Chapter 18: The Turnabout
The day after the tournament concluded, Meta and Fettuccine were ready to head out on their journey to prove the innocence of the kind doctor Erhard. Currently he was being seen off by Kurabe, who was simultaneously sad and proud about him leaving.
"Meta, not that I don't trust you to, but please be safe on your trip. And please call me twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, ok?"
"Sensei, I'll be fine. Besides Mercury's coming with us, isn't she? You don't need to worry about me."
"I may not need to, but I still will. I worry about everyone under my command."
"I know, but still. I'll be fine."
"You still need to call me regardless. I can't help with the case if you don't keep me updated."
"But Mercury can do that, can't she?"
His mentor gave a huff. "Well, I'm sorry I'm that replaceable to you!"
"Sensei that's not what I meant." He replied, only to see her laugh.
"I know, I'm just teasing you. I know that you'll never stop caring for me, just as I'll never stop caring for you. Seriously though Meta, there is a reason I want you to be the one to call me."
He tilted his head in questioning. "What is it?"
"Training. You don't have much experience giving progress reports. While admittedly boring, it's still an important thing to be good at."
He let out a groan. "I know, I know. Trust me, Meta, I wouldn't have you bother with it if it wasn't important."
"I understand, sensei."
"Good. I don't need to worry about you, at least in terms of combat. But you will encounter some people who like... to play mind games. I haven't fully prepared you for that, so be careful."
For some reason, that made Meta grow concerned. "What do you mean?"
"The legal division, they tend to talk a lot. They also tend to find weaknesses in a person. They will try to mess with you, get you to say what they want to hear without you even realizing it. My advice, stay close to Fettuccine, let her deal with them. Don't let yourself get in a situation where you are alone."
"But shouldn't I worry about her as well?"
"No, she's prepared to deal with those people. It's practically apart of her job."
"Ok..." Meta slightly frowned. Hearing that gave him a feeling of helplessness and he disliked that.
"But. Don't think you'll be useless. I know you, Meta, you're very sharp, good at reading people. Besides, there's some situations that need a bit of...muscle to solve."
"Like what? Won't this just be speaking? You know I'm not good with speaking!" By his tone, his mentor could tell he was upset by this.
"Meta, some people refuse to talk and when that happens." The air around suddenly became cold and her eyes hardened. "You need to make them feel fear, then they will talk."
"But I'm not good as you with that!"
"Oh, my sweet Meta, you don't give yourself enough credit. And don't compare yourself to me, that's really not fair to you. You have the talent, or are you forgetting the time you made someone faint from fear just by glaring at them?"
"...did that happen? Or was that because you were with me?"
"Stop that, you're doubting yourself again. And no, I wasn't with you when that happened. I walked in after you caused him to faint. That was all you."
"Could you blame me after I was told I would be mostly useless?"
"Meta, when did I say you would be useless? Like did I actually say that or are you just giving up before you even get started?"
"You didn't say it, but you implied it!"
"No, I implied that it would be difficult on you, but not impossible. I have faith in you, don't think for a second that I don't." She then flicked him on the forehead. "I even specifically said that you wouldn't be useless. If a fight arises, you will be the only one who can protect Fettuccine. You have decent detective skills. And most importantly, you are a pillar."
"...A what?"
"A pillar. Meta, Fettuccine needs you. She'll need your support, otherwise she'll crack under the pressure. Unfortunately, maybe even shatter if it gets that's stressful for her. She has complete trust in you, so it's up to you to keep her calm. You're the only one who can."
Meta was silent as if he was skeptical.
"Why are you so skeptical? You have arguably the most important job because of that."
"But what about Mercury?"
"Fettuccine doesn't know Mercury. Her trust for her is only that of associates, nothing more. You, however, are close friends. She trusts you enough to tell you about her goal, something very few people knew about. Hell, all the progress she's made recently is because of your assistance. Your presence. Not Mercury, not me, but you." Kurabe gave another sigh. "I hope that you understand how important your role is on this mission now."
"...So even if I'm not as smart as her, I'm still just as useful to her regardless? Is that what you mean?"
"Of course. Again, your job is protecting her and giving her support!"
Meta nodded, feeling more confident, but also scared. Not for himself, however... "...Will she really shatter without my encouragement?" He then paused before continuing. "...as in her core?"
Kurabe gave him a sad look. "Yes. It's rare and unlikely to happen, but a Limet's core can shatter from stress. That's why you are so important. You need to protect her, both in mind and in body."
"...I can imagine this would be a situation where that could happen..."
"Exactly. That's why you have arguably the most important job. You are a guardian and I know you can keep her safe. I have complete faith in you. She has complete faith in you."
"...thank you, sensei."
"No need to thank me, Meta. Just do your best, that's all I ask of you."
He nodded in understanding.
"Do you have any more questions?"
"No, I think I'll be fine now, sensei."
Kurabe gave a smile. "Good." She then gently patted his back. "Now you better get going."
"Ok!" He nodded happily. "I'll make you proud, sensei."
"You always do."
The youth only smiled at those words.
"Now go, Meta, be the guardian I know you are."
"I will, sensei!"
Kurabe smiled. "Now, go!"
Meta nodded and ran off.
"...He's growing up at an impressive rate, isn't he Mercury?" She asked, seeing the silvery woman step out from behind a corner.
"Yeah, he is. I assume that's why you didn't hug him?"
"Somewhat. Besides, I'll just hug him when he gets back. I have a feeling he will want one."
"And what makes you think that?"
"All the political bull crap. I'd be surprised if he didn't have a splitting migraine by the end of it."
"Yeah, good point. He already hates that stuff, so it'll probably get even worse..."
"Exactly. So, I'm sure by then he'll need a hug."
Mercury chuckled. "Yeah. Besides, I'm sure Fettuccine will make up for whatever hugs he'll be missing before then."
"Right. I sincerely doubt the two will get into much trouble, but keep a good eye on them, sis."
"Oh, Meta's completely oblivious to that stuff, so it won't be a problem. But I will anyway." The silver woman replied with a smile.
"Oh, he's not... yeah, he is that oblivious, isn't he."
"Yes."
Kurabe chuckled at the blunt response. "Regardless, keep an eye on them. Not for anything dirty, but just in case they, or rather, Meta needs your support."
"I will. You can count on me."
"I know. Now you better get moving as well. Don't want to keep them waiting."
Mercury gave a nod and walked off with her baggage in hand.
Meanwhile, Fettuccine was waiting at the star jet they would be taking, her baggage already on board.
"Hiya, Metty! You ready to get going?" She exclaimed as she saw him approaching her.
"As ready as I can be, Fetty."
"You got any luggage?"
"Yeah." He said, pulling a suitcase from out of his cape.
"Alright, let's add that in."
Meta nodded and walked past her, stopping in his tracks right before he fully went in. "I'll protect you."
Fettuccine blinked for a moment, but then began to blush. "I... thank you, Metty..."
"You're welcome." He replied, not knowing why she was blushing.
Seeing this, Fettuccine quickly tried to go back to normal. "S-so, anyway... where's Mercury?"
Meta silently pointed behind her, seeing said woman smirking at them.
"Ah, let me take your luggage!" Fettuccine quickly said as she grabbed Mercury's bag and put it in the ship, quickly entering it.
"Meta, what did you say that made her so flustered?"
"I don't know. All did that said I would protect her."
Mercury laughed. "Young people are so entertaining sometimes."
"...I don't get it."
"Well to put it this way. You know how people can be embarrassed by things they like sometimes?"
"Um... yeah?" He tilted his head.
"She loved that you said you will protect her, but how you said it caught her off guard. Just like how Kurabe praises you and you act embarrassed about it because you weren't expecting it."
"So, it's because of how nice I said it?"
"Yeah, pretty much." He only scratched his head, somewhat confused by that. "But I wasn't trying to be nice. I was trying to be serious."
"And you were being seriously nice. Don't you think telling someone you will protect them is a nice gesture?" Her face then became serious for a moment. "Trust me, Meta, your words got through to her. She knows how serious you about promises."
"Ok."
"Good. Now let's get inside. We have a long trip ahead of us."
The puff nodded as he walked inside the ship.
"Alright everyone, let's go over our plan again. First, we go to the legal division to get the case open again. That's honestly going to be the hardest part." Fettuccine said.
"So, what are we doing?" Meta asked.
"Heading to the main base of the legal division to open up the case."
"Let's focus on doing that first."
The puff nodded, understanding that if they didn't get the case opened up, then that would basically be game over. "Well, let's get going to their base then."
Without another word, Mercury took the controls and blasted off.
In about an hour, they arrived at the planet where the legal division was stationed. Meta was about to step out, but then he saw Fettuccine with the most nervous expression he'd ever seen come from her.
"...I'd ask what's wrong, but I think I already know." He said, taking her hand.
