On one of the rooftops of Lescatie's capital, Koyoi watched as another group of monsters entered through the north gate. Though unarmed, they could still do considerable damage if they tried, courtesy of their strength and natural weapons such as claws. But Koyoi didn't lift a finger.
"It has not been a full day since they arrived," Koyoi said, glancing up at the afternoon sun. "I never thought the talks of the leaders could proceed so swiftly, more youkai are already being let in."
"More and more, I'm thinking that there were already talks going on," Doon said. He wasn't wearing his usual armour today. "Otherwise, it should've taken weeks at least. But… well, I'm not about to argue with the results."
Koyoi turned her gaze the many humans who were also watching the visitors. While they still remained in their houses, they'd now opened up their doors and windows for a better look.
"…It feels as if some of them have less than pure motives," Koyoi said. "Even some of the married men, the looks in their eyes…"
Doon laughed. "I'm sure the monsters are using all the advantages they have. That definitely worked on Alzac!"
"Hrmm…" Koyoi frowned. "It just feels… odd, to be hired to help combat youkai, only to stand aside as they enter."
"For mercenaries, peace might be a bad thing, in general," Doon said. "But for some of us… this is the best ending that could have happened."
Koyoi remembered her sister Tasogare and… brother-in-law Bunkichi. Had war broken out, Koyoi wouldn't have been able to take up arms against them… yet everyone else on Lescatie's side wouldn't have had that restriction.
Then Koyoi noticed something about the tone of her senior's words. "Doon-dono… you… No, disregard that. I should not be prying into—"
"There's no point in keeping that secret anymore," Doon said. He looked out at the Lescatian cityscape with nostalgic eyes. "I was born here. Used to have a little shop here… together with Finé."
Koyoi had only heard Doon talk about his wife once before. She knew he'd loved her dearly, that he'd become a mercenary after her early death from illness… and that was all. Many mercenaries were tight-lipped about their old lives.
"It's how I managed to get us in here… calling on some of my old connections," Doon said. "Didn't want to do this at first… too many memories, you see. But after coming back to this place… maybe I'll settle back down again. I know some of the others're thinking of doing that too."
Koyoi felt a pang of sorrow, for Doon had been an important figure for her since she left home. He would be yet another person who Koyoi had lost from her life, even if his departure was under less tragic circumstances than the rest. But she kept that emotion suppressed and simply said, "I see… I wish you good fortune, Doon-dono."
"What'll you do now, Koyoi?" Doon asked. "You found your sister again, with the monsters…"
"…I've been thinking about that these past few days," Koyoi said. "And I've made my decision. Tasogare is living happily now… so I ought to see to my other sister. She still clings to my family's tradition of youkai slaying, unaware that it is both immoral and—in the long term—a doomed effort. Well… perhaps she's realised by now, but in any case, I need to see her again."
Koyoi patted a certain part of her kimono, underneath which her talismans were stored. Even in this homeward journey, she would need to be able to defend herself.
"So it's back to Zipangu for you… Good luck, Koyoi. You'll need it."
-ooo-
In most situations, Mimil was the shortest person present. Yet the person currently seated across from her was comparable in height.
"…These wards come in various forms, including rings, necklaces and tattoos, and are quite effective," said the baphomet Lucella. "By deflecting demonic energy away from the body, they can allow a human, elf or dwarf to avoid being monsterised even from intense exposure. This is how such individuals can live even in Demon Realms."
Mimil and about two dozen mages from Lescatie sat on one side of a table, while Lucella and her colleagues sat on the other. On the table itself were numerous documents.
Finding some way to block demonic energy has always been one of our major goals, Mimil thought, looking down at one of the documents. We never managed even after centuries, while it's a mature technique for monsters… though I guess it makes sense, they have more ready access to demonic energy to study. It's just… the exact opposite of what we expected, we're raised to think of monsters like a disease, focused on nothing except spreading…
"From this information, it seems you're telling the truth," Mimil said. "Of course, we'll need to craft some of these wards ourselves to be sure."
"However, from some of these other documents you provided…" one of the human mages to Mimil's right said. "Quite a lot of your magic is fuelled by, or used for… c-carnal activities…"
A mage to Mimil's left shifted in obvious discomfort. "Perhaps this is not a discussion to have while…"
"For over a year, I've been in discussions about using magic to kill," Mimil said bluntly. "And I'm better at magic than most in this room. As long as we're not being pushed into… applications of magic we're not comfortable with, I don't see the problem."
