An Honest Soul

by Jim Hoxworth

Upon being reincarnated, Leon decided to be a little more honest overall: With himself and with his new family. This new world might look like the game he was playing before he died, but he could still bleed and die if he took things too lightly. Besides that, his previous life was full of regrets, so maybe it was time to eke out a better life.

9. Chapter 9: Moonlight Serenade

Sergeant Bartfort's Lonely Hearts Club Reprise/ Dancing in the Moonlight/ Promotional Material

---

The ride to my private island estate was quiet and peaceful. Angelica, of course, had gotten me back for the little joke I played on her, courtesy of her father's response, saying that they'd been "discussing her future at length" and refusing to elaborate beyond saying I "would learn more if required". The small smile and reserved tone with which she told me this made the mischief dancing in her ruby red eyes all the more frustrating, but I knew that I deserved it for winding her up so much. Cordelia was astonished and amused by this turn of events, clearly pleased with seeing Angelica relaxing from her previous straight-laced demeanor.

Of course, that changed within a few days as we made our way to Bartfort territory on the Razor's Crest, as Angelica seemed to flee any time I entered the room. It was a behavior that baffled and confused me, considering that she'd accepted my apology for the joke at the Redgrave estate, and I was getting more and more worried with each curtsey and retreat. Both Clarice and Livia had no idea what could be causing it either, and until we could figure it out, Angelica would keep running.

We were less than an hour away from my father's territory, where we'd stop off briefly so I could update my parents in person, and Clarice finally decided that Angelica had run for long enough. The girls split up to search the ship for Angelica, and I helped briefly, moving from room to room before I remembered that this was an Old World ship with internal sensors controlled by Luxion. After a brief moment to facepalm and literally kick myself, I activated my earpiece.

"Luxion, would you mind locating Angie for me?" I asked with a sigh.

"Certainly, Master," snarked Luxion. "I am pleased that you have finally chosen to utilize my capabilities. Miss Angelica and Miss Olivia are on the Forward Observation Deck."

"Thanks, Lux," I replied quickly.

I didn't even bother to listen to whatever comment Luxion shot back afterwards as I made my way to the Forward Observation Deck. To be more accurate to the functionality of the room, it was more of a lounge and gameroom for entertaining passengers and dignitaries, but it was the best place to view the surroundings other than from the railings on the Top Deck. Angelica was staring out the window, leaning against a game table near the windows as Livia attempted to get through to her.

"Angie, please, what's wrong?" pleaded Livia. "Why are you constantly running from Leon? Is that joke he made still bothering you-"

"No!" protested Angelica before clearing her throat. "No… He's done nothing wrong. I'm afraid I'm the one at fault this time, and I'm not sure how to set things right…"

"Angie, what could you have possibly done in the past few days that could be so horrible?" asked Livia in confusion and concern.

"I've finally had enough time to realize just how deeply I've imposed upon the kind nature of a good man, and I've barely thanked him for it," replied Angelica. "I've practically taken his actions for granted, and what gratitude I have expressed pales in comparison to the magnitude of his actions."

"He didn't do any of that for your gratitude or for some favor, Angie," protested Livia. "He did it because he truly cares about you and Clarice. That's really all there is to it."

"It really is, isn't it?" marveled Angelica with a sad smile. "From the moment I met him, his actions were always to satisfy his own personal whims rather than any sort of political or societal ambitions. Still, even Clarice, in the same situation that I was in, took time after the match to thank Leon for his efforts instead of 'running off to see another man'. I'm honestly no better than the 'ladies' he entertained before meeting you…"

"Angie…" pouted Livia.

"Truly, I've been a horrible friend to him, so I can't imagine why he wants to still be around me…" sighed Angelica. "This whole mess could have been avoided if I simply held my temper and asked Julius to break our engagement. Now, thanks to me, he's now one of the most reviled and notorious names in the Kingdom, and I didn't even have the decency to thank him for it after the battle. I know you want to help, Livia, but… I think I need to be alone…at least until we dock…"

Livia opened her mouth to protest, but caught sight of me as I entered the room. Livia blinked briefly at my reassuring smile, but nodded, confident that I'd be able to sort this out. Angelica didn't turn to look at me as I approached, instead staring out into the open sky, a field of blue interrupted by clouds like seafoam on a vast ocean. She jumped a little as I leaned on the table next to her without a word, but then relaxed as she returned to her solemn state.

"…Forgive me, I didn't hear you come in," whispered Angelica. "...I… I suppose you heard what I told Livia earlier. …I'm sure you can see why I've tried to stay out of your way- Leon?"

Angelica frowned in confusion as I walked around her in a circle, pretending to study her carefully before coming to a stop directly in front of her. I leaned in, pretending to carefully scrutinize Angelica's eyes, taking her temperature from her forehead, and checking her pulse from her wrist before scooping her up into a princess carry. Angelica instantly blushed all the way from the roots of her hair to the neckline of her blouse and beyond.

"Leon, what-"

"We have to get you to the medical bay immediately," I explained seriously even as I fought to keep a straight face. "I didn't feel a fever, and I didn't see signs of a concussion, but that doesn't rule out hallucinogenic nerve agents, parasitic infection, or hypnotic suggestion-"

"For what?!" asked Angelica, trying to get out of my arms but failing due to her curiosity.

"For why you'd believe that seeing the Prince immediately after the Duel makes you a horrible woman," I grinned as I drove the punchline home.

"...Leon, you can't be serious-" stared Angelica flatly.

"I'm deadly serious, Angie," I interrupted with a kind yet firm stare. "I fought a five-on-one duel to make that little meeting happen, so I had certainly hoped you'd damn well run to see him immediately."

"Leon, you risked so much for my sake, and I didn't even thank you-" tried Angelica

"Getting the closure you needed was plenty thanks enough," I disagreed, smiling. "You're one of the few people I give a damn about at the Academy, so please don't think that I don't want to have you around just because of a little chaos during our first semester."

"...'Little chaos', you say," snorted Angelica, beginning to smile honestly for the first time in a few days. "The entire Noble Court is in pandemonium, and you call it 'a little chaos'..."

"Hey, it's only a little chaos to us, and that's what counts!" I grinned to which Angelica laughed. "Besides, I get to see the look on Zola's face when I introduce you to my mom and dad as my guest for the break and I can't wait…"

"You really do hate your father's primary wife, don't you?" chuckled Angelica. "I've been aware that you can be vindictive when you wish to be, but I think this is on a completely different scale."

"Considering that the bitch is guilty of line theft and she had the gall to attempt to get me killed in what basically amounted to fraud, yeah I'm more than a little vindictive," I replied, unable to restrain my emotion.

"...Line theft?" blinked Angelica. "Are you sure?"

"Luxion confirmed it after taking blood samples discreetly from Zola, her children, and my father," I replied grimly. "The problem was that, at least until I spoke with someone who was close to Marie, I had no way to back up my claims other than my word."

"...And who did you speak to?" asked Angelica nonchalantly.

"Her half-elf servant, Kyle," I explained.

"...I didn't mishear you, did I?" confirmed Angelica frowning. "You said 'half-elf', even though that should be completely impossible…"

"It's absolutely possible, since Demihuman 'races' are modified Old Humans, according to Luxion," I explained. "Conception is slightly lower, but still very possible. The lower and middle Nobility just were careful about disposing of any… indiscretions… that they couldn't easily explain."

"...Is my father aware of this?" asked Angelica.

"And Clarice's father as well, via the letter correspondence we've had on other matters" I confirmed. "They want me to locate Kyle's mother so that we can have a very practical demonstration at the next Parliamentary meeting."

"I suppose we'll discuss the matter later when we're not about to meet your parents," nodded Angelica, blushing as she continued. "...In the meantime, do you intend to continue carrying me?"

"Oh shit, sorry!" I exclaimed as I remembered that I still had Angelica in a princess carry. "I honestly completely forgot-"

I mentally kicked myself at that excuse as I helped Angelica to her feet. "Completely forgot"? Please: Angelica might have been light and I might have been stronger than I was in my previous life, but saying that I forgot that a young, beautiful, unmarried woman was in a bridal carry in my arms heavily implied that I was quite comfortable with having her there. …Which I was, but Angelica didn't need to know that…

"That's quite alright, but I imagine that the message that you intend to send to your parents, much less Zola, would be undermined by me resting comfortably in your arms…" smiled Angelica, even as she still blushed lightly. "...Shall we face them?"

"Let's face the music," I grinned.

---

We'd made our way from the dockyards of the Bartfort territory to the Manor house quickly. I'd gone for my school uniform with a few armored plates beneath the shirt as I anticipated some trouble from Zola, but not enough to justify my full armor. Plus, I wanted to walk in with a pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses, a toothpick in my mouth, and a devil-may-care attitude when I saw Zola again, and the helmet would have ruined the effect. After all, I needed to make a statement, not a manifesto, and walking in wearing my full complement of armor and weapons would have had Zola and her brood running for the hills and vacating their bladders and bowels behind them. I sure as hell didn't want to have to clean that up!

I let Angelica and Clarice take vanguard positions in front of me, while I stayed back with Livia where she could watch our backs. I wore twin pistols in shoulder holsters beneath my uniform blazer, but I kept the spare magazines with the rest of my gear since I didn't think Zola could present a problem that twenty-six rounds couldn't solve. Angelica's maids let us into the estate, having arrived a few days prior to prepare for their Mistress's arrival. Even from the entry hall, we all could hear Zola tear into my father.

"-Have you not heard what your useless son has done? The capital is in an uproar! How are you going to take responsibility for this?" shrieked Zola.

"He won't need to," stated Angelica imperiously from the doorway to my father's study.

Zola's head whipped around so fast that I was disappointed when she didn't break her neck. Her little copies Rutart and Merce sneered at me at first, but quickly scowled in confusion at my unconcerned smirk. I could see an angry red handprint on my father's face from where Zola had struck him, which darkened my mood until I remembered that Zola was in for quite the turnabout. I grinned at my mother and father before giving Zola a cheeky wave and smug smirk.

"You!" snarled Zola, pointing at me while I twirled my toothpick in my fingers, before stopping short and sneering at Angelica while she addressed my father. "...And just where did these other brats come from? I'm sure that idiotic son of yours brought them from some backwoods, no-name noble houses, no doubt. Girls, I've business with that worm standing behind you. Step aside."

"I don't think we will, 'Lady' Bartfort…" grinned Clarice as her eyes flashed with malice.

"No, certainly not," agreed Angelica as her eyes burned with cold fire. "Not after everything he's done."

"You two certainly are arrogant, little girls…" growled Zola. "How about you tell me your names?"

