Persona 5P: The Phantom Paradox (Persona 5 Royal & Strikers / Young Justice: Outsiders)
Chapter 3: Winery of Greed
"Arsène!"
At Joker's command, the red clad being cleaved a shadow in half with its claws. Any shadow that came close to its master, Joker slashed at them a few times with his knife. Any of the shadows that haven't revealed themselves were easy to take down. But the enemy had the advantage in numbers.
This fight has become one of attrition. Every time he took down one shadow, another took its place. Despite the numerous enemies he's facing, he was grinning. It was exhilarating to be fighting again. To let loose!
And he wasn't the only one feeling this. As he fought, his comrades were taking on their share of the Shadows as well.
"Blast them away!" He heard Skull shout. He is pointing towards a group of shadows charging at him. Like Joker, his mask became blue flames. "Captain Kidd!"
A pirate-like being standing on a floating ship with a painted smile face appeared next to skull. It wore a hat with the jolly roger and a matching eyepatch. Two cutlasses crossed his chest on a leather belt as a tattered coat flowed behind him. The most unnerving thing about him is the skull like face, glaring at the shadows with it's one yellow eye.
Captain Kidd aimed a golden cannon arm at the shadows and fired a yellow lightning bolt. It struck the shadows, electrocuting them. They gave a great wail before they disintegrated.
"Oh yeah!" Skull pumped his fist. "They're going to feel that in the…"
He was cut off as a shadow managed to sock him on the cheek. Skull was knocked to the floor from the sucker punch. The Shadow was about to attack the downed thief when it was struck from behind. The shadow disintegrates as Mona held his scimitar high. The feline thief glared at Skull.
"Dammit Skull! Stay focused," Morgana scolded. He turned to another group of shadows and smirked. "Now it's my time to shine! Zorro!"
Shimmering into existence is a masculine being clad in a black outfit with a high collar and a cloak flowing behind him. His hat had yellow eyes staring out. A huge gloved, three-fingered hand gripped a tiny rapier. Emblazoned proudly on its belt, for all to see, is a silver Z as if to tell who he is.
With his rapier, Zorro carved a green Z into the air. It shot forward like a gust of wind, disintegrating the shadows in its path. When it died down, the only thing that remained were the fading ashes.
The thieves continued to fight for their lives. Old instincts and skills slowly returned to them as they fought. Soon, there were no shadows left.
"Man, that was a rush!" Ryuji says as he and the rest of the thieves converged on each other. Just then, a flaming version of Joker's mask appeared where one of the many shadows once stood, grabbing their attention. "Whoa, is that...?" Ryuji asked in surprise.
Joker nodded. "Yeah. It looks like that shadow that got defeated is now obtainable to use as a Persona." He then reached his hand out to it, as the mask floated towards him before grasping it, and then puts it on his face as it then disappears in blue flames, thus signifying that he has now obtained Preta as a Persona.
Ryuji then pumped his fist into the air. "Woohoo! Alright, your first Persona right after re-entering the Metaverse!" He cheered, before wincing in pain. He rubbed the spot where the shadow struck him and winced. "I'm going to feel that one in the morning. Mona? Can you heal me up?"
"Of course," Morgana muttered as he summons Zorro again. With a wave of his rapier, a green light washed over Skull. The bruise on his face faded away. "I told you to take it easy! Not to go crazy!"
"You were praising me for taking charge as usual!" Skull shouted. "And how come you're not scolding Joker? Not that I have a problem with you doing it bro. You rock!"
"Because he used his power wisely. Remember, Persona's take a lot out of us. We need to conserve our energy."
Personas are the rebel souls that reside within them. A mask they wear to as an armor of the heart when confronting matters in the Metaverse. Awakened when faced with they decide to rebel against those who wronged or taken advantage of them. They are the power they use to fight against the shadows. But as Mona said, using them willy-nilly is exhausting.
"If Oracle we're here, she could pinpoint their weaknesses," Joker said. He straightened himself up. "We're going to have to work out to get back into shape. But first, we need to find an exit and recuperate."
"Agreed," Morgana looked around and jumped. "Incoming!"
Another horde of shadows was coming towards them.
"This isn't good," Ren muttered. "We're still exhausted from the first wave. We could get overwhelmed."
Joker looked at his knife. Now that he thought about it, where did he get it from? He wasn't holding it before the Shadows showed up. It wasn't even lying around on the ground, unless the Arena's ruler wanted its intruders to be armed.
He made a stray gesture with his index finger. To his surprise, a display showed up in front of him. It circulates as a reticle with three different icons. One is an icon with a small dagger labeled 'Rebel Knife'. The second one is a pistol labeled 'Handgun'. Last one is crossed out with 'Unarmed' as its label.