After Mimil said this, her fellows all looked abashed.
"So, moving on to a different topic," Mimil said. She held up a sheet of paper covered in complex formulas, which would have seemed like utter gibberish to most people. "Here, you claim that mixing the mana of fire and water, at energies of no less than ten megagrans, would actually result in a stable product. If that worked, it would certainly be revolutionary. But according to Fermis' theorem, that would merely cause an explosive reaction."
"I've read the writings of Fermis as well," Lucella replied, not caught off-guard in the least. "He was quite intelligent indeed, but with the resources available, he simply could not experiment at such high levels of energy."
"But that's based on the assumption that, at high energy levels, the fundamental properties of the mana involved change…"
The debate about magical theory continued. Mimil's fellows, who included leading mages from Magitec and other institutions, got involved as well. So did some of the monsters sitting with Lucella. It was an academic debate that, in all likelihood, was the first of its kind in history.
As the minutes passed, more and more people began dropping out. They could no longer follow the thread of the discussion. All they could do was sit back, listen and hope to learn something new.
"It's true that extreme conditions may change the properties of things," Mimil conceded. Such as high pressure allowing ice to exist at higher temperatures than would normally be considered 'freezing'. But the opposition between fire and water is fundamental, it's hard to believe that what you suggest could ever occur."
"It's natural that you still feel sceptical," Lucella said. "Then I'd like to suggest this. An experimental demonstration should help you change your minds."
Many of the human mages in the room tensed. Even if they'd tentatively agreed to meet with their monster counterparts, and even if they could see the benefits of academic collaboration with monsters, they were still reluctant to let a monster cast powerful magic within Lescatie.
Even if that's already happened… but that's not something that can be revealed publicly…
"W-What facilities would you need for such a demonstration?" asked Kristoff, one of the mage's on Mimil's side. "Assuming that we agreed to this."
"Any of your laboratories should be sufficient," Lucella replied.
"I suppose we could allow that, so long as we can keep an eye on you the whole time," Mimil said. She looked to her left and right. "All in favour?"
Kristoff, somewhat shakily, raised his hand. His friend Willem did it too at almost the same time. Soon enough, all of the Lescatian side were raising their hands.
As the hands came back down, Mimil internally breathed a sigh of relief. Her role would have been much harder if she hadn't been able to find like-minded collaborators.
And it also would've been harder if Archmage Terrence had still been around… Mimil thought. But that trial ended up benefiting our cause by accident, since the archmage has been in shock ever since his brother's arrest.
-ooo-
The experimental demonstration worked exactly as planned. Not that Mimil had been expecting any other outcome. A small white crystal was left behind after the clash between blazing fire and gushing water.
Most of the Lescatian mages were awed, both by the process and the result. They passed around the white crystal and tested various spells on it. The crystal soaked up their spells without being broken or distorted into some other material.
Then the mages of Lescatie became much more amenable to collaboration with their monster counterparts. A dozen smaller conversations started throughout the halls of Magitec, each focused on a different topic: the properties of elements, the nature of the universe and the extension of life, to name a few.
This also allowed Mimil to have a certain long-awaited conversation. She met with Lucella in one of the less-used rooms.
"Everyone else is distracted at the moment," Mimil said. She cast a spell over the sole entrance to the room that would prevent any sound leaking out. "As long as we keep this brief, nobody will know."
Lucella nodded. "Then I'll get to the point… I'm sorry for what I did to you earlier, Mimil Miltie. Some might say it was necessary, but I still violated the sanctity of your mind."
Mimil had… been thinking about it every single day since her first encounter with Lucella. When she'd realised her memories had been altered, she'd felt terror incomparable to anything else in her life. Yet at the same time, she'd been allowed to return home uninjured, with all of her belongings and without any curses or other tricks.
In another life, Mimil might have tried keeping her concerns to herself. After all, she was the up-and-coming prodigy of Lescatie, the genius whose mastery of magic had no equal in Lescatie. She couldn't afford to show any weakness.
But after a few initial failures, she'd found people she could open up to, people she could trust. And, just last night…
"I can't believe it'll happen tomorrow…" Big Brother Elt said. "What if we haven't prepared enough?"
