Valimar, Class VII and two torims worth of zemurian ore materialized on a field on the western side of the Nortia province, not to too far away from the border with Lamarre, and after Rean left his cockpit the Divine Knight immediately knelt down and shut himself off. The fight against the magic knight and use of spatial translocation followed up by another travel through the spirit path with added cargo took their toll on Valimar's mana reserves, only a measly quantity remained and it would be just enough for him to bring himself and the zemurian ore onboard the Courageous' hangar.
After a call from Sara, the Crimson Wings' airship showed up a few minutes later. Although close enough, the spot they had landed at wasn't exactly their agreed meeting location but it was the farthest Valimar could bring them with the energy he had.
"Are you okay, Rean?" Laura asked, noticing the tapping of his foot and the uncharacteristic act of him biting one of his finger nails while they waited for the airship.
"I'm thinking about Ordis. We shouldn't have fought there, there were so many people everywhere and something could've gone wrong, something could still go wrong and I just don't know it."
The Arseid girl looked at Rean's agitated expression and approached her partner, gently taking his hands onto hers and leaning her head against his so their foreheads would be touching. "I saw you fight, Rean. I saw you take hits you shouldn't have, I saw you limit your movements and take careful consideration with every little detail of the fight in a manner I've never seen you do before, all for the sake of protecting bystanders. You did your best and went above and beyond what would be expected of anyone under those circumstances."
"I know, I know, but still-"
Her hands cupped his face and Rean opened his eyes to see Laura's golden ones adorned by a frowning crease of her eyebrow. "If some tragedy did happen during the fight, the only people responsible for it would be Duke Cayenne and Vita Clotilde for keeping that monster in the city. Not yours, not of the guards who accidentally woke it from its slumber, only theirs. Do you understand me, Rean?"
Rean remained silent and Laura watched his eyes wander as he struggled with everything that happened and what she had said. She was about to repeat herself when he finally spoke.
"Y-yeah. Right, I shouldn't…" He sighed through his nose. "I can't blame myself for the things beyond my power, right?"
The same words she told him that night at the hot springs made her smile, glad that he hadn't forgotten them. The tension didn't leave his body immediately but it did ease on him a bit.
"Correct," she rewarded Rean with a kiss on the lips and both embraced, enjoying a minute of respite before the Courageous arrived to take them to Roer.
Towa met with Class VII as soon as they got in the airship, nervous due to the reports of chaos in Ordis that were arriving. They moved straight to the conference room and established communications with Lechter and Claire and relayed how Valimar ended up tearing through the streets of Ordis against panzer soldats and a magic knight, which ran counter to the whole point of their plan.
Meanwhile, the Imperial government officials informed them that their end of the plan went without a hitch. Later, a report from General Vander told them they had managed to gain some territory when General Le Guin and Brigadier General Bardias had to hurry back to Ordis due to the commotion.
Of course, there was the issue as to what Duke Cayenne planned to do with the zemurian ore he had collected.
"Could he be trying to make his own Divine Knight?" Said Gaius.
Celine was quick to shut that idea down. "Impossible. A Divine Knight is more than just zemurian ore shaped into a suit of armor. Not even Roselia, wise and powerful as she is, could hope to recreate one."
"And it would require more than just two torims to make one anyway," Alisa said thoughtfully, already making the calculations in her mind. "It's more realistic that he wanted to make a panzer soldat with zemurian ore plating, which could be placed in a tier above other soldats although still below a Divine Knight in terms of strength."
"And what about the monster you encountered?" Claire asked over the screen.
"Keeping a magic knight restrained within a city is absolutely reckless, I still can't believe that Vita would do something like that," Emma shook her head, crestfallen. "Are you guys sure of what you saw?"
"There were runes shining under it and on the chains holding the magic knight," said Rean. "As far as I'm concerned that was magic and the Noble Alliance only has one witch on their payroll."
"And we mustn't forget that it was clearly Vita's magic that erased our disguises," Laura complemented, much to Emma's dismay.
With reports delivered and discussions finished, Class VII was awarded a break until they got to Roer and each went their own way to decompress. Rean went to the bridge to talk to Munk.
