I am so sorry this chapter took so long to get out, but you know the usual real life issues that got in the way of writing it.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and giving important feedback!
With that said, let's get this chapter started!
Chapter 55: In the Meantime...
Malty let out a breath as she felt every part of her body ache from the tiredness of what she had just did. Her mind still running to catch up to everything that had just happened.
They had spent weeks gathering information, talking to people, watching the home of the Vallière family to gather as much information as possible. Thomas always taught her that information was just as important as equipment or having the right tools for the mission. And he wanted to be certain that his knowledge about the estate was not outdated, so they wouldn't be caught off guard when the day came.
They waited until tonight before they finally moved.
The plan had worked perfectly like Thomas had said it would. He caused a distraction in one part of the estate which was the barracks where a good part of the guards were sleeping at the time to divert their attention, which gave her the opportunity to head down into the slave barracks which was beneath the estate. She had already stolen the keys to the cells and carried a large bag full of holy water that Thomas had acquired from some of the local churches to remove their slave seals. Malty was honestly terrified when she split up with Thomas, but knew that she needed to complete her part or else Thomas was dead.
She was terrified when she stepped down the stairway that led into the slave barracks, but she forced herself to walk down dimly lit hallways. The 'barracks' weren't even really a proper sleeping quarters, it was more like a dungeon with cells and cots than proper beds. Malty felt her skin crawl and her breath hitched as she saw dozens of people in cramped cells, some of them had awakened and were looking at her. While some weren't moving at all.
" W-W-Who are you?" One of the demi-humans, a rabbitwoman asked. The slaves eyed her with suspicion, while others eyed them with curiosity, and some even with fear in their eyes.
" I-I'm here to help you." Malty said with a small stutter to her voice.
She explained the entire plan to the slaves, about what she and Thomas was here to do. The slaves looked a mix of unsure and suspicious of the entire plan, until Malty showed them the keys and holy water. That was when they realized that this was their chance to finally be free. Malty didn't waste anymore time unlocking the cells and helping hand out holy water to all of the slaves. She flinched as she saw that some of the slaves had whip marks on their backs and feet, some looked fresh while others had scabbed over already. Malty turned her head away as she told them that they needed to move quickly before the guards catch on.
But by the time she had freed the slaves, it was already over. Thomas had already finished off most of the guards, so when they finally emerged from the dungeons and the slaves overwhelmed what little remained of the Vallière family's men through sheer numbers alone. The battle was done.
All the guards were killed, the slaves had been freed and the estate was theirs for the time being. But Thomas warned that they couldn't stay here for too long, it was only a matter of time before somebody came to check up on the estate.
It was so strange to Malty how mere minutes ago, her heart was pumping with fear and anxiety, but her heart was strangely calm now.
But it wasn't over just yet. There was still the Valleri- their targets to deal with. Thomas had warned her against calling them by their names.
Malty watched from behind the nicely trimmed bushes as Thomas sat down on the fountain that was situated in the garden area of the estate. She remembered throwing a few coins into the fountain for good luck back then and playing with Cattleya. Now just memories.
She watched a group of demi-human slaves drag a young girl, maybe just a few years older than she was to Thomas. She recognized her as the younger sister of Cattleya: Louise Vallière. Malty grimaced as she could see what looked to be several bruises and cuts on Louise, like she had been beaten before she was brought to Thomas.
Louise was roughly dropped at Thomas's feet, resulting in the girl letting out a cry of pain from her several wounds. Thomas didn't react in the slightest. The group of demi-humans took a few steps back to watch the scene unfold, but they all had angry and vindictive looks directed at Louise. The girl tried pushing herself off the ground, but only managed to lift her head up enough to look up at the man sitting at the edge of the fountain before her.
" Hello Louise..." Thomas greeted her, but his voice lacked any warmth due to it being distorted. It sounded like the voice of a demon.
Louise looked up to Thomas with a horrified expression as she tried to push herself away from him, like she wanted to try and crawl away but was unable to. Probably because her legs look broken." W-W-Who are you? Why are you doing this to us?"
Thomas didn't answer right away, instead tilting his head slightly at Louise before he spoke again." Don't you remember me Louise? I taught you some of my favorite sword techniques."
