A/N: Hey. This is the first part of the Lindwurm arc… Well, it's more of the prologue to the Lindwurm arc, had some stuff I wanted to set up.

So, in EiS canon Lindwurm was just a holy city in which a tournament was held. Here, I decided to change things a bit. Namely I'm skipping like 4 or 5 chapters of Mobuseka Canon. Basically, after the attack from Fanoss Leon would've taken all the ships from the Fanoss fleet and "sold" them to his fellow poor men. Afterwards he'd have another duel with the five, who took all the spare parts from their broken armors, and hired some shady person to put what was left all together. This left Greg to fight in an armor that was seconds away from blowing up and Leon to score another victory against them even though he wanted to lose on purpose.

Afterwards Leon goes home for the winter break. During which, Leon turns over the Saintess' necklace because of Zola and her friend from the forests of ladies. Here it's confirmed that Marie is the new Saintess and as soon as Leon gets back he realizes that Marie placed him as her new bodyguard, which leads to the elf stuff.

However, in my canon, the Fanoss ships were deleted by Cid and the five really respect Leon so there's no need for that. So, here's where we blend stuff and go back to EiS canon.

I might make a timeline of events at some point.

Also, someone requested an index on Archive. If anyone knows how to make something like that, could you tell me? For now, here's a quick key to all the names, at least for the people with a ton of them.

Leon Fou [now Rapha] Barfort: Renowned adventurer and current crown prince. / previously: Hiro (pre:isekai)—Lea of Bart's Fort (The true founder of Holfort and lover to the Saintess Ann and Mary)—JOU_MOU_ (someone who used to work in Luxion's facility.)

Angelica Rapha Redgrave: Daughter of Duke Redgrave and ex-fiancé to Julius/ Previously: Ann of Bart's Fort (aka Saintess Ann and lover of Lea of Bart's fort). / Also goes by Angie to close friends and loved ones.

Olivia: Commoner from the Kagenou Barony. / previously: Mary (lover and companion to Ann and Lea. What happened to her is a mystery). / Is also known as Livia by her close friends and loved ones.

Cid Kagenou: fiancé to several famous elves but just a regular mob you'd find anywhere / previously: Minoru Kagenou (Pre:isekai and possibly post[this fanfic only, details on that to come]) / Also dons the secret identity of "Lord Shadow." Leader and founder of The Shadow Garden.

Alice [Kagenou]: Cid's personal elf servant, lover, and childhood friend / previously: Beatrice (this is non canon, but all of Shadow Garden had identities before joining so I made a name up for her.) / Dons the secret identity of "Alpha" or "Lady Shade." Co-leader and second founder of The Shadow Garden, first of the Seven Shades. The name "Alpha" is only used by those in Shadow Garden.

Other Shadow Garden Members: All of the seven shades have secret identities. They see their Shadow Garden names as their true names and will use that in their own thoughts. But to everyone not in Shadow Garden that sees them as their secret identities will use those names.

Beta: Natsume Kafka, renowned writer.

Gamma: Luna of Mitsugoshi, owner of said store and many others, richest Woman in the world.

Delta: Sara, certified good girl.

Epsilon: Shiron, amazing musician known internationally.

Zeta: Zetan. Previously known as Lili, named after the therianthrope hero.

Eta: Goes by Eta Lloyd Wright, renowned Architect.

I think that's all the main ones. So just a quick reminder: if they're in Shadow Garden or the Seven Shades are seen in their slime suits, they will be referred to by their Seven Shade identities, it's also the one they refer to themselves with and amongst each other. However, for all non-shadow garden members that see them in their secret identities (i.e. not the slime suits), they'll use the other names.

Disclaimer: I don't own Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs, nor The Eminence in Shadow. The only Beta reader here is the elf.

-Alexia-

After letting Sherry go back with Hertrude I went back to waiting for Iris. Marie and her boytoys did grill me a bit on what I knew about Hertrude, but honestly it wasn't much. I mean there's the stuff we learned in class, like the coup that happened 10 years ago, and the revolt that happened 20 years agon, and some stuff before and between that. But they probably knew all that since Fanoss is their biggest enemy.

"Alexia!"

Oh, finally.

I've been waiting for a couple of hours n-

And she's hugging me.

"N-nee-san?" I stutter out. Not because I'm easily flustered by physical affection, this is my sister for the Saintess' sake. But because the last time she hugged me like this I had been kidnapped. "What's happening?"

Iris got up from the hug, her hands still tightly holding my shoulders as though I'd run away, and stated, "Alexia, did you not hear? One of the other groups faced an attack."

An attack? On one of the other groups?

Poochie…? Is Pooch-

Iris' grip tightens before I can move, "They're fine. Leon-kun sent me a response through Lux-kun about how everything has already been settled. I was just worried that this might have been a multi-faceted attack. Your friends and Cid are all okay. Tired, but okay. Okay?"

