Everyday is A Holiday

Somewhere within the Castle of Silbern, The Library "Knowledge Moor"

Walking towards the library's enormous front door, two lighthouses, bright cubes floating in the air linked to the Intelligence bureau, can be seen continually monitoring whoever enters .

*CREAK*

The library is well-kept on the interior, with several art pieces and decorations adorning every corner. Even the ceiling, which resembles an art gallery, is adorned with a stunning artwork of 9 indistinct human-like figures, and upon looking closer, there was a phrase so small that it could hardly be noticed; "The Ancient Ones."

Tracy, who hasn't been in the library in a long time since he's been preoccupied with empire-related matters. Looking around, he felt nostalgic; when he was a child, and his parents scolded him, he would usually go to the library to hide from them. Staying up late reading books.

Because what had unfolded earlier in the conference hall had soured his mood. He naturally came here to regain his composure for a while.

He strolled till he got at his usual spot in the library's far corner, where his favourite book is stored.

"Where is it?"

He looks around but can't seem to find his book. Even though it's been a while since he's been here, he should remember where he placed it, but it's not here.

'Did someone get it or did I misplaced it somewhere else?'

While wondering where the book was, he suddenly heard a quiet faint snoring. When he arrived here, he didn't bother checking the surroundings because the only people who are authorized to come here are high-ranking officials, the most of whom are now in the Conference Hall.

"Zzz....."

A snore?

Tracy went and followed the sound, cautiously walking making sure not to awaken up whoever it was who had chosen to sleep here in the library.

He eventually came at the location where the sound of snoring is the loudest after several turns between bookshelves. Tracy then got a glimpsed something that made him smile as he peered over the edge of the bookcase.

'So it's you.'

Tracy marveled at the person's long black hair that gradually faded to white at the tips, pointy cat ears, and long brown tail; she was wearing a short black dress, black stockings, black high heels, and a white fur coat over her right shoulder.

Seeing her blissfully sleeping face lifted my mood slighty because of what had happen earlier. After staring at her for a while longer, I noticed a book dangling from her hands.

'Hmm? I had no idea she was interested in books.'

Tracy walked over to her with caution. The entire area was engulfed in smoke. She was on top of a ghost-like smoke cushion, where she was resting in a fetal position with her arms underneath her head.

'Cute.'

She was probably still in her dreamland since she didn't wake up despite being in close proximity to her. Tracy crouched and took the book in her hands, which he placed on one of the tables next him.

Looking back at her, a mischievous idea flashed across his mind.

'I used to do this to my pet when I was young, and he absolutely loved it. Will she like it if I do that to her since she's basically a 'cat'?'

After deciding to do it, I reached my hand under her chin. Slowly reaching out, I softly caressed it with my hands, and I instantly received a response as her tail gently waved from side to side while held in the air.

"Put more pressure on it~"

While her eyes were still closed, she opened her mouth and purred, which temporarily halted my hands, but I resumed them right after once I realized what the voice had said.

"Are you awake now, darling? Why are you sleeping in this place?"

Tracy made a remark while still stroking her chin. She must not have attended the conference again since she is sleeping here. She's so lazy that I'm at a loss for what to do with her.

She slowly opened her eyes, her brows lowered, and a frown appeared on her face.

"Oh, it's just you, Tracy... And, please don't call me darling, It's creepy." She muttered, in a disappointed tone before shutting her eyes and returning to her nap.

"You're so cold. You won't show me even an ample of your appreciation; don't you enjoy having your chin stroked, Satcha?"

While still not withdrawing his hands from her chin, Tracy manipulated her smoke-like abilities to conjure his own cushion seat beside her since standing up is tiresome.

"It's not as if I begged you to do it. But... by all means, continue"

"Haha.."

What she said made me giggle a little. With all of my stress, it's nice to have a moment like this where I can simply rest and not worry about anything.