"...Yeah. It's funny, I was so confident before, but now that I'm actually here, I can't help but think about what will happen if I fail."
"I'm nervous, too, but I think everything will be fine. You and Mercury are with me, after all." She smiled and clenched his hand. "Would you mind holding my hand until we get inside?"
"Of course. It makes you feel better, doesn't it?"
"Thank you."
"Well, let's get going, shall we?"
"Let's." She replied with a nod.
The two walked off the ship and caught up with Mercury. "You two good to go now?"
"Yeah, now let's go do this!"
"Good to see your confidence back." Mercury commented with a smile.
"Yeah, thankfully." Fettucine smiled back.
"Sensei was right. I'm the only one who can support her. Don't worry Fetty, I'll keep you from shattering, no matter what." Meta thought to himself. He noticed the woman looking at him, and she squeezed his hand harder upon seeing the determination in his eyes, as if it encouraged her.
"Well, moment of truth. Are you ready, Fetty?"
His friend gave him a smile in reply. "Yeah, I'm ready because you're with me."
Meta nodded and the group entered the building.
The inside was fairly plain, set up like a typical law office. Honestly Meta was surprised by how normal it all seemed.
"...I honestly thought it would be a bit more decorative..." he thought.
"For the sticks in the mud that run this place, this is decorative." Mercury said.
"I assume you've met them before, Mercury?"
"Yeah, with Reedy. They're technically under the Intelligence division's jurisdiction, actually."
"Really? Then why not have Reedy command them to open the case?"
"While I wish it was that easy, that would be an abuse of authority. And you know how much Reedy values following the rules."
"Not even if his younger sister asks him?"
"Again, abuse of authority. If I could easily get Reedy to do it, I would. However, if Reedy did abuse his authority, there's a chance he could get demoted. I'm not going to risk ruining my brother's career. So, we have just had to do this the legal way."
Meta only sighed.
"I prefer it this way, actually." Fettuccine said.
"Why's that?" The youth tilted his head in questioning.
"That's simple, really. I want to make a real difference; I want to expose how corrupt and unfair certain aspects of the legal division are. I can't exactly achieve that if I just have Reedy do it for me."
Meta nodded in understanding. "I see. That makes sense."
"And even if it's harder that way, it will be worth it once Erhard is finally set free."
"Yeah. I agree." The youth smiled. "So, is there anything I can do at the moment, Fetty?"
"Just stay by my side."
The soldier nodded, understanding just how important he really was right now.
"I'll be waiting outside, just to make sure no one bothers you two while you get to work." Mercury said as she walked out.
The two nodded and walked up to the desk of the division's leader, Wolfreid.
"Fettuccine, what business do you have here?" He asked in deep yet polite voice.
The woman briefly gazed at Meta before answering. "I'm here to ask for you to reopen the Erhard case."
"What for?"
"Because I have some information pertaining to the case that proves that there's still mysteries needing to be solved."
He seemed to stare for a moment. "I see. And what is that information?"
Meta noticed Fettuccine was starting to shake and silently grabbed her hand. "Relax, Fetty, you can do this."
She breathed out deeply to clear her thoughts. "To begin with, there are a few individuals connected to the incident that have gone unaccounted for. Not dead, not in lockdown. Just gone. These individuals were also directly connected to Erhard."
"And do you have the names of these individuals and their relation to Mr. Quinter?"
"Wade and Rebecca Forde, the children of Dr. Dru Forde. The doctor Erhard worked for."
"I see. And do you have any other evidence that they might somehow be connected?"
"Yes. Erhard begun to regain a few memories about them. How one of them always argued with the doctor. Then there's one other important detail. Veno, the one in charge of the case as I'm sure you're aware of, is the Stepbrother of Dru. And don't you find it strange that he was quick to blame Erhard despite there being no incriminating evidence against him outside of him being there?"
"I can see why that was unusual. That is why Veno submitted a report about his findings."
"I believe I can uncover the truth. Please, just give me a chance. You can even put me on a strict time limit if needed."
The man stared for a moment. "...very well. I've heard about you from the intelligence division head and I'm interested to see your abilities. I'll give you... say... 5 days."
Meta looked shocked and quickly looked at Fettuccine, who was sweating. "Fetty...I believe you can do it."
However, she still seemed frozen.
"Fetty, calm down. You have what it takes. You are the only one who can save Erhard."
"That will be fine." She managed to say, making Wolfreid raise an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
The woman breathed deeply before replying with her answer. "Yes, it will."
"Very well then. The case will now be officially open once again. Good luck to you, Fettuccine and you... what is your name?" He asked Meta.
"My name is Meta."
The man gave a chuckle. "I see, the unkillable's student. I assume you are assisting Fettuccine?"
"Yes, I am."
"Relax. A good assistant needs to be less stiff. Take it from me. Now you two, good luck with your investigation."
"Thank you very much, sir." Fettuccine said. "Let's go Meta."
The youth nodded and followed after his friend.
"He was a lot more reasonable than I expected." Meta commented, seeing Fettuccine visibly relax. She only silently nodded in response. "...are you ok?"
"Metty, do you really think we can solve a case like this in five days?"
"If we work together, I think so. Everyone talks about how smart you are, Fetty."
"Yeah, but-"
"No "buts" about it. You are going to do it and that's final."
She smiled quietly. "...thank you, Metty."
"You're welcome. Now let's get back to Mercury so we can tell her the good news."
"Ok." She nodded as they began to head back to the ship.
"You'll also need to call Kurabe, Meta, let her know she can legally read Erhard's mind now."
"I will when I get back to the ship."
"I know that, silly." She giggled, which Meta was glad to hear.
"She seems to be better already." He thought as he smiled, and they continued their return to the starship.
Once more, Meta spoke up on their trip back. "So, where do we even begin searching? The school it happened at?"
"That would probably be the best location to start with." The woman replied, with her friend nodding and then gaining a quizzical expression.
"Fetty, do you know who owns the school?"
"I believe it's the king of Brightfall. While he doesn't rule Currumpaw, he donated a lot to help build and fund the school..."
Meta blinked for a moment as if that sounded familiar. "...Wait, Brightfall. That sounds familiar. Oh, the loud penguin!"
"Oh, you've met King Bebebe before?" She asked.
"You could say that. He was a guest at that party. He was incredibly cooperative, if a bit noisy."
"Yeah, that does sound like him. I guess it also makes sense that you'd know about him since he's one of Kurabe's closest friends."
"Yeah, if anything this is a lucky coincidence. He should be willing to help us."
"Especially if I'm with you, probably."
"Right. How far away is Brightfall anyway?"
"About an hour from here."
Meta nodded as waved at Mercury who was waiting for them.
"Hey, you two, good news I hope?"
"Yeah, he's reopening it and we've gotta solve it in 5 days."
"Well, the reopening part is good at least."
"Yup. Now we've gotta head to Brightfall to talk to the owner of the university where the incident occurred."
"And you need to call Kurabe, Metty."
"I know, I know..." He grumbled as he walked onto the starship.
"It's important to the mission. We need her to read his mind ASAP."
"I know..." Meta dialed Kurabe's number on his phone and waited.
Almost immediately, she picked up. "Hello?"
"Hello, sensei. We got the case open, so you can dive into Erhard's head now."
"I see. That's good. How are you holding up?"
"I'm doing fine. And... you were right. I am important to this mission."
His mentor giggled. "See? You were all worried for nothing."
"I suppose I was."
She continued to giggle, which made Meta feel even more embarrassed.
"Anyway, we're going to Brightfall next. I'll update you about how that goes later."
"I look forward to hearing about it. Good luck, my little knight."
"Thank you, sensei." Meta said as he hung up. "...That wasn't nearly as embarrassing as I'd thought it be."
"Despite what you may think, Kurabe's good at knowing when is and isn't a good time for jokes."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right Mercury."
"I'm always right!" She said with fake pride.
"Really? Then why do you almost always lose bets to sensei?" He said with a knowing smirk.
"That's a different matter altogether!"
"Of course. So, Mercury, are you friends with Bebebe like sensei is?"
"I'm friends with him, but not to the level of him and Kurabe."
"I see. Well, he at least trusts you right? That should make talking to him easy. Well, easier. He seems fairly approachable to begin with."
"Yeah, he is. If a bit loud..."
"I'd rather deal with a loud noble over a despicable one." Meta commented.
"Yeah, Bebebe's probably the friendliest nobleman you'll ever meet. Unlike most royals, he doesn't have a greedy heart."
"Well, he's sensei's friend. I trust him to be like that..."
"Yeah, we're lucky it's him we're meeting. He might not be the smartest, but he makes it up by being so cooperative."
The youth nodded in agreement.
"I've never communicated with him directly." Fettuccine admitted. "But I've been in the same room with him before while watching him talk to Reedy. So, I know this part of the job will be simple."
"Well, let's head off to Brightfall then."
