Title: From Mob to Warlord II
"…to date, he was, and still is the most infamous tyrant in history. He was known by many monikers. Iron-Blood. Marshal of Steel. And the flag that he flies that ultimately symbolizes him, Bird of Prey. But his most well-known title, the one that is synonymous to his name: War Lord. He waged wars and his Army of Steel did not know defeat."
"Teacher!"
"Yes, little one?"
"Why did he wage war? Isn't that bad?"
"Well, yes. Records of the time during the Age of War were scarce. Only some of personal documentations survived. Some depict that Leon fou Bartfort as nothing more than an ambitious warlord. Others tell that he was a deranged mad man with a taste for blood. And there are ones that declare that he was an evil birthed to destroy the world."
"Boo!" "I don't want to be like him! I'll be a hero!" "Yea!"
"Settle down now. As I was saying, there were different depictions of the Marshal. But let me tell you a secret. A recent discovery of a book suspected to be the Saintess's diary paints a different picture."
"The Saintess!" "Woah!" "Glory be to Her."
"Yes. It seems that the Saintess was acquainted to the Marshal. So close that she had written about him in earlier entries of her diary. And there, the Marshal is said to be a common man who was wronged by the world, seeking vengeance."
""Leon!"" The twin shouts woke him up. He saw Hertrude and Hertrauda looking at him anxiously. Did he black out for a bit? Maybe he was more tired than he thought. But finally, the battle… was over. His gaze snapped to where his final clash with Vandel Him Zenden, his strongest foe to date and probably the most formidable one.
His signature spear pierced the knight's chest, surely a lethal blow, but the man didn't even have the gall to fall down. What a monster.
The man coughed up blood, but he still stood proudly. "…Boy, come closer. Do not worry, I have already been defeated. Just hear this old fool's last words."
He hesitated, but he decided to do so. With wary steps, he approached the man until he was near earshot. "I'll hear you out, senile geezer."
Vandel snorted. "Boy, I will tell you your fate." The man said with unusual gravity. "You have bested the undefeated. Now, your name shall ring across all over the lands, with prowess and merits greater than I, the Pillar of Fanoss. And I know your purpose is not over." He stopped to cough up more blood than stained his beard.
"Your victory or defeat shall determine… whether you shall go down as a hero of revolution, or the greatest villain in history. Remember…" The knight stumbled forward to grab Leon's shoulders and gripped it tightly, weakly. "Remember all the lives you have and will trample upon. As you stand upon the hill of corpses and sea of blood… Do not regret."
Leon's head felt a chill, as if cold hands brushed through his body. Vandel stumbled past him and approached the two ladies in the audience room.
"My ladies… this old fool does not wish for forgiveness… this one does not even hope for understanding… but please know that as the one who took away your parents and lied to you for the longest time… please live a long and happy life." The Black Knight, the one who did not even fall when injured, bowed his knee and lowered his head to touch the ground.
"...to have demanded something of us, after all this time, even at death's door. What a distasteful man." Hertrude scoffed at Vandel's cooling corpse, while her sister buried herself in the elder one's arms. They both approached Leon and helped prop him up.
Huh? Since when did he fall down? He tried to stand on his own, but Hertrauda was having none of it. "Please, Sir Leon. It's all over. There is no need to be so tense."
"That's right, Bartfort. No one will fault you if you were to rest for a bit." Hertrude, whispered, the gentlest he'd seen her to be.
Is that so? …They may be right. "Thanks, you two. I'll just have a little nap." He said, before being lulled by the gentle ministrations of the two.
"What a handful guy." Hertrude said, though without heat, after setting down Leon's body on a clean bed. "He should be grateful to have two princesses taking care of him, this buffoon."
"Sister, it seems you do not have to worry anymore." Hertrauda with a mischievous smile on her face, teased. The result was immediately obvious as Hertrude's face went nuclear.
She huffed and blustered, before losing her steam. "…Am I that obvious, Rauda?" The eldest asked shyly.
The two sisters had a lively chat, talking about mundane things. For the first time in their lives, they were free.
"Do you really have to leave, Leon?" Hertrude asked while grasping his clothes tightly, with a tone that he heard for the first time. Her face were etched with worry, different from her usual haughty look or arrogant smirks.
Leon was almost dissuaded from continuing his pursuit for vengeance. Right now, he had his mercenary group, the one he painstakingly built from the bottom. Those who shed tears and blood with him. There was the country he governed as well, with the two princesses who now meant the world to him.
But still, he remembers. Every night, Leon's dreams was that macabre altar were his family breathed their last. He dreams the people who had their lives cut short to advance their ultimate goal. Revenge.
