A/N: I've been enjoying the new Apocrypha event in Master of Garden. Olivier is about what I've imagined she'd be, but I do also like the extra details we've gotten for her. I didn't expect her to also get the demon treatment. This won't change anything in my fic since I had said that Cid could go demonic too anyway, but damn this means that we ain't getting Demon Alpha anytime soon, I think. (Watch me be wrong lol.)
It's also nice to have more moments with the Shades, and I kinda expected Zeta to think Lily was cringe but damn. I can't help but think now that Zeta would also hate Livia.
Well, that's enough preamble.
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. Currently Pregnant.
Olivia: Commoner from the Kagenou Barony. / previously: Mary, lover and companion to Ann and Lea. When they had returned from their adventures in ancient Midgar, all three had been attacked by the founding heirs as they all wanted Ann. To save Lea and Ann from such a fate, she teleported them away, and swapped bodies with Ann. / Is also known as Livia by her close friends and loved ones. Currently Pregnant.
Cid Kagenou: fiancé to several famous elves but just a regular mob you'd find anywhere / previously: Minoru Kagenou boy from Earth that would be transported to the ancient times of the current before dying at the hands of his friends due to becoming demonically possessed out of grief. / Also dons the secret identity of "Lord Shadow." Leader and founder of The Shadow Garden. / Mundane Mann, a pathetic looking sword wielder that disappeared many years ago and has returned for the Bushin festival. / Kageno of Mitsugoshi, after an argument with his parents, Cid decides to go by Kageno for a while. / Herlock Sholmes. During the trial of Leon v Holfort, Cid disguised himself as the famous detective.
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. Currently Pregnant.
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. Xianyun, Sword master of the far eastern kingdoms. Currently Pregnant.
Delta: Sara, certified good girl.
Epsilon: Shiron, amazing musician known internationally.
Zeta: Zetan. Previously known as Lilim, named after the therianthrope hero, Lili.
Eta: Goes by Eta Lloyd Wright, renowned Architect.
Charlie: Known previously as Carla Fou Wayne.
Aurora: Called Violet by Cid, and now camps out in his soul/brain. Known as the Witch of Calamity, and the Demon Diabolos.
Other People:
Claire Kagenou: Cid's older sister and one of Leon's fiancés. Going by Nonna during her time in Alzer.
Deidre Fou Roseblade: The stereotypical haughty Ojou-Sama. One of Leon's fiancés. Going by Rogue during her time in Alzer.
Rose Oriana: Princess of Oriana. Probably the only person besides Aurora that knows Cid thinks everything is part of a game. Going by Luci in Alzer. Number 666 in The Shadow Garden.
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.
-P2W-
Back in Holfort, Olivia was in her room getting changed. Although the war was over and Leon was currently gone, this by no means meant she was idling about. Even if due to her pregnancy Leon would prefer she did.
Indeed, as one half of the Saintess, one of Crown Prince Leon's formally recognized fiancés (wife to those who attended the 'engagement' ceremony) and a future mother, Olivia was perhaps busier than she had ever been. That's not even mentioning her status as a hero of the war, something she received a medal from the kingdom for.
As Olivia readied herself, her bright flax-colored bob bounced around her chin. She had clear blue eyes, a gentle aura, and soft voluptuous breasts.
"I wonder if I should get a new bra…" murmured Olivia, "Momma said my breasts would swell a bit… Heheh, I wonder if that'd get me to be bigger than Angie."
Before she could decide either way, there was an urgent knock at her door.
"Livia? It's me."
Angelica Rapha Redgrave. She, like Olivia, was engaged to Leon.
"Oh, yes, come in." Olivia said without thinking, shortly before realizing she was still in her underwear. Despite the fact that Angelica had seen her like that several times before, in a good number of different contexts, she couldn't help but feel flustered. "Uh, um… oh, no!"
She scrambled to pull on her skirt, lost her balance, and collapsed onto the floor just as the door swung open. Luckily, Leon and his AI companions had designed a charm on Olivia's ring that would catch her should she fall like this. Which meant that as Angelica stepped inside, her fair hair that usually was in a bun now hung freely, she saw Olivia comically suspended in the air.
"Livia, a letter from Leon has just… Wait, what are you doing?"
Olivia slumped as she slowly righted herself. "Nothing…"
"You know there's no need to rush on my account" said Angelica, "And besides, I think you'll want to see this."
She turned her gaze to the white blue-lensed sphere floating beside her.
(I have an email from Master!) Cleare declared, happily circling the two girls.
"An email… do you mean the 'dee-gital' letters that Leon used to send me after our adventure?" asked Olivia.
(Mh-hm!)
"What's it say, what's it say!?" Olivia rushed up to Angelica in excitement. Although Olivia vastly prefers to have Leon within hugging (and more) range at all times, she holds a special affection for the exchange of emails given how many she used to share with Leon in the past in the time between the end of their adventure and the start of their time at the academy.
Angelica passed her a printed copy of the message. "It sounds like Prince Julius and the others were giving him trouble before they even touched down."
Olivia read the missive over and a troubled smile rose to her lips.
Are the two of you well? I'm already exhausted.
The beginning sounded rather ominous, but it seemed like Leon was in good health—although he did have a number of complaints about his traveling companions.
Jilk went into a frenzy again today and started kicking up a fuss.
"Your treatment of us is unfair!"
I snorted and kicked their buts with Claire. We even practiced a few team attacks that she came up with after watching the footage of me teaming up with Cid. Oh, Cid says hi by the way.
