Mendacium Speculorum
Chapter 6: Investigated
"May I be so bold to ask," little Dlanor A. Knox inquired her friend, Willard H. Wright, "as to how are you much taller than me even though you are only older than me by two YEARS?"
Ronald Knox's only daughter and the successor to the title of Chief Inquisitor of the SSVD were in Beatrice's quarters in the Senate, munching their cakes as they sat at the tea table. Two glasses of milk and two slices of chocolate cake were served to the two of them, and Dlanor wasn't very happy. There was a rather displeased frown on Dlanor's face, mainly at the fact that the boy in front of her had gotten taller than her during his time training in the SSVD. Will merely swallowed his cake, looked at Dlanor's petite face and shoved his glass of milk towards her direction, wiping his mouth with the cloth that he was given.
"You grew two inches, Dlanor," Will pointed out. "If you're still not happy, I guess you can have my glass of milk here."
"But I don't like MILK," she pouted. "It tastes STRANGE."
"Look Dlanor, if you don't drink milk, you might not grow at all," he sighed. "You do want to be taller, right? I mean, you can't stay jealous at me forever and not get back at me, you know."
"I can boldly say that milk alone won't support my GROWTH. Beatrice did say that if I eat more, I will grow much, much taller than YOU. And when I am taller," to which Dlanor folded her arms crossly, "you won't make fun of me anymore, WILL."
"So what did you eat that made you two inches taller?" Will asked teasingly, setting his fork down. The preteen successor got up, ruffled Dlanor's hair and grinned. "I don't think you eat much either, maybe you just took a lot of naps?"
"Please refrain from ruffling my hair, WILLARD. I spent a lot of time styling IT. And specifically, I eat FISH."
"Good girl," Will smiled mockingly, pointing at the said glass of milk that he had passed to Dlanor earlier. "So try something new. Milk."
Dlanor was not at all pleased.
"Beatrice," she pouted, looking at the Endless Witch with a rather irritated expression. "Will won't stop pestering ME."
The silver-haired with merely giggled, walking towards Dlanor with an amused smile on her face. Putting her hand comfortingly on Dlanor's shoulder, Beatrice poured herself a glass of milk and downed it down in the span of five seconds for the girl to see. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Beatrice lightly smiled once again and gave a satisfied sigh.
"See? I'm still alive," the Endless Witch joked. "Everyone has to try new things in life, and if you don't want to try it now, it's alright too. You can take your time."
"Lady Lambdadelta doesn't like milk EITHER."
Beatrice was rather taken aback by her younger friend's sudden statement, and then laughed a little as she remembered the times when Lambdadelta looked as if she was constipating while drinking it. "How did you know that?"
"She makes faces whenever she drinks IT. Normally she doesn't make any expressions, but she looks particularly funny when she drinks MILK. I don't know why she drinks it if she doesn't like it in the first PLACE," Dlanor states in a matter-of-fact manner.
"Lady Lambdadelta always does that," Will raised his eyebrow rather aristocratically. "I think she's naturally grumpy. Pretty soon, she might get wrinkles all over her face and look exactly like Lady Hemera or something."
"That is DISRESPECTFUL."
"Not like I care. She'll end up being an old hag anyways."
"Will, be polite," Beatrice chided. "Just try once more, Dlanor? One sip won't hurt," the Endless Witch said in a comforting tone.
"I...will give it a TRY. Just one little SIP," Dlanor sighed, admitting defeat as she took the glass of milk in her hands and proceeded to drink it hesitantly. Tasting the milk, Dlanor immediately put the glass away, grimacing at the weird aftertaste. Will ended up howling with laughter, and Dlanor's irritation increased as Will kept on laughing.
"WILLARD!"
"T-That was just too funny! Ahahahahaha!"
As Beatrice tried to cease Will's taunts, she waited for something, just anything to happen. It was getting too quiet in the Senate, and even though Lambdadelta had told her not to investigate anything, Beatrice couldn't help but wait for something. For that, she privately spoke to Ronove to help her for that matter, and miraculously, he had decided to help much to her relief. So it really wasn't surprising when Beatrice gasped in shock when she heard a knock on the door of her quarters and rushed to the door as if her life nearly depended on it.
It was Ronove.
"Good evening, Lady Beatrice," he bowed respectfully. "I have some news."
Beatrice nodded, but she tried to keep herself as composed as possible. The two preteens from Heaven stopped their bickering and laid their eyes on Ronove, to which they got down from their seats and rushed to the demon butler excitedly. Ronove ended up chuckling, and Beatrice had to get them to play at another corner of the room so that she and Ronove could have their conversation privately. Once that was done, Ronove took an envelope from his coat pocket and passed it to Beatrice slowly.
"What is this?" Beatrice picked up the envelope, examining its outer contents. "Shall I open it?"
