Chapter 6: Betrayal

Chapter 6:
Betrayal

 

NIGHT HAD FALLEN, but it was still noisy in the harbor. As I headed to where the Einhorn was anchored, I found a crowd of people already boarding her. A crest glowed faintly on the vessel’s hull. That had to be the mark of the Sacred Tree.

Marie and the others trailed up to me, looking apologetic.

“I-I’m so sorry. You see…” Marie blanched. Her whole body trembled as she tried to explain.

I held up my hand to stop her. “Chris already told me. You have some nerve, betting my ship like that.”

Julius stepped forward, trying to defend her. “That wasn’t what happened! They’re the ones who—”

Before he could finish, a boy leaped down from the ship. Pierre, presumably. He had the same purple hair as Brad, but he lacked Brad’s refined air.

“So, you’re the previous owner of this ship, I take it?”

“Previous owner?” I asked.

The other people crawling all over the Einhorn were probably his lackeys. They leered down at me from the deck, drinking alcohol and cackling.

“Aw, did the poor widdle babies come to get their ship back?”

“You’re out of luck.”

“Yup. Oppose the Sacred Tree and you’re dead meat.”

It irked me to see them mess with the Einhorn like this.

Pierre leaned toward me. “This ship belongs to me now. You see that crest? The Sacred Tree recognizes me as its owner. If you try to take it back, you’ll be punished. Want to test your fate?”

I was genuinely curious to see what would happen, but now wasn’t the time. “Given your attitude, I can’t see this working, but I’ll try anyway: I’d like you to give me the ship back.”

Pierre hocked and spat at me. His slimy spittle landed right on my forehead. “No.”

“No, huh?”

“I never expected this ship to amount to much,” said Pierre. “I figured I’d just destroy it in front of you. But it actually suits me quite well. That Armor you have might look like a piece of junk, but it’s powerful. I’ll make good use of it.”

He’d already examined Arroganz? He moved fast.

Luxion, who had been hovering above my shoulder, floated toward Pierre and whipped around to face me, his red lens gleaming. Pierre was more shocked than I was.

“What is this thing?!” he demanded.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Luxion, and I manage the Einhorn. Since you now own the vessel, I have registered you as my master. I will be happy to serve you henceforth.”

“Luxion,” I growled, glaring at him.

He turned away from me.

Marie went into panic mode. “H-hold it right there! Isn’t Leon your master?!”

“He was until a few moments ago,” Luxion said coldly. “But not anymore.”

Marie’s face fell. “Y-you have to be kidding me…”

Pierre seemed to get the gist of what was happening. He slapped his hand on Luxion and chuckled. “I see what’s going on. This little familiar is how you managed this ship. That’s how you were able to move such an enormous vessel with so few crew.”

“Yes,” said Luxion. “As long as you have me, there is no need for a crew.”

“Incredible! Now I like this even more.” Pierre laughed gleefully. “Well, what do you think? How does it feel losing your familiar and your ship? If you’ve learned your lesson, then never set foot in the republic again. Although, if you really wanna try to steal it back, come at me any time. I’d be happy to crush you.”

Pierre wasn’t bluffing. I was sure he had no qualms about taking on the whole of the Holfort Kingdom if it came to it.

This situation really couldn’t get any worse.

“In that case, why don’t we have a little bet?” I offered.

Pierre shook his head. “You have nothing to put on the table. You think I’d waste time on you? If you want me to accept your challenge, you gotta bring me something at least as good as this ship. Even then, you’ll never beat me.”

I wiped his spit from my forehead and spun around to leave. “You’d better not forget what you said.”

“I meant every word,” Pierre promised. “You bring me something to rival this ship, and I’ll be happy to take you on.”

He cackled, sounding every bit the evil villain.

Marie followed close behind me as I left.

Okay, I thought. Now what?

 

***

 

The moment they got back to the estate, Marie sank down on the floor. Cold sweat poured down her back, and she didn’t dare lift her head. Leon walked around her in a slow arc.

“So, you’re telling me that you failed to stop Julius from agreeing to a match that none of you were prepared for. Is that right?”

“I’m sho shorry!”

She bit her tongue in her haste to apologize, but that was inconsequential. All that mattered was Leon’s boiling rage.

They had been siblings in their previous lives, so Marie knew full well not to provoke his anger. She always made sure not to wear on his patience. As long as she did that, he always obliged her. But when Leon snapped, his anger was…abnormal. Whoever pissed him off was screwed.

She remembered one incident from their previous lives. It had happened when Leon was still in elementary school, and the class bullies had made him their target. Marie had only learned about what happened long afterward. Before their mother told Marie the story, she’d always thought that Leon was pretty spineless.