Joker felt like this like a virtual reality light novel he once read. Acting on a hunch, he touched the handgun icon. His Rebel Knife disappeared in a lightshow of pixel and an IMI Desert Eagle took its place. He aimed it at the flying shadows and got a feeling for its weight. It felt loaded.
"Woah! Joker, how did you do that?" Skull cried out when he saw the gun in his hand.
"Make this gesture and select the gun icon," Joker instructed, mimicking the previous gesture to show Skull. His comrade mimicked him and is able to access the same interface as him.
"Holy shit!" Skull cried out when his club is replaced by a Benelli M3. "This is just like a video game!"
"Yeah…" Morgana said as he held a slingshot. He already loaded the sling and drew it. "Let's take them out!"
The thieves aimed their weapons at the shadows and fired. Joker recalled his teachers lessons back when he was in probation. His shots hit the targets with precision, downing them flat on their back. Skull followed his lead by firing shell after shell, any got close got most of the pellets. These shots drowned out Morgana's slingshot noises as he fired pellets at them. By the time they have ran out of ammunition, the shadows have been downed.
"They're down!" Morgana cries out. He smiled as he and his fellows saw an opportunity. "Shall we?"
"Hell yeah!" Skull pumped. "Let's finish them off! Phantom Thief style!"
"Let's go you guys!" Joker shouts as he charges at the shadows. Within seconds, they became black blurs. They sped across the battlefield, hitting the shadows while they are down. This attack lasted several more seconds before they reappeared behind the shadows. Joker tugs the back of his red glove.
"Show's over!"
At this declaration, the shadows behind them exploded into black goo. With one final wail, they disintegrated.
"Whew! What a rush!" Skull jumps as he raises his fist to the sky. "God, I missed this!"
"We all did pretty good," Morgana admitted. Just then, a bright screen appeared in front of them. It read:
Victory!
Reward
298 Points
"Points?" Skull asked, leaning forward to peer at the screen before it vanished. "What the hell?"
"Okay, things are getting weird. I've never seen the Metaverse do THIS before," Mona muttered. He turned to Joker. "How did you know how to do that weapon swap, Joker?"
"I just did this with my weapon hand by accident," Joker said, repeating the gesture again.
"Just like a video game…" Mona muttered. His ears perked up at an idea. "What if…what if the way out of this place is to log out?"
"Log out?" Skull asked.
"I think I see where Mona is going with this," Ren said. "So far, we have experienced video game mechanics. The weapons and the reward. Not to mention this is happened after I put on the Goode Goggles and selected the MetaLauncher. Which means there has to be a menu that contains…"
"The logout buttons!" Skull finished to which Joker nods. "Then what are you waiting for! Let's get out of here!"
"We're trying, Skull," Mona said tersely. "We just don't know how to access the menu!"
"Give me some time," Joker said before another argument could break out. He looked at his hand. Assuming that it functions the same way as the Goode Goggles, like the weapon swapping mechanic, a gesture should be able to bring up the menu. He tried a few gestures with his index finger. His third try yielded success as a menu appeared in front of him. At the bottom is 'Logout'.
"Great! Now we can—"
Then, something hit the ground at the center of the group. They looked down to see a cylindrical object spin, releasing gas from one end. The thieves reacted too late as they feel their muscles become sluggish.
"Not again…"
That was the last thing Joker heard Skull groan as they lost conscious
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Joker slowly began to regain awaken. He felt his feet drag on the floor as was he pulled forward by two sets of arms. He heard the voice of his friends as
"First a net gun and now sleeping gas? I feel like the shadows are starting to get better."
"Be quiet cat!"
"Don't call me a cat! OW!"
"Mona, don't provoke them!"
Jokers eyes slowly opened. He was hanging between two of the Ranch Hand shadows. His eyes scanned his surroundings. The thief is being lead across a wine-red colored rug with hints of purple. On the walls are paintings of a man he didn't know. This situation somewhat reminded him of Suguru Kamoshida's Palace. So far, it didn't appear sexually depraved as the former teacher of Shujin Academy. From behind, he felt his comrades in the same situation.
"Good to see you're up Joker," Skull said. "These pricks have knocked us out and are bringing us to their leader."
"Quiet!" A shadow socked a Skull in the jaw to silence him. Joker can feel his glare behind his back. They will get their payback soon enough; the right moment is all they need. For now, he mentioned that they are taking them to their leader. Which meant they are being taken to their boss.
By extension, the ruler of the Arena.
