Her Majesty's S.S.
Voco Veni
03
Tristain, 6660 A.F.
Tanya.
Tanya was not accustomed to riding horseback. She much preferred to take a train, or a car, a truck, even ride in a tank—and that was discounting her ability to simply fly most places as long as she didn't have to be on the lookout for enemy anti-air emplacements. But horseback had never been her strong suit. Certainly, the Empire trained all of their soldiers how to ride and care for a horse, just in case the need arose to secure transportation in a less than friendly country, but…
Riding always bruises my ass.
The fact of the matter was, despite being four years older than when she had first learned how to ride, Tanya was still… mostly child-sized and her body, subject to malnutrition and the hard exercise of military life, wasn't exactly padded for comfort. That is to say, she didn't have much junk in her trunk. Buns of steel meant that she felt every clop of every hoofbeat—they seemed to run straight from her tailbone to her teeth.
Tanya had suffered worse conditions and so I had more discipline than to complain, but I would be sorely glad to see the back of this horse when we returned to the castle. While not quite as uncomfortable as riding in the back of a transport plane, riding horseback was its own sort of special hell for Tanya. Made especially so by the need to go as incognito as possible at the moment. The longer they could hold onto the advantage of Tanya's magic, the better.
"There's the academy," Agnes called from beside her.
Tanya nodded as a castle came into sight for her a moment later as they topped a rise—her head height a little below that of Agnes, so of course it would take her a moment longer to top the rise. She counted six towers, five arranged in a pentagram formation around a central sixth tower. A wall surrounded the castle grounds, along with a small town—little more than a farming community, with some support facilities for the castle faculty and students from the look of things, which Tanya confirmed as they passed through.
This place is so primitive, even compared to my last world. Well, so long as she didn't have to fight in another war, she would be happy, even if it did mean adjusting to an even lower level of comfort from her modern sensibilities. There was just one problem with that. Namely, war was inevitable—and coming soon.
Reports. All the reports. Intelligence report after intelligence report, dating back years. Reports on trade, kingdom finances, taxes. Reports on other countries' forces. Reports on the current situation in Albion. Reports on the Romalian church. It had taken Tanya a while to take a lay of the political landscape, but she had come to the inescapable conclusion that war was soon to break out over much of this funhouse mirrored Europe, and soon. Within the decade, at a very generous estimate. Tanya's gut told her within two years, three at most. It all depended on how quickly the revolt in Albion was resolved, one way or another, and who came out on top.
History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme. In this case, it's more of an echo of a rhyme, she mused, once more shaking her head at the similarities between Halkeginia and the Salaryman's Earth, and Tanya's Europe. It's the same old tale—a tale as old as time. So long as there is religion and royalty, the two will ever be plotting against each other. Always enemies, even if sometimes they are uneasy bedfellows.
Yes, her suspicions were that Romalia was backing the revolt in Albion, the Reconquista organization/movement, in order to overthrow the royals and insert themselves—the Church of the Founder—as the defacto head of state. Turning Albion, perhaps even all of Halkeginia, into a theocracy. Or at the very least, remove royalty they didn't like and weaken those nations as a result.
Oh, they were definitely using other nations and groups, such as Reconquista, as their proxies—but Tanya suspected that the one pulling the strings was the Church. Gallia was almost definitely one of those proxies, given their recent naval buildup. That was worrying, given that Gallia was their southern neighbor, occupying roughly the place France would take up in Europe.
At least, it was her personal theory and the one supported by the evidence she had in front of her, along with her own knowledge of two separate world histories. She put together a briefing on everything she had gathered, from the perspective of a set of fresh eyes with no ties to any Halkeginian kingdom but Tristain (and then, only really to Henrietta personally) and no religion of this world, then went over everything with the princess and Agnes. It wasn't enough to move them to any sort of wartime footing, but it was enough to convince Henrietta that they needed to exercise caution and step up a few of their early plans. Thus, the trip to the castle wasn't just to discuss her runes or ask after the princess's inability to cast in any of the four common fields of magic.
I was pulled from my thoughts as Agnes led Tanya to a stable on the inner wall of the castle, where a servant took our horses and promised to see to them. Tanya allowed herself a pleased sigh and a stretch after dismounting, reaching behind herself and rubbing her sore ass through the trousers she wore.
She had on a set of entirely local clothes today, minus her underwear and socks. Locally sourced riding boots, brown trousers, a white tunic, and a black cavalier (aka musketeer) hat with her hair tucked under it, along with a long, oversized (for her) black jacket that concealed her P08 and the SIG MKMS slung at her left side beneath it (its pockets carrying her spare magazines and even a couple of her precious few M39 grenades). She wasn't expecting trouble, but Tanya had yet to truly relax after coming off the front, even after a couple of weeks of 'light duty.'
"Not much for riding?" Agnes asked, making small talk as they headed for the central tower.
Tanya looked around, taking in the buildings attached to the towers and filling the space between them, which weren't all visible from the road given the wall. "Not really. And when I did have to ride, it was usually as a passenger in something more comfortable than a saddle."
"One of those 'automobiles,'" Agnes surmised, and Tanya nodded. "You'll have to get used to it."
"I know," Tanya agreed. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."
They entered the building and were met by a young, blonde maid who lead them up and around the spiral staircase to an office near the top of the tower. The maid knocked at the door and announced them. "Headmaster, your guests have arrived."
