Tanya understood the word 'portal' but she didn't truly register the word in her head until she experience entering the portal itself. It took only one step for her to be in a completely different area. She could only imagine how valuable this magic was in her previous world. Be it transportation or espionage, this type of power could shift the balance of the war in her old world... not that it really matters anymore to her.
She walked into the portal to behold herself the palatial sight of the interior architecture of the building. The Argent was half-expecting that the Magic Knight HQ to be akin to Imperial Strategic HQ but, never did she ever think that this place would be so... grandiose.
"Finral, follow me." Yami ordered his subordinate before turning his attention to Charlotte, "I'll go inform Julius-danna about the situation. So in the meantime, keep an eye on the brat."
"Sure," Charlotte replied.
Leaving Tanya under Charlotte and Sol's care, the two men then left without any worries. Personally, Yami felt sort of relieved as if he was free of a burden that had been weighing him down. Now that he had dumped a rather annoying kid to them, he won't have to deal with Tanya ever again.
Now that those two had left, Tanya now have to wait to receive an audience from the Wizard King before actually meeting him. Recalling what Yami said to her that Julius wanted to talk to her, she can only mentally prepare herself and predict what kind of questions will be thrown at her. Ironically, this felt more like a job interview for her in a way.
Anyway, since she will be meeting the Wizard King himself soon, it won't hurt to know more about him beforehand. Tanya then glanced at the Captain of the Blue Rose. "Excuse me, may I ask you something Charlotte-dono?"
"No need for formalities, Charlotte is fine," said Charlotte as she made eye contact with Tanya. "So, what is it?"
Tanya cleared her throat before proceeding to ask, "If you say so, Charlotte. So, since I'll be seeing the Wizard King soon, perhaps there is something I should be aware of?"
"I don't think you really have to worry about anything." she blandly replied.
She groaned internally, that kind of reply didn't provide her with any useful information at all. Perhaps she should express her intention more clearly. She coughed, "Ahem, is that so, well in that case, may I hear your opinion on what kind of person the current Wizard King is? It doesn't sit well with me if I were to go in blind. I should at least know what kind of person he is."
Hearing Tanya's concern, Charlotte placed her finger on her lips, pondering for a brief moment. "Hmm, to be honest, I don't think I know him at a personal level to form an accurate assessment of him but I can mention the facts to you. Julius-sama is the most powerful Magic Knight in this kingdom, hence the reason why he was given the title of Wizard King. Personally, he is one of the few men that I acknowledge."
Hold on, he was given the title of Wizard King?It's not passed down through lineage? Tanya kept that thought to herself.
"Oh, I almost forgot to mention this but... he's a total magic nerd. His curiosity has no limit, childlike if I have to say."
Tanya blinked after hearing that statement, "Magic nerd?"
Charlotte was slightly ashamed when Tanya repeated those words but still nodded at her as a sign of confirmation. For Tanya however, that nod of hers formed a smirk on the little girl's face as she was pleased to hear this kind of information. If he's truly a magic nerd like Charlotte said, then perhaps her knowledge about magic from her old world can be some sort of leverage to strike a deal with him.
It then dawned on her. The Argent then grasp the Type 95 that was hanging on her neck and remembered Being X's word.
'Child, do not let the key fall into their hand.Otherwise, it would spark the damnation for this world.'
In an instant, her mood turned sour.What in the world am I protecting this thing from? Also, if you want me to protect this cursed shit, you should've at least given me Type 97 as well.The annoyed Tanya vented internally. Her only means of using magic in this world now was Type 95 or she would like to call, the cursed orb. Well... not exactly, she's fairly capable of using magic passively without computation orb, but her fighting capability will drastically drop.
Nevertheless, for her to heavily rely on Type 95, the mere thought of it rubbed her up the wrong way. Because whenever Tanya used that cursed orb, some sort of mental corruption would be applied on her, causing her to forget whatever happened to her and sometimes lose control of herself. Regardless, she doesn't really mind losing a piece of her memory if she's in a desperate situation. Though, losing control of herself however is too risky of a gamble. The capability of making rational decisions is vital in a battle, therefore if she loses herself, it may spell her own damnation.