About an hour later, the group landed on the Planet Brightfall in the Crescent Kingdom. The kingdom itself seemed to be very peaceful. It also seemed to be an interesting mix of summer and winter, with a hot sun and cool snow somehow coexisting.
"...This is an interesting planet." Meta commented.
"I know, right? It makes me want to study it..." Mercury uttered.
"As tempting as that sounds, we have a job to do. Mercury, could you lead the way? I assume you've been to the castle before." Fettuccine asked.
"Of course, I've been here with Kurabe multiple times. Follow me." She waved them on as they headed to the front door of the castle.
"I'm surprised the guards are just letting us move by without any fuss. I guess they really trust us Organization soldiers." Meta commented.
"Of course. Bebebe is an avid supporter of ours."
"I know that. Guess I'm just not used to such a... friendly army."
"I can see why you're so confused."
"Yeah, yeah. Oh look, I think that's the captain of the army approaching us."
Ahead was a small creature wielding a spear. This was Izumi Dee, a Waddle Dee. "Hello visitors. What business do you have here?"
"We're here to visit King Bebebe." Mercury replied.
"Again, what business? I need an actual reason."
"We're here to speak with him about a school he owns. It's important for an investigation we're holding." Fettuccine responded.
"...oh. About that school again. Yeah, let's get this over with, I guess..." He sighed as he began to lead them.
"Why are you complaining, Izumi? It's not like you have literally anything to do with this." Mercury asked.
"We've gotten hounded by people about it a lot. It's why I drink."
"That implies you're over a hundred years old." She deadpanned.
"Who knows? Maybe I am!"
"Darling, quit making up excuses as to why you drink. It's unbecoming of a captain." A secretary Waddle Dee that was approaching them said.
"So, you just saying I can just drink whenever I feel like it?"
"No, I'm telling you that your behavior is unbecoming. That includes the drinking while on duty."
"Look, can you two talk about that later? We'd like to talk to the king." Mercury quickly said.
"Right of course, just walk through this door."
"Thank you." She said before nodding to her allies and stepping into the throne room.
Sitting in the middle of the room was King Bebebe, diligently signing some paperwork.
"Huh? Who is it?" He asked as he looked, eyes widening when he saw who it was. "Ah, Mercury and Kurabe's kid, it's good to see two in good health."
Meta only looked at him in confusion, causing Mercury to giggle. "Good to see you too, Bebebe."
"How's Kura-chi doin'?"
"She's doing fine, but that's not what we're here for." She looked towards Fettuccine, who stepped forward.
Bebebe stared at her for a moment before speaking once more. "You... you're an intelligence member, right? Guess this is for something important."
"Yes, my name is Fettuccine. I'm a member of the intelligence division and I'm here to ask you about the incident at Seton University."
"Oh! I guess that case finally got opened back up. Alright, what do you need?"
She took a quick look at Meta before looking back at the king. "Simply put, would it be possible to get access to records and video footage from that point in time?"
"Sure. I assume Kura-chi's helping ya?"
"Uh... yes she is." She replied, surprised by how cooperative he actually was. "Well, seeing is believing, I guess..."
The king then laughed. "Oh, don't be too surprised. You're the girlfriend of Kura-chi's kid, ain't ya?"
Fettuccine reacted as one would expect and turned pink. "N-no. We're just good friends."
Meta only tilted his head in confusion. "...of course you're a friend of mine, Fetty."
The king just laughed. "Alright, that's enough fun for now I suppose. Morimura! Bring her what she wants!"
The Waddle Dee entered the room as she pushed up her glasses. "Yes, your highness."
"Now while I don't mind assisting ya, would you care to explain why you reopened the case?"
"Because it's unfair to punish a man like Erhard for a crime he probably didn't even commit."
The king hummed. "Yup. Ya gots a point there. I myself thought it was a bit weird."
"Yeah. Wait that was a long time ago, how old are-"
Before she could ask that, Morimura came back in with the requested documents.
"These were the documents you requested, correct? Take your time to look them over." She said while handing the thick folder to them.
"You have a library we can sit in?"
"Yes, allow me to take you there."
"Thank you, Mrs. Morimura."
"You're welcome." She said as she began to guide the group to the library.
Once fully settled in, Fettuccine immediately got to work reading over everything. As for Meta, he decided to look around the library with Mercury, believing it would be best to just let Fettuccine concentrate. He started by looking at some of the books that were on display.
"There's a lot of books I've never seen before here."
"Of course. Some are written in the native language of Brightfall and the others are simply rare books you won't find anywhere else. Like this book, Pilgrim's Travel Log!"
"Who is Pilgrim?" Meta asked, causing Mercury to giggle.
"Oh, pilgrim isn't the character's name. It's what the main character is. The protagonist is named Christopher and he's taking a long and difficult journey to a promised land. Even if it's clearly come kind of spiritual allegory, I think it's more interesting to read as an actual story."
"Must be an ancient story based on how it sounds."
"Yup, I think it's actually older than me and Kurabe. If you take a look at one of the copies of the book on the shelf you can tell it's falling apart a bit."
"Shouldn't something like that be in a museum then?"
Mercury shrugged in reply. "Probably have too many copies of it."
"I suppose that makes sense." "Yup. So, you see anything else that sticks out to you?"
"Not really. Mercury, have you been here often? The castle as a whole, not just the library."
"Somewhat. Not as often as Kurabe."
"Why is that? Does sensei just happen to take a lot of jobs from here?"
"Yup. Her and Bebebe are old friends."
"How old exactly?" Meta asked, curious about the past of his mentor.
"Since Bebebe was a prince."
"So, old then. Were they close?"
"Yup! Really close!"
"Could you go into more detail?"
"I would, but Kurabe would probably be very angry if I did." She giggled.
Meta just tilted his in confusion. "Why's that?"
"Let's just say there's one part of it she doesn't like anyone knowing about..."
"Is it bad? But she and him seem to be on good terms."
"It's not bad at all, just something she's embarrassed to talk about."
"Well, then just tell me about the not embarrassing stuff."
"The two of them often worked together on missions that she took on Brightfall, so you can say that they're allies in battle."
"Really? Him? He doesn't look much like a fighter. Not in the physical sense, but mentally. He doesn't give off warrior vibes like the soldiers do."
"Oh, that's because he doesn't fight anymore due to tearing a ligament in his arm and trying to hide it."
"That would explain it then. It looked like one arm was weaker than the other."
"Yup. He's been learning magic to make up for hit from what I've heard."
"Really? How...weird for a noble to actually take action like that."
"Yeah, but Bebebe's different."
"I know and that's why it's weird. But in a good way."
"Yup. I think so, too."
"...Mercury, do you think Erhard is guilty or innocent?"
"Honestly... I'm not sure. But I came along with you to find the answer myself."
"I see. I think he is, but we'll never know if we don't find anything. I wish I could help more with the actual investigation."
"I understand, Meta." "But I'm sure I'll get my chance to be useful eventually."
"Yes, you will." "...You think I might have to do any fighting during this mission?"
"Yup."
"Why do you think that?"
"...if Erhard is innocent, do you really think that Veno will just sit on the side and wait for Fettuccine to solve the case?"
"You think he might send people after her?"
"If he has something to hide, yep."
"Then in that case, i should get back to Fetty, just in case."
"I'll go with you then."
The youth nodded as his friend followed him.
Meanwhile with Fettuccine, she was getting a headache. Not out of annoyance, but due to the large amount of information she was getting. Rubbing her head, she took a moment to stand up and stretch.
"At least this stuff should help. At least a little."
Her head still throbbed a bit in pain due to all the information that she read through.
"Fetty, are you ok?" She heard someone ask.
"Oh, I'm fine! I'm just a bit tired!"
"You sure? You seem pretty exhausted."
"No, no, I'm fine!"
"...Alright. Did you find anything useful."
"Oh, a lot of things!"
Meta smiled, glad that the time spent here was indeed useful.
"Well, you should probably take a break then." Mercury said.
"I'll take a break when I... need... one." She said, falling asleep near the end.
"Which is right now." The woman sighed.
"Will she be fine?" Meta asked, worried for his friend.
"As long as she rests, yeah." The youth nodded.
"I'll take her back to the ship. Mercury, would you mind thanking the king for us?"
"Of course!"
"Thank you." Meta told her, picking Fettuccine up and walking out.
In a couple of minutes, Meta returned to the ship and laid Fettuccine down in the sleeping quarters. He then walked outside and punch in front of him, causing an invisible figure to grunt in pain.
"Reveal yourself, assassin."
However, he was immediately slashed by the attacker.
"The hard way it is." Meta said calmly, slashing the assassin twenty times in one second.
Almost immediately, the assassin's invisibly cut off and they fainted right in front of the puff.
"Let that be a lesson for you. Don't mess with those under my protection."
Of course, there was no response.
"Well, that confirms Mercury's suspicions I suppose." He commented, dragging the unconscious assailant into the ship, tying him up.