*Phew*

"Should I be worried about how concerned you were about my niece's fiancé?" chimed in an unfamiliar voice. I turn my head and see Alice… no, this elven woman's hair is paler…

I look over to Iris, "Nee-san, who is this?"

Iris lets go of my arms but still holds onto one of my hands, I try to subtly sneak my hand out because I am not a child, though unfortunately her grip is much stronger than mine so that's a losing battle.

With her free hand Iris gestures to the elf who bows as Iris introduces her, "Ah, this is Beatrix. You may know her as the goddess of war… er that is, she is regarded with the title thanks to her many victories, she is not literally a goddess."

Part of me feels insulted that Iris felt the need to clarify that, but then again with how Lord Shadow and Lady Shade—and their apparent pet dragon—exist, gods walking amongst men isn't out of the question.

"There's no need to try and prop me up Iris," said Beatrix with a smile before delivering some rather interesting news, "You can just think of me as Alice's aunt."

Hm…

Maybe I can use this.

I put on my best demure smile and curtsied, "It's so nice to meet you! I didn't know she had an aunt!"

"Oh well that's because she was kidnapped as a child and I hadn't met her until recently," admitted Beatrix like she just said she her shoe was untied.

My eye twitches. I guess that means I can't really get anything out of her.

"O-oh! Is that so?" I say through my teeth, "Well I'm glad that you reunited recently."

Beatrix merely smiles politely, "Thank you."

"Well," said Iris, "I believe I owed you a shopping trip before you went to Lindwurm correct? There were a few things I wanted to discuss about that as well, so we should go ahead and get started… Would it be alright if Beatrix came with us, she is also considered a member of the crimson knights."

I nod, not particularly caring about having one on one time with nee-san.

So, what if I didn't let go of her hand till we got to the first store, shut up.

-P2W-

As is customary when royalty visits a shop, Alexia and Iris find themselves guided by a shop attendant while they are at Mitsugoshi.

However, unbeknownst to them, this shop attendant is Nu. Or rather, Nu who is wearing a disguise. The brown haired woman is currently testing out the latest in shadow wisdom 'hair-dye.' Technically, the practice of using material to dye one's hair has been done as early as the Paleolithic era, but the version born from Lord Shadow's wisdom and Lady Eta's ingenuity is something more permanent, easy to apply, and possible to commercialize.

With her hair dyed black, her face hidden behind glasses, make-up on her face to make her look more mature, and a dot placed strategically near her lip, Nu looks like a nerdy little sister to Lady Gamma, or rather Luna of Mitsugoshi… if Luna had a human sister, anyway.

"Princess Iris and Princess Alexia," greeted Nu, "Welcome to our humble establishment."

Nu bows in recognition of the status of the two, and as Nu's new disguise is not supposed to be aware of Beatrix who accompanies the two, she ignores her. Although it pains her to so blatantly disrespect someone who resembles Lady Shade. Not to mention that Beatrix is in fact, Lady Shade's aunt.

However, given that Beatrix chose to wear her large coat with its large hood, common etiquette dictates that it'd be fine, as Beatrix looks much more like a random guard than anything else. If anything Beatrix dresses like that on purpose, the title of goddess of war was only something useful to find her niece, and now that she knows where Alpha (whom she knows only as Alice) is, her fame is more of an annoyance.

"I see you all are doing quite well for yourself." Remarked Iris with a polite smile.

Alexia harumphs with her normal haughty attitude and flicks her hair slightly as she chimes in, "Well, they are something of an international business. They're known for stocking almost every product you can imagine, and each one is of the finest quality."

The group pass through the crowded interior and reach a quiet corner of the store. Alexia and Iris take a seat on a couch and Beatrix leans against a nearby wall while Nu explains that this is a special sales floor reserved for VIP clientele. Shortly after, Nu serves some tea and then leaves to the back room.

As the door closes behind her, Nu pumps her fist in joy. After being caught by Leon and his familiar Luxion, and possibly by Marco, she knew that she had to hide her identity from Princess Iris at the very least. Given how Iris had not recognized her at all, she considers her new disguise to be a success.

Iris, Alexia, and Beatrix all take a good look around the store, seeing the foreign site of a modern styled mall. Mannequins dressed in outfits they could have never imagined, purses with designs seemingly impractical but enticing to look at, and a very clear layout that shows everything off while still being accessible for people to walk through and pick things at their leisure.

"I initially came along to help you prepare for your trip but…" said Iris as she took in the design of the shop, "I think I understand now. This is all very interesting."

Alexia, who is in no way used to the sight calmly sips some tea and says, "Isn't it? I think you should at least stay informed with the latest fashion trends given this company's reach."

"…Trends are fine and well, but I must remind you not to get ahead of yourself here." Chided Iris as she watched her sister get up from her seat and begin to look around. "Your entire class may be going to the sacred land to see the Goddess' Trial, but you are in fact a special guest, after all."