Deep inside her heart, she just wished to snap the Type 95 into two just to piss off Being X.
Sol who noticed Tanya's changing mood patted her shoulder, "Hey Tanya, are you okay? You're frowning really hard there."
As if she was snapped to reality, Tanya turned her face towards Sol who seemed genuinely worried about Tanya.
"Pay no heed about it. Just recalling some unpleasant memories." Tanya shrugged off Sol's concern by assuring her that she was fine.
"Unpleasant memories? What do you mean-"
Before Sol could even finish her sentence, sounds of footsteps can be heard across the hall. When they turned their attention to the source of the sound, a group of men in robes can be seen walking towards them, led by a young man with bluish bowl-cut hair.
The group eventually halted in front of Charlotte and gave her a slight bow. The young man who seemed to be the leader of the group then spoke up, "Greetings, Roselei-sama. On behalf of the Wizard King, I would like to express His Highness's gratitude for your service."
"No need for that Marx. I didn't do much in the end." Charlotte shrugged off his remarks.
"If you say so. I'm only here to convey the Wizard King's gratitude and escort..." Marx then gazed at Tanya who was standing beside Charlotte. "I assume the little girl here is Tanya von Degurechaff?"
"Indeed she is."
"Understood. Captain of the Blue Rose, you are now dismissed and may return to your base. As for you, Degurechaff-san, please follow us. We shall bring you to the Wizard King."
Before Tanya can even reply, Charlotte interjected, "Halt."
"Is there something wrong, Roselei-sama?"
"Allow me to accompany her too."
Due to Charlotte's unexpected demand, Marx looked at his fellow robed mages who seemed equally flustered as he was. "Forgive me Roselei-sama, but Julius-sama wishes to speak to Degurechaff-san only. I'm afraid you cannot participate in this talk." Marx informed the noblewoman with a strained face.
Charlotte frowned at his statement. She cannot go against the Wizard King's words but if she objects a little, surely she can squeeze herself in the talk between Julius and Tanya. Besides, she's worried about Tanya. Charlotte knew that despite Marx claiming it to be a 'talk' but it's nothing more than an interrogation. She couldn't allow the pitiful little girl to be put under pressure with no one to rely on during the interrogation. Besides, she swore an oath to protect the little Tanya under her supervision and she fully intends to carry it out.
As Charlotte was about to raise an objection, she suddenly felt a tug on her cloth. She looked beside her, only to see Tanya shaking her head in disapproval as if the child had already seen through her intent.
"Charlotte, I think you should leave with Sol now. I appreciate your intention but it is fine."
Like a worried mother, Charlotte asked her, "Are you sure?"
Wanting to ease her concern, Tanya nodded in assurance. "I can take care of myself."
As she said that, Tanya's face was suddenly grabbed by Sol and before she knew it, her face was an inch away from Sol's. The tanned girl then said, "Listen, if those men made you cry or whatever, come to us, kay. Doesn't matter if it's the Wizard King himself, we'll teach them a lesson. Right, Nee-san?"
Sol nonchalantly saying that made Charlotte chuckle while Tanya on the other hand struggled to escape from Sol's grip. "Alright! Alright! I will so let go of me already." She demanded.
"Oh- Sorry bout that."
Not noticing the uncomfortable state Tanya's in, Sol released her grip. Consequently, Tanya took two steps backward from her as a precautionary measure. Who knows if this woman who had no respect for Tanya's personal space were to bear hug her to death again. Just then, Sol with her grinning smile spread her arms. A loud siren rang inside Tanya's head. A red flag, definitely a red flag.
"M-Marx-dono, shall we go now? I'm sure the Wizard King is waiting right now so let's not waste any more time." the flustered Tanya suggested to Marx.
He noticed the obvious pleading gaze from the little girl who seemed to wish to be anywhere except here. Deciding to play along, he coughed, "Ah yes, we're running out of time so it is wise for us to go now, otherwise we'll be late."
Tanya shrugged at Sol who was about to launch herself towards Tanya. "You heard him, Sol. Gotta bounce now, so don't even try it."
