CHAPTER XXXIV.
As the small ship carried the three of them to the estate she couldn't help but feel nervous.
She was staring at the armed man that was eying them carefully while escorting them towards the Lord of this land, she tried to not be intimidated, but it was hard not to be.
Besides, she didn't dress like this for him!
The image they were projecting right now was that of two unfortunate sisters that fell in the hands of pirates.
She needed to know what happened to Emile and Serge, not only was she worried for them, she also needed to know if they were alive to tell a different story to hers!
"Mmm, Did your Lord defeat the pirates?" she asked, her curiosity was genuine.
The man nodded but remained silent.
That wasn't very useful!
"How did he defeat them?" she asked again, she needed the man to speak!
"It was my Lord's familiar: Luxion… He is rather adept at killing pirates, and there were only two of them and he had The Partner's cannons, those pirates are probably ash sinking in the ocean right now!" He said rather nonchalantly.
So they were dead…
And Lord Bartfort has a familiar? Is it some type of magical creature?
Not that it matters because Noelle and her couldn't ever go back to Alzer now.
What to do next?
Leila eyed her sister, she hasn't been herself since Loic's death… probably earlier than that.
How could she have been focused so much on getting the true ending of the game to have never noticed her sister was suffering?!
0x0x0
After enduring the awkwardness of traveling with the armed man they arrived at the Baron's estate… no wait, he is a Viscount now!
After witnessing something that could be called the magic version of an intercommunicator they were guided to a room where they found a young maid waiting for them and beside her a couple of cribs the woman was gently rocking.
"Thank you Leonard, you can leave now" the maid, her voice just above a whisper.
Turning towards them she signaled towards a couple of chairs that were obviously prepared for them.
This was not what she was expecting, but she sat down anyway.
"I'm Jenna Fou Bartfort, don't let my clothes fool you, I'm no servant!" She would take the woman more seriously if she hadn't started with a strong voice and then gradually lowered it so as to not wake up the babies in the cribs.
"James told me you come from the Republic of Alzer, is that correct?" Jenna asked them in a more controlled voice.
"Yes," she said after a moment, she was deliberating how much of the truth she should tell this woman, probably an acknowledged bastard from the Viscount's father or less likely, she was a legitimate daughter, either way she must have some influence if Lord Leon allowed her to greet them like this.
Or Lord Leon doesn't believe they are important enough to bother with them… that was a depressing thought.
"Mighty bold of you to travel here now of all times" The woman commented while looking at one of the cribs and smiling tenderly at the occupant, her tone still soft.
"It wasn't as if we had any choice" she said, and it was mostly true, for them it was either go along with Serge's stupid plan or stay and face the consequences of Loic's murder!
"Really? What happened?" that was a little strange, the demeanor of the maid changed, it was as if the maid was bored and wanted to gossip…
Looking at Noelle for approval she decided to tell her an edited version of the truth.
"Would you believe me if I said that my sister and I witnessed the murder of one of the Heirs to the six Great Nobles? The Barielle Heir" she asked, it surely sounded like the product of an overly active imagination, but they had proof in the ship's freezer!
"Given everything that's been happening…" the maid said and then sighed "And how did that end up with you two here in Holfort in the middle of a war?" she asked with more assertiveness.
"My fiance and I visited the kingdom for that big tournament five or six months ago" Leila wasn't sure how much time has passed between one bout of madness and the next, but it should be approximately that long at least. "And by chance witnessed a duel between your brother and some pirate…"
Hearing this the maid reacted as if she was recalling the event as well, Leila continued "My fiance… well, former fiance now" With Emile's death she was a single woman again, and without the stigma of being a widow! "Proclaimed no one in Alzer was as skilled as the Baron from Holfort… And Serge and Loic took that personally…"
"And someone got killed in the heat of the moment? Damn parties in the republic must be wild!" Jenna said with enthusiasm," It scared Leila a bit that the woman in front of her took the news so lightly "... I mean, How barbaric!" Those are her words! The maid's first reaction proves which of the two countries is the barbaric one!
