The Talk/ Royal Queen, Pirate King, and Scoundrel Knight/ First Blood
The trip back to the Kingdom was relatively uneventful, even with stopping to pick up Carla's family. Conrad had been utterly baffled when the Razor's Crest showed up right above his manor home, which then turned to panic as his daughter explained the situation, but finally turned to a sense of awe and even a little pride in how his daughter and I had handled the situation. Livia thought it was hilarious when Conrad suggested I take Carla as a wife, even as Carla panicked and tried to reassure Livia that she had no intentions of trying to take me. Thankfully, Conrad had been quite understanding of my refusal when Ray had greeted Carla warmly at the docks, the older man giving me a knowing look as his daughter and Ray spoke with a nervous enthusiasm. The five of us watched the unfolding romance with barely concealed amusement, with Livia openly giving Carla an encouraging nod when the girl glanced behind for reassurance.
"So… two hundred dia that they end up engaged?" grinned Greg.
"Sucker's bet, Greg," I chuckled. "The only things that would stop them from getting engaged would be Lord Wayne disapproving the match or their own anxieties and insecurities overwhelming them."
"Well, I certainly wouldn't stand in the way of such a match," laughed Conrad. "Still, wouldn't Lord Arkin need to marry a Baroness?"
"Well, Carla has performed a great service to the kingdom, so I can't imagine that the difference in rank will be too much of an issue for long, even if I wasn't personally putting in a word of recommendation for her," I replied as we watched Ray kiss the back of Carla's hand in a courtly manner, the two of them blushing harder than I thought physically possible even as they smiled at each other. "Even still, Ray's decided that the expectations of society can go to hell if they stand in the way of his happiness."
"...Speaking of 'happiness', I think Lord Bartfort, Miss Livia, Lord Seberg, and I have reunions of our own to get to…" smirked Brad as he caught sight of Marie, Angie, and Clarice making their way up the docks.
"Of course," nodded Conrad with a smile. "Thank you for everything that you've done for my family, Lord Bartfort."
"We'll talk more later, sir," I nodded. "For now, Luxion will help you and your family get settled in at the safehouse we've set up in the Capital."
With a brief nod, Conrad quickly joined his family on the dock to where a private carriage would take them to a secure location until the situation with the Offreys blew over. On paper, it was a warehouse for the Belmont Tea Company; however, behind a cleverly concealed entrance, there was a fully-furnished and comfortable living area for a family of six. I could feel the curious gazes of my companions on me, and so I cleared my throat.
"...Something wrong?" I asked.
"...You set up a safehouse in the Capital for the Waynes?" asked Brad with a raised eyebrow.
"Not for the Waynes specifically, but I did take the opportunity to set up a few safehouses here just in case," I explained as we made our way off of the Razor's Crest.
"...I feel like I should be surprised by this, but I'm really not…" deadpanned Greg.
"It really shouldn't be a surprise at this point," laughed Livia as she threw her arms around my neck from behind me and kissed my cheek. "Shall we face the music, everyone?"
With a nod, I took Livia's hand as we disembarked to meet with the other group, Greg and Brad following quickly behind us. Marie reached her two lovers first, throwing her arms around Brad before tackling Greg. Taking a bit of a run to close the distance faster, Clarice instantly threw her arms around me as soon as she got close enough, embracing me as her joyful laugh caused my heart to soar. I returned her embrace with equal enthusiasm, lifting her off her feet as I spun her around, taking in the moment as she let out a squeal of surprised delight.
"Next time there's some crazy quest, we stay together, got it?" murmured Clarice happily as she rested her head against my shoulder. "I almost shook Marie to pieces when she said there was an incident with the Necklace…"
"As you wish…" I whispered gently.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Angie watching nearby in amusement even as she embraced Livia just as enthusiastically. After another moment, we broke apart so that Livia could embrace Clarice and I could greet Angie. While my embrace with Angie was decidedly more subdued, it was just as tender and loving as the one I shared with Clarice.
"Taking on a well-armed pirate gang while being outnumbered twenty-five to one and surviving completely unharmed?" teased Angie as she held me close. "If you keep performing feats like that, I may begin to think your claims of desiring a quiet life in the countryside to be utterly false…"
"You can blame whatever God that decided that my fate should be interesting," I grumbled good naturedly. "I can assure you that I would like nothing more than to quietly raise a family on the Frontier once I've had my fun adventuring, but fate has different plans for me."
"I certainly hope that I am a part of those plans, Lord Leon," replied Angie.
"I'll kill Fate Itself if you're not," I countered, to which Angie gave a gentle laugh.
When Angie and I finally broke apart, I turned to address Clarice directly.
"...Clarice, I'm sure I know what you'll say, but I have to ask-" I began, but Clarice was having none of my nonsense, thankfully.
"Leon, you have exactly five seconds to fulfill your promise to me before I force you to break it by kissing you within an inch of your life-" interrupted Clarice, her eyes blazing with determination as she stated her intentions in no uncertain terms.
Thankfully for my honor, I didn't even need three seconds as I pressed my lips to Clarice's in a tender kiss. I felt her jolt in surprise, as if she fully expected that she'd need to take the initiative, but as soon as she registered the fact that I was fulfilling my promise to her, she threw her arms around me again, deepening the kiss. I kept the kiss from getting too out of hand, even as I allowed myself to bask in the sensation of Clarice's loving touch. After another moment or two, we broke apart, and I tenderly tucked a stray strand of hair behind Clarice's ear, my heart soaring as I saw her emerald eyes shining with love and joy.