"Hey, Rean. Heard things went crazy back there, you guys alright?"
"We're fine. Listen, I need you to keep an ear on some stuff related to Ordis for me, mainly… Casualties."
"I, uh… okay?" Munk's one eye not covered by his messy bangs went wide for a moment. "But why-"
"Thanks, man. I appreciate it," Rean slapped the radio operator on the shoulder and left without further explanations.
For Fie and Millium decompressing meant sitting down at the cafeteria and stuffing their faces with whatever Nicholas and Margarita respectively were making at the moment. Fie was far from a picky eater but she would not dare touch anything prepared by the Dresden girl no matter how much the others assured her she was getting better. That Millium actually enjoyed Margarita's "peculiar" brand of cooking was proof of something deeply wrong with the intelligence operative.
Pineapple on pizza, really?
The two sat with George, who was munching on a dumpling while studying papers about zemurian ore processing he got from Professor Schimdt. They ate and chatted, mostly speaking over each other as George went on about technicalities of the incoming project and Millium about how cool Ordis was, when Vivi joined them sitting next to her "kissing buddy."
"Sounds like it was pretty exciting," the pink haired girl happily chimed in. "I heard things got crazy back there but I'm glad you're okay."
"One thing went wrong after the other but we managed to pull through," said with a confident nod then her lips curled in a light chuckle. "We almost got caught by a guard when we were investigating a warehouse, it was pretty funny actually how we got out of that one."
"Oh? Do tell!" Vivi bounced on her seat excited. What sort of cool and amusing feat did Fie and her companions pull to avoid detection, she wondered?
Fie proceeded to describe the situation they were in, the alleyway between the buildings, what led to them being noticed by the provincial guard patrolling the area then Rean's bold and off the wall plan to make the man leave them alone. On that last point, George looked up from his papers and saw Vivi's smile twitch.
"You should've seen Elliot's face," Fie shook her head with a laugh before biting into her food again.
"You… kissed, Elliot?" Vivi's voice was a controlled one, far from her usual bouncy disposition which Fie noticed.
"You're not upset, are you?"
"No, obviously not," Vivi said, her voice still leveled.
"Cool, you wanna-"
"I just remembered I have to talk to Linde about something. See you later, Fie."
"Alright, later," Fie was about to go back to munch on her food without a care in the world. It took her a an entire minute to realize for the gears inside her brain to shift and when they did she stopped, backing away from her food with a confused expression on her face like she was figuring out a puzzle. When realization dawned on the silver haired girl she did a double take at the exit of the cafeteria, Vivi already long gone.
"Wait a second."
"Oh she's really mad," George said without looking up from his papers.
Fie slammed her forehead on the table with a groan. "This is going to be a pain."
"I don't get it," Millium said blithely, her cheeks stained with food, completely unaware of what was going on.
Jusis had been looking for Machias for some time now. Once the debriefing was over he opted for a shower first to remove the dust from his body as many of the others did, but his aforementioned bespectacled rival was nowhere either on the showers or the cafeteria. It was a rare occurrence for Jusis to be actively looking for Machias to talk to but circumstances demanded it.
His remaining option was the archives room and as luck would have it, Machias was just leaving it with Instructor Sara right behind him. Jusis stopped halfway across the corridor and he didn't need to eavesdrop to figure out what the subject was.
"You gonna be okay?" Said Sara with an affable hand on Machias' shoulder.
"I suppose I will. Thank you for listening to me, instructor."
"Hey, that's what I'm here for. Try talking to Rean, Fie and Laura too, I'm sure it'll help," the older woman gave a genuine smile and patted him on the shoulder. "All yours," she called out to Jusis before even turning around to see him behind her and causing Machias to flinch when he finally saw the noble standing there.
As Sara left, only a tense and awkward atmosphere remained between the two young men, with Machias chewing on his lip and trying to figure out what to say. Jusis took the initiative and strode confidently towards and did something unthinkable.
He bowed.
"Thank you for saving me, Machias."
He was stunned silent by the gesture. The proud Jusis Albarea who constantly argued with him was bowing to him, thanking him. In any other situation he might've gloated. "T-that's not necessary."