Alexia tries on a hat and happily checks how it looks on her in a mirror, even looking back to Beatrix who gives a thumbs up.

"Yes, I know that. But it's normal for guests to have informal chats with the archbishop, no?" said Alexia as she continued to try on other hats and accessories, "No one would suspect that an ineffectual princess would be using it as a cover to inquire about dark rumors of corruption or disappearing orphans."

Iris hesitantly nods as she picks out some things for Alexia to wear. Although Alexia would never admit it, nor wear anything her sister picked out, she enjoys the attention.

"You would arouse less suspicion than I, this is true, but… Perhaps it was a mistake to speak to you about the investigation…" grumbled Iris.

Beatrix sits down and begins to partake in some tea herself. As she does so, the door Nu had vanished into opens and three other elven women enter.

"Pardon me." Said Luna as she came in to the room alongside two clerks while pushing a rolling table in, "Please accept my apology for not introducing myself sooner… or I suppose, I never have had the opportunity to introduce myself formally. I am Luna, the proprietor of this establishment."

Although both princesses had met Luna before during the parties held at the Mitsugoshi near the academy, this is the first time they've met her as she worked. While before Luna had seemed like a young girl doing her best to trail after her lover, here Luna seems a bit… different. She's still the same gorgeous elf with indigo/black-colored hair, but she seems more serious this time around. Perhaps the difference between the two settings.

In any case after some quick greetings and a more familiar smile exchanged with Beatrix, Luna begins to show what she had brought in.

Luna offers Iris, Alexia, and Beatrix some bite-sized brown nuggets.

"These are truffles, a product we've just put on the market. Please sample some, if it so pleases you." Said Luna with her perfect businesswoman smile.

Not wanting to make a bad impression on one of the women that she seeks approval of—Alexia accepts with a smile. "Very well, I'll gladly take you up on your offer."

"I'll try just one." Said Iris.

Beatrix takes one as well as another attendant offers her one. After sampling it, Alexia immediately and honestly requests that some be sent to her home. She would have said dormitory, but that was destroyed.

"Is there anything else you'd like to show us, Luna?" said Beatrix with an air of familiar care that Iris didn't know Beatrix possessed, "I'd love to see what you have available here."

Luna smiles happily, "As you wish."

"Er, Beatrix," whispered Iris, "We're just here to help Alexia prepare for her trip to Lindwurm."

"Apologies, but I'd like to see what one of my honorary nieces has done. I visited Mitsugoshi with you before, but we merely had some of their food if you recall." Said Beatrix.

Iris nods, recalling the time Beatrix's niece Alice had introduced her and Beatrix to the 'burger' and other similarly tasty but unhealthy foods. How Beatrix eats so many but retains her figure is something Iris envies.

"It's fine, I want to see too anyway." Adds Alexia. "Besides, this is the business Cid and Alice work at, so I'm curious."

Luna, who heard this 'secret' conversation, does her best not to show her glee at how horrible the trio is at speaking discreetly. Instead she continues with her role as a businesswoman.

"Will you be traveling?" asks Luna.

Alexia nods, "To the Sacred Land, Lindwurm."

Luna recalls that Cid and Alice are also headed there, but as part of a school trip. Given that Alexia came here with Iris it's likely that she's here on royal business.

Luna mentally makes a note of this before deciding to move on, "My, my… In that case, I shall see if I can find a few things that might be of use."

"Please do," Alexia smiles, a bit excited to see what's in store, before seemingly recalling something, "Oh, and this doesn't have anything to do with my trip… but can you show me two or three outfits you'd recommend? I'm sure a woman like yourself knows a thing or two when it comes to assembling outfits."

Luna sees the compliment and allows it to merely bounce off of her, as no one's words save for the Shades and Cid would ever move her.

"Haven't you already ordered several party dresses?" asked Iris.

Alexia shakes her head, "That isn't what I meant… I'm looking for something more, I don't know, casual. Like for everyday use."

"As a gift for friend?" asked Iris.

Alexia blushes slightly, as 'gift' isn't exactly wrong given she plans to wear it for them. However, given that Luna, one of seven fiancés for said man is right there she does her best to look away and hide her face by brushing her hair with her hand. "A gift… No, not quite, but it's also not really for me so much as—well…"

Truthfully, Luna doesn't like Alexia. Or rather Gamma doesn't like Alexia.

To steal the title of Cid's first girlfriend, to drag him on his first few dates, to constantly annoy him and them… well she'd try to murder her were she not a princess.

However, direct confrontation is not the way that Gamma ever does things. No, she's far too clumsy. Instead, Gamma has another plan. She'll put on an act.

After all, pretending like she agrees with someone only to have them do exactly what she wants in the end is how she got her business to size that it is. So, she'll help Alexia for now, so that if Cid rejects her, Gamma wins, but if Cid accepts her, Alexia will be indebted to Gamma.