"So… did I keep my promise?" I grinned.
"Damn right you kept your promise," laughed Clarice as she rested her head on my shoulder, a few tears slipping out even as her joyful smile threatened to split her face open."...Gods, I was waiting for that kiss for months, and it was better than anything I could have ever imagined…"
"Well, as long as you don't hate me after we have our talk, I promise to kiss you like that as much as you want," I chuckled as we stepped apart, taking a moment to glance at Angie. "...Did you want to kiss me now as well?"
"...You'd prefer to have the talk first?" observed Angie, her face a calm mask.
"...Honestly? It would make me feel better for you to know exactly what sort of situation you were walking into by getting involved with me," I admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck. "But… if you want to kiss me now, I'd be perfectly happy to oblige that request…"
"...I'll wait for now," nodded Angie carefully before giving a slightly mischievous wink. "Besides, I feel that the docks are a little bit too public of a location for our very first kiss, at least to my taste…"
"...Oh shit, Dad's probably not going to be too pleased to hear about that…" winced Clarice.
"It's a good thing that no one will say anything, then," I teased. "The dockyard is privately owned by Belmont Tea Company, so the only people here are my employees, friends, and family. I thought it was a good idea, especially considering that we're trying to keep the Waynes' evacuation under wraps."
"...So what you're saying is that no one here is going to mind if I make up for lost time…" observed Clarice with a dangerous smile that sent a chill down my spine.
"...Well, I wouldn't say tha-" I tried to backtrack.
Anything else that I would have said was lost as Clarice proceeded to leap into my arms and make a valiant effort to reach my tonsils. Even as my head spun at the sudden ardor of Clarice's kiss, I could hear Livia's near hysterical laughter and Angie's exasperated sighs. With an internal sigh, I set aside thoughts of our impending talk and proceeded to counterattack Clarice's invading tongue with my own. In spite of the gravity of the situation, I couldn't help but agree with her that this was long overdue.
"...I see," Angie finally said as I finished my explanation. "...Well, in hindsight, what you've explained makes a frightening amount of sense, to the point that I feel some embarrassment for not figuring it out sooner."
Explaining everything had surprisingly only taken about a half-hour, to my surprise. The girls had let me talk the entire, not even stopping me once throughout my entire explanation. Honestly, I think I might have preferred angry screaming to the silence that I was met with, with Clarice's rapt attention and silent nods keeping me from completely losing my nerve. Angie didn't even move as I spoke, listening in complete silence. Livia held my hand for the entire explanation, trying to provide me with some level of comfort.
"I'll say…" snorted Clarice with a wry grin. "So… did you see the invention of the first airbikes, or was that a bit before your time?"
"Significantly before," I confirmed with a smile, feeling some relief that this was going well to start. "The idea of airbikes and Armors were the subject of fantasy in my time, with only VTOL aircraft and powered exoskeleton frames being the cutting edge of tech in those fields of study."
"And you say that you knew about Holfort because of… a simulation from your time?" clarified Angie. "Similar to the one you made for your 'Bastards'?"
"I mean… sort of, but not nearly as sophisticated as the one I've been training the Bastards with," I elaborated. "And certainly not made for a purpose as serious as that one, either. Although… given the level of detail and what was depicted in it, I do wonder if the game was created intentionally to act as a guide-no… There's no way to know now, and it's a moot point in any case."
"You're referring to the fact that Livia is the next Saintess and that Fanoss is going to invade with a horde of monsters under their control that only Livia will be able to turn away?" asked Angie.
"Yes, including a world-ending magical beast," I confirmed.
"And you created a group of Armor Pilots to buy time to evacuate just in case things go wrong?" asked Clarice.
"That's the basics of it…" I nodded, frowning slightly. "...You're taking this surprisingly well, Clarice…"
"Well, you were five years old when this shift to our world happened, so you've always been the only Leon that I've ever known, right?" explained Clarice. "...the only question that I would have for you is… did you know that losing Jilk would happen?"
"...I thought that it might, yes," I admitted quietly. "To my shame, I didn't consider the full implications of what that would mean until Livia brought you to me last semester. For my failure, I apologize, Clarice-"
"You may not have helped me beforehand, but you helped me beyond a doubt afterward, Leon," argued Clarice. "You are a brilliant man, but you are still only a man, so I don't blame you for not thinking of every possibility."
"I appreciate your kind words, but I thought of the possibility ten years ago upon arriving to this world, so I really don't have an excuse-" I tried to explain, but Clarice wouldn't hear of it.
"You were there when I needed you most," interrupted Clarice, her eyes blazing with emerald fire as she took hold of both sides of my face to stare into my eyes. "So unless you're trying to tell me every word you said to me from the moment that I walked into this tea room for the first time was a lie, then I don't care whatever that you think you've done to 'wrong' me and Angie. Got it?"
"...If you insist, Clarice," I sighed with a smile, lowering her hands as I realized that I was unlikely to win the argument unless she read the journals.