Louise's eyes widened in shock as her mouth hung open in disbelief at what she just heard." T-Thomas? I-I-Is that you? Oh my god, what happened to you?"
" Queen screwed me over, now I need to kill a lot of people to get back at that bitch." Thomas explained in a clipped tone as he looked down on Louise." That unfortunately, includes your family too Louise. I wanted to see you one last time before the end."
" H-How could you do this to us Thomas! After everything my family did you, Cattleya thought of you-"
" Oh shut up you stupid bitch!" A loud and angry voice interrupted Louise, Malty could see that it was a dog boy wielding a whip in his hand. He stomped up to Louise and kicked her a few times in the sides that made her cry out in pain. "Don't act like your family were a bunch of saints when you owned slaves and worked us to death! You're getting exactly what you deserve!"
Louise cried out in pain, as she looked up at her big sister's former protector. " T-T-Thomas please..."
Thomas didn't reply, simply staring at her as if she wasn't even there. The demi-humans seemed to take his silence as his answer, grabbing Louise by the arms and beginning to drag her away.
" THOMAS PLEASE HELP ME! Don't let them take me, please!" Louise begged and pleaded, tears spilling from her eyes at this point as she looked at Thomas, her last hope to escape this fate.
Thomas just looked at Louise for a moment, his expression unreadable due to the mask on his face. But Louise's expression was one of pure horror as she stared up at the person who was once a protector of her family, her face pleading for him to save her from what was about to happen.
Once again, Thomas said nothing as he turned away from her and sealed her fate.
Louise cried out Thomas's name as she was dragged away from him. Her screams echoing throughout the estate and Malty felt her chest tighten at the sight of it. But just as Louise disappeared, another much older woman was brought before him.
Malty had only met her a few times, but even she could recognize Lady Vallière. She had always scared Malty a little back then, a fierce noble lady who had a piercing look that would stare right into your soul. But now as she was dropped at Thomas's feet with cuts on her heels that prevented her from standing up, she almost looked rather small from where Malty was standing.
Lady Vallière pushed herself up with gritted teeth showing just enough to glare up at Thomas." Y-Y-YOU SON OF A BITCH! How dare you do this to us!? When I get free, I will have you tortured to death and your soul torn-" Lady Vallière was cut off when Thomas kicked her right in the face with his boot, making Malty flinch as she saw some teeth fly at it.
" That has always been the problem of you Lady Vallière, you talk too damn much." Thomas let out a sigh as he stood up from the fountain, taking out what looked to be crystal ball and handing it off to a demi-human who had been waiting by his side all this time." I always tried to warn you to save the talking until the end of the battle, when you can have these nice little chats before the end comes. Sadly, I am on a time frame so we gotta do this quick."
Malty was confused for a moment by what Thomas was doing until she noticed that the crystal ball he had handed off to the demi-human begun glowing: A recording crystal ball.
Thomas ignored the curses and profanities shouted at him by Lady Vallière as he stood before her. His Mark glowing a bright red as ghostly smoke started to emit from it and Malty watched in shock as some kind of shadow enveloped Thomas's entire body as his eyelids for his mask glowed a menacing red.
" Karin Désirée de la Vallière, for the sins you have committed against the innocent, I cast you to suffer for all eternity. May your screams reach the heaven's themselves." There was no mercy to be found in Thomas's voice as he delivered them, only vengeance. He pointed his glowing Marked hand at Lady Vallière. " Judgement Time."
There was only silence for a brief moment, Malty held her breath for a moment at what was going to happen, as Lady Vallière herself looked confused for a moment...
Until the the ground beneath Lady Vallière's feet cracked open and fire erupted it from it, and several ash coated hands grabbed at Lady Vallière. Pulling her down into her perpetual suffering. She thrashed and tried to fight against it, but she didn't have the strength or the ability to escape her fate.
" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! HELP ME! HELP ME! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!" Lady Vallière cried out and begged, as the flames consumed her, and the hands roughly grabbed her by the hair, arms, legs. Everywhere as she was dragged down.
" PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP ME! HELP ME PLEASE!" Lady Vallière's voice slowly died out as she was dragged down into the flames and the ground resettled on top of her.
