Chapter 11: Little Leon
Chapter 11:
Little Leon
THE DEMONIC SUIT encased its armor in ice, reinforcing it.
“Welp, this is the absolute pits. What the hell is that thing? Does it have an endless list of cheat abilities or what?” I demanded.
Snow billowed around me, and frost filled the air. Just looking at it made me cold. I could almost feel the temperature in the cockpit plunge.
“It’s draining Louise’s energy,” Luxion reported. “If we continued to fight like this, Louise won’t last long.”
“What, so it plans to use her like a battery and dispose of her once she’s out of juice? What an ass.”
“Master, your pulse is racing. You’re quite angry, I see.”
Despite my attempts at humor, Luxion saw right through me. He was right; I was livid, and it didn’t seem like anything could cool me down.
“How are the girls?” I asked.
“Exhausted. They’re on the Einhorn’s bridge and have regained consciousness. Their attempts at negotiation in the psychic plane seem to have failed.”
“We’ll save Louise, no matter the cost.”
Luxion moved his eye from side to side as if shaking his head. “Alas, we weren’t able to resolve this situation as smoothly as I would have liked. You are always far too lax when it comes to the endgame, Master.”
Arroganz was badly damaged: one of its legs wouldn’t move, both of its arms were gone, and we’d used and discarded every weapon from its container. Nonetheless, we hadn’t resolved ourselves to a grim fate just yet.
“It’s time to get serious,” I said.
“I would appreciate it if you would be serious from the beginning next time,” Luxion quipped. “Schwert is inbound.”
The Demonic Suit swept at me, but I predicted its movements and evaded with minimal effort.
“Aha! Its attacks aren’t as precise as they were before!”
Although its speed and power had increased, its accuracy had taken a noticeable drop.
“Louise isn’t in control anymore, so the core is pulling the strings. Damaged as it is, this is the best it can manage. The next attack is coming. Please avoid it and allow Schwert to dock,” said Luxion.
“Got it.”
The Demonic Suit lunged, but I sidestepped it at the last moment, letting it plunge right into the Sacred Tree.
A fighter jet with enormous black wings cut through the canopy, carrying spare parts to replace Arroganz’s broken limbs. I purged the damaged limbs and discarded the container on my Armor’s back. As it fell, Schwert swooped to dock in its place.
“It’s every boy’s dream to pilot a robot that can combine with others to make a super robot,” I said.
“Yes, well, pardon me for not being able to become a giant robot.”
“Dummy. That wasn’t a dig.”
Once Arroganz’s lost limbs were replaced, we dodged through the Sacred Tree’s branches and flew up. The Demonic Suit raced after us, leaving a trail of frost in its wake.
“Master, about Arroganz’s arms, I made some alterations in accordance with the opponent you’re currently facing.”
“Looks the same to me.”
“You certainly do have an obsession with appearance. It’s coming, by the way.”
As the Demonic Suit charged in for another attack, I lifted my arms to block its ice blades. They had severed right through my armor before, but not this time. Instead, the blades melted.
Shocked, the Demonic Suit tried to leap away, but I grabbed it before it could.
“Aw, don’t run. Not after you went to all the trouble of chasing me down.”
The heat from Arroganz’s arms vaporized the ice coating the Demonic Suit’s armor.
“Gaaaah!” The enemy’s wail echoed alongside the creak of metal.
I ignored its protests, ripping its arms off. Inside the cockpit, Luxion’s eye gleamed ominously as he watched with glee. “You caused quite a lot of damage,” he said. “After gathering data, I have created the perfect counter for its abilities.”
In no time at all, he had managed to put together a plan, prepare Schwert for battle, and pinpoint the best maneuvers to use against the Demonic Suit. We were definitely going to win this.
“It’s time for you to give Louise back.”
I ripped off the armor covering its chest, revealing Miss Louise inside. I gently scooped her out. With her in my possession, victory was as good as ours.
“Master, may I proceed?”
“You’re hopeless.”
I kicked the Demonic Suit away, and in retaliation, it stabbed its tail at me. I grabbed it with one hand and soared up toward the top of the tree, dragging it along.
“You sure made a real mess of things,” I grumbled. “Now I’m going to reduce you to ashes!”
“Weapon of new humanity, it’s time for you to perish,” Luxion said. “Impact!”
A red light shot out from the hand that was holding its tail, burning right through it. The suit thrashed as I brought it to the top of the tree and launched it into the air. Lasers shot out of Arroganz’s back where Schwert was docked, piercing through the Demonic Suit. It began to fall, crashing toward the Sacred Tree.
“This is the end!” Luxion declared, reaching back with one of Arroganz’s arms to pull a sword from Schwert and land the finishing blow. His eagerness exasperated me.
Before he could finish it off, missiles rained down upon the Demonic Suit from somewhere else.
“Where’s that coming from? Above?” I glanced up to see a box-shaped ship even larger than Luxion’s main body.