Three boys had bullied him. No one knew precisely how Leon had responded, but all three kids had wound up transferring. Before they left, the leader had come to their house to complain. Apparently, Leon had laughed in his face and told him, “Good luck at your new school. You’re gonna need it there too.” After that, the boy ran home crying.

Leon had only been in elementary school, but he’d managed to drive his tormentors away. Marie couldn’t even begin to fathom how he’d done it. When she was in junior high, she’d sworn to herself that she would never piss off her brother. Lazy as he was, when Leon took action, he was thorough.

“An oath to the Sacred Tree?” Leon asked. “I don’t remember hearing a word about this. Am I just being forgetful? Isn’t that something I should have known about?”

Marie trembled. “I didn’t tell you about it,” she acknowledged. “That was my fault.”

“Aha! So, you forgot to tell me, huh? That’s unfortunate, Miss Marie.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she frantically blinked them back. I can’t cry. It’ll only piss him off more if I start sobbing.

She dropped her head, prostrating herself before him.

By all rights, Pierre was the one in the wrong. Marie just wanted Leon to listen and understand. But if he really was this enraged, her excuses would only add more fuel to the fire. And worse, Leon had already lived through a war.

On TV, they say that those experiences desensitize people and make it easier for them to pull the trigger in the future!

If her experience in her previous life had taught her anything, it was this: If Leon decided to make someone his target now, their life would be forfeit.

Pierre, you absolute moron! Why did you have to provoke my brother?! And now he’s calling me “Miss Marie” like I’m a total stranger!

Marie sobbed. “Please forgive me! I swear I’ll do anything!”

“Yes, that’s the spirit. Why don’t we test your sincerity? But before that, hurry up and heal Brad.”

When they got him back, they’d performed what emergency treatment they could and put him in bed.

Marie sprang up, gave her brother a stiff bow, and scrambled toward the door. “I really am sorry! Please excuse me!”

She scurried away as quickly as she could, wiping the tears from her eyes.

I screwed up big time! I’m definitely on his murder list! At this rate, my second life will be over before I know it. Or maybe he’ll just abandon me to my miserable fate? Oh, please no, I don’t want that either!

For the first time in a while, Marie’s brain was firing on all cylinders, trying to concoct a plan to get out of this mess.

 

***

 

“Did I go a little overboard on the intimidation?” I asked myself.

I was still pretty irked about them letting Pierre take my ship. To be fair, venting that anger on Marie seemed to have worked wonders for her motivation. Admittedly, it wasn’t really her fault that things had gone south. Seeing how upset she was, I actually felt a little bad. Threatening her like that had probably been punishment enough.

“Pierre is the real problem. Why is he even messing with us?”

The worst part about this whole thing was that we needed him to get through a pivotal event in the game. I’d never dreamed he would come after us. He was meant to target the protagonist, which is why I’d had Luxion monitor Lelia and Noelle. That sure had blown up in my face.

“So, he’s got the Einhorn, and Luxion’s taken his side too…”

I felt lonely without my partner floating above my shoulder.

“I guess the real issue is what happens from here.”

I didn’t like not knowing what Pierre would do next. Would he ever mess with the protagonist? Or had the whole story already gone off the rails?

Life sure didn’t go as planned.

“Maybe Luxion really was pissed at me…”

He’d seemed pretty cross when he switched sides. Or had that been my imagination?

 

***

 

When Noelle came to school the next day, a strange atmosphere hung over the classroom.

“Morning!”

No one replied. They refused to even look at her.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Noelle was unnerved, but the oddities didn’t end there. “Uh, why are some desks missing?”

There were two open spots where Leon and Brad had sat. Noelle glanced around, but her classmates all looked away. Brad and Leon were nowhere to be seen.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Noelle slid up to one of her friends, but the girl wouldn’t meet her eye. “What happened?”

“Uh, um…”

As the girl fumbled for words, a boy Noelle knew spoke up instead. “The exchange students picked a fight with the nobles. Those same nobles told us to get rid of all of them. And that includes you, actually. What did you do to piss them off?”

“Y-you’ve gotta be kidding me! I haven’t done a freakin’ thing! More importantly, are you guys seriously going to obey them?”

Noelle’s classmates refused to look at her. The Six Great Houses were absolute. Anyone blessed by the Sacred Tree not only held authority, they were imbued with some of its power. If you opposed them, you would never live freely.

Noelle fled the classroom only to run into Loic—waiting for her in the hallway.

He grinned. “Good morning, Noelle.”

A shiver ran down her spine. “Loic, you creep…”

“Feel like accepting my love now?”