They are brought before a set of doors, the same color as the rug. Engraved in gold are two wine bottles opened to let out a fountain of their contents. Above them, facing away, are two B's. One of the Ranch Hands knocked on the door hard.
"Enter!" A deep voice spoke.
The doors opened and the Ranch Hands dragged the thieves inside a throne room. Sitting on a throne is a broad-shouldered man who would've been taller if he had been sitting up. His hair is brown with gray strands at his temples. A brown mustache stretched down to his chin. In contrast to the red, he wore a military uniform that is violet accented with gold medals and ribbons. Around his shoulders is a fur cloak.
Joker had him pegged as the Arena's ruler.
In his hands, he was pouring a glass of wine into a crystal goblet. Joker noticed that at the right of the throne was a stone pillar in the form of a kneeling man. On top is an empty blue cushion.
"What's this?" The ruler spoke with a distorted voice as they threw the thieves before his feet. His golden eyes stared down from the throne with disdain as he twirled the wine glass in hand. "Why have you disturbed me?"
"Forgive us for disturbing you milord," The ranch hands took a knee. "But we found these mongrels inside your vineyard. We believe they were trying to steal your grapes, milord!"
"Grapes? Why on earth would anyone want to steal your grapes?" Skull shouted. Joker knew what was coming, so he decided to take one for the team.
"With your grapes hanging out in the open like that, do you not expect someone to steal them? Or is that your arrogance talking?" Joker asked rhetorically. This earned him a kick in the back by the ranch hand. Rather than keep silent, he chuckled. "Who taught you how kick? Your boss?"
"Enough!" The ruler roared. He had gotten up his throne and planted his foot on top of Joker's head. Joker gritted his teeth as pressure is applied. "You disturb me because some petty rabble decided to intrude upon my vineyard? Bah! I have plenty of grapes for my winery. It doesn't matter if thieves sneak in and steal a few measly grapes."
"What should we do with them, milord?"
"Throw them in the dungeons for all I care!" The ruler ordered as he removes his foot from Joker's head. "As much as I would love to see them sent to the processing plant, I have other things to worry about. Namely my missing bottle of Vin jaune! How is it that you idiots can't find one girl? Is it really hard?!"
"N-no, milord!"
"Then get moving and get back to work! I have a winery to run!" The ruler roared at them. The ranch hands nodded and grabbed the thieves and dragged them out of the throne room. Several minutes later, they are thrown into a cell deep in the dungeon. As soon as the cell door banged shut, Skull ran to it and shook it. The two guards stationed in front jabbed at him with their spears, forcing him back.
"Damn!" Skull cursed, he turned around. "It's locked!"
"What did you expect them to do? Leave it open?" Morgana asked. His tiny body knelt down as he examined his leader, who is on his hands and knees. "Are you alright, Joker?"
"I'm fine," Joker said as he propped himself up. His head was still aching from the pressure the ruler gave him. He rubbed the spot. "That guy sure had some lower body strength? I almost had my skull cracked."
"Oh, I'm going to get that bastard!" Skull growled. "But right now, we need to find a way out of here!"
"How? The guard pocketed the key when they threw us in here and he just left," Mona said. He hung his head. "I wish we still had our infiltration tools. This is the first time that I wish I had my cat form."
"This is the first time you admit that you're a cat," Skull commented.
"I AM NOT A CAT!" Mona shouted.
"Quiet you two. We may not need tools or the key," Joker said. Skull and Mona turned to their leader. He had just opened up the game menu with a finger hovering over the Logout button.
"Wait…you mean logout here?" Skull asked. "Like RIGHT here?"
"No time like the present to find out if it works, right?" Joker asked.
"At this point, I'm willing to try anything," Mona sighed. "We're still out of shape judging from our last fight. Provoking an entire academy of shadows to come down on us isn't our style. If this works, we can use this as an emergency escape in situations like thi-!" He stops himself as he then senses something, grabbing the attention of both boys.
"What is it, Mona?" Skull asked.
Morgana then got a serious look on his face. "Well well, I sure haven't had this feeling in a while. I think there's a Will Seed somewhere nearby." He says, shocking them both.
"For real!?" Skull shouted.
"What are you babbling about?" The guard demanded.
"Nothing at all," Joker said with faux innocence before turning back to Morgana. "Are you sure of this?" He asked as Morgana nodded.
"I know that it's been a while, but I definitely recognize the sensation. There's no mistaking it." He said.
Joker hummed at this. "Well, there's not much we can do right now to try to get it. We'll just have to make our way back here later on to try to get it." He said.
"Agreed. In the meantime, do it Joker." said Morgana.