"Guess I'll wait for him to wake up so Fetty can interrogate him when she wakes up." Meta sighed.
Depending on how one viewed it, this whole case just became simpler or more complicated. More than likely, though... it had just become more difficult.
"Did I miss something?" Mercury said as she arrived to see the tied-up assailant.
"More or less that you're right about assassins coming for Fettuccine."
"Well, isn't that just wonderful?" She replied sarcastically.
"It seems like I really will be able to help in this case after all..."
"Duh. Everyone member of a team has a role to play. Even if that role isn't obvious at first."
The youth seemed to blush in embarrassment. "...I've been silly lately, haven't I?"
"Yes, you have been." The woman giggled.
"Well, I just hope she wakes up soon."
"I hope so, too. She needs to tell us all that information she found."
"Right. Let's just hope things don't get too hard for us."
The youth nodded in agreement.
After an hour of waiting, the sleeping beauty finally woke up.
"Hmm...? What happened...?" Fettuccine uttered as she stretched her arms.
"You fried your brain." Mercury bluntly stated.
It was as if everything that happened came back to her, because Fettuccine's entire body turned pink.
"Right, that did happen. Um... anything happen while I was unconscious?"
"We were attacked by an assassin, but I easily took them out and tied them up if you want to interrogate them." Meta explained.
"An assassin!? Great, just what we needed. Bring the punk to me."
The puff nodded and brought the person into the room.
"You ain't getting nothing out of me!" The would-be assassin yelled.
"I assume we just need to leave this to you, Fetty?" The youth asked.
"Yeah, this won't take long at all. Gimme five minutes."
Both Meta and Mercury nodded in response before leaving the room.
"Alright, talk already. Who sent you?"
The assassin was silent.
"You know, I could just have Meta come back in and kill you."
"I am prepared to die for my mission."
"Are you now? What about your wife and daughter?"
"What about them?"
"Well, firstly, thanks for confirming that you have a family." She said with a smirk. "Secondly, do they even know that you're an assassin?"
"I don't know."
"Oh, is that so? So, I could kill you right now and they'd never even know they just lost a husband and father. Wouldn't that be terrible, leaving them behind without any answers?"
The man only remained silent.
"But we can easily avoid that messy nonsense if you just tell me who hired you."
"No one did."
"How old is your daughter? Four? Five?"
"None of your business."
"Oh, I disagree. You were hired to kill me, meaning I am your business. Now just tell me what I want, and your daughter won't have to be without a father."
The assassin seemed to grin before beginning to cough up blood.
"Oh, trying to kill yourself. Sorry, not happening." Fettuccine said, using pieces of her own body to keep the blood from leaving. "Yeah, tricks like that don't work with mister. Now talk."
"...are you stupid? This is poison!" He then immediately fainted, no longer breathing.
Fettuccine blinked for a moment in shock before letting out a sigh. "Well, so much for that."
Almost immediately, Meta entered. "Fetty, what happened?"
"Moron killed himself."
"Oh..." He then looked at his friend. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Check his pants, he might have an ID or something on him."
The youth nodded, slightly surprised by how unshaken his friend was.
"Oh, this isn't the first time this has happened. It's incredibly disturbing don't get me wrong, but you learn to deal with it."
"...I know, but I thought you would be a bit shaken by it..."
"Oh trust me I am, I'm just good at hiding it. Go ahead and read my emotions, Metty, I don't mind."
The youth nodded and closed his eyes, focusing only on Fettuccine. "...I feel sadness. I guess you are taking it hard."
"I am. I hate death of any kinds besides natural causes. It's just you learn to deal with it until the mission is over. That's when you, or I guess I, can cry."
Meta knew that feeling all too well.
"Besides, now's not the time to let our nerves get the best of us. We have a case to solve!" She said with a smile, but Meta knew it was slightly forced.
He stared for a moment before walking over to Fettuccine and hugging her.
"...Thank you, Metty."
"No problem, Fetty."
"Now, did you find any sort of ID on him?"
"Here." He said, handing her a card.
"Kno Wan. Kno Wan. His name is literally no one. Darn assassins and their annoying aliases."
"So, I guess we don't know who he is then."
"No one knows. Well, whatever, at least we have proof of an assassin trying to kill me. That means someone doesn't want me investigating. Which means we're on the right track."
"So, what planet are we heading to next then?"
"Anywhere that doesn't have anything to do with the case and has a hotel. Less likely to deal with assassins that way."
"Alright, leave it to me." They heard Mercury from the door.
"A hotel, already?"
"Yup. We need a good place to rest and go over the information we got."
"It's that late already?" Meta asked in confusion.
"No, but we know assassins are after us. It would be better to lay low. And if my hunch is correct, they'll be waiting for us in certain locations. Which is why we need to go out of our way."
He nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm sure Mercury will take us to a planet that none of them will expect us to be on."
"Plus, now I'm more confident with our five-day time limit." Fettuccine smirked.
"I'm happy to hear that, Fetty."
"I'll tell you why I am when we get to a hotel room." She said while sitting down.
He nodded in response and sat next to her. "So, what now? Besides going to a hotel, I mean."
"Simple. Knowing your sensei, she should be getting ready to read Erhard's mind. We just have to wait."
True to Fettuccine's predictions, Kurabe was indeed getting ready.
"Alright, Erhard, you might feel a bit of discomfort from this. Are you fine with that?"
"If this is going to help me in the end, I'm ready for it."
Kurabe nodded. "Lay down and close your eyes, clear your mind. Searching for specific memories requires that you don't have many stray thoughts running around."
"That will be easy. I've done that quite a lot in solitary confinement."
"Good. There's nothing more annoying than searching through a storm of incoherence. Now on the count of three I'll enter your mind. You ready?"
The doctor took a deep breath before letting it out and answering. "Ready as I'll ever be."
"Then, three, two, one." Kurabe placed her hand on his head. Next, she knew she was in what appeared to be a doctor's office.
"This must be the form his mind takes. It's well organized at least." She then let out a breath. "Well, time to look around."
Her first thought was to open a file cabinet, but it was locked much to her annoyance.
"I could just force my way in, but that could damage his already fractured memories. I'll just have to find the key for it."
She then began to look through the nearby desk, trying to find anything that looks like a key. That's when she noticed something on nearby desk. A large pile of torn apart paper. Or to be more specific, a torn-up picture.
"Ah, I've dealt with this before. It's like a jigsaw puzzle, just need to put the pieces together and you'll form a picture." She giggled, enjoying jigsaw puzzles, and began to put it back together.
"And done. Oh, it's a family picture, that's him as a kid, those must be his parents." She smiled.
Suddenly a new part of the office that was previously blocked off was now open to her.
"Repair his memories and more memories reveal themselves. Simple enough."
She then moved forward, hoping to find the key soon. She had a feeling the most important memories were locked in that cabinet.
"Well, this will take longer than I thought. But don't worry Erhard, I'll get your memories back. One step at a time."
Back with the investigation trio, they had finally landed on a faraway planet.
"So what planet is this, Mercury?" Meta asked.
"I don't know. I just picked one at random. I think the map said Tabni, or something like that."
Fettuccine shrugged. "As long as it's not connected to the case, it'll work."
"Alright then. So why a hotel? Why not just tell us here in the ship what you found?"
"Safety mostly. You never know, they might have put microphones or something on the ship to spy on us."
"Well, that makes sense. So, what kind of hotel are we staying at then?"
"Whatever this town we landed in has to offer. We don't have the luxury of picking one beforehand." Mercury told him.
"Should be easy. I believe this is a planet known for its nightlife, so there are a lot of hotels here."
"That description fits a lot of planets, Fettuccine. Come on, let's get moving."
"Okaaayyy..." She grumbled as she dragged Meta along.
"Why are you grumbling? This is your idea. Besides I'm the one paying for it."
Meta didn't say anything, but he got the feeling that it was because of how dismissive Mercury was of Fettuccine's expression of knowledge.
"Well, whatever, we got better things to worry about." The woman shrugged as she followed them to a hotel.
Once fully settled in a nearby cheap, but well-kept hotel, Fettuccine got ready to explain what she learned. She was then given a plate of food.
"I hope you don't mind, but I ordered room service for dinner for all of us." Mercury said.
"It's fine. I guess I'll explain after I eat."
"Of course. You're hungry, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I guess I am."
"Then enjoy your food!"
"I will. So, who is sleeping where? There's only two beds and one couch."
"I'll sleep on the couch, you two sleep on the beds." Mercury said.
"You sure?"
"Oh yeah! I can sleep just about anywhere!"
"I mean, me and Meta can share one bed and-"
"I'll take the couch."
Fettuccine pouted. "Metty, what do you think?"
"I don't see the big deal. If she wants the couch, she can have it."
She continued to pout.
"What?"
Her pout became bigger.
