Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad for fixing my SPAG problems, and Angel Wraith for beta-reading the chapter, and providing feed backs.
As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.
Cross posted on AO3, for anyone who prefer that site.
The camp at Melromarc Castle wall is being expanded. The new members of the heroes' retinue needed a rest after their long march north. And the older retinue members needed time to learn how to work together with their new comrades. They'll stay for another night, before marching back north to Whiterun County to officially settle into the two villages managed by the Cardinal Heroes.
Malty found spare time for herself once again. Being a mage, she doesn't need to train formation steps with the rest of the frontline warriors since she'll most likely group together with other magic users in the middle of their formation, or at their back. She could still go train with them, possibly to exercise her ability to command them. Alternatively, she could spend time practicing her own magic skills. Of course, she could always spend more time with some of the more important members in Naofumi's retinue to ensure their loyalty to the Shield Hero. Instead, she finds herself spending time staring down at the broken star wand in her hand. She should have been a hero, not like Naofumi, but at least on the same level as Dio or Prince Tact. But of course, she lacks most of the perk for being a hero aside from using weapon forms already unlocked by her father, and the disappearance of her own level cap.
The former princess gives the star wand a twirl in her hand. After a short session of meditation, she used her consciousness to explore the star wand. She realizes that 'broken' isn't the correct way to describe it. A more fitting description would be 'cursed', or perhaps 'sealed'. When she's exploring the hero weapon with her mind, it feels more like it was somehow 'blocked', or 'clogged' than it was simply broken. Although knowing the specifics of her hero weapon's state still doesn't give her any idea how to fix the issue. Shaking her head, Malty stands up and calls out to her unofficial bodyguard standing behind her. "Let's go take another walk around the camp, Oku. I'm sure you are dying to see your friends again."
"You got bored of playing with your stick longer than I expected." Azula's snide remark can be heard after a short snort. As a dragon beastman who got forced into slavery, the former dragon princess is more obedient than Malty expected. She expected more than a few sarcastic remarks from the prideful dragon when they are being commanded to do something by someone besides the Shield Hero. Or maybe that's simply because of what Azula went through. She still hasn't asked her exactly what happened to turn her from a princess to a pirate (Malty can make some educated guesses based on both her own experience, and the dialogue between Azula and Iroh), and she doesn't expect Azula to tell her anyways.
"I wasn't playing with my stick, if you must know, I was merely trying to get a better understanding of how to fix this 'glorified walking stick' back into a proper Star Weapon that can help us." The former princess couldn't help but let some of the petty fueled irritation she feels at her own Star weapon slip into her voice. Her hero weapon should be a great asset but instead it's another on her long list of limitations alongside her weak heart that's holding her back." You saw how powerful Riser Phenex and Diablo were, and those two weren't even actually agents of the Burning Legion. We'll need all the power we can get if we want to even stand a chance against beings like them."
Azula had no disagreements, seeing the strength of the two devils personally. " Do you have any idea where to start?" The dragon malisi's question was more out of curiosity filled boredom than anything else.
"Somewhat." Malty remembers the Avatar of Alaya telling her that she could fix the useless twig herself, if she gained enough aptitude in magic to connect directly to the wand then she could fix the damage herself. But that isn't exactly specific and the question of how long it would take to gain said aptitude is cause for concern.
She couldn't do much against the Spider Goddess enslaved by the Burning Legion or much of anything against Riser Phenex. The fact that Tact, Dio and Lung struggled with the Spider Goddess despite having fully functioning and empowered Star Weapons speaks volumes to the threat they are facing. If she can't fix her Star Wand before then, what good is she going to be against the full might of the Burning Legion?
Malty is vividly aware that her sorry excuse for a Star Weapon being broken and making her vulnerable to the effects of the slave seal is the only thing keeping her from being taken by the Pig King, and that she should wait until they gather sufficient strength to resist him before even fixing the wand. But can she truly afford to wait that long now with the threat of the Burning Legion bearing down on all of them? The Burning Legion has already shown itself to be incredibly powerful if it is capable of enslaving an earthbound god and using it as a glorified attack dog against them at Cal Mira.
How can she hope to be of any use at helping Naofumi fight against the Legion when she feels more like a growing liability with her long list of limitations? A burden that everybody needs to watch out and take care of. Her Star Weapon is broken, her weak heart limiting her casting power and numerous political enemies that have now become Naofumi's enemies by extension to her. She's starting to understand how Raphtalia must have felt during the early days of their journey. The irony that she is now an even greater liability is not lost on the disgraced princess.
"Princess Malty?" A voice calls to Malty from the side disrupts her thinking. She looks over with narrowed eyes, and sees a plain looking commoner peering at her from the shadow of a tent. The young woman might be wearing standard clothing to not give her identity away, but the careful way she carries herself makes it clear that she is a servant working for some noble family. Her eyes timidly scanning left and right, her body tense. A messenger in plainclothes... she's carrying a task for her mistress, or master in secret. But she's clearly not someone in the favor of whatever noble family she's working for. She'll likely be discarded by her noble family for deniability in case she gets captured in her task. Alternatively... she could be a discarded pawn already used to lure Malty herself into some kind of a trap. "My master would like you to follow me, so the two of you could discuss something important in private."