Truly, Gamma is the most cunning of the shades.

Still donning her face as Luna, she smiles mischievously, "Well then, perhaps this might be to your liking."

Luna claps her hands and the shop staff bring over a product.

Iris and Alexia immediately have their faces match the color of Iris' hair.

Luna once heard Cid and Leon laugh about how whenever Iris was exhausted during training she seemed to resemble a tomato. She laughs to herself silently when she sees how true that was.

"Th-Th-Th-Th-This… Th-This is…!" stuttered Iris.

Luna keeps her customer service smile on and calmly explains, "They're woman's underwear. We call them Thongs."

"Th…Thongs?" questioned Iris, a shocked expression on her face.

After all, while it does indeed bear some resemblance to the women's underwear she is familiar with, the amount of cloth is entirely too scarce. It leaves the butt almost entirely exposed, and to make matters worse, are transparent in places. It only covers the absolute bare minimum. The design is cute, but it is much too blunt in its intent.

I-I'm not too sure underwear like this should exist! screamed Iris within her mind.

Outwardly, Iris would protest to Luna, "Um, Pardon me! The cloth covers way too little and furthermore, it's see through in places!"

Luna chuckes with her eyes closed, "Yes, they're rather fetching, aren't they?"

"Fetching?" questioned Beatrix.

"Well, that's what I say in front of dignified guests," said Luna with her same close-eyes customer service smile… until she opens them, squinting at Alexia. "My fiancé refers to them as rather sexy."

The room falls silent.

"Se-se-se-se-se-se-se-se…" Iris is seconds away from screaming in astonishment, but then quickly does her best to recall who Luna's fiancé is. She then turns to Alexia, who had marched right up to the mannequin wearing the thong. "Alexia! No! Stop! You can't be…!"

"Iris." Said Alexia while glancing back at her sister.

"What!?" shouted back Iris.

Pulling the panties off the mannequin Alexia proudly declares, "I am confident about the shape of my butt!"

Beatrix nods in understanding while Luna tries her best not to burst into laughter.

Inwardly, Iris is screaming, What in the world is my sister saying!?

"That-that is not the issue here!" said Iris as she flusters. "S-S-Such immodest undergarments are not appropriate for a princess! Also, let go of those!"

A woman on a mission, Alexia does not let go, "Iris. I'm confident in the shape of my…"

"I heard you the first time! But no, I won't allow it!" shouts Iris.

Luna, who is secretly healing herself so she won't bust a rib, adds, "You may also try it on, if you wish."

Iris merely glares at Luna as if begging her not to make things worse.

"Please!" accepts Alexia.

"Whaaaat!?" shrieks Iris as she attempts to stop Alexia. "Absolutely not! I know you'll just try to sneak your way into buying them!"

Alexia clicks her tongue. "Tsk."

Beatrix walks over to Iris and stops her, "Those aren't so bad Princess Iris."

Iris glances over at her friend with a stare that all but says What the fuck do you mean!?

Though of course Iris instead says, "What on earth are you talking about!?"

"Well, elves and therianthropes usually wear stuff much skimpier than that," pointed out Beatrix.

Before Iris could explode, Luna continues to pretend she didn't just play Alexia like a fiddle, "Princess Iris? Perhaps you are misunderstanding. Thongs are undergarments meant to be worn by women."

"Apologies, but you had very clearly hinted that it's a sort of negligee!" complained Iris.

"Well yes, my fiancé does rather enjoy the access it gives him to my derriere whenever I pull up my skirt," said Luna, causing Alexia to get a few more pairs and Iris' blush to go down her neck, "The main benefit is how it leaves no lines in a dress. I'm wearing a pair right now, see?"

"I'm heading to the dressing room!" shouted Alexia.

Iris flounders and flails her arms as she attempts to reach for Alexia and stop her.

"Alexia?! Not so fast, Alexia!" shouts Iris as the two go behind a curtain. "Ah, wait, at least take off your shoes and fold your clothes…"

"She always gets caught up on the strangest things…" remarked Beatrix.

From the other side of the curtain, the pair of sisters can still be heard.

"It's nice to the touch, now as for the fit" mutters Alexia.

Iris shouts, "Ahhh! Alexia! Isn't that transparent?!"

"It's fine… barely."

"It's just barely nothing of the sort! Any way you look at it, you're st-st-sticking out… At any rate, no! A hundred times, no! I will not accept it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, very sure! As a princess of Midgar, I refuse to accept such shameless underwear!"

"But Iris…!"

"I absolutely refuse!"

"I see… But Iris."

Alexia slams her hand next to Iris' head, leaving Iris to give an astonished gasp.

"Alex…ia…" murmurs Iris.

