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The region of Valdelobos of the kingdom of Greece is having a royal hunt of the Auroch herds that roam the forest areas of the region. Namely to cull their numbers, the game wardens and hunters are hunting down the wild cows for their meat or for export to farms where they would be used as breeders. Which has been done for centuries to keep the population of the wild cows in check.

The forest does have wolves, bears, and the last pride of European lions, to also help keep the population in check. The park of lions have been bred with lions that came from traveling shows and private collections through the centuries. Who are all protected by the Dazzlings house, with the last time a farmer killed a lion to protect his flock of sheep after he had herded them into the forest to feed there. The punishment dealt to him was having all of his sheep taken from him and his farm taken from him and him and his family being sold into slavery. If a lion were to come out of the forest and prey on farm animals the Dazzlings would had just paid for the animal eaten, but seeing how the farmer had gone into the forest so that his flock could feed there, that’s completely different. And since that time the people know better than going into the forest, for hundreds of years. (1)

Things have changed since the Middle Ages but killing a lion is still a big crime. With the game wardens and guards being given the go ahead of shooting on sight anyone who tries to hunt the lions. Same for anyone hunting the elephants and rhinoceros that also roam the forest or any other wildlife in the walled forest. The rhinoceros were added after one of the Dazzlings came across a traveling show that was breaking up and she brought the rhino and been bringing them over from Africa and releasing them into the forest.

The elephants roam wild but there are elephant sized barns built and maintained when the first elephants were let into the forest. The barns are where feed and water is left for them and shelter from the weather. The elephants still use the barns in bad weather and during the winter months where they’re kept warm and fed.

Some of the elephants are used as beasts of burden, by the Dazzling house. They have brought elephant trainers from India and Asia countries that use elephants as beasts of burden, to train a group of elephants to do the work that would have taken many oxen and horses to do.

Which is why in the Valdelobos region there are people of both Asian and India heritage living in the region. The elephants are still used to pull heavy carts and wagons around the region, till trains were built but in areas where trains couldn't go the elephants are still being used. And they’re used during the culling of the Auroch herds.

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Siren Castle -

On the battlements of the castle, Adagio watches as her sisters are handling the sorting of the wild cows. Most will be slaughtered would be going to help feed the hungry population still recovering from the war and are now being hit by the flu. The rest as breeders to strengthen the domesticated herds. She hasn’t seen death on this scale since the black plague which she had the borders all closed to prevent it from entering her lands.

“With the nations all still recovering from the war and dealing with the flu, Russia, Ottoman, and Germany are taking advantage of the weaken military powers,” Constantine king of Greece said.

“I remember doing that after the plague died down. Hard to stop my soldiers when they were still healthy and well fed,” Adagio said.

“How long will it take for those students to learn magic?” Constantine asked. He had sent young students both boys and girls to learn magic, having searched through the schools for the ones who could solves advance math equations.

“At least 5 years, there is no shortcuts in learning magic. Takes years of studying and hands on experience to learn it,” Adagio said as she snaps her fingers and a ball of fire appeared next to her before going out. “I make it look easy because, I do all the calculations in my head. The fastest type of magic is potion making which the chemists you sent are learning from the notes we made from the books we been holding onto over the years.”

“And what about the Klabautermanns?” Constantine asked.

“Still experimenting with them. Don’t want to waste one and only have one Klabautermann for the trouble. There are only 8 of the cubes and finding them in the first place was just luck and living for so long. The last one was in a sealed room of a manor where my soldiers were looting when they found it. And that was over 200 years ago, I think. So finding more cubes isn’t going to work if one is used up,” Adagio explains.

“What about magical weapons?” Constantine asked.

“I have have a magic glowing sword, which is just by today’s standards a flashlight that you can use as a weapon,” Adagio said causing the king to look at her. “I know, but hundreds of years ago it was amazing and terrifying.” (2)

“And making new magic items?” Constantine asks.

“Takes awhile and me and my sisters can only make simple items. A staff that can cast a spell like a fireball, will take months to create for me and my sisters. A magic wand and staffs are mostly to allow a magic user to cast spells with more focus faster and easier, like instead of doing a math problem on your head, you use a pencil and paper. Empress Sunset on the other hand is a natural when it comes to using magic. She quickly made the different regalias of the Ottoman and Germany into magic items to command their Klabautermann with. And with her having Baba Yaga as her court mage, me and my sisters know about magic and can use it but we never actually master it,” Adagio said. (3)

“Aren’t there any magic users left?” Constantine asked.

“I already told you, there aren’t any left. The church, the Spanish Inquisition, and idiot peasants took care of that. And once all true magic users were gone they turn on anyone else that wasn’t in their eyes right. The native tribes that still used magic thanks to the church missionaries were also stamped out. And yes, Jesus was a dark skin middle eastern man and he was a Jew. He was both a doctor and knew how to use healing magic, which people exaggerated in what he could do. People back then needed something to believe in and give them hope, and people needed to believe that no matter what the just will go to heaven. Like someone who raped and killed children can tell themselves that sure they killed children but at least they’re in heaven and that god is on their side for whatever reason they need it to be,” Adagio said causing Constantine to be uncomfortable at that fact. (4)

“There have been much unrest because of those Roman Klabautermanns,” Constantine said.