There was only silence afterwards to fill the void where her screams were.
Malty couldn't help but feel a breath escape her throat, as she couldn't believe she had just saw and feel horrified at what she just saw.
Lady Vallière wasn't gone from this world.
She was simply being tortured for an eternity in another one.
Mein's eyes opened with a gasp as a loud noise knocked her awake. She let out a groan as she sat up on her bed, running a hand through her hair as she rubbed her eyelids to wrestle away any remaining sleepiness. She heard a few more knocks on her door, much louder this time which was probably what woke her up to begin with. Mein let out a sigh as she got off her bed to answer the door, dusting herself off to look a bit more presentable in case it was Naofumi or somebody she didn't know.
To her mutual surprise and annoyance, it was Ake who stood in front of her door when she opened it. The knight having an expression of equal annoyance on his face despite being face-to-face with the Princess of his country, it was more akin to the expression one would have when waking up a drunk.
" What is it?" Mein asked in an annoyed tone.
" Eclair is calling a meeting in the war room, everybody needs to be there. Get ready." Ake said curtly before walking away.
Mein surprise at the information outweighed her annoyance of Ake's usual rude attitude towards her. It was a bit surprising that Eclair would call for a meeting out of the blue considering she had been so withdrawn these past few days. Mein hadn't even seen Eclair around the Keep and apparently she was having meals brought to her room. It was clear Eclair wanted to be left alone.
Three days had passed since Eclair's visit to Reichnott's county to alert Cute about his death, and the new Lady Seatto didn't look any better when she returned. Mein had been there when she came back and Mein could easily see the wear on Eclair's face. Whatever transpired when Eclair broke the news to Cute was unknown to her, but she was willing to take a guess that it did not go well. She didn't know the daughter of Lord Reichnott very well compared to Eclair, but she knew from experience that the death of one's father was never something anybody took well.
Now's not the time to think about that, it wouldn't do me any good to be late.
Mein stretched her arms as she quickly got dressed in her armor and usual equipment, before setting out for the war room of Silver Keep. By the time she had arrived, just about everybody else was already present which made her feel a bit embarrassed for being among the last to arrive, but nobody seemed to particularly give a damn. Naofumi and Raphtalia were the only ones who gave her a greeting nod as she entered.
Though she did catch the troubled look on Raphtalia's face as she stood next to her, which Mein had a pretty good guess as to the cause. But she sadly couldn't focus on that right now, she'll do it after the meeting.
The Agent of the Outsider's turned her attention to the Lady Seatto who stood behind the table of the war room with Lucatiel and Aslatiel flanking her sides. Mein could recognize the faint circles around Eclair's eyes, which indicated that she hadn't been sleeping well these past few days. Mein could hardly blame her considering what has happened in such a short span of time.
" Thank you all for coming on short notice." Eclair's voice sounded professional, but there was a certain tiredness to it. As if she had to force out every word like it took effort." I will keep this meeting brief, as I merely wanted to inform you all that the Northern Lords have called a meeting that will take place in a few days time to discuss the threat of the Hound Lord and how to handle him."
Mein raised an eyebrow at this, she had expected the rest of the Northern Lords would eventually call a meeting to discuss the threat of the Hound Lord, but this was sooner than she had been expecting. Though after the death of one of their own lords( No matter how unpopular said lord was), it was obvious they weren't going to take this lying down.
But this came with its own set of problems, particularly about the nobles that were going to be there. Mein made it a habit to keep up with the noble houses that were still around after Thomas killed a good chunk of them. Rabier is obviously going to be there, Ebonheart too probably among others. Whether they would actually unite under Eclair was debatable. Mein knew that nobles only ever cooperated with each other when there was something to gain from it or there was a mutual enemy to fight against.
Ideally the threat of the Hound Lord should do just that, but Mein knew that House Seatto's unpopularity coupled with the fact that one of her biggest supporters just died. Who also just happened to be one of the few lords that gave enough of a damn about treating demi-humans and beastmen equally. Mein has no doubts that this meeting isn't going to go how they think it will.
Mein is imagining some combination of childish bickering and insults that would be more akin to a bunch of drunk idiots fighting over the last cookie.