Disappointed, Sol's wide grin immediately disappear and her head dropped. Charlotte patted Sol's back in amusement. "We hear you, Tanya, take care. If you ever need something, pay a visit to the Blue Rose Headquater."
Hearing that, Tanya grinned widely only to be quickly suppressed afterward. She shouldn't make her excitement that obvious. Nevertheless, she could not lie that things were going swimmingly for her in this new world, gaining a connection with a noblewoman who seemed to hold a high position in the social hierarchy, what a lucky stroke for her. Now, she had reliable acquaintances to turn to if she ever needed a favor. It would be unwise for her to not use such an opportunity.
"I'll keep that in mind," Tanya replied with her most genuine smile.
The two women then waved goodbye to Tanya before turning their backs on her and walked away. With them gone, Marx finally decided to guide Tanya to the Wizard King along with his fellow robed mages escorting her.
As they walked through this place, she once again marveled at the wealth she saw. If she didn't know that this place was the Magic Knight Headquarter, she can definitely mistake this opulent place for the palace. However, for a military headquarter, this place is too fancy for her own liking. Tanya wondered if their budget is being spent wisely. Well, she can inquire this bowl-cut fellow, Marx on the subject but decided not to. It's not her placeto be poking around on how they managed stuff.
After a short walk, they finally arrive...
"We're here," Marx informed Tanya.
In front of her was a masterfully carved wooden door compared to the other doors that she passed by. There's no doubt that behind that door is the room forthe top of a chain of command in this organization.
Marx ordered those robed mages to stay outside the room to which they obediently complied. The young man then announced his presence along with Tanya to whoever was behind that door. Shortly afterward, they received permission to come in. Acknowledging the permission, Marx pushed the door open, the first thing that managed to catch Tanya's eyes was the short blond-haired man sitting behind the desk. Based on his clothing and the presence he's emitting alone, there's no doubt that this man is the Wizard King.
Marx gave the man behind the desk a slight yet respectful bow. "I've brought her here as you ordered."
"I appreciate it, Marx." The Wizard King expressed his gratitude to Marx before changing his attention to Tanya. "Greetings, I'm Julius Novachoronos, I assume you are Tanya von Degurechaff?"
He knows my name? Oh yea right, that Yami guy must've told him, duh. Tanya quickly quashed her own query and proceed to gave him a bow, mirroring Marx's posture. "Yes, you're indeed correct, Your Majesty. I am Tanya von Degurechaff."
Suddenly, Tanya can sense the air got heavy as Marx shot a glare at her as if she had done something terrible. Before Marx can even lash out to her, the Wizard King raised his hand, stopping Marx from doing so. Clueless as to what she did wrong, Tanya decided to speak up.
"Your Majesty, did I say something wrong that warranted Sir Marx's wrath?"
Her saying that might be seen as rude, but it's better to be straight and point out her mistake so that she would not repeat it in the future.
"Hmm," With his fingers locked together, Julius stared at Tanya, obviously contemplating his next words.
"You're really are not from here, are you."
"Pardon?"
With a soft smile on his face, Julius informed Tanya, "If you don't want to be charged with attempted usurpation of the royal family or to be politically involved with the royals, I suggest you drop the,'Your Majesty' honorific."
The Argent shuddered. That was not a simple statement that he uttered, it was a warning. Despite Julius's friendly tone-like voice, Tanya knew that he was serious with that threat of his. Only fools would think that was a bad joke and not notice the dreadful meaning behind his words.Before even racking her brain on what kind of mistake she had done, apologizing was the first thing that came to her mind.
"Forgive me, Your-"
Wait, what should she address him as if she couldn't use Your Majesty. Hold on, doesn't that mean the Wizard King isn't the ruler of this kingdom? Is there's exist a higher position than the Wizard King? First of all, what kind of position does the Wizard King fall into-
"Calm down Tanya. You seemed a little bit disarray there."
"Ah-"
"Ahahaha, looks like you really are an outsider." Julius laughed, seemingly amused at the sight of Tanya. "To make it easier for you, just call me Julius."