"You know, I want to listen to you. I've always been swayed by meaningless words and lost sight of what matters. Like the time you told me you liked my swordplay. My swordplay is a symbol of my small, insignificant life. That's why I want to listen to those who accept that about me." Said Alexia as she gets in closer to Iris.

Iris, touched by her sisters words but flustered by the context of their current setting, merely responds with, "Alexia…"

Iris is moved to the point of trembling. After so very long, they were finally seeing eye to eye as sisters… although Iris does have to bend her legs a little to do that.

"If you can't accept Thongs, I won't buy them. But I would really like to try wearing them," said Alexia as she got even closer to Iris' face. "Besides aren't you curious as to what his higness Leon would think about them?"

Iris is baffled.

Alexia presses on, "Those panties you're currently wearing, the ones with bears on them, probably aren't going to stand out to him you know?"

Iris turns bright red, "I-I-I'll have you know that when he saw them by accident during training, he called them adorable!"

Damn it, thinks Alexia, why do you have to be a good partner for my sister at times like this? I'll have to go down another route.

Alexia slams her other hand next to Iris' head, "Iris."

"Y-yesh!?" yelps Iris.

"I want to trust your judgement. So please answer me. Are you absolutely sure Thongs are out of the question?" said Iris as she got mere centimeters away from her sister's face. "Iris."

Iris shifts her head away, "Well… I wouldn't say absolutely…"

Alexia smiles and backs off, "Then I'm buying one… Actually, I want several, with different patterns. And that one with the holes! May I try it on?"

"Um…" said Iris before she sighs and puts her head in her hands, "Oh, why not…"

Eventually Iris would be talked into getting a pair for herself as well.

-Mylene-

["…Yes, like that. Now do the calculations like I showed you."]

I do the math once more over the taxes I had been tasked with filing for the capital…

Normally, this is a long arduous process that takes a team of 10 and is done slowly over the course of a year.

However,

["So, what'd you get?"]

Thanks to Leon-kun's ingenious instructions and his new invention of long-distance communication, I managed to do this over the course of a couple of weeks, with the help of only my most trusted helpers.

"Something that seems correct," I admit, "But likely spells trouble."

I look up to see the hologram projection of Leon-kun in his office. Angie and Livia are there too, albeit off to the side and barely visible as they had attempted to help but fell asleep about two hours later.

Leon sheepishly scratches the back of his head, "Ah, yeah. The thing about math is when it's done correctly it tells no lies. Guess that's one of the many reasons they say taxes is the only certainty besides death. Oh well, after a certain point its really up to the officials to handle that right?"

I chuckle in an attempt to ignore the headache that is forming, "Yes. I'll make sure the King is made aware of this." I then mutter to myself, "that ass will probably get a kick out of being sent to beat up some people, it's the only thing he's good for anyway."

["What was that?"] asked Leon-kun.

I plaster a smile on my face and wave it off, "Oh nothing, just complaining about the people I work with, you know how it is."

Leon chuckles and nods, ["Then it's a good thing you're going to have a few days off, right?"]

I sigh and smile genuinely this time.

Yes, thanks to Leon-kun's constant advice I have been able to work though much of the paperwork I would suffer through. As future king he's even able to glance at most of this without it causing political issue, and when we discovered that, he was able to introduce me to a skill set known as "accounting." And the use of a "computer" or at least how to… use "excel" in a "computer."

I don't understand the language, but I don't have to either. If it gets me out of my office and able to see my daughter more often, then it could be all made up for all I cared.

"Yes, my daughter and I look forward to seeing you there." I say with a big grin on my face.

Leon waves and the hologram disappears, the little familiar vanishing shortly after.

I sit as my subordinates follow suit and begin to leave the room, leaving me with a dumb grin on my face that doesn't want to go away. A few of my subordinates smile at me, having some inkling of why I was so happy.

Truthfully, I find myself with a bit of a crush on Leon-kun. How could I not? He not only saved me in one of my darkest hours but has constantly helped me make my life turn for the better. However, given my age and current status as a woman married to the current king, I'd never be able to entertain it. Not to mention that I have children about his age.

Speaking of said children I decided that instead, it may be best to help him politically with a union to Erica. She does resemble me quite a bit after all, and it would be the best move to join our two factions in some way.

However, with the upcoming trip I'll have in Lindwurm… perhaps, perhaps I can pretend to be Milaine, exchange student from Repard for just a little bit.

I've earned that much, haven't I?

No, I don't deserve anything like that at all. Who am I kidding?

If it was this easy to fix all my issues then why did I have to wait for someone to save me? I have been born and raised to become a queen. I knew what kind of marriage I was going to have the moment I met Roland. I should've been better.

I should have spent more time with Julius. If I did maybe he wouldn't have turned out the way he did, maybe he would have been happy with Angelica or at the very least she wouldn't have spent so many nights in which my son drove her to tears due to various harsh rejections that I had to just hope would work themselves out.