"Quit pouting and eat, your food is getting cold."
She did so in silence.
After a half hour of eating in silence, now it was time for Fettuccine to reveal what she learned.
"So, what did you learn, Fetty?" Meta asked.
"First. A very interesting fact. Veno was actually a huge donor to the school. Donating large amounts of cash each year, more than enough to sustain it. That until a certain year. 15 years before the incident, his donations became smaller and smaller. Thanks to Bebebe, the school was still able to function, but nowhere near as much as it used to."
"I see. Do you have an idea of why they decreased?"
"Yeah. As you know Veno is the half-brother of the doctor. According to these records, 15 years before the event was when the doctor and his son reportedly started getting into those arguments Erhard remembered. The most likely reason as to why Veno lessened his donations was that he was on his nephew's side and most likely wanted to sabotage his half-brother."
"What were those arguments about?"
"Apparently according to these records, his son wanted them to get into developing weapons. Poison weapons."
"I see."
"Like what happened during the incident." Mercury said.
"Obviously the good doctor was against this and shut down any proposal made about it."
"So, now what? Does that mean the son was the culprit?"
"Not necessarily Metty, but it does make him a suspect."
"What else have you found?"
"Something very interesting from the parking records. You see every visiting vehicle needs to be registered upon entering the school grounds, for secure purposes. One of the registered visiting vehicles on the day of the incident, belonged to Veno."
"So, I assume he's another suspect?" Meta asked.
"He already was, but now he's even more suspicious."
"So arguably he might be the biggest suspect, is that right?"
"Precisely."
"I see..."
"As for anything else. Something very interesting. I found the schedule for all employees. Erhard, was not supposed to be there but was apparently asked to come in by the doctor's son."
"Why?" Meta asked.
Mercury hummed. "Might just be me, but I get the feeling it was to lay the blame for what happened there on him."
"But why him? Sure, he was close to the doctor, but why not frame one of the employees that were already there?"
"It's because Erhard was against his idea for poison weapons."
"So, they wanted to take out two birds with one poisonous stone."
"Exactly." Fettuccine nodded.
"Why not just kill him then instead of leaving him alive? Why set up a scapegoat at all?"
"Hmm... that's a good question..." Mercury uttered.
"Simple. If there was no culprit to be found, the investigation would still be on. With a scapegoat however, the case is closed, and the true culprit gets away with no effort." Fettuccine said.
"I see... that makes sense." Meta nodded.
"Now for the hard part. Finding the good doctor's missing children." Fettuccine said, putting air quotes around missing.
"Do you have an idea where they might be?"
"Nope." She sighed.
"Well, I guess that's what we investigate next." Mercury said.
"But where do we start?" Meta asked.
"...We'll have to wait until we get the info from Kurabe."
"So, I guess we're just hanging out here until then, huh?"
"We don't have much of a choice."
"Well, it'll be a nice breather, won't it?"
"I guess so." Meta then smiled.
"Don't worry, Fetty. I'm sure sensei will get back to us as soon as she finds more information."
"You're right, we still have four days after this one. It won't do any good to stay agitated." Mercury clapped her hands.
"Yup. So, let's take this time to relax a bit until Kurabe calls us."
"I hope it's going well." Meta said.
"...I'm getting so tired of these puzzles." Kurabe groaned.
While she had been having fun with the various jigsaw puzzles, they had quickly begun to all other kinds of puzzles. Logic, cryptic, mechanical, sudoku, mathematical, all of them were present throughout these areas.
"Well, at least I'm getting close, just need to find that key."
She let out a stretch and sighed, being particularly stuck on this logic puzzle for quite a time. It was a seemingly simple puzzle, she just needed to input a password and the puzzle would be finished. Unfortunately, she had no idea what the password was or what it could be.
"Maybe I should look around this room a bit more..." She thought.
"Do you require assistance?" A voice said from behind her. Turning around she saw a little boy that looked a lot like Erhard.
"If you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate it."
"Ok. What's the question?"
"The question is, why did you become a doctor."
The child tilted his head. "Isn't wanting to help people enough of a reason?"
"A one word answer please. The password can only be one word."
"Then "people"?"
Kurabe nodded and wrote in "people".
"Is that it?"
Suddenly a key fell onto Kurabe's head.
"I'll take that as a yes..." she grumbled as she rubbed her head. "Well, thank you..." She started to say, but then noticed that the kid was gone. She then shrugged and then continued through the next door that she had opened with the key.
"Well, time to open up that file cabinet already. About time, speaking of, I wonder how much time has passed in the real world." She then shook her head. "I'll see when I get out. Hopefully not too much time."
She reached the cabinet and inserted the key.
"Alright, moment of truth."
After turning it and jiggling the handle, she began to feel the cabinet open up. Suddenly a flood of memories rushed out of it. Kurabe smiled at this and quickly left Erhard's mind. Back in reality Kurabe looked at Erhard.
"What do you remember?"
"...Everything."
"Would you like to discuss it then?"
"Once my headache passes."
She chuckled. "Very well. I will wait however long I need to."
After thirty minutes of rest, Erhard was ready to speak.
"So, are you ready to talk?" Kurabe asked.
"I am, yes."
"Well let's get this out of the way then. Do you remember who the true culprit is?"
"I... think I have an idea..."
"Who is it then?"
"Veno."
"Of course it's him..." Kurabe sighed heavily.
"He wasn't alone. The doctor's son was his accomplice." Erhard continued, exhibiting an emotion he hadn't had in decades. Anger.
"...I see." The warrior replied with a sympathetic gaze. "Do you have any idea where the son might have gone?"
"An idea yes. In the Merbuda system, the doctor had a vacation home."
"Merbuda, you mean the system with constant active black holes?"
"Yes, that one."
"Why have a vacation home in some place so dangerous?"
"Exactly. You wouldn't think to go there, would you?"
"Of course not. I rather have mine in a more peaceful part of the galaxy."
"Which makes it a perfect place to lay low."
"Indeed. Well, I should probably notify my student about this development."
"Before you do, there's something else you need to know."
"What is it?"
"Veno like you, is psychic. However, while you can read and bring out memories, he manipulates them. That's how I lost mine in the first place. It only works on those with weak wills, which is why he couldn't use it on the doctor or head of the law division."
"A psychic, huh? He'll be a difficult opponent then."
"Yes and no. He can only use his powers by physically touching people. Also, he's not exactly physically strong."
"Oh. Then that will be easy." She chuckled darkly.
"And it only works on those with weak wills. I've only known those kids for a short time, but I'm sure they aren't weak in the slightest."
"Of course not. Meta's my student!" She huffed. "But wait, what about you? You don't seem weak."
Erhard smiled sadly. "Veno did something that weakened my will."
"What's that?"
"He killed the doctor." He said bluntly.
Kurabe blinked in shock. "But... why...?"
"You know the old saying. You're either with me or against me. The good doctor refused to submit to Veno's horrific plans. You can imagine the rest."
"I see... I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's fine. I can grieve after Veno gets caught."
For a moment, Kurabe became silent before she hugged Erhard, who had a surprised expression at the sudden action.
"I understand. But please, just let it all out..."
"Uh... thank you."
Kurabe giggled at the slightly shy reply. "Well now, I better tell them what l learned."
"...can you let me go?" Erhard uttered, now feeling a bit crushed by her.
"Oh, right." She then let go. "I'll come back to you later." She said as she dialed in Meta's number.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Meta. How's your investigation coming along?"
"Fine, but we hit a roadblock. We suspect we need to find the doctors children, but we don't know where to start."
She giggled. "Well, lucky for you, someone happens to have an idea of where they are."
"Really? Did you get his memories back?"
"Yup. We also know who the culprit is now."
"Who is it?"
"Veno, with Dr. Dru's son, Wade, being an accomplice."
"...Of course." Meta gave heavy sigh.
"I think you already know where to find Veno, but for the doctor's son, the doctor has a vacation home in the Merbuda system. Go look there."
"Alright, thank you sensei."
"One more thing to note, Meta. Be careful of Veno. He has the ability to manipulate the memories of the weak minded. So, keep your mind strong."
"Really!?"
"Yes, oh and only through physical contact."
"Is that all you have to tell me?"
"One more thing. Veno killed the doctor."
There was a moment of silence, as if her student was processing that.
"...I see..."
"Yes, now good luck Meta. I'll stay here with Erhard just in case Veno tries something."
"Ok. Thank you, sensei."
"You're welcome, my student." Kurabe said as she hung up. She then turned to Erhard. "Now... where were we...?"
"You were hugging me."
"Oh, that's right!" She exclaimed as she resumed her hugging.
"...So why are you hugging me again?"
"Just let it all out, Erhard..."
"Let what out? Oh, you mean my tears."
"Yes, that's what I mean."
"Oh, that's quite a problem then. I can't physically cry, it was a medical condition I was born with." Despite this though, his voice sounded like he was crying even if he wasn't.