Yup, he was most definitely involved in all of this. Will he really go that far? And why is he carrying something like that?

For some reason, there was a collar and a chain in his hands.

“Pretty amazing, isn’t it? This is proof of my love for you. If you insist on running from me, I’ll have no other choice but to tie you down.”

This can’t be happening. What’s wrong with this psycho?!

Horrified, Noelle made a run for it. Much to her relief, Loic didn’t give chase.

“You’ll come crawling back to me soon,” he called after her. “You’ll see the truth. I can hardly wait.”

She had no idea what he was talking about, but alarm bells screamed in her head. This place was dangerous. She needed to escape.

He’s lost it. He’s completely bonkers! I have to do something, or who knows how this will end?!

She had no option but to turn to Lelia for help.

 

***

 

While Noelle faced trouble at the academy, the harbor was in chaos.

“Yahoo!”

Pierre piloted Arroganz alongside the ships as they filed in and out. He even raced them, zipping by at a breakneck speed. The ships rocked and swayed in the shock waves, and Pierre cackled at the confusion on the crews’ faces.

“This Armor is incredible! It may look like a piece of junk, but its power and speed are unmatched!”

“I am pleased to see you are enjoying it,” Luxion’s voice echoed inside the cockpit.

“Hey, One-Eye, are there better ways to have fun with this? What else can it do?”

Pierre had been testing Arroganz and the Einhorn since early that morning. He was in high spirits as he sped around the harbor.

“We have more important matters to attend to,” said Luxion. “Do you realize that the garrison is headed this way?”

“Those small fry won’t dare oppose me! I am the great Lord Pierre of House Feivel. Let them complain. I’ll rip them in half.”

“I believe I understand. Your authority exceeds that of these public agencies, correct?”

“Don’t ask obvious questions! You know, I really wanna take this thing into battle. Are there any enemies I can mess with?”

“I believe Holfort Kingdom would be the optimal choice.”

“What? You wanna kill your old master? You really are rotten to the core.”

“Perhaps.”

“Still, Holfort is a pretty big country. It’s the perfect chance to make a name for myself. Maybe I should send them a little gift…their prince’s head, perhaps?”

“You intend to provoke them into attacking you, is that it?”

“Sure,” Pierre gloated gleefully. “If we antagonize them enough, they’ll come after us, and we’ll make fools of them. As long as we’re under the Sacred Tree’s protection, there’s no way we’ll lose.”

“Now I understand,” said Luxion. “In that case, I believe there is a far better target than the prince.”

“Oh?”

“Leon Fou Bartfort. He is the Hero of Holfort. Taking his head will be a fine achievement, and one the kingdom will not stand for. Leon is engaged to the daughter of a duke. The royal family could not afford to let such an affront go unpunished.”

“Huh, not a bad idea. Sounds pretty entertaining. I get to kill the hero and take his woman.” Pierre’s twisted ambitions knew no bounds.

“Indeed. Leon is the perfect target.”

In this way, Luxion baited Pierre into going after his former master.

 

***

 

That morning, Marie went straight to the Holfort embassy to report the republic’s misdeeds, but the employees there were of little help.

“This is ridiculous. How dare they force us to endure such ill treatment! This is nothing short of tyranny, you hear me?!”

She needed to show Leon that she wasn’t standing idly by, and she hoped that her demands would force Holfort into taking action. Alas, she didn’t get the response that she expected.

“I am terribly sorry. I will see that this incident is reported to the kingdom, but I don’t think they’ll handle it the way you hope, Lady Marie.”

“And why not?! All I want is for Pierre to give back the Einhorn!” That would at least get Leon off her back. If she couldn’t return his ship, then Leon’s fury would continue unabated—which meant that he would keep treating her like a stranger and calling her “Miss Marie.”

“The kingdom is buying a large number of Suspension Stones from the republic,” said the employee.

“Oh, yeah!”

Marie remembered the conversation she’d had before coming here. The Alzer Republic was a powerhouse when it came to exporting energy. Of course Holfort wanted to avoid any conflict with it. Not to mention their thus far spotless track record when it came to defending themselves—they were an especially fierce opponent.

“I will submit the report and make appeals on your behalf, but I don’t expect they will take action.”

Marie sniffed back her tears. “But why not?!”

Julius, who had tagged along, took over. “Isn’t there anything that can be done? This challenge was entirely underhanded.”

“I am sorry, Your Highness, but this is how things work in the republic. I never dreamed you would provoke House Feivel, of all families.”

“Is their reputation that bad?”

“The worst of the Six Great Houses.”