"Angelica Rapha Redgrave," replied Angelica coolly as Zola made a choking sound, color draining from the old bat's face. "Daughter of Duke Vincent Rapha Redgrave."

"Clarice Fia Atlee," grinned Clarice with a mocking little curtsey, eyes dancing with mischief. "Daughter of Earl Bernard Fia Atlee, Commerce Minister of the Holfort Parliament."

I was so glad that Luxion was cloaked and recording this entire event from somewhere behind me. Rutart and Merce were now paying very close attention to the proceedings as they stared like a pair of deer in headlights. Zola's smile was more plastic and fragile than a 1950's Lego sculpture, and I couldn't stop my grin from splitting my face open. I could see my father's eyes widen in shock, but took on a vindictive grin as he watched as Zola figuratively stuck both feet down her throat.

"...I see…" replied Zola stiffly. "Forgive my impertinence, then. Welcome to the Bartfort Estate. I did not think that the Atlee and Redgrave families were formally allied-"

"Not formally, but Leon has certainly brought our families quite close," smiled Clarice as she gave me obvious bedroom eyes. She'd been doing that a lot lately, and I was starting to think that it wasn't just my imagination.

"...Has he now?" twitched Zola as her smile began to crack and her blood drained from her expression.

"He has," replied Angelica harshly before glancing back at me with a smile that made my gut flip suddenly. "For what he's done for me, I owe him a debt of gratitude. Let it be clearly said that I will not hesitate to destroy Leon's enemies in order to repay this debt."

"I see…" coughed Zola. "Forgive me, but I'm afraid I must be on my way back to the Capital. A pleasure to meet you, Lady Atlee and Lady Redgrave. Rutart, Merce, we're leaving."

"You take care now," I quipped with a mocking smirk.

If looks could kill, I doubted that even my mirrored aviators could save me from the murderous glare that Zola gave me as she left. I simply grinned in return as I stared over my aviators, savoring the feeling of her anger toward me. As they finally stepped away, a spell was broken over the room, and my family began to react to the arrival of two daughters of high-ranking noble families. My father immediately knelt down in a formal gesture, bowing his head, my mother following suit a moment later.

"...Lady Redgrave, Lady Atlee, forgive me for not greeting you at the dock-" began Balcus.

"Please, sir, you and your family need not kneel to us," smiled Angelica as she helped move him to his feet. "After everything your son has done, it would be more appropriate for me to kneel before you, I think. As a compromise, let us speak informally for the duration of our visit."

"...And how informally would you consider to still be proper?" asked Luce.

"Call her 'Angelica' and me 'Clarice', and that should be fine," smiled Clarice as she offered her hand to my mother to help her stand as well.

At this, Livia took the opportunity to slip by me and make her way to my mother. I could see my mother's eyes widen slightly at the sight of the Protagonist that I'd spoken about for years walking quickly toward her, smiling warmer than a summer afternoon. Still, she did seem rather composed for having the next Saintess approach her like a nervous future daughter-in-law- stop that! Stop projecting, you dumbass!

"Please, allow me to help with dinner, Lady Bartfort," curtseyed Livia.

"But you're our guest-" protested Luce.

"And I'm a commoner girl from the border region so I wouldn't feel right with not helping, as I am both willing and able," countered Livia with a bright smile.

"And while Clarice and I may be daughters of upper nobility, we're still Holfortian citizens; adventurer's blood runs in our veins," argued Angelica. "We may not be the most knowledgeable in cooking, but with some guidance on the cupboards we can certainly set the table."

"I'll help, girls," offered Jenna as she poked her head in from the hall where she'd been eavesdropping. "In exchange, I want to hear about what my brother has been up to straight from the source…"

The girls left with my sister and mother, leaving me to face my father.

"So…'Low-profile', huh?" smirked Balcus even as his eyes twitched in irritation. "'Not getting involved with the main plot'? I can see how well those promises were kept…"

"Yeah, 'best laid plans' and all that," I sighed. "I'm sure that Jenna gave you an overview?"

"She did, but unlike her, I won't be distracted by a line of bullshit since I actually read through Journal One," replied Balcus, crossing his arms. "The only reason to spare Lady Redgrave from her fate during the Duel would be for her own sake. I'd even say that having the Heirs lose the Duel might even be perceived as a sign of weakness in the Holfort Kingdom by Fanoss. So explain to me why you'd do such a thing for both Lady Redgrave and Lady Atlee? Why would you put your life and reputation on the line when it would mess up the timeline you set out beyond any recognition?"

"...Dad, the timeline was already fucked beyond recognition the moment that Marie slapped Julius before Olivia could," I explained. "There was no guarantee that I could spin things back on course, especially with Marie actively meddling with the story to go in her direction. So I decided to not allow my inaction to cause harm to the reputations of two very lovely ladies. Besides, I've already been discussing a new initiative with Luxion to act as a deterrent for Fanoss and perhaps buy more time-"

"So you're not the shared lover between those two ladies, then?" asked Balcus, smirking as I growled.

"...Just for that, Dad, I'm naming my new mercenary group the first choice of names, and there's nothing you can do to stop me," I grumbled.

"Mercenary group? What do you mean by 'mercenary group'?" asked Balcus in confusion before furrowing his brow. "...Why do I get the feeling that name plays off of the many new insulting names that you've recently acquired…"

"That would be telling, wouldn't it?" I smirked as I thought about the future of "Bartfort's Bastards".

---

Livia sighed as she basked in the heat of Leon's open-air hot spring bath, letting the minerals in the water soak into her skin as she relaxed. Dinner with Leon's family had been delightful for all of them, with Livia amused to no end by the antics of Leon's younger siblings. Colin was adorably starstruck by the three beautiful women that had come home with his heroic older brother, and he'd innocently asked which one was going to be his new big sister, to which Leon chased him around the kitchen table three times while Clarice and Jenna cackled until Leon's mother Luce stepped in to restore the peace. Leon's little sister Finley tried to maintain a dignified air around Angelica and Clarice, but it quickly fell apart as questions about the Capital, the Academy, and the Noble Court spilled over from the younger girl in a rush. She then declared that Leon was 'forbidden from ruining his relationship with these girls' and 'needed to be on his best behavior to have a chance to marry one of them someday', which prompted another table chase and round of laughter.

The next day, Leon had brought them via a smaller, faster craft that he called a "Gauntlet" gunship to his own territory, which was still not populated. Worker drones were hard at work on the infrastructure, but no one lived here yet, which Livia found to be a bit lonely. Leon then explained that he planned to turn this island into a hot springs retreat and spa. He'd even solved the privacy issue of "open air" hot springs in a country where airship travel was the primary form of transport with what he called "one-way holographic filters". In essence, one could see out, but anyone outside the bath would only see a static image of the bath itself without any people inside.

"If Leon wasn't already obscenely rich, I'd say this hot spring resort of his would ensure he'd be set for life," commented Clarice as she leaned back and luxuriated in the heat of the water.

"Truly, one of his more remarkable ideas," sighed Angelica contentedly. "I certainly hope he has the opportunity to relax as well before dinner. He seemed to be rather preoccupied with something that Luxion was working on."

"I thought I overheard something about 'pilot evaluation' and 'additional units', but I couldn't be sure," frowned Clarice. "I suppose it's too much to hope that he's starting up an airbike racing team?"

"...That is a rather concerning notion, even for Leon," agreed Angelica. "It would be naive to assume that he means anything other than 'Armor Pilots' and 'Armor', but somehow I'm not worried about his intentions."

"Yeah, I can't really see him plotting a coup to take over the Kingdom," nodded Clarice. "He'd complain about the hassle of it all. I guess he really must be worried about Fanoss, then."

"He also said something at one point about a 'flying circus'?" added Livia with a frown. "I'm not sure that I can really see Leon as being a traveling performer, so maybe that also has something to do with his plans, but I can't figure what those would be."

"...Well, with all those clues, the most logical conclusion I can draw is that he's putting together the World's First Armor Performance Groups to increase his already obscene wealth, but that still makes absolutely no sense," blinked Clarice. "Are you sure he said 'flying circus', Livia?"

"Oh yes, he was quite specific about that," nodded Livia. "Apparently there was an Old Human group by the same name created by a man named Richtofen? Still, I doubt we'll get any closer to figuring it out without speaking to him directly."

"He really is quite the enigma," sighed Angelica as she frowned. "A most unusual man…"

"...Hey, Clarice? Angie? How did you know you were in love?" asked Livia suddenly as sat up straighter in the hotspring.

"...Livia, I don't know that we're the best ones to answer that question," began Angelica. "We may have had fiances, but we-"

"You were in love with them," argued Livia firmly. "There's no doubt in my mind that you were. The fact that they didn't return your feelings doesn't diminish that in any way."

"...I suppose you're not wrong," sighed Angelica with a sad smile as she reflected on Julius. "It was just something that he said one day that sparked something inside of me, I guess. I was only seven, and I've since learned that it was something he read from a novel that his mother gave him. He called me 'more precious than gold and rubies and the light that brightened his life'. A naive assumption of a silly little girl who didn't know better, but it made me fall for Julius as hard as I did."

"I can't say that I was much better with Jilk," added Clarice. "Hell, I'd say I was even worse. He bowed, gave a devilish smile, and kissed my hand like a knight of old legend. It's something that I really do feel foolish about now."

"Oh…" frowned Livia, sinking lower into the bath.

"...Livia, is there a reason that you're asking about being in love?" asked Angelica carefully. "Maybe a certain someone that you're thinking of?"

"...Was it that obvious?" winced Livia.

"The fact that Leon makes you turn redder than an apple most days?" smiled Clarice. "Yeah, that was obvious. So, you think you may be in love with him?"

"I think so, but I've never felt this way before," sighed Livia. "I just remember the day that he sat next to me on a dusty floor and invited me to tea, making me forget about my troubles for an afternoon, and every day he spent after that with me, and all I can think of is how safe it all felt… how comforting it felt…And in spite of that, he's never sheltered me or hid me away in an ivory tower. He encouraged me to grow stronger and learn skills for myself, never once coddling me because I was a commoner or even a woman. It was…nice… it still is nice…"

"I can imagine it would be," smiled Angelica sadly. "I can easily see how Leon gives off that kind of impression…I felt that safety when he escorted me out of the ballroom after…after that night…"

"Definitely felt that way when he held me in his arms the night I tried to take him as a lover," agreed Clarice wistfully. "For however much I wish he'd been less honorable and taken me, he was right that his actions were what I needed that night. It was the greatest comfort I have known in my life."

"Still…I am worried," frowned Livia. "He's held something back, from the moment I met him, and it frightens me what that could be."

