Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 166. Seven Hundred Years of Lies

The makeshift war room reeked of salt, blood, and ozone. What used to be a port authority building now looked like it had been through a hurricane, with half the roof missing and corruption stains still fading from the walls.

Rick sat on a crate that had been turned over. His body still hurt from the fight with the megalodon, even though Knight’s Endurance had been working hard to fix him up.

"Can’t we use another room...?" Rick protested right away.

"No," Zephyra responded right away.

Thalor Abyssryn, the first son of the Ocean Empress, sat in the centre of their rough circle.

His blue-green skin bore the faint remnants of the corruption that had taken hold of him, resembling bruises that refused to fade. The gills on his neck moved with each breath, a constant reminder that he was not designed for life in the air like humans.

Carmilla stood behind Rick, with one hand on his shoulder. Natasha stood with her arms crossed against the wall, her ice-blue eyes sharp and calculating.

Liora knelt next to Thalor with her hands folded in her lap, giving off the calm energy of a priestess. Sylvia had shifted back to human form and was pacing like a caged predator near the broken window.

Zara sat on a barrel with two swords close by, but she was never really at ease, just because she doesn’t want to lower her guard in front of someone who just got purified from the corruption.

Zephyra stood apart from the group, baby Sophia sleeping peacefully against her chest despite the chaos they’d just survived. The Grand Sorceress moved her glasses and looked at Thalor with a clinical interest, as if he were a fascinating research subject.

Then, with a puff of golden smoke, Sebastian appeared, holding a tiny notepad and quill. "Story time with a fish prince who has been through a lot."

Rick flinched when he saw Sebastian appear without any warning and thought to himself, "Stop appearing out of nowhere!"

"It’s what I do, so deal with it."

"Anyway, shush, it’s story time, and I know this will be a good one."

Rick said, "Sebastian, what’s that notepad for?"

"What? I’m writing things down."

"Someone needs to write down this mess for future generations." The little butler floated to a corner and dramatically clicked his quill. "Proceed, Your Aquatic Angstiness."

Thalor made a noise that could have been a laugh or a cry. It’s hard to tell, judging by his expression.

His dark hair clung to his face like wet seaweed as he stared at his webbed hands. "What do you do first with something like this?" His voice was rough, as if he hadn’t used it properly in weeks.

"It’s to prevent you from attacking us." Zara answered.

"Alright, alright, so... are you asking for the cleaned-up version that everyone knows, or the truth that might help you understand why my mother behaves as she does?"

Rick immediately responded, "Just spill the beans already."

"He means the truth," Carmilla corrected.

Rick continued. "We’re going into the most corrupted part of the ocean to meet an empress who hasn’t trusted anyone in fifty years. I need to know what we’re walking into."

Thalor slowly nodded. His ocean-blue eyes, now free of the purple taint of corruption, met Rick’s gaze with surprising steadiness.

"Do you want the truth? Okay..."

"The surface version is well known, so let me tell you my own version of it."

"Fifty years ago... Emperor Consort Typhon ’possibly’ cheated... and that’s the diplomatic bullshit we tell to the outsiders."

He took a shaky breath, and his gills started to flutter faster. "I was there."

"I fucking saw it all...! The word ’possibly cheated’ is the biggest understatement of the fucking century..."

Natasha’s eyes got smaller. "Go into more detail."

Thalor started by saying, "I’m three hundred and forty-seven years old," and Rick had to stop himself from looking twice.

Three hundred years later, he still looked like he was in his late twenties by human standards. It was strange how ocean dwellers aged.

"I am the oldest child of my mother, who has given birth to all three hundred and twelve of us."

"God damn it," Rick said. "I still can’t believe the fact that someone can have three hundred more children!"

They all looked at Rick, and then he shook his head. "Never mind about me. Go on, continue."

"Right." Thalor’s face turned bitter. "My mother and Typhon were together for seven hundred years before everything fell apart."

"And it’s seven... hundred... years!!!"

"You people who live on the surface can hardly imagine that kind of time. They weren’t just married! They were connected in every way that mattered."

"She loved him with all her heart."

Liora leaned forward a little bit. "What happened fifty years ago?"

Thalor mentioned, "Typhon’s seven hundredth anniversary as Mother’s consort was approaching."

"It’s a significant occasion in ocean culture for having seven hundred years of collaboration."

"My mother was organising the grandest celebration Meridia had seen in centuries. She was genuinely delighted about it."

"I recall that... whenever she spoke of the party, she was feeling so happy and peaceful that it made me happy as well."

He stopped for a moment and clenched his jaw. "I was doing ward inspections in the outer territories three months before the anniversary."

"It’s what I always do, as it’s my duty, until I found myself near the Abyssal Trenches. Although they are technically part of Meridia territory, they operate independently."

"That’s when I saw him."

"Typhon?" Carmilla asked softly.

"Yeah... it’s that bastard," Thalor said, clenching his fists. "He’s having an affair with Queen Seris of the Abyssal Trenches."

"A vassal ruler who is approximately 600 years old, and let’s say she is considered attractive by ocean standards. And they weren’t merely engaging in conversation..."

"They were involved with each other in every conceivable way."

Sylvia stopped walking around. "How long had this been going on?"

Thalor laughed, but there was no humor in it. "The best part is that... I confronted them right away because I was an idiot who still believed in honor at the time."

"Typhon, to his credit, did not even attempt to conceal it... he disclosed everything to me outright, as the arrogant individual he is."

The voice of the ocean dweller cracked a little. "Two hundred years."

"He had been with Queen Seris for two hundred FUCKING years...!"

"Every time Queen Seris and Typhon traveled to the outer territories to inspect the wards or visited the trenches to meet with diplomats, those trips were merely a facade. And it gets even worse!"

"That’s... really troubling," Natasha said softly.

"Yes, it gets even worse because Queen Seris had seventeen children with him...!"

"All of them are hidden in the Abyssal Trenches, raised in secret. While my mother was busy raising three hundred of his children in Meridia, he truly wanted to be with another family...!"

Rick’s stomach dropped. He thought this was going to be a simple story about cheating, the kind that hurt but people got over.

But this? This was a planned betrayal on a level that made his head spin.

"What did you do after finding it out?" Liora asked in a soft voice.

"I told my mother right away." Thalor’s voice was empty now, as if he were just reading facts instead of reliving trauma.

"She came first in loyalty as always... I went right to Meridia Citadel, asked for a private meeting, and told her everything."

He looked at the ground. "I’ve never seen her face express such emotions as it did that day."

"She didn’t shed a tear or get angry about the situation."

"She just stopped moving completely, as if someone had frozen her from the inside out. Then she told me to leave and thanked me for being loyal."

"Is that all?" Zara frowned. "Nothing happened?"

"Yes, there was a reaction," Thalor said in a dark voice.

"Just not the kind you think."