Joker nodded. "You got it." He said as he pressed the Logout button. Around him, the world began to distort into black and red.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
You have returned to the real world. Thank you for playing.
Ren is now staring at the homepage of the Goode Goggles. The MetaLauncher is now a part of it. He turned off the goggles and took them off, rubbing his eyes. He was back in his regular attire.
"Man," Ryuji said as he took his off, also too is back in his regular attire. "Damn, looks like it worked! We're back in the…uh…huh…"
When they took off their Goode Goggles, they found themselves in a stone brick cell. Rusty iron bars blocked the exit, as if they stood there for ages. About twelve feet up, sunlight peeked out of one window.
"Where are we!" Ryuji shouted. "Are we still in the Metaverse?"
"Not exactly," Morgana said in his real-world form. "We appeared to be in real world…just in a cell. An old one at that judging by the state."
"But how did we end up here?" Ryuji demanded. "I thought we were still in the Hotel when we put them on!"
"The Metaverse is a reflection of the real world," Morgana said. "Maybe we ended up in the same place the dungeon was in the creep's arena?"
"So, we're inside a literally dungeon?" Ryuji asked incredulously. He turned to Ren, who remained calm and composed. "How are you not upset about this? You were prison for once!"
"It doesn't really help," Ren answered. "Not to mention that I was the one who insisted on using the logout button."
"Yeah. We should've fought our way out," Ryuji muttered. "Any clue on where we are?"
"Nope," Ren answered with a small pop despite the answer being obvious. He looked up at the window. "Can you give me a boost?"
Ryuji nodded. He crouched down and let Ren on his shoulders. Grunting from the weight, he walked towards the window wall. He strained to get up on Ryuji's shoulders and look through the window. He could feel Ryuji struggle to support his weight.
"Seriously? Have your skills as a thief dulled this much?" Morgana asks as he clambers up Ryuji's leg. They felt his claws as he climbed up to Ren's shoulder. "Here let me see…"
Morgana hopped onto Ren's head and onto the windowsill. Ryuji buckled down to let Ren off his shoulders.
"Damn, man. What have you been eating," Ryuji asked as he rubbed his sore shoulders.
"Be glad that I'm the one hearing that," Ren warned him. He looked up at Morgana. "Morgana. What do you see?"
"It's already getting dark," Morgana answered as he peered through the bars. "But I can see white walls…towers and…oh boy…"
"What? What's wrong?" Ryuji asked. Morgana turned around and hopped into Ren's arms. He climbed up his shoulder. The feline gave a nervous chuckle.
"Remember when Makoto told us that Markovia is a sovereign nation last night?" Morgana asked. "Well…it turns out that we are in Castle Markov."
Both of the humans said nothing. They were rather shocked at what Morgana had just said. It was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
"So, we have three options," Morgana continued. "One, we can go back to the Metaverse and fight our way out. Two, we stay here and rot while the others are looking for us. Or three…we scream for help and risk getting arrested for trespassing on the Royal Castle."
It was pretty obvious which one they were going for. They pretty much don't have their phones on them. So they did the one simple thing.
"HELP!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Remember," Ren said to Ryuji in Japanese with a light glare. "When they bring us to whoever is in charge, let ME do the talking."
"Okay," Ryuji said with no argument. "Personally, I think we were better off fighting in the palace if we knew that we would be dumped here."
"What are you talking about?" One of the guards asked as they led them through the halls of Castle Markov. After shouting in the dungeon for five minutes, somebody had noticed them. That someone happened to be a passing cook, who had alerted the guards. After they got them out of the cell, they were ordered to come with them for questioning.
"I was just telling my friend that I will speak for us. He's still struggling with English."
It was mostly true. English was one of the subjects in Shujin Academy that Ryuji struggled with. This was proven during their trip to Hawaii when Ryuji didn't understand the customs officer. He was getting better, to the point of understanding English if only in bits, but he could still say the wrong thing that will land them in more trouble. Which is the last thing they need in their current situation.
If the guard seemed to have understood this, he didn't say anything. They continued walking until they came to a door. From the sounds inside, it would appear that the occupants were having dinner. One of the guards walked to the door, opened it slightly, and drew back. Seconds later, a man came walking out.
Ren and Ryuji's heart became lodged in their throats when they saw him. Even Morgana, who is currently riding Ren's shoulder, couldn't contain his surprise. Standing before them is the man they encountered in the palace. Instead of the purple uniform, he wore a red one accented with yellow with a blue sash. Unlike his shadow, his face is slightly wrinkled.
"Hey Ren! That's—"
"What is going on here?" The man demanded, clearly not pleased that his dinner was interrupted.