"On the contrary. My carelessness led me to almost be captured by an enemy and incarcerated and used as a bargaining chip by Duke Cayenne against my family, with any number of variables possibly leading me to harm. But you stopped that."
"I just did what anyone else would. Fie, Rean, they-" Machias muttered then flinched again when Jusis lifted up his head with a fierce glare in his eyes.
"But you are the one who did it and it was through an act that might disturb you greatly, thus you deserve my gratitude," Jusis then extended his hand. "So again, thank you, Machias."
Still floored by what was happening, Machias hesitated for a moment before returning the gesture and shaking Jusis' hand. Slowly, Machias realized that the show of gratitude was not just a way for Jusis' to convey his thanks, but to calm him down, to help set in the fact he had done a good deed, despite the fact he should feel compelled to think otherwise. And he noticed that despite how confident Jusis was in his words, it still required great effort from the noble to strip himself off his usual pride.
"You're welcome, Jusis."
It didn't take long for them to arrive at Roer, where they delivered the zemurian ore and Rean presented his tachi so Professor Schmidt could take the proper measurements to create a perfect replica up to scale for Valimar's use. He also had to fulfill his side of the bargain and provide data on Valimar's regenerative capabilities.
Alisa coordinated the move of the zemurian ore to a Reinford factory that had already been prepared while George went along since he would be staying to work on the weapon. Meanwhile the rest of the Crimson Wings' crew went about their business as usual.
It had taken Fie a while to figure out what to say to her… she wasn't sure now, to Vivi. At least it was easy for her to avoid the girl until she had gathered her thoughts. Her go-to people to ask for advice, Sara, Laura and Rean were all busy with their own things and she didn't want to bother them, she even considered asking Angelica for some wisdom and then she decided that was a terrible idea.
Eventually she came up with a game plan and went after the pink haired girl, finding her chatting with Dorothee and Linde outside the infirmary.
"Hey, can we talk?"
"Sure," Vivi simply responded. She clearly wasn't still angry, but she wasn't her usual chipper self either which honestly might mean the same thing.
The other girls gave them space and the two made use of the fact the infirmary was empty to have some privacy. Vivi stood in front of Fie with her hands fold in front of her and a neutral gave in her face, and she braced herself with a deep breath then proceeded to spill everything about her past. Scrounging for food in battlefields, being found by Rutger Claussel and finding a family with a bunch of jaegers then learning to be one, then her father's demise and being found by Sara. The whole shebang.
"So I don't really get it, you know, some of these social cues and how a relationship is supposed to work, even a casual one," she said with a somewhat embarrassed look on her face. "Some of the people in Zephyr had flings between them but nothing major ever happened, nobody fought about it or anything but I guess that's different for jaegers. The thing between us, I didn't think it was that serious and I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings."
Vivi's serious posture had promptly vanished when Fie started with her story and as it progressed her eyes grew wider and wider and her mouth opened agape in disbelief, the former jaeger only missing it due to her gaze drifting away to look at a corner of the room with nothing special about it although at the moment it really grabbed her attention. Of course, when her piece had finally been said, Fie turned back to Vivi and winced at the girl's trembling lips.
Oh crap, she is really going to cry now, isn't she?
"I'm sorry!" Vivi yelled out with tears in her eyes as she lunged forward, tears running down her face but not for the reason Fie expected. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't know! I didn't know! I mean, how could I? But still!" The twin repeated herself with her arms wrapped Fie in a tight hug. "This is so sad, I didn't know you had such a hard life!"
"H-hey, alright, it's okay, stop crying," the silver haired girl was completely lost. Now what the hell was going on? She might not have great social skills but surely this wasn't the reaction anyone would expect.
"I just wanted to tease you a bit, I didn't know!"
"I said it's alright- Woah, what?" Using all of her strength, not that it was necessary, Fie peeled the other girl from her. "So you're not mad I kissed Elliot?"
At the question, Vivi stopped her sobbing and stared at Fie's unamused face. "Ehe… Ehehehe…" She tried really hard to look cute, drying up her tears with a smile, hoping the silver haired girl would take pity on her but it was no use.