“Ideal?” Luxion sneered. “Why are you getting in my way?!”
“I came to help. I will dispose of the Demonic Suit myself. Are you sure you shouldn’t see to the medical needs of the girl in your hand?”
Miss Louise, cradled gently in one of Arroganz’s hands, was entirely naked. We couldn’t leave her like that, especially with the temperature being as cold as it was.
“Luxion, we’re going back.”
“…Very well.” Reluctant as he was to obey, he followed my orders.
If you really are an AI, you should be more upfront. Like Ideal.
Dissatisfied with the situation, Luxion said, “Ideal, I expect you to explain yourself later.”
“Oh? Is there a problem?”
“Too many to count, and all of them anomalous.”
“It appears there must be a misunderstanding,” he said. “Very well. Let us speak another time.”
***
Louise was dreaming. It was a sunny day, and she was lying in the shade. Her little brother was beside her, peeking at her face. She could make out his distinct features this time. Tears welled in her eyes.
“Leon, it’s you.”
“What’s wrong, Big Sis? Did you have a nightmare?”
“No, it’s just…I’ve wanted to apologize to you for so long.”
“How come?”
She lifted herself upright and threw her arms around him. Only then did she realize that she was in the body of her younger self. Like it or not, she knew this had to be a dream, and that crushed her.
“I’ve needed to apologize. I couldn’t do anything for you. I’m your big sister, but I was totally powerless to help when you needed it!” Louise sobbed as she held him.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” her brother cooed. “I should be the one apologizing. I almost didn’t make it in time to save you. That’s one rescue ticket down, by the way.” He grinned at her, and she was certain this time that he was the real deal.
“That’s right,” she said. “That means you owe me two more… Wait.”
“What?”
“You saved me?” Louise couldn’t help the skepticism on her face, but he just smirked. It nagged at her. How could her deceased younger brother claim to have saved her? It was odd, especially since this time, she was sure he was the real thing.
“I did come like I said I would, didn’t I?”
“What do you mean? You actually came?”
This was a dream, so perhaps it was wrong to hope for logical consistency. Nonetheless, Louise clung to his words, desperate for the truth.
“Leon, be honest with me.”
“Ah, sorry. Time’s up,” Leon announced indifferently as he lifted himself up and hurried away from her.
Louise scrambled to her feet to give chase, but by the time she got up, Leon was already in the distance, waving back at her.
“See you again later, Big Sis!” He turned his back to her after that and ran off.
Louise stretched a hand after him, but she didn’t get any further before consciousness ripped her out of the dream.
***
“Le…on… Don’t…go…” Miss Louise was still moaning as her eyes fluttered open. She thrust her hand toward the ceiling, breathless.
“Awake now, huh?” I was sitting nearby and had only just stirred awake myself. The exhaustion had crept in after I settled in my chair, and apparently I’d nodded off. That must have been why I’d had such a weird dream. There’d been something so familiar and yet so unnatural about it. I was sure I had been talking to an older sister, but I had no enjoyable memories whatsoever with that dirtbag, Jenna. Was this my own desire made manifest? Did I secretly have a sister complex? I was honestly in shock.
“Uh…huh?” Miss Louise lifted her upper body and surveyed the room.
“We’re in my private airship,” I explained.
Angie and the girls had dressed Louise while she was sleeping, so she was no longer in her birthday suit.
I straightened my back and took to my feet. “Luxion looked into it, and it seems that flower actually had no link to the Sacred Tree whatsoever. Instead, the tree was possessed by a weapon known as a Demonic Suit.”
Miss Louise stared at her hands. “So it wasn’t a dream.”
“I’m just glad you made it out alive.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a good thing for you. The fact remains that you interfered with the republic’s aims. When we go back, you may be in big trouble.” She pinned me with a glare, admonishing me.
“Won’t be an issue. In fact, I had express permission from the chairman.”
Miss Louise’s eyes widened, but her expression soon soured as she realized the implications. “My father did something foolish, it seems. The other houses will be out for blood. Even if you speak the truth, the other leaders of the other Six Great Houses won’t believe you. They will pin the blame on you for making the flower wilt.”
They wouldn’t buy anything that came out of my mouth no matter how I tried to convince them. I had no choice but to leave cleaning up this particular mess to Mr. Albergue.
“We sure are in a pickle, aren’t we? How about running away to the kingdom?” I offered with a grin.
Miss Louise stared at me.
“Uh, what’s up?”
“I only have memories of my brother as a little boy, so why is it that I thought you looked just like him? It keeps bothering me. If I look close enough, I see there’s no real resemblance. Besides, Leon was a good and honest boy.” She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and turned her face away.
“Come on, please don’t be mad at me. If I couldn’t convince you not to go through with it; tricking you was the only option I had left, right?”