"We found these two in the old dungeons of the castle sir," The guard answered. "Foreign tourists from Japan. They claimed that they were abducted and brought there. One of the What should we do with them?"
As they were being led through the palace, Morgana concocted the story. They were playing with their Goode Goggles when they were suddenly abducted and taken to the dungeons. It sounded like cock-and-bull, but they couldn't just explain the metaverse and expect them to accept it.
The man lightly glared at the two Japanese men. Ren could from experience can tell a calculating look when he saw one. He was studying them.
"You're foreigners?"
"Yes," Ren answered politely as he could. Before he could say anything else, the man sharply cut him off.
"Yes, milord. Do you know who you are talking to here?"
Next to him, he could feel Ryuji stiffen. Ren couldn't blame him. He was sounding just like his shadow self. But they couldn't afford to lose their cool.
"No milord. I can't say I do," Ren answered in fluent English, keeping his voice neutral. His response got a shocked look on the man and even the guards face. Beside him, Ryuji snickered despite not knowing who he is either. The man recovered and spoke derisively.
"I should've expected a foreigner to not know. I am Baron DeLamb, commander-in-chief of Markovia's security forces. You do well to remember that," He warns Ren before he turned to his men. "Send them to the prison. We'll deport them in the morning."
Ren stepped back in shock. Deported?! Then that will mean they have to leave their friends here. He knew they would be disappointed that they had to leave because they entered the castle grounds. But that would also mean that they wouldn't be able to deal with the palace her in Markovburg. Who knows what insidious things this man has been doing to cause such distortion?
"What!" Ryuji shouted in outrage, drawing the baron's attention. "You can't do that!"
"I can and I will," Frederick answered haughtily. "You have entered royal grounds without authorization, which is a serious crime. You're lucky that you are not citizen here, otherwise you would've been imprisoned and executed."
"Executed?" Morgana asked in aghast. "For trespassing? Where's the sign?"
"Men, take them away and—"
"Frederick? What is going on?"
All eyes turned as a woman had just walked out of the room Frederick came out of. She is Caucasian with short blond hair and brown eyes. Her lips are purple with lipstick along with her eyeshadow. She looked at the two Japanese boys before looking at the Baron.
"Who are these men?"
"Ah…sister," Frederick greeted politely. Somehow, the way he said it made Ren's skin crawl. "The guard had just found these two foreigners on the castle grounds. In the dungeons no less."
"The dungeons?" She asked in concern. "Why we're they here? How did they get into the castle?"
"I don't know. What I do know is that they were trespassing on royal grounds. Therefore, I'm am escorting them out and deporting them."
"We didn't know it was Castle Markov!" Ren protested as the guards seized their arms and began to drag them away. "How were we supposed to know where we were put when abducted?"
"Wait!" The guards stopped at the sister's command. Her expression softened towards the men. "Abducted?"
"Silence you!" Frederick ordered. "Do you know who you are addressing? Who you stand before?"
"Darling? What's going on? I heard raised voices," A rotund man had exited the dining room. He wore the same attire as Baron DeLamb except his had shoulder tassels. His had a balding head with grey hair with sideburns that merged with his mustache. Next came a young man with the same uniform and had neat black hair trimmed.
"Your majesty," Frederick said, hastily bowing. "I apologize that this ruckus has disturbed dinner more than it had to. Rest assured, I'm resolving this issue."
"Who is that?" Ryuji asked Ren who shrugged. Frederick seemed to have noticed this and rounded on them.
"Insolent—are you oblivious?" Frederick demanded. "This is King Victor Markov and Queen Ilona DeLamb-Markov! Next to them is Prince Gregor Markov, heir to the crown of Markovia! You are standing before the Royal Family of Markovia!"
Ren's eyes widened at the revelation. How could he have been so dumb? They were in Castle Markovia and the Ilona spoke to Frederick as if he were her equal. More like a sister if he guessed right.
"I'm sorry," Ren hastily bowed as much as the guards would let him. "I didn't know."
"Dude, what are you doing?" Ryuji asked him.
"They're the king and queen you idiot!" Morgana hissed from Ren's shoulder. "Show some respect!"
"Holy shit for real?!" Ryuji panicked before mimicking Ren's action. "We're so sorry!"
"As you should be," Frederick said. He turned back to the royals. "I once again apologize for this minor inconvenience. My men will escort them out right now."
"Hold on Frederick," Ilona walked towards them. She waved the guards to release him and Ryuji. Frederick was about to protest when her husband held his hand out in front of him.
"Your majesty!"
"I believe we should hear them out before we execute judgment," Victor said. He addressed the two boys. "May we have your names?"