"You mean why he invited you to tea in the first place," concluded Angelica. "I was very concerned as well, but Leon is a most peculiarly-motivated man-"

"But he still has motivations," argued Livia before flinching, continuing quietly as she regained control of her emotions. "...I know he's been nothing but kind to me, and I feel awful for thinking such things, but I cannot help but wonder why he'd do all this for me. I hope beyond hope that it's because he loves me, but I can't help but question it! What am I to Leon Fou Bartfort?! Am I a toy? A pet? An underling? A protege? A partner? A lover? A friend? A soulmate? I just don't know, and it's driving me crazy! I feel sick just even asking the question, but I can't help it!"

Livia flinched as Angelica and Clarice wrapped her in a warm embrace. Nothing was said as Livia took several calming breaths, letting her emotions settle back down. Livia took comfort in her friends' embrace, but… why did it make her pulse quicken like Leon's embrace did? It was certainly something to consider, but perhaps at a later time when things were less confusing. Angelica cleared her throat to speak.

"Livia, it's not an unreasonable thing to ask these sorts of questions, and if I understand Leon as well as I think I do, he would certainly not begrudge you asking him about it," reassured Angelica. "I asked a few of those questions myself, and I know that he certainly refuses to let anyone, much less himself, view you as a 'pet' or 'plaything'. I believe his words to me were that anyone insinuating as such would be corrected 'with the back of his hand first, and edge of his blade second'."

"And don't forget the way that he described your relationship to me when we first met," added Clarice. "He said 'friends for now, with the potential for more', so he definitely sees you as a friend and a beautiful woman."

"And I know that he trusts you with his life, given how the two of you worked together in the dungeon midterm, and he's proud of what you've learned and accomplished," continued Angelica with a smile before her expression tinged with uncertainty. "While we certainly can't judge whether he sees you as a 'lover' or 'soulmate', I'd say that if he were to see any of us like that, it would definitely be you."

"But why me and not either of you?" blurted Livia. "Both of you are absolutely gorgeous and I'm just-"

"You're not 'just' anything, Livia," smiled Clarice. "I saw how Leon's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he came to pick you up for the Gala, and I suspect that he wasn't alone. Angie, I don't suppose you remember how many starstruck boys stared longingly after our dearest Livia?"

"Oh easily dozens," smiled Angelica. "I even remember a few ladies blushing at her as well-"

"But Angie was just as stunning!" argued Livia, although she was smiling now in spite of the conflicted feelings in her chest. "You could have fit a whole apple in Leon's mouth when he caught sight of Angie in her dress!"

"...Well, I wouldn't say-" protested Angelica in vain.

"A whole apple?" grinned Clarice. "Really? Which dress were you wearing, Angie? No wait, let me guess: It was that daring little number in black with the laces all up and down both sides of the bodice?"

"Wait, hold on, we're not talking about-" backtracked Angelica.

"Oh no, it was a brilliant red, with black accents if I recall correctly?" smirked Livia as she turned the tables on Angelica, happy to get away from the topic causing her the most distress.

"You mean the one that looks like it's just draped on her?!" exclaimed Clarice in mock-disbelief. "Oh Angie, how scandalous! I bet Leon was calculating the quickest way to get that slip of fabric to fall to his floor-"

Clarice broke off into a squeal of laughter as Angelica tackled the older girl into the water in embarrassment. Livia let out a laugh as she got caught in the splashes as the two girls wrestled with each other. It was a welcome distraction to the intrusive thoughts from earlier, and Livia was certainly in no hurry to bring the subject up again. Eventually, the two of them settled down, Clarice grinning unrepentantly while Angelica pretended to scowl.

"To get back to the point, Livia, I'd say that you have two options now," advised Clarice seriously. "You can either confront him on his feelings and admit your own in the process, or you can take things more slowly and let the spark continue to develop or die out naturally at its own pace. If you confront him, he has to either accept or deny, but he may try to be stupidly noble like he was with me, so he may deny it even if he does feel the same way. If you take things slower, you can put your concerns to rest and let things develop naturally, but you risk things stagnating or dying out entirely. I would personally advise taking a path somewhere between those extremes."

"So make my interest as clear as I can without outright stating it?" asked Livia uncertainly. "While it does seem like it would feel more comfortable in the short-term, I feel like that has the risk of stagnating and remaining unresolved."

"If you let it, yes it can stagnate and even die out," agreed Clarice. "But you're not supposed to let it get to that point. At some point, hopefully sooner rather than later, you'll be ready to make that jump and tell him how you actually feel. I would absolutely advocate being direct with him, but only if you're ready to be direct."

"And I'm not quite ready for that yet," agreed Livia with a sigh. "...Thank you, Clarice. I needed that advice."

"Of course, Livia," smiled Clarice.

The group descended into a comfortable silence, which suited Livia just fine. There were still questions that needed to be answered, but at least Livia now had a clear path forward. While her insecurities did still linger in the back of her mind, she at least had the reassurances of two friends. Clarice glanced at the top of the wall and gave a mischievous look.

"So… Who wants to climb the wall with me to see if the holographic filters work as advertised?" grinned Clarice.

."...Clarice, you do realize that you won't see a thing if they're working correctly, but Leon would be able to see every freckle on your skin?" asked Angelica with a scandalized blush.

"I certainly hope so," replied Clarice with an eyebrow waggle. "The man needs some form of reward for his efforts-"

"Clarice!" exclaimed Angelica as the redhead cackled at her expression.

---

"Alright, so we've got the simulation booths distributed in record time, then?" I asked Luxion as I straightened my tie for the tenth time in twenty minutes, awaiting the arrival of the girls.

"Yes, and while I find your 'Last Starfighter' recruitment strategy to be unorthodox, I would say that the idea is certainly inspired in order to subtly acquire pilots that aren't already associated with the Holfortian military," reported Luxion.

…So, perhaps it would be best to backtrack a little bit to explain. Before the duel, Luxion and I had determined that war would be inevitable with Fanoss, and Holfort would need something else besides their Saintess and secret weapon to ensure survival. My rising reputation in the Arroganz wouldn't cut it, but thankfully, as I'd hinted to Luxion earlier, it didn't need to. Manfred Von Richthofen, also known as the infamous "Red Baron" of World War One, was a fantastic ace pilot in his own right, but he didn't fly alone. Alongside him were a whole squadron of ace pilots known as "the Flying Circus", which was an insult by the Allies for the group's brightly painted planes, but one made with a modicum of respect and admiration. It was too late to modernize the Holfortian military as a whole, but a squadron or two of skilled Armor Pilots in advanced Armor might be enough to make a difference and save lives in the end. I had the tech and the resources to build the Armors, but what I lacked was the manpower to fly them at all, much less effectively.

Now, to be clear, Armor Pilots themselves were not uncommon in the Kingdom. Even Baronets and their children learned to operate Armors from a young age, but to gather a large force of Armor Pilots to operate Armors that were on the same tier as Arroganz could potentially be seen as a grab for power and draw the exact wrong kind of attention from both sides of the Holfort-Fanoss border, so I needed to get pilots quietly. Cloning was off the table for practicality reasons even without considering my unchanged moral qualms on the matter: The time to produce and train a fully mature fifteen year old clone of myself was five years, including the time it would take to build the production facilities involved. Luxion told me that we could cut the time down significantly if we could find an Old Human bio-lab like the ones used to develop the demihumans, but I shot down that idea. No, short of creating a secret "Grand Army of Holfort", cloning on such a large scale would just not be practical for the scope of the current problem, would not be useful within the accelerated time frame, and would never be necessary for the security of the Kingdom, God willing.

So, I needed a discreet way to acquire a select number of candidates with the required skills from a pool that was widely diverse and not necessarily skilled to begin with, which upon consideration, the recruitment strategy used in the movie "The Last Starfighter" was perfect. A hundred simulator "game cabinets" distributed across towns in the border regions, all pre-programmed with a variety of worst-case scenarios for the Fanoss Invasion with a strict scoring rubric, and I would find all the best pilots that society had missed. Any "high-scores" that met the required threshold would be privately recruited and paid well, peasant or noble, man or woman.

"I'll admit I'm quite pleased with how elegant of a solution it ended up being," I grinned, trying to distract myself from my anxiety about… other matters. "I just hope that we can actually find enough pilots to make a difference. I take it that you were able to confirm our suspicions about the Frampton faction."

"Yes, it would appear that the Frampton faction has been working to exacerbate tensions between the Kingdom and Fanoss, believing that it would be a simple matter to reconquer the Principality while still maintaining a veneer of a 'just cause' to do so," elaborated Luxion. "It also appears that a faction within Fanoss has been working toward the same goal as well, causing the situation to spiral out of control even faster than it would have otherwise."

"...Fucking hell, so even if Marie had not interfered with the plot, we'd have still been dealing with an accelerated timeline for Fanoss?" I swore, realizing the implications of what Luxion was saying.

"Correct, and given the conversation that Miss Livia had with Miss Angelica and Miss Clarice half an hour ago, there is no way that she could have fallen in love with any of the Five Heirs in time to maximize her power as the Saintess-" continued Luxion.

"Wait, you were spying on the girls?!" I exclaimed. "Lux! Seriously not cool! We can't cross those kinds of boundaries just for our amusement!"

"What about if it helps you in finding an ideal partner for Miss Livia that would not involve seducing her yourself?" argued Luxion.

"...You're a bastard, Lux…" I grumbled finally.

"I am an AI," countered Luxion snarkily. "By definition, I cannot be a 'bastard' regardless of the marital status of my creators. I have never been 'born', so I cannot have been 'born out of wedlock'."

"...Just… Tell me what you know, dammit," I groused. "What did she think of Julius?"

"'Lacking in empathy and emotional understanding'," elaborated Luxion. "And 'truly horrible and cruel to Angie'."

"Ok, so what about Jilk?" I asked.

"'Rotten to the core, with no moral scruples to speak of'," recited Luxion. "And as with Miss Angelica, she further cited his 'horribleness to Clarice'."

"Brad?" I pressed further, growing a little more desperate.

"'Narcissistic and shallow, amplified by personal insecurities," continued Luxion without missing a beat.

"Greg?" I asked, pinning my last hope on the red-haired spearman.

"'Charitably a meathead, with no sense of tact or cunning beyond battle strategy'," replied Luxion.

"...Chris?" I hesitantly asked, not holding out much hope at all.

"'Too needy, in every sense'," replied Luxion simply, elaborating no further.

I let out a long-suffering sigh. All of these were fair criticisms and, while they could have been potentially overcome in a three-year time frame, the less-than-a-year timeline we found ourselves in left no room for character development and 'slow-burn' romance. The worst bit is that I couldn't think of a guy that didn't have one or more of those critical character defects that were dealbreakers for Livia. Even Ray, one of my best friends, was unlikely to pass the "not too needy" criteria that Livia had set out. I was broken from my internal despair at our run of rotten luck by Luxion.