Satcha opened her eyes partially and peeked, noting his somewhat awkward chuckle. Seeing his exhausted look like this made her feel a little guilty. She was a Sternritter candidate thanks to her exceptional abilities, but due to her laziness, she refused him when he went out of his way to invite her to join.

"Hey, why are you doing all of this? From what I know, if a person truly wants to attain his or her dream, no matter how difficult it may be, the expression on the person's face will not be like yours."

She crawled above the smoke like a ghost approaching Tracy, brushing his hair to see his eyes clearly. What she saw were eyes devoid of emotions, fatigue, and confusion.

"Concealing this kind of face behind your sluggish and scary persona. Aren't you tired?"

Tracy looked at her, puzzled, as he was bombarded with these kind of questions.

"What are you talking about?"

Satcha got up and straddled him, then she reached out her hands to the table behind him and grabbed the book Tracy had taken earlier while she slept.

"This."

Tracy finally got a good look at the title of the book when Satcha showed it to him. 'The Age of Genesis' was the book he was looking for. People that came here normally would not bother reading this book since they assumed it was just another book about mythology but,

"This is real right?"

It's real. Only my parents and I were aware of the true importance of this book. This book is about the progenitor of Quincy, our 'God.' Also, this book discusses not just our creator, but also the gods of other races.

Of course, there are numerous gods who exist today, but the one in this book is not your average deities. They were the pioneers & forefathers of all living beings that exist in this cosmos. 'The Ancient Ones.'

Now, why is this girl showing me this book, and how is it related to her earlier question? It's a long story but I'll make it short, basically my father and I were once part of a certain God's body. It's not his physical manifestation, but rather his 'Will'.

"How'd you know it was real? I had no idea you had spare time other than sleeping to read books."

"Tracy, I'm serious. Please.. answer me for real; are you doing all of this on your own initiative?"

Tracy turned to face her after hearing her question. 'Is she's worried about me? She might have read the section where we're presented as God's fragment. She may have assumed that I did not act on my own initiative, but rather in accordance with God's will.'

"What if I said I don't? What will you do?"

After hearing my reply, Satcha drew her face closer to mine and squinted her eyes.

'Too close.'

Even though I'm used to her clinginess, the fact that I can feel her breath in my face is slightly too much stimulation for me. It's not that I don't have any experience in this field in fact a lot. As a royal, there were a plenty of of females who wanted to bed me, but honestly, just looking at their avaricious eyes back then disgusts me. I don't want that sort of relationship, I'm not in a hurry, and I'm not a human that needs to constantly take care of my libido.

It was somewhere at that point that I met her, you can say it was love at first sight. The way she stares at me with indifferent eyes was an unique experience for me; don't get me wrong, I'm not a masochist. I courted her for years and she always rejected me, but my affections for her never waned.

"You're lying."

Though we may not be going out for now, we are closer than most people imagine. And I somehow can't keep anything hidden from her.

"Haha... Sorry about that. Anyway, you just misinterpreted what you read in the book. Being God's will does not imply that what I am doing is against my will. It just happened to coincide."

"Then, what's the deal with your tired eyes and expression?"

'I won't tell you, this is what happens when you don't attend conferences.' Tracy grumbled but chose not to say it aloud.

"During the earlier conference, just a few problems here and there popped up."

"Is that so."

Staring at her,Tracy thought he saw her relieved for a second before she returned to her typical apathetic expression.

There was a brief period of silence. Satcha was still on top of him straddling on his legs. Then, Tracy who was confused for a moment, suddenly grabbed her waist and buried his head on her chest, which startled her a little.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I can't? I'm just really tired you see; can we stay like this for a while? Please?"

Satcha moved his gaze to the back of his head buried in her chest. She was worried sick for him after reading the book's contents. That he might not be the Tracy she once knew. As someone who hates being pressured, the very thought of being will-less person worries her.

Even though, she may appear apathetic and indifferent to him, she actually cares about him more than anybody else.