"Send them in, Odelia," an older man called from inside.
The maid held the door open and Tanya followed Agnes inside. Looking around the office, I was disappointed. For all that the headmaster looked like a discount Gandalf, his office was… Disappointingly mundane.
"Greetings headmaster Osmond, on behalf of princess Henrietta," Agnes said, bringing a fist to her chest and bowing her head as she removed her hat.
Tanya mirrored her, sending her longer hair spilling down and feeling her ahoge sticking up. I should cut it soon, but…
Honestly, I disliked cutting Tanya's hair. Tanya kept it within regulations, and while it was troublesome and there were days I'd love to cut it as short as Agnes, there was not inconsiderable advantages to having long, beautiful hair and a young, pretty face.
"Please, let us do away with the formalities, Ms. Agnes," the old man waved her off. Turning his gaze of Tanya, he asked, "And is this young lady…?"
"The princess's human familiar."
Osmond nodded. "Why don't you introduce yourself, miss?"
Tanya ignored the mildly patronizing tone. It was nothing she hadn't heard before. Even in the Empire, with it's very egalitarian views on women in the armed services (most especially mages), Tanya had stood out as an anomaly due to her age. Of course, most doubts others had were silenced when they either saw her service record or observed her in action.
There were the perpetual doubters, like Rerugen, but even he didn't doubt her competence—just her fitness for duty due to his being entirely too sensible to be in the service. He was the one man who looked at the situation the way any normal, sane person would—that a little girl who was also an aerial mage with a triple digit confirmed kill count when they met was alien and wrong, and likely not mentally sound. She would agree with him, even felt sorry for him for being what seemed at times like the only sane man in the Empire… But it was Tanya he was calling into question, so it also kind of pissed me off.
If he wanted to blame someone, blame the insane Empire for putting a little girl on the front line in the first place! All I did was what anyone else would do in my situation—survive! I shouldn't have had my every move questioned because someone was worried I was some sort of war nut like the rest of them. I am a peace loving man from modern day Japan who abhors war—
And so, just like with everyone else, Tanya handled things with cool professionalism. "Magic Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degrechaff, formerly of the Imperial Army General Staff Office, Salamander Kampfgrupe."
Osmond raised an eyebrow, a curious look crossing his features. "Germanian?"
"German," Agnes corrected shortly.
"Yes, I saw the letter but I still find it difficult to believe." Stroking his beard, the old man asked, "Do you think you could give us a demonstration of the magic you use?"
Tanya made to open her mouth but Agnes cut her off. "I'm afraid not. We would like to keep this in confidence as long as possible."
The man nodded. "I see. Disappointing, but understandable. Well, that will be Professor Colbert just now." There was a knock at the door and Osmond called, "Come in, Jean."
Tanya turned her head to watch a balding man in classic wizard robes and carrying a staff enter the room. "Sorry I'm late, headmaster."
Agnes turned to see the newcomer and Tanya watched as a look of recognition came over the musketeer's face, followed by fury. Shit.
"You!" Agnes yelled, drawing her musket pistol and leveling it at the professor's head. A look of understanding passed over the man's own face, followed by resignation and acceptance.
"Stand down, soldier!" Tanya barked, training taking over as she moved to deal with the situation. "Holster that sidearm!"
Agnes flinched, the tone and sheer authority in the younger woman's voice bypassing her brain almost entirely and forcing her body to obey its training on instinct. She lowered the pistol, which Tanya snatched out of her hand.
"What were you thinking, drawing a weapon on a civilian?! You'd better have a good answer or I'll drag you outside and shoot you myself," Tanya dressed the musketeer down like a raw recruit who'd had the sheer fucking temerity to fuck up on her training field.
Agnes, finally realizing that Tanya didn't actually have any authority over her, glared at the younger woman. Instead of lashing out, however, she explained through gritted teeth, "This mage," she spat the word, "burned my village to the ground when I was a child."
Tanya considered the woman for a moment. "You're sure?"
It was Colbert who answered, however. "It's true. Hers was one of many villages we were ordered to destroy. That was what convinced me to leave. I've worked for headmaster Osmond ever since. I've lived with regret and shame over what I did all these years."
Agnes silently held out her hand for the pistol. Tanya shook her head. "Wait outside. I'll return it when we're ready to leave." Agnes looked like she wanted to protest, but Tanya cut her off. "You can't be in the same room with him. You'll only get in the way at the moment."
Agnes spun on her heel and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Tanya sighed, tucking the pistol away in her belt before sitting down in one of the chairs across the desk from Osmond. The professor reluctantly took the seat next to her. "I'm sorry."
Tanya waved him off. "War forces us to do what we have to, to get through it. I'm not the one you should apologize to, but I suspect an apology will never be good enough for Agnes. Instead, let us focus on more productive things. The princess sent us here for a reason. Several, really."
"Ah, yes. The runes. Ms. Degurechaff, if you would?" The headmaster asked.
Tanya allowed the incorrect address to slide for the moment. Tanya worked hard to achieve this rank and I'd be damned if it wasn't respected, but… There was a lot of leeway towards civilians where that was concerned. I wasn't hung up on it enough to make a big deal about it and possibly alienate a potential contact, especially given the lingering tension after Agnes' blowup. Someone who knew better, however? Right back to defending Tanya's fortified hill.
I pulled Tanya's gloves off and she held out her left hand. "Any insight would be appreciated."