"Hi Cid." Chirped Olivia happily, and out of habit Angelica even waved before palming her face and realizing how useless that was. Olivia giggled at her own silliness. "I guess everyone's doing okay then."
(Well Hubby went with them, so if anyone tries anything he'll just dispose of them without leaving a trace.)
Angelica frowned. "You had better not 'dispose' of anyone. Not under any circumstances, understood?"
(Oh, I see—you're telling me that I should dispose of all of them, yes?)
"No! I meant exactly what I said, and you know it. Why would you even say something like that?"
As the woman and the orb bantered, Olivia finished reading Leon's email.
Even though I have Claire and Deirdre with me, I can't help but feel like something is missing by not having you all with me. Is that selfish? I know that the three of us are a little closer given the secret marriage, but I can't pretend that I don't love the others. The short period of time we had before I left where everyone was together… I can't help but feel like I wanted those days to go on forever.
"Oh Leon…" Olivia murmured, clutching the paper. She then wiped away the tears that threatened to spill. "I'm glad everyone's doing okay."
Angelica nodded. "Indeed. We need to stay strong as well. Speaking of which, weren't we going to test out a new piece of technology Cleare?"
The orb bounced up and down excitedly (Ooh yes! Come, come!)
"W-wait I'm still not fully dressed!" fretted Olivia as she began to put on her clothes as fast as possible.
The trio would then walk from Olivia's room in The Licorne—The Einhorn's sister ship, built from the wreckage of The Weiss—to what looked like a video game console. It should be said that both women were vaguely familiar with what those were thanks to seeing Leon relax—the very few times he didn't with tea… or the old humanity magazines of women in certain circumstances he thought they didn't know about… and didn't know they shared with the other girls whenever he was gone so that they'd know what he was into.
In particular, this was a VR set up. Something that Iris and Claire also enjoyed playing. However, for some strange reason, there was the familiar looking goop of the nano-machine technology that Cleare and Luxion had been working on surrounding the machine.
(Please get in, it'll be easier to explain what it is once you activate the machine.)
"I… Cleare, I dunno…" said Olivia, to which Angelica could only agree.
(Don't worry, I had Master test it, and some of those demi-humans that hang around the middling guy. It's completely safe. Trust me, you'll love it.)
Just to assuage the girls of their apprehension, Cleare even shows them some holographic footage of Leon, Beta, Cid, and Claire all trying the machine, although the camera is angled to hide what it does.
"…I'll do it then." said Angelica as she stepped onto the platform and then put on the headset. Olivia readied herself just in case of anything.
Suddenly, the Nanomachines began to shape themselves. But rather than how they did before, where they coated their bodies and created an armor much like the one The Shadow Garden used, they instead formed a body in front of Angelica.
Angelica's body.
"Is that me?!" exclaimed Angelica. As she reacted, so too did the new body.
(To be accurate, it's a replica of you. So long as you are plugged into the device, you should be able to control this new body. I imagine that with your need to handle important matters it'd be a good idea to have this set up.)
"Wait…" said Olivia as she and the replica Angelica poked each other, "If we have something like this, why didn't we use it to help Leon?"
(Unfortunately we only have the ability to extend control for about the range of one floating island. Given the present danger in Alzer, we'd prefer to keep things like this.)
Angelica and her replica began to nod. "I see… Well, I can definitely see the numerous benefits this would give us…"
Olivia stared as Angelica began to have her replica walk around her.
"Angie, where are you looking?" asked Olivia.
Angelica, who had her Replica stare at her own ass, simply responded, "Just wanted to see what enchanted you and Leon so much dear."
"aldskhgaldskng, Angie! Leon prefers boobs!"
"Right, my mistake. What enchanted you so much dear."
"ALASDKHGALDKSHGALDKHGALSDKHGA!"
(Hihihi… oh! It looks like I just got another email!)
At this Angie and Livia both rushed over to read what Leon had sent.
They nervously looked at each other.
"Poor Cid…"
-Cid/Minoru/Shadow-
Beta all but crushed my hand.
"I suppose I can't blame her." Said Violet, "She has to stake her claim. Just look at the woman… actually…" Violet floats so that she goes underneath the fox therianthrope's uchikatsugi and takes a decent look at her face. "Damn! She's in the realm of the seven shades." Violet gleefully reports then goes back to staring underneath the uchikatsugi. "Damn!"
"fufu~ Mr. Kagenou. I just want to talk business. I assure you I won't do anything…" The woman then changes her already sultry tone into a somehow even more seductive one, "Unless you want me to~"
Beta was now grinding the remains of my hand into dust. "Excuse me madam, I understand that we had asked for your help, and it was given on the condition of some business collaborations, but as one of my darling's fiancés I would rather he not join you in such an enclosed place."
"Ara-ara. If you love him, shouldn't you trust him a bit more?" teased the fox woman. "It's not as though we'd be able to do much in the palanquin given how small it is."
"I do trust him." Said Beta. She narrowed her eyes. "I just know that you're an opportunistic business woman."
I look to everyone else to help since I know I'd just make things work.
Leon, my true friend, sighs and rubs the back of his head. "Uh, maybe Cid's fiancé could join you in the palanquin? I'll even help carry it if it's an issue of weight."
Claire nodded. "Me too."
Surprisingly, Greg and Chris also came forward. "I'd like to join in too then."
"Yeah! If you need someone with muscle we've got plenty to spare!"
"You know… I'd say we should be grateful, but I feel like they're just offering because they feel like it'd be fun." Noted Violet.