"Everyone always wishes they had more time," Mimil said. "But the longer we wait, the greater the chance of being discovered. We just have to go ahead and hope our preparations are enough. I for one am confident that…"
Mimil trailed off. She remembered a certain monster from the past.
"…That baphomet is also going to come tomorrow, right?" Elt said. His ability to see through her was as annoying as always. "It's not right, what she did to you."
"Indeed," Sasha said. "Perhaps we can't get her punished, but… Mimil, you don't have to go out tomorrow. At least, you can avoid meeting her again."
"The stakes here are too high for me to pull out," Mimil insisted. "There'll be many others out there as well. Including you, and the risk is higher for you! I can handle this."
"If that's what you truly want, then… alright," Sasha said. Her wings and tail drooped. "Still, I wish a child like you never had to go through that."
Elt bit his lip in frustration. "It's just not fair."
"I'll be fine, there's no need to worry," Mimil said. "If you want to help, then…" she lowered her gaze to the floor out of embarrassment, "just… have some hot meal ready for when I'm done tomorrow."
That request was because Mimil found Sasha's cooking to be better than anything available where she normally lived and worked. However, she couldn't possibly admit that to them…
Back to the present, Mimil carefully considered her words.
"…I won't say I forgive you for what you did to my mind," Mimil said. "But… I'm willing to move past that for the sake of peace. Many on your side have lost loved ones to our attacks, something that can't be undone, unlike altered memories. I would have killed those goblins if you hadn't intervened. But—" she remembered that half-elf's report of being attacked by a werewolf, "for the most part, your side is willing to move past that."
"Technically, there are some ways to counteract death… but I understand your point," Lucella said. She looked into Mimil's face, her red eyes showing both awe and sorrow. "You have maturity far beyond your years. I only wish you had not been forced to develop that maturity so early."
Mimil shook her head as if trying to get rid of an annoying fly. "If I never have to hear words like that again, it'd still be too much."
"Perhaps more sentiments like that are what you need," Lucella pressed.
"We're done here," Mimil said, trying to sound firm. "It's time to get back before anyone notices we're both missing at the same time."
"Just a moment longer, please," Lucella said. She took out a locket from her dress and opened it up. "It might seem at odds with my current appearance, but I do have family of my own…"
The locket had a picture inside. Rather than being drawn by hand, it had a life-like level of detail, suggesting it had been made magic to capture an image. Said picture showed Lucella with a much greater apparent age, who was actually slightly taller than the man standing next to her, and about twice as tall as the tiny baphomet in between them. All three of them were smiling.
"…That is from quite a few years ago," Lucella said, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards. "Livia is already grown now, and left home four years ago to seek her own path… But I still remember what it was like raising her. So I can say with confidence that all children need a chance to, well, simply be children."
"…None of your business."
Mimil walked out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her.
And yet, as she walked down the corridor, she couldn't stop thinking about the baphomet's words.
I've done my part here. I could go out, visit Cafe Loumède for a parfait. But…
After the meeting on the wall, I haven't gone home yet. Back to them.
I'm not sure what I should even say to them. But even if they weren't watching at the time, they'll definitely know by now what I said on the wall…
Mimil clenched her small fists. Discussing advanced magic, or even fighting strong foes in the battlefield, was not nearly as difficult for her as the simple affairs of family.
I'll go home now, then…
And if it doesn't turn out well… I always have another place I can be.
-ooo-
Wilmarina sat in a chair in a certain room of the Shield Keep. With great turmoil in her heart, she watched her father be brought back to consciousness.
Slowly, Warran opened his eyes. He blinked unsteadily a few times. Then his eyes shot open, a clear sign he'd noticed just who was in the room with him.
"Yes, you are alive. Do not try to take your life again. I would rather not have to use my skills on the likes of you again."
This was said by an alraune who was next to Warran's bedside, who'd previously introduced herself as Salma. She looked down at Wilmarina's father with a deeply irritated expression.
"What…?" Warran gasped. "How…?"
"Your guards screamed so desperately, after you took that poison," Salma said. "One of the nearby windows happened to be open, and Her Highness managed to hear those distant calls for help… So she flew in here while carrying me. It was simple enough to purify the poison from your bloodstream, but fixing the damage it had already done took several hours." The ivy growing from her lower body flicked around, as if in annoyance. "Time which would have been better spent on the countless others in need of healing!"
"Still, thank you for your efforts," Wilmarina said diplomatically.