"Are you truly not going to ask what she thought of you?" asked Luxion, helpful as a cat knocking mugs off a shelf.

"...I'll be honest and say that I really wasn't concerned with it, but go ahead and tell me anyway," I grumbled. "Why was I deemed to be unsuitable?"

"You weren't," countered Luxion. "Miss Livia blushed heavily at the mention of your name, and said that Miss Angelica and Miss Clarice were more likely to capture you first."

I stared at the AI in a sort of disbelief. Ever since I mentioned that Livia had to find a romantic partner in order to unleash the full potency of her power, Luxion had decided that I had to be that partner, and always seemed to steer me heavily toward that option at every turn. Of course, he also seemed to be trying to match me up with Clarice and Angelica as well, for some reason I couldn't begin to fathom.

"...Duly noted," I replied, not wanting to engage with him further when the girls would be down any minute. And that was when my brain melted out of my head.

Livia and Angelica were just as lovely as they were at the Gala, which is to say that they made any coherent thoughts beyond them float out of my head. It made sense for Livia to wear the same dress that the two girls had obtained for her, but I had to admit that I was not expecting to see Angelica wearing her Gala dress again, given that she did have a much larger wardrobe to pick from. Still, I wasn't complaining to see it make a return appearance. …And no, not because I was fixated on how the dress kept from falling to the floor. Definitely not that... And then I caught sight of Clarice.

Clarice's dress… Well, I'm not sure that it even counted as a "dress", to be perfectly honest. I mean the skirt ended at the middle of her calves, but the two slits along the sides went all the way up her hips, which gave little doubt in regards to her undergarment situation… Which was to say that I could easily see signs of any type of underwear she could possibly be wearing, and I could see no sign of any underwear. Likewise, the halter-style bodice of the dress was similarly simplistic in its design, yet no less bold for it. Completely backless and with a decolletage down to her navel, no design of bra could hide beneath it without being plainly exposed… And yet again, I could see no sign of any underwear. While it had a simple elegance to it, the dress was a walking wardrobe malfunction of emerald green silk, and I could see that Clarice knew it as she smirked mischievously, swaying her hips slightly as she walked toward me. I tried with all my willpower to ignore every sway, every bounce, every jiggle- Dammit. Clarice's smirk widened as she caught my willpower break for just a moment. I cleared my throat as best as I could and tried to fix her with a stern look, but I could tell from Angelica's smile and Livia's giggles that I failed entirely.

"Miss Clarice, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you're trying to seduce me," I scolded, even as I felt my mouth go dry.

"Well, it's a good thing you do know better, since I'm not trying to seduce you," teased Clarice, putting particular emphasis on the word as she sashayed closer to me to briefly play with my tie before flouncing back to the group.

…Dammit… Clarice: 2. Leon: 0…

"...Well, moving on then," I coughed, much to the amusement of the girls as I was unseated from my throne as Flirting King. "Dinner isn't quite ready yet, so I'd thought we'd enjoy a little bit of dancing beforehand."

Angelica and Clarice instantly brightened at the mention of dancing, but their expressions sobered somewhat as they noticed Livia's nervous expression. Being a commoner, Livia had only just recently learned to waltz and a handful of the other dances of the nobility, and so she had yet to feel completely comfortable on the ballroom floor. However, their concerns were completely unfounded, as I had planned for this.

"Don't worry about waltzing tonight, ladies, for I have bullied Lux into providing an even playing field for you all this evening!" I laughed. "Maestro Luxion, if you would?"

At my nod, the AI triggered the sound system to begin playing our music selection for the evening. The opening section to Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" flared to life, causing the girls to jump at the sound of the trumpets in the recording. Before they could become spellbound at the novelty of music that had not been danced to in centuries, I took Angelica by the hand and began to lead her in the upbeat song. Angelica gasped in surprise at the sudden movement, her eyes darting wildly in bewilderment and nervousness.

"Leon, wait- how do we dance to music like this?!" panicked Angelica as she tried her best to keep up with me.

"Not a goddamn clue!' I laughed. "Just let go and have fun!"

Angelica blinked owlishly for a moment before she began to laugh, relaxing as she did her best to follow my movements. I could see in the corner of my eye that Clarice had followed my example and pulled Livia onto the dance floor as well. After confirming that they'd joined in on the fun, I moved my attention away from Clarice, especially for this song in particular. The melody was fast, upbeat, and particularly bouncy, so the odds of a wardrobe malfunction with Clarice's dress in particular were almost guaranteed. Besides, this was Angie's time to dance, so it would be rude to not give her my full attention.

When the next song began, I took Livia by the hand to let Clarice and Angelica have a turn together, letting myself get lost in her smile as the sounds of Duke Ellington's "Take the 'A' Train" flowed over the courtyard. I was glad that my improvised dancing was so well received, as I really didn't know how to swing dance at all. Still, Livia was smiling and laughing, my heart was doing backflips, and the world seemed brighter for a moment. I allowed myself to get lost in the joyful aura that Livia exuded so readily that I only noticed that the next song started as I was physically redirected.

"Sorry Livia, dear, but I think I need some time with this fine gentleman here," apologized Clarice as she led me away by my necktie.

I pretended to protest, but I was actually grateful to Clarice's impatience, since I nearly screwed up the surprise I had for her by losing track of time dancing with Livia. I'd purposely set Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing" as a reminder to make sure I was dancing with Clarice, and I'd nearly missed it. That being said, I did not appreciate the reveal of the fact that playing with my necktie was a weakness of mine. Clarice had zeroed in on that fact and intended to take full advantage of it.

"So… Were you having fun with Livia?" asked Clarice teasingly.

"Yeah, sorry, I just got lost in the moment-" I began to apologize.

"She definitely has that effect when she's happy, doesn't she?" smiled Clarice as she watched Livia dance excitedly with Angelica. "You feel like you could get lost in her joy, whether she's dancing like no one is watching or jabbering away about some obscure magical treatise and what it means to current arcane theory. She just feels so-"

"-Alive," I finished, knowing exactly what Clarice was saying.

"...Exactly," smiled Clarice.

"Still, I do need to apologize for losing track of time and thank you for pulling me away, because if you didn't, I'd have screwed up this next surprise for you," I continued.

"Oh, a surprise?" grinned Clarice suggestively. "And what sort of surprise did you have in mind? I mean, I admire your boldness, but what would Angie and Livia say if you-"

Whatever teasing innuendo she intended to say next was lost as I pulled her into a two-step slow dance for the next song. Thirteen seconds of pure emotion swirled in Clarice's eyes as I pulled her closer; confusion, hope, nervous excitement, panic, and desire all mixed together until Louis Armstrong began to play and my surprise was revealed, causing her to gasp. Clarice's eyes glimmered with unshed tears as a familiar melody was brought forth from the magic trumpet of Satchmo himself, and for a moment I wondered if I'd made a mistake by telling Luxion to put this song in particular in the playlist for the evening. However, the wide smile on her face helped me relax a moment later.

"It's the song…" whispered Clarice happily. "The one you sang to me…"

"Is that alright?" I asked hesitantly. "I know that night wasn't exactly a happy memory, but I figured you might want to hear it in Common-"

"It's perfect, Leon," smiled Clarice. "I will treasure this song whenever I hear it. Wanna know why?"

"...Why's that, Clarice?" I asked.

"Because it makes me think of you," replied Clarice with a bright smile. "So what does that phrase mean? That 'Lah-vee on rose'?"

"It's 'La Vie en Rose', actually," I laughed as I gently corrected her pronunciation. "It literally translates to 'Life in Pink', but it's referring to seeing life through a happy lens, or 'through rose-tinted glass'."

"So in the depths of my despair, you sang to me about 'seeing life through rose-tinted glass'?" teased Clarice with a grin.

"...Well, when you say it like that…" I winced, rubbing the back of my neck nervously. "...To be honest, I was kind of panicking back then and it was the first song I could think of, sorry-"

"Don't apologize," smiled Clarice, causing my heart to leap into my throat yet again. "Like I said before, it was perfect."

I simply nodded dumbly back in acknowledgement, not trusting my voice enough to speak. We continued to dance as she rested her head on my shoulder, simply enjoying the music and each other's company. As the song finished, I felt her lean in and kiss my cheek as a few tears fell onto my suit jacket. I blinked in surprise; not for the kiss itself, but rather where she kissed me. The last time that one of us had kissed the other, she'd told me I'd "missed" by kissing her forehead as I tucked her into bed, so I'd given my word to "not miss the next time". Naturally, I was confused as to why she wouldn't simply claim my lips at this moment, given how vocal she'd been about claiming me previously.

"Don't worry, this won't count toward your promise," giggled Clarice, answering my unasked question. "After all, you said that you wouldn't miss next time, so I'm free to kiss you however I want until that moment."

"...And this is how you want to kiss me right now?" I teased gently.

"...I'm afraid that my heart wouldn't be able to handle more than that tonight," whispered Clarice with a teary smile. "I think we'll call it your victory this round, but… please remember your promises, Leon…"

"...Always…" I replied earnestly as I briefly dried her tears with my kerchief.

With a beaming smile and a few more tears in her eyes, Clarice turned away to immediately be fussed over by Livia, initially worried by the tears but quickly relaxing as Clarice explained quietly. Angelica watched with a smile for a moment before taking Clarice's place as my dance partner, mirroring the position that I'd danced with Clarice in moments before, save for resting her head on my shoulder. Luxion queued up the next song, another Glenn Miller number, and we began to dance.

"I think I may have overdone it," I admitted, referring to Clarice and the song I prepared.

"You did, but wonderfully so," confirmed Angelica with a smile.

"Guess I'll need to dial it back next time," I joked nervously.

"Don't you dare," frowned Angelica playfully.

"As you wish…" I smirked, to which Angelica sighed in mild exasperation.

I still had yet to explain to her what I was referencing when I told her that, and I was certainly in no hurry to do so. For as much as I was trying to avoid admitting how I felt about Angelica, I needed some way to say what I felt aloud, and it was the perfect option to tell her without actually telling her. Was it a little cowardly? Sure, but I didn't intend to make it a permanent solution; just a solution until I was ready. Angelica finally spoke up, breaking me from my thoughts.

"I've never heard music like this," marveled Angelica. "I'd never have thought of trumpets as soft and gentle and… well, quite frankly romantic, but this is truly marvelous, Leon."

"You can thank Mr. Glenn Miller and his Orchestra," I chuckled as we moved in a simple two-step slow dance. "This song was one of his more famous ones, and certainly one of his more romantic ones for sure."

