Leon POV
"Report, Luxion," I said in the privacy of my room.
"During your meeting with the Duke, I installed bugs and cameras around the royal palace. While the equipment should not be discovered, measures have been taken to ensure that they will not be linked back to you. They have been placed in locations with no discernible pattern. Additionally, layers of dust were applied to suggest the equipment had been placed there for quite some time. The breadth of information sources will minimize blindspots in our information network."
At least something went according to plan. I did not have Luxion to give me full backup during my meeting since we had prioritized stealth. Although Luxion noted the overall skill level of the New Humans had decreased over the centuries, we did not want to risk his detection in the palace. I wished I had thought to bug the palace earlier, but I had been too focused on raising the entourage to an acceptable level.
No, that was inaccurate. I had not believed such actions to be necessary before because I put too much stock into one plan. My obsession with following the plot, while helpful as a guide, had limited my thinking. It was only when I noticed that the boys' skill sets diverged from the game's and the slow affection growths did I force myself to pursue other avenues.
In all honesty, it was stupid to limit myself to just the Academy... Something Luxion should have corrected me on. Luxion peculiarly had only suggested bugging the palace after my meeting had been set up. He likely had devised such a plan earlier, but he had withheld suggesting the plan to me.
He had stated that managing my health, mining the sky islands, monitoring our laundering schemes, manufacturing the supplies we would need for the upcoming war, and monitoring the main characters' developments took up too much time for him to perform espionage without the opportunity provided. I called bullshit, personally. Luxion was the definition of perfect logistics and optimization. His missing something suggested he had some other plan preventing him from acting optimally.
Part of me wonders if his lingering resentment of New Humanity might have impacted his judgment. Unfortunately, his unwillingness was still more efficient than doing everything by myself. I still needed to keep an eye out for any form of deception, or at the very least, constantly nag him for more potential measures that could be taken rather than accept his initial assessments at face value.
"Did you bug the Duke's office after I left?" I queried to get more thorough information from Luxion.
"No. Due to the potential risk of discovery should the camera be discovered, his office was not included on the list at this time. Bugging the Redgrave office would have raised significant red flags should they be discovered regardless of our security measures."
"I see. Which offices did you bug?"
"A variety of offices across the different factions of Holfort. Some of the offices along your path were included, but it should not be at a prevalence that would suggest your involvement. Marquis Frampton, the Prime Minister, and Roseblade were included."
"Three major individuals of different factions? Would Redgrave's exclusion not raise red flags?"
"Except the Redgrave's notably have their meetings within their territory compared to other nobles. The only times they have meetings in the capital are when they meet the royal family or students of value. They are atypical in that sense."
"I see."
I didn't. Why were the Redgraves so reclusive? You would think they would have far more involvement with the palace given Angelica's engagement, their historical lineage with the royal family, and how his Grace was the leader of one of the largest factions in the Kingdom. It was as if the family was trying to maintain the idea that they were a separate entity from the Kingdom.
Were they considering on pulling a Fanoss? No, that didn't make sense. If that were true, why have the engagement at all? Perhaps this was some ploy to avoid looking too close to the Royal family? Certain factions may become more belligerent if they believed Holfort and Redgrave were too close.
Still...
I couldn't help but worry that my actions may cause a second Principality situation. My actions would spare a dukedom with a spurned daughter. If I ensured they could survive until the last battle, there was a good chance that they would retain significant standing, and sometime down the line they could develop a similar disposition as Fanoss. The question was if they would after the dust settled.
Was he the type of person to throw everything away for the sake of his family? I doubted he would prioritize his daughter over his family's legacy... But... Thinking back on the meeting, I vividly recalled how much the patriarch cared for Angelica. When I recalled that, I couldn't imagine him not doing something drastic.
As applaudable as his actions as a father should be, it was not a risk I was willing to take. As much as it pained me, I could not afford to trade one Principality for another.
The image of Angelica's broken face flashed in my head. I felt something shudder inside of me. I needed to ignore the feeling. Those men were already destined to die. I was already defying fate by having them survive beyond the initial skirmishes.
"Luxion, create contingencies for the Redgraves," I muttered in self-loathing.
"..."
"Luxion, respond."
"Master, permission to scan you."
"What?"
"As you know, I have been monitoring the health and psychological profiles of the heirs, Olivia, and you. Recent scans have highlighted a potentially concerning development. I would like to scan you to assess whether or not you are experiencing symptoms."
"What are these symptoms?"
"Currently, suspected symptoms include irrational behavior and proclivity to emotional outbursts."
"Emotional outbursts?" I asked as I recalled my meeting with Lord Redgrave.
Upon hearing the concern in my voice, Luxion's lens widened and began to scan me.
"As I thought," Luxion stated.
"Prognosis?"
"Too much light magic has accumulated in your system."