Osmond stood up, moving swiftly around his desk so he could examine the runes more closely. "I've never seen them before. Jean?"
"Neither have I," the man confirmed. He fished around in one of the pockets of his robe and dug out paper and a pencil, before making a copy of the runes on Tanya's hand. "I'll have to do some research. It could take some time. I'm sure that in all the time since the Founder there must have been at least one human familiar. It's just a lot of material to look through."
"I understand," Tanya nodded. And I really did. Without the convenience of a search engine, a manual search could take months. Years even, given that there were six thousand years of history between now and the time of the Founder. "In that case, on to our next topic. The princess said you expressed some interest in my world?"
"Yes!" Colbert agreed. "Is it true that your people made self-propelled carriages?"
"That and more," Tanya agreed.
"Do you know anything about their inner workings?"
"Now Jean, don't go getting lost in the weeds on your pet project. Perhaps you could put that topic off for later? Ms. Degurechaff may enjoy a tour of your lab."
Tanya raised a eyebrow as I considered the headmaster's words. A 'lab' sounded intriguing, especially given that I had spent much of the past weeks going over everything I knew about modern weapons with a small selection of mages gathered at the princess's direction. They had muskets and cannons, even ships and airships with cannon mounted on them, but… they were the old cannons you think of when you think about the days of piracy and British imperialism. The idea of a self-contained cartridge and rifled barrels were novel to them and likely to advance warfare by decades. Just that would have been a huge leap in weapons technology, but we had been very busy…
But now that she paid attention, there was a scent in the air. A familiar scent that did not belong in this world of horse drawn carriages. Turning to Colbert and sniffing, Tanya asked, "Why do I smell petroleum fumes?"
Colbert blinked, before a smile crossed his face. "So you know what that is—"
The headmaster drew us on to another topic. "The princess's last letter mentioned an issue…?"
"Ah, yes," Tanya nodded. "This is to be kept in absolute confidence."
"Yes, of course," Osmond agreed, followed by Colbert.
"The princess cannot cast magic. Or rather, I should say she cannot cast normal spells. Every spell she has tried, from the shortest and simplest to the longest and most complex, has failed spectacularly. Explosively, in fact. She and I disagree on the utility of being able to produce concussive blasts of varying intensity on demand, and the princess asked me to see if you had any ideas."
The pair exchanged looks, before Colbert shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
The headmaster, however, leaned back in his seat with a hum. "I have a theory. It could be related to the princess summoning a human familiar. It seems we have much research to do."
"I see," Tanya nodded. "Very well. On to our next request, then. Who is your best second year mage?"
"Mm. That would be Tabitha the Snowstorm, Chevalier de Norfatul. A triangle mage of wind. She is tied with another for scores and practical exams, but Tabitha has proven herself in battle and through deeds, given her title of Chevalier."
"I should have specified. Your best Tristainian mage, sorry," Tanya clarified. She would certainly like to meet someone who had been knighted at that age, but in this case, she needed an actual citizen—not a foreigner. You don't assign foreigners to protect your country's second highest political figure. Not unless you actually want a conflict of interests.
"That would be Louis Francois le Blanc de la Valliere, the Squall. She summoned a manticore like her mother before her. She is also a triangle wind mage and I expect, like her mother Karin the Heavy Wind, she will grow into an outstanding square mage."
Tanya recognized the name. Not the full name, but this sounded like Henrietta's Louise. In which case, even better. She'll be extra motivated.
Reaching into her jacket pocket, Tanya produced a sealed envelope. "Under the authority of the princess, she is to accompany me back to the castle."
Osmond frowned as he opened and read the letter, orders from Henrietta. "Why do you need a young mage, let alone one who isn't fully trained?"
"I'm not at liberty to discuss it." It was precisely because she wasn't fully trained that Tanya wanted her. She and Agnes had spoken at length about the princess's security, especially with more news of the 'civil unrest' in Albion coming in. The royals there weren't doing well at all. After Tanya's little presentation, the princess had caved.
The Manticore, Griffon, and Dragon knights were all renowned and two of those three were directly responsible for the protection of the royal family, but… Tanya was not paranoid, just experienced enough to suspect that there was the possibility for corruption within the old, established power structure that was the three knight orders. Especially since those orders were all composed of nobility, all of whom had their own goals, and any of whom could have decided that maybe Reconquista had the right idea.
It was Tanya's opinion that Henrietta could use another mage her own age placed close to her. Someone the various knight orders wouldn't immediately see as a threat to their own jobs (Hah! Joke's on them! I'm forming a Praetorian Guard and replacing them at the first possible opportunity.Her Majesty's own intelligence agents, protection detail, and elite unit all rolled into one). Preferably someone of quite some talent. But most importantly, someone Tanya could train in her methods. Potentially even in her school of magic. Some comparing of notes with a few of the local mages determined that their schools of magic worked on entirely different principles.
Tanya had broken them down into Foundation Magic, after their religious Founder figure Brimir, and Calculative Magic, which was just 'magic' in her previous world but was name-on-tin accurate.
Tanya's magic ran entirely on calculating magic formulas—it was a scientific, mathematical approach to controlling the measurable exotic energy known as mana to produce the phenomena known as magic. Certainly, it could be done without the aid of a computation orb or a staff (rifle) as a focus, but using the orb was much easier and faster for more complex spells and a focus (such as many weapons in her world, as they had replaced staves and wands long ago) made casting more accurate at range.