“Me and my sisters met Jesus and saw him die. We saw his followers grow power hungry and fight over control. Most of all saw his idea turn into a faith which he never wanted, ideas can change while a faith can’t. Me and my sisters mock it because we know what it was like when it first started and how the different leaders and groups changed it to suit their needs,” Adagio said.

“I would be able to summon Ancient Greek ships, and they would have much to tell,” Constantine said.

“I would had like to be around when Egypt was still a powerful kingdom. Those ships would have much to tell,” Adagio said.

“What about magical creatures?” Constantine asked.

“Most of those were from Equestria like me and my sisters. The last Phoenix was killed and its ashes was consumed by a king I have long since forgotten who thought that by doing that he would become immortal. It didn’t and the king died believing he would just burst into flames and be reborn. Like how people believe that rhino horns will cure you of anything, doesn’t work,” Adagio said.

“Don’t you sell powdered rhino horn?” Constantine asked.

“Their horns grow like fingernails and need to be trimmed now and then. Might as well sell it to idiots who pay through the nose for it and if they die because they believe just doing that instead of going to a doctor. Well who will even remember them in a few years. Like the people who think it’s ok to hunt the animals in the forest, who will care about them if they disappear,” Adagio said.

“What about here on Earth the magical ones?” Constantine asks.

“We brought over some Huli-jings, kitsunes, kumihos, and other fox spirits. We even have gargoyles, trolls, goblins, ogres and other beings from myths. All hidden by magic so that the church wouldn’t go saying the land is infested with demons. Been living here for centuries and the closest thing to a demon I have seen are inner demon made real,” Adagio said.

“Inner demons?” Constantine asks.

“The Fair Folks, the elves and fairies who are all sealed in the fairy realm. They are so different in how they think that raping a child on top of the bodies of the dead parents, isn’t seen as anything wrong. In fact sometimes when they want to do something bad to someone they sometimes end up helping the person instead but to them they did something bad. The inner demons was when one decided to help a town that was nice to them by getting rid of all of the people’s evil from them. Resulting in the people being split into two beings, one good and the other evil. The results wasn’t good. The only good thing about them is that once they give their word they will not break it, but they will find loopholes. Which is how they’re all trap in the fairy realm, after me and my sister made Oberon give his word and made it magically binding, to never leave the realm with any of their powers or any others. They can leave the realm but once they do they are render powerless and many of them found that out the hard way, till they just stop as they must have figured out that if they leave the fairy realm they can’t get back in as they need magic to do so,” Adagio said. (5)

“Aren’t they immortal?” Constantine asks.

“Yes but it doesn’t mean they’re immortal, immortal where they can never die. It just means that they can’t die by old age. Me and my sisters are sirens who in Equestria are an aquatic species of dragon. We dragons can live for thousands of years and are seen as immortal by other races, but we can still die. Besides the last immortal we had to deal with who couldn’t be killed, we just rip apart and toss the parts into volcanos all over the world so that there is no way for him to be put back together,” Adagio said. (6)

“How did that person become unkillable?” Constantine asked.

“A fairy did it. Don’t know how to break it but really don’t care enough to find out,” Adagio said.

“Are there any of the magic beings that can use magic?” Constantine asked.

“Besides their own natural magic the only ones are the foxes, they use chi magic which is just a mix of ritual and potion spells. The problem with that type of magic is that its spell construction that needs ingredients, hand signs, chanting, and dances. Other types of magic like Equestrian magic is just mathematical equations and formulas, without having to do all that and easier to learn,” Adagio explains.

“No easy way is there?” Constantine asked.

“No, unless you can find a trained magic user there isn’t any easy way to learn magic. Besides with me and my sisters and our collection of magic items and beings. You’re way ahead of the race compared to all the other countries that aren’t allied with Russia. Just wait and slowly build up power, your heir can takeover what you started,” Adagio said.

“Yes,” Constantine said thinking it over.

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Author's Note

1 - The farmer killing the lion after illegally entering the forest to have his sheep feed there, happen in the Middle Ages. And something like that happening to a peasant and their family is all too common.

2 - Some magic spells and items would have been amazing but only to a point, as a magic light would be only be able to be found with the rich and powerful but once indoor lights become a thing. The whole magic light source is just a very expensive redundant thing that does the same thing that a lightbulb does.

3 - While the sirens do have magical amulets and know magic, they haven’t actually mastered using magic. Like how you in real life using the instructions can put together something that comes in a box, is completely different from making one out of raw materials yourself.

4 - Using religion as an excuse to do evil, is no excuse.

5 - The fair folks are like they are in old stories, dark and twisted in how they see and interact with the world. Where they can’t understand why humans see them evil, when they just made their child into a sack so that they can be used to put things inside.

6 - Cutting up someone who is unkillable and spreading the body parts would work unless they can regrow from a single cell. Like in Harry Potter where the big bad might be unkillable till the magic items are destroyed, but it doesn’t mean he can’t be cut up by chainsaws and his parts toss into a meat grinder.