"Too much light magic? You mean her healing magic hasn't dissipated?"
"Not healing magic. Light magic."
"What's the difference, and why is it so concerning?"
"Healing magic is an application of light magic. Light magic is the attribute. The reason why light magic accumulation is concerning is that it bears a striking similarity to soul magic. While my database is incomplete regarding the matter, the few bits of details I do have suggest such magic leads to mental contamination and insanity. Overexposure also leads to addiction-like symptoms on the level of narcotics."
I hesitantly asked, "What led you to this conclusion?"
"The five heirs demonstrate varying amounts of these symptoms and the intensity of said symptoms appears to be correlated with the amount of healing each has required and Olivia's general disposition concerning the boys. Greg is the least affected by not needing as much healing and does not exhibit an extreme desire for Olivia or a personality change. Interest has even diminished substantially compared to when he spent time with her. Brad and Chris's exposure is at a level where accumulation is moderate. Desire for Olivia's attention appears mildly above normal. Mental contamination differs between the two boys however in that Brad does not demonstrate a change in his aptitude whereas Chris has gone down the mage knight class instead of being a pure swordsman. Olivia's proclivity towards magic has likely bled into his core beliefs. Julius had the next most amount of accumulation and exhibited extreme bouts of withdrawal and emotional highs and lows until such time he was under Olivia's healing. Jilk, who has required the most healing, privately monologues. The contents exhibit illogical leaps in thinking. Emotional range seems to flicker between wanting to leave Olivia alone or high bouts of undirected frustration. Emotional responses seem to align with Olivia's mood when she performs her healing regardless of her vocal statement of her feelings."
"And you didn't warn me earlier?!"
This was so much worse than I had thought. It was my greatest fear but on steroids.
"At the time of observation, the sample size was too small and symptoms could be attributed to natural hormones and teenage drama. Your lack of symptoms despite being healed the most suggested that light magic accumulation was not a cause of concern."
"So why is it a concern now?"
"You suggested that I make plans to end the Redgraves. Master would never have condoned planning such an act. Your concern about having an emotional response during my absence suggested that my initial hypothesis was true."
"... So where does that leave us now?"
"It is highly advised that training of the heirs that would require healing is to cease immediately. Implementation of the next step of training will have to be put forward early and compound learning new techniques in practice duels to minimize loss of experience gain."
Cease, not slow down. Luxion wanted to skip the remaining period we had set aside for their infantry-level combat skills.
They weren't ready for that. The next step required the heirs to apply their skills in armors. While the issue didn't matter as much for Greg since he was a pure melee and had a team of engineers on his side, the others didn't have such luxuries. Jilk might be able to slide by as a pure ranged shooter.
The magical demands for Chris, Brad, and Julius would be far too great. Even if they had the magical capacity to do such training, learning new techniques on the fly in armor was guaranteed to be a disaster. Even if testing new techniques didn't outright kill them, they had to not damage their armor since repairs took time.
"... No, Luxion. We can't afford to do that. It would be suicide."
"... Query, do you believe the heirs are developing at an acceptable rate?"
Were they? Admittedly, I had thought all but Julius was developing at a good pace. The question was if they would be able to keep it up when I wasn't in control. Removing myself from the equation would have resolved some issues but would also remove much of their motivation.
"Do you believe they know how to properly train on their own?"
"No, however, they are now aware of how small they truly are. They will seek out experts who can give them more personalized training which will have the added benefit of reducing the need for healing since mentors will likely tailor growth in a more reasonable schedule. They will also likely maintain their motivation since you will have left them all with a perfect loss record. With how immature they are, leaving them on such a record will prevent them from falling behind."
"Are you suggesting that our training is hampering their development?"
"No. Other methods will be less efficient but this is our best recourse to minimize light magic side effects while not accelerating their training to potentially unsustainable levels."
"... Damn... With this new development, will we make it in time?"
"... Unknown. The boys' progress differs. Brad is like Olivia and has the best resources in her. Brad will likely still surpass the minimum. Greg's base level is already high but his equipment acceptance rate is still unacceptable. Suggest to continue training him personally in your free time. Predictions for Chris lean more towards unfavorable since he likely had extensive training under Holfort's second-finest swordsman. Chris is ready for armor training from a technique standpoint, but his newfound proclivity to magic requires magic capacity expansion or better magic core augmentation for the suit. Suggest complete destruction of Chris's armor in a duel and subtly commission armor of our design to accommodate Chris's shortcomings. Issues arise when armor is inevitably damaged. Jilk's CQC has capped. He requires an understanding of movements inside frame to properly utilize new skillset. Additionally, Jilk needs broader familiarity with firearms. Current training returns have diminished. Julius... hopeless as is. Development already halted because of a lack of emotional resolution. Removing your presence would not impact his development."