Even then, I was starting to realize that my fears may have been as ridiculous and unfounded as Luxion had told me they were. Sure, there was an entire outline of how the Heirs could be seduced, including key moments in said seduction, but the information on the "Villainesses" was very lax as far as a personality profile was concerned. In fact, I think there was barely half a page on Clarice in total, much less her likes and dislikes or anything that could be remotely used to seduce her. Angelica merely had a basic biography, plus her lines from each of the events I could remember. Livia had the most dialogue, but there really wasn't anything that I could use to seduce her either. Hell, I hadn't even known what village she was from or her parents' names! …Still, I had to know for sure; if I just leapt forward on the assumption that they would still love me even without reading the journal, there would always be one part of me that would doubt and wonder. However, if Clarice's reaction was anything to go by, living with that doubt might end up as my only option. The look in Livia's eyes was almost enough to make me abandon my fortitude and simply ask the girls to marry me right this instant. Angie's face was unreadable, even as she sat in silence, watching me.
"...Tell me, Leon; this journal details everything you knew about the Holfort Kingdom and the possible future with Livia and the Five Heirs, yes?" asked Angie, pulling the original copy of Journal One in front of her, opening it to skim through a few pages.
"Everything that I could think of about the game when I first arrived went into that journal, yes," I confirmed.
"...The journal is quite full, and you seemed to be quite detailed as a five year old boy," observed Angie. "Could you perhaps give us a day or two to review it?"
I blinked in surprise at the answer from Angie as my thoughts became conflicted, to say the least. On one hand, this was exactly what I wanted; for the girls to read through everything that I knew prior to meeting them so they could truly understand everything that I did last semester, both the good and the bad. Intellectually, I knew this was the outcome that I'd been hoping for; however, there was an irrational and emotional part of me that screamed at me that Angie was rejecting me in the kindest way she knew how. It was ridiculous to make that assumption so early, considering that she'd barely even cracked the cover on the journal, but love and emotion were hardly rational. Eventually, I found my voice again to answer her.
"...Of course!" I blurted out. "Please, take as much time as you need, Angie. And if you need anything else, Luxion will be fully at your disposal."
"Thank you, Leon," nodded Angie, glancing at Clarice briefly to silence whatever protest that the redhead had with a look. "One day should be more than sufficient, I think. In the meantime, I know that Her Majesty had a few things to discuss with you personally about the situation with the Winged Sharks, so if you could visit her with their Captain?"
"We'll leave immediately," I nodded. "...Thank you, Angie, for… well, thank you…"
"It's the least we can do, Leon, after all that you've done for us," dismissed Angie with a hint of a smile. "Just know that I reserve the right to slap you for being foolishly noble if this all turns out to be unnecessary."
I nodded weakly, giving a small wave before taking my leave from the room. Upon stepping outside and closing the door, I felt my knees give way beneath me as I took a moment to get my breathing under control. Clarice looked ready to tear into Angie the moment that I left, while Livia tried to give me an encouraging smile, even as she struggled with her own restraint toward Angie, but Angie had been near impossible to read, throughout the meeting. I knew she was capable of keeping an impassive mask, but even when we'd only just been introduced, I'd always felt that I could read her decently well. To have that suddenly go away was unnerving. I broke from my thoughts as my comm went off, signaling a call from Marie, which I answered without a second glance.
"Hey, Marie… I finally told them," I sighed with a faint smile. "Angie convinced the others to review Journal One tonight, but I'm optimistic about it, even if I do still have some nerves to work through-"
"That's excellent to hear, Lord Bartfort, but I'm afraid that I'm not Miss Marie," replied Kyle, his blue eyes shining with amusement that looked far more appropriate on his younger face.
"Kyle?!" I jolted as I turned my attention to the comm. "How did-"
"Marie gave me her communicator to let you know that she would be unable to debrief with you on your meeting," explained Kyle with an apologetic look. "There was a bit of a… situation… when Lord Seberg and Lord Field reunited with the rest of the group. They mentioned the more practical side of ensuring succession in their relationship with Marie, something which Marie and His Highness had failed to consider."
"Oh…" I winced. "How did Julius take it?"
"Not well…" grimaced Kyle. "He was horrified that Greg had carried the burden of this knowledge in silence, and wanted to storm into his mother's office to abdicate immediately. The others didn't want him to throw away his entire future over something like that, and he argued that he could hardly stand by and pull the men he saw as brothers in all but blood from the woman they all loved. Marie finally managed to calm him down by slapping him in the face and telling him that he wouldn't just be giving up the crown if he abdicated, but the right to live with his blood family as well, so he needed to think first before taking action, regardless of how horrible the situation was. They're talking things through in his room right now, but… Prince Julius is still strongly considering abdication."
"Shit…" I swore. "That's a mess…"
"Yes it is," agreed Kyle. "Still, I'm glad that telling your loved ones that you reincarnated from another time and place went better than expected."
"Marie explained that to you?" I asked, taken aback slightly once again.
"She did, after the two of you had your very first talk following the Duel," smiled Kyle. "She said that she needed someone to talk to about things and, 'in the absence of her own cheat-level AI', that I would need to be her 'Luxion'..."