"Are you actually going to follow her without telling anyone?" Azula takes half a step back, but not in a straight line. Her feet rise up from the ground, and move in a circle like she's still a free spirited noble lady taking strolls in her own family's garden. The fire dragon is pushing her boundary against Malty's nerves, seeing how much the Shield Hero's enslaved first companion would be willing to tolerate her. Malty might be more willing to play this game if she has more free time, but as it is, she'd rather not waste any time or effort on Azula's teasing. The dishonored Siltvelt lady will help her (and by extension, Naofumi) and live, or she'll try something that finally triggers Naofumi's wrath and has herself killed. Regardless, it's not something for Malty to worry about and make decisions on.
As for Azula's 'worry', Malty thinks them over. She doesn't know who is behind the clearly jumpy servant. Someone who wishes to place their bet and form connection with the Shield Hero through Malty... or someone who secretly plots against Naofumi or herself. Regardless, she would learn nothing, and gain nothing if she rejected the servant's offer. Maybe it's good for her own wellbeing... but what about Naofumi?
Malty turns her head over to look at the wall of Melromarc Castle. After The Devil Tatsuya Kaname took away his two devil lord and his sister's angel Kyubey (it's still hard to imagine one of her fellow companion of the Shield Hero was the angel of a benevolent Outer Goddess), Naofumi had finally met the representative of Prince Joseph. They have entered the capital city to find a more private location to finalize whatever contract Naofumi will have with the Gallian prince for the destruction of Graile. Malty had wanted to attend the meeting herself in case Joseph's men took too much advantage of Naofumi, but she's merely a slave. And they had the right to deny the presence of any slaves. She'll have to hope that the two other Siltvelt Princes, Cleose Fallenscion and Mohammed Avdol, would be able to fight for Naofumi's behalf.
"Very well. I will go meet your master. Lead the way." Malty's mind made, she turns to look at the unremarkable looking servant in the eyes. Her body visibly relaxes as she lets out a deep breath she's been holding. It's time to enter the griffin's nest and steal away their eggs.
Chapter 36: Future Imperfects
Naofumi fights the urge to groan as the woman in front of him slowly boils the tea pot in front of her with her own magic. He isn't completely ignorant of tea culture considering his Japanese origin. But it's not like his family (and especially himself) was from a cultured traditionalist who put extra care in this kind of stuff. So he felt nothing but anxiousness as the expansive inn room they rented slowly being filled with a bitter, yet sweet scent that reminded him of plum blossom. No wonder the tea itself is called snow plum.
The aroma eases his tense mind, but was useless at calming his nerves at the same time. Naofumi shifts his body once again as he looks at the mature woman sitting across from himself, Itsuki, and Motoyasu. He tries to remind himself that the people who reminded him from various different books, animes, and games aren't exactly the same as he remembered them. But he still feels his eyes, fingers, legs... and his whole body twitch as he faces one of the four familiars of the void mage. Should he even be doing this shit? Sure... he is one of the four Cardinal Heroes which kind of make him this world's equivalent of the four familiars. But he was still just a normal guy who just graduated from some third rate university from his home only a few months ago. Even Saito didn't face one of his fellow familiars till he grew much stronger in his story, and he doesn't feel nearly as prepared as Saito when he was facing down Sheffield. He nearly jumps out of his reach when the familiar (or rather, concubine in this world) of Prince Joseph speaks to them. " The snow plum tea is ready for consumption, revered heroes. How would you like yours? Sugar? Milk? Or would you prefer to drink them plain?"
"Sugar. Lots of it! Well... that's usually what I say when it comes to tea. But this stuff smells nice. I think I'll try it plain this time. Thank you, Lady Sheffield." Motoyasu practically bounces off the couch he is sitting in as he giddily looks at the clear tea that's being poured into different cups. The Mjöðvitnir picks up a cup with both hands, and hands it into Motoyasu's waiting hands. He takes it over, and instantly pours the whole cup into his mouth like he's drinking some kind of cheap liquor. He isn't someone who cares about the way of tea ceremony, and Motoyasu still managed to make him look away. "It's good!"
"Do you have to drink it like a complete brute, and make us all look bad?" Itsuki picks up his cup, and takes small sips of the tea. His chastise makes Motoyasu look down with a faint blush. At least Motoyasu seems to be aware that he embarrassed them all.
"I am aware that my poor daughter is being taken care of by you, Lord Bow Hero." Lady Sheffield smiles at Itsuki. She probably tried to come off as welcoming, friendly. But the tear mark shaped tattoo under her eyes makes the gesture look vaguely sinister. "You have my gratitude for taking her in."
"That's no problem, madam. Sir Crepe is a big help to me. She's brave, strong, and determined. I think it's more fitting to say that I'm being taken care of by good people like her, and Rishia." This time, It's Itsuki's turn to blush and look down at his laps for some reason. Although thankfully he quickly explains. "I'm sorry that she had to force herself out of her family to fight the Three Heroes' Church with me."
"That is no problem. As much as it saddens me as Josephine's mother, her position as the daughter between Prince Joseph and myself brought her nothing but misery." Lady Sheffield places a cup in front of Naofumi, although he doesn't dare to touch it even with the tip of his fingers. It's not that he's afraid of being poisoned by her (once again, he is totally not being biased towards Joseph, and everyone around him because of how he's written in The Familiar of Zero ), but he wants to focus all his attention on how to deal with them and close the debt he owed to Prince Joseph. While his mind is wandering all over the place, Sheffield continues her speech about Sir Crepe's past. "Magic has always run deep within House De Gallia's bloodline. It is well known that those closely related to the crown would at least have two powerful affinities. And with myself being a Mjöðvitnir, someone who has affinity to all magical elements, expectations on Josephine were high. So she's been living under a lot of criticism when it's determined that she has no affinity to magic at all. And why did she take to knighthood like fish to water. To the uneducated and unenlightened common people, she is a princess who cares about protecting them. But all my daughter wanted was to be able to breathe from all the gossip and ridicule from the up-tight nobility. Even with his grace, Prince Joseph's favor, she will likely be released to the cadet house to lead them in the end. So her seeking her own future among the heroes is the best outcome for my daughter."