Right? Because those are the words Leila used to describe the kingdom! and she was still more accurate than the Maid!
"Wait, you believe us?" Noelle spoke for the first time, Leila couldn't blame her sister, the story was ridiculous!
"Well, My brother took his mistress to his wedding with the Duke's daughter, so it is not as if your story is the craziest thing that I've ever heard" the Maid said with resignation, as if that was worse than killing the Heir of a mini kingdom like Loic!
Whatever! It's okay because it was working in their favor, so Leila didn't say anything about it, but this Jenna Fou Bartfort has her priorities messed up!
"Then we would like to ask your brother for asylum" this was it! This would determine their future, if they could stay in the Island she would get her chance to seduce such an invincible knight!
"It's not my place to give asylum, I'll marry and go live with my husband next week, you see" The Totally not a maid said with pride, and it got under Leila's skin for some reason, she was going to marry too, in fact, her fiance was alive this morning!
"But I don't see Lady Angelica turning you down, from what I understand you are implicated in the death of one of the Heirs to the Great Nobles…"
With a heavy heart Leila interrupted Jenna again, "It's three now, your ship killed My fiance Emile, who was the Heir of Pleven and Serge, who was the Heir of the Rault…" She said meekly, but it was bst to say it now than have it ruin anything she could build in the future.
Hearing that the maid rightfully whined "And you claim to be survivors of the Lespinasse… Angie will have me running around the settlement with Ethan for interrupting them again" and then left without saying another word.
"That went better than I expected" Said Noelle, and she agreed with her, let someone else face the brunt of the shock anytime of the year!
0x0x0
Those fools!
the Principality has betrayed him!
And his son turned out to be a coward and has already fled the ship!
The deal he struck with Garret was all favorable to them, they only needed to retreat now and all the territories they occupied now would be theirs without needing to fight anymore.
As his knights engaged the principality he shouted through his external speakers "What is the meaning of this Garrett?" We had a deal!" he cared little for those who were listening, such was his rage and fear, this was supposed to be just an act!
As expected there was no reply from the Principality's airship.
Of course he considered this scenario when he was in the planning stages, but the state of the board made this an illogical move, not only illogical, this was just foolish!
"We won't honor such a pact after your betrayal Malcolm!" Garrett's irritating voice finally came out from the speakers, He was playing the betrayed part for his troops?
It doesn't matter, even with this betrayal he still has enough numbers to turn this around, even if he planned poorly for this situation he will still emerge victorious from this battle!
"I've not done anything to break our deal, just admit you people have no honor!" his words were true, but even if he planned on betraying them later, as of this moment he's done nothing to break their deal!
"You say that after setting an ambush for Lord Vandel!" this time it wasnt Garrett's voice, but the voice of a young woman, was that Princess Hertrude?
The reports he has from her says she was rather attached to the Black Knight, so much in fact that she should have known that while Vandel was the bait he would have to set his own ambush.
Bartfort did lose an eye in the fight before escaping… Did that mean that the Black Knight did not escape unscratched either?
That was the best news he heard in a long, long time!
That was the best case scenario!
"It's not my fault Vandel got too old for this!" He said in a patronizing tone, he knew he should be more diplomatic, but he honestly doesn't believe these beasts are capable of understanding the current situation.
The best he can do is destroy this fleet and take the Princess hostage to keep the Principality at bay.
"Attack!" he ordered, his men already knew what to do, even if the Principality's knight armors better, the difference isn't too big to overcome with the numbers at his disposal.
Just then the melodic sound of a Flute was heard, he looked around to find the fool who thought this was a good time to play but found no one.
All around him his men started to panic and he took a look at what had scared them and he could perfectly understand their reactions.
In the skies in front of him there was an army of monsters, their numbers dwarfed the ones of his own knights.