"Yes, it's only because of you that he's alive!" said a brown-haired man seated next to her. He bowed his head. "If there's anything I can do to repay you, just say it!"
Warran glanced at Wilmarina when she spoke. However, when the man spoke, he looked like he was feeling the shock of his life. He seemed to have completely forgotten about the monster next to him.
Salma looked over Warran's body. "Your vital parameters, after awakening, are all within healthy ranges… Then I'll be leaving you now." She stood up—for an alraune like her, this meant straightening the roots growing out from the bottom of her flower. Then she turned towards Wilmarina and the man seated next to her. "If his condition takes a turn for the worse, other healers should be able to manage him. Farewell."
The alraune left the room by crawling on her roots.
Warran looked at the two people remaining in the room. Under normal circumstances, his attention would be focused on his rebellious daughter… yet right now, his eyes were fixed on the man next to her.
"…Joseph," Warran said, disbelief clear on his face. "Weren't you… weren't you taken by monsters? By those three harpies that attacked, when you went away from our camp?"
Wilmarina knew, from her earlier conversation with her butler, that this event had happened well before her own birth. And yet her father had barely needed any time at all to recall it…
The brown-haired man, Joseph, looked at Warran with tear-filled eyes. "Yes, but then I—first, I'm sorry, Warran! If I'd just come back faster—if I hadn't been so much of a coward—"
"Perhaps you should explain everything from the start," Wilmarina suggested gently to her father's long-lost friend.
"O-Okay…" Joseph said. He wiped away the tears with his sleeve. "So… Warran… ten years ago, when I got taken away by those harpies… they flew out of Lescatie with me and… kept me as their slave, like you've been thinking. With them, I… I forgot all about you, about my other friends, my family, about everything."
Wilmarina was silent throughout this explanation. She thought, with no small amount of guilt, about the monsters she'd killed. Then she thought about the monsters who were nevertheless willing to hold out an olive branch. Was that due to guilt on their part, for what others of their species had done?
"And I spent months like that… but one day, other monsters came along and fought the harpies, killed them all." Joseph rubbed his arms nervously. "'Course, I thought they just wanted to have me instead… but that didn't happen. They put me in this room, gave me food, let me go out when I wanted, said nobody would f-force themselves on me again."
Warran's mouth dropped. It might have looked comical if the topic was not so serious.
"It took me… thinking about it now, more than a year before I really believed them…" Joseph said. "Before that, I kept wondering when they'd drop the act… But they never did. They talked to me, whenever I was in the mood, got me to remember everything I forgot… remember how to be a person again."
"You mean…" Warran said, still in shock. "They… genuinely… helped you…?"
"I should've come back earlier, to make you see the truth too," Joseph said again. "But, like I said, I was too much of a coward! I thought I shouldn't even go near Lescatie again, or I'd be killed! Only when I heard of something big happening here did I change my mind! And I only… only managed to get here last night…"
"…You weren't wrong, Joseph," Warran said. His voice was filled with emotions that Wilmarina had never heard from him before. "If you'd come back before… I would've had to kill you with my own hands… or if I'd listened to you, then we both would've been killed as heretics… Possibly your family as well, for being associated with a heretic."
"What happened to them now?" Joseph asked. "Are they—"
"Your brother and sister both started families of their own," Warran replied. "Your parents… they passed away a few years ago. They… I won't say they had no regrets, but they were happy overall, for they knew two of their children were safe and well."
"But not me…" Joseph said, his face sinking into his hands. "I should've at least… at least sent a message…"
A few moments of awkward silence passed.
"Joseph…" Warran said. "Do you know… what happened to the other two, to Brendon and Grenn…?"
"I met them, a while after being freed," Joseph replied. "After I got taken by harpies, they decided they had to find me by themselves—Lescatie wouldn't send out heroes after one lost soldier, after all. But when they followed the trail out of the country, they started seeing lots of new things… Over time, like me, they realised monsters weren't all evil."
Warran looked down at his hands. For days, Wilmarina had been wondering what to say to him the next time they met. However, none of her words could have ever been as impactful as those of her father's old friend.
"Joseph, I have a question," Wilmarina said. "Those two, why did they not tell my father what they were doing?"