"You have my condolences, Lady Sheffield. I know my name doesn't mean much after I messed up in Stormwind, but I promise you that I will do my best to help Sir Crepe from now on." Itsuki bows his head towards Sheffield, Motoyasu on the other hand seems to have tears rolling in his eyes. Wasn't the young they talked about his companion first? Maybe he is feeling some regret for not living up to the expectation of Lady Sheffield's daughter...
"Please excuse me for interrupting your sentiment, revered heroes, Lady Sheffield." Cleose opens his mouth as he bows his head halfway. His voice sounds much more smooth compared to Kael'thas, who usually carries his equally melodious voice but with a haughty aggressive undertone. "But this is a meeting for my rightful King, Lord Shield Hero, to finalize the terms for his reparation for the incident at Graile City."
Both Itsuki and Motoyasu tossed an annoyed glare at the white phoenix, but Cleose didn't show any resentment on his face. Their interaction suddenly makes Naofumi aware how much Sheffield had been leading this meeting by the nose. Both Itsuki and Motoyasu are his friend and should be on his side, yet the concubine of Prince Joseph had played them with the sympathetic backstory of her daughter. The (not officially employed) common university graduate feels a wave of headache. Of course, in the original story, Sheffield was dispatched by Joseph to act as his agent at running his own religious rebellion. And here, she would only be a much more accomplished manipulator if she's been an official member of his court.
"Thank you for your treat, Lady Sheffield. But as my advisor said, I think we better start moving into the main topic. I would feel much better if I knew exactly how much I owe Prince Joseph." Naofumi refocuses his attention, and gets ready to negotiate terms with the representative of the Gallia prince. He really can't afford to let his mind wander anymore.
Malty feels a mixed sense of repulsiveness and nostalgia as she stands in front of the sewerage exit. Back when she first became the Shield Hero's companion, the two Siltvelt agents (she idly wonders what became of them) lead Naofumi and herself through this secret entrance to the thief's guild, and then into the slum to get their slave companions. And while they didn't escape through this place, Miss Mala also led them through the sewerage to escape from the dungeon Fuckboy kept Naofumi and herself in. She turns her head slightly to the right, the unremarkable looking servant shivers under Malty's gaze. She gives a brief stare to Azula, the former dragon princess didn't dignify her look with any response. Malty nods back to the servant and gives her a simple command. "Lead the way."
The servant puts a hood from her traveling cloak over her head, and pulls up a mask. Malty does the same with her red dress cloak recovered by Sir Oersted. She follows the plain servant into the sewer, Azula following after her without any complaint. The thief's highway is as rancid as she remembered, but she did notice the complete lack of any rogues, or even squatters. The failed coup of the Three Heroes' Church (which the thief's guild clearly had a hand in considering their guild leader pursued Naofumi and her), and Eclair's purge of the slum clearly had some temporary effect on these sewer dwelling rats. Although Malty assumes they'll quickly congregate in the damp undercity after the heroes and their retinue leave for north again. Just like before, she loses her sense of direction and time soon after sunlight disappears behind her. After a while, the unremarkable servant stops after heading into one side passage. Her hand brushes against a wall after a while, and Malty can hear the sound of gears turning behind the stone wall. A secret door opens up, and she follows after the servant inside.
The place is dimly lit, and it smells slightly musky. But it doesn't have the same stench of waste like the sewer. Malty narrows her eyes, and looks around. She sees countless wooden crates, barrels, and even a few liquor barrels on wooden shelves. A storage cellar, a fairly large one on top of it no less, belongs to at least a rich, very rich merchant if not a great house. The servant turns around and bows her head at Malty before quickly disappearing into a set of stairs leading up. "Please wait here for a short moment. My master will be with you shortly."
It seems like the servant's master didn't plan to fully invite Malty into their home. Maybe this wasn't even their real home to begin with, but a secret meeting place. Regardless, she has nothing to do but wait and see what they are playing at. She gives Azula a sideway glance. The fire dragon lady was also staring at Malty, but she quickly avoided Malty's gaze. Trying to act like she doesn't care about their new situation at all. Maybe she doesn't, and she's merely trying to observe what Malty herself is doing.
She didn't have to wait for too long when she started to hear the sound of steps coming towards her. After spending her time with armored warriors, Malty can easily tell the difference between the clanks of armored boots and the click of high heels. And right now, she knows that the sound belongs to a well dressed noble lady. Not too long after, the lower edge of a luxury looking dress can be seen from the stairs before the noble lady finally shows herself. Malty narrows her eyes once again at the woman who is around a decade older than her, maybe less. Her faint blonde hair is slicked back like a cape behind her, her dress that fits some kind of royal party more than this pultray cellar practically glowing with light. Lady Celestine Chalphy may be the lady of House Chalphy, but the crusader family's martial tradition clearly didn't rub off on her.
"I'm sorry for the suddenness of my meeting, and having to see you in such a wretched setting, Your Highness. But as you know, I am the lady of House Chalphy, and they have already become allies of Princess Melty through Lady Katarina. Letting them become aware of our private session would be inadvisable for the both of us." Celestine's voice lacks the proper respect demanded of her when it comes to talking about the crown princess, and her allies. Especially when Katarina was mentioned. Not that her name is often associated with respect considering most high class scion knew how wildly energetic she is, but Katarina was still a childhood playmate of Malty. And she's not about to let a delicate house grown flower like Celestine talk bad about her without a reprimand.