“That was far too underhanded. When you fought Serge, you purposefully let him beat you senseless, didn’t you? Now that I think about it, it was unnatural. Knowing you, you were fully capable of barreling in there with the rest of your companions and stealing me away.”
I was fully aware of my plan’s lack of efficiency, I’d wanted to test a few things in the process. I’d successfully done that.
Miss Louise studied me. “No normal person would go to those lengths, would they? You were even vomiting blood. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Oh, that? That was fake blood. You didn’t honestly think it was real, did you?” I slipped out a small capsule and showed her before popping it into my mouth and biting down. As soon as I did, what appeared to be blood trickled down my chin.
Miss Louise’s face tightened. “You really are a scumbag. I regret wasting my concern on you.”
“Please don’t be upset. It worked, didn’t it? Besides, I don’t want you to give me too much credit. It was a pretty haphazard plan, if I’m being honest. I’m regretting that I didn’t do a better job.”
Ideal’s defensive measures had turned out to be more of a pain than I imagined they would be, so things had taken way longer than we thought. We could have brought the matter to a smoother conclusion if not for him.
“If my Leon had lived to the same age, I wonder if he’d be like you. As his older sister, I can’t say I’d be pleased. I’d have preferred it if he grew into a good, wholesome boy.”
“The kid you and Mr. Albergue told me about sounded like a mischievous little brat to me. I kinda doubt he’d grow up to be the ‘good, wholesome’ type you’re picturing.”
“Oh, please. He was nothing like you.”
Once again Louise was sulking and refusing to meet my gaze, so there wasn’t much else for me to do but leave.
“Well, sorry for saying that then.” I paused. “Oh, that reminds me. I finally came up with an answer for that question you asked me before.”
“What? Have you been thinking about this the entire time? You’ll never guess the correct answer.”
I was referring to the question Miss Louise had asked in order to see through my lie. After that strange dream a moment ago, I was pretty sure I’d come up with a better answer. Miss Louise was positive I would never guess it, but for whatever reason, I felt confident. The dream had been a good hint, but I also recalled giving a similar gift to my parents in my previous life. Theirs was a ticket promising to help with whatever they wanted, but the dream had been a ticket promising to save my older sister whenever she needed.
“A rescue ticket—a promise to get you out of trouble whenever you need. Well, did I get it right? Nah, that’s probably not it. Oh well. I need to get going anyway.” As I left the room, I got a brief glimpse of Miss Louise’s shocked face.
Was I that far off the mark?
If her expression was any indication, probably so. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.
***
Louise was rooted in place. “H-how did he guess?”
The ring had originally been a piece of paper with the words: “Rescue Ticket: Good for Three Uses.” She had refused to accept it, so he’d rolled it up and made it into a ring. Even if someone knew about the ring itself, no one could have known what was written inside, save for her and her little brother. Even Serge hadn’t noticed.
Louise had no idea how much time passed as she struggled to digest everything, but a knock interrupted her. When she answered, asking who the visitor was, the door cracked open and Noelle popped in.
“Oh, Noelle.”
“Louise, I have something to say to you.”
“Sit.”
Louise could still recall their interaction in her psychic plane. She wasn’t eager to speak to Noelle, now that the other girl knew all her secrets. Nonetheless, Louise did owe Noelle some gratitude.
“You helped save me. Thank you.”
Noelle was silent. She’d seen the truth. She knew Louise’s true feelings. However faintly, Louise had loved her younger brother romantically. Finding out Louise had bullied her in part because Louise thought she’d stolen her brother away honestly annoyed Noelle. As far as she was concerned, it was misplaced blame.
Thus Noelle shot up out of the chair where she’d settled down and slapped Louise across the face.
Well, I suppose I had that coming, Louise thought. Fortunately, it hadn’t packed much power.
“I never knew about the engagement,” Noelle blurted out.
“Huh?”
“This is all stuff from when I was younger, and I honestly don’t remember very much of it. But I can at least tell you that I never heard about any engagement.”
That also meant Noelle had known nothing at all about Louise’s little brother. Louise laughed. “What? So you’re telling me that Leon was tricked? Oh, this really boils my blood. How much must you Lespinasses mock us before you’re satisfied?”
Noelle’s hand shot out, catching Louise by the collar of her shirt. Louise lifted her gaze to see tears trickling down Noelle’s cheeks.
“Why are you crying?”
“B-because of that psychic connection, I saw all of your memories. I-I never realized how much you genuinely cared about your little brother.”
“What a detestable ability. So you know everything about me, and I get nothing in return, hm?” Louise huffed, disgruntled by the unfairness of it all.
“I never dreamed he’d been that excited about our engagement. I sincerely apologize for not being able to make it to his funeral, but I swear I’ll visit his grave in the near future.”
“It would please me if you would do so.” Louise paused and shook her head. “No, sorry. That’s a lie. I don’t want you to go anywhere near his grave.”
Noelle grinned. “That attitude suits you way better.”