" That is all from me, the Bow Hero has something he wishes to discuss with you all as well." Eclair turned the room's attention to Itsuki, who seemed to be looking over a notebook of some kind.
" Thank you Eclair." Itsuki thanked the strawberry haired noble, before turning his attention to the rest of the room." I've assembled a profile on the Hound Lord on who he might be and how he thinks, along with any additional information we have on him."
" We're looking for a dog demi-human who is in his mid to late 20's, he possesses the black magic ability to teleport and pull people to him according to Eclair." Mein knew that Itsuki was most likely referring to Blink but the other ability was unknown to her, sounded useful though." We have reason to believe that he has some kind backer or supplier who's paying for all the gear and supplies he's been sending to arm local bandit groups to bring them under his banner." Itsuki looked over his notes for a moment before continuing." Based on reports and tactics used by bandits, he seems to have some level of military training, maybe knight trained?"
" He's ranger trained. Not knight trained." Mein couldn't help but blurt out to correct the Bow Hero. This unfortunately made all eyes turn to her in surprise, which put her on the spot so she elaborated. " A knight is somebody who is trained in frontline tactics and assaults. A ranger is more specialized in skirmishes, ambushes, scouting and information gathering. The tactics used during the Schnee Mine are more similar to ranger style tactics."
" Noted, thank you." Itsuki seemed to stare at her for a minute before continuing." According to the psychological profile I've drafted up for him, he is an incredibly cautious person considering he tends to use messengers and middlemen even when interacting with bandit groups under his control. He's not like normal bandits, he doesn't seem to give real damn about pillage, he seems to be on some kind of crusade against the entirety of Melromarc. That's the only reason I could come to since he killed Reichnott."
Mein was impressed by how accurate Itsuki's description on the Hound Lord's motivation lined up with her own. She thought that she was the only one who could understand how the Hound Lord's motivations didn't match up with what you would expect from a normal bandit lord, that was likely because he was anything but normal.
Reichnott's death was his declaration to the entire Melromarc nobility that he wasn't just some nuisance they could ignore. That he was coming for them all. Mein kinda respected that kind of message in a twisted sort of way.
" That's all the information we got on him." Itsuki finished his elaboration on his details on the Hound Lord.
" Thank Sir Itsuki, I think that will be all for this meeting." Eclair politely dismissed everyone, with the Lady Seatto letting out a tired breath at the end.
As everybody began to leave the war room, Mein noticed that Raphtalia still had that troubled expression on her face like she was deeply in thought about something conflicting. Her eyes were unfocused and her sole good arm seemed to hang listlessly as she walked. She could see Ake was following Raphtalia, as he was probably the one who escorted her to the meeting room in the first place, so this was about a good time as any time to relieve him of his duty.
" I'll take it from here Ake." Mein whispered to the knight, who gave her a look but didn't try to fight her on it as he went his own way. This allowed Mein to take his place at Raphtalia's side, but the young girl didn't even acknowledge her.
" Is everything alright Raphtalia? You seem a bit out of it." Mein gently nudged the young raccoon as she walked up to her side.
" Ah! S-Sorry big sister Mein, I didn't notice you." Raphtalia jumped a little at her words and nudging, looking a bit embarrassed that she didn't notice her presence.
" Its okay Raphtalia, I just couldn't help but notice that you seem to be thinking about something." Mein put her at ease as they walked.
" I was just...thinking about what we were talking about a few days ago in your room." A sad expression crossed Raphtalia's face as she vaguely referred to what was troubling her.
But Mein instantly knew what Raphtalia was referring to: The topic of Keel and what they were going to do about her. It made sense that Raphtalia would still be pondering what they were going to do about Keel and the likelihood of any plan they make that doesn't involve killing her being low. She was glad that Raphtalia had the sense not to mention it outright, not when they are out in the open with the possibility of someone overhearing.
" Ah, I see...come on Raphtalia, let's talk somewhere else." Mein gently took Raphtalia's sole hand and guided her through the Keep.
Mein took them to one of the inner training courtyard where there was thankfully nobody present at the moment, since the mood of the Keep has left morale way too low for anybody to want to hone their skills at the moment. Mein found it a bit annoying having to be extra careful around the Silver Keep because she knew that a lot of the Silver Hand's had naturally enhanced hearing compared to humans so the risk of somebody overhearing something they shouldn't is higher than Mein would like to admit.