"Your Highness! You must retain-"
Julius yet again raised his hand, stopping Marx's interruption. Marx eventually caved into Julius's nonchalant attitude as usual.
"As I said before, call me Julius."
"Umm, as you wish, Ju-" Tanya once again saw Marx shooting a glare at her, he probably had a problem with how she's addressing the Wizard King so casually. For Marx's sake, perhaps she should address Julius with honorifics after all.
"Julius-sama?" She said with an unsure face with her gaze locked at Marx to which the blue-haired bowl cut man gave her a nodding of approval.
Noticing the gaze, Julius looked at his advisor, "Jeez, Marx. Why can't you be more flexible once in a while?"
"That's because you're too flexible most of the time, Julius-sama. To the point where I had to take care of most of your work when you were absent without notice." Marx sternly said.
Julius chortled out of guilt before clasping his hand together to change the topic. "Anyway, back to our track, please have a seat, Tanya." He then stood up and moved towards the couch to change seat. The blond-haired man then threw a glance at Marx, "Would you please bring in some refreshments? This conversation might take a while after all."
"As you wish," his loyal subordinate responded before leaving the room.
As if that was Tanya's cue, with Julius's permission, she sat down on the opposite side of the couch where Julius was sitting with only a table separating the two of them. While waiting for refreshments, the two did not exchange a word. Tanya however, was busy racking up her brain, coming up with possible scenarios that will take place soon. She had little doubt that the man in front of her was thinking the exact same thing as her.
During her short interaction with Julius earlier, it was clear that his statement earlier was to exude that he's in charge here. To think a minor slip up from her opened a gap for him to exploit, what a frightening man - no, it's her fault to slip up in the first place. The Argent cursed internally. What's done is done, there's no need to regret it. In order to avoid such a blunder happening again, she must double her caution against Julius.
First of all, the ruling class. It appeared that Tanya had carelessly assumed that the person who holds the title of the Wizard King is the ruler of this kingdom.Reflecting on her mistake earlier, it had been proven that's not the case.
Still... it's not entirely her fault! Who in the world was stupid enough to grant a title of a king to someone who isn't the ruler?! Isn't that a direct challenge to the throne?!
The little girl only shook her head before getting things straight in her head. She must learn the social hierarchy in order to fit in with this new society.
"Excuse me, Julius-sama. May I ask a rather ignorant question."
The Wizard King perked up as Tanya decided to break the ice. "Sure, ask me anything."
Please don't berate me for this, I don't want to worsen my first image anymore. She took a breath before proceeding, "What exactly is a Wizard King?"
Julius blinked at her query before chuckling. With a little bit of exaggeration, he placed his hand on his chin began to 'hmm' loudly in front of Tanya. "Never would I've thought of telling someone what is a Wizard King. But since you're an outsider, I guess you have never heard of it."
Tanya sighed a huge relief internally. At the very least the man in front of him was a rather comprehensive person, unlike a certain bulky meathead she met earlier.
With his hand dropped, Julius started explaining to Tanya about the Wizard King's role. As the Kingdom's most powerful Magic Knight, his roles are to protect the Clover Kingdom and its people, maintain order in the Magic Knight Order, and even handle internal and external affairs of the kingdom. While Julius was telling all of this, Tanya was obediently listening to his little talk. She even managed to chime in a question about the ruling class in this kingdom.
Hearing that question, Julius was a bit hesitant to speak up. Nonetheless, seeing as his strict advisor wasn't around, he leaned in towards Tanya, urging her to lend him an ear. Not having much of a choice, she complied and Julius began to whisper to her.
Apparently, there IS a king, it's just there's an unspoken rule that pretty much everyone here acknowledges. The Wizard King and the King of the Clover Kingdom's authority were equal during the kingdom's wartime period and the status between them remained the same even after the war had ended.
Julius told her that it's was a rather complicated topic and he didn't want to dive into the details, to which Tanya nodded in acknowledgment. She can't blame him if he didn't want to go into specifics, in his shoes, wrong words uttered by him can be taken as treason against the throne. This doesn't only apply to him, it also applies to her.