"In that case, you should not have summoned me for a meeting, Lady Chalphy. You might not be aware, but Her Grace, Queen Mirellia has at least one Shadow tailing behind each member of the royal family, banished members included. Her agent is no doubt completely aware of our conversation, maybe she's hiding somewhere in this cellar right now." Malty didn't directly chastise Celestine for her disrespect towards Katarina, but pointed out a simple unspoken fact about the royal family under the current queen's rule. It'll both remind the noble lady of her place, and help Malty gauge her political acuteness. She wasn't fully disappointed when Celestine's face briefly loses her confidence, as her eyes begin to frantically scan around the cellar room she is in, a single strand of hair escapes her well dressed style and pokes out behind her head. So... the lady of House Chalphy is an overly ambitious idiot who doesn't even know all the unwritten and unspoken rules of the royal family when she begins to play sides. That matches well with how her father was described.
"Well... I'm sure Her Grace would be happy with my proposal in this case." Celestine takes a deep breath, and opens up a folding fan to hide her face behind it like Malty's mother. If the idiot was intentionally trying to mimic the queen to either win some respect or sentimental value from Malty, then she's an even bigger idiot than Malty already given her credit for. If she's merely trying to recover from her own blunder... it's not like Malty was blind, or had her mind wander away from the conversation so there's nothing for her to hide. "Your Highness, as you probably already know. The Crusader Block has placed their support behind Princess Melty because of that wild monkey Katarina. And since they are the only martial group in Melromarc who can remotely shake Lady Amelia's grandfather on his hold over the army, that means Princess Melty essentially has the backing of both the commoner army, and the most powerful martial noble families behind her. From a point of stability in the near future, that's obviously not a good thing."
"And I suppose you, the Lady of House Chalphy, will be the key to solving this problem? What, did you and Duke Oifey finally seeked marriage counseling like my mother suggested?" Malty fights back the snort as she turns around, walks towards the far wall of the cellar and sits on top of a sturdy-looking crate. When she turns around, she sees a shade of red on Celestine's face. It's a well known fact that her marriage with Duke Oifey is a rough one even in the most diplomatic terms. While it's not exactly a political marriage that's hated at first sight, the fact that the knightly duke spends more time in an army camp than going back to his castle with his wife is an endless fountain for noble lady gossip, and an amusing rumor for the common folk.
House Grant, the noble family Lady Celestine belongs to,is one of the most unlucky noble families that still exist in Melromarc. During the Great War, their family was almost completely destroyed by the Siltvelt invaders, leaving only Lady Celestine's father the only survivor. Not an unique situation for northern noble families (Archduke Wales was also the sole survivor of his family), but the misfortune of House Grant only started with Siltvelt's massacre. Ten years ago, Lady Celestine's rebellious elder brother left her family, and Melromarc due to 'ideological differences' with their parents. This isn't something unheard of either when it comes to noble families. This was the reason why both Faubley, and Melromarc had a House Von Balveproven. But the nation that Celestine's brother settled down in the end was nothing less of a slap in the face for both Melromarc, and House Grant: It was Siltvelt. That's why people don't even talk about his name, and simply call him 'Sinner Grant'. It reminds Malty a bit of 'The Kingtaker' Kael'thas often hold contempt at, now that Malty thinks about it.
The misfortune didn't stop at Celestine's father, and her elder brother. When it came to her turn to negotiate for a betrothal contract, they picked Lord Seliph. Son of the late Lord Sigurd who fully inherited Baldur's power, and Holy Tyrfing blade. But in the end, the marriage was rejected by Lord Seliph. Not something House Grant could fault House Calphy for since House Chalphy is still one of the most powerful, and influential noble families in Melromarc, especially when it comes to northern, martial great houses in spite of the damage they suffered from The Great War and the snubbing from the queen. House Grant would definitely be the one that'll benefit much, MUCH more from the betrothal than House Chalphy, so it's expected for them to be rejected... if not for the candidate Lord Seliph ended up marrying: a commoner girl from the kingdom of Isaac who Lord Seliph came to know when he fostered under Isaac's King Shanon.
Seliph did step down from the head of House Chalphy due to this scandal, passed the title of Duke to his uncle Oifey and had House Grant proceed with their betrothal contract between Duke Oifey and Lady Celestine. But the damage was already done by that point: People, especially nobles don't dare to openly say anything to the face of the Lady of House Chalphy. But between close doors and behind her back, she had become one of the biggest laughing stock. Malty herself had her fair share of amusement from Celestine's disgrace. So she understands the woman's grudge against Seliph and his commoner wife.
Now that Malty herself has been disgraced among the noble community and no doubt became a target of ridicule, she begins to feel more sympathy towards Lady Celestine. Not that she expected Seliph to have any sentimental feelings towards a woman he barely met a few times (and he did step down from his rightful rank as a duke to let Celestine marry his uncle as the future lady of House Chalphy), but to pass the hand of a noble lady for a common born bloodline stealer is still a breach of noble decorum. So between a noble lady who never had a choice and a loinbrain who can't control where he puts his cock in, it's obvious where her support would go from both a logical, and a sentimental perspective. It still doesn't mean she's going to blindly jump in and help Celestine, especially considering how pathetic her performance had been so far as a noble lady.