Thankfully after sitting down on the outer ring of the courtyard and making sure that there were no passersby with Dark Vision, Mein rested a bit easy as they were alone from any prying eyes.
" You're still worried about Keel, huh?" Mein decided to just rip the bandage off and get right to the heart of the matter.
" Yes..." Raphtalia admitted after a minute." I know...I know Keel has done some bad things, but...she's not a bad person. She was one of my first friends back in Port Harp along with Rifana. Keel was the one who always invited me to play with the other kids, even though I was the daughter of one of the wealthier families in Port Harp and never treated me different. She was even the one who did her best to protect me against...our old master."
Raphtalia didn't mention him by name, but based on the way her shoulders shook a little, Mein could guess that she was talking about the Vulture. The child loving bastard of the Consevatie family, she hated how he could still affect her even when she wasn't under his 'care' anymore. Mein made a mental note that when she becomes Queen to hold a public torture session featuring the Vulture as her 'assistant' to show the entire nation exactly what her views on child lovers are.
" Its okay Raphtalia, you don't need to talk about that if you don't want to." Mein gently put a hand on Raphtalia's shoulder and scooted a bit close. She doesn't want to push Raphtalia's boundaries anymore than that child loving bastard already did." You really care about Keel, don't you?"
" I do. I don't want to see her hurt or killed, i-if I could just talk to her than maybe I could convince her to stop all this." Raphtalia suggested desperately.
Mein resisted the urge to sigh in response, as she already knew how much of a longshot that would be. Raphtalia did her best to tell Keel to stand-down during the Schnee Mine attack but Keel didn't even give her so much as a glance, she was much more engaged in trying to chop her head off. Keel was also convinced that she had been the one to chop off Raphtalia's arm as some kind of sick punishment, so the idea of convincing her to willingly surrender sounds more like fantasy than anything.
" Maybe...do you object to the idea of putting a slave seal back on Keel?" Mein felt like she had to ask.
Raphtalia's shoulder sagged in response." I-I don't know, I don't want Keel to die but...putting the slave seal her. I know Master Naofumi is nice but...I know Keel would hate it. She always tried to fight back against our last master, even when it hurt her."
" I know its not ideal Raphtalia, but indentured servitude would be how she's kept alive, at least until we can secure her a proper pardon." Or at the very minimum keep her on a short leash. But Mein didn't say that last part out loud.
Raphtalia didn't respond to that, as her hand rested on her knees as she looked to the ground." I-I'm just sick of feeling so useless all the time. I couldn't do anything to convince or stop Keel. I couldn't do anything at the Mine, I just got in the way. I'm sick of feeling helpless."
Mein felt sympathy for Raphtalia, she should have known that these feelings would fester after so long. She knew that Raphtalia had been dealing with these feelings of helplessness and feeling useless ever since she lost her arm back during the 2nd Wave. But they had been putting it off so far because they didn't want to endanger Raphtalia again and risk her getting another serious injury or Outsider forbid get killed.
She didn't know what words she could say to make Raphtalia feel better. Katarina, Naofumi, and even that annoying bastard Ake were far better at comforting people than she could ever try. The only thing she could think of...was how to correct these feelings the only way she knew how.
" Well then sitting here and talking about isn't going to change anything, will it?" Mein said out of the blue to the surprise of Raphtalia.
" Huh?"
" Come on, I've been promising a training session for days now. Let's get to it then." Mein repeated as she grabbed Raphtalia and guided her to the inner ring.
"R-Right now?" Raphtalia said in shock.
" Yes, right now." Mein reaffirmed as they stood in the center of the ring." You don't want to feel helpless? Well, the only way to correct that is for me to teach you how to protect yourself." Mein wondered whether this was truly the right way to help Raphtalia, but it was the only way she knew how. " Are you ready?"
"...Y-Yes, I am." Raphtalia nodded in compliance after a moment, though with some nervousness in her tone.
" Good. Then show me how you swing your dagger first." Mein asked. It had been quite some time since their last training session, so it was better to start from the basics.