However, those mindless beasts won't be enough to change the result of this battle!
They wouldn't distinguish between his men or the principality's troops.
He has not only the Prime Minister hereditary title at the reach of his hands, but also the Principality of Fanoss itself, there is simply no way he is retreating!
He realized too late the monsters were all brandished with the Principality's crest, and that they never once attacked his enemy's knights!
And hours later, and wave after wave of monsters he found himself utterly defeated and with no chance of escaping and with enemy knights boarding his ship!
Defeated and captured, he found himself face to face with Princess Hertrude Sera Fanoss, she blamed him for Vandel Him Zenden's death.
He apologized, he begged, his pride be damned!
He knows the Principality nobles have their history books rewritten and even if he maintained his pride and honor they would just lie about it.
But he could see that the Princess had no compassion for him, so when she confirmed that his son was not among their prisoners she ordered him to be thrown into a cell.
And so this was how his grand ambitions came to an end, the Framptom Kingdom will never become a reality after this defeat.
0x0x0
The news of the Marquiss defeat was spreading like wildfire, there were rumors about how the Principality had found a way to summon and control armies of monsters.
Many treated the part about monsters as enemy propaganda to scare their soldiers, but she knew better.
The game has finally entered the war stage.
The nobody who took the Duke's place suffered the same fate the Duke received in the game, and although a little different things were still going more or less according to the script.
What that more or less implies is, of course, the optional boss she has accidentally triggered, there was no way the rumors about him being severely injured in an accident on a tetrium mine were real, it was simply too good to be true!
Perhaps this was the result of her interference?
It was entirely too predictable for the Pirate's Bane to be the real final boss…
That was something to think about later, right now she must focus on the Principality and the Black Knight!
She has already sent Kyle ahead to ask for an audience with the Queen, she was dressed in her full Saintess regalia, she was ready to make an impression and gain access to the Royal ship.
The saintess regalia itched no matter what she did though, she ordered the palace staff to clean, wash and disinfect them, with no results, and even when she tried cleaning them nothing changed.
Back to important matters, she spent countless hours trying to remember what all the cutscenes about the game said about the final boss, and since this was the plot of a video game it is even possible for the Pirate Bane to just show up when her boys were about to fight the Black Knight, defeat him and then challenge all of her harem to a glorious fight!
Like Akuma and M. Bison… That would be so exciting!
What does the "M" mean in that name anyway!
Since he is supposed to be a westerner it's probably something anglo-saxon like Michael or Michel or if the company was feeling daring probably something spanish like Miguel or Manuel!
She was getting side tracked but couldn't help but snicker at the thought of M. Bison being Manuel Bison, so many self-pleasuring jokes could be made that it's no wonder the man turned out to be a tyrant hell bent on… what is his goal in Street fighter anyway?
Marie had to force herself to remain calm and focused, this was not the moment to indulge in idle speculation… or to scratch her neck.
She has to get access to a ship to take care of this war, and who knows? Maybe she can use Heart Sharing and end this war before the kingdom suffers any more casualties?
It would be a bit presumptuous of her to try and use the protagonist Ultimate skill, but hey, she can at least try!.
0x0x0
Mylene was having a long, long day, not only she had her hands full with administering the everyday matters of the Kingdom, now she had to take care of the war and Marie, the Saintess, had approached her earlier that day concerned about the war. she was not sure what to do with her, she was a figurehead, well respected and looked for, but with no real political power of her own, this was not about magic power, no human alive was powerful enough to make a difference with only Magic power, no matter what title they hold..
Marquis Framptom's defeat was not unexpected, it was a relief if she was honest, a man that plotted with the enemy is a traitor, plain and simple. So while it was tragic to lose the Framptom fleet it was worth it because it means the destruction of his house, even though his cowardly son has fled back to his territory, She would be executing him and dismantling his family's holdings to distribute them as she saw fit once this war is over.