"You would find that the so-called 'Crusader Block' isn't as unified as you would think. And as an insider, they'll be much easier for me to take down from the inside, than others from the outside." Lady Celestine smirks, completely missing the main point of Malty's implication without realizing it. She even further elaborate on her own wrong direction, perhaps thinking it would help convince Malty to support her misguided revenge against the faction she belongs to. "There are the crusader families who naively believe in morals and try to live up to them like old man Seaetto. And there are those who are more active Players in The Game. They are working together, and maintaining their unity so far because Her Grace, Queen Mirellia is limiting their influence for the fear of them taking over this nation's power. But they aren't all huggy and kissy like they look from the outside. All it takes is some inner conflict... and their block would crumble into senseless infighting. And as the Lady of House Chalphy, I would of course be the best candidate to entice them into doing so."
"You seem to have forgotten something, Lady Celestine." Malty fights back the strong urge to snort back. If she was only suspecting Lady Celestine's lack of competence compared to her ambition, she is now entirely sure of it. "You yourself have mentioned yourself, aside from the private army of the different noble families. Most of the nation's standing army in Melromarc are being controlled by General Anderson, and essentially being controlled by House Amelia. And the only ones who could rival them are the Crusader Block when they unite together. Do you honestly think Her Grace Queen Mirellia would wish the Crusader Block to crumble , and completely lose their ability to threaten House Amelia in case they want to fully take over Melromarc's power, and force Her Grace into nothing more than a puppet?"
"...Oh." Lady Celestine's reply to Malty's question was short and graceful. She clearly did not think her plan through. Idiot... looking at Celestine makes Malty feel like looking into a mirror. The wife of Duke Chalphy reminds her of herself, particularly herself before the hero summoning. Greedy and petty, full of self-pitying and would place the priority of satisfying her own lust of vengeance above everything else.
"I'm not saying your concern was for nothing, Lady Celestine. But as a former royal princess, I know my mother has greater, more urgent concerns that she needs to deal with immediately. And there are lesser concerns she could put off for longer." Regardless of Lady Celestine's many faults, Malty still feels that she needs to give the unlucky woman some advice. Perhaps that she is truly a bad person, or maybe she simply needed some better guidance and help in her life than the ridicules and rejection she's been receiving so far. Eclair needed support, Lady Flare needed support, Malty herself needed them... and perhaps even that greedy harpy Sister Amelia could have avoided her ruin if she had some genuine help at the right time. "I'm sure she would appreciate your contribution to the crown in spite of loyalty to your own royal family. But now is not the right time. We are still facing the Wave of Catastrophe caused by a demonic otherworld legion. And while there is no longer fear of a crusade against us by other nations thanks to the (no matter how dubious) support from the four Cardinal Heroes, the other nations are no doubt unhappy with the heroes all choosing Melromarc as their base of operations. We need to work together to stop all these foreign threats first before worrying about the nobility banding together to threaten the crown or to harm our people. Now, if you no longer have any more ideas or suggestions, I believe it's best we conclude our brief meeting. It'll be harmful to both of our names if we are caught together in private like this even if we made no plan together."
"Wait, Your Highness!" Celestine's urgent calling makes Malty hold her own feet still. The former princess can't stop a frown from appearing over her face. Her royal status has already been officially taken away, and replaced by the status of a slave of the Shield Hero. So for someone to address her like a princess... they are either making fun of her, or trying to suck up to her. Probably because of her closeness with the Shield Hero. Considering Celestine is certainly not the smartest noble, Malty doubts she could fake the urgency in her own voice. "Even if you consider it too soon to start taking power away from the Crusader Block, I could still act as your eyes and ears. Passing some messages to you... and back. I'm sure as the companion of Master Shield Hero, you would like to know what's happening among the followers and allies of Master Spear Hero?"
"Have you not heard a single word from me, Lady Celestine?" Malty fights back the growing sense of headache climbing up her skulls. Celestine is talking about the heroes, disregarding the four of them being supportive of each other rather than being bitter enemies like the usual cases. Either she truly is being obtuse... or she's using the name of the two heroes to point at the political conflict between Malty, and Melty. Malty would like to think the second case is more likely. But that would give no credit to Celestine's political intelligence. To charge head-in regarding a royalty's heir is asking for a quick invitation to the executioner's ax. "Our conversation would no doubt be read by Her Grace Queen Mirellia by the end of tonight if not earlier. We would invite trouble to both of us if we continue."
"I'm afraid you are very much mistaken, Your Highness. As a nominal supporter of Her Grace Crown Princess Melty, I am fully aware that her majesty is deeply concerned that Princess Melty's future reign would be fully controlled between House Amelia, and the Crusader Block. She is too young, and any of her achievements during the Wave of Catastrophe would be divided by her supporters. And to have only two major factions fighting for the favor of the ruler is a dangerous prospect." Malty feels her eyebrow raise as Celestine seems to recover her confidence from her repeated early blunders. Disregarding her over ambitiousness, Malty actually agrees with Celestine's analysis from a purely objective point.
When a young ruler faces a fully unified front of her supporters, she would be turned into a complete puppet by the leader of said faction (Duke Amelia... and later Iris in Melty's case). Having two major factions would be equally dangerous. Disregard the completely naive and unrealistic scenario of both factions being fully faithful to the ruler and help her rule without any selfish motivations, the best case scenario for said ruler would be both factions locked into a total war till one side (or both in the most extreme case) get completely annihilated, and would most likely result in said ruler being deposed either by the victor or a foreign power. And in a much worse case, they would cease their fight together, dispose of their supposed ruler before deciding (through diplomacy, political machinations, or outright open conflict) how they would then divide their power.