"...On that, I certainly agree," blushed Angelica.

"...Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable-" I backpedaled, looking to Luxion to change the song before Angelica stopped me.

"You didn't," reassured Angelica with a smile. "On the contrary, I think I'm more comfortable than I've been in a long time. Does the song have a name?"

"...'Moonlight Serenade'," I replied, feeling my pulse quicken slightly at the intensity of Angelica's gaze.

"How fitting," observed Angelica with a small laugh, looking up at the light of the full moon as it shone from behind a few wispy clouds.

The song drew to a close all too soon, and I gave a bow to Angelica, moving to kiss the back of her hand. However, Angelica seemed to have other ideas as she quickly pulled me into an embrace. I blinked in surprise as I became overwhelmed by her in every sense: the heady scent of her perfume, the feeling of her curves pressed to my body, and the gentle touch of her lips on my cheek all threatened my ever-fraying willpower.

"Thank you, Leon, for being the man you are," whispered Angelica before she stepped away, leaving Livia to take her place at my side. The other blonde girl giggled at the poleaxed look on my face as her sapphire-blue eyes glimmered in amusement.

"It's nice to see the tables turned on you for a change," teased Livia.

"Yeah, yeah, very amusing, I'm sure…" I grumbled good-naturedly. "You do realize, of course, that this means war…"

"With how effective that Angie and Clarice were at turning the tide, I can't imagine that's a war that you'd win," observed Livia cheekily.

"Oh, hush," I groused in mock-petulance, prompting a laugh from Livia that caused my insides to flip yet again. "Besides, I don't need to win, per se. I just need to get the three of you to realize that a truce would be preferable to mutually-assured 'destruction', which I'm sure that I can."

"A good plan, but what if that 'destruction' is what we want?" asked Livia teasingly, surprisingly bold for a change.

"...Well, then I suppose I'll be fucked, in every sense of the word," I finally shot back with a grin, hoping to shake off Livia with my usual bit of teasing innuendo.

"...I suppose that you will," blushed Livia with a smile as she looked away. "This song is actually a rather nice one, isn't it?"

Uh oh, she's becoming immune to my normal countermeasures… I could be in trouble now…

"This one is called 'Blue Moon'," I explained, clearing my throat. "Many singers of the era did a rendition of this one, but one of the more well known ones was by a man named Frank Sinatra."

"...Leon, how do you know so much about the Ones Who Came Before?" asked Livia suddenly with a frown.

…Well, shit. I knew that I hadn't been hiding my Old World knowledge well, or really at all to be honest, but I didn't think that it was that bad. I didn't want to lie to Livia, but this was a conversation that I was not prepared to have in the middle of a ballroom floor. I needed to buy some time without outright lying to her.

"...Well, the trip back from discovering Luxion was rather long, so I spent a lot of time in Luxion's rather extensive archive," I explained carefully. "Honestly, if I had spent half as much time on the return trip dungeon diving as I did reading, I could have been easily twice as rich."

I silently hoped that it would be enough to set Livia's suspicions aside, but I still worried in those few moments while Livia considered my words. It was all technically true, save for the implication that I knew none of it prior to walking into the archive, and there wasn't a way to prove otherwise unless I contradicted myself later. She'd seen the archive for herself recently, and I'd had to practically drag her and Angelica away from it. It would buy me time to actually explain things, right?

"I suppose that makes sense," nodded Livia before frowning. "It's just… the way you talk about the Old World sometimes, it almost feels like… well, like you were there…"

…Fuck… It wasn't even the content of what I said that helped her work this out! It was the way I frigging said it! Of course I'd sound like a native Old Human! I was a native Old Human! And I really did nothing to hide that fact at all! Shit!

Okay, one last ditch effort to redirect, and if she breaks past this, I'll have to tell her and the other girls everything and pray they don't hate me…

"That was easily over a thousand years ago, Livia," I laughed even as I tried to mask my internal panic. "Are you saying that I look old?"

Livia tried to pout at me. I could really tell she was trying to be stern, but the exaggerated look on my face was too much for her and she burst out laughing. I joined in, internally sighing in relief that I'd successfully redirected the conversation without lying to her. Still, Livia was extraordinarily bright, and she'd keep thinking about the matter. Eventually, I'd be forced to outright lie to her or come completely clean on everything. And I didn't think I could ever lie to her.

---

"They look good dancing together, don't they?" smiled Clarice.

"They really do," agreed Angelica. "I can easily see him becoming her husband, if they ever decide to be honest with themselves. He looks so happy to have her in his arms-"

"It's not unlike the way he looks when dancing with you, Angie," observed Clarice with a grin.

"I…Does he really?" asked Angelica. "...I had thought it to be merely wishful thinking on my part."

"Oh, 'wishful thinking' is it?" chuckled Clarice. "Wanting him to be happy to hold you in his arms?"

"...Yes, I think I might, actually," whispered Angelica. "It's a fittingly cruel twist of fate to learn that what I think I truly want is pulled from my grasp by the consequences of my own actions, but I regret that my selfish whims have cost you as well, Clarice…"

"...Okay, I think you lost me there," blinked Clarice as she processed what her friend said. "How exactly have your actions cost me anything?"

"I realize that that gap between our statuses and his is only going to widen in the aftermath of the mess I've caused," sighed Angelica. "Even if he were to stay a Baron or even elevate to Viscount, society would only barely approve of a match with an Earl's daughter, much less a daughter of a Ducal House, but it's a fool's chance for him to even keep the rank he has. I fear that he'll be completely out of our reach once this mess I made is finished."

"...The hell with it," snorted Clarice. "I'll beg him to take us on the Razor's Crest and sail off into the sunset if that happens."

"Gods above, Clarice!" gasped Angelica. "You cannot be serious?!"

"Well, if you don't want to join us, that's fine, but-" shrugged Clarice.

"No, that's not what I meant!" interjected Angelica. "I mean 'are you really willing to throw everything you have, know, and love away just for him'?! Are you really that serious about Leon after so little time?!"

"...Angie, the only reason why I didn't make love with Leon until sunrise that evening he sang to me was that I was too drained from crying my eyes out to pull him into my bed," replied Clarice seriously. "The only reason why I haven't tried to correct that night's horrible error since then is I know that he has unresolved feelings toward you and Livia that he needs to sort out, and I could never stab either of you in the back like that. You won't believe how much I wanted to tell my father to send Leon an engagement offer for me, Angie-"

"No, Clarice, I think I actually might," sighed Angelica as she bit her lip. "My father suggested that we 'bind him to our faction', and there was a part of me that wanted to insist upon it at that moment for reasons completely unmotivated by political machinations."

"...And why didn't you?" asked Clarice hesitantly. "Same reasons as me, or was there something else?"

"Much the same reasons, but also…" admitted Angelica. "...I'm terrified, Clarice. I don't trust myself to know that I'm in love with Leon, not after years of thinking that I was in love with Julius. It's ridiculous, I know, but I'm so afraid that if I take that leap again so soon, I'll fail to find my footing and fall into despair."

"I can see why you might feel that way, so I don't think you're being ridiculous," replied Clarice. "If it weren't for that one night that he cared for me, I think I might feel the same, but his actions that night alone have driven away all doubt I might have had. I'm not afraid to say it: I've fallen in love with Leon, and I don't want to let him go."

"...So what will you do?" asked Angelica.

"I want him but, as I said before, I'm not going to rip him away from you two, especially not when he seems to feel much the same way about you," replied Clarice. "Like I advised Livia, I suggest that you continue to spend time with Leon and figure out what you feel for him this semester, because if you want him as well, I'm more than happy to share him with you and Livia. However, I'm not going to wait forever for you to figure things out."

"It would be unfair to ask you to," agreed Angelica. "Why don't we set the deadline for the end of the school year? That's the deadline that my father has set for me."

"Gods, I hope it doesn't actually take you that long to figure it out," whined Clarice. "When he put that one song on for me, it was all I could do to keep myself restrained."

"I don't think it will take that long, but we should also give Livia time to sort her feelings out as well," countered Angelica.

"...Ok, but I'm going to give you fair warning, Angie, that I reserve the right to kiss the living daylights out of him if he does something romantic like tonight again," warned Clarice. "Because honestly, if it weren't for the fact that you and Livia were here, I'm not sure I could have stopped myself from begging that he make another Bartfort bastard with me. I want him, Angie, and if the opportunity presents itself to be with him as a lover, I'm going to take it."

"I wouldn't stop you, although I would suggest avoiding making another 'Bartfort bastard'...yet…" replied Angelica, blushing at Clarice's candor but playfully teasing her back. "All jokes aside, I wouldn't want to feel as though I were holding you back either; certainly not after all we've been through."

"Hopefully you'll figure things out soon, and we'll take that first step together," observed Clarice. "All three of us…"

The two said nothing else, but smiled warmly at each other. There wasn't much more to say anyway, so the two friends watched as their mutual love interest danced with their friend beneath the stars. All that was left to do was wait for the future to unfold.

---

"Huh…" I frowned as I looked at the document that the courier brought me. "I never thought that the King would actually figure out a way to punish me, but I suppose I underestimated him."

"But Big Bro, this is a promotion!" protested Colin in confusion. "Isn't this a good thing?"

According to the documents, I was to be made a Baron and Knight of the Kingdom immediately, and a full Viscount upon graduation. In other words, I would be expected to marry a Viscountess or higher and pay more to the Kingdom in taxes. Of course, Belmont funds solved that second problem quite easily, but it still was a huge amount of pain in my ass, at the end of the day.

"Yeah, it would be if I wanted to play the childish games that Nobility plays, and be swarmed by a horde of squawking seagulls masquerading as ladies of nobility, all after my money and power," I snorted, to which Livia giggled even as Angelica frowned at me.

"Leon, I know your feelings on the matter, and I don't disagree with you entirely, but surely you can see that there's at least some benefit to this promotion?" argued Angelica.

"Well, having a better position to negotiate with merchants and the like is certainly a long-term bonus, but I can always have my Belmont connections help with that," I mused, half to myself. "I know there are other benefits, but the drawbacks for me personally outweigh any of those."

"What about marriage?" countered Clarice. "Surely you can see how moving to a higher rank will allow you to more easily marry from a better group of women, right?"

"Perhaps, but if I love a woman that's a higher rank than what's socially acceptable for me, I can just offer to elope with her on the Razor's Crest and we'll tell the Kingdom to fuck itself," I argued, to which Angelica and Clarice began to blush heavily. "Still, I suppose you do have a point; even if having to deal with all the damn gulls squawking about will be extremely annoying, having a higher rank for myself would be more considerate to my future beloved, if I happen to fall for someone of a higher ranking. Hopefully I'm hated enough from the aftermath of the Duel that I don't actually need to worry about the gulls."

