Auralis Empire

Thanks to yesterday's torrent of information, I woke up with a splitting headache, my mind filled with those surreal “command sets,” making it so hard to walk that I felt like I might crash into a wall. The symptoms were identical to a hangover, to the point that when I got up in the morning, my sister even thought I’d spent the night downing some pure alcohol.

"If I had known it would be like this, I would’ve skipped class," I muttered on my way to school. I couldn’t help but envy the students who live in dorms and whose homes are far away—they can skip class without the hassle. They just go to their dorms, lock the door, and that’s it. As for me... My sister's intuition is almost superhuman, so I can't skip class in front of her. Plus, I’m in my senior year, and my grades are bad enough already. If I skip class, it’s going to be even worse.

Of course, I could look at it from another angle: given my current grades, even if I didn’t skip class, things wouldn’t be any better. But, well, let’s forget about that.

I walked on, feeling a bit drowsy. Every now and then, I’d shake my head, trying to clear my mind. Though this path was rather secluded and there were no cars, I still worried about any potential accidents. After all, no matter how much I shook my head, I couldn’t shake the mess inside it.

Suddenly, I felt something strange, like I was being watched. The sensation startled me, and my groggy mind instantly became more alert.

I looked up and scanned the area, and not far off, at the entrance to a small alley on my right, I spotted a young girl staring in my direction.

She looked to be about thirteen or fourteen, wearing a white dress that resembled a trench coat, with long black hair cascading over her shoulders. She was quite cute, her soft lips slightly pursed with a pleasant, non-smiling curve. Her small nose tilted up a little, giving her a mischievous air. She had the calm demeanor of a graceful young girl, a pretty little loli. But what was odd were her eyes. They were large and dark, yet lacked focus, as though they were staring in my direction but without seeing anything in particular. If I hadn’t felt like her gaze was fixed on me, I might’ve suspected she was blind.

I forced a smile, trying to appear as friendly as possible, and walked toward her. "Hey there, little sister. Is something wrong?"

...Why do I feel like someone is calling me a creepy uncle who’s trying to abduct a loli? Is that just my imagination?

The cute little girl looked up slightly. Her unfocused eyes didn’t seem to lock onto any part of me, but suddenly, I felt as if every move I made was being completely observed by her. It was a strange sensation, and I couldn’t quite describe it.

This is no ordinary loli! I immediately made the judgment.

But then again, how many things I’ve encountered lately have been ordinary? My mental world somehow became connected to this mysterious Auralis Empire, and now there’s a living person in front of me from that world. So what’s so surprising about this?

The loli stood there, expressionless, observing me for a moment. Then, seemingly satisfied, she gave a slight nod and bowed.

I don’t know if it was just my imagination, but I felt some kind of resonance between my mind and this little girl.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Emperor,” the emotionless loli said, and I almost jumped out of my skin. "My name is Zora Bell, General of Auralis."

“Ha?” That shocking introduction completely short-circuited my brain. What did she just call me? Emperor? And her identity—General of Auralis?

Was this little girl’s appearance meant to make my dream have some kind of coherent context?

The loli didn’t seem interested in answering my confusion. After introducing herself, she just stood there silently, slightly tilting her head, her unfocused eyes betraying no emotion.

Faced with this situation, I finally had to seriously analyze it: If this little girl wasn’t lying (and she wouldn’t, since I’ve never mentioned anything about the Auralis Empire to anyone), she must be a member of that mysterious Auralis Empire. The celestial sister from my dream had mentioned going somewhere, but I didn’t pay attention back then. Now it seems they really sent someone here. Based on the nature of their world, could this girl actually be a robot?

A world that once only existed in dreams was suddenly becoming increasingly real, with a living being from that world standing in front of me. My mind was struggling to keep up, and without thinking, I reached out and gently pinched the little girl’s cheek.

...I’m not a lolicon, I swear! My hand just slipped!

Realizing what I’d just done, I quickly withdrew my hand, but the softness I felt confirmed that she wasn’t a robot.

“Auralis apostles are semi-energy construct lifeforms,” the little girl said without any hint of emotion, as if my sudden action didn’t faze her. "We are not robots. Auralis technology differs greatly from the natural technology of your world. While it may appear similar, it is actually a combination of surreal energy and mysticism, a technology that your world’s current technology might not be able to explain. Strictly speaking, my current body and structure are very close to that of carbon-based lifeforms, and I can even replenish my energy by eating, just like ordinary carbon-based lifeforms. This is because construct technology allows us to alter our physical forms at will. In non-combat states, you can think of Auralis apostles as normal humans.”

It’s impressive how she can explain all that with such a mechanical tone.

I processed her words, going over them repeatedly in my head. I was so overwhelmed by the surrealism of it all that I couldn’t quite get a grasp on it. Still, I managed to stay calm enough to analyze it instead of freaking out and running away. But, given my limited intelligence, I still felt pretty dazed...

“So, first, Auralis Empire is advanced, but Earthlings can’t understand it, so no more explanations. Second, I can treat you like a human?”

"Yes," the little girl answered succinctly.

Okay, I passed that question. Given my level, I’m still at the stage where I think chemical equations are alien languages. There’s no way I’d have any shared scientific topics with an alien, so I’ll just take her word for it.

“Then let me ask you something. You can answer what you can. Now that it’s clear the Auralis Empire exists, why does it have any connection to the dreams I’ve been having? And why am I supposed to be your emperor? I’m pretty sure ‘Emperor’ isn’t a title that’s given to ordinary people so easily.”

This question had to be asked. While being called emperor by such a prestigious empire might sound nice, it’s not a title one should take lightly. It could easily be a misunderstanding, and if that’s the case, I could end up in big trouble. Plus, based on that 99.9999% unusable command list, this empire that’s been sleeping for who knows how many years may not actually be of much benefit to me. Trouble, on the other hand, is guaranteed.

“Many years ago... Time error... Unknown years ago, the Auralis Empire suffered a major upheaval, causing the entire empire to fall into slumber. Until recently, the empire’s only operational external information collection system detected a mental wave from deep within this plane. According to data comparison, this mental wave matched the soul imprint of the empire's emperor. As a result, the empire woke up, and I was sent to assist you. Other data has been lost due to unknown reasons, but one thing is certain: you are one of the emperors of the empire. This has been confirmed by all of the awakened Auralis apostles.”

“Wait, did you say 'one of the emperors’?” I caught that phrase. So, being an emperor in the Auralis Empire isn’t so special? There are more of them?

“Yes, the Auralis Empire has NT-level individuals, known as emperors. According to the latest data, the Auralis Empire has a total of 135 emperors, spread across various dominion sectors in the void. Each emperor holds equal authority. However, you are not one of these 135 emperors. The specific reason cannot be analyzed.”

So, the Empire has a whole emperor council!

“Uh... Can I not be this emperor?” I asked cautiously. "I mean, 135 real emperors? They all seem way more powerful than me. Even if I had a brick in my hand, I’d definitely lose to them. If another Auralis emperor wakes up and finds out I’m here pretending to be the emperor, I’d be dead meat, right?”

“According to Auralis law, abandoning NT-level authority is considered abandoning one's existence. Are you sure you want to proceed with this choice? This confirmation will occur three times.”

...I can’t cancel the order?

I froze, and quickly waved my hands. “Okay, okay, I’m kidding! I’ll take the emperor title, but just so you know, you’re the ones who wanted me to be emperor. If I fail at it, don’t expect any after-sales service—you're the ones who bought me, and you’re stuck with it!”