Yukime herself just tittered a bit. "I suppose that's fine. It'll be a bit of a tight fit though. Oh, and watch the tails. I'll charge for every touch."
With that we piled in. Beta and I both shot Leon a thumbs up in thanks, to which he returned as he rolled up his sleeves as he went to the front.
I should note that Yukime's Palanquin was essentially a giant bed behind some sliding doors. I think most that I see have some kind of chair but given her nine tails she probably either wouldn't fit one in, or she could be using her tails as a kind of bean bag chair.
Beta and I sat in front of her, but I had to put Beta on my lap so that we'd both fit given just how much room Yukime took up in here. Were I a lesser man I could see myself become intimidated with how she basically takes up most of the room in here. Instead I enjoy the fact that I'm hugging Beta while the scent of autumn leaves, my homeland basically, invades my senses.
"Okay guys! On three!" shouts Leon. I glance behind me and see that he and Claire are each joined by one of the people carrying the palanquin originally. The original carriers seem amused if nothing else.
After Leon counts down we start moving.
I nod at this then turn back to Yukime. "Well, you did say you wanted to talk business. But I can't exactly reveal everything at the drop of a hat, you understand."
"Not to mention that Gamma and Alpha run it for the most part. You just sign papers and give ideas." Pointed out Violet.
Shut.
Violet giggles at me as Yukime nods.
"Of course, of course. Mr. Kagenou, how about we play a game?" she asks.
"A game?" questioned Beta.
"Yes, yes. Basically, I'll ask one question and you can answer. Or…" Yukime reaches into a compartment near where she's sitting and pulls out a sake bottle and two traditional bowl shaped cups. I'll admit, I always wanted to try some. "You can take a drink. The same will apply to me, of course. How does that sound?"
"Sounds fair." I said. I also made sure to have one hand on Beta's thigh like those male leads in the novels she and Livia like reading. She relaxes a bit and snuggles against me. This amuses the Yukime.
"Ara, how nice~" said Yukime. "I don't suppose you mind if I go first?"
I nodded.
"Well then, here's my first question. Is it true that you have seven wives?"
Small talk first then? Makes sense. No point in hiding it either. "Currently we are just engaged, but those seven may as well be my wives."
Yukime nods and I see Beta's ears wiggle a bit.
"My turn then?" I asked to which I received a nod. "Well then, could you tell me something? I've heard that Kitsune earn a tail for a magnitude in power they earn. Is that the case with you?"
"Fufu, asking a woman for their age is seen as uncouth."
"I don't recall asking your age."
"Ooh, she's got a nice smile right now." Reported Violet.
I hear Yukime shut a fan from behind her hat's veil. Although not in a displeased manner. "You'll find that even though I do employ several guards, I don't exactly need them."
I nodded.
Yukime then asks her question. "I understand that you are here with the Crown Prince, yes? Would you say that the two of you are close?"
Easy enough, although we are getting more serious here. "Yes, Leon is easily the person closest to me. Outside of my wives, obviously."
I see Beta briefly gasp, although not audibly, and look at me with a touched look. What, did you think I didn't have friends outside of you guys? We hang out with Leon because he and his girls are cool.
"How nice." Said Yukime.
The Palanquin briefly sways.
"Sorry!" called out Leon, "Some trams were passing by and we had to stop!"
"It's alright, I understand they have no respect for the classic modes of transportation here." Replied Yukime.
All three of us adjust ourselves again. I manage to see a brief glimpse of Yukime from behind her veil. She appears to also be wearing a furisode, which is typically worn by unmarried. I suppose as the person that runs the brothels it makes sense. Her looks are about what I expected based on what Violet's been saying, but she's no Zeta or Delta. White hair to match that of her tails with some blue whiskers upon her face like Delta's purple ones.
You know, it's strange but I swear I've seen someone like that before.
"You say that like you have a connection to every pretty girl in the world. Or at least the demi-human ones."
No, I'm serious.
…
Beta, where are you sitting?
As we start moving again, I notice that Beta went from sitting on my lap—or to be more specific, my knee—to sitting above my crotch. Something she usually does in the bedroom before we become intimate mere moments later. She even sways her hips side to side a bit.
"These girls really do have an effect on you. What did you call it…? Pavloving?" teased Violet as she had her hand go up much like my Excalibur currently was.
"Let's continue, yes?" asked Yukime. "It should be your turn."
I nodded, trying to distract myself. "Have you heard of what was going on in our home countries?"
"Oh my, such an open-ended question." Yukime tittered. I could practically feel her eyes narrow right after. "But if I had to guess… you're more interested in the one thing you got involved with. Lord Shadow, correct?"
"Question for a Question is frowned upon you know."
"I suppose it is." Yukime agreed. "Then let me simply answer. We haven't heard anything about Lord Shadow nor The Shadow Garden here in Alzer. You can rest assured that you'll be safe here."
Great, so setting up stuff will be super easy. Just gotta get a good feeling for how things are playing around here.
"Now, it's my turn. Mister Kagenou, could you tell me what Mitsugoshi's plans for Alzer are?" asked Yukime, even leaning in a little bit.
"Open ended as well I see." I replied. "Well, I won't beat around the bush. Mitsugoshi plans to have at least one establishment in each country, large or small. But I suppose that would go against what the White Fox Corporation would want."
"Just so."
I narrow my eyes this time, and even pump a little magic into it for effect. For an extra touch, I show off my bracelet and move Beta a little so that she's more of an accessory right now. Which, I've covered with her before, she's okay with it so long as there's a needed effect.
"I suppose it would bring the bootlegging situation to a halt, nothing can beat the genuine article, after all."