"I… am sorry, Rude." Leon whispered softly before settling his forehead on hers. Hertrude's watery eyes looked up at him. "I know that Fanoss is already tired. I may be dragging her to another war. Still. My revenge must be fulfilled. But I wish to engage in diplomacy first, and see if Holfort could see reason." He said resolutely, locking eyes with the elder princess. "If they are willing to cut off those rotten flesh, I would be more than willing to see the matters laid to rest at that."
Her eyes remained wet, but she did not let tears fall. Hertrude gathered her resolve and recomposed. "Please promise me, Leon. Come back." To me. Were the words she was too afraid to say. Still, she continued. "If it ever gets hard, always know I… Fanoss is always on your side."
Leon gave a small honest smile. He nodded and let the moment pass.
"Oh, just kiss already you two." A voice cut in which startled the two. They distanced themselves and looked to Hertrauda who apparently entered when they were having a moment. She gave a blank stare at the two.
They gave sheepish smiles to the younger princess. Hertrauda gave a cute pout before approaching Leon and hugging him lightly. "Be safe, okay? Take care of yourself."
"Yea, will do." He said, before which the Hertrauda moved away and gave him a bright smile. "Well then, my princesses, this Marshal shall now leave for Holfort to negotiate peace." He bowed then marched away, escorted by the finest of the Equilibrium Knight Order, alongside with Leon's personal force, the mysterious Army of Steel. His departure was a muted one for a hero, but it was something Leon desired himself so they minimized the ceremonies.
The sister princesses watched his skyship leave smoothly, each with different emotions.
"Sister. Are you sure about this?" Hertrauda asked.
"Leon… he is hurting too much. And he is way too capable and connected to ever be held back. We can only try to remind him, that he has his place." Having said her piece, Hertrude locked eyes with her sister. "What about you? Your feelings… you have bottled them up again. For me."
Caught off guard, Hertrauda blushed and blustered before murmuring. "…But he already has you, sister."
"Actually…" Hertrude started, before a nuclear blush that mirrors her sister blossomed on her cheeks. "Leon… might be a bit too much for me…"
Hertrauda was still blustering when the words registered to her and what it implied. She looked at her sister in shock. "NO WAY!? WHEN!?"
Still with a blush, but looking proud, Hertrude gave a smug grin to her sister. "A day after we liberated Fanoss. Leon accompanied me for a drink and I poured my grievances to him. And every other night after that." The look of shock circled back to being blank. "And Leon's um… tireless and… very hard to satisfy… It would really help if you could help, sister."
She looked at her sister's face and could see that her eyes were sunken from lack of sleep were covered up by meticulous application of makeup. Nevertheless, there was an unmistakable glow of satisfaction to her. The blush returned with a vengeance on Hertrauda's face at what her eldest was propositioning. "B-But…"
Hertrauda felt her sister's arms hug her waist. "Rauda, you are my only family left in this world. I would not deny you happiness if I could grant you it. And us, sisters have always shared with each other." Hertrude suddenly whispered to Hertrauda's ears that was unfamiliar to her, more seductive, more alluring, like a temptress. "And fortunately, Leon's more than a man enough for us."
Hertrauda was left a broken insensate mess for the rest of the day, while Hertrude's smug smirk was apparent to everyone else.
"Captain! This is too much!" His lieutenant who had recently joined their organization shouted, incensed. "They had us stay at this vile place, while having us wait for a month for an audience with the king! This is ridiculous!"
"Calm yourself, sergeant." A veteran that had joined Leon's cause from the start said calmly, nursing a drink for himself. "And Leon's not the captain anymore. He's a marshal now." He ribbed in good nature. "Maybe the next King too? Those lady princesses seem to be… very interested with our young Lord after all, hehe." Like a typical perverted old man, the guy's face was disgusting while his hands groped the air lewdly.
"Lieutenant, you're drunk." Leon said, but his cheeks sported a light blush. His subordinates started teasing him good-naturedly. Well, at least it's better than them being frustrated.
He too was irritated with the Holfortian court's procrastination and delay. He decided to walk off his frustration. So deep in his musings was he, that he stumbled upon an isolated area. And no Luxion, he did not get lost. He was just unfamiliar with the surroundings.
Walking further, he chanced upon a small garden. He heard something faint, and decided to approach.
A young lady seemed to be the source, as she was slumped over a pavilion, with tattered books and notes at her lap. She seemed intent to study, even with the bad condition of her study materials. How admirable.
Deciding to announce his presence, he made his footfalls heavier. The girl seemed to notice and he was met with blank azure eyes. She gazed at him warily, her expression guarded.
He gave a sheepish smile. "Well met, my lady. I happened to chance stumble upon this area, and have trouble finding the main building. May I ask for you help to guide me back?"
She scanned him with a suspicious look, then recognizing that Leon wore a different uniform from the usual Academy students, she seemed to believe his words true. She carefully set aside her study materials, before giving a clumsy curtsy nervously.