Foundation Magic, on the other hand, was closer to what Tanya knew of fantasy magic. Chant the words, form the magic, point a magic focus, and spells happen. But given the way she had seen Henrietta casting… she suspected the incantations were a mnemonic device and it was actually all done with intense magical control. The problem here was that in the explanations she had gotten in her crash course of Foundation Magic, they used 'willpower' as fuel. Not just mana, but the emotional and mental state of the caster. It was… not too dissimilar to her own magic, from her understanding. After all, it took effort and will to calculate the formulas needed to do any of Tanya's magic, just what seemed like a different sort of focus. But she couldn't be certain without actually learning and comparing the two.
But just because the way they used magic was different didn't mean that mana itself behaved differently. All of Tanya's spells worked just fine here. Mana was just fuel. Gasoline to burn to run two very different machines—one of which was driven by a computer, the other by hand. And her school of magic could be taught. In fact, Tanya knew exactly what went into training up a new aerial mage and could teach it herself.
She had a spare Type-97 that could be used for that purpose, while Tanya herself could use the Type-95, even if she was loathe to do so. A bit of testing had shown that thankfully, it's most deleterious effects seemed to have been fixed—that is, she no longer involuntarily 'praised God' whenever she used it. Still, she was leery of it. It had been both boon and bane ever since she had been -cursed- gifted with it. The Type-95 had never let her down and was, on the whole, a superior tool/weapon to the Type-97. In fact, because of the way it worked with quad-core synchronization, having the ability to store or fix mana and use it like bullets in combat effectively removed the barrier of mana capacity and made quadruple output a reality.
In other words, the Type-95 allowed Tanya to store mana for later use. And since she kept it on her person all day, every day (even if she refused to use it, it was still on hand), she was constantly shunting at least a small amount of mana to it while allowing her mana to naturally recharge. If her recharge rate was 10 motes of mana per minute and Tanya wasn't doing anything that required mana, then that was 10 motes/minute she could send directly to the Type-95's battery. So when she actually needed it, it had the mana necessary to perform… miracles. Running it when nearly out of mana was an absolutely excruciating experience she had only made the mistake of doing once. On top of just plain being a better computation orb than literally any other orb ever made. It was not inaccurate to call it a next-next generation computation orb.
There was just one little problem.
"The Lord has made it so words of prayer shall flow from your lips, his voice shall be heard by your heart, and you shall believe in miracles." [vol.1, p.113.]
In other words, it was cursed. Before getting summoned, if I used the Type-95, Tanya would begin to babble in a religious fervor like some lunatic. I eventually overcame the worst of it, so that I wasn't constantly a raving loon every time I used the orb for simple things, but… it still slipped out when Tanya used too much mana. But that was before. Now, it was just another computation orb. A very over-specced orb, and technically what one could call a(n un)holy relic, but just a piece of equipment. There was no real reason not to use it anymore.
That didn't make me any less leery of it.
Tanya wanted to train Henrietta in the use of the Type-97 and Calculative Magic, but having a backup magic bodyguard who could do the same was just too useful to pass up. Which meant that I was going to have to have Tanya put on her big girl panties and use the compulsion orb sooner, rather than later.
Thus, this trip to conscript a single recruit for Tanya's boot camp. On top of every other reason she had come.
"Very well, if that is her majesty's command. Jean, please speak with Ms. Longueville and have her collect Ms. Valliere. Was there anything else the princess required?"
Recognizing the tone of a man who was nearing the end of his patience, Tanya shook her head. "No. That should be everything."
"Then allow this old man to dive into his books. There is much to do. Feel free to explore the academy a bit before you leave. Who knows, you may decide you want to return."
Seeing the dismissal for what it was, Tanya gave a formal thanks and excused herself, Colbert at her side. Agnes was nowhere in sight when she exited the office, but Tanya assumed she would be at the stable with the horses, most likely. Colbert led her to an office just to the side of the headmaster's and knocked.
Tanya raised an eyebrow as the man blushed when he stuck his head in. "Ah, Ms. Longueville. Headmaster Osmond would like you to hunt down Ms. Valliere and ask that she prepare herself for travel."
"What's going on?" Tanya heard a woman ask from inside the office.
"The princess requested her presence."
"Oh. Very well. I'll see to it."
With that, they left the top floor of the tower. "Colonel Degurechaff, would you knew to see my laboratory now?"
"Certainly. Then you can explain why you smell of petrol fumes," I agreed.
He took us down to an exit and left the tower, leading us out to a shed built up against the far wall. He opened the door I gaped at what I saw. "This is it," Professor Colbert waved his hand around the lab.
I followed him inside and he closed the door, the fumes burning my eyes and nose. Immediately, I turned and had to restrain myself from yelling. "Open the door! Unless you want us to suffocate. Or worse. The fumes are thick enough to ignite with a single spark. I would be fine, but you could die."
"Oh! My apologies," he said, then opened the fire back up. "So you know what this fluid is?" he asked, moving over to where he had some tubes, beakers, and burners set up.
"Yes. It's fuel in my world. Not properly formulated, I think, but close enough to burn. I'm not knowledgeable enough to say how accurate it is."
Moving over to the table and a glass box, he excitedly asked, "And this?"