"They did, Wilmarina," Warran said morosely. "That morning… I woke up to find them gone, leaving just a note behind… 'We're ignoring orders to get Joseph back!', Brendon wrote… and Grenn, despite his pitiful handwriting, added, 'Don't follow us! You've got a bright future ahead, not like us!' I spent hours gnashing my teeth in frustration, yet…"
Warran looked at Joseph, then closed his eyes in obvious shame.
"I thought… I thought they couldn't succeed… and if I went after them, I'd just share their fate… so in the end, I did what they said… I am the true coward… I returned to Lescatie and focused on improving my position, thinking that was necessary to… to ensure no one else was ever taken by monsters…"
"Those two'd be here now, except that they both moved to places far from Lescatie," Joseph said. He grabbed Warran by the shoulders. "Now that things are settling down, I'll send out letters to them! I'm sure they'll get here as fast as they can—"
"But I'll be dead before they arrive," Warran said. "After what I've done, I'll surely face the Blade of Salvation…"
"I'm not letting that happen!" Joseph shouted. "There's no way you were saved just to get executed!"
"May I interject again?" Wilmarina said. "Father… there has been considerable discussion about what to do with you and the others who are charged with corruption. It's objective fact that executing many of Lescatie's aristocracy would cause chaos. It's also fact that we plan on signing a peace treaty with the monsters, which will cause additional chaos." "
Warran's eyebrows twitched at that. However, he didn't ask for more detail. Presumably, he'd gotten the gist of the situation from what he'd seen and heard so far.
"Thus… with great reluctance… an alternative to execution was suggested."
Wilmarina took a deep breath. She didn't know how she would have reacted if her father had been sentenced to death, even after what he'd done to Elt's family. But when she'd heard of him collapsing suddenly, her blood had turned to ice. She'd dropped her existing plans and hurried over to the castle at once.
"Each of you has been offered this: confess all of your misdeeds, cooperate in the fixing of Lescatie's institutions, then your execution may be downgraded to house arrest… though in less luxurious housing than before," Wilmarina continued. "Another service that you can provide is…"
Warran listened to the next few words. He frowned, causing the creases in his face to deepen.
"Hmph… I see," Warran said. "It's the antithesis of everything I spent decades fighting for…" his frown softened, "or thought I was fighting for… but it seems I have no other choice."
"You have to do it, Warran!" Joseph insisted.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. All three turned to look at it.
"Excuse me… am I interrupting anything?" said a soft, feminine voice. "I was told that Ma—Wilmarina Noscrim is here…"
"It's no problem at all!" Wilmarina replied, hardly even thinking about her response. "Please, come in."
The door opened to reveal what could only be described as an incarnation of beauty. Long, vividly purple hair that hung down in two spiralling curls. Her green eyes seemed to glow with vibrant energy. On top of her head was a pair of long purple tendrils which twitched constantly—it took a second for Wilmarina to realise these were antennae. Two pairs of membranous wings, each a mosaic of magenta, purple and blue, spread out from her back. Whenever she moved, the colours of these wings shifted, like crystals being turned around in the light of the sun.
When Wilmarina saw this visitor, her heart quickened and her face became warm.
"Fran…" Wilmarina said. "You… that's…"
"I became what's apparently known as a 'papillon'," Francisca said, looking bashful. "A butterfly monster… there were many other options available, but since my choice will be important for Lescatie, I decided on a monster race that would… appeal to many. So… M-Mary… what do you think?"
"I… I…"
Wilmarina's face became warmer still. She couldn't put together any words.
Then Francisca looked past her at the man sitting in the bed. Her smile disappeared.
"You…" Francisca growled. "Are you the one who stopped me from communicating with Mary?"
Warran met the princess' gaze without flinching. "Yes. One of my many sins. So, Your Highness, what do you wish to do to me?"
Francisca took a step closer to Warran's bed. This allowed Wilmarina to see that her dress now had slits in it for her new wings. It also allowed her to see the insectoid abdomen that hung down behind Francisca, about as long as an arm and covered in soft-looking purple hairs. Previously, that would have seemed grotesque to Wilmarina, yet right now… it just seemed fitting for her childhood friend.
"…There's many things I wish I could do," Francisca said. "But I know that those are not feasible. So I'll limit myself to this: do you vow that you'll never get between your daughter and I, ever again?"
Warran glanced at the daughter in question. "She would not let that happen, in the first place. But if that is what you wish, then very well. I vow to never come between you and Wilmarina for the rest of my days."
