Mushoku Tensei: Reincarnated as a Beast Race Chapter 415: 414 - Years of Change

With each person fighting for their own desires, the years passed one after another.

More than three years had passed since the Battle of Begaritt. Regardless of Hitogami's schemes, the progress of the Kingdom of Gaia, or any other change in the world's political landscape, time continued flowing steadily and immutably.

Or, at least, that was the impression it was supposed to give.

Some people in the current world knew that time was by no means immutable. No. If used well, it could be a weapon more lethal than any sword, magic, or army. Even so, that understanding did not make the changes any less relevant. Even when time was manipulated and studied, consequences continued accumulating.

And, during those years, many things changed in the Six-Faced World.

The main one among them was the creation of the Confederation of Mixed Nations.

It had been formed jointly by the Kingdom of Asura, the Kingdom of Gaia, and the newly created Demon Kings' Alliance, led by Kishirika Kishirisu.

The proposal was simple in appearance, but difficult in practice: when conflicts arose between member kingdoms, they would be brought to the Confederation for mediation, negotiation, and joint resolution before any dispute escalated into open war.

Obviously, it was not a solution capable of working immediately for everyone. Centuries of hatred, fear, racial pride, and local interests did not disappear merely because some powers signed an agreement.

There were still suspicious kings, wary nobles, cautious tribal chiefs, and rulers who saw the Confederation as a way for Gaia and Asura to expand their influence.

Even so, it was a great step in the right direction.

All of this was only possible, of course, because the military, technological, and economic advantage of the Kingdom of Gaia was already very great.

Gaia was no longer merely a powerful nation, but unquestionably the most influential force in the world. Not only because it possessed absurd warriors, but because it controlled communication, transportation, production, logistics, and a state structure capable of acting with a speed no other kingdom could match.

Even so, since the Confederation had been created only a few months ago, many nations remained hesitant to join.

For some, the idea of sitting at the same table as demons was still absurd. For others, accepting external mediation seemed like weakness. There were also those who were simply waiting to see whether the Confederation would survive the first major conflict between its members.

For that reason, diplomatic work needed to be gradual, and not carried out by force. In the long term, stability was more valuable than submission.

Within the Kingdom of Gaia, there were also important events.

About a month ago, Gustav Dedoldia, the current King of Gaia, officially announced his successor. The one who would occupy the throne of Gaia after his death or abdication.

He was Hamish Adoldia.

The second child of Rygar and Verdia Adoldia.

Surprisingly, there were almost no truly serious competitors against this decision, even among the other children of the Beast God.

In the end, upbringing and the influence of parents held great importance in shaping the values of children. For Rygar's children, the position of King had never been seen as something to aim for or fight over.

Unlike the Kingdom of Asura, where every generation seemed to be born into a succession battle, Rygar's children grew up in a house where political power was treated more like a responsibility than a prize.

Aurora would hate living trapped in meeting rooms, smiling at people trying to hide ulterior motives.

Perseus would probably lose his patience in the first ten minutes.

Diana would certainly see that position as a severe punishment after committing some horrible crime.

The others also did not show enough ambition to dispute a crown. And even when they were still too young to understand every detail, they had already grown up seeing that the throne was not the center of Rygar's strength.

Of course, the Kingdom of Gaia had people interested in political positions. Merchants, warriors, mages, regional chiefs, nobles of various ranks, and competent administrators existed in great numbers.

Some of them even aspired to the position of King, mainly because they knew that the most powerful people in the kingdom were not ambitious toward the position.

But under the gaze of the Beast God and the constant scrutiny of the Iron Legion, few had the courage to use dishonest means to get there.

What they could offer were concrete results: territories prospering, security improving, trade flourishing, roads functioning, taxes being administered correctly, and local problems being solved without creating greater instability.

Everything that was part of governing a land was taken into account.

Unfortunately for those candidates, Hamish's interest in the position eliminated almost all competition.

The young half-elf and half-beast had an advantage no one else could match.

Legitimacy.

Everyone knew that the Beast God, despite having been the first King of Gaia, did not particularly care about the position.

But that did not stop his children from being considered the legitimate heirs to the throne. The hope of some was that most of them would show no interest in ruling.

Then Hamish appeared.

Currently, the young mixed-blood elf was only eight years old. Since he was very small, he had always been gentle. Unlike some of his more chaotic siblings, he was calm, attentive, and thought more about others than himself, especially Lenna, the youngest.

That gentle disposition left many people confused.

Why would someone like that be interested in politics?

At first glance, Hamish seemed more suited to caring for people than commanding them. But perhaps that was precisely why Gustav seemed so satisfied teaching him.

In the absence of real interest from his other siblings, Hamish gradually began learning more about the subject.

He began receiving personal lessons from Gustav, who seemed more than enthusiastic about preparing him. Obviously, if any of Rygar's other children eventually showed the desire to become King, a deeper analysis would have to be carried out.

For now, however, the young heir to the throne was the blond-haired half-elf.

This made him far more famous than his siblings among the kingdom's common population. Workers, merchants, lesser nobles, and civilians began paying special attention to his actions.