"Perhaps, but you sound like you are."
"I am, aren't I?"
"Yes, you are." After a moment of silence, Kurabe spoke up. "Erhard, I have a proposition."
"...what is it?"
"After you get set free, how would you feel about working for my ship?"
"But why though?"
"You want to keep being a doctor, correct?"
"I would love to."
Kurabe held out her hand. "Then welcomed aboard."
"But... doesn't a battleship as important as yours already have a doctor?"
"The Bukisets, but they aren't dedicated doctors."
"But-"
"But nothing. You can never have enough doctors." She then began to pat his cheek, being too short to pat his head. "Especially since you will be specifically dedicated to being a doctor."
"Well, if you really want me aboard, I don't see a reason to refuse."
"Oh please, I know you would ask anyway." She pouted.
"Why are you pouting?" Erhard asked, not understanding anything about social cues. She then stopped hugging him and reached out her hand.
"Then shake my hand."
"Oh right. Of course." He took her hand and shook it.
"So, what exactly is Merbuda and why do you two look so worried?" Meta asked his compatriots.
Noticeably, both Fettuccine and Mercury were sweating profusely upon hearing that name.
"It's... it's an area that's full of black holes." Mercury uttered.
"...Damn."
"Yeah, it's one of the hardest places to navigate."
"Not to mention a death trap." Mercury added.
"Yes, but that's the most likely place where the doctor's son is."
"Well, we'll just have to be extra careful."
"Leave the piloting to me then." Mercury said.
"Alright. Well Fetty, we're making even more progress."
"Yeah, and I'm glad for that." She smiled.
"Well, we should get going then."
"Hold your horses, Metty. It's late and we need to sleep."
"And I already paid for our room." Mercury added.
"Oh... I guess so. Well, I'm going to head to bed now." He said as he headed to one of the beds.
"You too Fettuccine." Mercury ordered.
"I know, I know."
"Good night you two."
"Good night, Mercury." Meta said with a yawn as he fell asleep.
The next morning, Fettuccine was adamant on getting out of the hotel as fast as possible, only taking time to eat breakfast.
"Fetty, why the rush? Today's only just day two."
"Because the Merbuda system is a long way from here. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get there."
"Ah... I understand." He then tilted his head.
"How long will it take for us to get there?"
"At our top speed, twelve hours. Not to mention dealing with those black holes."
"Oh. So it'll take all our daylight."
"Yes and no. The Merbuda system is...strange to put it lightly. Combined with the constant black holes, there's at least ten suns there."
"Ten? How is that possible?"
"No one knows. The Merbuda system is incredibly mysterious and incredibly dangerous."
"I see."
"Also, Metty, I have a question."
"What is it?" "What were you eating at two in the morning?"
"Nothing."
"A parfait." Mercury said.
"I assume he does that often, Mercury?"
"Almost every day."
"And he always eats an affogato every day when he wakes up?"
"No, I don't. Now can we get going already?"
"We're already on our way to the ship, Metty."
"...and yes, you do." Mercury uttered.
"No, I don't. Now drop it."
She only giggled, seeing his pouting face. "Fine, fine. I need to focus on driving anyway."
As Mercury turned back to her task at hand, Meta saw Fettuccine looking at him.
"Metty, do you like sweets?"
"Yeah, I do, why?"
She then looked a bit nervous. "When this is all over... would you like to go to one of my favorite ice cream places?"
Meta tilted his head, not sure why she would be nervous about asking that. "Sure."
She let out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad..."
"Well, I'm glad that you're glad then."
She gave a smile towards him.
"Do you still feel nervous about solving this case?" Meta then asked, thinking of a possible reason why she could be acting like this.
"A bit, but I feel better when I remember that you'll be with me all the way..." she uttered shyly.
"Well of course. You sure you're feeling alright? You should probably get back to sleep if you need it."
"Yeah, I'm alright. Don't worry about me, Metty. You being here with me is enough."
"Well, alright then."
"What about you? Are you nervous?"
"Not really. Not about the case anyway." She tilted her head in questioning.
"Then what are you worried about?"
"The black holes. I'm not scared of anything I can cut, but I can't exactly cut a black hole in half... yet."
"Mercury will take care of it. Don't worry."
Meta nodded. "Yeah. Well, I'm going to train."
"Right now?"
"Of course. I have to train whenever I can."
"...do you mind if I come watch you?"
Meta shrugged. "You can do whatever you want. Not sure why you'd want to though, I'm just going to be doing weightlifting."
For some reason unknown to the youth, Fettuccine's entire body turned pink as she looked at the floor upon hearing that. Meta, confusing her reaction as confusion decided to elaborate.
"Well, I can't exactly do my usual training routine without destroying the ship."
She silently nodded. "Can... I help...?"
"With weightlifting? Sure, I guess."
She smiled happily while following him out of the room.
After a few hours, Fettuccine slightly regretted that choice.
"My arms are so soreee."
"You offered to help me, Fetty. You brought it on yourself." Meta replied while drinking an entire bottle of water in one gulp.
"But did they have to be so heavy?"
"Heavy? Those were the lightest I had."
"A hundred tons is not light!" She said, shocked that he considered those weights to be light.
"...you might need to build up a bit of arm muscle, Fetty."
"Limets don't have muscles Metty, we're slime."
"Then couldn't you make yourself have more muscles?"
"What do you think I was doing!? My strength is not the issue, it's that you are way stronger than I am."
"You should get stronger then."
"Nah, I'm good. I'm not a fighter, I don't need to be freakishly strong. That's your job."
"Then why did you ask to help me?"
"To spend time with you, silly." She said with a blush.
"Oh, well thank you then." He replied, clueless as to why she would seem so embarrassed to spend time with a friend. "But next time, I don't mind if you just want to watch me."
The woman nodded in response.
"Alright you two, it's time to get serious. We've made it to the system." Mercury said.
Quickly and curious, Meta looked out the window. To his utter shock, he saw three black holes in the distance.
"How is that possible?"
"Merbuda is a star system that cannot be understood. That's all there is to it." Mercury simply replied.
"I don't think we should stay here for long. Wait, do people even live here?"
"Besides the people we're looking for, probably not."
"Or people who don't want to be found in general." Fettuccine added.
"Why would anyone willingly do that?" Meta asked, not understanding why anyone would live in a death trap.
"Simply because no one would come to a death trap willingly."
"Besides us anyway."
"Yes, but our business here is different."
"We're still willingly coming to a death trap, our reasons don't really matter."
"A deathtrap..." Meta uttered.
"Meta, I know what you're thinking, and I get it, but it's time to be serious. I need both of you to search for anything that could be a vacation home."
The youth stared at her in questioning, wondering why she said that, but then looked out the window.
"Why are you so on edge for Mercury? You're an expert pilot, right?"
"My piloting skills mean nothing if a black hole magically appears in front of us. Neither of us can afford to dwell on thoughts not related to our mission. Now get to looking."
"Ok..."
"Hey Mercury, do asteroids usually have palm trees on them?" Meta asked.
"They shouldn't. Why?"
"Look to your left."
The woman did so. True to Meta's words, there was a large asteroid, almost the size of a small moon, with what looked like palm trees on it.
"Guess that's it."
"Well, only one way to find out for sure." Mercury said as she flew towards it.
In a few minutes, the group landed on the asteroid.
"Well let's get searching you two."
The two nodded and they began to search around. The asteroid, upon further investigation, appeared to be man-made instead of being something natural.
"...this must be it." Mercury said.
"That explains all the random palm trees."
"Yup."
After walking for what felt like an hour, they came across what appeared to be a modest sized house.
"This must be it. I'm surprised it's not better guarded." Meta said.
"Well, it's not like anyone else knows this place even exists."
"Even so, you would think that..."
"No, putting guards here would just alert us. In some cases, having no defense is the best defense."
"What about traps?"
"Realistically there won't be any. They've been hiding out here for centuries. They probably don't see a need for any."
Meta nodded, but kept a hand on his sword just in case.
The group advanced towards the house.
"So, do we just knock on the door?"
"I guess we can try it. Just keep your guard up."
Meta nodded and knocked on the door, ready to attack if needed. Nobody answered. Meta decided to go with plan B. Which was kicking the door down with full force. He instantly did so, causing his two allies to jump a bit.
"It had to be done. HEY! QUIT HIDING AND COME OUT!"
There was no response. However, he could sense that there was definitely someone here.
"I said come out. I can do a whole lot worse than kicking down a door."
Nothing.
"You might have to do worse, Metty." Fettuccine said.
Suddenly, she froze before falling to the floor face first.
"FETTY?!" He then saw a man standing in the hallway. Immediately, Meta cut off the man's arm, causing the man to suddenly regret showing up. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?"
"What did you think I do, you brat!?"
"A STRAIGHT ANSWER, UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO CUT OFF YOUR OTHER ARM!"