"Not yet," Ronove replied, drinking his tea. "Lady Lambdadelta had passed this to me secretly before her departure to give it to you."
The envelope had two seals: the seal of the Senate and Lambdadelta's personal seal. It suddenly dawned onto Beatrice that Lambdadelta might not be able to write to her from the City of Books, so she took her letter opener and opened the letter, unfolding the paper rather hurriedly due to her curiosity as to what the letter might hold. Her palms were sweaty as she inelegantly gripped the paper in anxiety, causing the paper to crumple.
All of a sudden, Beatrice's anxiety converted into the puzzling feeling of confusion.
"What is the matter, Lady Beatrice?" Ronove asked, feeling rather curious himself. Looking at the back of the letter and re-examining the envelope, Beatrice looked for something, anything even, that contradicted what she had thought that she had seen. In a low, confused tone, Beatrice looked at Ronove and showed him the letter.
"There's nothing written on it...!"
True to her statement, there was nothing written or printed on that folded piece of paper. No words, no letters, and definitely no other marks on it. It was just a blank piece of paper that had been folded without anything on it, to which the two of them started questioning themselves and thinking of various possibilities as to why Lambdadelta had sent a blank piece of paper.
But as Beatrice shook the paper when she showed it to Ronove, a tinkling sound echoed in the room, loud enough for the two of them to hear it.
From the corner of Beatrice's eye, she saw Will curiously walking towards her direction while looking down at the floor, crouching as he picked something up. Standing up, he took the tiny object that he found in his hands and started examining it with a puzzled look. Then, he grinned, took the object up and spoke proudly.
"Ah, it's the key to Lady Lambdadelta's quarters!"
Dlanor huddled over, shocked at what Will had discovered. "H-How do you know, WILL?"
"Can't you see, Dlanor?" Will messed Dlanor's hair further. "See this? This," to which he pointed at the top of the key, "is Lady Lambdadelta's personal seal, isn't it? Isn't it, Lady Beatrice? Every witch has their own custom made key for their quarters, and this is definitely Lady Lambdadelta's because her seal is constructed on it! And look, there's her signature:'Semper Certus'!"
"W-What is it doing here...?" Beatrice found herself saying, and as Will placed the key in her hand, her mind raced everywhere. Ronove took her hand, closed it to form a fist and threw the envelope and the paper in the fire.
"You should keep it safe, Lady Beatrice," Ronove spoke quietly. "Lady Lambdadelta must have given it to you for a reason, and you should keep it safe. From now on, we must be very careful because the game has already commenced, and we must be watchful."
"All the letters must be burnt once read. Not even one will be kept," she spoke in a strangely commanding manner, as if their very conversation could endanger them all. "And no one must say anything about this, do you understand?" Beatrice then looked at the two heavenly preteens, to which Dlanor's curiosity nearly got the better of her at the mysterious order.
"What is happening, Lady BEATRICE?"
The atmosphere grew tense as Dlanor managed to mouth her question, and even Will was waiting for Beatrice's response at the question. Truly, everything wasn't as it used to be anymore, and even the young ones sensed it. Danger, suspicion and deceit were all around the Senate, and ever since the succession game started, everything seemed to be wrong. Witches started getting uneasy, Readers started spreading tales about the random places in the Senate and the Heavenly court couldn't help but worry about everything that seemed to be going on. Beatrice couldn't bring herself to say her deductions and theories aloud, and it certainly wasn't the right time. She herself didn't know what was happening, and for her to voice out was extremely dangerous.
"I...I don't know, Dlanor..." Beatrice finally said, resting her head on her hand as she breathed in deeply, clutching Lambdadelta's key in her other hand. Dlanor decided to respect her friend's decision, however, Will did not. Being the impatient person he was, he stood his ground and started voicing out his opinions without any regard for anything.
"There's something you're hiding, isn't it, Lady Beatrice?" Will asked coldly. "Just like everybody."
"Everybody...?"
"Don't play dumb!" the future Chief Inquisitor thundered, stamping his foot on the ground. "All of you witches gossiping everywhere with your fans and your dresses and your Readers, just stop it! It's sickening, sickening, sickening! You witches never tell us anything, nor take anything seriously! You witches know what's going on, but you just don't want to tell us! Are you taking Dlanor and I for fools?" Will clenched his fists, voicing out his raw opinion.
Then, Dlanor went up to Will, put her tiny hands on his fists and began to speak.
"She doesn't KNOW. You must not force her to speak of something she does not KNOW. Please understand that these are difficult times, and that Beatrice does not want to ridicule US."
"Dlanor!" he thundered, but she stood her ground.
"Stop, WILL. This is my final WARNING."