"Well, damn…" I blinked. "Glad to have you with us, Kyle. We'll need to catch up with just the three of us. Anyways, I need to report back to the Queen about the situation with the Winged Sharks, according to Angie. Keep me posted on the situation with Julius and let me know if there's anything I can do to help with it."
"Certainly, Lord Bartfort," nodded Kyle before disconnecting.
I closed the comlink and breathed a heavy sigh. It was done: the Journal and my explanations were now in their hands to review. There was no going back, and in a day or so, I would have my answer. I hauled myself to my feet, attempting to refocus myself as I made my way to fetch Kane for our meeting at the Palace. In spite of my emotional exhaustion, there was still more work to be done.
"I reckon this hallway was longer in my day, lad…" winced Kane, clearly nervous.
"Relax, Kane," I chuckled. "You're gonna be perfectly fine. Besides, I'll be right here to hold your hand if you need it."
We'd arrived at the Palace only an hour later, and for some reason, Kane seemed to be getting anxious. I'll admit, part of me was poking at Kane to try and occupy my mind from my own worries with the girls. I knew it was probably pathetic to continue to worry even after all the reassurances from Clarice and Livia, but I found that I still couldn't help myself, even an hour later. Telling myself that the matter was now completely out of my hands, whatever they decided, certainly didn't give me any peace, and with my usual snarking partner conspicuously absent for the moment for some reason, I directed my energy at the pirate captain.
"Cheeky little shite…" grumbled Kane even as he smiled in spite of himself. "You seem awfully confident for meetin' with the head of your country…"
"I mean, we're kinda on a first name basis, so…" I shot back.
"How the devil did that happen?" blinked Kane. "I thought ye kicked their son's arse to hell an' back?"
"I did, but I was nice about it, so they like me for some reason," I chuckled, even as Kane gave me a flat look.
"...At this point, lad, I can't tell if yer spinnin' a yarn or not," sighed Kane.
"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure she genuinely likes me," I placated as we reached the door to Mylene's office. "And I'm sure she'll like you as well once I explain the good you've done for the Kingdom."
"...Hang on a mo', lad…" froze Kane. "Which one are ye takin' me to see?"
"The competent one," I snarked briefly.
"...Lad, when ye say 'competent one', ye don't mean-" began Kane, a tinge of worry entering his tone as I knocked on the door.
"Enter!" called Mylene from behind the door.
"...Shite…" swore Kane. "...Mayhaps it'd be best if ye did the explainin' while I wait back on the 'Crest-"
With a roll of my eyes, I dragged Kane into the room without another word. Mylene sat behind her desk, filling out a mountain of paperwork with brutal efficiency, even as it seemed to tax her with every document. I personally resolved to look into having one of Luxion's drones assist her, because there had to be things that the corrupt nobles were slipping by her in paperwork just from the exhausting workload that she had to deal with. For a moment, the quiet scratching of Mylene's pen was the only thing that broke the silence as we waited for her to finish the document she was writing. Finally, the Queen spoke, her tone warm in spite of her exhaustion and stress.
"Please be seated, Leon, as we have much to discuss about your recent outing to handle the Winged Sharks," began Mylene without looking up as she put the last strokes on her signature before standing. "Marie explained the basics of the situation a few days ago, but I was hoping you could fill in a few more details in regards to this 'noble pirate captain' that-...you…"
Mylene shot to her feet as she stared wide-eyed at Kane. A long silence stretched on as the two locked gazes, and it suddenly occurred to me that Kane's earlier anxiety may not have been related to meeting with a ruler of a nation, but rather a very specific ruler. After another moment, Kane cleared his throat and spoke to Mylene.
"...'Lo, 'Leney…" greeted Kane quietly, his expression turning slightly hopeful.
For a moment, nothing else was said. Mylene took a step closer, then another, and another still, her expression unchanging. Finally, Mylene stopped only an arm's length from Kane. Faster than my eye could see, Mylene had an elegant hand fan in her grip as she proceeded to viciously strike every inch of the man that she could reach. I could hear the fan cracking in protest with every strike as I involuntarily stepped back from Kane.
"-Ow! -Wha- 'Leney, wait- Ow! Dammit woman-" spluttered Kane as he tried to shield himself from Mylene's fury.
"You! Complete! Witless! Feckless! BASTARD!" snarled Mylene, punctuating every word with a strike of her hand fan.
"Damn and blast to the Open Sky, 'Lene!" yelped Kane as he tried to retreat backward. "Will ye give us a chance to explain-"
"Sixteen years, Jakob!" shouted Mylene. "Not a word from you or even about you for sixteen years, then you walk in and all you have to say for yourself is ''Lo 'Leney'?! I thought you were dead, you-"
"Well, beggin' your pardon, 'Leney, but ye can't be expectin' a pirate t' waltz into the Palace t' have tea with th' feckin' Queen, now can ye-" snapped Kane, only to get a sharp whack across his nose with the fan. "Argh! Bleedin' Hell, 'Leney-"
"You were the heir to a Dukedom in Lepart!" retorted Mylene with a shout. "Why the hell are you claiming to be a pirate captain-"
"Lady Mylene!" I called out, halting the vengeful queen in her tracks. "I'm just as eager to have an explanation as you are, but I daresay that Kane won't deliver it well in pieces, in either sense, so let's allow him to speak in full without tearing him limb from limb…"
"...Very well, Leon, you do have a point…" relented Mylene, before giving a baleful glance at Kane. "...Let's be seated at my desk…"
With that, Mylene folded her abused fan back up and returned to her seat behind her desk, continuing to glare at Kane. I led Kane to a seat on the other side of the desk, frankly doubting that the man would go to one on his own after such a beating from Mylene. For another tense moment, nothing was said as the two former Lepartian nobles stared at each other, Mylene in anger and Kane in apprehension, and I soon realized that I was going to have to be the "adult" here and get the conversation started if we hoped to discuss anything else.