“Wh-what are you implying?”
“The Louise I know is snide and has a biting tongue. It gave me the creeps seeing you put on a show in front of Leon.”
“What did you say?!” Now it was Louise’s turn to grab Noelle’s collar. Both girls glared at one another, but Noelle couldn’t shake the joy of the moment.
“Yes, that’s the face! This is too hilarious. The woman who bullied me all this time was just jealous because she thought I’d stolen her beloved little brother.”
“N-now you’ve crossed a line!”
Their bickering devolved into hair pulling and scratching.
“I’ve always hated you, you know!” Noelle snapped. “What the heck is wrong with you—bullying someone just because you think they took your brother?!”
“It’s thanks to me that no one else put their hands on you! You should be thanking me, you big nuisance!”
They started slapping each other and flinging pillows. After a few minutes of this back and forth, they were both exhausted and collapsed on the bed side by side, staring up at the ceiling. They struggled to catch their breath, their hair and clothes a disheveled mess. However, they both felt lighter after unloading all their pent-up emotions. That especially went for Noelle.
Noelle’s expression was peaceful as she said, “I finally got it all off my chest. I feel so much better now.”
“Crazed barbarian of a woman,” Louise shot back with the same snide tone as ever, even though she wore a faint smile. “I’m glad you never became Leon’s wife.”
“I don’t wanna hear that from you. You were only second on his list.”
“Trust me, if he had met you, he would have revised it and I would be back at number one.”
They grinned at each other, even as they fussed back and forth.
Chapter 12:
The Truth About House Lespinasse
SEVERAL DAYS had passed after Leon’s pirate stunt when Clement showed up at Emile’s estate.
“Lady Lelia, the Six Great Houses have concluded their discussions with the kingdom’s diplomat.”
Clement had served House Lespinasse in the past. Currently, he was a teacher at the academy. Lelia listened to his report from the comfort of her couch. Outside a nearby window, snow was falling.
“Well? How are they going to deal with Leon and his gang?” she asked.
It was only natural for Leon to be punished after picking a fight with the republic, at least as far as Lelia was concerned. To her surprise, her prediction missed the mark.
“He has been acquitted of any and all criminal activity.”
“B-but why?! Even if they reduced his sentence, after the stunt he pulled, they ought to do something!”
Leon had disguised himself as a pirate and destroyed one of the republic’s ships. That in itself was a serious offense. Worse yet, he’d injured members of the Six Great Houses. How could he possibly get off scot-free? Lelia couldn’t comprehend it.
“The kingdom’s diplomat is a skilled negotiator. It helped that House Rault stepped in as well.” Clement narrowed his eyes. The Raults were enemies of the Lespinasses. It must have infuriated him to know they were involved.
“The Raults? Again?”
Does the kingdom really intend to ally with the Raults? Joining hands with the enemy… Despicable.
Lelia considered it a betrayal. Leon and Marie had promised to protect the Sacred Tree and restore peace to the republic, but they were dirtying their hands by making deals with the game’s final boss, Albergue.
Clement continued, “Regarding the leaders of the Six Great Houses, it seems they officially announced that the human sacrifice nonsense was not the will of the Sacred Tree.”
“They’re being awfully upfront with the truth,” Lelia mumbled. “I already heard the Sacred Tree wasn’t involved, but would they normally believe that so readily?”
The republic was quite sensitive regarding anything to do with the Sacred Tree. It was hard to believe they’d so easily buy Leon’s claims about a foreign entity invading their protector.
Clement nodded, sharing her suspicions. “I didn’t expect this development either, but perhaps the Raults managed to cajole the rest.”
Lelia was completely in the dark as to what was really happening. “I’ll go talk to Leon and the others.”
“Lady Lelia, it would be dangerous to involve yourself with him as he is now. There’s a high likelihood the Raults have brought him over to their side.”
Lelia shook her head. “That’s not going to stop me from talking to him.”
Besides, I have Ideal with me.
The power her AI possessed put her on equal footing with Leon, giving her confidence that she’d lacked previously.
As their conversation concluded, Emile slipped in from outside, making his way to the room where the two were located. He was wearing a suit and had a jacket draped over his arm. “It’s been a while, Professor,” he said as he entered.
“Good to see you doing so well. Is something going on today?”
“I was called back to my family home. Apparently they got into a squabble with the Raults.”
“A squabble you say?”
Noticing Emile’s weariness, Lelia pressed him, “What do you mean by ‘squabble,’ Emile?”
“You’re that curious? I haven’t heard all of the details yet, but apparently Mr. Albergue believes that Serge isn’t fit to be the heir of his house.”
Startled, Lelia demanded, “Wh-what could he possibly dislike about Serge?!”
“Calm down, Lelia. It’s just a rumor. They’re saying that he might be disinherited and that whoever Louise marries may be the next head instead. Of course, I only heard that in passing—I’m already engaged to you, so it doesn’t concern me. I’m sure any guy who isn’t taken will be gunning for Miss Louise soon.”