"Ren Amamiya, your majesty," Ren said. He was a little uncomfortable giving his name in front of a supposed enemy. "This is my friend Ryuji Sakamoto. We're tourists from Japan visiting your country. It's only our first day here and I just wish that this hadn't happened."
"Indeed," Ilona said. "You said you were abducted. Could you clarify that?"
"We were in our hotel room when it happened. We we're about to head out with our friends when we decided to play with our Goode Goggles. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best move because the door opened. At first, we thought it was our friends until we we're knocked out. When we came too, we found ourselves here. We didn't have our phones, so we began shouting for help."
"What about the cat?" Ilona asked, pointing to Morgana. Thankfully, Morgana didn't bristle at being called a cat as usual.
"He's mine," Ren answered. "He came looking for me when I went missing. You can say that he and I are connected."
"You can say that again." Morgana said.
"I find that story hard to believe," Frederick scoffed. "Who would want to kidnap two foreigners? Are you accusing us of kidnapping you because you 'magically' appeared in the old dungeons?"
"I never said anything that would lead to that, milord," Ren said. "I don't have an idea who kidnapped us or why. I'm only telling what I know."
"Right now, all I have is my word as evidence," Ren said to the gathered royals. "Please believe me your majesties."
"Well, I believe him," Victor said. Frederick looked at him in surprise.
"Your majesty. You can't seriously believe this drivel!"
"I see no reason to disbelieve him," Victor replied calmly. "Personally, they don't seem to be the type of sort to pull this sort of stunt. I mean, what kind of weirdos would break into this castle just to lock themselves in a dungeon? Ridiculous!"
At this he let out a light laugh. Even his wife and son gave a chuckle at his joke. The guards struggled to stifle their chuckles while the Baron seemed enraged. The thieves in their midst almost laughed at the expression of rage.
"I agree with father," Gregor said. "By their reactions, they had no clue that they were in this castle nor did they know who we are. We can't deport them just for being taken to a place against their will. What would…did you say you were from Japan?"
"Yes, milord," Ren nodded.
"What would Japan think if we deport two of its citizens because of a simple misunderstanding?" Gregor asked. "For that matter, the fact that they were abducted, taken past security and trapped in the old dungeons without our knowing raises concerns don't you think?"
"What are you saying?" Frederick asked his nephew with a furrow of his brow.
"I mean, how else would they be able to get in there unless somebody brought them here?"
"They could be metahumans who teleported in there."
"If they were metahumans, much less unscrupulous people, wouldn't they have used their powers to escape this castle," Gregor points out. "They seemed to be cooperative with the guards so far."
"I'm sure Gregor meant no offense brother," Ilona said, looking back at Frederick. Her look ended the argument about to unfold. "But this is the second time that an incident occurred in this castle. This time, someone is using it to hold these two here. Do you suppose that someone among our security is responsible? Should you not find out who is trying to take advantage of us?"
The thieves saw the queen give him a determined look. Frederick held her gaze before he backed down. To them, it looked reluctantly.
"I'll…I'll investigate this matter," Frederick said in resignation.
"Thank you, brother. In the meantime…" Ilona turned to three thieves. "I'll escort these gentlemen back to their hotel. I'm sure your friends are worried about you."
"Ilona!" Frederick spoke as if she announced she was jumping off a cliff. "Surely such a task is best left to the Security Forces?"
"No, I'd like to see to this matter personally," Ilona said with finality. She turned to her husband. "You wouldn't mind my love?"
"Not at all," Victor said with a smile. He addressed the two. "I do apologize that your visit to our country got off on the wrong foot. Please enjoy your stay in Markovia."
"We will your majesty," Ren said with a smile.
"Definitely, your majesty," Ryuji said.
"I would like to come too, if you wouldn't mind mother," Gregor said.
"That's fine. Come along then," Ilona gestured them to follow her.
"Wait," The two of them turned around to see the Baron walking up to them. In his hands, he held the Goode Goggles. "These are yours. I suppose you'll want them back. We don't want for you to come back and accuse us of stealing."
"Thank you, milord," Ren said as he took the Goode Goggles back. He handed his to Ryuji. "Perhaps this experience will help us learn to watch our backs when we play."
"I hope it does," Frederick said with a smile. It felt somewhat false. "Be sure you remember that and please…enjoy your stay."
Something about that made Ren's skin crawl.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"What a piece of work," Ryuji growled as he sat in the limo of the royals. They sat across from the royals as they drove away from the Castle.
"What did he say?" Ilona asked Ren.
"He didn't like Baron DeLamb a lot, your majesty," Ren explained. "No offense I hope?"