"...Let me guess, Kane," I sighed as I massaged the bridge of my nose to try and head off the oncoming migraine. "Would this be related to the 'indiscretions" that had you disinherited?"
"You were disinherited?!" screeched Mylene as her expression turned almost apoplectic.
"Mylene, please!" I placated emphatically, to which Mylene quieted down.
"...Not directly, lad, but close," explained Kane as he rubbed his injured nose gingerly. "See, 'Lene and meself were close when we were young, but then she was betrothed to ol' Rolly, the lucky bastard, so I decides to step back and not interfere…"
As the man paused to take a swig from his flask, I felt there was something more to Kane's story than simply deciding "to step back and not interfere", but it was clearly a sore subject for him, so I didn't press him further. Mylene seemed to also sense this and, in spite of her obvious desire to shake the information from him, if needed, she remained silent. Kane took a breath and then continued, his voice a little shaky.
"In the months following Lene and Rolly's wedding, I found meself growing acquainted with one o' the family maids, and… things sparked…"
"An affair with a chambermaid, Jakob?" asked Mylene in disbelief. "You can't tell me that you were disinherited over just a simple affair! Even if you were more heavily involved, you could have taken her as a mistress-"
"-'Cept 'elves can't be mistresses'," snarled Kane, and Mylene gasped. "Sure, you can use them like common whores, but if ye want something more, ye can't have a 'dirty knife-ear'..."
"I… I'm sorry, Jakob…" sighed Mylene, with most of her anger evaporating at the expression on Kane's face. "If… if you can describe her, I can see about my intelligence corps attempting to locate her…"
"Not sure she's alive, what with how me pap exploded when caught me stealin' a kiss from her one mornin'..." replied Kane darkly. "Still, I'd be grateful to know…"
"I take it you were disinherited right away?" I asked, hoping to learn a bit more on the subject as I kept the conversation going.
"Nah, he dismissed her first," snorted Kane mirthlessly. "Had her packed up within the hour in a skiff to Gods-know-where, and made me watch as it rose off into the sky. He confined me to me room, sayin' he'd decide me fate in the mornin', but I overheard his decision when I snuck out that night to steal some food: Disinherited and sent to whatever meat grinder of a posting that the Lepartian Army had. So I grabs me adventurin' gear, fills a sack with whatever shine I can find, and slips away into the night."
"...So you never even saw…" whispered Mylene briefly to herself before addressing Kane fully. "So you simply ran off before your disinheritance? Nothing else? Your father seemed quite certain you were dead once he finally deigned to explain what happened to you…"
"Well, might've been a touch o' wishful thinkin' on his part…" admitted Kane sheepishly.
"...I know I'm going to regret asking, but why would it be 'wishful thinking'?" I asked after a moment.
"...Might've woken him afore I left by breakin' his nose with the hilt of his own sword…" muttered Kane.
"...which you also stole?" I pressed.
"...Aye, I might've pilfered it," hedged Kane.
I sighed heavily, unable to resist facepalming as I could hear Mylene muttering in the background. For a moment, I feared that my hopes to get Kane a pardon were in vain, but then again Mylene didn't seem like she wanted Kane dead. Instead, she was behaving more like- well, like a woman yelling at a loved one for doing something extraordinarily stupid. Whether that was platonic or romantic love was something yet to be seen, but at least the anger had quelled enough that we could get to the actual point of the meeting.
"...So in regards to the Sharks-" I began, cutting off as my fortunes once again turned for the worse.
"Mylene? Is Lord Bartfort here yet?" asked Roland as he walked into Mylene's office without knocking. "I wanted to ask him about the new Avarice-class Armor that he added to the simulation. What's the point of an Armor carrying a huge supply of ammunition that it'll never use-"
Roland stopped dead in his tracks as he caught sight of Kane, blinking in silent disbelief. Quietly, I prepared a taser disk in my left hand, just in case this confrontation was about to turn violent. It seemed pretty clear to me that there was some sort of unrequited romance between Kane and Mylene, even if they'd not chosen to act on it, and I had no clue how Roland might react to being on the other side of infidelity, and I expected that hypocrisy wouldn't be out of character for the mad king. However, Roland shattered my expectations yet again as he let out a joyful belly laugh and rushed to Kane's chair, clearly delighted to see the man.
"Jakob, you magnificent bastard!" laughed Roland as he hauled Kane to his feet and hugged him like a long-lost brother. "I knew you were still alive!"
"... 'Lo, Rolly…" blinked Kane as he tried to reconcile the contrast between the two reunions with his old friends.
"Sixteen years hasn't changed you a bit!" grinned Roland. "Well, maybe the beard, but…ah, no matter! Gods Above, we've got so much to catch up on! Come! You must meet my kids! Jules is out, sorting out some trouble or another with his lady, as I'm sure you remember how that was when we were young, but Jake and Erika would love to meet their 'Uncle Jakob' they've heard so much about!"