Therefore, when she accidentally called Julius 'Your Majesty', it could've been seen as her inciting the Wizard King to challenge the throne. Thus, explains Julius's reaction when he said that Tanya can be charged for attempted usurpation of the royal family. She noted to herself that it's not worthwhile to dig deeper into this sensitive topic, at least for now.
As such, to make it simpler for her own reference in the future, Julius was akin to a Prime Minister who handle the government's issues while the King was simply a figurehead of the Kingdom. Tanya smirked internally, if she play her cards right, not only can she gain a connection with Julius, perhaps she can even land herself a stable job. That way, her life in this new world will be secured. She stifled a snigger at the mere thought of it.
Right then, a creaking sound can be heard as the door slowly opened. It was Marx and he had brought some refreshments as per Julius's wish.
"I hope you don't mind having a tea," said Julius.
I prefer coffee though.Now that I think about it, does coffee exist in the medieval era? When exactly does coffee was introduced?A bunchof thoughts about her favorite drink suddenly occupied her mind. Oh well, it's not like she can be picky about it. Tea is fine in its own right.
Tanya gave him a polite smile, "Of course, Julius-sama."
When Marx finished pouring the tea into her cup, a sudden thought ran through her mind,
Poison.
Maybe not even poison, perhaps some sort of drug could have been mixed in her drink in order for them to have a smooth interrogation. Tanya cannot rule out such a scenario.
Receiving her cup, she stared at the tea with slight suspicion. As much as she hates being too paranoia, it's better to stay safe than sorry. Tanya sipped the tea while simultaneously casting a detoxification spell in her mouth in order to not make it look obvious that she did something to her tea.
On the downside though, the spell that Tanya cast had filtered everything in the tea. Thus, all that she drank, in the end, was filtered water. Oh, how she missed the taste of coffee that Serebryakov brewed for her.
"How is the tea?" Julius suddenly asked her.
It... doesn't seem that he notices the spell. Tanya thought to herself, slightly relieved. Still, it's rather unsettling. Tanya was expecting for someone mighty enough to be called the strongest Magic Knight in the Kingdom to at least notice the slightest disturbance in mana caused by her. His lack of awareness in mana seemed suspicious, it's as if he was acting he didn't notice. Then again, she may be overreacting. Plus, her magic and this world's magic probably works differently which was a rather plausible reason.
She then responded, "I'm no connoisseur but even I can tell this is a fine tea." Tanya lied with a straight face. After all, she's drinking bland purified water.
"I'm glad you like it," said Julius as he sipped his own tea before putting down his cup on the table. "Well then, let's get straight point shall we?" His facial expression stiffen and his tone got deeper. "Who are you, and where are you from?"
Here it comes, she already knew that kind of question was coming. Tanya knew lying won't get her far as she lacks information about the geography around this nation to even fake her origin. Her only option was telling the truth. Placing her drink on the table as well, she straighten up her posture and gazed straight into Julius's eyes.
"Imperial Commander of the Salamander Kampfgruppe, Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff. I'm originated from the Empire."
"I've never heard a place called 'Empire' before..."
"Of course, Your Highness couldn't have possibly heard about that place, it's because the place itself doesn't exist here."
"Insolent! You dare-" Marx who raised his voice was quickly cut short by Julius who simply shook his head, signaling Marx to stand down. The advisor simply clicked his tongue and complied. Now that the interruption had been dealt with, Julius gestured his hand to urge Tanya to continue, to which Tanya simply obliged.
"As I was saying, the place itself doesn't exist here. It's because I'm from another world."
Silence ensued. While Marx was clearly restraining himself from lashing out to her like earlier, Julius had little reaction. He simply lowered his gaze to the side with his hand rubbing his chin, probably pondering about Tanya's claim. Tanya had expected a little more reaction out of him, but for him to be this composed after she dropped such an outlandish statement, he won Tanya's admiration.
"If you claim to be from another world, then may I ask what your world was like?" Julius asked.
The Argent was already prepared to be called a liar or sort, but for him to simply delve deeper into her story without a doubt... No, he's probably didn't believe her fully just yet and wanted Tanya to finish up her story first before coming to a conclusion because that would be something she would do.