Raphtalia nodded as she took out her dagger and began swinging at the air in front of her, where Mein instantly spotted at least 6 different mistakes that she was making. Footwork is sloppy, swings are too wide, and arm is overextended.
" Aah!" Raphtalia let out a gasp as she stumbled on her next swing, which almost sent her tumbling to the ground if Mein didn't catch her in time. Thankfully just her dagger ended up clattering against the ground.
" Don't just swing wildly Raphtalia, you need to have control with your blade." Mein instructed as she picked the dagger and handed it back to Raphtalia.
" S-Sorry its just...really hard to balance when I'm swinging." Raphtalia apologized for her mistake, though Mein didn't begrudge her for it. Raphtalia had enough problems learning to walk again without her right arm to balance her out, swinging a dagger is a whole other matter altogether.
" Its alright Raphtalia, take it slow and let yourself get used to the weight. You should hold your dagger more like this and keep your footwork more spread out." Mein aided Raphtalia in correcting her posture and how she wielded her blade. " Don't just try for big swings, you'll overextend your reach and open yourself up for attack. Try to do some close range cuts in a fluid motion."
Mein took out her own dagger and performed a quick basic three-way part cut maneuver. " Don't waste all your energy on the first attack, the follow-up is just as important." Thomas had taught her well in the fine art of dagger play.
Raphtalia took a moment to ready herself before attempting to do the same maneuver as she did. It was still sloppy, but better than before at least.
" When you're going for a stab or a cut, try to aim for the eyes, throat or gut. Preferably around this section where the lungs should be which should help you score a critical hit." Mein pointed at the general area on her own body where the lungs are located, taking out a combatants ability to breath was always a good rule of thumb. Hard to defend when you're choking on your own blood.
They kept going like this for over an hour, Raphtalia making mistakes along the way but Mein being there to correct them. It was a start at least to Raphtalia's training at the minimum.
" Good job Raphtalia, you're finally starting to get a hang of it." Mein complimented the raccoon, which made the young girl smile a little with pride." Let's focus on something else for now. Do you still have that hidden blade that Alice gave you?"
" Yes, I've been kinda scared of using it for a while cause I don't know how." Raphtalia admitted as she held out her left wrist and Mein helped roll back her sleeve to reveal the hidden blade. The straps on her forearm not too tight for Raphtalia.
Raphtalia flexed her wrist a bit and the blade came out at full-length, but as Mein examined the weapon given to Raphtalia by the Three Heroes Church priestess, she slowly came to the realization that the hidden blade wasn't going to be much use.
" Hmmm...this won't really help much in a frontline fight, more suitable for stealth missions but it could help you surprise opponents and catch them off-guard." Mein explained. To be honest, a dagger isn't really that helpful in a straight-up fight either due to its limited range and usually low damage rating. It was more akin to a backup weapon than anything, that's more suitable for stealth missions. But it was at least something Raphtalia could use when she needed to protect herself in close-range if it came to that.
" Do you think I could come with you on more quests then?" Raphtalia asked hopefully.
" Maybe, but I would prefer to teach you more skills than just basic self-defense and dagger work. I would like to continue our previous lesson on the rapier but..." Mein examined the training area around them and found herself wanting.
There were too many potential eyes here at Silver Keep and Mein didn't want to run the risk of some knight stumbling in on Raphtalia in her adult form while they were practicing. This problem could easily be solved if they simply divulged Raphtalia's secret to the Silver Hands or at least Eclair, she's certain that she would agree to keep quiet about it. But Mein doesn't want to spread the secret around too much, so that option was out. Their rooms which was just about the only privacy they could get from the rest of the Keep wasn't exactly big enough to train it to the fullest extent either, so that left her few options except one...
" How about this? In a few we shall go for a private training session in the forest, we can train in peace out and I can teach you some of the ranger tricks that my father taught me."
" I-I would like that, thank you big sister..." Raphtalia smiled up at her.
Mein was glad that she was at least able bring Raphtalia's mood up.
Cute's POV
The sounds of metal hitting wood and straw over and over again repeatedly echoed throughout the courtyard. The wooden target itself having been beaten to the point the sack cut open and the straw insides of the dummy started to show from how hard she was hitting it. Cute was vaguely aware that the servants, guards and Jean were all watching her from behind with those damned pitying looks.