"...Uncle Jakob?" asked Kane, looking completely bewildered.
"Oh yes! You didn't think that I'd never say a word to my kids about my brother in all but blood, did you?" replied Roland as he began to lead Kane to the door. "Hell, 'Lene and I named Jake after you!"
And with that, Hurricane Roland absconded with the primary focus of my meeting with Mylene without so much as acknowledgement that his earlier question for me still remained unanswered. Mylene and I both let out a world-weary sigh at the same moment, which allowed us to laugh ruefully at the situation. In spite of the distractions, we still needed to get something accomplished with this meeting, but I felt it wise to quickly check in with her first before moving on.
"...Are you alright, Mylene?" I asked gently.
"...I will be, eventually," sighed Mylene. "Forgive me, Leon, but it was quite the shock to see the man I- …well, it was quite the shock, in any event."
"Of course, Mylene," I nodded, recognizing that Mylene was still hesitant to speak on her issues with Kane.
"So… The Winged Sharks have been rescuing the abandoned heirs from the Lower and Middle Nobility that the Forest of Ladies has been claiming widow's pensions for?" asked Mylene, clearly wanting to move on from the subject.
"Yep, after using the Offreys to leak intelligence to Holfort's enemies so that these young men were guaranteed to be killed," I elaborated. "Frampton originally started doing this to keep the frontier nobles on the border 'under control', to prevent them from splintering away like Fanoss did, and simultaneously obtain the loyalty of the Forest of Ladies in Parliamentary meetings and their military personnel for the upcoming conquest of Fanoss that he's orchestrating."
"...So Malcolm really is attempting to grab power by conquering Fanoss?" sighed Mylene, massaging the bridge of her nose in an attempt to soothe her growing migraine.
"And it could have been successful, to a degree, if the Forest of Ladies had not stabbed him in the back by selling off those military assets to satisfy their opulent and hedonistic desires," I snorted. "The Offreys would then see these assets moved into the hands of the pirate gangs they associated with, and even across our borders into Fanoss. So, to be blunt, the Kingdom of Holfort has been fucked over by the Frampton Faction, the Forest of Ladies, and the Offreys, and Captain Kane and his ship's logs have a wealth of evidence to nail them all to the wall…"
"...In regards to your accusations toward Frampton and the Forest of Ladies, I'll need to review the evidence that you found with the Winged Sharks and their… Captain… further before making a decision," mused Mylene, briefly sparing a glare at the door where Kane had left before continuing. "However, after conducting a separate investigation through the Holfortian Intelligence Corps, I would say that the evidence against the Offreys is indisputable. I hereby contract Bartfort's Bastards to execute the arrest warrant for Earl Offrey and his family for their crimes against the Holfort Kingdom. Officially, it's for conspiracy with pirates, but…"
"...'But'?" I pressed.
"...Leon, I love my children dearly," began Mylene. "Julius and Erika are truly the best things that Roland has helped me bring into the world, and I feel just as strongly for Jake and Jilk, despite not sharing a drop of blood with them. The Offrey Bitch hurt Jilk, and without your intervention, he could have been dead or crippled. I want her to feel my displeasure in full, Lord Bartfort…"
"By your command, Majesty," I bowed. "One question: What's the rules of engagement for their guards and estate staff?"
"I'll put it this way: I want you to put the fear of the Gods into the Offreys, and I do not care how many of their staff you have to kill to make that happen," replied Mylene bluntly. "You claim to have trained the finest Armor Pilots in the world and given them the pinnacle of Armor technology to use. I want you to prove it by burning the Offrey Estate here in the Capital to the ground while they watch."
"I can arrange that, I think," I nodded briefly. "I will draw the line at killing non-combatants in cold blood, but I'll have them evacuated before my squad leaders roll in."
"Only your squad leaders?" frowned Mylene. "I figured you'd need two of your squads, at the very least."
"My White Rabbit could handle the job on her own, if I had no other options," I laughed. "But I suppose I'll just have to let you watch the flight recorder data for yourself before you'd believe me."
"Ah yes, the infamous 'White Rabbit' that keeps being mentioned," quipped Mylene with an exasperated smile. "I suppose I shall prepare to be impressed."
"You can certainly try to prepare, Lady Mylene," I chuckled with a roguish grin. "However, I guarantee that you'll be very impressed, whether you're prepared or not…"
"...So, we're just going to circle above the building in stealth mode until the tin cans get the civilians out, right?" asked Liam. "Then we can smash the buildings?"
It had not taken long to organize my commanders and their personalized Armors to strike at the Offrey estate. It was surprisingly modest for a noble estate, considering Earl Offrey's rank, with the bulk of the extravagance coming from three separate guard barracks and a full Armor hangar with about fifty Armors. Our Armor dropship kept a high enough altitude for us to remain undetected while the droids did their job in abducting the non-combatants.