Yukime's tails all twitch.
"…" Yukime says nothing but she obviously has started to respect me. Well, maybe not respect, but more so acknowledge.
I lean back. "There's nothing that says a fake can't surpass the original… unless of course, I start charging top dollar for the genuine article. If I use my friends with high statuses to help me advertise that anyone who's who had specifically our products… well… Your fake products won't become an alternative but something no one wants to buy."
The good ol, name brand strategy. Personally, I prefer something to look good and last a while (unless I need to destroy it to get rid of evidence), not really caring about who it's from. However, for a business tycoon like Yukime, me knowing exactly what to do and being able to do it is the last thing she'd want to hear.
"No need to be so stiff." I said extending a hand. "After all we need someone to help us buy some land. And well, we'd be more than happy to give them a share for the help."
"How much?"
"Well, I suppose that depends on how much it'd be worth." I take my hand back and look out the window to the three towers. "How about you tell me, and don't try anything funny."
Yukime lights a pipe and cracks a window open as she smokes. "Hm… I see you became the richest in the world for a reason… well, I suppose you already know about the ghoul sightings?"
Not at all.
"Of course."
"Nasty things. We all know they're subservient to the vampires, but with the protection of that parasite" Yukime gestures to the Sacred Tree, "no one can do anything. At least the ghouls aren't offered the same protection. I believe your sister is here as part of the "Blooming Strike Force" yes?"
Was she? I mean I guess she's gotta do something when we're out. "Something like that."
"Right. I'll lend a hand, make sure she at least lives through whatever may come her way as long as I'm able." Yukime says to help sweeten the pot. "Since it's a group with no real leadership I suppose she and her lovers are there to take over? I can admire the ambition. If their power is as the rumors say I could only benefit from being on their good side."
Is that what they're doing?
"Cutie, they told you all this."
Did they?
"You were thinking of 'awesome Eminence in Shadow moves' during. But yes."
Ah, gotcha.
I look over to the main point of interest. The crimson tower that sits in the base of the sacred tree. But what's a bit more interesting is how… empty the land around it is. One might assume that it's because of the status of the tree. However, I can see several… shady looking people near the area. There's a road that leads to the tower, but everywhere that isn't on the road looks like some kind of lawless city.
I could only compare it to how we sit on floating islands above an ocean of monsters.
"The crimson tower… yes, I assume that's where the ghouls are coming form. Aside from the main way the house leaders make their way to the tree for religious reasons, it's also said to be the last bastions of vampires… where the blood-queen lives. Although no one has seen her for hundreds of years." Revealed Yukime.
Hm… interesting.
We come to a stop.
"Ah, we must be here." Yukime opens the door for us and we see a big mansion in front of us. "This is the residence I have provided for most of you."
"Most?" I asked as Beta and I got down.
"That 'Hiro' fellow requested a separate residence for him and his lovers. Said that he figured you wouldn't want to hear what he's doing with your sister." Explained Yukime.
Ah, good ol' Leon.
Well I guess that's everything then. Kind of proud of myself for getting the last word when talking to a Kitsune.
"I suppose we'll finish this discussion later then." I said to Yukime who slowly slid the door shut.
"Of course, I still have to make some estimations." She smirked and then said "And you probably want to attend to that."
She then pat the side of her Palanquin, signaling for the people carrying her to book it.
"That?" I asked. Violet then floated in front of me and pointed down.
"Ew." Said Claire.
"Uh, I guess that's my fault…?" said Beta.
"…We'll go with Hiro to his residence for a bit. Just remember that you guys are bunking with us and make sure to clean up after yourself." Said Marie.
Blushing, I grabbed with one hand Beta and ran straight in, using the other to try and cover my Excalibur.
-P2W-
It was spring break, and the republic's academy was quiet. Each class was broken up by year, and each empty room had space for thirty students. If Holfort's academy was like a university, then Alzer's was more like a modern day Japanese class. Since commoners and nobles could attend, it had a more welcoming atmosphere.
Some students in the school uniform strolled down the quiet halls. One of them was an ordinary-looking boy named Jean. His parents were peasants, so he didn't have a surname. He was a second-year students with excellent grades, and he was popular with his peers.
Jean smiled, looking troubled. "I know you want me to look out for the exchange students," he told the girl beside him, "but this is too much. They're pretty high-class. Don't you think they'll be ticked off having someone like me take care of them?"
The girl smacked him on the back. Her hair was pulled into a side ponytail, her natural blonde fading into pink at the tips. She had the body of a model, with long arms and legs and a tight stomach. There was a gentle strength in her golden eyes that matched her tomboy nature.
"Come on, don't put yourself down," she said frankly. "You're representing us. Hold your head up! And if they take a high and mighty attitude with you, just sock 'em in the face."
"Uh, you do realize that this is a prince we're talking about?!"
"Meh, last I heard he lost the crown to someone. Side's, that's why you need to have backbone. Plus, that means they're representing their entire country, right? They won't do anything stupid… unlike us."
Jean thought she might be joking, but her expression was entirely sincere. He didn't know what to say to that. "Um… uh…"
"You're a man!" she said, grinning and slapping him on the back again. "Be confident and show a little more oomph!"
Her name was Noelle Beltre and, as far as anyone at the academy knew, she was the daughter of a fallen knight. Noelle stuffed her hands in her pockets. The hallways were normally so raucous. The silence felt quite eerie.
Students from the Holfort Kingdom? I just hope they're better than the republic's aristocracy. Noelle didn't have the best impression of them.