With Serge out of the picture, that left the Raults’ future seat open, providing an incredible chance for other noblemen.
Lelia, however, wasn’t having any of it. Why would he disinherit Serge? Don’t tell me Leon and his goons are involved in this!
***
With only a bit more time until winter break was over, the day for Angie and Livia to return to the kingdom had arrived. We headed to the harbor, where the air was bitterly cold.
“Take care of yourselves,” I said, teary-eyed.
Angie fixed me with a look. “You took the words right out of my mouth. You’re the one who’s got it rough in this foreign land.”
Livia’s brows furrowed even as she managed to force a smile. “It looks like I was able to be of some help this time. Also, Mr. Leon, you’d better not two-time.”
What? She’s really going to say that here? Now? I thought we addressed that misunderstanding. I pulled a face.
Angie turned to Luxion. “Please keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t cheat.”
“Rest assured, if I sense so much as a whiff of infidelity, you will be the first to know,” he said.
Sense a whiff? What’s that supposed to mean?
“So basically, you’re saying that I could be suspected of cheating at the drop of a hat because of your completely subjective judgment?”
“Correct. I would advise you to act with utmost caution.”
“That’s…not something someone who’s supposed to be keeping an eye on me should be saying.”
Livia’s gaze wandered over to Noelle, who had come to see them off. “Mr. Leon, would you mind letting us talk to Miss Noelle? It’s some important girl talk, so you can’t eavesdrop.” The smile—if you could call it that—that she gave me made it clear she wouldn’t tolerate a refusal.
I nodded several times, acknowledging her request.
***
Noelle slid up to the other two girls, feeling incredibly awkward. She could already more or less guess what Angie and Livia were thinking.
I figured they probably weren’t too fond of me, but they are way more jealous than I ever imagined.
She had sensed their feelings when they entered the psychic plane together to save Louise. Angie raged with passion, while Livia oozed with jealousy. They were both cute on the outside, but what they held within was terrifying. Noelle tried to ignore what she’d seen in the psychic plane, but she was frightened of their feelings.
Angie scrutinized Noelle. “There’s no point in wearing a mask anymore. You’re fully aware of how we feel, aren’t you?”
Noelle nodded. “Miss Livia’s emotions are like a thick, sticky syrup.”
Livia smiled, but Angie was the one who replied. “So that’s how her jealousy comes across to you? That’s adorable. Livia, you don’t need to change a thing; you’re cute just the way you are.”
“Angie! Miss Noelle’s still here.”
The relationship Leon’s fiancées shared was perhaps even more troubling to Noelle. If not for Leon, they would probably have ended up together, just the two of them, she thought. It was possible that the only reason they had any interest in men was, well, Leon. At least, that was the impression she got from the incredible depth of their connection.
Livia turned solemn. “More importantly, we have to discuss Mr. Leon.”
“Y-you don’t have to worry about any cheating, honest. I’ll be leaving Rie’s house soon enough.”
“No, we don’t particularly mind.”
“Sorry?” Noelle gaped.
Angie seemed likely to blow up with fury if Noelle ever put her paws on Leon, yet she crossed her arms and stared Noelle straight in the face as she said, “I wouldn’t be very happy about it, but you should do what you want. If you can make him yours, I’d welcome you to try.”
“Wh-what’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I couldn’t?” The moment Noelle felt like they were looking down on her, she lost her temper. “If you keep underestimating me like that, I’ll take the number one spot in Leon’s heart before you know it. He only has a few more months here, but if you sit idly by, you’ll regret it.”
Livia clapped her hands together, grinning. Her eyes, however, held no mirth. “Feel free to do as you like. If Mr. Leon were so easily swayed, it would make things much simpler for us. Yes, so much simpler.” She paused, having recalled a bitter memory, which left her looking ragged.
Angie nodded. “That moron… He made a mess of things last night.”
***
It all went down the night before. Since Angie and Livia were set to return to the kingdom, they decided to visit Leon’s room on their last night in Alzer. They told him they wanted to sleep together, so the three of them lined up and settled in bed. As Leon was a man, they were certain he’d lose himself to his primal urges, but…
“H-hold on. Which one of you am I supposed to go after first?” Leon cradled his head in his hands.
The girls pretended to sleep, peeking out from behind hooded eyelids to watch him.
Angie, Livia thought. He’s talked himself into a corner.
In turn, Angie thought, Leon, you dummy. Are you really not going to jump us after we came this far?
They watched silently for a while longer, but Leon made no move on either of them.