The awkward laugh was all the answer that Fie needed and she groaned. Of course it had been a prank, it was Vivi she was talking about. She couldn't believe she fell for something like this, and just a couple of days earlier she had called out Laura for being stupid.
"I'm really sorry, Fie, honestly," the older girl looked down sheepishly, sounding genuinely apologetic this time. "I didn't know you'd take it so seriously."
"It's fine, don't worry about it," Fie felt herself relax, only now realizing how tense she was with the whole thing. "And it wasn't that hard a life, by the way. I mean, it was tough being with Zephyr but it wasn't so bad, they were my family."
Fie took notice of Vivi's brow furrowing in thought. "Are you okay with that? That I used to be a jaeger, I mean."
A lot of information had just been dumped at Vivi at that moment and the shock to it had given her little time to truly process it. So, Fie used to be a jaeger and even had killed people before. While Vivi was having fun playing with Linde and her other friends back home, enjoying the happy life that any young girl should have, this other girl two years younger than her was fighting for her life. Well, that explained some things about the girl, her aloof and blunt behavior wasn't just a quirky side of her, it was due to her upbringing.
She wasn't okay that Fie was a jaeger, Vivi decided, but not because she thought Fie was evil or scary or anything like that, she just thought that the girl deserved a better childhood than that, even if Fie didn't seem to harbor any negative feelings about her time in Zephyr.
But maybe that was a shitty, judgmental thing for Vivi to think. She didn't have the full context of her life before, she didn't know what it was like back then and the jaegers did save Fie from a worse life. So she didn't say anything and simply focused on Fie herself, the really cool girl who right now looked just a tad bit anxious about her response and immensely cute putting her hands on the pockets of her jacket because she didn't know what to do with them.
"Yeah, I'm okay with it. It doesn't change the fact I like spending time with you."
A small smile appeared on the former jaeger's face. "Cool."
With that silence lapsed between the two of them as they stared at each other with a new understanding formed between them and maybe a stronger bond than just the silly "kissing buddies" label Vivi had come up with for fun.
"So, your dad was called the Jaeger King, huh?"
"Yep."
Vivi let out a high pitched squeal and giggled with excitement. "Wow, I can't believe I'm dating a princess!"
"I'm not a princess, shut up!" Fie could feel her cheeks burning as she protested. Bad enough that Xeno and Leo still called her that sometimes, she didn't need another person in her life doing it. "And we're not- Whatever… So you were messing with me all that time, huh?"
"Uhm…" Vivi's mirth died down right there as a chill went up her spine. Right, this was all happening because of her prank. Crap. "I'm really, really sorry?" She tried again with a cutesy smile.
Dorothee and Linde, who totally didn't have their ears glued to the infirmary's door and were listening in to everything, jumped back when the door opened and they witnessed the sight of Fie carrying Vivi over her shoulder and walking past them.
"I-is everything okay with you two?" Linde asked with concern.
"Teehee, I'm in danger," Vivi giggled. "I've been a bad girl and Fie is gonna punish me."
"I'm going to put her in the highest place I can find that she can't get down from without help," Fie responded.
"Wait, what!?" Color drained from Vivi's face and she started to struggle trying to set herself free but it was no use, Fie was immensely strong. "H-hold on! Anything but that, Fie! I'm afraid of heights! Linde, help me!"
The younger twin giggled watching as her sister was dragged out to be punished for one of her pranks, but also glad things seemed to be going fine with her and Fie. "They make a good pair, don't you think?" She turned to Dorothee because surely a romance aficionado like her would have many thoughts about it.
But the writer just shook her head. "I don't get it," she replied without a hint of sarcasm. "Oh, hey, did you catch how Alan looked at Loggins, yesterday? I bet there's something going in there!"
Valimar's tachi was in full production and would be ready in a couple of days, the Courageous restocked its supplies and Rean had just received news from Munk that there had been no casualties reported from Ordis, the word coming straight from Captain Lechter.
An immense weight was lifted from his shoulders and he couldn't help but laugh and smile, drawing curious looks from the other occupants of the bridge. It was cause for celebration and by that it meant sparring with Laura at the ship's hangar.