"Um, Miss Noelle, you do remember that you're supposed to look after them too, right?" Jean said, his forehead crinkling with worry. "Please don't cause a stir like you usually do."
Noelle's eyes widened. "What? Am I really that untrustworthy?"
"You're not untrustworthy. You just don't pull your punches when you're dealing with nobility. It's not good to pick fights, you know."
Noelle fiddled with her hair as though she was embarrassed. I know what he means, but really, it's their fault. They're always the ones who start it.
But Jean did seem legitimately concerned. "We have a lot of students with ties to the Six Great Houses this year, and a number of people who have divine protection."
"yeah, yeah. I hear you. I'll be good."
Divine protection was granted to those recognized by the Sacred Tree. Because the Six Great Houses possessed this special power, they were able to rule the republic without fear of being ousted. That was also why they allowed the common folk the joys of education. They had no need to fear revolt. Even if the peasants overthrow them, with the tree, the nobles had absolute power.
As Noelle and Jean ambled down the hallway, they ran into a group of girls. Their leader, a third-year-girl with purple eyes, stared at Noelle from the center of the group. She was smiling, but her eyes were as cold as ice. Her fluffy, wheat-blonde hair that were green in tint as though the sacred tree blessed her, fell to her shoulder blades. She had curves in all the right places, and her breasts were considerably larger than Noelle's.
Lousie Sara Rault. A woman who seemed kind and welcoming at first, but the moment she spotted Noelle, her lips curled in a chilly smile. "Oh, dear. I never dreamed I would run into you during spring break."
For a moment, Louise's flunkies were too stunned to move, but they soon ducked behind their leader. Louise stood there with her arms folded beneath her chest.
"I'm only here because a prof. asked me to come," Noelle said, keeping her hands in her pockets.
Jean gaped, horrified at how Noelle dared to address this young noblewoman. "Miss Noelle?!"
Louise ignored Jean and pressed a hand over her mouth to hide her mirth "In trouble again, are we?"
Noelle snorted, "Excuse me? Do you think I'm some kind of delinquent? We've got foreign students coming to study here, and the prof. asked me to show them around. So, do me a favor? Whenever you see me in the halls from now on, just ignore me."
Louise Sara Rault was the oldest daughter of the Rault family, one of the Six Great Houses—the same family who had deposed House Lespinasse. After that, the Raults had taken over chairing the assembly. That practically made Louise a princess, and to make matters worse her home took issue with Noelle's family.
As Noelle and Jean turned to leave, Louise stepped in their way. She pressed her face close to Noelle's, grabbing the other girl by her ponytail. "You truly do infuriate me."
There was nothing Jean could do. Louise and her entourage had ties to the most prominent nobles in the republic. But Noelle didn't seem to care. She slapped Louise's hand without hesitation.
"Enough. You may be older than me, but don't let it go to your head."
Louise shrugged noncommittedly and took a few steps back. "Oh, I'm quaking in my shoes. Although, I would say that you're the one who is too full of herself."
She turned to leave, and her toadies followed close behind. Before she left, she turned her head quickly and hissed. Her eyes glowing red and the pupils slit like most vampires.
"HISSS"
Jean fell onto his butt in fear and Noelle even flinched. Louise laughed as she left, taking the suffocating atmosphere with her, but leaving them with a feeling of humiliation.
When they were gone Noelle tried to help Jean up, but he pushed her hand away as he got up. "I literally just told you not to pick fights," he said, tears beading in his eyes. "And you have to go and piss of the vampire princess of all people. The. Vampire. Princess!"
Noelle scratched her head. "My bad. I'll try to be more careful next time."
"I'll pray there is no next time." Jean said, although he didn't look too hopeful.
As they walked together, Noelle shot him a grin, trying to chase off the awkwardness. "Hey more importantly—"
But before she could finish her sentence, a second-year boy strode toward them. He had the same golden eyes as Noelle, but his hair was dark red and spiky. He was handsome, but his eyes were narrowed in a permanent glare.
"Just when did the two of you get so chummy?" he asked angrily.
He might have been tall and toned, but his otherwise charming face was contorted in a jealous scowl.
"Uh, um, you see…" stuttered Jean.
Noelle cut him off. "Prof. asked us to look after the exchange students. We just left the staff room for orientation, and we're on our way home."
That did nothing to soften the boy's anger. "How can I be sure you're not pulling my leg?"
His skepticism infuriated Noelle. "What right do you have to grill me about this? Come on, Jean, we're leaving."
"M-Miss Noelle?! B-but, he's—"
"Ask me if I care!"
"Noelle!" the boy bellowed after them as they left. "I haven't given up! You're my woman, you hear?!"
"That's not for you to decide!"
His name was Loic Leta Barielle, and he was heir to House Barielle.
Noelle peered back at Loic and poked her tongue out. "Moron, get over yourself!"
"Miss Noelle!"
"What he's not a vampire."
Jean covered his face with both hands in despair.
-Leon-
The setting of Alzer was a lot different compared to Holfort. For instance, despite us helping drive Cid and Natsume on a Palanquin after meeting our sponsor, Alzer was actually more western in its design. I wouldn't quite call it a town from the U.S., the devs were Japanese after all, I wouldn't exactly compare it to modern day Japan either. It's more like some kind of Mix of San Francisco and Tokyo… like… some kind of… San Fransokyo. Or Japanifornia…
I dunno.
Either way, Luxion managed to compare some of what we concluded about the setting and what Marie knew. It's too soon to call out if the protagonist, Noelle, is on any route yet. However, as Natsume and them told us, there were indeed two prospective daughters of the fallen house.