Marie was starting to panic. N-now what am I going to do? If I can’t figure something out quickly, my brother will abandon me!

Since protesting hadn’t done her any good, she had to contemplate her next course of action.

 

***

 

Lelia didn’t even try to hide her annoyance when her sister summoned her early the next morning. “Why do I have to skip first period for you?”

“Hey, I’m sorry, but this is beyond my ability to deal with. I want your help.”

The twins looked identical, but their personalities were almost polar opposites: where Noelle was forward and energetic, Lelia was laid-back and intellectual.

Lelia sighed and crossed her arms. “What have you done this time?”

“It wasn’t me! Pierre is trying to chase the exchange students out of school, and it looks like Loic has joined forces with them. He approached me this morning and started saying all these…terrifying things.” Noelle was still confused and shaken. She couldn’t quite articulate the details.

Lelia gave her a bored look. “I know about Pierre. And besides, isn’t it about time you got together with Loic?”

“I already told you, I hate him. Why did you have to instigate things between us?”

“Are you trying to pin that on me? You even said you didn’t hate him. All I did was give him some advice. Besides, what’s wrong with Loic? He’s handsome, and he’s the heir of one of the Six Great Houses.”

“I’m not so shallow that I would fall for someone because of their looks or their status!”

Noelle hadn’t hated Loic at first, but he’d been much nicer to her to begin with. All that had changed when Lelia started egging him on. He’d become controlling, and now he commented on everything Noelle did.

“Shallow?” Lelia scoffed. “What are you, a child? Are you going to whine to me about love now? Grow up.”

Noelle couldn’t believe it. “This isn’t about love—I hate him.”

“Fine, so be it. But don’t come shoving your problems onto my plate. I have my own issues to sort out.”

“S-sorry, but I actually think it’s really serious. Will you help me?” Noelle hugged herself. Her mind was still screaming ‘warning’ after her encounter with Loic.

Lelia narrowed her eyes. “If you just agreed to date him, it would solve everything. You could even help the exchange students out.”

She spun around to leave.

“Please listen to to me!” Noelle lunged forward and grabbed her sister’s arm, but Lelia shoved her off.

“Wah!”

Noelle landed on her butt, and Lelia glared down at her.

“You really are a nuisance. I told you, I’m busy. I’ll talk to Emile about Pierre, but you need to deal with Loic on your own.”

Noelle watched her sister march off and dropped her gaze to the floor. “What am I supposed to do?”

 

***

 

That evening, I returned from grocery shopping to find a girl sitting outside my place.

Hey, this is a first. Wait, no it’s not.

I’d found Marie like this once, back in Japan. She’d wasted all her money playing around and hadn’t had any left for the train home. With no other choice, she’d waited outside my apartment to leech money off of me.

It was like a scene out of a horror film.

The girl’s hair was blonde, fading to pink at the ends. It was easy to guess her identity.

“What are you doing here so late?”

Noelle peered up at me. “Sorry, I just didn’t want to go back home.”

Her smile lacked its usual energy. Whatever had happened, she was putting on a brave face.

“Come on in,” I said.

“I’m sorry. I mean it, really. I know it’s an awful time for you.”

Sounded like she’d heard about our situation.

“What were things like at school?” I asked.

Noelle scratched her head and let out a strangled laugh. “Absolutely terrible.”

“Yeah?” I hauled my bags inside and set about tending to Elle.

 

***

 

Noelle stroked Elle’s head as she filled me in on the day’s events.

It seemed like we’d veered way off the script Marie had given me. Loic’s conversations with Noelle didn’t sound anything like what you’d expect to hear from a love interest in an otome game. Then there was Pierre, who had gone after us rather than the protagonist.

Even worse, Noelle had Loic chasing her, and Emile was protecting Lelia. At this point, it was still impossible to identify who the protagonist was.

I cleaned the table and set about writing a letter.

“What are you doing?” Noelle asked.

“Writing to the people back home. They’re getting antsy, demanding I send them a souvenir. And I need to update them on what’s happening.”

I needed to let that bastard, Roland, know that the republic was picking fights. I couldn’t wait to hear what expression he made when he realized. While Noelle waited, I penned a few more letters.

“I’m sorry this is happening,” she said. “Especially when you came all this way to study.”

I shrugged. “It’s fine.”

I’d come here with my own agenda. I wanted to snuff out a danger that might threaten the world. There was no need for her to apologize.

“Are you guys going back to Holfort?” she asked.

“No. We have a reputation to uphold. I can’t go back until Pierre returns my ship.”

“You should give up on that. Once an oath is made to the Sacred Tree, it’s not easy to take it back.”

“You sure know a lot about this.”