Tanya studied it for a moment, shaking her head in disgust at the little snake covering a piston. "That is a simple internal combustion engine. Did you make all of this yourself?"
"I did! Tell me, Colonel Degrechaff, what do you think of the idea of men flying through the air? Not with magic but—"
"With a machine," I cut him off softly, and he nodded. Considering the man, I came to two conclusions immediately.
First: Professor Jean Colbert was this world's Leonardo DaVinci. The man was a certified genius if he could not only envision these things, but make up working prototypes.
Second: Professor Jean Colbert was a national asset. The man was too brilliant to let languish here in a school for magic. I was absolutely certain the princess would agree, the moment I could explain it to her.
Either way, Colbert was too valuable to let slip through our fingers, let alone potentially fall into enemy hands. I had to act now.
"Professor, requisition a wagon. Load all of this up. Your models, your notes, your personal effects. Everything you need to continue your work."
"What—?"
"Under the princess's authority, I am declaring you a national asset. For the interests of national security, you are to accompany me back to the palace, immediately."
"What's the meaning of this?!"
"I'll explain when we reach the palace," Tanya said, before leaving the lab and the fumes. "Until then, you are not to speak to anyone about this except the headmaster. In fact, let's go explain the situation to him now."
With that, Tanya spun on her heel and marched right back to the central tower, the professor following behind her. She went right up to Osmond's office (after waylaying Osmond's secretary on her return from informing Valliere of her orders, in order to ask her to get some staff to get a carriage and horses together and load up the professor's personal effects that could be safely loaded) and locked the door behind them, before throwing up a security formula to prevent eavesdropping.
Then, Tanya explained the situation to him—not in detail, but enough that the headmaster had no choice but to agree. Or at least agree to give Professor Colbert the choice at the moment, since I had no position of actual authority.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Degurechaff, but unless you have written orders signed and sealed by the princess herself, I can only ask the professor if he would like to go with you."
Tanya frowned, her hands fisting behind her back as she stood at attention. This fool doesn't realize just how important this is! And I can't spell it out. …I am beginning to miss my rank and the privileges that came with it.
"I can be back here within the hour with the princess, in person, if that's what it takes," she promised. Letting that one linger for a moment, she offered the carrot instead of the stick and turned to Colbert. "Professor, I can guarantee that you'll be given whatever resources you think you'll need to conduct your research. Facilities, equipment, aids, funds—all with little to no limit. It's that important. In fact, I'll help you myself. For instance, you seem to not have a grasp over proper lab safety and the dangers of working on potentially reactive substances alone. I can remedy that and make sure whatever facility we build is up to my standards."
Seriously, even a high school student knows you don't close yourself off in a room full of gas fumes! Proper ventilation is a must! And if working with those sorts of things, you typically have a lab partner or someone nearby to perform a rescue in the event of something going wrong. OSHA and similar bodies would have a shit fit over his clear lack of safety knowledge and procedures in place.
Colbert looked thoughtful. "You've seen things like this before."
Tanya sighed and nodded. Then, she spun up an illusion formula and projected it over the desk. She was losing an advantage in showing it off, but the potential gain was worth it.
Osmond and Colbert gaped in awe at what they saw as Tanya played out a selection of recordings captured by the Type-97, in addition to a few things from memory. Trains, cars, trucks, ships, planes, factories, memories of computers and even the moon launch/landing. "This, professor, is what you've started down the path towards. Internal combustion. Mass transit and transport of goods. Conquering land, sea, air, and even space. Automation and mass production. Electricity. Computers. The industrial and information ages."
Tanya froze the image on a squadron of fighters, taken from altitude as they escorted the 302nd. It was a beautiful picture. Blue sky around them. Tanya and her 302nd Aerial Mage Battalion in their formations. A fighter squadron above them in their own formation. The verdant land of the Empire spread out below them, individual farms, streams, and roads visible in the high fidelity 3D recording.
She could make out every one of their faces. The original 302nd. Tanya, her second in command Weiss, her adjutant Visha…
She wasn't homesick. No, absolutely not. She was incredibly grateful to be away from the war. But… they were still there. Still fighting, if their government hadn't given up. And Tanya was here. Away from Being X, but unable to aid the comrades who had been with her through thick and thin. It kept her up at night.
The door opened behind her and a girl's quiet voice exclaimed, "Oh!"
Tanya shut down the illusion, turning in her seat to see who had interrupted them. She froze as she saw a little slice of home for the first time in over a decade. Black hair. Dark blue eyes, with a familiar slant. Deliciously pale, creamy skin. Big beats. Wide hips.
Okay, so there were some noticeable differences. She was clearly only a quarter or less, but to see even that much Japanese blood, this far from home… It aroused her.
Curiosity! It aroused her curiosity!
"Siesta, dear. What was it you needed?" Osmond asked her, clearly recognizing her.
'Siesta?' Spanish name for a girl of Japanese descent? What is this blasphemy?! A beauty like this needs a fitting name, like Yuki or Sakura, perhaps Midori—!
"Um, that is, professor we've finished loading your belongings into the wagon. All that's left are your things from the shed."
Colbert sighed. "Thank you, Siesta. We'll be down in a bit."
The girl nodded, but hesitated at the door. "Yes?" Osmond prompted.
Siesta closed the door behind herself. "Why… was that the dragon's raiment?"
The two locals exchanged looks, Colbert of excitement, Osmond of a sudden revelation. Tanya, however, was not a local. So I asked questions. Bringing up the last image, I asked, "Could you show me?"