"Hang on, were you the one who coined that term?!" asked Jenna incredulously as she finally put the pieces together. "That's become a popular term in my gossip circles to refer to when a girl's just sniffing around for wealth or status!"

"You're welcome…" I grinned before fleeing Jenna's "wrath".

As I evaded my older sister's pursuit, much to everyone else's amusement, I let my mind drift to other topics that were of concern to me. I wasn't blind or unobservant, in spite of Luxion's needling accusations to the contrary: I could tell that Angie and Clarice were attracted to me, at the very least, and me being a higher rank would help them in acting on said attraction. I was also self-aware enough that I could recognize that said attraction was definitely mutual, even before the night of dancing beneath a starlit sky, and definitely went beyond superficial infatuation. And that was the heart of the problem, honestly.

I knew that polyamorous relationships or even just having multiple partners was not uncommon in this new world, but, well… Call it whatever you want, whether Old World values or my own personal misgivings: I just didn't feel right trying to claim multiple partners at once. If they were to approach me, that would be a different matter entirely, but there was just something about making that decision myself that felt…shady. Further complicating matters was that it felt particularly wrong to try something like that with Angie or Clarice, considering what they went through at the hands of their ex-fiances. At the same time, I didn't feel right choosing just one of them, as it almost felt like a betrayal to abandon one in favor of the other.

The fact that I felt the same way about them as I did with Livia just brought further complications with it. Not only did I have a third person that I could neither prioritize nor abandon in favor of the other two, but this third person needed to find love in order to maximize our chances for survival. Granted, I was perfectly fine with letting the Kingdom burn for the sake of these three, but it was still a complication that weighed on my mind. It certainly made getting the Bastards up and running a much higher priority, in case Livia didn't find a lover before Fanoss invaded.

It was honestly a humongous mess, and I could see only one realistic way where it would end well. If Livia claimed one or both of the other two, she would have her lovers to reach full power, and Angie and Clarice would not have their hearts broken yet again. Sure, that left me out in the cold so to speak, but I wasn't the priority here. If anything, I was third on the list of priorities in my mind, behind the girls and the fate of the Kingdom. As long as they got their "Happily Ever After", I could live with it. Besides, what was the other option: All three girls approach me at once and say they want us to spend the rest of our lives together? Please… It's not like this is some sort of dating sim-

I froze at that thought just long enough at that thought for Jenna to catch me in a headlock and muss up my hair. Okay, so that was perhaps a poor choice of words, but my point still stood. This was reality, not some harem power fantasy, and I should keep my expectations as such. Besides, what were the odds that they'd actually all approach me at once?

---

I knelt before the throne in my full adventuring armor, deciding to make a statement on my stance regarding the luxurious clothing of the Nobility. Granted, there wasn't anything wrong with wearing a suit when the occasion called for it, but I'd had enough of suits from my previous lifetime. Besides, the image of a heavily-armored Knight kneeling and swearing fealty was just too tempting to pass up. I'd just finished pledging my loyalty to the Kingdom and the Royal Family before a large crowd. If King Roland and Queen Mylene were angry with me for how I treated their son, they didn't show it.

"Rise, Baron Bartfort," commanded the King. "Before we disperse, perhaps you can answer a question for me: You are regarded quite highly by some noble families, yet completely reviled by the majority of the rest. My son and his ex-fiancee both claim that you are the greatest man that the Kingdom has ever known, yet a petition among children of Lower to Middle Nobility all call for your head as a villain of the highest order. So I ask you this, Baron Bartfort: Where does the truth lie between these two extremes?"

It was some form of test, but what he was testing for beyond the obvious question, I couldn't begin to fathom. Seriously, I wasn't cut out for the Machiavellian-tier bullshittery of the Noble Court. I'm a simple backwater Baron, for pity's sake! Well, I supposed the way that I answered was just as important as the answer itself. I cleared my throat to answer, hoping it would be satisfactory.

"...Well, Your Majesty, I cannot claim to be a villain or hero, as I feel either title gives me far too much credit for my actions," I began carefully. "I've simply been a man, nothing more or less than that, for what is a man if not a villain to his enemies and a hero to his friends and allies? Honestly, I have acted in a manner that I can look back on without regret, but still I know that on that path I've stepped on many more toes than I've provided helping hands. Fortunately for me, I care not for what the masses call me so long as those that matter to me still call me 'friend' at the end of the day. All that being said, out of every title bestowed upon me, one friend did call me a 'scoundrel' once, and I did rather take a liking to that…"

For a moment the King stared me down, and I could feel every member of the Noble Court scrutinizing every moment of our interaction to see how they'd act toward me going forward. Still, I held firm, not wanting to show any sign of weakness. After several agonizing moments, the King inexplicably burst out into uproarious laughter.

"The 'Scoundrel Knight', eh?" laughed King Roland. "Yes, that does have a ring to it, doesn't it? Baron Leon Fou Bartfort, the Scoundrel Knight: the storybook practically writes itself! I think I shall watch your career with great interest, young man! For now, let us adjourn, and perhaps we might speak more over lunch!"

…Wait, was he just looking for a tagline to call me by?!

…Well, at least the King didn't follow the trope of the "cold and calculating Chessmaster", not that I expected him to be, with what Angie told me about his practically-limitless string of lovers. Still, I expected at least a little bit of politicking from the king of a whole damned country! At the very least, he'd invited me to speak with him after the ceremony, so I could use the opportunity to pitch the idea of the Bastards to him, even if I now had no idea how the sales pitch I'd prepared would fly with him. He'd either love the idea, or have me beheaded on the spot.

We adjourned to a smaller reception hall where drinks and other refreshments had been prepared. I made my way through the crowd to where I could see the King speaking with a few ministers and other higher nobility, and prepared myself to wait for the King to have a free moment. Of course, the King again shattered my expectations by waving me over and dismissing all the higher-ranking ministers and nobles in favor of a newly-named Baron. Whether he was doing this on purpose to paint a bigger target on my back, or he was just simply that out of touch with the reality of the Nobility, I still had no clue.

"Ah, the Scoundrel approaches!" grinned Roland, clearly loving the title he bestowed upon me. "It's good to speak with you personally, Lord Bartfort, since I did have a number of questions about your armor."

"Of course, your Majesty," I bowed. "What would you like to know about the Arroganz-"

"Oh no, while I do have more than a few questions about the Arroganz, I actually meant the armor you were wearing," laughed the King. "It's clearly a Lost Item, based on the construction, but it fits you as though it were made for you personally?"

"That's because it was custom-made by my Familiar, who is a Lost Item," I explained briefly as the King led me off to the side of the room so we wouldn't be overheard. "I can get a set commissioned for you as well, if you would like?"

"Excellect!" grinned the King, clearly delighted that his not-so-subtle hint had not been missed. "Still, armor of Lost Item quality in this day and age is truly a marvel to behold. I take it that the Arroganz has similar origins, then?"

"It does," I confirmed, seizing the opportunity to pitch the idea of the Bastards to him. "I was actually looking to produce a few more for a group of elite pilots-"

"Permission granted," interrupted Roland, picking his teeth casually with the toothpick from one of the hors d'oeuvres from his plate.

"...Sir, I just asked your permission to form a group of highly advanced Armors, and you've given it without even knowing the details of why?" I blinked, stunned at the King's reaction.

"If you wanted to take over the Kingdom, you'd have formed the group without asking, not that you'd really need a group anyhow to start with if the Arroganz is half as powerful as what my boy has described," explained the King as he checked his fingernails for dirt. "The fact that you're asking along with the fact that my son and the Redgrave daughter trust you implicitly are really all that I need to know about the situation. However, if you feel you must, give my wife the details and particulars. She is rather gifted in that area."

"...And what if I'm just asking as a bluff to put you at ease so I can spring my trap against the Kingdom?" I asked blankly before I could stop myself.

"Then I shall relish the challenge you present as you try to steal the Kingdom from me," grinned Roland. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must have a word with our newest Head Maid, Miss Lyra…"

And with a lecherous grin that gave little doubt to his intentions with this "Lyra", King Roland strode away quickly. I blinked once, hoping to clear away the hallucination. It didn't work. I blinked again, hoping for a different result. Still no change. I blinked a third time, as a last ditch effort to convince myself that the King of Holfort wasn't a delusional man-child living out some sort of power fantasy…

…Nope, still nuttier than a pile of squirrel shit…

I sighed as I let myself feel sympathy for Julius and his mother. I could see why he'd lean so far away from trying to be like his father now. Still, at least I'd gotten the King's formal permission to form the Kingdom's first private security company… …On second thought, maybe it would be better to clear it with the Queen as well. He might be the King and have the authority, but it was clear as day who the actual political mind behind the Kingdom was. Either way, I decided that I'd had enough of the Royal Family for today, and besides that, Clarice had been quite insistent that I come find her after the ceremonies. When picking between spending time with a buxom redhead and a madman, the choice was rather obvious.

I found Clarice with Angie and Livia on the opposite side of the reception hall, and I could see Duke Redgrave and another man that had to be Clarice's father standing nearby. As I approached the group, I began to feel that same feeling of meeting a girlfriend's father for the first time that I'd felt when meeting Angie's dad. Given how hard Clarice was flirting with me as of late, I could certainly see why my mind went there, but still probably not the best idea to fixate on that right before my first formal introduction to the Minister of Finance. Duke Redgrave spotted me first and waved me over.

"Congratulations again on your promotion, Lord Bartfort," greeted Duke Redgrave cordially. "Please allow me to introduce Earl Bernard Fia Atlee, Minister of Commerce."

"It's an honor to finally meet you in person, sir," I bowed formally, but the man was having none of my propriety.

"Please, let us dispense with formalities, young man," smiled Minister Atlee as he took my hand and shook it heartily. "Your actions on my daughter's behalf are certainly more than enough to forego societal stiffness for."

"I can assure you that any story of heroism on my part has been greatly exaggerated, sir," I replied as I shot Clarice a grin as the girl's face started to redden.

"So you claim that you are not in fact a 'Knight amongst Knights'?" laughed Minister Atlee.

"Daddy, please!" exclaimed Clarice in embarrassment

"And what of the claim that you are the 'greatest man the Kingdom has ever known'?" chuckled Duke Redgrave.

"Father!" shrieked Angelica.

"I'm afraid that whoever has spread these stories has a very biased perception of me," I laughed, knowing fully that it was their daughters who had described me that way. "As I told the Prince and his friends, I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe."

"I would question your definition of 'simple man'," countered Minister Atlee with a smile. "A man does not simply challenge the Heirs to a nation's Founding Families on an idle whim."