Noelle looked flustered and tried to play it off. “A-a little, I guess.”

“I can’t just turn tail and run back home,” I told her. “Not with my status. Besides, the republic hasn’t apologized for its offenses. I need to make them pay.”

I was willing to let most things fly, but Pierre had completely crossed the line. Now I was just a little angry.

Noelle’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “The only issue is figuring out how to lure Pierre into a match with me. If only there was some treasure that I could use to tempt him into challenging me in the public eye…”

Noelle shook her head in disbelief. “I heard the people of the kingdom were brave, but I can’t believe you’re thinking of challenging Pierre. You do realize he’s under divine protection, right?”

“That doesn’t really matter to me.”

The Alzer Republic thought it was invincible. Luxion and I had suspected their advantage all came down to the Sacred Tree, and knowing what I did now, I was convinced we were right.

“Either way, this plan will take time,” I said. “You can stay here however long you like.”

Noelle gaped at me. “Huh?”

I waved my hand dismissively. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to lay a hand on you. But you don’t feel comfortable going back home, right?”

“N-no, I don’t.”

She’d clearly had a fight with Lelia. Whatever the case, this house had plenty of spare rooms. She wouldn’t cause any problems, and it would actually be easier to keep an eye on her this way—especially now that I couldn’t rely on Luxion’s surveillance.

 

***

 

Several days later, the leaders of the Six Great Houses assembled in the Sacred Tree’s Temple, located in the former lands of House Lespinasse. Their subordinates handled the finer details, and the figureheads only discussed matters that required their approval. One of the more urgent topics was Pierre of House Feivel.

Albergue Sara Rault, the acting chairman, looked solemn as he read the report. Inwardly, he was filled with disgust. House Feivel again? They never learn.

So long as their opponent made the first move and invaded, the Alzer Republic could win any battle. Unfortunately, that had led to a history of some citizens deliberately antagonizing their neighbors.

And how long will people keep up this foolishness? Behind his outward indifference, Albergue was appalled.

Although he was in his mid-forties, he was tall and muscular and looked a decade younger. His hair was cropped short, and he wore a finely pressed suit. By all accounts, he was a handsome man for his age. “Lord Lambert,” he said. “Do you have any thoughts on the matter?”

House Feivel was at the center of this controversy, and the head of that household was Lambert Io Feivel. He was a short, plump man, and Albergue’s complete opposite. His hair was thinning noticeably, and he was so heavily adorned with rich clothes that it was a miracle he could still move.

“My son is a rowdy one, to be sure,” Lambert admitted. “But he simply wishes to demonstrate his prowess in battle. There are so few countries that try to invade now. What’s wrong with a bit of a tussle with Holfort?”

Fernand Tola Druille, leader of House Druille, didn’t agree. He was a capable, if inexperienced, leader. A handsome man with short, wavy green hair and green eyes. He was still in his early twenties, and the youngest of all those present. “He’s provoking conflict with other nations for personal gain? It appears that he doesn’t understand what it means to be part of the aristocracy.”

Fernand’s reasoning was sound, but Lambert turned away in a huff. “Hah, greenhorn. If the thought of war makes you shake in your boots, you can stay home while the rest of us fight.”

The republic had been undefeated for so long that many of its citizens had grown desensitized to the thought of war. Each victory only made them more conceited.

The other leaders had their own views, but none of them considered this matter particularly urgent or noteworthy.

“Shouldn’t we be more concerned that we have yet to obtain a Precious Orb this year?”

“Indeed. The matter of Holfort Kingdom isn’t even worth discussing.”

“Just apologize, offer them some remuneration, and be done with it. If they still insist on complaining, then battle will shut them up soon enough.”

The other lords were eager to move things along, but Albergue’s gaze fell on a name in the report.

“Leon, hm?”

“Is something the matter, Chairman?” Fernand asked.

“It’s nothing. More importantly, I must also request that the stolen ship be returned. Surely you have no qualms about that, Lord Lambert?”

It was a simple request. Losing one ship seemed inconsequential. Yet Lambert was visibly shaken. “N-no, I can’t abide by that. My son took it in a fair match—they swore by the Sacred Tree. It is rightfully his!”

Albergue and Fernand raised their eyebrows, but the other high lords showed no interest.

“Chairman, we don’t have all day,” urged Loic’s father, head of House Barielle. “I must ask that we move on.”

Albergue acquiesced. I suppose it would do us no good to continue to speak about this. He shook his head. “In that case, let us speak about these Precious Orbs. As has just been noted, we have yet to procure…”

And so, the matter of the Holfort Kingdom was quietly swept under the rug.