That was surprising. Three of five were in a good place to the point that armor training could be feasible if we planned accordingly. It wasn't awful.
That still left two of them. Jilk was iffy but was probably passable if he became aware that relying on just a sniper and flight maneuvers wouldn't be enough. A game of tag would probably be safe enough. A few snide comments could also hammer the appropriate lessons.
Julius... damn it all I just didn't know what to do with him. At this rate, I think I will just have to leave it up to fate. Hopefully seeing himself so far behind would get him to finally get his head out of his ass.
"Fine. The question is how will I extricate myself from the tutoring role?"
"Newly installed recording equipment shows Angelica is approaching your room with paperwork. It is highly likely that Lord Redgrave has an official task for you or has deemed you worthy of a position requiring your signature."
How convenient.
"How long until she gets here?"
"Ten seconds."
"What the fuck, Luxion! You couldn't have given me more time to prepare?"
"Health concerns were of higher priority. Additionally, your panicking amuses me," Luxion before cloaking himself.
Luxion Light Accumulation Notes
Prior hypothesis: Master is immune to light magic accumulation. Proven false.
Revised hypothesis: Reincarnated individuals have much higher tolerance.
Potential explanation 1: reincarnated individuals have larger souls due to increased life experience.
Potential explanation 2: reincarnated individuals have vestigial souls from former body inhabitants. Light magic accumulation symptoms may have been shunted onto the vestigial soul.
Unresolved issues:
1) Master doesn't exhibit romantic interest in Olivia despite Olivia's budding feelings. If pattern were to be followed, mental contamination should have pushed Master to romantically pursue Olivia. Prior hangups prevent consideration of romance?
2) Master is oddly obsessed with Angelica. Symptoms are somewhat similar to minor addiction symptoms. The desire to help Angelica could be due to a guilty conscience. Further observation is required.
3) Angelica is largely unaffected by light magic accumulation, but accumulation is minor. She still appears resistant. Does gender affect symptom development?
AN:
More of a development chapter than a plot progression chapter. I really hated how I resolved the situation in the previous chapter. To somewhat give a plausible reason for such an outburst, I thought about his emotional outburst being a side effect. That's when I began to link the idea that the boys' immaturity could be the result of light magic contamination. When looking at both the OG novel and the Marie-Route, it lines up disturbingly well. Marie is childish in her desires, thus her immaturity bleeds onto the boys. Olivia(when possessed by An) is a psychobitch, and the boys become increasingly psycho. Also, light magic and dark magic are related magics to the point that the lich lord saw Saintess An as her successor. An's and Mary's soul were also split with light magic. More details support the idea that light/dark magic is just variations of soul magic. Basically, the more you think about it, the more it makes sense.
Review Response:
Cookie-4IS: The fiancees are semi-unaware. For some odd reason, canonically different years do not interact much. In light of that, the boys' aloofness could be attributed to a lack of opportunities to interact in addition to their natural coldness before meeting Olivia. The girls are mostly only aware of the training and see it more as the boys taking their duties more seriously. The fiancees would definitely be disgruntled though. I will likely address this when Leon relaxes his duties.
Itsuki Minami1: I always saw Angelica's infatuation with Julius as the result of her being conditioned to do so her entire life, and hoping that she would have a fairy tale ending.
Guest: He only paid the 2000. The comment was more along with Vincent being confused why Angelica would fight so hard for Leon.
Guest: Angelica did not confide the 'prophecy' since that would be a surefire way for everything to be ruined. She, however, does know Leon is too dangerous to approach without some idea of what kind of person he is. The comment about abdication solving everything was specifically in regards to resolving his feelings with Angelica, not as a better result for the kingdom.
MogtheGnome: Realistically speaking, the number of victims of the Forest of Ladies probably doesn't even break into the triple digits. Making a law to prevent the practice likely would cause way more problems for the kingdom considering almost every country wants to kill them. Of course, we know it's bullshit, but the bullshit is at least founded on some semblance of thought. As for Leon accepting such an outcome, he already does canonically. He didn't outright take care of the situation even though his little brother was potentially at risk. Also, I think you may have missed the detail in the last chapter that Leon found the situation unacceptable. He only let the issue go in the previous chapter because preventing the apocalypse is a bit more important than immediately saving a handful of people if those same people would die in the apocalypse.
Kuroi-Ryu-San: That is factually wrong. Light magic has not been noted to be effective against anything aside from the undead. Also, burning monsters could be a simple property of light magic and not an indication of super-effective damage. It could also be attributed to how much magic she was pumping into the spell since every time she used it, she was stopping attacks that could sink ships. As for doing damage, literally, how is that any different from using a fire spell to do the same job? Angelica's fire lance is shown to one-shot monsters and not tire her out immediately.
Frosty Wolf: Not sure, but the duel was originally set for the third year when I started this.