The swordswoman was less enthusiastic when he told her the news. Not because she wanted people to die, of course not, but it was a little frustrating that despite acknowledging that what happened at Ordis wasn't his fault, he still sought out reports on the consequences of the battle. But she knew he couldn't help it, putting aside his feelings of guilt there was also his genuine care for other people, of doing his best to help others, and honestly she probably would have felt the same in his shoes.
So Laura put that little bit of concern about Rean aside, personal issues couldn't be easily fixed, and simply relished in their sparring match as her partner fought with unrestrained joy. He laughed as she parried his strikes, followed up his attacks that caught her by surprise with "Gotcha!" and generally was in a great mood and thus so was she.
"Told you it was more akin to a mating ritual," Jusis said to Princess Alfin as they watched the sparring match.
"When you marry are you two going to exchange swords instead of rings!?" The princess yelled out with a giggle turned guffaw when both missed a step.
Despite the chaotic mission in Ordis, the Courageous' crew was returning to their good spirits fairly quick due to its success. It was a nice feeling, thought Sara as she walked around the hangar and observed what everyone was doing. Elliot and Mint continued their work with the sound based Arts project, picking up the slack while George stayed in Roer with Professor Schmidt. Meanwhile, Instructor Thomas attempted once again to interrogate Valimar on history topics just for the Divine Knight to shut itself down.
This camaraderie really reminded her of some days back home, up in North Ambria. And thus was the perfect time to maybe screw it all up, so she approached the sparring couple with an easy going, but forced, smile on her face.
"Most couples your age do another kind of sparring in their down time, you know that, right?"
"And you do know I can think of ten different ways to turn that on you, right, instructor?" Rean responded with a smirk.
"Ha! Fair enough," Sara held up her hands in surrender.
"Would you like to spar as well, instructor?" Laura asked.
"Actually I want to speak to Rean but I guess it would be good for you too Laura. It's something very important I need to tell you guys."
The swordsmen caught a minute shift in Sara's demeanor and only then noticed the tension in her body. Both exchanged warry glances and made a silent agreement that they would hear what their instructor had to say but the world had other plans for the Crimson Wings that day. The airship's speakers crackled to life and instead of Towa's usual sweet and calming voice and professionalism, they were greeted by her distress.
"Everyone, come to the conference room immediately. There has been an attack on Celdic!"
Black smoke billowed skyward from burned down buildings across the trading hub. On the streets, people in various states of disarray tried to make sense of what had happened. Some were assisting those stuck under the debris of buildings, others taking care of the wounded and others, mourning their loved ones.
The RMP and the Imperial Army had responded as fast as they could (although not fast enough) and were in the process of assisting the survivors as best as they could.
Jusis walked through the streets of Celdic, taking in the sights and sounds with a look of pure desolation across his face. As they were on their way to Celdic from Roer, they kept receiving updates on the situation and when they learned of who had ordered the attack, he was visibly struck, color vanishing from his face. Duke Albarea, his very own father, had ordered the Northern Jaegers under his command to burn down Celdic as retaliation for welcoming the Imperial Army.
He wasn't ready to see it. He had braced himself as best as he could, making up scenarios in his head imagining that things weren't so bad, that the reports they were receiving were exaggerated, misinformed. But no, that wasn't the case and he almost fell to his knees once he and the rest of the Crimson Wings got out of the airship, having landed near the town.
"Don't blame yourself, Jusis. Just like back in Ymir, this was all your father's doing, his actions. You can't let it get to you," Rean had told him, putting a hand on his shoulder and had Jusis not been using all of his mental effort to keep what could of his composure, he would have noted how hollow Rean's words were.
No sooner had Rean said his piece, he rushed along with Instructor Sara, both leading the others in looking for ways to help.
The young Albarea just drifted around, watching the suffering his family had wrought on the subjects they were supposed to protect. When he reached the grand market his heart ached when he saw Rosine consoling Becky alongside an older woman, her mother most likely, next to the body of a man, her father. They had exchanged few words during the school year and were acquaintances at best, but the fact she was a schoolmate still made it all feel worse.
Jusis only stood there for a few moments before Alisa and Gaius escorted him away back to the Courageous but for him it felt like an eternity.