“Wh-which one should I start with? Angie? Or Livia? No, maybe it’s wrong to put my hands on either one right now. They came here because they trust me. It’d be wrong to make a move, wouldn’t it?!” Thus, Leon came to his own conclusion. “It’d be wrong to do anything when they’re both present. Yeah, that can’t be right. And this is totally not because I’m being a coward! I’m just being a gentleman. That’s right. I’m a gentleman, so I’m going to quietly go to sleep. Luxion!” He called for his AI companion in a hushed voice, and Luxion promptly brought some sleeping pills.
“You truly are a coward.”
“Oh, shut it,” Leon snapped. “I don’t want the girls to think any less of me. I’m going to sleep, so give me those meds.”
“Very well. Drink it quickly and get some rest.”
“You’re being awfully considerate.”
“Oh, I suspected this would happen from the start. You are every bit as spineless as I thought. It would be nice if you betrayed my expectations occasionally.”
Leon gulped down the pills before lying down and falling fast asleep. As soon as he was out, Angie and Livia sat up.
“Unfortunately,” Luxion told them, “studying abroad did not cure Master of his cold feet.”
***
After hearing about this, even Noelle had to sympathize with the girls.
“Isn’t that a bit heartless of him?”
Although, I guess both girls coming at once threw him off.
As much as she thought Leon was in the wrong, she also found Angie and Livia’s actions to be odd. The biggest issue was that they hadn’t realized their own fault in all of this.
“Maybe we should have set the mood a little first,” Angie murmured.
“What should we do next time, Angie?” Livia asked.
Wouldn’t it be better if you went to his room one at a time? Noelle thought. I can see why he’s having so much trouble.
The girls in front of her were a bit lacking in common sense. Not surprising since one was a pampered noblewoman while the other was an innocent peasant girl. At least, that was how they looked in Noelle’s eyes.
Angie turned her gaze back to Noelle, frowning. “Well, as you can see, he’s basically an impregnable fortress. If you can bring him to his knees, by all means, do so.”
“You know, normally an engaged woman wouldn’t send another woman after her future groom,” Noelle said.
Livia giggled. “You have a point there. But when the three of us were connected together before, Angie and I talked. We decided that if anyone was going to get their hands on Leon, we’d prefer you over anyone else.”
Noelle scowled. “I’m not going to mess around with an engaged man!”
Angie saw right through her. “In that case, hurry up and find someone else. But you can’t yet, can you? Because you’re still holding on to your feelings for him.”
Noelle now deeply regretted that psychic escapade. Having all your emotions exposed to someone is no joke.
“It’s about time for us to leave.” Angie started to turn away, but she paused and glanced over her shoulder at Noelle. “The whole bringing him to his knees thing was a joke, by the way. You should find your own path. But don’t forget…”
Noelle shoved her hands into her pockets, dropping her gaze. “Yeah, yeah. I know. There’s plenty of people who want me. That’s what you want to say, right?”
“Yes. If you come to the kingdom, we can help you, but if you go elsewhere, it’s out of our hands.”
Livia’s brow knitted with worry. “If anything happens, please lean on Mr. Leon. He tends to overdo it, but I’m sure he’ll save you if you need saving.”
Noelle smiled. Leon had already rescued her numerous times now. “I know.”
With that, the girls briefly went to see Leon one last time before they boarded the Licorne.
***
Angie and Livia had left for the kingdom. When I came back to the estate, I found Marie sobbing in front of the main entrance.
“There’s no maturing with you, is there?” I shot her an exasperated look.
It wasn’t so long ago that I’d found her crouching like this, tears pouring down her face like a waterfall.
“This can’t be true! I refuse to believe it!” Marie wailed.
Jilk stared at her, at a loss. “Please pull yourself together, Miss Marie!”
A mountain of unsold antiques sat beside them.
Marie lifted her face and shouted, “I don’t wanna hear that from you!”
“M-my apologies!”
I stared at the pile. Convincing as they looked, they were a bunch of useless counterfeits.
“Remarkable. Not a single one of them is genuine,” Luxion commented. “You must have wasted all the finances Master prepared for you in order to gather this many. It’s almost impressive you couldn’t locate a single authentic antique.”
Indeed, they were unfortunately all garbage.
“With every one I picked, I kept imagining your face, Miss Marie. That’s why I simply couldn’t select a single one to sell to anyone else,” Jilk explained. His excuse was like the cherry on top of a bitter cake; he’d only managed to find so many well-made counterfeits because he’d picked them expressly for Marie.
How would Marie react?
“You jerk! You total dingbat! What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m not worth the genuine article, huh?! I thought you told me before that you were able to pick stuff that would make a person honestly happy! Are you trying to say I’m the kinda cheap woman who’d be satisfied with a bunch of fakes?” Marie jumped to her feet and grabbed him by the shirt collar.
As Jilk struggled to answer, Luxion and I snickered.
“Well,” I said, “you are a fake Saint, after all.”
“Master, they can hear you. Moreover, the fact that he didn’t obtain a single real antique suggests intent. Are we certain he didn’t purposefully pick counterfeits?”
