for the kitchen, dragging Father along with her to help wash and clean. Before leaving, she told the Empress to sit on the couch and watch the show.

Once they were gone, I turned to the Empress and spoke to her telepathically.

“Hmm… what happened, Empress? You’re not here just for banter and enjoyment, are you? Or are you about to cause me more trouble?”

I was still sulking over Mom’s glare, my frustration simmering beneath the surface as I controlled my anger.

I heard the Empress laugh softly before giggling outright.

“Well, that was enjoyable, I tell you, Kallus.”

I huffed and responded telepathically. “Focus on the question, Empress.”

She chuckled a little longer before finally calming down.

“Hmm, indeed. I came to inform you about a discovery we made in the Regal Star System.”

Then, she proceeded to give me a full overview of what was happening there.

“Ohh, so that’s what’s going on, huh?” I muttered, deep in thought. “Hmm… you did a good job, Empress. As for the speculation made by both Ezra and Tyler, their theories are sound, but we won’t be certain until either it emerges from the spatial layer or we take Oblitaer there ourselves. Only our flagship can detect anything about that planet.”

The Empress nodded. “Indeed. That’s why I recalled the deployed fleet and instructed Tyler to accelerate his research and redevelopment of our advanced tech. As for the mana-based aspect—”

I interrupted. “You don’t need to worry about that, Empress. I hadn’t considered it before, but I’ll make sure to procure some specialized supplies that can help with mana-based research.”

The Empress tilted her head. “Or, Kallus, you could simply establish a dedicated research department in the Universal Domain, couldn’t you?”

My eyes gleamed at the idea before I quickly composed myself. “It’s not like I hadn’t thought of that, Empress. The problem isn’t setting up the department—it’s the equipment. You know that the technology in Oblitaer’s R&D department was created by the Being himself. We can’t replicate it, let alone build it. And you also know how invaluable those tools are for research and development.”

Hearing that, the Empress sighed before speaking again.

I was about to dismiss her words entirely, but then she added, “Silly you. Yes, our equipment in Oblitaer is supreme and far more advanced since it was crafted by the Being himself. But at this stage, while it’s helpful, Tyler and his team can’t even use it properly—at least not to its full potential. Right now, they’re barely utilizing it.”

She smirked slightly. “So, wouldn’t it be a better option for you to purchase research equipment that’s compatible with mana-based studies and install it in the Universal Domain? Let Tyler and his team use that instead. While it may not be as superior as Oblitaer’s technology, it would be more viable for our current needs. Unlike the highly complex equipment of Oblitaer, this would be simpler, more efficient, and actually usable by the research team.”

I considered her words carefully as she added, “And the biggest advantage? Time. Time flows faster in the Universal Domain—far, far faster. That would give Tyler and his team an edge in developing and understanding technology that integrates with mana.”

She folded her arms and gave me a knowing look.

“So, what do you think?”

“That’s indeed a good suggestion, Empress,” I said while still pondering her idea.

It had multiple benefits—more pros than cons, just as she had pointed out. The level of technology above Oblitaer was vastly superior, rapid, and highly advanced, but its complexity made it nearly unusable at this stage. One thing was certain: while those systems were far beyond anything else stored in my inventory, as the Empress had said, they simply weren’t viable right now.

Some might ask, why not just take the ship there altogether? And, yes, that is a good idea—for now. But in the long run, I wouldn’t always be able to do that. Obliterator isn’t a research ship; it’s an armament of war and destruction. Keeping the R&D team inside it wouldn’t be sustainable—they need stability, not a battleship looming over their heads.

Moreover, having technology they can understand from the ground up would be more beneficial. It would increase efficiency and, more importantly, give them the chance to develop something even greater over time. After all, advancements are made by building from the ground up, not the other way around… right?

“Let’s just do that, Empress. When we return to our fleet, we’ll set it up,” I said, finally accepting her idea. It was viable, sound, and efficient—just as she had suggested.

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