"Just the outbuildings for the Offrey Family's guards," I corrected, deciding to clarify my orders. "I want their manor kept intact, just in case there's more documents that we can use to take down the Forest. However, once we get the civilians out, everyone else is expendable. Alice and I will focus on the Armor units using Caerbannog and Arroganz. Howard, since you're in Reaper, you'll be on antipersonnel duty to handle the Offrey's foot soldiers. Maria, you'll knock out their airships with Sandman before helping me and Alice. Liam, use the flamethrowers on Prometheus to burn the garrison buildings, then assist Howard. The droids will make sure that the Offreys are watching as their might turns to ash."
"Got it, Boss," acknowledged Howard. "What if they start to surrender?"
"...To be honest, they'll likely be executed for treason, given the Offrey's crimes," I sighed. "If they surrender, we'll have the drones pick them up alongside the Offreys, but I get the feeling that there may not be too many survivors."
"Understood," acknowledged Howard as he refrained from calling any additional attention to it.
I took a deep breath. This mission would be the first time that I was consciously choosing to take human lives in this world, but there wasn't much choice here. These men were complicit in the worst of the Offreys' crimes, and so if I had to get blood on my hands sometime, this would probably be the least morally-questionable time to do so. I told myself to stop wobbling over it, since it would be Alice's first time taking lives as well. A notification flashed on my HUD, informing that the Infiltration Team had secured the Offreys.
"Alright, we're clear for Drop," I barked. "I expect us in and out in fifteen minutes or less, and if you guys have so much as a scratch on any of you, there'll be hell to pay!"
"We get you, Sir!" replied my subordinates.
"...Drop now, Bastards!" I ordered as the floor fell from beneath us and we dropped into the sky below.
Only a dozen Armors were roaming the grounds when we landed, and for a brief moment, no one moved to attack us as they stood in silent disbelief that five Armors could drop in so close while being undetected. Then, in a sudden moment of clarity that would damn him and his comrades, one of the foot soldiers emptied his rifle into Alice's Caerbannog, screaming as if his voice could dispel us. Every round harmlessly bounced off the heavily modified Hubris-Class Armor, failing to even scratch the bone-white paint job. I responded for Alice by raising my autocannon and blowing a hole through the cockpit of the nearest Fusilier Mk-5, killing the pilot before he could scream.
With that, the spell was broken, and everyone opened fire. Alice charged forward in Caerbannog, her sword drawn as she cut down five Armors in as many strokes. Any who blocked her strikes were quickly splattered in their cockpits by her arm-mounted autocannons. Those that attempted to strike from behind found themselves outflanked by her additional maneuvering jets. Manarifles discharged all around, but dissipated harmlessly against us.
Liam blasted the barracks and hangar with precise bursts from Prometheus' flamethrowers, denying the enemy as many reinforcements as he could with a simple move. Invidious-Class Armors like Prometheus were normally designed to handle Armor Drones and Missiles with a number of "lures" to bring such hazards into range of point defenses, but their flamer units were advantageous against enemy buildings, and Prometheus had expanded flamer fuel tanks instead of the standard "backpack" that the Hubris-Class and its derivatives shared. The flames were effective in trapping the guards inside the barracks buildings, but the Hangar was far less affected, thus allowing additional Armors to join the fight. They wouldn't last long, however, between my autocannon shots and the overheating that Liam's flames provided.
Thanks to its EMP infused drones, Maria's Sandman was brutally-efficient in disabling the personal airships of the Offrey family and their pirate allies. One by one, vessels dropped from the sky as flight computers shut down, sending them crashing to the ground below. Within minutes, any chance the Offreys had of fleeing had been utterly destroyed by a single Torpor-class Armor. At the last ship fell, Maria moved to join me and Alice in mopping up the remaining Armors.
Reaper was hosing down scores of guards with its twin 30 mm gatling guns, turning men into mist with a sound like a pair titanic angry hornets. Any lopsided attempt against Howard made by the poor bastards on the ground made no difference. Even if they had projectile weapons strong enough to break through the armor plates of Reaper, every Malice-Class Armor had a sort of "overshield" that could stop bombardment from 88 mm guns as long as it had power.
Naturally, under this combined assault, it didn't take long for the Offreys' thugs to surrender, some even dropping their weapons and praying. I signaled a few Gauntlets to drop off another few squads of drones to handle the additional prisoners. According to the Arroganz's bio-scanners, over eighty five percent of all the defenders were dead, with an additional five to seven percent severely wounded. To an Old Human and their sensibilities, it was…overwhelming. I opened the comms back up.
"Alright, let's start mopping up here," I ordered, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice. "Great work, everyone."
Closing the comms as quick as I could, I dismounted from the Arroganz to vomit, popping my helmet off as I puked in the shadow of my Armor. I knew that I would have nightmares about this later; even if the people I killed were not "good" by any means, I still was responsible for their deaths. After a quick rinse of my mouth from my canteen, I popped my helmet back on just in time to see Offrey dragged from the house by two of my drones.
"You bastard!" shrieked Offrey as two of my drones frog-marched her out of the house. "What have you done with Carla?! I swear if you put a finger on her, I will-"
I moved forward and headbutt Offrey unconscious without another word, rebreaking her nose in the process. The bitch slumped forward in the grip of the drones, held up only by her arms as blood dropped onto her rumpled white nightdress. I sighed as I wiped my helmet clean with a spare cloth before I addressed the lead drone directly.