In other news, the five heirs were a pain in the ass as usual according to Cid and Marie. Apparently, they didn't help at all with the household chores and just made it so there were more. I had to send Claire over there. Once she got there she basically forced them to straighten up so they'd be able to leave for school on time.
Deirdre was laughing about it on our way to school.
Oh, going back to what Luxion was telling me, neither of the girls look like what they were supposed to. If anything, it seems like the protagonist was split in half.
Admittedly that's mostly me assuming based on how instead of the twin tails we expected her to have, they both have a ponytail on one side of their head. Besides that, the only difference between the twin girls was their personalities. Noelle was energetic, lively, and active, while Leila was a fairly average girl. Oh, and while Noelle had blonde hair that went into pink highlights, Leila had all pink hair.
"Is pink her natural color? I know Sherry had pink hair, but I thought that might be an effect of an artifact she was researching." I said.
[I cannot help but feel as though naturally occurring pink hair should not be a surprise to you given everything you have experienced.]
I shrugged. "Just because I've faced something big doesn't mean that I can't be surprised by something small."
I bantered a bit back and forth with Luxion before he activated his cloaking technique as some other people were walking up to us.
I straightened my back and readjusted myself in my seat as the professor returned to the room with a male and female student in tow.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. We just had to confirm some last few things. Come, these two will guide you all around."
The boy looked rather plain, but he seemed kind. "I'm Jean. If there's anything you're unsure about, please feel free to ask."
The girl was another matter. "Nice to meetcha."
They spoke the language of the Adventurous front (Holfort, Midgar, Fanoss, and Lindwurm) pretty well. The boy sounded more formal while the girl used slang. More importantly, the girl was Noelle Beltre—one of the people we expected to be the protagonist of the second game. She stood in front of me and grinned while I stared at them wide-eyed. The two exchanged troubled looks.
"D-did I sound unnatural or something?" Noelle asked.
Jean shook his head. "I think you sounded fine."
Deirdre elbowed me discreetly.
"Nah, you both sounded so natural that it just took me by surprise is all. Name's Hiro, by the way." I said with a friendly wave.
"And I am Rogue. A pleasure to meet you." Said Deirdre, who had curtsied.
As we exchanged obligatory greetings, I couldn't shake my shock. Who would've guessed that I'd meet one of the possible protagonists by chance? And so soon!
We didn't attend the opening ceremony. Or rather, we couldn't because we didn't make it in time. There were some basic introductions to our classrooms, but it was a bit of a sad start to the new term. And because our group was split up, by year in Deirdre's case, there was never more than two of us in any given class.
As we explored I was greeted by the same sense of… soul dysmorphia I felt back at the shrine on our field trip. The schools were just like how I remembered Japan's from elementary to high school. Which is weird since we're at the age of college. Holfort was better at this in it's layout for schools this way, but I feel a bit younger in Alzer's weirdly.
It doesn't help that rather than the sea of brown to black hair there's the entire rainbow. Students with vividly colored hair littered the halls. Nostalgia was just mixing with discomfort.
In front of me, Noelle twisted around. "Hey, is it true you're already a knight?"
Seemed she was curious about me. She wasn't exactly ladylike, but she was lively and expressed her interest without hesitation. It made her seem almost restless.
I nodded, which seemed a bit rude, but the thing is that I'm not fluent with Alzer's language. Weirdly though, Deirdre seemed to pick up on it just fine. I can only guess it's because it has some similarities with English/French which Deirdre just feels like she was meant to speak.
Plus, if this really was the protagonist then I should be careful about getting close to her. Before I left Holfort the girls were all ready to remind me that my harem had two slots left. I don't have any inclination to involve any more girls, but none of them believed me when I tried to explain this.
Anyway, as we went around we saw everyone else fawned over by the local students. Luckily though, Deirdre and Hertrauda seemed to just scare people off, but the five heirs were just going through business as usual.
Which is to say they looked like a clown fish and blue tang surrounded by sea gulls.
"Uh, sorry they're being like this," said Noelle. "They're all a bit excited."
"You don't have to worry about me. It was the same at Holfort Academy." I replied.
Jean's eyebrows raised. "You went, Hiro? I thought that commoners weren't allowed."
"I'm from a barony, so while I'm close to a commoner, it wasn't going to stop me from being allowed. There were some issues with my family beforehand, but we got it sorted out." I explained. I then took the opportunity I created to fish for information. "What about you, what's your family like?"
"Oh, it's just me and my little sister. Well, we're twins, but she's definitely the little sister," Noelle said eagerly. "She's way more ladylike than me and lets everything roll off her back. Plus she's smart and super reliable. But, much as I hate to break it to you, she already has a boyfriend. So don't go hitting on her, okay?"
"Wow, this woman I didn't know existed isn't single? Damn, that's my day ruined." I snarked, causing the two to laugh a bit. "What about you…" I looked to Jean, "Are you two…"
Both shook their heads quickly.
"Oh no, we're just friends." Said Jean. "I'm into more petite women anyway."
Huh, I'm starting to wonder if that's a common thing in this world. The five, King Roland, and now Jean. It's like the opposite of my past life; there was a lot more busty women here yet almost every man I met was into those with slender frames.
"I'm single at the moment," Explained Noelle who started to look a bit annoyed. "I'm not the most well mannered, as you can probably tell. And besides, guys don't usually bother with me. A certain someone always butts in when they try. But I'm open to applications if there are any good guys out there looking for a partner. You wouldn't happen to know anyone would you?"