Erica wouldn't have been so startled when I had shown up to her room the other day to spend time together. Saintess above! I would have had something to talk about with her! We sat in awkward silence until she brought up Julius losing the throne! Something brought about because of my plan for the academy!

What…

What have I been doing…?

-Leon-

I stretch after hanging up from my call with Milaine. I never thought that my super cheat skill that I carried from my other life would be the accounting skills I learned from my jobs, but hey if it works…

Pfft.

I'm OP In My Next Life Not Thanks to Strength or Some Cheat Skill, But Thanks to My Past Life's Accounting Skills!?

A light novel coming to you soon!

Lol.

Anyway, after seeing that mountain of paperwork that Milaine and her colleagues have to go through I couldn't in good conscious just leave her like that.

Angie was all for helping with that, but I guess she's more used to doing schoolwork than the mountains of paperwork an office job would entail. So she held on but eventually just gave up.

Livia also managed to hold on for a bit, not as much as Angie could, but she also just gave up. I mean I get it, if anything I was impressed about how long both of them managed to help out. Angie had some training, which is why she was able to keep up for so long, but Livia only had whatever she's learned from books and our classes.

I look over to my right and see the girls cuddling on a nearby couch. Livia laid down first, saying that her head had been hurting, and adorably Angie had laid down on top of her when she gave up. Livia of course hugged Angie close to her chest with a small smile on her face despite being asleep.

I walk over to them, figuring I should try and take them back to our bed. It's about 10PM right now.

We're still about two days away from Lindwurm so no need to mess with anything. The only thing that is an annoyance right now is all the damn students on my ship. At least we managed to save the staff so they're mostly handling it. However, the way from my office to my room necessitates that I'll pass by several students. And I don't want to show off how cute these two are together to anyone else…

Guess that means I have to wake them up.

But…

"Angie" murmured Livia as she began to chew on the two cowlicks Angie has on the top of her head.

"Livia," murmured Angie as she began to snuggle harder into Livia.

No, I can't do this.

I begin to write down something in Japanese.

Luxion, can you bring a bed in here quietly.

Luxion looks over to me and I can feel the judgement emanating from his little orb body. However, he says nothing and I see him disappear shortly after.

With nothing other to do than wait, I decided to think about some stuff.

Namely, what the hell is the likelihood that Cid truly was the one to do in the Fanossian fleet? For as long as I've known him, Cid had extremely low stats. It's not like he's out of shape, but he's nowhere near as strong as everyone else. If nothing else, he seems to be able to take a beating and run long distances. Which is honestly impressive in its own right. Like if I had to place him somewhere on a battlefield, he'd be the guy rescuing injured people and bringing them back to the medic.

What was it about Cid that Claire told me back before all this started?

Let's see, it was about at the start of the semester…

I remember that I was trying to avoid Livia at the time and the one way she'd actually leave me alone at the time was if I would spend time with Claire. Or rather, it was when I'd start training with Claire.

Livia had the drive to try and train with us, but she's more of a mage than a physical fighter so she'd tire out quickly. So we'd usually have Cid and Alice escort her back to her dorm while we continued training.

I recall one day in particular when this happened that Claire had been grumbling about Cid.

"Cid!" shouted Claire as he and Alice walked away with Livia, Alice being the one to give Livia a piggyback ride. "You better come back here after! You're not done!"

Cid and Alice looked at each other, nodded, and then ran off.

Claire was about to run after them because she was offended, but I tugged on her arm and made her sit down on a bench with me. Honestly given how she just let me do that I should have been clued in earlier that she had some feelings for me.

I remember saying to her, "Hey, lay off the guy. If he's done, then he's done. Unnecessarily continuing will just make him burn out and not help him at all."

"But…" said Claire before she slumped, "Ugh fine. Just for today though."

I laughed, after all I had to do that several different times… yeah, I should have guessed she had a crush on me. I mean there's no way a girl that didn't like me would have let me touch her and move her around… or stare at her chest when she tried to wipe the sweat off. Like she was wearing a sports bra, but still.

I remember Claire glared at me while we caught our breath. I smiled back sheepishly since I knew I was caught staring.

"Got something to say?" said Claire before sticking out her tongue at me.

I scratched my cheek and then looked away before trying to come up with something before she wanted us to start sparing, "Er, just wondering…"

"I'm not telling you my cup size you pervert." Huffed Claire as she covered her chest.

I raised my hands in surrender, "N-not what I was going to ask."

"Then what?" questioned Claire as she still guarded herself but scooted a little closer.

I did my best to think of a topic before eventually coming up with, "Why is it that you always treat Cid like that?"

Claire glared at me again, although to be honest I just thought she looked cute with that little upside-down V shape her mouth made.

"Like what?" she demanded.