Since unlike her family, he was the only one who did not put pressure on her to live her life the way she wanted. 'I'm glad he's okay.'

"Hey, do you want me to use that?"

Tracy's eyelids were slowly closing when he heard her suggest something. It was rare for her to suggest doing something; she is, after all, a slacker.

"That?"

"Yeah, my skill 'Everyday is A Holiday'."

"PFFT"

He couldn't contain his laugh when he heard the name of her ability. To name something like this, how low is her naming sense level be?

"Mr. Tracy, Is there something amusing to what I said?"

When Tracy heard the icy voice over his head, he instantly responded to calm her down.

"No, nothing."

"Anyway, what exactly does this ability of yours do?"

Satcha ruffled his hair gently before responding. "It allows me to put people to sleep. It's an ability that stimulates the 'desire for rest' inside a person's body."

Wow... what a surprise, it's an ability about resting. She's truly unpredictable and one-of-a-kind. That's my Satcha for you.

"T—That's incredible. How long is it going to last?"

"For a day."

Hoo, now that's a real surprise. If it is properly employed against an opponent, a day of being immobilized is frightening.

"I'd want to give it a shot, but can you do that later? I still want to stay like this for a while."

Tracy snuggled even more to her chest, relishing in her scent as he slowly closed his eyes in fatigue.

"Well, I don't think using my skill right now will make any difference." Satcha murmured quietly as he saw him shut his eyes.

To make it a more pleasant place to rest, Satcha conjured up more smoke-like cushion around them. All of her chatting had worn her out, so she relaxed her body while Tracy rested his head on her chest.

"I need to meet my sleeping quota too."

...

4 days later

Four days have passed since the conference on the preparations we need to make before we can influence the surface world. Not to mention, four days ago, I had one of the best nights' sleep I'd had since I was a child. I'm not sure if Satcha used her skill or not, but it was a refreshing experience, and the fatigue that had built up in my body vanished like a miracle.

'I should thank her with a present.'

Currently, I'm alone here in the castle's war room. Since Jugram proposed on sparing the rebels lives, we are now proceeding on to step one of the modified plan.

According to the documents in front of me, we'll select three delegates to send to the surface world first. Two people were assigned the job of conveying a message to the Revolutionary Army. The remaining one is entrusted with sending a warning message to the empire that they will be decimated in a few weeks.

This may appear absurd, that we are giving them time to prepare.

However, this is not a dubious plan. If we are ordinary humans, it may be a stupid idea to give them a chance to prepare. Fortunately we are not.

In this world where supernaturals exist, concealing your identity after conquering an empire just adds more problems. So, even if the war has not yet begun, we are already displaying a portion of ourselves in order to demonstrate dominance to avoid the 'poachers'.

My father's actions in the past have also aided in this plan. Since father conquered nearly all of the kingdoms in the northern land 500 years ago, our race has been etched in their history books. Aristocrats who can afford to study, of course, know who we are, which will help us gain more influence when we get there.

Still, this approach is not guaranteed to work 100%. There will still be fools who will come to us and cause unnecessary trouble. The fact that their coming to us is akin to jumping to their graves, that isn't bad at all, since their corpses are welcome for experimentation in Research Institutes for the Quincy's advancement.

"1 week to go."

Tracy extended his hand out and took a sip from the cup of tea in front of him.

*CLINK*

Those delegates we dispatched will conclude their assignment in roughly a week. After that, we will finally descend to the surface world, excluding those who will remain at Wandenreich.

"I'm going to be sleep-deprived, damn."

While lowkey complaining, a knock on the door jolted him out of his reverie. Tracy quickly straightened up as he let the person knocking at the door inside.

"Come in."

A tall, slim woman with long pale blonde hair wrapped neatly in a bun walked through the door. Sporting a simplified version of the Wandenreich's typical uniform in a skirt and laced Victorian-style boots.