"Make sure she doesn't drown in her own blood, but put her in isolation," I ordered. "No light, no sound; I want her in sensory deprivation for the next two days before questioning. Knock out the rest of the family and isolate them as well. Once that's done, I want every scrap of paper boxed up and cataloged thoroughly before this manor is burned."
The drone gave a beep of acknowledgement before assisting its partner to drag Offrey to the dropship. I could see Earl Offrey and his wife also being dragged away while the rest of my drones scoured the property for any and all documents. Alice stepped down from Caerbannog and stood next to me, a slight tremor in her hand the only sign that tonight's events had shaken her in any way. I offered her my thermos of Earl Grey, to which she took a quick sip before returning it.
"...So, how are you feeling?" I asked. "First time in real combat?"
"It's…not what I expected," admitted Alice. "I'll admit, the simulator doesn't really prepare you for the aftermath, once you're out of the cockpit. Inside Caerbannog, it's just like the simulator, complete with the same filtered and climate controlled cockpit. I had to remind myself that there were actual men dying every time I slashed through or shot through a cockpit. I thought I would be more horrified with it, but… I'm not, really… I know these men were horrible and did horrible things under the Offreys and I can't find it in myself to regret what we did here."
"You might feel differently about it later, once the adrenaline has faded," I mused. "I know I'm feeling pretty numb myself, considering this was the first time I've taken a human life. You can always step back if you feel it's too much-"
"We count our victories in the lives we save, right?" interjected Alice. "I know it sounds backwards, but if I can save lives with what we're doing, then I'll stick with it, Leon. Besides, Fanoss is right around the corner, if your information is right…"
"...Sorry, I had to try," I smiled grimly. "I'm glad to have you with us, Alice, but I'm sorry that it's cost you some of your innocence."
"At least we can bring some measure of peace to the ones that the Offreys hurt…" sighed Alice.
I'd made it back to the Academy by the afternoon of the next day, and all my earlier fears were back in full force. Within an agonizing hour of my arrival, Livia had messaged me, text only, that they were ready to talk to me. As I opened the door to my tea room, I could see all three of them staring at me with unreadable looks on their faces. I could tell that either my worst nightmare had come to life and they now despised me or they still loved me as much as I loved them and were annoyed at my self-imposed emotional turmoil. I quickly took a seat on the couch across from them, trying to hold my nerve
"Thank you for coming so quickly, Leon," greeted Angelica evenly. "I trust your mission to deal with Miss Offrey and her family was successful?"
"Successful beyond even my expectations," I confirmed, taking a seat across from them. "The Bastards will do their job well if the time comes, that's for certain."
Angelica nodded appreciatively, but said nothing more, and the awkward silence returned, threatening to drive me mad. I cleared my throat after a moment more, preparing to ask the question that had hung over my head for the past day.
"...So, you've read through Journal One, then?" I asked weakly.
"We have," confirmed Angelica, her expression still unreadable.
"...And what have you decided?" I asked, bracing myself for the worst.
"Well, to start, I hope you'll recall my parting words last night and understand why I feel the need to do this," replied Angelica as she stood from her chair and approached me swiftly and lifted me to my feet.
The slap across my cheek caused my head to snap to the side, and for an instant, I felt the sting in my heart more keenly than that of my cheek as I briefly believed that Angelica had given me her answer in no uncertain terms. Of course, that only lasted for a moment as she caught hold of my chin and turned my head to face her again, her ruby eyes flaring with that passionate fire that I loved so much. My memory of her parting words suddenly flashed in my mind right at the moment that Angie claimed my lips with her own.
As Angie knocked me back into my seat with the zeal of her first kiss with me, I set aside the swirling mix of euphoria and confusion at being accepted by the women I loved with all my heart so that I could give the kiss with Angie the attention that it deserved. I could feel my head spin as Angie's lavender perfume filled my lungs and I savored the sensation of her lips against mine. When we finally broke apart, Angie moved to sit beside me on the couch as she stared into my eyes and answered the question that I couldn't quite bring to my lips in my joyful stupor.
"...When I first met you in the courtyard, I thought you were a remarkable man, but still simply a man," explained Angie as she gently caressed the cheek she'd just slapped moments before. "As we spent more time together, you quickly became something far more than a man; you were a hero, a living legend, even. I could feel myself falling more and more in love with you as a person, but I foolishly worried that you'd eventually come to not need me, and every miraculous feat you performed reinforced that fear even as it made me adore you further. After reading through the journal and learning the truth of your story, I came to realize that you are, in fact, still a man, no matter how wonderful you are, and even a rather foolish man at times in spite of your brilliance. Clarice and Livia feel the same as I do, as you should be well-aware by this point."
"Leon, you really make it hard to be mad at you for being a dumbass," chuckled Clarice as her emerald eyes glimmered with amusement. "But if you keep trying to say that we shouldn't love you, I might actually start to get mad."
"You know, I feel like someone predicted this exact outcome last week…" teased Livia.
"So, with all that out of the way, there's only one more thing left to say…" concluded Angie as she eagerly climbed back into my lap as she stared down into my eyes. "...Marry us, you wonderfully foolish man…"
Sorry for the delays on this one. New cats in the household have thrown my writing schedule out of balance, and I've been trying to re-find that balance. I will be redoing this end note sometime later this week, but I wanted to get this out as soon as possible.