She would be doing the same to Vince once the Principality was taken care of,
losing Gilbert as a hostage was a shame too, but it was something that she always thought could happen.
What her future daughter in law wanted was to use the Royal family's ship to engage with the Principality, she was unwilling to reveal who told her about the existence of such a ship, but even if Marie was trying to protect Julius, he was the only one who could have told her about it.
Her plan was to use her powers as a Saintess to eradicate the Principality's monsters all in one go and keep the fight as one just among humans.
After consulting it with one of the priests in the palace he confirmed that the Saintess did have that ability.
Mylene wanted to test the girl, and this was the perfect opportunity to reveal how she feels about her son and his friends.
With a smile on her face she explained what needed to be done to get access and activate the most powerful airship in the kingdom.
Mylene was looking incredulous at her husband, the King, a score of twenty five?, she looked accusingly at her husband, Roland refused to look even in her general vicinity.
His score had gone down again!
At this point, does he even see her as a woman anymore?
Honestly speaking, lately her spy network was screwing her way more than Roland ever did!
She wanted to scream at him, but that was out of the table, they were in front of not only their son and the Heirs of some of the most important Houses, they were also in the presence of the Saintess, and this was already bad enough without her making it worse!
Her own affection for her husband has gone down too, but not to the levels of that liar's affection for her!
"Do you understand now?" she asked, controlling her voice perfectly to not reflect the disappointment she felt right now, "This ship will only let those truly in love move it."
But Marie only smiled at her before turning to look at her five lovers briefly before returning her gaze towards herself again "I think we should at least try".
Mylene smiled at her again, the Saintess has five chances to activate the ship so it is at least worth a shot.
Without hesitation the Saintess replaced her on the spot in the measuring machine and waited for one of her lovers to take their own place.
Mylene could only hope for the best as little Brad walked with elegance to the machine.
The scores were Woman: 65, Man: 90. high but not enough, and the machine let them know it by suggesting the couple should get to know each other better. Brad's smile became forced after knowing his lover doesn't love him as much as he loves her, "I'll do my best to gain even more of your love Marie!" he said as he left the spot free.
Immediately Greg entered the machine and the score was Woman: 69, Man 93 the score improved slightly but it still wasn't enough, The Machine once again repeated it's statement and Greg followed on Brad's steps and promised to make Marie love him even more.
This time it was Chris' turn and the scores were Woman: 85, Man 98, "So close but not enough" the measuring machine said while Chris simply smiled satisfied that he was the one the Saintess loved the most, he still vowed to earn even more of her love before moving out of the machine.
Next was Jilk, her son's foster brother walked with confidence towards the machine and a smile on his face, the score was Woman: 59, Man: 95, this time the machine called it a one sided affair much to Jilk's disappointment.
It was rather understandable after how many times JIlk messed up so far.
Mylene's hopes were diminishing, she had little hope the Saintess loved her son the most, she had always thought the girl loved Julius status more than him.
Woman: 93, Man 98.
"You two are tied by love, Congratulations! You are the new Captain!" Julius couldn't hold himself and kissed the Saintess passionately and she responded in kind.
"As expected of my son, Julius, you have truly stolen the Saintess' heart!" Roland all but shouted making everyone around turn to look at him "I was thinking about abdicating after your graduation, however, now that you control the Royal ship, I think it is appropriate that I do so now!"
Mylene was furious.
This is not the time for a leadership change!
A/N: I'm back, as foretold by the scrolls!
Hope you all liked the chapter because I'm changing the schedule, from now on I'll update every Sunday!
I know it's not exactly good news but I lost my phone somewhere in the outskirts of my city, it fell so hard from my bike it didn't survive.
And I'm short on cash until next month so I won't be replacing it until november.
As a result my writing time is more limited since I can't write while in the train for now.
And I need to get back into a writing mood, I barely touched the keyboard this past two weeks but I got some stuff done.
See you all next week!