But if there is at least a third power block... There could be a more peaceful deadlock of power where all sides cease open hostility (once again, regardless if said hostility comes in the form of negotiation, scheme, or battle) for the fear of being kicked out of the race first. It would allow a young ruler a fighting chance to grow, establish her loyalty, and maybe even take back power once she's more mature and ready for The Game. It would certainly be something her mother would do to ensure Melty could eventually take back her power. Of course, the biggest question in this case being if her mother wanted Malty to be this third power block or not.
Mother herself obviously has an already established faction, even if she's done nothing but destroy her own base of power since the conclusion of The Great War. But if she wants to, she could slowly transition her own power base over to Melty. With this act of passing the torch, if Melty is able to act even halfway decent, she would look like a better leader than their mother by comparison and easily win over the loyalty of the crown's loyalist. But of course, it would also mean that their mother would slowly lose her own base and her control of the nation. Based on how Malty knew her mother, she would only use this method as a last resort.
The other possibility is using one of the other established noble houses to act as the third faction under Malty. House Arc might have been a possibility if not for how much mother messed up the way she concluded the Three Heroes Church's rebellion. Prince Joseph was trying to get close to Melty, but he was also aiming for the throne itself. So he would become another competitor to Melty rather than a faction working under her. And based on this analysis... it seems almost logical that mother would want Malty herself to act as a third faction under Melty. Or at least, an outsider who would make the previous clear divide between House Amelia and the Crusader Block much less well defined for Melty to eventually grow her own loyalist faction?
Of course, such hypotheses are based on two major points. One, that Malty would willingly let herself be used as a tool by her younger sister rather than trying to take the throne like Prince Joseph. And two, her mother would actually believe in her benevolence towards Melty. Regardless of what she thinks about Melty, the second point of Lady Celestine's implication would not stand. Based on the words she exchanged between herself and her mother, not to mention her mother's more recent action with Naofumi. It's clear that her mother hasn't learned to believe her more than their previous session. Which begs the better question, is Celestine truly working for her own ambition, or all her previous acts exactly that? An act to lay down a trap for Malty to step through, probably on her mother's command.
"On second thoughts... I do find wisdom in your words. Lady Celestine." All those thoughts spin in Malty's mind for a brief second, before she shows Celestine a smile and takes a step forward. Regardless if Celestine chooses to get close to her on her mother's command or not, it's best not to push her away like before. If Celestine is merely another over ambitious amateur who wants to become a Player in The Game, it would be a huge missed opportunity to turn a tentatively willing ally away. As for her mother's opinion... Well, it's not like Malty can do anything to lower it even further. "I am still concerned about my younger sister's well being, regardless if I'm still part of her family tapestry or not. And knowing if she's being pointed around by her supposed ally or not is important. That being said... I do still recommend you be careful with the situation. You don't want to accidently weaken the Crusader Block too much, to the point that only House Amelia has Crown Princess Melty's ears. Or make the situation so unstable that the Wave of Catastrophe, or a foreign power would completely ruin glorious Melromarc."
"Of course. I understand the precarious situation we are in. There is not much point to playing The Game if the entire board gets flipped over." Celestine seems ecstatic that Malty finally begins to show some positive reciprocation. She takes a visible deep breath, and continues. "In spite of what I said before, I have no plan to destroy the Crusader Block. They are our strongest sword and shield against any foreign threat after all. Not even her majesty dares to expunge them, only trying to reel them back. And that is exactly what I plan to do with House Chalphy. As the Lady of the house, I have the second highest authority after Duke Oifey himself in making any decisions regarding our great house. All I need... is to have some support."
Once again, Malty fights back the urge to frown. Celestine isn't so stupid to say it out loud, but she made the implication of her goal clear. She wants to dispose of Duke Oifey, and take full control of House Chalphy herself. It might be motivated by the greed of taking over a Duchy which ranks even higher than her own family, or perhaps she does it out of the pettiness of her personal grudge against House Chalphy. Regardless, she might as well fall on a blade. With Oifey out of the picture, Duke Arvis could reach over into House Chalphy's affair thanks to him being the stepfather of Count Seliph. Unless Celestine somehow manages to take Oifey and Seliph out in one swift move, or take care of Seliph without alerting Oifey of her own involvement. All she does is do Duke Arvis' dirty work for him without gaining anything for herself. Which raises a more interesting implication in Malty's head. Perhaps the one pulling Celestine's threads isn't her own mother, but Duke Arvis? Using some choice words to provoke the petty, and unhappy wife of Duke Oifey, and turn her into his own dagger while his hands stays clean?
He could have avoided all this trouble if he simply forced Seliph to go through with his marriage with Lady Celestine in the first place, and take the title of Duke. But maybe he wanted the older, more experienced family member of Seliph out of the picture, so he can more easily manipulate the young, inexperienced loin brain without any interference. Regardless, Malty feels like she should stop this train of thought before her own shadow begins to startle her.
"I would love to give me, or more to the point, The Shield Hero Master Naofumi's support to you, if some unfortunately unspeakable event happens to House Chalphy. The Crusader Block can not suffer another major blow after the treason of House Dáinn. But make no mistake, Lady Celestine. This is not my, or Master Shield Hero's permission to let you do anything you see fit. You know what happened to House Dáinn, or a certain member who got burned off the tapestry of House Ullr because of what he did in The Great War. Why, I'm sure you have a much better understanding because of what your foolish former brother did." Malty's smile slowly turns colder as she looks at Lady Celestine. The too ambitious for her own good lady of House Chalphy actually shivers in spite of her being a high rank noble lady and Malty only being a slave. "The Game allows many different kinds of Players to exist. But the one kind it has no mercy for, is a traitor to one's nation."