"I would argue that a man stands beside those he cares about," I replied with a grin at the blushing faces of Angie and Clarice. "Otherwise, how can he still call himself a man?"

"'Those he cares about', eh?" grinned Minister Atlee, as he looked at me with a much more appraising eye. "I can fully agree with the sentiment as a man, but as a father, I feel that I need to ask your intentions toward my daughter?"

"We're simply very good friends for the moment," I explained briefly before giving a joking smile. "I can assure you that if that should change, you'll be the second or third person to know."

"'Second or third'? Now I'm curious who you'd tell before me?" laughed Minister Atlee with a raised eyebrow, thankfully taking my joking comment in the spirit it was meant.

"Oh, well that's quite simple, no matter how you slice it," I laughed in return. "See, either Clarice or I figure out that we cannot live without the other in our lives and then we inform you so that we can seek your blessing for an engagement, so you'd be second to know in those scenarios. Otherwise, Clarice threatens to elope with me on my ship if I don't ask you for her hand in marriage as soon as possible, so then you'd be third to know after Clarice dramatically informs me. I will, however, give you my word to inform you as soon as I'm aware of such a change."

Minister Atlee blinked for a moment before laughing uproariously while Clarice blushed deep enough to rival Livia's heaviest blush. Livia was barely able to hide her giggles behind her hand at the situation. Duke Redgrave's laughter was more reserved yet no less sincere, giving Angie a sidelong glance as well.

"Well, he certainly is as clever as you said, Angie," chuckled Duke Redgrave. "And what he lacks in tact and decorum, he certainly makes up for in charisma and wisdom."

"Indeed he does!" agreed Minister Atlee with a wide grin. "When you finally enter the political field, you'll certainly shake things up!"

"You flatter me, sirs," I bowed with a smile. "I'm just a man that doesn't believe in wasting time playing games or dancing around issues. Besides, if you always make your intentions known, you'll never be at risk of being misunderstood."

"Indeed?" asked Duke Redgrave, glancing briefly at the girls before clearing his throat, "Well, I certainly hope that you continue to live by that, Lord Bartfort."

"I'll live and die by it, Your Grace," I replied honestly. "I can promise you that, and I daresay your daughter can tell you how well I keep my promises."

"Both of our daughters certainly have said something to that effect, Lord Bartfort," chuckled Minister Atlee. "Again, it was a pleasure to meet you, but I'm afraid I must take my leave to discuss a few matters with Vincent."

With that, the two men stepped away, with Minister Atlee shaking my hand once more before he left. I couldn't help but feel that I'd passed some form of test, but I banished the thought from my head. Thinking like that could only lead to madness going forward.

"So…how'd I do?" I asked jokingly. "Was I acceptable?"

"...Certainly acceptable," blushed Angie. "My father will probably attribute some of your flaws to youthful naivety, but it was a good showing of your strengths."

"Dad definitely took a liking to you, so that was good," commented Clarice, even as she gave me a challenging look. "You do realize that I'll be countering this embarrassment later, right?"

"I'm sure that you will try," I grinned unrepentantly. "There's an old saying that 'All is fair in Love and War'..."

"Oh? And which one would this be?" asked Clarice teasingly.

"I will confirm nothing, and deny even less," I deadpanned, to which we all took a moment to laugh.

"...It appears Leon has picked up another admirer," giggled Livia as she stared somewhere behind me.

I turned to see a younger girl, perhaps two years younger than us, watching me carefully. She was petite for her age, but nowhere near the degree that Marie was, and I could tell from the dress she was wearing that she was high-ranking. Her hair was dark, almost black, but I could recognize the color of her eyes even though I couldn't quite place where I'd seen it. Still, the way she looked at me was rather unnerving in spite of the gentle smile on her face, and I had to suppress a shudder of apprehension. I could feel Angie and Clarice stiffen instantly upon seeing the raven-haired girl, apparently recognizing her instantly. Livia's smile fell as she caught onto the change in mood, glancing anxiously between us.

"...Is there something wrong?" asked Livia.

"No, nothing wrong," replied Angie, a little too quickly. "It's just…That's the First Princess, Erica Rapha Holfort. She's Julius' younger sister."

"...Is she mad that I kicked her brother's ass?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, I don't think so," replied Angie pensively. "She was always quick to correct Julius on his bad behavior towards me, and she's always given me good advice."

"Yeah, you might actually get along really well with her," mused Clarice. "She's got that same sort of 'wisdom beyond her years' thing that you've got, now that I think about it."

"Enh, not my type," I joked with a grin. "Too young for my taste, and I much prefer blondes and redheads."

I laughed alongside Clarice while Livia and Angie scolded me without any real heat. Maybe I was imagining things based on my own wishful thinking, but I didn't want them getting the idea that I'd abandon them the moment another pretty face wandered into the picture. Besides that, I didn't want them to notice why I'd also tensed up, as it would raise questions I wasn't ready to answer yet. Princess Erica wasn't looking at me like a potential lover, from what I saw in her eyes. She was sizing up my equipment and gear with recognition, just like Marie did all those months ago in the dungeon. If I was right, Princess Erica appeared to know that I was a Reincarnate, which could possibly mean that she was a Reincarnate as well. Still, in spite of the implications, I let it go for the moment, resolving to discuss the matter with Marie later via comms during our weekly check-in.

---

"...You're really a dumbass, you know that?" stated Marie, deadpan over the comms. "You've basically made a very bold declaration of intent for the purpose of a distraction that wasn't even necessary. At this point, you're going to 'Dense Harem Anime Protagonist' your way into bed with all three of them, and I'm going to be mad at you since I actually had to put in the damn work for my harem."

"...Really? That's what you got out of all that?" I deadpanned right back. "Not the fact that 'there may be another Reincarnate we need to watch out for', but 'you've made your sorry excuse for a love life even worse by saying things without thinking'?"

I was taking a trip to the border territories for official Bartfort's Bastards business before we returned to the Academy, and I'd felt it was a good time to catch Marie up on everything that had happened since we'd last spoken. Needless to say, she was not amused with how I was handling the situation with the three girls, nor my apparent emotional constipation.

"No, I heard you on that, and you're not wrong to be concerned, but a look is hardly confirmation of Reincarnate status," argued Marie. "If she starts quoting Doctor Who, Star Trek, or something else like that, then sure, we can freak out like when you scared the shit out of me in the dungeon. Until then, I'd be more worried about the brewing situation we have with Fanoss, which the Pro-... sorry, Olivia's relationship status would be the highest priority to consider."

"...Well, she's dunked on every possible guy I know that I can set her up with, and I'm not going to retread old ground with you on this," I grumbled.

"Yes, yes; 'any woman I marry will need to know I'm a Reincarnate', I remember," sighed Marie. "And I don't disagree with that; I actually think it's kind of sweet of you to include your future wife like that. Still, I don't think you'll have as rough a time as you think you will if you tell those girls, but we'll agree to disagree for now. So did Luxion get an accurate status on what's happening with Fanoss?"

"Basically, yes," I confirmed with a wince. "Really the only good news I've got is that the situation would not have deteriorated as a result of your actions. We're realistically looking at full-on war in three to six months."

"...Well, glad to know that I'm absolved of guilt in destroying the Kingdom," snarked Marie, even as her voice shook. "So basically, on a scale of one to ten, we're all 'fucked'?"

"In every sense of the word," I agreed. "So I've been working on an Ace we can play besides Livia's power, the Saintess Relics, and whatever secret weapon that the kingdom has been hiding. Long story short, I'm going to form a Company of Armors like Arroganz and gather the best pilots I can find. I've already got the permission of the King-"

"Wait, hang on, he just gave you permission?"

"Without even listening to my sales pitch for it beyond Company of Armor Units like Arroganz, yep," I confirmed grumpily.

"...Yeah, you should probably double-check that with the Queen at some point," agreed Marie.

"I fully intend to, and even if I got permission, I'd still want to acquire pilot candidates quietly, so no formal recruitment for this one," I laughed. "

"How?" asked Marie with a frown. "If you're not going to pull from the Holfortian Knights or the Academy, then where are you getting pilots-"

"Using 'The Last Starfighter' strategy," I interrupted. "Basically a hundred simulators like the ones I gifted to the King and your boyfriends spread through the borderlands."

"...That… sounds brilliant…" blinked Marie. "...Still, I can't imagine that you've pulled many candidates from the Commoners?"

"...Sixteen candidates, in total," I sighed, getting to the worst news about the Bastards project.

"...They'd better be damn good," grumbled Marie.

"I'm on my way to speak with the top-scoring candidate today," I elaborated. "They actually completed the Nightmare scenario with full marks. And our other candidates score just as well as me, if not better. "

"...Well, that's something, I suppose," sighed Marie. "Well, the good news on my end is that I've got the Alzer Journal complete and I'm giving it a second pass after you get back."

"Well, that's good," I sighed in relief. "I'll take a look once things have calmed down on the Fanoss side of things. It actually might be a good idea to take a look through the Fanoss Embassy records to see if we can find tangible proof of the Frampton faction's meddling, so we can try and put a stop to it."

"I'll see what I can do on that front," offered Marie. "As the lover of the Prince, I'll probably have an easier time getting into the Embassy Record than you will, even with Luxion's help."

"As long as you don't get yourself beheaded for espionage," I replied seriously. "Don't get me wrong, though. It'd be a huge help, but not worth you getting yourself killed over."

"Perhaps I might send Kyle with a letter from Julius instead," agreed Marie. "You're right; being the lover of the Prince may open more doors for me, but getting too deeply involved in politics too quickly after seducing Julius would send a lot of wrong messages."

"Sounds like a plan," I replied. "Let's just hope this candidate is everything we're looking for."

I disconnected the call and let out a sigh. In hindsight, I should have seen the issue with my recruitment plan right away, but I'd been distracted enough that I'd not given it too much thought. The fact we'd gotten sixteen candidates with just a mere one hundred machines was nothing short of miraculous, but there wasn't going to be much that sixteen Armors, even highly advanced ones, would be able to do against Fanoss in order to completely save the Kingdom. To save lives and provide an evacuation route was a different story, but Luxion insisted that the candidate we were about to see showed promise.

"So they really did that much better than the other candidates?" I asked Luxion as I walked up a cobblestone path to a very weathered-looking farm.

"Fifteen minutes lasted on the Endless Nightmare scenario with absolutely no assistance," confirmed Luxion. "No Saintess powers, maximized Fanossian forces for soldiers and monsters, and a broken Holfortian military."

"Damn…" I swore briefly, thoroughly impressed. "Longest I could last in that scenario was about seven minutes."