Marie collapsed in a weeping mess again. “What are we going to do about this?! We used every penny we had. How are we supposed to afford anything now? You swore to me this would work and took every bit of our savings, even though I wanted to save at least half!”
Great. So this dumbf—I mean, uh, Jilk had apparently emptied all their accounts for his scheme.
Nah, I shouldn’t have corrected myself. He’s definitely a dumbf—
Well, Marie was partially at fault too. As much as she hated risking money, she’d invested in this venture because she considered the true nature of the business. Anyone else would have immediately seen it for what it was: gambling.
“You made your bed, now you gotta lie in it,” I said.
“Might I suggest learning more about money management?” Luxion added.
Marie lifted her chin and threw herself at my feet, clinging. “S-save me! Please give us enough for our daily needs for the last three months!”
“Don’t come crying to me for help! You’re the one who squandered what you had.”
“I never dreamed it would turn out like this!” Marie snapped. “And I also didn’t think this dummy would make off with every bit of our savings!”
The fuss outside eventually drew the attention of the other four idiots, who poked their heads out one by one.
“Marie, what’s going on?” Julius asked, voicing what all of them were clearly wondering. They took in the mountain of tchotchke before shooting cold looks at Jilk. “As your foster brother, I am ashamed.”
Brad fiddled with his bangs as he sniffed. “Well, I never did buy into the idea that he had any aesthetic sense whatsoever.”
“You aren’t gonna get away with making Marie cry like this,” Greg spat.
Chris’s glasses gleamed ominously. “You lowlife.”
They soon dragged Jilk off to the rear garden.
Marie glanced up at the sky, laughing maniacally. “Aha…ah ha ha ha! Thus ends our life of luxury. We’re back to being paupers. What a short dream it was.” The light had faded from her eyes. It pained me to watch.
Carla sprinted out of the house. “Lady Marie, please be at ease!”
“Carla?”
“I’ve been saving my salary. There’s not much, but I suspect we can make it through a whole month with this.” As she spoke, she deposited some money into Marie’s hands.
Anxious, Marie almost launched herself at it, barely managing to contain herself. Her right hand stretched out toward it, and she had to restrain it with her left hand. “P-put it away. That’s money you earned, Carla.”
“But…!”
“I already told you no! Hurry up and get it out of my sight while I’m still in control… I-I don’t think I’ll be able to hold on much longer. Please, Carla, put it away. Don’t make me any more miserable.”
“Lady Marieeee!”
The scene was so dramatically tragic, like something straight out of a horror movie, one friend pleading with the other as they began turning into a zombie. “Please, put me out of my misery! I don’t want to go after you guys. Kill me while I’m still human!”
Okay, no. It’s nothing like that. Nothing like that at all.
Noelle made her belated return to the estate, shopping bags in hand. “I’m back! Huh? Did something happen to you guys, Rie? And what’s with this big pile of antiques?”
“Oh, this? Well, you see…” I proceeded to explain the circumstances.
Noelle immediately sympathized with Marie. “Rie, while it’s not much, I’ll do what I can to help. Since I became the Priestess, I’ve been granted a certain allowance to cover my daily expenses. You’ve taken good care of me, so I can even pay rent, if you want.”
Tears poured down Marie’s cheeks. “Rent… Such a noble word.”
Noble, huh? I was having trouble understanding her use of the word in this case.
“We’re close friends, aren’t we, Rie? You don’t have to hold back on my account. Lean on me!”
“Noelle, thank you soooo much!” Marie threw her arms around Noelle.
Oh boy, I thought. I better pitch in too or this is gonna be a nightmare, I just know it.
***
“Can’t believe I gave her that enormous sum during summer break and she’s already blown through all of it.”
That night, I was in my room going over the day’s events with Luxion. I had ultimately agreed to give Marie enough to cover their financial needs for the remaining three months. Otherwise, Carla would have offered up everything she had. If Marie was the only one suffering, I could shrug it off and leave things be. I only gave her the money because I had no other choice.
Plus, there was Noelle. If Marie kept borrowing money from her, it would cause issues in the future, which I wanted to cut off at the pass. Nothing’s more terrifying than financial issues. Even friends can easily be torn apart if money was involved. Marie didn’t have much in the way of friends, and I couldn’t bear to see her lose any—namely because she had a bunch of total dipsticks to look after. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Though it was always amusing to kick back and watch.
“Master, you really are soft when it comes to Marie.”
“I’m not soft. I hate her guts,” I said. “But even you’ve gotta sympathize with her a little, right? She’s stuck looking after a twit like Jilk, after all.”
“From the sidelines, it looks more like you’re doting on her,” said Luxion.
“Doting on her? I don’t understand. Surely you don’t mean doting in the traditional sense. Is this some kind of newfangled slang?”
To begin with, did people even dote on their little sisters? Was that actually a thing? It sure didn’t compute in my brain.
“Digressions aside, may I report the findings of my investigation?”