Will hesitantly looked at Dlanor, then at Beatrice, and finally sighed. He knew that he couldn't go against Dlanor; Dlanor was a formidable girl in her own right, and he didn't want to get in her bad side. Nevertheless, even without Dlanor's intervention, Will could tell that Beatrice really didn't know, and he mildly regretted his earlier outburst. Begrudgingly bowing his head, he subjected himself to apologize to the Witch of the Infinite.
"...I apologize. Forgive me for my misconduct, Lady Beatrice," Will finally apologized. "My temper got the better of me, and it is very inappropriate."
"It's alright. I'm sorry that I can't tell the three of you anything else but to be careful..."
From the corner of his eye, Ronove looked at the golden key in Beatrice's hands as he poured more tea in her teacup. It was baffling; why would Lambdadelta give Beatrice the key to her quarters? The interior of a witch's quarters holds many secrets, and the last thing a witch would do is to give the key to her quarters to another witch. And yet, there was no mistaking it: it was Lambdadelta's key, and it was intended for Beatrice to keep. The complicatedly designed seal (which consisted of loops and intricate designs) accompanied with the words 'Semper Certus' engraved on the key further confirmed that it was the Witch of Certainty's key.
Semper Certus, always sure. Always certain.
Beatrice couldn't think. Lambdadelta did tell her to stop investigating the mechanics of Lady Aurora's game, but the game had already commenced and...and...
...Wait.
The only things she had investigated were the rules...and the layout...
That's...about it.
Beatrice remembered that there might be more to be investigated, and if she pursued her investigations further she might be taking a great risk. She had honored Lambdadelta's wishes to stop looking into the game, but with the current happenings in the Senate and the fact that Lambdadelta had given her key to her, it had heightened her curiosity and her anxiety even more. Clutching Lambdadelta's key for dear life, Beatrice shut her eyes as tightly as she could and bit her lip, trying very hard not to shake with nervousness and fear.
'What are you planning...?' she thought, gritting her teeth as she felt the sharp edges of the key against her skin.
"It's another room," Lambdadelta stated, clearly unimpressed.
"Oh, not so," Featherine smiled in an amused manner, as if she was talking to a beloved child. "Watch."
Slowly, the room brightened up a little as the darkness turned a bit brighter, becoming a long corridor instead. Looking at the corridor, Lambdadelta arched her eyebrow as she looked at the miko's equally confused face, her eyes wandering everywhere as she stood rigid out of instinct. There were no doors at the walls, but there was only one way out: straight. That was the only direction the miko can go at. Straight.
"There are no hidden doors," Featherine explained. "As you can see, the only way out is straight."
Lambdadelta merely kept quiet as she looked at the glowing end of the corridor straight ahead in the game projection. The miko didn't move, and the Witch of Certainty struggled to think of what to do next. There might be traps hiding somewhere, anywhere, and if the miko ends up dead or mutilated Lambdadelta truly will be the laughing stock in the Senate when she loses the game due to measly traps. Reaching to take her cup of tea, Lambdadelta sipped a bit of it until she suddenly heard something and stopped drinking at once.
She heard someone laughing softly.
And it wasn't Featherine.
Apparently, the miko heard it too, judging by her shocked expression.
Featherine smiled as she saw both of them froze at their spots. Lambdadelta didn't make it that obvious, but Featherine could sense that she was rather alarmed. The laughter got closer and closer, and the miko's eyes wildly looked around the corridor, too scared to make a move.
"...Run," Lambdadelta commanded, to which the miko's eyes widened.
"R-Run?" the miko exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"
"Run," the Witch of Certainty quietly repeated. "I need to check something."
"Just because you're my Master's opponent, that doesn't mean you can boss me aro-"
"I said run," Lambdadelta firmly stressed on her syllables in such a way that made the miko fall silent at once.
Without a word, the miko ran towards the light, her long, blue hair wildly being swept by the wind as she ran. Anxiously waiting for what was to come, Lambdadelta gripped the armrests of the chair with her fingers while maintaining a straight face, not wanting Featherine to see through her anxiety. Featherine merely looked at the projection with a small smile, raised her right hand and put up three fingers, to which she counted aloud to herself.
"Three."
The miko ran for her life, extending her arm to the glowing exit of the corridor.
"Two."
The laughter grew louder and louder, and the miko ran as fast as she could.
"One," the Witch of Drama finished, this time her hand balled up into a fist since she had put down a finger for each count.
And to Lambdadelta and the miko's surprise, the supposed 'exit' of the corridor became the main hall of the City of Books itself.
The hall was unmistakably identical to the City of Books. The floor was made out of pure marble, and when the miko took a step, her bloodied feet stained the marble that she walked on. Shelves and shelves of books were everywhere around the circular hall, and to the miko, the interior of the hall was her greatest relief. Statues of angels and portraits of great witches were everywhere in the hall as crepuscular rays of light shone upon the hall through the dome-shaped roof, illuminating the glorious hall as the miko thought that somehow, she escaped the game.