As Noelle started to blink something that was stuck in one of her eyes, I thought more about the situation. She was fun to talk to, but what really bothered me was this "certain someone" who always butted in, and how she was "single at the moment." Her little sister was already dating someone, but I still had no idea whether she was the protagonist—or if Noelle was. Although, at this point the younger sister seemed more likely.
Wanting answers, I couldn't help but ask "A certain someone? You got a crush or…?"
Noelle scoffs. "No, I'm talking about the princess of the Rault family. She's a real nuisance, and likes to pick on me."
Oh boy, House Rault was supposed to be the final boss and they were already messing with Noelle?
-Cid/Minoru/Shadow-
I was offered the chance to join Leon in being guided around, but I turned it down by saying I actually had a friend that went here that could guide me around.
I think Leon thought I wasn't telling the truth, however-
"I suppose we're in the midst of playing your game, Cid… or rather, Kageno-kun?" asked number 666.
Rose Oriana, someone I haven't seen in months because she had some stuff going on in her life, was now sitting next to me as a fellow student. Rose is a beautiful young woman with an athletic figure and a noticeable bosom, with bright honey-yellow eyes that match her long honey-blonde hair, with short bangs over her forehead and curls going down into spirals. They've since been cut so that they end at her shoulders rather than reaching her thighs like before.
"Yup, and we're in one of the best parts of it. The planning stage." I said.
"Oh?" said Rose, clearly intrigued. "Do tell."
"Well," I said as I started to draw in my notebook. "For anything to be done, you first have to plan it out. Currently, I know exactly what the others are going to do, and what they want to do, so now we just have to figure out how to get it to do everything we want."
"Is this part of being an Eminence?" asked Rose.
"Glad you asked." I said with a small smile.
"You are all but splitting your lips. I've only seen you smile like this when you realized the girls were pregnant… it's doing things to me honestly." Lied Violet. "I am not lying!"
"So, the goal of an Eminence in Shadow is to be the one pulling all the strings. We aren't the heroes or the villains, but rather some third thing." I explained.
"Like… a puppet master." Rose was doing her best to make connections that made sense to her, and I'm all for it.
"Prety close." I said with a nod. "There's more to it than that of course."
"Like the cool outfits?" asked Rose.
I slammed my hands on the table. "RIGHT!"
"…I've never heard you shout like that. I've looked in your memories too, like… damn. If Olivier and the girls weren't killed you'd probably have a kingdom with how many descendants they would have left."
Rose smiled happily as I gave her a hug. A platonic one armed one, mind.
"Okay, now tell me what you and the others learned while you were here." I said.
Rose would then go on to explain to me how something called "crests" work. Yukime briefly mentioned it before, but Rose went into more detail.
To give the cliff notes:
Each family is granted a special crest which allows its members several abilities.
Summoning and controlling the Sacred Tree's roots.
Magic negation.
Promises made on the sacred tree using the crest are nearly impossible to break. If the promises are broken, it can result in the sacred tree removing the noble's blessing.
The lower crest cannot confront a noble with a higher crest.
"So they're a bunch of weaklings relying on borrowed strength." I said annoyed.
Rose nervously scratched the side of her face.
I stood up, "Do you happen to know any heirs that often pick fights?"
Rose nodded. She then stood up and pointed at some purple haired fuck I didn't know talking to the purple haired fuck I did know.
Okay.
"Rose, this is what we call the 'shadowbroker-showing-up-and-saving-a-protagonist-in-impossible-odds-to-show-off-how-powerfull-they-are' technique"
Rose began counting on her figures. She then slammed a fist into her palm. "The… SSUASAPIIOTSOHPTA technique?"
…
I looked back at Rose.
"Okay that was impressive." I admitted. "But how did you make that sound with your mouth?"
-P2W/Noelle-
Leila and Noelle lived in an ordinary apartment. It wasn't great but wasn't bad. As far as things go it was perfect to be able to sell the idea that the twins were born commoners. The place was provided for them by former retainers of House Lespinasse, and some even continued to look after them in secret.
At the moment, Noelle was wearing an apron and cooking a meal. She hummed happily to herself as her sister walked in.
In contrast to Noelle, Leila seemed practically apathetic. Even saying "I'm home." With almost no emotion.
"Glad you're back!" Noelle replied cheerfully. "Dinner will be done shortly."
"Okay."
Noelle was used to her sister's curtness, but she was able to notice a new tiredness on Leila's face.
"Did something happen?" Noelle asked concerned.
Leila paused for a moment then seemingly changed topics, "Hey, you were selected to look after the exchange students, right?"
"Yeah, because you refused."
"Did you notice anything weird about them?"
"Weird? I suppose a little, but nothing that couldn't be chalked up to them being foreign I think. Most of the boys that came are pretty popular with the girls though. Although, you probably heard about that."
"I have. What bothers me is the plain looking boys and the girls."
"…Leila."
"What?"
"What do you mean what? Did you even hear what you just said?"
"What?"
"So you're only okay with foreigners if they're hot men? Is that it?" Noelle said with disgusted look on her face.
Leila shot up. "Wha—no! I have a boyfriend!"
"Maybe someone should warn him." Muttered Noelle.
"Hey!"
Noelle sighed. "Look… just… just try and be better, okay? If anyone else heard you talk like that you'd have even less friends than you already do."
"What!?" Leila balked.
Noelle walked over to her sister and put one arm on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "I know you're… different compared to everyone, and I love you for that but…"
As Noelle began to ramble on to her sister about being accepting of others, Leila could only groan and do her best to tune her out.