"I stabbed her damn core, that's what I did!"
"Then I guess you want to die!"
"Metty, that's enough. I'm fine." Fettuccine said as she stood up.
"What the?!"
"Oh please, that wasn't the first time I've been stabbed. That little stab doesn't even make it to the top ten stabbings I've been through."
"...I'll give you a few seconds."
"Yeah, I know I'm poisoned. I'll probably die if I don't get treated soon."
Meta only stared in shock before slashing at the man again.
"Metty, I said stop." Fettuccine said, stopping him from killing their target. "He's Wade Forde, the doctor's son, we need him alive."
The youth glared at her with an emotion she'd never seen before from him: wrath.
"Metty, calm down. If you kill him, then our mission will be a failure, Erhard will stay imprisoned, Veno will walk away Scot-free, and I would have died for nothing. You need to calm down. We have a job to do, an innocent man's life to save. If I die, I want to die successful. Now calm down." She let out a cough.
Meta looked at her, the anger in his eyes disappeared, now replaced with worry. "Alright Fetty."
"Damn Veno... how could he mess up something so simple...?!" Wade uttered.
"You've been a free man while an innocent one was blamed for a mass murder you were a part of. You don't get to complain." Fettuccine spat out, coughing violently.
"I can complain if I want, bitch!" He said, smacking her across the face.
"Do you really want to push your luck when my friend has his sword pointed at your throat?"
Before Wade could respond, Meta stabbed out one of his eyes. "You are at my mercy, scum."
He only continued to grin. "...tell me, do you know what CIP is?"
"Yes, I know what it is, but I don't care. You might not be able to feel pain, but I will make you feel fear!" Meta yelled, making Wade piss himself in fear. "Now tell me where the cure is!"
"There is no cure!"
"Bullshit!"
Before Meta could say anything else, a woman's voice he didn't recognize called out. "Yes, there is, don't listen to my idiot brother."
"You're Rebecca Forde, aren't you?" Mercury asked.
"That I am. I take it someone finally figured out what my idiot brother and idiot step uncle did?"
"Yes, someone has."
"About time. If wasn't being held here against my will, I would have told the universe the truth myself."
Just as she said that, her brother ran out of the house, only for Meta to teleport right in front of him. "You're not going anywhere."
He then used his lightning magic to paralyze him.
"Damage me more, will you!?"
"You're lucky I don't just kill you right now."
"Do it, you coward. I know you won't."
"Coward? You try to run away, and you call me a coward? Your words mean nothing to me." Meta said, punching him and knocking him out. "That should shut you up."
It appeared he was right, as there was no response. "Now you said that there is a cure?" He asked Rebecca.
"That's right."
"Please save my friend!" Meta did the one thing he normally never would. He begged.
"You don't need to beg me young man. I'll get it ready."
"How long will it take?!"
"Five minutes."
Slightly fearful, Meta looked at his friend to see that she had already reverted to her blob form. "Will she last that long?!"
"She'll have to. You have lighting magic, yes? Use it to keep her core active. It should slow the poison down just a little."
"Do... do I have to touch her core?"
"A real gentleman, aren't you? While I respect that, the world of medicine has no need for boundaries when it comes to saving lives. Touch it, young man, her life depends on it."
He nodded. "Fetty, I'm going to touch your core, is that ok?"
"Do it Metty. Hurry..." She weakly uttered.
Quickly acting, Meta activated his lighting magic and touched her core.
After five minutes passed, Rebecca returned with the cure and injected it into Fettuccine's core.
"Fetty! Fetty! Are you ok!?" Meta exclaimed, continuing to pulse electricity into her.
"Give her some space, young man. She'll be fine."
"I rather hear that from her!"
"And she can't answer you if you keep crowding her. Look, her breathing has already returned to normal."
"On contrary, I think she might do better if he's near her." Mercury said.
Rebecca sighed. "Did I say he can't be near her? No, I said for him to stop crowding her. Hold her hand if you must, but you need to let go of her core. And don't even bother trying to argue against a medical professional. You both know I'm right."
"...what hand? She's still a blob right now."
"You know what I mean. Now calm down and give her space."
"...do as she says, Metty."
After a moment of silence, he left the room entirely.
"Get back in here you dummy, I didn't tell you to leave, I told you to let go of the core."
Mercury shook her head. "Just leave him be. He's taking this a bit hard."
"No, I won't leave him be. He makes a big deal about staying and then leaves when he didn't need to. That's just going to hurt the young lady's feelings when she sees that he's not in here. Now go get your soldier back in here."
"I will when I let the kid cool off a bit."
"...No, you don't need to. I'll stay." Meta said as he walked back in.
The woman seemed to stare at him skeptically.
"Meta, please wait outside just in case."
Rebecca coughed to gain both of their attention. "Miss, you do realize that the young lady is no longer in danger, yes? See look, she's slowly reforming her body."
"Then why were you getting so upset with him?"
"I wasn't. He needed to give her room to regrow."
Mercury sighed in annoyance.
"It's fine, Mercury." Meta said as he looked at Fettuccine's slowly reforming body.
Despite this, Mercury continued to stare at him. "I'm slightly surprised he's not being so hard on himself. He usually is in this kind of situation..." She thought. "Then again, his worry for her is probably overriding any other emotion he has right now." She shrugged. "It's going to hurt hard when that wears off and the other emotions kick in..."
After a few moments, Fettuccine finally reformed completely.
"I assume it worked then?" Mercury asked.
"I told you it did. It's an extremely fast acting antidote. She was saved the instant I injected her with it."
"...and you needed to drive the kid away from her after you did why?"
"Why do you keep assuming that's what I was doing? I simply said he needed to give her space, as in walk a foot away from her. I even said he could stay close to her. I'm not responsible for how he decided to act."
Mercury only stared at her.
"Besides, isn't there something more important that requires your attention?" Rebecca asked, pointing at Meta hugging Fettuccine. "She is your subordinate, yes? Go and speak with both of them."
"She's technically not my subordinate. She's my older brother's."
Rebecca just stared at her. "Just go talk with them."
Mercury stared back at her as she walked over to the duo, who seemed to not even notice the conversation going on.
"How are you feeling, Fettuccine?" She asked.
"Oh, I'm fine, thank you..."
"Are you sure? You almost died..." Meta whimpered.
"Keyword being almost, Metty. I'm alive and it's thanks to you slowing down the poison. You helped save my life, so relax, ok?"
"How can I?! You almost died and it's all my fault!"
"Oh, shut up with that nonsense. You weren't the one that stabbed me. You however are the one that kept me alive. That antidote wouldn't have worked without you. Stop fretting about your so-called failures and be happy about your successes."
"BUT YOU STILL GOT STABBED BECAUSE I WASN'T CAREFUL!"
"So? I'm alive, aren't I? Or would you rather I died?"
"What!? Of course not!"
"Then what's the issue? I'm alive, you prevented the bastard from escaping and we got Rebecca on our side. We won, Metty, so stop dwelling on your so-called mistake."
"But it is a mistake!"
"A mistake that doesn't matter. I'm alive, that's what matters. I get it, you're a perfectionist, but Metty, you don't need to be perfect all the time. You saved my life, that should be more important than anything else right now."
"But I could have prevented you being in danger!"
"Stop it. It literally doesn't matter. I'm alive, you saved my life, that's all there is to it."
"But if I was a better protector, there would have been no need to! Why can't you see that I'm a failure!?"
Fettuccine sighed and then slapped him across the face. "When will you realize that you didn't fail? I'm alive only because of you. I wouldn't be here talking to you if you weren't here. I would be dead if not for you. You didn't fail, you've never failed. Quit beating yourself up over nothing, Metty." She then hugged him. "If I went on my investigation by myself like I originally planned, I would have died. I've only made it this far because of you. You are invaluable to me, so stop calling yourself a failure."
He didn't respond.
"Metty, would you preferred it if I did die?"
"No..."
"Then why are you acting like I am dead?"
Meta opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
"Metty, things like this happen on missions. We can't prevent every bad thing from happening. But what we can do is focus on the good. We're alive, that's the only thing that matters right now."
He continued to remain silent.
"She's right, Meta. Nothing is more important than getting through a battle alive. Remember the story I told you about how Kurabe almost died from poison due to protecting me? I blamed myself for it just like you are now. But do you know what Kurabe told me? She said to stop dwelling on meaningless crap. There's nothing more important than being alive."
He still didn't say anything.
"Take it from a doctor, young man, there's nothing more important than saving a life. Which is what you did. My antidote was only able to save her because of your skills. Without you, she would be dead. So, hold your head up high, for you performed the greatest act anyone could do. You saved the life of a loved one."
He still didn't reply.
"Metty would you just say something already?"
"...Do you really think so highly of me, even after what happened?"
"Do you really think I would lie to you about something like that?"
"...No, no you wouldn't."