The girl, Siesta, moved closer and tapped one of the planes. Tanya felt something still in her chest. "You've seen this before?"
"Well, not exactly like this. It had different colors and looked a little different. There was a circle on the side—"
There was a ringing in Tanya's ears, like she had been too close to another artillery bombardment. I reached into the illusion and dumped a memory from my world into it.
Siesta lit up. "That's it! That's the dragon's raiment!"
That was a World War II era Japanese Zero fighter plane, pulled straight from my memories of visiting a museum as a child. How? How could a Zero end up in this world? Unless…
Slowly, ponderously, Tanya turned her head to regard the headmaster. "Headmaster Osmond. That is a relic of my world. Is there anything else like this that has come to this world?"
The old headmaster nodded. "I believe so. Tell me, have you heard of the Staff of Destruction?"
"No. But I imagine we know it by very different names. Can you show me?"
The headmaster considered for just a moment, before nodding. "Come. Let's go down to the vault. Siesta, that will be all—"
"Actually," I interrupted him. "She's going to have to come with me as well. She has information we need to act upon as soon as possible. And," Turning to Siesta, I asked, "What are your duties here in the castle?"
Siesta looked between Tanya and the headmaster before Osmond nodded. "Cleaning, laundry, cooking, seeing to nobles' needs, and other things."
"Are you literate?" Tanya asked, and the girl nodded. Turning to Osmond, I suppressed Tanya's grin. "Headmaster, I would like to buy out her contract and hire her for myself. I have need of a new adjutant and since she already has training…"
The headmaster sighed as he stood up. "Very well. I'll have Longueville arrange the paperwork."
They left the office, Osmond leaving Siesta with his secretary to get the paperwork done, before he led the three of them down to the vault. "I'm sure you can appreciate the need for discretion," Osmond murmured as he opened the magical door.
"Of course," Tanya agreed.
Osmond led her inside. Tanya looked around in curiosity, until her eyes landed on a tube. A very familiar piece of hardware indeed. "A panzerschreck?! What's that doing here?"
"Excuse me, a 'panzer bane'?"
"It's a weapon from my homeland. For destroying large vehicles," Tanya explained, moving closer. "May I?"
He nodded. She picked it up and studied it, frowning as she did. "Smaller than a panzerschreck," she murmured, turning it over to study its side, where faded writing in English! labeled it as an M-72 LAW. And the date of production… "Headmaster, where exactly did this come from? And when was it discovered?"
"Oh, some thirty years ago, I was saved from a dragon by a man who had two of these. He was gravely wounded and died soon after. The first Staff of Destruction appeared to have been spent, because it never worked again. This one, I've kept in storage ever since."
Thirty years? That was… roughly around the time of the Vietnam War. That lined up with the manufacture date of 1974, just before the end of the war. That would put things around the year 2000 in my original world, while the Salaryman had been pushed in front of a subway train in 2013. The numbers didn't quite add up.
But that could be because Being X threw me into an alternate world. Time travel of a sort was involved. So, there are a couple of explanations here. One: things are being summoned into this world from my old world or one like it somehow, by a natural phenomena. The worlds are somehow connected. Two: things and people from other worlds, plural, are being summoned/can be summoned here by magic.
Henrietta summoned me from the Empire, but this and the Zero are possibly from my first Earth, and closer to modern day than the Reich was. Which could imply no connection to any particular world or worlds but that this world just pulls things from lots of different places… or it could be that all three are linked. The problem with that assertion is that I'm the common factor between all three, and I don't like that. It smacks of Being X and his cronies. But if this was somehow his doing, why has that petty shit been silent so far?
Or what if there is an individual or group who can actively summon people and things from other worlds? Either Salaryman's world or Tanya's world, or others.
A thought occurred and Tanya blinked. What if I could summon things myself? I'm a mage. Why would I be excluded from the Familiar Summoning Ritual Henrietta used, when she herself can't perform normal magic? It seems like it should only take a chant and some mana expenditure. Could I use it to summon a familiar? To summon a human familiar? Perhaps… I crushed my hope before I could give mental voice to it. What if there were a way to modify the Familiar Summoning Ritual to instead summon objects? Materiel? Summon an entire box of Type-97 Computation Orbs, for instance. Definitely something to look into—
Tanya was pulled from her ruminations and worries as Osmond cleared his throat and sent her a dry look. "I suppose you'll want to take this with you as well?"
Putting aside the mystery for another day, Tanya nodded and sent the man a smile. "Haha. Yes. I'm afraid so. By itself, the rocket launcher is a very dangerous weapon, but good for only a single shot. But if I safely disarm it and remove its ammunition? Allow Henrietta's mages to study it? It can provide a huge leap forward."
To Tanya's amazement, in the two weeks she had been studying reports, intelligence coming in from everywhere, maps, and more the mages Henrietta had assigned to (carefully) study her weapons and ammunition had been successful. Resoundingly so. They had managed, with a bit of explanation from Tanya on what basics she knew of making smokeless powder (which was surprisingly much, as it was something taught in the Empire's history lessons), to entirely reproduce her ammunition—which was the most important part of the firearm. Reproducing the guns themselves was easy by comparison, with some substitutes for metal frames because they wanted a few test models made quickly and didn't want to carve the wood. For not yet having mass production, they were very quick. Tanya aimed to speed that up…
From her bullets and guns, and descriptions from Tanya, those mages had already constructed test models of cannons to mount on ships. With some videos and explanation from Tanya, along with studying the action of the SMG, they already had a working belt-fed machine gun. At this point, they were running into the limits of just how much volume a few earth and fire mages with some chemistry/alchemy knowledge could produce in a small time frame.