“Go for it,” I said. The time for jokes had passed. A lot of strange things had stuck out to me during this incident.
“I will begin with the Six Great Houses’ decision, which you seemed so curious about. Namely, how easily they believed our account of what transpired.”
“Yeah, that was awfully strange. I know Mr. Albergue stepped in to back us up, but they didn’t even try to argue. Wasn’t House Feivel the only one who dissented?”
“Correct,” said Luxion. “It appears the leaders already knew there was a high likelihood that the Sacred Tree was being manipulated by a third party.”
“Seriously? They knew?”
“Apparently a house conducted research on such phenomena in the past, although they no longer exist.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I had a bad feeling about this. And the worse my premonition, the more accurate they turned out to be.
“The Lespinasses were looking into ways to control the tree.”
“You’re kidding me. Are you saying they might be the ones behind this whole incident?”
“That would be impossible.”
“…Seriously?”
Either way, these answers only gave us even more questions. The Lespinasses had occupied the chairman’s seat over the Seven Great Houses, as they were once called, and represented the interests of the entire republic. It was hard to believe such a renowned family had been conducting secret research on how to control something divine.
“Even if the Six Great Houses didn’t know the full details of the incident, they were likely able to surmise the truth based on what information they had. That was why they accepted our version of events so readily. Of course, I am sure Albergue’s cooperation played a part as well.”
“Wonder if I should visit tomorrow and take him a gift as thanks,” I muttered. “Anyway, what do you think about all of this?”
The information Luxion had collected left me with a nagging feeling that something bad was coming. Mr. Albergue was awfully kind for a man who was supposed to be the final boss, and for being the villainess, Miss Louise was gentle and sweet. Then there were the Lespinasses, who had been up to suspicious research behind the scenes. From this perspective, things were looking way different than they had in the game’s script.
“Based on Marie and Lelia’s reports, something has been wrong since the very beginning,” said Luxion.
“That far back?”
“If I recall, the game supposedly started with a scene of House Lespinasse’s downfall, yes?”
“Right. The Raults took them down, and Noelle watched as her family’s home went up in flames. They both said as much.”
Luxion had mentioned once before that there was something odd about that. The Lespinasses were supposed to hold the highest rank of divine protection, which would have made it impossible for someone lower on the totem pole, like the Raults, to take them out. There was a hierarchy to the blessings the Sacred Tree doled out, set up in such a way that those on the lower end couldn’t oppose those on the higher.
“After hearing what Louise had to say, I have settled on a theory,” Luxion continued. “Do you not think it’s possible the Lespinasses actually lost the tree’s divine protection during their research? That may be why they failed to appear at the young Leon’s funeral.”
“Why? Showing themselves wouldn’t have… Wait a second. That would explain why they didn’t go. The top dogs are supposed to show off their crests at those kinds of events, right?”
“Indeed. At ceremonies, the highest-ranking crest bearer must demonstrate their power to those in attendance.”
That’s right. The republic did have that rule. That probably meant that Noelle’s parents had been unable to appear at such events without also having to show their crests.
“While researching a way to assume control over the tree, they must have angered it, and the Sacred Tree stripped them of its protection. It would make sense. It would also explain why the other Great Houses were so willing to forgive the Raults for disposing of the Lespinasses; they, too, were angered.”
“That changes the whole premise we’ve been operating off of. Basically, the real bad guys are…”
“The Lespinasses,” Luxion finished. “At least as far as the Alzer Republic is concerned.”
“The republic?”
“It’s impossible to know what was running through their heads as they tried to bring the Sacred Tree under their control. Putting it to you as simply as I can manage, perhaps they were trying to save people from some unknown danger. What would you think of that?”
“Then the Lespinasses’ actions would still be just.”
“It seems there is more to this than what the game’s scenario covered.”
That’s the last damn thing we need! Why couldn’t this game be a little more whatever about its story beats, huh? Why all these technicalities? Keep things black and white! Evil is evil and good is good. That would be so much simpler, wouldn’t it?
I froze.
Wait, hold up a sec. It’s precisely because it’s been so flippant that this world has been an absolute nightmare to live in.
Contemplating it any further wouldn’t yield the answers I needed. I wasn’t exactly the analytical type, after all.
“What do you think of telling Lelia about all this?” I asked.
“Do you think she would believe us? She seems wary of you.”
“I think she’s more put off by you than me,” I said. “You don’t treat me like you’re supposed to, and you’re always going off about annihilating all new humans. You’re a dangerous AI. Even I have my doubts about you.”
“The fact that you can ignore the results I have thus far produced and insist on casting suspicion on me only exposes your uncharitable nature, Master.”
“Yeah, tell it to someone who cares. I’m just your average guy with your average amount of charity. That’s good enough for me.”
That was about enough of our absurd banter.
“Anyway,” I said, “do you think you can get along with Ideal?”
“Absolutely not.”