"Then don't act like I would."
"Alright. ...I'm glad you're alive, Fetty." He said while hugging her back.
"And I'm happy to be alive."
Mercury smiled, then looked at Rebecca. "You said something about being kept here against your will. Care to explain?"
The doctor nodded and pointed to her throat. "You see this device on my neck? It's a bomb rigged to detonate if I attempt to leave this asteroid."
"Do you know how to get it off?"
"I do. There are two methods. One is the key, but Veno owns it. The second method is using electricity to make it short circuit. The issue with that is it could make it explode."
Mercury hummed for a moment. "...if you want, I can contact Kurabe, and she can get the key from him."
"Or I could try to short circuit it." Meta offered. "Sensei always says my control over electricity is masterful."
"Do you think you can do it?" Rebecca asked.
"I'm confident."
"Then I'll trust you."
Meta slowly walked up to her and placed his hands on her device. With a severe amount of concentration, he sent his electricity into the device. Soon, the device safely fell off of her neck. Rebecca carefully touched her neck with a smile.
"I'm finally free. Thank you, young man."
"It's nothing... I'm just doing what I can to help..." He uttered shyly.
"Miss Rebecca, my name is Fettuccine, I'm the one in charge of this investigation. Is it safe to assume that you're willing to work with us?"
"Of course young lady. That bastard Veno killed my dad, framed Erhard and kept me trapped here. It's time that he paid for his crimes."
"I see... that's a relief..."
"Well then, what do we do now, Fetty?" Meta asked.
"Now, we go back to the legal division. With Rebecca on our side and Wade as our captive, we have enough to prove Veno did it."
"And we did it in record time. Just need to get back to the legal division HQ." Meta grabbed her hand. "I told you that you could do it."
Fettuccine's entire body turned pink.
"Fetty, are you alright?" Meta asked in concern.
"Don't worry young man, that just happens when Limets are incredibly happy. Isn't that right, young lady?" Rebecca said, winking at her. That response caused her whole body to turn a deeper shade of pink.
"So, you're happy then? That's a relief." Replied the oblivious Meta. He then gave a smile towards his friend, who almost immediately reverted to her blob form. "FETTY?!"
"And that's what happens when they get extremely happy. Pour some cold water on her, she'll be fine shortly after."
Meta took a moment to blink off the shock before heading to the water faucet.
"You know a lot about Limets." Mercury observed.
"I would hope so, my best friend is one."
"Really? You mean Erhard?"
"Of course. I tried to stop Veno you know, but my idiot brother knocked me out. When I came to, I was trapped here, unable to do anything to avenge my father and save my best friend from a unfair fate. I hope he doesn't resent me for what happened."
Meta, who had returned with a glass of water, only smiled. "I'm sure he'll understand. I haven't known Erhard for too long, but he seems to be one of the kindest people I know."
"I see, glad to hear he's still the same kind man."
The youth nodded then. "So, do I just dump this on her then?"
"Yes, anywhere on her is fine."
Meta did so, watching Fettuccine return back to normal in a few seconds.
"Alright, shall we get going now?" Mercury asked.
The group nodded collectively. They walked outside, grabbing the still unconscious Wade as they made their way to the ship.
"You wouldn't happen to know if there's any hidden assassins or traps here?" Meta asked.
"No, my idiot uncle saw no need for any of that. We've been hidden here for centuries, so he figured anything like traps or guards would be a waste of money."
"I see. Good to know."
It took about a day for the ship to return to the base of the legal division. They made sure Wade was tied up, completely unable to move. His mouth was also covered meaning he couldn't speak unless Fettuccine allowed him to.
"Well, are you ready to present your case, Fetty?" Meta asked.
"Yup. Soon it'll finally be over."
The group then entered the office. Wolfreid looked up. "Fettuccine, you're here earlier than I expected. I'm impressed. Please take a seat and tell me what you learned."
The woman nodded and did so. "First, I know the truth. It was Veno."
"Veno? The second in command? Do you have evidence for this claim?"
"Of course. Rebecca, if you would please tell him everything you know."
The woman nodded and stepped forward.
"I see. You're his step niece, aren't you?"
"Correct."
"You've been messing for centuries. Care to explain why?"
"Of course. My step uncle was holding me hostage on an asteroid in the Merbuda galaxy."
"Why?"
"My uncle and my brother were planning in creating poisonous weapons of mass destruction. My father and Erhard opposed them. Veno killed my father and set off the poison that killed everyone at the school, leaving Erhard behind as a scapegoat."
"And do you have evidence for all this? You do understand that we highly value evidence."
"Here, official documents that prove that Veno was at the scene of the crime the day it happened. We also have Wade's admission of guilt." Fettuccine said.
"...can't we just show him the bomb collar?" Meta asked.
"The bomb collar?" Wolfreid asked.
Rebecca reached into her pocket and showed him the bomb collar.
"...Yes, that's certainly a genuine bomb collar, there's no mistaking it. Ms. Fetcher." He called out to his secretary. "Tell Veno to come here, immediately."
"Right away, sir." The woman said before stepping out of the room.
"Now as for the rest of you. I want you all to hide behind and come out when the time is right. The look on his face will be priceless." Wolfried said, showing a bit of his playful side.
The group nodded and followed what he said. A couple of minutes later, the second in command entered the room with the secratary.
"Yes, Wolfried, what is it? I'm a very busy man you know." Veno said, his voice filled with arrogance.
"And what, pray, are you busy with?"
"My job. Now if you excuse me-"
"Oh Veno, you don't need to worry about your job. You're fired."
"...excuse me?"
"You heard me. You're fired."
"Why!?"
"Because you won't be able to perform your duties from inside a jail cell. Gentleman and ladies, you can come out now."
The group stepped out from behind Wolfreid. "Who the hell are you all?!" he then froze. "R-Rebecca!? How did you-!?"
"Hello uncle" She spat out. "As you can see, I'm free and Wolfried knows everything. You are finally going to get what you deserve."
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"You can play dumb all you like, it doesn't change the truth. You lost, Veno." Fettuccine declared, security guards surrounding Veno so he couldn't make a run for it.
The man simply traced his fingers across them, and they turned their weapons against the group. "Bring me that woman."
Before anything could happen, all the guards were knocked out by a very angry Meta. "You've caused enough damage, you scum."
"Why don't you come closer and say that to my face?"
Meta smirked and did so. Veno then touched him, laughing. "You fool, now you're mine to control!" He laughed, only to be punched in the gut. "How did?"
"You're far too weak to mess with my head."
"YOU who infamously has confidence as fragile as a soufflé!?"
"You threatened my best friend. I'm far to angry to care about any of that." Meta then zapped Veno, paralyzing him just like he did with Wade.
Wolfreid chuckled. "Thank you for that."
"You're welcome. So... does this mean Erhard is a free man?"
"All we'll have to do is extract a confession from Veno, but considering how he was acting, the answer is an obvious."
"Then we did it? Fetty, we did it!"
"I know, isn't that great?" Fettuccine then sat down, falling asleep.
"Fetty?"
"Don't worry young man. All of the exhaustion from these past few days have finally caught up to her. She just needs some rest." Rebecca told him, getting him to calm down.
"Ms. Fetcher. Find a bed for the young miss." Wolfreid said.
"Of course, sir."
He nodded at the reply. "Now as for you, Veno. It's time you talked. Meta, in my cabinet is a lie detector machine. Grab it for me please."
The youth nodded and grabbed it for the man. Wolfried put it on Veno and smiled. "Now Veno, did you do it?"
"No, I didn't." The instant Veno said that, his entire body was electrocuted, and he was now crying in pain.
"I'm going to ask you again. Did you do it?"
"OK, YES, I ADMIT IT!" He yelled. As soon as he told the truth the electric shocks stopped.
"Well, Meta, there you go. Erhard is now free."
Meta smiled and pulled out his phone to call Kurabe. "Hello, sensei?"
"Yes, Meta?"
"Mission complete. Erhard is a free man now."
"I knew you both could do it." She said happily.
"Tell her that I'm sending an official message to the guards to let him go whenever he's ready." Wolfried told Meta, bringing out his own phone.
"Did you hear that, sensei?"
"Yes, I did."
"Good. Then we'll meet up with the both of you at the GranEssex then."
"Understood. I'll see you soon." She then hung up.
Meta smiled then fell down, being caught by Mercury. "I guess the exhaustion has caught up to you as well, huh?" The puff didn't respond. "I'll take this as a yes. Come on, I'll bring you to where Fettuccine is." She took the youth in her arms and carried him off.
In a few minutes, Meta awoke to see that he was now laying in the same bed as Fettuccine. The woman was completely asleep, but Meta was still somewhat conscious. Using the last of his strength, he hugged her as tight as he could. With a small smile, he closed his eyes, slowly joining her in a comfortable sleep.
This chapter was a bit on the long side. I hope you enjoyed it.