"Nice dress you are wearing today, Lady Chalphy. Heavenly cicada silk, isn't it?" To Malty's surprise, Azula opens her mouth behind her. The dragon lady has even less concern about holding back her sense of contempt at Celestine than Malty herself. " Only the main branch, and their closest supporters within the Azura Dragon Great Clan have access to them at the source. A dress made like this could buy the ownership of a free city, even a small kingdom. You really shouldn't wear this dress everywhere you go. People would get the wrong ideas."
"Ah, yes. Of course. How careless of me... this dress that Oifey got me for our wedding anniversary shouldn't be worn everywhere... Thank you for your support, and your warning. Your Highness... I will, of course, be more concerned with my actions from now onward." Malty waves the stuttering fool away as she turns back to exit out into the sewer again. Somehow, it smells nicer than the air around Celestine.
"There's a saying in Siltvelt: Fear not your god-like enemy, but be very fearful of your pig-like ally. You aren't thinking about actually trying to work together with that fool, are you? She's nothing more than a stack of dry, filthy straws covered under a golden sheet." Azula once again surprised Malty when she suddenly spoke. The dragon lady's voice is dismissive, even derisive. Yet there's still an underline concern in her words, like she's worried that Malty might step into a situation she's not prepared for and traps herself." That woman is a walking political liability that's going to get herself and anyone she's involved in her little hare-brained revenge scheme killed.
Azula is right, of course. In spite of whatever sympathy Malty has towards Celestine, she's not the same as Eclair, or even Flare. Eclair was extremely naive in her belief of chivalry, which makes her easily manipulated by someone who has malicious intent. And Flare is a spoiled, and clearly very sheltered noble lady. But neither of them actively go around picking targets much greater than themselves in The Game. A dangerous action that's likely to get them, and whoever they associate with killed. If there is anyone who Celestine reminded Malty most of, it's no other than herself. With their sordid arranged marriage, and their drive to get out of it, willing to risk everything for a chance to be freed. It took the uncompromising kindness from the Shield Hero, and everyone around him to break Malty out of her previously completely self-serving mindset. Clearly, Celestine isn't anywhere near as lucky.
"You are right. Based on how Celestine acted so far, she's a liability to anyone who dares to take her in as an ally. Good thing that I'm going to keep her at an arm's length. Knowing what's going on in the Crown Princess' faction would be invaluable, and I don't have to pay much, if anything, with someone like Celestine at this stage. She's the one who is begging for support right now." There's really no point explaining this to someone who is technically also a slave of Naofumi. But then again, anyone with eyes could see that Malty's slave status to the Shield Hero is merely a semantic that keeps her out of the hand of her uncle King Egbert. As for Azula... with her being the daughter of a powerful Siltvelt Azure Dragon Lord, there is certainly potential (much more than someone like Celestine) to eventually bring her in as an ally of the Shield Hero. So she doesn't mind treating Azula with more trust and honesty. Malty gives a sideway glance at Azula, and sees her quickly turning her head away once again. So the dishonored Siltvelt dragon lady still doesn't feel comfortable enough to truly get into a conversation with a fallen princess of her nation's longest nemesis. Understandable, but perhaps one day they'll be able to talk more openly with each other. That's the thought in Malty's head when the entire sewer system begins to violently shake, and she nearly drops head first into the filthy water below if Azula didn't reach out at the last moment. "What's happening?! Why is there an earthquake?"
"Sounds like the earth dragon is flipping in its nap. This way! I can feel the wind from outside." Azula pulls Malty towards a side corridor as grime covered stones and dirt begin to fall all around them. She tosses a gust of fire out, melting the steel bars above their head and grabs Malty with both of her hands. Before the former princess can realize what's happening, she suddenly sees Azula's hands moving up as the scenes around her change quickly. And then she's above the ground, after a brief second of weightlessness, she sees the ground rapidly approaching her face till someone grabs her from the side once again as they both roll on the ground. It takes her a few moments to realize Azula is now lying beside her with arms wrapped around her body. But that's not what's catching most of her attention as she looks north. "What the hell is THAT?!"
With a loud clunk, Keel manages to knock the sword out of Raphtalia's hand once again. Keel jumps on her feet and pumps her balled up hand up for a brief second before looking at Raphtalia, and then looks away sheepishly. Raphtalia lets out a sigh, picks up her sword and walks to the side of their training area to sit down. "You don't have to mind me, Keel. I'm happy that you are taking to this fighting thing better than I am."
"Yeah, leave all the fighting to me, Raphtalia! You don't have to worry about it, I'll protect you!" Keel sits down besides Raphtalia and hammers her own chest. Her friend is still in the mindset that she shouldn't fight herself. Keel isn't exactly wrong on how she's not really fit for battle though. Every time she picks up a weapon, she begins to think about all those nasty manhunters who chased after them after the destruction of Port Harp, or worse... Those demi-human bandits who worked with the Bitch Lord. But if she doesn't learn how to defend herself, what would happen when the Wave of Catastrophe grows stronger and stronger, and when the Burning Legion comes to kill everyone? She doesn't stand around, and watch her surrogate parents get killed again.