.
.
.
A/N: Okay, ending things here for now. I probably could have added another section but I just felt like ending things here for now would be good.
I am technically skipping some stuff, just to make things work better later (and to have the Eminence in Shadow characters actually do stuff).
I think next week I might do a oneshot for Mobuseka that I was mentioning on SB. Not to ditch this fic, but because I write for fun and had some ideas floating around in my head to crossover Mobuseka with Persona more than beyond the magic system.
Now let's answer the comments.
SB
MWKillKenny84: title drop! And yeah it had to be brought up to them in canon that someone could have reincarnated too.
She's starting to fall for them, so she's mad. But it's a "those are my idiots" type thing right now. Wait till we get to Volume 5's events.
Damn, you're so right. How could I forget the Luvia reference. I'll go for it later. And maybe one to Navia from Genshin Impact.
Guest (1): I think I explained it in the chapter, but to come undercover they contacted Yukime's business. That's why she knows.
Guest (2): There's many reasons for the John Smith arc to occur. Mainly due to Cid's mental health at this point though.
I am going to put him in the blender again is what I'm saying.
Aniisomeone: Finished playing it today. Holy shit yeah Epsilon's good points were just here in full force. To be fair though, it wasn't till the game came out that we got to see Epsilon's other stuff, at least to my recollection. So if you only knew EiS from the Anime and Manga you wouldn't know Epsilon's other points.
Also damn, can't believe I made another prediction. I guess I just understand the series more than I know.
Rendfire: It's all good.
Yeah, I want Yumeria to maybe join Leon's harem if anything, but right now she has no reason to talk to him aside form Kyle.
Right, but I do think that since last chapter I said that they need the sapling anyway, I could maybe have that show up during the vampire arc.
I like Elizabeth too. She's really cool and the fight with Shadow is one of my favorite parts of the series. I'm also interested in her maid, Mary the vampire hunter… but also she's like the third Mary. I should maybe call her something else. Margaretha maybe?
Yeah Co-Op Leon is ridiculous. For the record though, it's half that he's whipped and half that Nu fought him with help from Julius and Marco till he calmed down.
I always planned for Cid to hate Alzer nobles for that reason, but thanks for the comment. It helped me formulate what I wanted to say in his second section this chapter.
Also, that makes a lot of sense as to why Leon and Holfort are so much stronger. They had less dev patches to help them out.
Someoneani: Hope you liked how I had her act this chapter.
Darkbored: I write for as long as I have fun doing it. If I was going to take a few weeks off I'd probably say so ahead of time.
I mean, there were actually a lot of reasons that John Smith was a thing, and bold of you to assume that Cid's actually communicating right now. He's still learning really.
Bladist: Lmao, you and so many others enjoyed the title drop.
I imagine you reacting like someone getting their favorite character in smash bros. lol.
This has to be one of the best comments I've gotten on my fic. I read it several times just because of how it made me laugh.
I'll go ahead and post some art of My OC on my pixiv too just so you know I'm telling the truth. Her name's Willow, and she's half succubus and half kitsune.
Ao3
Wolfpaladin: *nods* title drop.
Lmao, yup. Lukreia probably wears some kind of noise cancelling headphones every night.
Thanks, I was worried Leon and Marie were too out of character but glad I kept it in line with what's happened so far.
Yeah, Lukreia was a loose thread. Or in Cid's eyes, someone who didn't have to roleplay since she had a lot of things going on.
Violet had to be week to something. Praise sounded like the funniest thing.
Yukime is a fan fav, saw no reason not to use her sooner.
Camilla does sound fun, and I love her design… but I have a cousin with the same name so I'd have to change it or something if I used her. Nhora maybe?
Citrinne has both blonde hair and red eyes is the thing. Haven't played Geneaology, so I only know her from heroes. Could be interesting.
I never thought about the routes like that, that's pretty cool since I did it on accident.
DivineDemonDragon: Louise would probably meet him next chapter or the one after. Lmao, yeah, can't die from a heart attack when it doesn't beat.
Huh, I guess Yukime would be a geisha.
How'd you like Apocrypha?
Anisomeone: Glad you liked it, and Foxtrot's arc ending.
I want more TEIS too, just because I love the series.
I need more TEIS!
I was originally thinking about having Violet tease it while Cid was in the palanquin (love writing that word for some reason) with Beta on his lap. But to answer your question, both.
Yukime will join Cid's harem. Just not till the John Smith arc. For now she's having fun being business partners.
It's less angst and more hurt/comfort I feel…
side eyes the blender I'm going to put Cid in*
BOY4_GOW:
Mordred isn't dead. Are you confusing him for Perv?
TITLE DROP!
Yup, and then the boys almost gave her more right after with that statue.
She's the sub when they're all together, but tops otherwise.
Murphy's Law: soon, Leon, soon…
I hope I can deliver.
Totntotbt: Damn, it really is like that huh.
So you're pretty spot on with how I want to handle the reincarnation talks. But I will say that Leon is in the same head space about it, if a bit more positive, from the 3 omakes chapter.
They weren't in the game. Alpha was the one recalling them based on stuff she's looked up before for The Shadow Garden.
That's basically how it works in canon with his babysitting honestly. It's like having a starter pokemon grind the elite four so the rest of the team can catch up.
Alzer is the place of drama and trauma.
Shadowy_mann: Man, I didn't consider the zombie outbreak angle that the ghouls offer thanks to it largely being ignored in teis since they were all in the tower. That's cool. I gotta use it.