She is Hilda Weiss, Jugram's aide.

"What can I do for you?"

Even though I have an idea why she came here. Still, it's a good idea to ask just in case.

"Apologies me for bothering you, your Majesty. I brought the three delegates we had chosen after much deliberation. I was assigned to show them to you, sir."

That was quick. It's just been two days since they began looking for candidates. Are they certain they've done this after careful consideration?

"No worries, let them in."

Hilda bowed as she walked out the door to fetch the delegates. It didn't take long for her to return, bringing the three of them with her.

Tracy recognized several familiar faces when the three of them entered.

'I'm glad it's them'

The criteria for being assigned to this mission were first and foremost their intellect and exceptional analytical abilities, followed by their versatility, which should be at least passable in case something unexpected happens during their assignment so that they can take care of themselves. Finally, strength is essential; we would never send delegates who lacked power.

They came to a halt at least three meters away from me, waited for a bit, and then pulled something from their Wandenreich coat. They then raised the necklace in the shape of a five-pointed cross.

It was the Quincy cross.

"We humbly greet His Majesty, Tracy Bach!"

Tracy reciprocated their greetings before instructing them to relax.

"All right, stand at ease!"

He gave them a thorough scrutiny before returning to his seat.

"Begin by introducing yourself, starting with your name, current occupation, and the task you were assigned to. Let's start with, you."

After instructing them on what to do, Tracy took the documents brought by Hilda. It was about their more indepth information. Even if he recognizes some of them, he knows almost nothing about them.

"Nagumo, Member of 'The Order' an Assassin. I was assigned to deliver message to the Revolutionary Army, sir."

"Osaragi, Member of 'The Order' an Assassin. I was tasked to carry a message to the Revolutionary Army, much like him, sir."

"Ari Bright Sharon, Commander of the 2nd Army Corps' 1st Division. I was tasked with sending a warning 'message' to the empire, sir."

Tracy peeked at her for a moment as he heard the 2nd division.

Now I remember who she is; she is Satcha's coworker, one rank below her. I've heard from her that she's a talented swordsman. I suppose she's capable enough on sending the 'message' to the empire. Though, since it was largely nobles who lived there, I prefer males over women to be assigned on this task. After all, they are nasty.

Anyway,

"As you are already know, this is not my plan. So I don't require you to put your life in danger for this assignment. If you come upon any unforeseen situations that might endanger your life, you must escape immediately."

Unlike my father, who regards his subordinates as nothing more than ash. I'm not going to make the same mistake he did since it would be catastrophic. Right now, manpower is the most crucial factor, especially for someone like myself who is meticulous about such things.

"Are we clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"Then, that's good, you can go now."

Tracy dismissed them shortly following the brief introduction. It's not so much a necessary as it is a formality to undertake before they begin their respective assignments. However, just as Tracy was ready to turn his back on them and return to his seat, Nagumi called him.

"Ah! Wait, your Majesty! I forgot to tell you something."

Tracy halted whatever action he was going to make and focused on what he was about to say since he felt this was something phenomenal.

"What?"

"Chief Firenda directed me to notify you that you need to go to the Institute tomorrow. Your presence is essential there, she said."

What exactly was going on there that required my presence? Is there a problem?

"Did she tell you what exactly is this about?"

"Apologies, but Chief did not. The only thing she mentioned to me was about, Project Baron's Test Subject no. 1 experiment is entering its optimization phase."

'Optimization phase? Is that—'

Tracy was pleased by the news. The very first experiment with the pseudo-sternritter is going to provide a result. If this project is successful, producing dozens of elite troops with abilities close to Sternritters will no longer be a pipe dream.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Then, you may go now so that you have sufficient time to prepare for your assignments."

"Thank you, your Majesty; we'll take our leave now."

Tracy was left alone in the war room after they left. Looking at the documents in his hands, he murmured,

"Well then, the first step is done. Now, let's play this game called... Life."