"None taken," Ilona said. "I must apologize. My brother can be a bit difficult, but he puts the safety of his family above anything else."
"Somehow I doubt that." Morgana muttered. Ilona focused on Morgana before turning back to Ren.
"May I?"
"Of course, your majesty," Ren said with a nod. Morgana turned his furry head, a look of betrayal on his face.
"Traitor!" Morgana hissed as the Queen began to scratch him behind the ears. "Hey! Hands off pal! Only Lady Ann is allowed to…meeeooow~!"
Morgana began to purr like a regular cat. Ren smiled at this interaction.
"He's so adorable," Ilona said. "What's his name?"
"Morgana, your majesty," Ren said. "We we're lucky that our hotel accepted cats. He wasn't happy about being left behind."
"I can imagine," Ilona complimented. "So, you are from Japan? What's your country like?"
"Nothing like yours I'm afraid. Mount Fuji is a beautiful sight when you come to visit. Not to mention the Cherry Blossoms when they bloom in early April."
"That sounds lovely," Illona said with a smile. "I have a son returning from studying abroad. I hope he visited such a wonderful country."
"You have another son, your majety?" Ren asked.
"My brother, Brion," Gregor answered. "He was born sixteen minutes after me. Then two years later, our sister Tara was born."
"Tara," At the mention of the name, the queen of Markovia looked down with a depressed look on her face. Ren saw this and remembered something about their conversation in the castle.
"Forgive me if I am intruding, your majesty, but you mentioned that this is the second incident that occurred in the castle. Did something else happen?"
"It's alright," Gregor assured him. "It's common knowledge in our country that the princess, our sister was kidnapped two years ago."
"Kidnapped?" Ren asked. He looked at their faces to see their forlorn expressions. "Was it a metahuman trafficking ring?"
"We believe so, but we can't prove it," Ilona answered. "Either way, we are hoping for her safe return. Which is why we plan to put a stop to it and find our daughter. Which is why I am glad I ran into you two."
She gazed at Ren and Ryuji, who seemed surprise at her words. "I don't know who among our guard abducted you, but last thing I would've want is for you to be stolen away from those you love. Just like my daughter."
Her words sounded so sincere. Ryuji, who understood most of what she said, felt moved by her words so much that he burst out crying. Ren couldn't help but feel swayed by her words.
"If it helps…" Ren said, recalling the events that led to his probation. "I know what it's like to have a future stolen from you."
"What happened?" Ilona asked.
"Some asshat got him set up for a crime he didn't commit," Ryuji growled. Fortunately, they didn't hear the vulgar word. The royals looked at him, shocked by what he just said. They looked back at Ren who confirmed.
"While he could've worded that correctly, your majesty, it's true," Ren said. "Two years ago, a corrupt politician in my country was drunkenly assaulting a woman. When I moved to stop him, he set me up on trumped up charges. He had connections to the police and justice system, so it was easy for him to silence me. Even going so far as to order a hit on me. While that man is exposed as a liar and a criminal, I still feel the scars of the life he ruined."
"That sounds…I can't describe it," Ilona said in disgust. "What kind of people would support such a vile man?"
"The world is filled with men with twisted desires, your majesty," Ren said. "I'm glad that isn't the case here in this country. Not to mention a noble goal. You and your husband are a good pair of royals your majesty."
He meant it. These people weren't like the rotten adults that he and his friends fought against as the Phantom Thieves. This Queen went out of her way to help two foreigners despite not knowing much about them.
"Thank you for your kind words," Ilona said. "I hope that your countrymen don't have to go through what that man did to you."
"And I hope that you will reunite with your daughter, your majesty," Ren said with a smile. Then it became a frown when he contemplated something.
"Your face looks intimidating, Mr. Amamiya," Ilona points out.
"My apologies, your majesty," Ren apologized. "People tend to find me a little intimidating without my glasses. I just have a question if I may ask."
"You may."
"You said that Baron DeLamb, your brother, is the head of the Markovia Security Forces. Does that mean they act as the Royal Guard as well? Or am I getting it wrong?"
"No, you are correct," Ilona said. "My brother is in charge of the security of this country and the royal family. A duty that he takes seriously."
"Ever since you married into the family, your majesty?"
"Of course."
"Hmm," Ren said, his frown deepening. He had a feeling that Baron DeLamb isn't really concerned about his country. If he did, then couldn't he have prevented the princess from being kidnapped? Not to mention he didn't seem motivated to find her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have a domain as hideous as Kamoshida's. The way he spoke about wine bottles is making him feel disgust.
"Whatcha getting at?" Ryuji asked in Japanese.
"Just confirming my suspicions," Ren answered back.