"Good," Francisca said. She reached over and abruptly grasped Wilmarina's hand. "Then that vow is in effect starting from now!"
"F-Fran!?"
Wilmarina was led out of the room and into the corridor. It didn't end there, for the princess opened up a window and then leaped out of it.
"FRAN!?"
Too stunned to resist, Wilmarina felt the support beneath her vanish… while a strong arm wrapped around her waist. Then she began rising into the air, accompanied by the sound of flapping wings.
Soon enough, she and Francisca were so high that they could see all of the capital and also the surrounding country. They could even see, in the distance, the peaks of the mountains in the lands north of Lescatie. All of it was illuminated by the orange-tinted light of the setting sun.
For a few seconds, Wilmarina just took in this incredible scenery.
"Isn't it wonderful?" Francisca asked. "After my transformation was complete, I actually spent half an hour lost in flying. I even crashed several times, and that didn't diminish my enthusiasm! Though… I shouldn't have become so carried away. I should have come to you earlier, Mary."
"It certainly is wonderful," Wilmarina said. "And, Fran, I'm the one who was in the wrong. I should have been present while you were going through something so life-changing."
Francisca looked back down at the castle, which now looked like a mere toy house. Wilmarina followed her gaze.
"…Do you plan on ever associating with him again?" Francisca asked, her voice low.
"No," Wilmarina said flatly. "And I believe Father feels the same way. After reuniting with one of his old friends… I suspect that once his service of repentance is complete, he'll leave Lescatie to reunite with the other two. There is little for him in this country now."
"Then we can do whatever we wish together!"
Francisca hugged Wilmarina with both arms. She pulled away a few moments later but still kept her arms wrapped around the latter—Wilmarina couldn't fly by herself, after all.
"P-Perhaps it won't be that simple…" Wilmarina said, trying to take her mind off her inexplicable feelings. "Now that you are healthy, I'm sure you'll have many suitors competing for your hand. That would take up much of your time—"
"Why would I spare them any of my time?" Francisca said. She looked at Wilmarina from an embarrassingly close distance. "They never cared for me when I was still sick, so I'll never feel even the slightest interest for them. I'll only ever be interested in those who cared for me despite my condition… both of them."
Wilmarina felt her heart beat even faster.
W-Why do I feel this way!? It's clearly Elt that she has romantic feelings for, while her feelings towards me are… simply… friendship!
"There's something else I must tell you, Mary," Francisca said. "After Druella transformed me into this… she also spoke to me about another matter." She closed her eyes. "I thought she was trying to blackmail me with a shameful secret, at first… only to realise that wasn't the case."
"A shameful secret…?" Wilmarina said. "Just what do you mean?"
"Mary…" Francisca said, opening her eyes again. "How… do you feel about… women who are romantically interested in other women?"
Wilmarina let out a soft gasp.
It was one of the chapters in "An Idiot's Guide to Romance!"… one of the things I was raised to consider immoral. I didn't think on it much, having much more pressing issues to deal with… but if Fran is saying this…
Wilmarina's face heated up to the point it was practically boiling. "F-F-Fran, you mean…!?"
Francisca blushed as well. "I always suppressed these feelings…" she whispered. "I thought it was another symptom of me being born… broken. Yet Druella told me that it wasn't something wrong, something unnatural… and advised me on how to reveal this to you." She looked away in embarrassment—a gesture Wilmarina remembered from their childhoods. "I-I haven't followed her advice properly… really, I shouldn't have carried you up here and… Mary, have I done something terrible?"
"…I can think of much more terrible things than being allowed to see this view," Wilmarina replied uncertainly. "Fran… for now, why don't we land somewhere?"
Fran thus changed the angle of her wings and began moving diagonally towards the ground. She and Wilmarina passed over the noble district, the middle-class districts and then the slums. All three now had monsters walking through the streets, hopping across the rooftops or flying at low altitudes. Furthermore, in the slums, houses were already being torn down and rebuilt—the monsters certainly worked fast.
But seeing the changes to Lescatie wasn't enough to distract Wilmarina from how Francisca's body felt. So much of her childhood friend was pressed against her, the softness and warmth making it very clear that she'd grown into a woman. Thanks to this close contact, Wilmarina could feel Francisca's breaths on her ear, could smell the floral aroma that drifted from her body.
By the time they finally landed, on a hill some distance to the capital's east, Wilmarina was at her limit. She staggered away as soon as her feet were back on the ground.