With a rocket? The very thought of what could be produced made Tanya quiver in excitement. Small rockets like this one, larger rockets to launch from ships, magically guided missiles…
It's a good day to be me, I decided.
But those were normal mages, low born, formerly commoner people Henrietta had hired to reverse engineer a finished product. Ninety-nine percent of the work was already done for them. Professor Jean Colbert? The man had figured out a basic petroleum refining process and combustion engine on his own, with no outside help. Tanya really wanted to get these two groups together and see what they could come up with. Especially if she could squeeze the location of a Japanese Zero out of the little treat that was her new adjutant-to-be.
I should put her through basic training. Test her for magic capacity, too. If she can use it, that's wunderbar. If not, she'll at least be able to handle herself if a situation were to arise.
Tanya collected the LAW, disarmed it and pocketed its ammunition, and wrapped the tube in a cloth provided by a maid before they left. She collected her new maid Siesta and they went downstairs, minus the headmaster. Colbert carefully put away his lab things into the wagon arranged for him using a levitation spell, then they made their way to the stables at the gates, where Tanya found an annoyed Agnes waiting, along when a strawberry blonde riding a large winged beast—the body and head of a lion, with the wings of an eagle, and the tail of a scorpion.
Agnes frowned upon spotting Tanya, but her frown deepened into a scowl when she saw Colbert was with them. "You're late. What's he doing here?"
Tanya mounted her horse as Agnes handed her the reins, then mounted her own. "He's coming with us."
"I'll kill him—"
"And get yourself summarily executed. I understand your hate. I do. But this is bigger than you, me, and him. As of right now, Professor Jean Colbert is the single most important, single most valuable man in this kingdom—if not the world. With one man, we could see literally hundreds of years of scientific advancement within our lifetimes. We could see Tristan rise into a world power inside of two decades. We need him, Agnes. The kingdom needs him more than it needs you, or me, or the queen, or Henrietta."
Agnes had gone silent and I sent the woman a piercing look. "I know it's asking a lot. What seems like an unreasonable amount, really. But please bear with it. I'll make sure he's put somewhere you won't have to intact with him by chance often."
"I won't have anything to do with him."
"You'll do your duty, as ordered. If those orders are to guard his life with your own…"
Agnes glared mightily and ground hey teeth. "Then I'll do my duty and nothing more."
"Good enough," Tanya sighed and pulled on her hat. Turning around in her seat, she called, "Let's get moving. Agnes, please take up a rearguard position." She turned to the almost pink haired girl riding the… manticore, Osmond had called it. "You're Louise?"
Louise bowed at the waist from her much larger mount. "Louise Francois le Blanc de la Valliere. My runic name is the Squall. What's this about?"
"You are friends with princess Henrietta, are you not?"
Louise blushed beet red. Very… stiffly she confirmed, "We were childhood playmates."
Bashful about her relationship with the princess? Given Henrietta's… proclivities, and the fact that she seems to have developed them early on and may or may not have experimented with Louise, it's understandable.
Nobles, politicians, royals, the wealthy… they were all known for being particularly, shall we say, sexually adventurous. More willing to turn to the taboo of whatever time, simply because they have power and opportunity. Henrietta was apparently no exception in her degeneracy, though at least she was not as debauched as some.
Honestly, by Imperial standards, the princess enjoying the company of women was nothing to bat an eye at. Something to keep behind closed doors certainly, but the Empire was fairly open minded about same sex relations (the government, not the church, which held opposing views). By modern Japanese standards, she was tame. In my opinion, all relationships were something to keep behind closed doors, though. Public displays of affection that went beyond a hug or a quick peck were just plain boorish. I wasn't quite to the point of 'normies should all explode,' but that didn't mean I wanted to see people groping or making out on the street, regardless of who they were doing it with.
Of course, by the standards of the times… well, that depended on who you asked and the context.
For a noble or royal? As long as they had an heir, it was a minor scandal at best if they were already married and caught out. Men were almost expected to have a mistress on the side. Women, less so, but a female lover as better than a male lover, just for the question of line continuity. If they were unwed, it was a 'youthful indiscretion.'
For a peasant? Absolutely verboten. Peasants were supposed to get married, have children, and pay their taxes to the local lord. Homosexuality among the peasants would mean men and women who didn't breed, who had fewer workers for their small farms because they didn't have children. People who would die out and become lost revenue and taxes after a single generation! The nobles couldn't have that.
Hooray for double standards!
That was, of course, according to most of the peasantry. Things I had picked up, moving around the city of Tristain and listening to people talk, gathering information from ground level. Those feelings were not shared by everyone, and not to the same degree. And most especially, not by the Church.
Once again, it seems that I am doomed to butt heads with religious figures. Be they gods, or in this case, priests and the particularly faithful. The Church of Brimir very much frowned upon any relationship destined to be 'fruitless.' Fruitless relationships meant no children, meant no warriors to fight to reclaim the holy land in their jihad against the elves. The only thing that would displease them more is if you were shacking up with an actual elf. That would likely get one burned at the stake.