The rest of the day was dedicated to helping anyone they could.
It was well into the night when things started to settle down and while members of the RMP and army continued to attend to the citizens of Celdic, Class VII retired back to their airship but rest was not on the agenda for them just yet. Joined by General Craig, Captain Claire, Princess Alfin as well as Prince Olivert communicating through a video call, the members of the Crimson Wings discussed the matter at hand and what their next course of action should be. The only one not present was Jusis.
"And that is the preliminary report on damages and… casualties," Towa finished relaying the information she managed to gather to the RMP captain.
"I must've said this a hundred times today but Duke Albarea is a huge piece of shit," said Angelica, who only wasn't scowling because even that action felt tiresome by now.
Claire slouched on her seat with an exhausted sigh. She had been in the province of Lamarre when she had heard the news and rushed straight to Celdic, only arriving a couple of hours prior. "Normally I would abstain from such language but yes."
"In my time here I thought I had seen the best and worst aspects of the use of power by the ruling class, but to attack their own people like this…" Gaius shook his head still in disbelief.
"Unfortunately, the history of our country is one fraught with… Less honorable deeds such as this one, my friend," Prince Olivert said with a pause, as if something had caught on his throat. Few of those present noticed it and fewer still knew what he was holding himself from talking about.
"Duke Albarea's actoins are beyond the pale," declared Princess Alfin, doing her best to remain composed and confident. "He must be apprehended and forced to face justice."
"That is exactly what we've been trying to do for the past month or so," General Craig said with a shake of his head. "But it has been a difficult task. Rufus Albarea is a tactical genius and whatever he lacks, they compensate with an unending amount of soldats and tanks with no signs of stopping. Aurochs Fort is impregnable."
"Not if I do something about it," at that, all eyes turned to Rean, all of them knowing what he meant. "General, when we liberated Celdic, you said you wanted it to be the 4th's victory. How do you feel about that now?"
The red haired general's shoulders slack as he uncrossed his arms from his barrel chest. That was a delicate matter to handle. He appreciated what Rean had done for them and what the Crimson Wings was doing with their operations; they were certainly capable individuals, more than anyone could hope for a bunch of students, but to rely on Rean and his Divine Knight to get them out of their current stalemate…
Craig the Red had already heard words about the "hero" who had assisted them gaining the upper hand and who strutted through the streets of Roer to force Marquis Rogner to stand down (inaccurate but that was the nature of rumors). The recent battle in Ordis was also something he could quickly see gaining traction. Now, Olaf trusted Rean, not only had the young man saved his daughter's life but he had shown his value again and again, not only that but his son trusted him and Elliot was a good judge of character. But that kind of thing can get to someone's head whether they notice it or not, or other individuals could try to use Rean's image to their own advantage.
Taking those factors in consideration, allowing Rean to take the lead in assaulting Aurochs Fort could lead to problems in the future, even for the young man himself. And the possibility of the Azure Chevalier taking that as a direct challenge made things even more complicated.
As the general pondered his options, Towa received a call on her ARCUS and drew their attention with a shout of surprise. "We have an incoming video call. It's from Rufus Albarea."
The call was received and soon the face of the eldest son of Duke Albarea appeared next to Prince Olivert's. The man looked no worse for wear, as if nothing had happened that could faze him even though the subject of his call was the crime committed by his own faction.
"Greetings, members of the Crimson Wings, General Craig, Captain Rieveldt, Your Highness. It is a pleasure to see you all again. It is quite a gathering we have here, although not without cause."
He was calm, so calm it wasn't even annoying, it was unnerving. As if he expected these exact circumstances to happen, like everything was going according to plan and this was just a rehearsed act. Even the way his lips curled down at the end of his sentence felt cold and calculated.
"You're damn right it's without cause!" Rean shot up from his chair, hands clenched into fists. "You people-"
"My father," Rufus interrupted him with a gravely and commanding voice. "Was the one to issue the order for the Northern Jaegers to raid Celdic and he did so without consulting with the rest of the Noble Alliance, leading to the tragedy that the town now faces. He acted out of his own accord and we were only informed of the fact roughly at the same time as I imagine all of you were."