Hamish, for now, dedicated himself to learning from his grandfather everything he would one day need to govern the most prosperous kingdom in the world.

But this was not the only major change within Gaia.

Rufus, the Earth God, ended up taking Godbard's position and became the new Ore God, as well as the new ruler of the Dwarf Race.

The only problem was that this transition was not friendly.

On the contrary, the conflict came close to becoming an internal civil war in the Dwarf City. Dwarves were a stubborn and explosive race by nature.

The traditionalists insisted on maintaining the old customs, while the young dwarves showed equal stubbornness in their fight for change.

Fortunately, the Iron Legion intervened in time.

The Dwarf City was occupied before the internal conflict escalated beyond control, opening room for negotiation and a fairer vote. In the end, the dwarves themselves decided to resolve the dispute the old-fashioned way.

The two representatives would hold a forging competition.

Godbard would represent the traditional dwarves.

Rufus would represent the progressives.

In an extremely arrogant move, Rufus made a point of having the competition be about forging a sword. He wanted to completely crush any opposition from the traditionalists if he won.

It was necessary for Rygar to appear personally before the aggression from both sides ceased.

The dispute ended with Rufus's victory.

The result left Godbard and many old dwarves speechless. Rufus was still very young for a dwarf; he was not even thirty years old. Even so, there was a clear reason for his victory.

He was an Earth God.

More importantly, he could cast magic without incantations.

Although he could only use God-Level magic with the aid of a special staff that increased his magical efficiency, it was undeniable that his magical ability far surpassed Godbard's.

Besides being an Earth God, Rufus was also a Fire King. Before this conflict, Godbard himself had taught him with the intention of making him his successor.

Basically, at that point, the only thing Godbard still had over Rufus was experience.

And that was not enough to defeat his disciple. Thus, without further ceremony, the Dwarf Race elected its new ruler.

That had already been two years ago, but there was still tension and aggression among the dwarves. Some accepted Rufus's superiority. Other grumpy ones refused to cooperate. Many even left the Dwarf City.

Godbard was urged to retaliate, but unlike the two louder sides, the former Ore God simply became a recluse, focusing entirely on forging, with no interest in leading any revolt or insurrection.

He seemed somewhat dejected.

Over time, that event ended up passing and being remembered as one of the great changes of that era. But it was not the only one.

About a year ago, in the north of the Demon Continent, three provinces united to declare independence. From there, they began conquering neighboring provinces with great speed and efficiency.

Three Demon Kings, led by a powerful demon called Balibadom Barbatos, led their armies in a violent takeover that lasted for months.

The Iron Legion took up that fight without hesitation.

Using teleportation circles, magical communicators, beast units of wolves, and dragon riders, the armies of Gaia moved quickly toward the lands of the Demon Continent, gradually occupying their own space in the devastated regions.

There were attempts to sabotage the teleportation circles, which demonstrated that the revolution had not been carried out lightly.

They were prepared, possessed armies of powerful demons under their command, and knew that against Gaia, mobility was one of the first things they needed to attack.

Under the leadership of the Demon Kings and Balibadom, they became a difficult obstacle to overcome.

That, of course, was until the warriors of the Combat Temple entered the scene.

Led by Eris, Lisena, and Taes, some of the Kings of Gaia mobilized personally. After that, it was only a matter of time before the insurrection began losing strength, especially when Eris found Balibadom on the battlefield.

The Barbatos Tribe possessed practically indestructible bodies, and Balibadom, after being advised by a certain God, had enhanced his innate trait even further.

He had faced and defeated the three Demon Kings before subordinating them, and then bravely faced Eris, believing he could surpass even the mighty Longsword of Light.

Unfortunately for him, the duel ended in his death.

Eris demonstrated why she still maintained her position among the Seven Powers and cut him into two perfect halves.

After losing their leader, the other Demon Kings began losing even more ground. The Iron Legion surpassed them in strength, organization, and tactics.

What had begun as a rapid takeover of provinces began to retreat before a more powerful and more organized kingdom.

That was when the true danger revealed itself.

Infiltrated within the Kingdom of Gaia, a former mercenary from Begaritt named Agares orchestrated a situation to kill or kidnap the children of the Beast God.

He was aided by another human warrior named Rahab, who carried a Magic Sword capable of producing darkness on a large scale.

That, however, was the exact reason Rygar had not sent many people to the Demon Continent.

His instinct.

Despite being an almost perfect plan, with knowledge only someone like Hitogami could provide, Rygar personally thwarted the attempt. Everyone involved was captured, and most were executed on the spot.

That served as a harsh lesson for his children. Even though they were strong, before a North King like Agares, they had no chance at all.

Hitogami's schemes were being rushed.

He had used the best pieces and the best apostles he could gather at that moment, but he no longer possessed the powerful cards of the past. Even so, his desperation and urgency were more than justified.

After years of research and technological and magical advances, Aisha and Rygar finally finished their research. They had the help of many minds and geniuses, such as Nanahoshi, Verdia, and Rufus, until the tool to cross worlds was complete.

The most important part was ready. With access to other worlds, Hitogami's life was directly threatened.

Now, it was only a matter of time.

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