"M-Mary…" Francisca said, her antennae drooping. "I'm sorry… was I too hasty in saying that?"
Wilmarina took another deep breath, trying to calm her heart. It was a futile effort.
"Fran… I…"
With her excellent memory, Wilmarina quickly recalled the contents of that monster-written book. It had already answered many of the questions she would otherwise have had. For example, the issue of children could be solved via artificial insemination, surrogacy, adoption or—for a minority of couples—disregarded. The issue of when one part of a couple wanted to remain human—which also applied to opposite-sex couples—could be solved via protective wards.
In the end, she just had to give her childhood friend an answer. That should have been a simple thing…
…but the more Wilmarina thought, the more she hesitated.
When we first met again… I stared at her, admiring her beauty… I might have stared longer if others hadn't been present…
Then, when we met in her room yesterday… my heart raced, just as it is now… just as it so often does around Elt…
And when I think of the future… even if I manage to win Elt's heart, I wouldn't feel at peace unless… Fran was around as well…
She knew she had to say something, she couldn't just leave Francisca waiting eternally. Eventually, she managed, "Fran… yesterday, you said your feelings for Elt hadn't changed."
Francisca nodded timidly. "Yes… I wasn't quite sure about that before, but Druella told me that it's not uncommon to have such interest in… both sexes."
Wilmarina felt a flicker of irrational envy towards Druella. Earlier, she'd feared that the lilim might steal Elt from her. She'd never expected to feel that same envy over her other childhood friend. And ironically, Druella herself showed no intentions of doing that.
"And Druella went on to say that there's variation between people," Francisca continued, her voice getting even quieter—she sounded almost like her former, ill self now. "She… suspects… that you're different from me, that your interest is mainly in men, but you also… have a lesser interest in women, one you haven't noticed until now…"
"Yet again, she's managed to annoy me from afar," Wilmarina grumbled. "But… I can't exactly deny her…"
Wilmarina looked at Francisca's face again. She could only manage it for a second before having to look away. That brought her line of sight to a small puddle on the ground, in which she saw a thoroughly red face.
"Mary… I'm sorry for troubling you with this now," Francisca said, her face no less red. "You don't need to answer me immediately…"
I thought Fran's transformation into a monster would be my biggest concern today… then my father nearly succeeded in killing myself… and now I learn that Fran is… is…!
Yet at the same time, most of Wilmarina's previous concerns had been relieved. The corruption of Lescatie was now in its death throes. The monsters had now entered Lescatie and had taken over the task of promoting themselves. She now had the time for personal issues like romance.
And just as she had that thought, she remembered another chapter from "An Idiot's Guide to Romance!" She also remembered the massive assemblage of monsters and allies which she'd seen from atop the north wall. In particular, she remembered the groups some of them had been standing in.
"Fran… I have an idea. It would not be without its own problems, but…"
AN: To answer a question some of you might be wondering, in this AU, being brought back as an undead isn't as easy as in canon. Otherwise, things like Sasha's monster orphans become hard to explain—why haven't their parents come back for them?
Joseph is a relatively last-minute addition to the chapter. I initially wondered if I should omit him and focus on the interaction between father and daughter, but in the end I decided to keep him. His story let me show how the monster side has their own criminals and, of course, Warran's own history. After this Author's Note, I've included some of the text I would've used before adding Joseph.
I've had Francisca's and Wilmarina's sexualities planned pretty much since the start of writing this story. There's a few hints in earlier chapters, most blatant in the last two chapters. This is how I decided to adapt canon Francisca's… interacting with every woman in the castle (including her own mother, according to World Guide - Side II).
Warran looked at Wilmarina, the only person left in the room. He used his arms to lift himself up into a sitting position.
"Wilmarina…" Warran said. His tongue flicked out to wet his lips. "How long has it been… since the monsters arrived in the capital?"
"Officially, just under eight hours, I believe," Wilmarina replied. "In truth… if the lilim, Druella, is being honest, then it has been over three weeks."
"That cannot be true!" Warran insisted. "Our defences are not so weak as that!"
"It is, father," Wilmarina said. "Even if Druella lied about that, I met her inside these walls roughly one week ago. Our defences have weakened to this extent because of the rot that has infested Lescatie for too long, the rot that you were encouraging!"
Warran slumped against the head of his bed. He shook his head slowly.