This is going to be a problem when the princess comes out and acknowledges me as her familiar, and people start to ask questions and point things out.
"I am Magic Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff, formerly of the German Imperial Army. Also known as the Devil of the Rhine, the White Silver, and the Rusted Silver," they liked their 'runic names,' some of which basically just sounded like chuuni titles. Hah! Tanya had actual titles to her name, earned over her career. I didn't use them often, mostly just with those that insisted on bringing their own up. "Henrietta performed her summoning ritual and got me as her familiar."
A frown came over Louise's face and the strawberry blonde eyed her suspiciously. "You're Germanian?"
"No. German. I'm not from this world. I'm sure there are some parallels, but not enough to matter. Is that a problem?"
Louise considered a moment before shaking her head. "No, I suppose not. You're really Hen—the princess's familiar?"
"Yes, but don't spread it around. We're keeping a lid on it for the time being. As for why you were selected, Agnes and I agreed that we wanted another mage around the princess's age to act as her personal bodyguard. Just in case I'm needed elsewhere, she'll still have magical support. Someone who can blend in. Act in the role as the princess's 'handmaiden.' Outside the command structure of the various knight orders."
"But the royal guard? Her musketeers? What of them?"
Tanya's grin was predatory and she quickly smothered it. "We're forming a new, experimental unit. New training. New tools. New magic."
"I see…" Louise murmured. "I'll need to inform my mother of why I'm being pulled out of school."
"That's fine. We can fly out tomorrow for that. Henrietta will be hiring a tutor to continue your formal education, outside of my training."
"Your training?" Louise echoed, and Tanya thought the saw the girl twitch. "What do you mean?"
"I'm in charge of the new squad. I'll be training everyone. You're the first of hopefully many."
Louise frowned at that. "I don't like it. The knightly orders were formed for a reason. To undermine them… it goes against tradition."
"You don't have to like it, you just have to follow orders," Tanya countered. "And those orders come from Henrietta."
"Very well. I suppose they do, at that. However, you're mistaken on one key detail."
"And that is?"
"The. Princess," Louise ground out, anger clear in her voice even as she kept her tone level. Tanya raised an eyebrow. "You're too informal. She should be addressed by her titles, either as 'princess' or 'her majesty.'"
Tanya chuckled at that. "Yes, well, you tell her that."
"I'm telling you that. It's disrespectful. You are the princess's familiar. Just as you are effectively her voice where she cannot be, at least to any noble who grasps the situation, because of how close to her you are, your actions reflect directly on her. Showing her blatant disrespect in the form of addressing her on a personal level shows that others can get away with such disrespect. That cannot be allowed."
"Henrietta herself," Louise twitched again, "has asked, and outright ordered me, to address her as 'Henrietta.' You are the princess's best friend and confidante. Someone whom, if I am not mistaken, was given those same orders. Therefore, between the two of us, it doesn't breach protocol. I assure you, I understand the intricacies of rank and addressing or referring to a superior officer in mixed company. Do not presume to question my judgment on the matter."
"It's disrespectful even then. You are an out-worlder, someone who isn't even from this land let alone this country. Your judgment is questionable until proven otherwise."
"How old are you again?"
"Sixteen, though I don't see what that has to do with anything."
Tanya nodded. "And you've been in school a year?"
"Yes…"
"But you've had training for much of your life."
"Correct," Louise agreed. "Where are you going with this?"
"I entered the Imperial military at the age of nine. I was trained as a soldier, then later entered officer school and trained as an officer. I have eight years of training and combat experience in an active war the likes of which this world has never even dreamed of. Before I was summoned, I was the most decorated officer and aerial mage not just in the Empire, but in the world. I proved my judgment with blood, sweat, tears, and the lives of enemies and comrades alike. But if I have to carve respect for my experience and judgment into your skull with my bayonet, I will happily do so."
Louise shook her head. "I don't disrespect you, Ms. Degurechaff." Tanya's jaw flexed at the lack of her rank, but she kept quiet. "It's a matter of knowing the customs of Tristain. I know how the princess can be, better than anyone. I understand that it's important to her, to be seen as 'Henrietta' and not just 'the princess' by those closest to her, and I agree. But this is a matter of public decorum. The road may look empty at the moment, aside from the four of us, but that doesn't mean it is. A wind mage like myself can use spells to carry sounds to them from miles away under the right conditions. Mother's philosophy on it was to always assume that when in public, you are being observed—that someone is always listening. And if someone were to hear of your addressing the princess in a familiar manner to other people, it would affect their dealings with both yourself and her highness. The other nobles will see it as weakness. As such, the only appropriate time to address the princess by anything other than her rank and title is behind closed doors."
Tanya looked up at the girl, riding tall on her large mount. I considered her words for a moment and nodded. It made sense, and it was what Tanya would have done, if not for just how insistent Henrietta was on using her name. It's something I'll have to juggle in the future.
"We'll stop for a break at the halfway point. You and I will talk more then. Until then, take up an overwatch position. Circle back and forth ahead and behind us and alert me to any trouble. I'm going to range ahead on the road a bit," I called, then kicked my horse into a gallop. The beating of massive wings heralded Louise taking to the air on her manticore.
She's stubborn, but loyal. Willing to stand up to someone she views as having authority over her, if not doing so would cause problems. Good judgment without going overboard or overreacting. I can work with this.