Without further ado, she began describing her harsh world to Julius. The nation that she was born into was named Empire, a nation that was in a state of turmoil where the country was gripped with the madness that precedes war. And at the age of nine, she was conscripted into the military due to her high mana aptitude. For years she fought for her nation, killed her enemies for her own survival, witnessed her comrades fall in front of her eyes. That kind of experience can shatter even the most strong-willed soldier. However, Tanya didn't break in order to achieve her peace.
Reluctant, Julius asked her, "What happened in the end?"
"We lost," she stated with a sardonic smile as she sipped her tea while surreptitiously casting her detoxification spell again. She took a glance at the two men in front of her with their doubtful gazes. That was to be expected from them. To convince them, perhaps visual proof can speak louder than her words.
Finishing her drink, she put down the cup and even placed her computation orb on the table. It then displayed a holographic video recording of one of the many battlefields that she fought at in her old world. A wasteland with piles of bodies lying all over the place, the Rhine Front. Witnessing such a scene, Marx couldn't hide his nauseous.
"Forgive me if I had forced you to open up such painful memories."
With a calculated solemn expression, Tanya shook her head. "It is fine, Your Highness."
Tanya glanced at them who looked rather sorry for her circumstances. In her mind, however, she was smirking widely.Persuasion through emotions. One of the oldest tricks in the book but always tends to work. She thought to herself.Besides, her appearance had only made it easier for her to gain their sympathy. One of Tanya's rare occurrences where she's glad to have a childlike figure.
"If you don't mind, can you tell me how did you wind up here?"
Here it is, the question that even she's not sure how to answer. In the end, she came clean and laid out the detail of her brief encounter with an unknown creature that she can only describe as a devil. Tanya inquired Julius and Marx if there's such a creature that's similar to her description in this world. To her disappointment, there's no such creature that came to their mind as far as they know of.
Carrying on with her story, Tanya mentioned that a magic circle appeared below her during her short fight with the demonic creature, and before she knew it, she found herself in this world. Tanya intentionally left out the detail of Being X since she was concerned about their reaction if she were to mention that 'god' was somehow involved with this whole shebang. She didn't want to make herself an enemy of the religious group in this world.
"Tanya, have you told us everything that we had asked?" Julius questioned her.
"I think I've provided all the necessary details to you, Julius-sama."
"Then, surely you don't mind if we read your memory, right?"
"Sure- Wait, what?"
"Yup, Marx's magic attribute is memory magic. So, he can read your memory, y'know, to make sure your accounts are accurate."
Tanya's eye twitched.
She didn't foresee this kind of scenario coming. What if it's a bluff? No, no, no, no, they had no reason to do so, which means, this is bad! It's not even about the fact she hide the existence of Being X from them, rather Tanya was even more worried about the actions that she had done throughout the war will be found out!
Sure, her actions technically were not wrong but it's still a questionable measure and borderline war crime. Yes, even she had to admit that herself no matter how much she tried to rationalize it. Not everyone viewed something the same way as she did after all. Nonetheless, it was a necessary measure! Justifiable in the long run! It's war in the first place, you're bound to do something morally questionable.
But... will these peace-looking bureaucrats buy her excuses? Highly questionable. They might even accuse her of being barbaric and maybe even put her on the execution list.
The Argent cursed herself internally. As much as Tanya was sizing Julius up, the damn Wizard King himself was also sizing her up. Wanting to figure out what kind of person she was, he decided to compare her accounts and her memory. By then, he can get a rough idea about Tanya as a whole. And ifJulius were to deem Tanya as dangerous, there's no telling what would happen to her. To hell her opportunity of gaining connections and a stable job. It will go down the drain if she let this happen.
Tanya ground her teeth, frustrated at the situation she's in currently. Damn bastard set her up! He totally got her in check. If they read her memory and found out about her atrocities, that's as good as a checkmate. This memory-reading bullshit cannot happen. As a former law-abiding citizen of the 21st century, she will not allow this breach of privacy to happen to her!