"Is something the matter?" Gregor asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We're just wondering how close we to the hotel are," Ren answered smoothly. Just as he said that the limo stopped.
"Your majesty, we've arrived at Hotel Markov," The driver announced.
"Speak of the devil," Ren muttered.
"Indeed, night is upon us," Gregor chuckled. He exited the car first and held the door open. "Gentlemen. Hotel Markov. Please enjoy your stay in Markovia."
Ren smiled. He addressed Queen Ilona one last time, "Thank you for your kindness your majesty. This is a debt I won't forget."
"You can say that again," Ryuji said eagerly. "If it weren't for you or the king really saved our asses back there! Thank you."
His sentence was fully English, so Morgana and Ren could only shake their heads at this. To their relief, the Queen didn't mind as she didn't like how loose people get whenever they are in the presence of royalty. Looking out the window, night had indeed fallen. Morgana exited first, followed by Ryuji. Ren was just exiting the limo when Prince Gregor stopped him.
"You're suspicious of my uncle, aren't you?" Gregor asked. When Ren didn't answer, he said, "Don't worry. I don't trust my uncle either. Do you think he might have something to do with your abduction and my sisters?"
Prince Gregor was truly perceptive. While the abduction wasn't true, he was dead-on about the princess' abduction. Ren slowly nods.
"I don't know much, nor I can prove anything," Ren carefully said. "But I'd be wary of him, just in case. We all have masks to hide behind, your majesty."
Prince Gregor took in his words and nodded back. "Those are wise words that I will take to heart."
"THERE YOU ARE!"
Ren jumped and turned to the entrance of the hotel. An angry Ann is marching towards them, a pissed off look on her face. Ryuji backed away when she got into his face.
"Where have you been?!" She demanded in Japanese. "We've been looking all over for you three!"
"H-hey! Don't look at us!" Ryuji gulped. "A lot has happened!"
"I'm sure you have a lot to tell!" Ann growled. Then she rounded on Ren. "And you! What do you have to say about this?"
"Ann, we have a good reason as to why we were missing," Ren answered calmly. "Please calm down."
"What's going on?" Ilona asked, peering out of the limo where she could see the argument.
"It would appear that their friends were indeed worried about them," Gregor said with a chuckle. Though his eyes were more focused on Ann who noticed the royals.
"Who are they?" Ann asked.
"Their majesty's Queen Ilona and Prince Gregor of Markovia," Ren answered, making Ann reel back in shock.
"For real?!" Ann asked. She turned to the royals and hastily bowed and said in English, "I'm so sorry for my behaviour! I had no idea!"
"It's quite alright," Gregor said, though there was a hint of a blush on his cheeks. "We just wanted to drop them off to their hotel. We hope that you enjoy your stay."
"Thank you, your majesty," Ann said with a sigh of relief.
"Just don't hold it against your friends. It's not their fault for what happen," Ilona said as the prince got back inside. "It was a pleasure meeting you Ren Amamiya. I hope you enjoy Markovia."
With that, the door closed, and the limo drove away. Ren stared after it even after it faded. From behind, he heard Ann talking with Ryuji. Keyword talking.
"Why were you two with the Queen and Prince?"
"Well…we we're in the Castle…"
"The castle?! What were you doing in the castle?!"
"It's a long story, Lady Ann."
Soon, their words were drowned out as Ren focused on the castle. His eyes narrowed as if he could see the Baron. They may not have known it, but Baron DeLamb clearly isn't acting in the country's best interest. Not to mention the suspicious circumstances surrounding Princess Tara's kidnapping. Something was going on in this country.
And the Phantom Thieves are going to find out.
"Hey, Ren!" Ryuji called out. "We're going inside!"
"I'm coming," Ren said. He had just turned around when something collided into his side, knocking him down.
"Oof!"
"Woah! Ren are you alright?"
Ren looked to see who ran into him. It was a dark-skinned girl a year younger than them. Probably in high school years. She wore a yellow coat over a gray undercoat. Her hood fell back to reveal brown dreadlocks with golden cuffs. What caught his attention was the look of fear on her face.
She looked like she needed help.
And here's the next chapter for you all. In the previous chapter, I've introduced Preta to the Persona 5 series as a Shadow & Persona, and is of the Devil Arcana. Also, if anybody is wondering about it's appearance, as I've stated before, look up how it looks in Shin Megami Tensei V. The same will go with other shadows that I'll introduce that haven't appeared in the Persona 5 series games. Also, since you can only post 1 review per chapter, could anyone tell me the color order that the Will Seeds are normally found in the Persona 5 Royal game through private messaging? I can't quite remember.