"Yeah, right," Fie said sarcastically.
"That hardly changes matters," said Sara. "The people of Celdic are still suffering and your side had a hand in it, directly or not. You obviously didn't call us just to try and get your ass out of the fire with a lame excuse."
"It would indeed be 'lame,' as you put it, Ms. Valestein, if I were to call you to relay mere empty words," his voice never wavered and the man was practically relishing in having control of the conversation. "My father's actions are unacceptable, blemishing the goals of the Noble Alliance, and as such our organization sees no other option but to disavow our association with the Duke Albarea. As Chief of Staff of the Noble Alliance and commander of its eastern forces, I have issued the order for the Kreuzen Provincial Army to stand down."
Some were visibly surprised, others scowled and called bullshit. Prince Olivert simply closed his eyes and nodded without saying anything.
"You want us to take out your dad," Millium said with a hint of astonishment in her voice.
"I command the bulk of the forces of Kreuzen's Provincial Army, only a few hardliners are truly loyal to my father, as well as the jaegers he's hired. With the aid of the Imperial Army, you'll be able to apprehend him easily and without fear of reprisal from the Noble Alliance. Do not fret, Rean Schwarzer, the Azure Chevalier will not stop you."
"If you think that I'm-"
"Is that truly the game you've decided to play, brother?" Jusis spoke up as the door to the conference room opened, drawing eyes towards him.
"Jusis, are you okay?" Asked Alisa with plain concern.
The youngest Albarea simply nodded as he walked towards the central monitor. And he indeed did not look any worse for wear. Nobody had managed to get much out of him for most of the day as he spent most of it by himself at his quarters with no-one knowing exactly what to say. "Thinking," he answered to the few who came to find him lying down on his bed, facing the wall.
And apparently that was all he had done. Think. Lots and lots of thinking.
"Jusis, it is unfortunate that we must speak to each other under these circumstances," said Rufus and for a moment, he really seemed sincere.
"The feeling is mutual. Although, 'unfortunate' is putting it mildly, what has happened today is an utter disgrace, but these words must be saved for our father when I personally see him again. Now answer my question, are you really planning what I think you are?"
A brief smile flash over Rufus' face, pride at his brother figuring him out it seemed, then his expression returned to his usual façade of calm and smug superiority. "The message I meant to deliver has been relayed, what you do wish to do with it is up to you, members of the Crimson Wings. Farewell."
The call ended and Rufus' visage disappeared from the monitor.
"I honestly cannot believe that man," Prince Olivert shook his head with an exasperated sigh. "He was always an odd one when we were younger, not even once has he accepted my many invitations for some quality bonding time at the finest clubs in Heimdallr. I mean, even Mueller pointed that out once and he is as fun a plank of wood. But I never imagined Rufus to be so ambitious and obstinate for what he is planning."
General Craig, Claire and Sara nodded in silent agreement with the Prince and after a moment, Machias gasped with eyes wide at the realization he had come to.
"Is he actually planning what I'm thinking he is planning?"
"Machias? Your Highness? What does that mean?" Elliot asked shily as he noticed the others slowly coming to their own conclusions as well.
"Would you do the honors, Jusis?" Said Olivert and all eyes fell on the younger Albarea.
"It is rather obvious when you recall Angelica and her father's… argument while they fought, as she mentioned how this war wouldn't simply be over once the Imperial government forces were defeated. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that scenario comes to pass, I imagine that the Noble Alliance would liberate the Imperial Family and reinstate them back to power but that would be in appearances only.
"True power would be exerted by the Noble Alliance in the background, with the Emperor being reduced to the role of signing decrees dictated by them for their own benefit. I am, of course, simplifying things but I suppose that's enough for everyone to get the gist of it. There are other matters that this delves into, not least of all succession which I don't wish to get into due to respect to the presence of Princess Alfin."
The girl grimaced at that. She too didn't want to think about it.
"Regardless, what would follow would be a dispute within the Noble Alliance as to who would have the final say on these decisions. Who would truly rule Erebonia."
"My father caught on to that from the beginning from what he told me later," said Angelica. "He thought he would be able to curb the dukes at first somehow but as things went on he realized that might not be that easy and by that point, he was in too deep to stop. By the end he was just hoping for the best."