"Greetings, L-Lord. I can guide you if you wish. My name is Olivia of Lavere."
That was how the Marshal met the Saintess, and the start of the cascading events that shook both Holfort and Fanoss.
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A/N: The following are some short scenes that I envisioned going forward, if I decided to continue, or someone else does.
"O pitiful, wretched King. I had warned you. Your indifference from your lofty position has made you unable to discern the truth. Your 'advisors' had really done a great job covering your eyes and whispering lies to your ears. How does it feel, to taste the place you have once looked down upon?"
"King of Holfort. 'We' had always screamed ourselves hoarse. 'We' did not wish for too much. Just respect and dignity. But it seemed too expensive a price. But what now? You seek for help, but will anyone listen? I wonder, if anyone will answer you like how no one else did for us."
"Give up, Saintess Olivia. Your efforts while admirable, are a futile endeavor." Leon declared, still standing at his place while the Saintess, Marie and the heirs of the Great Founding families lied broken at his feet.
"I'm not letting you giving up...! What you're doing… is wrong…" Livia cried out, as she struggled to stand with her cane as a crutch.
Moving for the first time, Leon paced slowly, like a predator stalking its vulnerable prey. "How? You could barely stand." He scoffed arrogantly. "You had brought your best to try and end this war, but you have been found wanting."
"You thought your acts were just and merciful." Leon started calmly, pressing down with his sheer pressure his vast magical energy being slowly unshackled.
"But tell me... did they impress anyone but yourself? To me, you were nothing but a naive and gullible little girl, Saintess Olivia. So easy to manipulate with the right words and gentle affectations."
"You can't change the malice deep within the human heart. You cannot change this world through benevolence alone. Weakness is a sin, and being weak subjects you to being manipulated by scum that wish for more than what they could handle."
My past was nothing but a series of failures. Those I wanted to protect, all of them... perished. To prevent future tragedies like mine, to make a world where people can smile freely like the one you envisioned… I am prepared to make one last wrong.
I promised you after all didn't I? Together... We will reshape this wretched world into what we've always wanted. But it seems we'll be at opposite sides.
She changed me and the lives of others.
From now and ever onwards, she'll continue touching the lives of many people with her benevolence.
I wish to see the day that happens, but... it seems my end is here.
Go.
Write the story that would belong to you, and only you.
I wish for you to live with the smile that gave me salvation.
Thank you. And goodbye...
...Livia.
I've experienced that this world was not always rainbows and sunshines.
But you... taught me, to never give up.
Your words have continued guiding me, and made me appreciate that there are countless beautiful things in this world.
Just like how you gave me that spark, I wish to be the light that will drive the darkness of this world.
Just like how your kindness shines even through all of your suffering.
People still have the potential to be good.
And so, I shall continue to believe.
...Are you proud of me, Mister Leon?
A/N: Took a really fricking long break from this one. Too much happened in this months and I just won't talk about it anymore. TLDR; even if you tried, life always finds a way to fuck you up in the ass.
Just updating this with whatever I've managed to write down. For the record, I'm very unsatisfied with this and would have wanted to write a full coherent short story, but my brain lagged more than a few times when I got into the mood to write this.
Regarding the two other chapters I promised, it's still in the works, but I'm not yet satisfied with publishing them yet, so just stay tuned for now. Here's the elevator pitch though.
Plot No. 1: Leon reincarnates and takes a more… passive approach to everything else. In which a genre savvy Leon correctly assumes he will be married to Angelica when she's cast away, thus he tries to make a good environment for her to live at. After all, why attend the Academy when the plot will clearly drop a gorgeous wife on your lap sooner or later.
Plot No. 2: I have three sisters, and I love them the most in the world. In which Olivia, Angelica and Noelle are step-sisters to Leon. It's THAT of story. Yes, that. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Now for the bullet points for this story:
1. Leon gonna angst, as usual. Nothing different. Move on.
2. Hertrude (and possibly Hertrauda) finally won the relationship game with Leon! Too bad it…
2a. Though they are shown briefly in canon, they were pretty striking and would have a pretty great subplot for a staging ground. Fanoss is rife with opportunities to be explored as they have quite an intriguing plot going on there.
3. Fourth scene could be directly after the ending scene of the first installment. Basically, after Leon threatened them, Holfort decided to stall and chucked him at the Academy first to make him experience the Holfortian 'culture', hoping to cool his jets or something. Well… something happened alright.
4. I'd love me a good shiv on Roland, but I can't quite portray it as I like. So just a few sentences to go off, so far.
5. The ending I envision for this story is a bittersweet conclusion. Dunno if that was portrayed…
6. For the record, those who are curious about Jenna. She was pivotal to the plot I'm thinking of, but dunno if I could pull it off tbh.
?. Leon has left his legacy, and so he lives on. Luxion isn't destroyed at the end btw lol.