"I...I..." the miko gasped, looking at the portraits of the witches dressed in elaborate gowns as she tried to catch her breath. "A-Am I b-back...?"
And as soon as she uttered those words, her attention directed to something else in the room. It was at the center of the hall, to which she ran towards it to inspect what it was. Touching the object carefully, she became bewildered again as she decided to ask the voice in her head, wanting to confirm what she had just touched.
"I-Is this a typewriter?"
"Of course it's a typewriter," Lambdadelta responded snappily, but she tried to get a closer look. "What is she supposed to do with this?"
Featherine clapped her hands happily like a child being amused at something. "Ah, I see that she's found the typewriter. Why don't you try asking her to type on it?"
Warily, Lambdadelta eyed the typewriter, wondering if it's some sort of trap. "What will happen if she does?"
"Depends," Featherine yawned. "There are two possible outcomes anyways. Why don't you try it out for yourself? Go on, give the command: Type."
"I'll find out anyways even if you're not telling me, so I'll give it a go then," the Witch of Certainty clicked her tongue. "Type."
From the projection, the miko froze, looking at the typewriter as if it was some sort of alien object. To Featherine, it was truly funny to see her miko staring at the typewriter with her mouth half open and with the trail of blood on the marble floor behind her, but to Lambdadelta, it was suspenseful.
Horrifyingly suspenseful.
"...What's wrong? Type," Lambdadelta repeated, to which the miko responded back.
"I...I don't know how to read these...at all..." her trembling voice echoed in the hall.
It was Lambdadelta's turn to freeze.
"...Just try to type. Anything."
Trembling, the miko extended her arm to touch the keys of the typewriter,
slowly pressed random keys
and felt a hand
covering
her
mouth.
And as the miko suffocated, she found her legs running towards herself.
"Lady Aurora," Lambdadelta slammed her teacup against her saucer, clearly not tolerating such antics any longer. "You WILL tell me what's happening, and you WILL explain things to me. Don't go back on your word."
Lackadaisically, Featherine yawned as she pointed at the game projection. "But Lady Lambdadelta, this is only the beginning! I did explain everything to you, and as I have said, it had happened. What were you expecting, or rather, what weren't you expecting just now? That?" With that, Featherine laughed whimsically, to which Lambdadelta bit her tongue in order to control her pent up rage and frustration. The Witch of Drama was certainly getting on her nerves, and Lambdadelta nearly crushed the porcelain cup she was holding.
"Explain. Now," the Witch of Certainty hissed.
"Ah, you're no fun~" the Witch of Drama sighed, getting up from her signature rocking chair as she walked up to Lambdadelta's side, pointing at the projection as if she was teaching a little child. "That is the start of the game. All this while when I was searching for a suitable opponent for my position, my miko had been trapped in the locked room for ages with no one to play with her...poor little thing. As I have said, a doppelganger will be following her, and guess what she just did?"
What did happen, Lambdadelta thought to herself, but as she widened her eyes in realization, she whirled and looked at Featherine with astonishment.
"The doppelganger switched with her," she found herself saying.
"Correct~" Featherine smiled. "Now the thing is, how do we stop this? That's where the game starts~ Not very easy, that's for sure, and it caused the Logic Error anyways. What were your first thoughts of the game, Lady Lambdadelta?~"
What did she think?
She did conclude that it wasn't a mystery due to the strange nature of the game, so technically that wasn't the-
...Wait.
Well, this turned out very well.
It IS a mystery, because now, Lambdadelta has to find out how to stop the loop. Also, there's the question of the origin of the doppelganger, where she came from, what her intentions are, everything.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
"...So it is a mystery," Lambdadelta breathed, picking her nails with her gloved fingers.
"And when there's a mystery," Featherine smiled, "We need someone to preside over it for theories~ Guess who I invited?"
With a snap of her fingers, Featherine made someone who was very familiar to Lambdadelta appear before her eyes. Lambdadelta's eyes widened in shock as she saw that familiar face that she had seen earlier in the Senate; those blue robes, that heavily built body, that sword...
And the man was equally shocked to be there as well. His eyes met Lambdadelta's red ones, and when he looked at Featherine, Featherine curtsied to him in respect (although it could be questioned greatly as to whether it was truly respectful or not) and smiled placidly.
"Welcome, Head Inquisitor Ronald Knox, to the succession game of the Most Powerful Witch in the Universe."
A/N: This chapter was hellish. Very very hellish.
If there's anything that you don't understand, you can PM me ^^; i don't bite owo and i finally updated wheeee lololol derp derp~
please review :3
-Densetsu-no-Maguro.