She didn't want their damn pity. She wanted the bastards who killed her father dead!
She didn't care how much her hands grew tired or how many of those damn animals there are. She's going kill all of them if its the last thing she does!
" AAAHHHHH!" Cute let out a cry of anger as she let out one strong swing at the wooden dummy intent on cutting its stupid head off, but she felt her grip slip on her axe and it was sent tumbling to the ground pathetically.
Cute stared at the axe that laid on the ground, she could practically feel the anger bubbling up inside her at the mere sight of it.
" Damn it!" Cute cursed as she kicked the dirt out of frustration, as she heard footsteps come towards her.
She turned her eyes to Jean who was coming towards her." My lady please calm down and take a rest-"
" Don't touch me!" Cute slapped Jean's hand away giving him and the rest of the servants a glare." Leave me! All of you!"
" My lady, we can't-"
" That is an order!" Cute repeated. Jean, the guards and the servants all looked at each other as if hesitating before they obeyed her command and leaving her alone in the courtyard.
She didn't want anybody to see her like this, so goddamn pathetic. She hated how weak she felt, how helpless she was to do anything. If she couldn't even beat a damn wooden dummy, how can she expect to get revenge on the bastards who killed her father?
Cute thought about her father, her sweet and kind father who was always there for her, even when he was busy with work he did his best to make time for her. He was a good man who always did right by his people, he was even willing to give demi-humans and beastmen a chance to live on his lands as equals like Uncle Uther did. To treat them with more dignity and respect than any other lord would.
And they killed him for it. Those damn ungrateful animals killed him when he was one of the few who cared about them!
Eclair had promised her that they would get justice for her father's death...but she refused to sit on her bum and wait for it to happen. She would kill the Hound Lord himself if she had to!
Cute's thoughts were stopped when she heard footsteps approaching, her hate filled glare turning to a single maid standing there.
" I said that I wanted to be alone!" Cute shouted at the maid, who flinched at her shout.
" A-Apologies my lady but we have a visitor at the front entrance who is requesting your presence. She comes from a noble family." The maid explained.
Cute's interest was briefly piqued before being replaced by annoyance. She didn't want to deal with visitors at the moment, but she knew that father would want her to at least keep up appearances.
With a sigh of annoyance, Cute commanded the maid." Tell them I'll be there to greet them shortly."
The maid simply bowed and went away quickly. Cute let out a breath as she headed back for her room and got changed quickly into one of her dresses. Before she might have taken her time picking something nice, but she was too frustrated and angry to care so she just picked one at random that looked nice enough.
After she was done getting dressed, she headed for the front entrance in a huff, just wanting to get this over with. By the time she arrived, she could see that Jean and the other guards were already waiting there, and Cute could see a carriage parked outside the manor with a young woman waiting patiently.
The young woman in question had long pink hair and was dressed in the clothes of the nobility, Cute had only seen her face once or twice at royal balls and banquets but she still recognized her.
Lacus Consevatie of House Consevatie, the noble house in charge of overseeing the north eastern province of Melromarc. Father had spoken about their family only a few times, but Cute herself didn't know what they were like.
What caught her attention the most was that Lacus was carrying a bouquet of roses with her. Cute felt her heart clench at the mere sight of the roses, they are...were father's favorite flower. He liked to gift them to her mother when she was still alive.
" Lady Cute Reichnott, it is an honor to meet you. Lacus Consevatie of Jagged Reach." Lacus half-bowed her head to her in respect, it made Cute feel a bit more secure of herself.
" Mi-I mean, Lady Consevatie, it is nice to meet you." Cute greeted in a polite enough tone.
" Yes, it is very nice to meet you too Lady Reichnott." Lacus's voice was calm as her face took on a soft expression as there was sympathy in her eyes. " I heard about what happened to your father and wanted to pay my respects on behalf of House Consevatie. I heard that Lord Reichnott liked roses."
Lacus held out the bouquet of roses to her and Cute hesitantly accepted them, she felt her heart warm a bit at the gesture as they reminded her of her father when he was still alive.