I wave my hand as to gesture to an imaginary Cid in front of me, "You know, constantly pushing him to go well beyond his limits, never leaving him alone, and babying him… whenever Alice isn't, anyway."

Claire continued to glare at me for a couple of minutes, and I had to fight the urge to mess with her pouty face.

Eventually Claire would sigh and run her hand through her hair saying, "Cid… is… Look I don't really know how to explain it, but I know that Cid is far stronger than he lets on… there's… this potential there that I can see in him that I know that if he could just unlock it, he'd be the strongest person ever!"

My first instinct was to make fun of Claire, as having known Cid for a while at the time I could confidently have said that what you see with Cid is what you get. But when I saw the look in her eyes, I could tell this mattered a lot to her.

So I leaned back and looked to the clouds as the sun set, and asked her, "How can you tell?"

Although I hadn't been looking at her, I could tell that there was a shift in how Claire had been sitting.

"How can I tell what?" she asked.

"Cid's potential? How can you tell it's there?" I clarified.

Claire was silent again, likely choosing her words carefully. Eventually she started to explain, "Ever since he was born, I always got the idea that Cid was a little smarter than he ever let on. He's just… unmotivated. I don't know what it is but unless something interests him, he won't ever focus on it. Momma and Baldy say that he's just lazy, but I know that when he does find something he likes no one can stop him from exploring it."

I stayed silent, figuring that Claire needed to get it all off her chest.

"Like, he doesn't like swinging a sword or moving around but somehow he knows how to do these… stretchy things that make it easier to move around. And whenever I spar with him I can feel myself get better at fighting, and-and I know that sounds crazy since you spar with Cid sometimes too, but I swear-" said Claire before I cut her off.

I remember putting my hand on her shoulder and smiling at her, promising with full sincerity, "I believe you."

Claire paused. I saw her lip quiver a bit before she turned away, her hair hitting me in the face, and she took my hand off her shoulder. However, she continued to hold it with her hand.

"You're just saying that." Insisted Claire.

"To a degree, after all I know I believe in my siblings a lot more than some of them deserve," I admitted. But while squeezing her hand I continued to say, "But after spending all this time as his friend, I can agree that there's something there."

I remember the way Claire smiled at me vividly.

Especially since she immediately wanted to spar because she had no other way to express her emotions at the time since we weren't together and society kinda says that you shouldn't do anything other than hold hands with someone of the opposite gender before marriage.

The way she tried to kick my ass with that smile was terrifying, even if I did win.

"Leon…?"

Back in present time I look over to see Angie and Livia, who are on a bed that some robots brought in.

"What's wrong?" I asked with a smile.

Livia pouted, "You're not in bed with us."

Seeing as the two were still half asleep I decided to tease them a bit, "What if I wanted to sleep with Deirdre tonight?"

Angie dislodged herself from between Livia's built in pillows to say, "If it's not… *Yawn* Sunday then it's not her turn."

"She only gets one day?" I asked as I lay down next to the two, enjoying how Angie immediately rolled over to take one arm and Livia the other.

As Livia nestled into me she explained, "We'll make… *Yawn~* an actual… schedule after you go out with *Yawn~* the other girls… at least… once."

With that I heard the girls' breaths even out, showing that they fell asleep again. As I do my best to do the same I can't help but think,

Who are the other girls?

I mean, I can guess Clarice. That much seems a bit obvious. But…

I guess Iris, she was with them that night they originally tried to tell me about the whole harem thing.

There's no way they mean Milaine, right?

.

.

.

A/N: Okay, ending things here for now. Next chapter will have more focus on Cid/Shadow and the changes I made to Lindwurm. I guess I can just go ahead and say that there's going to be a few more elves. To that end though, it might be a good idea for me to play a bit more of the shadow garden chronicles, to get a better idea of how the whole templar thing worked. I just finished the chapter where Nu was cured, if you're curious.

Also the reason Cid didn't get anything this chapter is because he can't really do much when he's on a heavily monitored ship.

Now let's answer some comments.

Ao3:

Dynamic_Kaleidoscope_sensei (I'll answer the next one in the SB section): Man, that's a lot of words to go through, thanks for reading though.

You know what, that's a good point but I also feel like it's somewhat canonical to the characters to act that way. Whenever something happens in Mobuseka Leon usually just kinda… lets it. To be fair in canon he wants to be demoted and live an easy life so he hot potatoes the aftermath to others usually, but I guess I should have had them react more given what I've set up.

Cid was in character, after all they already set this up before during the 'writing room' part. Plus that bit was in Leon's PoV, not Cid's so… no that's a cop out, yeah. I do want to say though, that Cid does think they're in a game, as it's a standard isekai plot. I think I've said as much before, so when he heard about the monster, he wasn't interested because it was too obvious to him. Of course the game he's in would have a world ending threat. It's an rpg, you either fight the demon lord, a giant monster, or god.