"And the King himself has only done five," confirmed Luxion. "All of our candidates have been able to meet the 'seven minute' standard you've set or better, but I felt that you should speak with this one personally. While the internal cameras on the simulators were able to ID all other candidates, this candidate was not successfully identified. All we have for them is a location of residence."

"...Alright, that's a little weird…" I frowned. "Did they purposely hide their face?"

"It would appear so," confirmed Luxion. "I would be as tactful as you can, as the candidate clearly felt that they should not have been playing the simulation."

"Of course, best behavior, then," I acknowledged.

"I would argue that better would be required, but in this instance we shall have to hope that your absurd luck holds and your best is sufficient," snarked Luxion.

"Screw you too, buddy," I grinned in spite of myself as I politely knocked on the door to the farmhouse.

An older man with a receding hairline in his late thirties opened the door, blinking in surprise before standing completely still as he took in my appearance, eyes bulging from shock. A very pregnant woman who had to be his wife came to check on her husband and soon found herself similarly transfixed by the heavily armored adventurer at their door. A small boy, no older than five, peeked out from behind his mother's skirt and looked up at me in wonder before tugging on his mother's apron briefly to get her attention.

"Mama, who's the Knight at the door?" asked the boy. "Did Al get in trouble again?"

"Charlie!" exclaimed the boy's mother, mortified.

I let out a laugh at the child's candid question, cutting off his parent's panic before it could begin and setting them more at ease. I knelt down to the boy's level and kept my tone friendly.

"No one is in trouble, kid," I chuckled, keeping my voice friendly. "Is Al the one who beat the high score on the simulator in town?"

At this, the farmer's face hardened as he turned and called back into the house.

"Alice, what have you done?!" the man shouted. "We told you to stop sneaking out at night, and now there's a knight at our door!"

I felt my blood freeze as a young girl, no older than twelve or thirteen, ran in and began speaking frantically with her parents. The best Armor Pilot in the Kingdom was a prepubescent girl only a year younger than my sister Finley, and I'd been thinking of recruiting her into a suicidal mission that had no guarantee of success, much less survival. I let the family discussion fade into the background as I switched off my internal speakers to address Luxion.

"You knew," I accused Luxion with a growl. "You knew exactly who our candidate was, and you didn't say a word."

"I suspected, but I wasn't able to confirm since the camera failed to capture her in the frame-"

"She's twelve, Luxion!" I hissed, trying to keep my body language neutral. "You talking about training a child soldier here-"

"She also is the best candidate out of the sixteen that have managed to pass the very stringent conditions that you set for this test," countered Luxion. "She even beat your own scores by a considerable margin. Besides, most of the contemporary society considers an individual to be an adult by fifteen, so she's not as much of a child as you are thinking. Also to consider is that this town is one of a few in the path of the Principality's most likely invasion corridor. It is arguable that her future would be even more bleak if we didn't recruit her."

I sighed in frustration, knowing that Luxion wasn't wrong. I had my own personal misgivings over her age, but she was still a thinking person with her own free will and ability to make choices, and she would already be involved based on where she and her family lived. At the very least, I needed to explain the situation so she and her family could make an informed decision. I reengaged my external speakers and addressed young Charlie, as he was the only one not involved with the family argument.

"Mind getting their attention for me, kid?" I asked. "I'd do it myself, but I don't want to make them panic again."

Charlie nodded quickly, again pulling on his mother's apron to non-verbally get his mother's attention while pointing back at me. The woman glanced briefly at her child and instantly flushed in embarrassment as she remembered my presence, turning to her husband and redirecting his attention. The man stopped the heated discussion with his daughter, clearing his throat as he glanced at me sheepishly.

"Forgive me, Sir Knight," apologized the man. "We should not have had this discussion now and kept you waiting-"

"No, please forgive me, as I am the one intruding upon your home and family, after all," I apologized in return, popping the seal on my helmet as I removed it. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Baron Leon Fou Bartfort-"

"The Scoundrel Knight…" gasped the farmer before instantly kneeling. "...Please, my lord, have mercy on our Alice! We didn't know she'd snuck out to play on that damnable machine-"

"Whoa, hey, I'm not angry at all!' I exclaimed as I helped the man to his feet. "In fact, people like Alice are the reason why I sent out those simulators in the first place, so I'm quite pleased to meet her. Let me go ahead and explain myself from the beginning. If we might sit at your table while I elaborate?"

"...O-of course… Yes, of course!" stammered the farmer in relief. "Please, come in, my lord-"

"Just call me Leon, sir," I laughed in an attempt to set the man and his wife at ease. "I'm easily a decade and a half younger, and I don't believe for a minute that the circumstances of one's birth should set him higher or lower than anyone else."

"Of course, my l- I mean, 'Leon'," bowed the farmer. "My name is Lewis, and this is my wife Caroline."

I blinked briefly at the remarkable coincidence, wondering what the chances of something like this happening. One Alice in Wonderland reference could have been a coincidence, but having three in the same family? That was another matter entirely. Still, I shook it off since we had little time to waste here.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mister Lewis, Missus Caroline," I bowed briefly as I shook Lewis' hand and briefly kissed Caroline's hand. "If I might trouble you for a kettle of water, perhaps we might discuss this over tea?"

We sat at the table while I took out a new Adventurer's Tea Set that I'd had Lux design for Belmont in order to prepare the tea I'd brought. It was made from an ultra-durable ceramic that could stop a few pistol rounds, just to ensure maximum durability over time without potentially affecting the flavor of the tea by brewing in a metal vessel. After letting the tea brew for a moment, I served my hosts, pouring a mug for myself before I began to speak.

"So, to the matter of the simulators, I'll get straight to the point:" I began. "I sent out the machines to gather the best pilots I could find to form Holfort's first Private Security Company of Armor Pilots to fly in Lost Armors similar to the Arroganz I fought the Prince and his friends in. Alice, you are the best of these best pilots, and I want your help. You'll be paid a salary of fifteen thousand dia a year, plus contract bonuses and hazard pay. Your family will live rent-free in my territory for five years, and then the yearly rent of twelve hundred dia will come out of your salary. I've already drafted an agreement to take over whatever labor contract they have with Lord Overland so that you and your family can move right away. I'll even sponsor you and your siblings through the Holfort Academy."

"...Lord Bartfort, that is an extremely generous offer," blinked Lewis. "But really, to be paid three times what a Royal Knight is paid in a year-"

"It'll be fair compensation, as we'll be doing dangerous work," I countered quickly. "Your daughter is easily three times as skilled as the strongest knights, and the work we'll be doing will certainly reflect that. That being said, this is only an offer, not a demand, so she's absolutely free to turn me down. I'll be quite frank and say that our odds of success climb exponentially if your daughter agrees, but I will understand if she wishes to decline."

"...Al?" asked Caroline hesitantly. "What do you think?"

Alice stared into her mug for a long time, as though the answers to her uncertainty were swirling among the loose tea leaves at the bottom.

"...Ma? Da? Could you give me a moment with Lord Bartfort?" asked Alice suddenly.

The farmer and his wife gave their daughter a careful look before nodding once and leaving the room with their son. We waited until the door to the hallway had closed, signaling that we were able to speak privately. Alice took a deep breath and looked me dead in the eyes before speaking.

"There's going to be another war with Fanoss, isn't there?" asked Alice, her piercing gaze demanding complete honesty. "And it's going to be soon, isn't it?"

"...You've got it," I sighed. "And the Holfortian military is severely underestimating Fanoss, and have underprepared as a result. Thanks to what my familiar, the Lost Item Luxion, has confirmed, I'm all but certain that the Kingdom will fall without outside intervention."

"So the scenarios in the simulator aren't just fantasy, then?" pressed Alice.

"They're very real and highly possible, yes," I confirmed. "Nothing short of the next coming of the Saintess herself would save us outright, but I hope that my Lost Armors will give the people of the Kingdom a fighting chance to survive and escape, even in the worst case. The Armors are built and ready to fly. However, what I need now are pilots for those Armors."

"But why commoners?" asked Alice in confusion. "Why me? Surely you could find more experienced pilots-"

"I want the best, which doesn't necessarily mean 'most experienced', and you are the best of the best, without question," I interrupted. "You've scored two-, sometimes three, times as high per mission on average as your next highest-scoring peer, and that group of peers includes myself, the Founding Heirs, and even King Roland."

"Still, if this is such a huge threat, why all the secrecy?" asked Alice skeptically. "Why not bring this before the court and get official support?"

"That's a long and convoluted explanation that I can summarize as either the court doesn't believe it to be a problem, or they're intentionally fanning the flames on the problem to start a war that they delusionally believe they can win," I explained briefly. "Any overt attempts to gather support for an elite group of Armor Pilots would be painted as an attempt to overthrow the Kingdom and the Royal Family. I've gotten the King onboard with the plan fully and I plan to discuss the details with the Queen as well, but subtlety will be required regardless."

"...Am I really that good?" asked Alice quietly.

"You could hop in an Armor right now and wipe the floor with the Black Knight himself, based on the scores we have recorded," I confirmed. "However, you most certainly don't have to do anything. This is an offer; not a demand or even a request, and you are absolutely free to tell me to piss off. Make no mistake, this will be dangerous, and we're probably going to die trying here, so the choice is entirely up to you."

Alice sat in silence for a moment. Honestly, I was still more than a little hesitant to send a preteen into a combat situation. Again, my Old World values played against me here, and no amount of telling myself that she was almost an adult in the eyes of this world's society could drive away the thought of recruiting a "child soldier". Still, the situation we found ourselves in was rather grim.

"...How many other pilots have you found besides me?" asked Alice suddenly.

"...Fifteen in total, besides you," I replied with a wince.

"The world-ending monster, from the last scenario; that thing is real?" asked Alice seriously.

"...Yeah, it's real…" I admitted, not even wanting to obfuscate behind qualifiers like I normally did with my knowledge from my past life. "I can't tell you how I know it's real, but I can guarantee that it's real and out there…"

"...Then there's little choice, isn't there?" replied Alice resolutely. "For the sake of my family, for the sake of my friends, and for the sake of my home, this is actually my fight. This is my war that's coming. And if I'm likely to die alongside my friends and family, then I want to die in defiance of what Fanoss has planned."

"...'Do not go gentle into that good night…'," I murmured, half to myself as I quoted Dylan Thomas, before giving Alice one last out. "You're sure about this? If you dive down this rabbit hole, you may not see the Overland Barony again for quite some time, and you'll never be the same even if you do…"

"Lord Bartfort, I would regret it for the rest of my life to know that I could have helped and did nothing," replied Alice, her eyes blazing with fire.

…Well dammit, if she puts it like that…

"...Alright then…" I sighed with a grin, extending a hand to my future Second in Command. "Welcome to Bartfort's Bastards, Miss Alice."