"Considering how we got here, it's not unthinkable this could spark a second civil war between Houses Cayenne and Albarea, each one proclaiming the other traitor trying to monopolize power, while Houses Hyarms and Rogner try and fail to contain it, eventually throwing their weight behind either side to end it quickly. That is, of course, if one doesn't take the other out right now."
"So the plan is to take out your father so Duke Cayenne can rule?" Asked Gaius, not fully grasping the extent of the situation just yet. "But why would Rufus-"
"With my father stripped of his influence, the Chief of Staff of the Noble Alliance will have one less obstacle to make a grab for power for himself."
Silence fell on the room as the one few ones who hadn't put the pieces together before or considered it too outlandish to be true struggled to accept it. Rufus Albarea had taken part in the coup with the Noble Alliance with an even more lofty goal than to just restore the influence of the noble class. But that was too absurd to consider, was it truly what was happening? Had Rufus been planning this since the start?
"Sharon said that she got the information about my mom and the Eisengraff from Captain Lechter, but how did the intelligence division come about it?" Said Alisa, chewing on a fingernail in nervous thought, already with an answer in mind.
"It's not unlikely that Rufus himself leaked that information himself, counting that our actions would weaken House Rogner's influence within the Noble Alliance, just like it happened. He is probably the source of the location of the zemurian ore as well and I don't doubt he…" Jusis clenched his trembling fists. "He was aware of the attack on Celdic beforehand and allowed it to happen, just so he could disavow our father and isolate him."
"He's been setting up everyone else's downfall and using us for that," Laura said in disbelief. It was too grand a plan, ridiculously ambitious with so many moving parts. It played with the lives of countless people, with the entire country, all for the sake of more power. How could a person just do that and live with it?
"That is the long and short of it I'm afraid, and unfortunately…" Captain Claire wiped a hand across her face. "It doesn't change the fact we can't let this opportunity to apprehend Duke Albarea escape."
"So we are just going to do Rufus' dirty work for him, huh?" Said Fie, slouching in her seat with a scowl on her face.
"While I do appreciate your eagerness, young lady, there is no 'we.' The 4th Armored Division and the RMP are more than fit to handle the task now that the strength of the provincial army is reduced," said General Craig.
"Actually, General, I believe this kind of operation to be perfect for us to undertake," Jusis responded. "Our team has proven again and again our capacity of infiltrating enemy facilities and a specialized strike force such as ours is more apt for the task, not to dismiss the capabilities of the 4th Armored Division and the RMP, of course."
"And you want to see this to the end, don't you, kid?"
"Yes."
The general gave a resigned look to Sara, one that said "So, that's what you have to deal with," and received a shrug. He then turned to Claire, hoping to find support but the police officer had something else in mind.
"If I may, Jusis, I would like to accompany you as well. While I understand why you wish to do this yourself, it is within the RMP's jurisdiction to charge and arrest Duke Albarea for his crimes and we cannot simply sit idly by while others do out job for us."
"Agreed. I believe both my and Captain Rieveldt's presence will add the necessary legitimacy to the act. A royal edict from Princess Alfin ordering his arrest would also be welcomed," he said to the princess, who nodded resolutely.
"Are you sure about this, Jusis? I mean, you're talking about arresting your own father after all," Rean asked with concern for his own friend. He knew how rocky the relationship between the members of House Albarea was but fighting his own father and arresting him? With how much he loved and felt like he owed his own family, Rean could not fathom being in that position.
"I've had enough time to ponder this," Jusis said with resolute determination, despite the still slight tremble in his hands. "If you wish to hear my justification I suggest you're present once we catch my father, for I do not wish to repeat myself."
"Well, General, it seems our young lions are set on their current goal. What do you say?" Prince Olivert turned to General Craig with the look of someone who had just won a heated debate.
General Craig rested his head on his tented fingers with another tired sigh before chuckling and shaking his head. Arise o' youth indeed. "Alright. I suppose the 4th should be on guard just in case this is an elaborate ploy to catch us unprepared. How shall we proceed then?"