" They are lovely, thank you..." Cute was a bit unsure of what to do with the roses, so she just handed it off to Jean who took them off her hands.
" I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to Lord Reichnottt. I did not know him personally, but he seemed like a good and caring lord, he deserved far better. The whole of Melromarc suffers from his absence." Lacus said sympathetically, an expression of sadness on her face.
" Yes, he was..." Cute resisted the urge let tears fall at the reminder of her father's loss, but she appreciated Lacus's words about the kind of man he was.
" You have been very strong to go through a time like this on your own if I may so Lady Cute." Lady Lacus said kindly." Your father would be proud if he was still here now."
" Thank you so much for saying...its just been so hard since father passed a few days ago." Cute bit her lip at the memory of what happened just a few days ago, the pain still apparent in the memory alone.
" Still you are doing better than most people would in your position, that should not be diminished." Lacus spoke in a soft and calm tone that reminded Cute of her mother. It oddly made her feel safe.
" I know...I'm just still so angry about what happened, I have half a mind to go kill that Hound Lord bastard myself!" Cute couldn't hold back the hate she felt at just saying the name. She wanted to make every single animal who was part of killing her father pay!
" Well, you may have the opportunity to do so at the upcoming meeting of the northern lords." Lacus said casually.
" W-W-Wait what?" Cute nearly stumbled over her own words as she couldn't believe what she had just heard.
A flash of surprise crossed Lacus's face." Lady Cute, are you not aware that the northern lords are assembling for a meeting in a few days to discuss the matter of the Hound Lord?" At her continued confused expression, Lacus explained." I heard from one of my associates here in the north that the lords will be convening in a few days to discuss the matter of the Hound Lord. Particularly how to kill him."
Cute's heart skipped a beat as she heard that. A meeting between the northern lords about how to kill the Hound Lord, would Eclair be there? Why wasn't she invited or maybe she just hasn't been invited yet?
Her mind had been so preoccupied that she hadn't even noticed Lacus gently put her hand on her shoulder.
" Lady Cute? Are you alright?" Lacus asked in a slightly worried tone.
" Y-Yes, I'm fine." Cute said as she took a breath to think about all this. Lacus seemed pretty nice and knew about the meeting, maybe she could help her?
" Actually Lady Consevatie... perhaps you would like to stay for tea?" Cute offered meekly.
" That would be wonderful, thank you. I actually brought some fine tea of my own for such an occasion." Lacus smiled brightly as she entered the manor with her.
Maybe with Lacus, she can get revenge on the bastards that killed her father.
You know, I was actually debating having this chapter be the actual meeting of the northern lords but I figured it would be better to have this chapter as a sort of intermission before we get to the second-half of this arc where things really start to escalate to worse. Plus I needed to figure out who exactly would be at said meeting so this intermission was probably for the best. And I am happy that we finally got another Raphtalia training scene after so long, I definitely don't her to be totally helpless for the story. While she will never be a swordsman, she will be able to contribute to the party.
I also hope that I was able to show how and why Thomas was such a terrifying force when he was cleaning out the Melromarc nobility. I don't want to hold back on showing how bad of a guy Thomas was and how much of an impact he had on Malty in the present day. All things considered, Malty turned out way more well-adjusted than she should have.
Now some of you might recognize Lacus Consevatie( The sister of Fuckboy) from Qin's Ascension story, I'll be honest I did not plan for her to be here at all. She was actually suggested by Qin to make an appearance since Lacus wouldn't pass up the opportunity to try and secure the loyalty of the very vulnerable Lady Reichnott. Who is not in the best state at the moment.
Now let's respond to some reviews shall we?
To EXCUBITORE:
I mean you aren't wrong, that's the obvious solution but its the one that no one in the group wants to consider. Raphtalia has already been traumatized to hell and back, been physically crippled and has essentially lost everybody in her life. They don't want to add an extra layer of trauma on top of it by killing her friend who she taught was dead and forcing her to mourn all over again. So they want to at least try to consider other options besides killing Keel.
I purposefully wanted to make the whole Keel situation as hard as possible, how it ends I have yet to reveal.
To rockgod23:
Let's just say that there is going to be a LOT of violence and murder in this arc. Can't wait to get to it!
:)
With that said, I will see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.