I liked writing the interaction too, glad to see you liked it.

Yeah, honestly I think it'll happen a few more times.

Totntotbt: Lmao yeah, Vandel's playing 3d chess, Leon 4d, and Cid's playing checkers.

I'm hyped for lindwurm for the same reasons. I think next chapter for sure is when I'll start getting into it. Next chapter should be the promised heist.

I don't know about the CG's either. I'll try to figure something out.

Wolfpaladin:

Yeah, cid by accident. That lost world spell he was casting, lmao.

I have plans for Olivier.

Hope you liked Alexia's bit this chapter, I had to include it as it's one of my favorite scenes of her and Iris.

DivineDemonDragon:

I'm going to admit, I never saw Code Geass. The most I know about it is how it ends, lmao… and that abridged bit about Soup.

Mall fry typo, lol.

Leon is still suspicious, not quite sure.

Scarlet Fire, Sacred Aura, and Sacred Fire, those are some pretty good spell names, thanks.

DragonBlaze10: thanks.

Deathfang1920: Thank you.

Shadowy_guy(Guest): I'm going to admit, you're my main source of SMT specific spells, as I've only played Persona and its spinoffs. That does sound like a good thing to bring for the rematch.

BOY4_GOW: Yeah they were so damn confused.

Leon often does this, even in canon.

Oh yeah, I couldn't just not use Sherry. I just didn't want to redo what everyone else was doing in their fics though. I think the only other person that was using her uniquely would be the guy that's writing "But I made it up?" which had an update recently.

Fanfic:

Guest: No problem. Not many people are posting about the game anyway, so it's hard to get a grasp of Eta's character until you get her there.

EDG1999: Glad to hear I can brighten your day. Hope you liked this chapter's bit with Mylene.

SB:

MWKillKenny84: Yeah that's a really good summation of how things were going to look on Hertrude's side of things, especially politically. I do plan on having Hertrude play a part in the background later, so I'll get into it more then.

Kaleidoscope89: So, yeah I saw some of the feedback you left in Ao3 and decided to fix up the chapter. I really phoned it in that time due to lack of motivation so getting your feedback really helped on how to improve it. Thanks.

As for the with Leon's help thing, I was copying what they said in the chapter in case you weren't being coy.

Yeah the pay off is flat here, just like the fight with Lord Offrey was earlier, unfortunately that's what happens sometimes. It's either this or cut it out. Hopefully I could have it make a little more sense with the edited version of the chapter.

You have to equip an item to really use it, I mean I think in the Marie route the saintess stuff only activate when Olivia is wearing it. It is a bit out of place, but as her lover Leon is constantly worrying about Olivia.

I addressed the Vandel confusion in the edit I think.

Yeah, Cid's insane luck lol.

You're absolutely right that I sometimes have the characters exact same way. I should really work on that. It's hard to want to change things given that everyone has such strong personalities in canon but I should really do better.

I mean, I can't just include a third kingdom in a war (technically 4 counting Oriana) and then not use it.

QQ:

Zackman2k12: No worries about everything, I'm glad to see you liked the new version of the chapter. Although I do have to question why you'd DM me with something you'd just include in an edit later, lol.

Someone ani: Thanks for reading as always!

Bladist: Leon's growth rate is insane, especially now that he has the charm. With arroganz he's like on par with the Shades. He might not win against the ones better at fighting like Beta, Delta, Zeta, or Alpha, but he wouldn't go down without landing some serious hits.

I mean I didn't say I'd kill her, it's just there's not a lot to do with her character. Honestly I think the kindergarten spin off did more than the other stuff did.

…No? I've made it clear that Angelica's wearing them since the time Cid collapsed the dungeon? It's probably been a bit since it's been brought up since before this chapter, but I think there's a bit where I say that Angelica prays and they react to her.

Dragon_cloud16: Yeah, I know there's better and more fun ways to do mecha fights but for now I'll have to stick to the whole, "forget that we're in giant robots and treat it like a normal fight" style. I did watch the anime fight to get a better idea of what was going on, because for as much as I liked the manga version, it was basically like seeing a DBZ style limbs blur effect there for me.

Cid's luck is absurd.

I liked the idea of combining spells too, I think it's done in P4 Golden as well as the Showtime attacks in P5 Royal.

Zeta's getting some scenes next chapter.

Havefeth: Thanks for pointing out the errors, I appreciate it. As for the "Adamtius" thing, that's what it's called in the manga. I'll stick to it because of that. Unless someone can provide proof it was a typo or translation error.

Dragon_cloud16: Lmao, yeah. Kinda want to write an omake with that.

…I mean Lindwurm is from EiS, so yeah they would be there anyway…? I don't think I read that right.

Yeah the cult thing is better motivation than I remember Vandel originally having, which was he hated Holfort. If I recall correctly it wasn't even because his wife and daughter died, he legit just had a problem.