"You do not have to feel discouraged by your seemingly slow progress, little one." Granny walks over to the two of them. She picks up Raphtalia's sword by the tip of its blade, and Raphtalia allows her mentor to take her weapon away. Granny holds the weapon properly in her hand, and begins to wave it around. In the brief moment, Raphtalia could almost see a hundred flowers blossom in front of her eyes, and she knows everyone of them is a twirl of her sword in Granny's hand. "The sword is the noble king of a hundred different weapons. To master it takes the longest time. There is a saying in Siltvelt: It takes a hundred years to master a cleaver, a thousand years to master a spear, and ten thousand years to master a sword. You have a timid and compassionate nature, normally not fit to use a weapon. But that's not a good personality for a warrior. But it's not a problem if you master the art of the sword. There are many different kinds of swords, and more ways to utilize them. There are certain sword forms that fit you once you master the basics."
"Pfft. You don't have to try and make Raphtalia feel better, old woman. She isn't good at fighting, and she doesn't want to do it either. She only does it because those two man-animals played mind tricks on her, and makes her think she needs to pay them back." Keel snorts back at Granny. Raphtalia feels like scolding Keel for being rude to someone older, but it's not like Keel listens to anything she says. And she didn't get the chance anyway when granny smirks at her friend.
"Thinking I'm lying to your friend, do you? Then perhaps you would like to try it out yourself." Granny takes a few steps backwards as she steps into the ring of their training area. Her feet close together, her arms fall limply alongside her body. "Come at me with your strongest attack, little one. Let me give you a little glimpse of the history of true martial excellence. Don't worry, I'll keep me at your level to not simply overpower you."
Keel takes a brief pause as she looks at granny. After a few moments, she steps forward, takes a deep breath, and then charges at the martial master with a furious yell. Holding the hilt of her sword with both hands. Granny doesn't move at all as she allows Keel to charge into her face, and raises her arm up at the last moment. Before Raphtalia realizes what's even going on, she suddenly has the spine of her sword stick to Keel's blade, and begins to guide Keel's body like she's handling the leash of a dog. Keel's eyes widen, and she tries to break away by charging at Granny with her body, but she only ends up being led along further by Granny till she hits the ground face first. "Wah- What's going on?"
"What you just felt is what Siltvelt calls the 'Genial Sword'. Instead of trying to overpower your opponent with your weapon, you wrap around, and stick your weapon to your opponent, and then use their own strength against them. To disarm and fall your opponent without wounding or killing them first. I believe your friend would like to learn this way of fighting, don't you, young one?" Granny turns to look at Raphtalia. She furiously nods her head back at Granny. "Well, you still need to get used to the basic ways of using a sword first before I start teaching you the way of the Genial Sword."
"And how long till Raphtalia learns it, ten-thousand years?" Keel snorts from her nose once again. She seems to suddenly realize something as her eyes morphed into the shape of a crescent, and the corner of her mouth turns up.
"As for you, young woman. You have a very aggressive personality. You should stop using swords, and pick up a cleaver." Granny turns her head around to look at Keel once again. Her words make Keel's smile grow wider. "A single bladed weapon. They are the tyrants of a hundred weapons, focusing on the attack and forcing your opponent into defense. It would fit well with your aggressive personality."
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Raphtalia. We are all doing our best to help the heroes, even if we aren't strong enough to stand beside them." Raphtalia turns around to look at Raki walking towards her. With him already being a young scout before he joined Naofumi's retinue, he had done the same while they were staying at the village of Balafon. He's having some chance to further train his fighting skill, while helping the village's hunting party cleaning out the gutter beaks populating the forest to the north.
Although seeing Raki's form, Raphtalia had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. Because right now, he's wearing the heavy armor for an adult, that should be too large for him last night. Surely, he can't grow up overnight like her. "Did you grow, Raki?"
"Oh, no. I'm helping Mr. Zylden and Miss Bed test out their latest experiment." Raki looks up and strips the heavy armor off his chest. Raphtalia expects to see his cloth, but ends up seeing something like an under armor made of weaved plant vines instead. All of the verdant creepers constantly pulsate and twitch, like they are made of snakes.
"Bed-Chan's newest creation. You already knew she made some enhanced living armor for Shield Boy and the lass, no?" Zylden walks over and places a hand on Raki's side, not seemingly disturbed by the creepiness of Raki's under armor. "It got me thinking. What if she makes the armor larger, so even a half-man like me could fit into a suit of plate mail and live out my childhood fantasy of being a knight on the battlefield? And here! That's the latest result. Raki boy has volunteered to help us test out Bed-Chan's little vine dryad."
Raphtalia moves closer to Raki, slowly reaching her hand out to touch at his twitching armor with curiosity. But a sudden wave of tremors makes her fall head first into his chest instead as the two of them fall into a tangle of limbs and vines. Thankfully, the shake didn't maintain for too long, and Raphtalia manages to pull herself away from Raki. But when she looks up, she fights the urge of rubbing her eyes once again. "Why is a mountain moving?!"
End Note:
All the prior build up for Celestine and House Chalphy finally gets to this chapter, where she tries to make a play to get in touch with Malty. Yeah... for those who don't realize it. Celestine actually comes from an anthology comic series about how different 'villainess' get their happy ending. Needless to say, her story was the absolute worst and the writer apparently love her the most since she got three chapters when the other characters only got one. Yeah... I have a LOT I want to say about her.
And for anyone wondering. Yes, the moving mountain at the end is the Spirit Tortoise. We are finally at the last arc before we officially start Siltvelt storyline. The first of the four major planned storylines for this story.