Is it really okay to use Getter Rays in a world of Otome Games? [MobuSeka/Getter Robo]

“We were all stunned when the boy in the picture looked exactly like a child version of you.” Julius just finished explaining the very strange coincidence that was Leon Sara Rault. It was pretty weird to hear that there was a kid who had the same name and face as me, moreso that he passed away a decade ago.

I was still en route to Alzer aboard the Nagare. Control and Yumeria were making sure that the accommodations for everyone on the ship were all set up properly. In the meantime, Marie contacted me again saying that Julius wanted to talk to me about something important before we arrived. I certainly didn’t expect that the topic of discussion was the internal family complications of the Rault family.

“That sucks. I can’t even imagine what it was like for them to lose a son that young.” I lamented. I didn’t know the kid, but I could at least empathize with the pain it would have caused his parents and sister. “So Serge was then adopted so their house can have a male heir?”

“Correct,” Julius continued before his expression became quite conflicted. “There is a lot of tension between him and Miss Louise because of an incident he told us about relating to their Leon.”

Of course there was going to be drama between the adopted siblings. It was like having a healthy family relationship was a hidden difficulty setting in this world for nobility.

“Serge feels like he is nothing more than a replacement for the deceased Leon, of which he is technically correct. Unfortunately, the grief of Chairman Albergue and his family over the loss seemed to have made Serge’s feelings of neglect even worse.” Julius sighed and shook his head as he continued to talk about his new friend’s past. “Enough that he did something he described as unforgivable to Louise.”

Well, that wasn’t ominous at all. “Did he tell you what it was?”

“He burned nearly every photo of the boy the family had in a fit of anger, including all the ones that had Louise with him.” I took in a sharp breath and winced at Julius’ answer. Yeah, that’d put him on her shitlist for sure.

“Louise loved her brother. A lot.” Marie continued the thought, her voice being unusually sullen as she spoke. “I never heard of Leon Sara Rault in the discussions about the second game, so it was probably cut content. Even so, I could feel how much Louise loved him whenever I got her to talk about what he was like.”

“And now the two of them are going to spend the summer break with a guy who looks exactly like him.” I said, lightly pulling at my hair with all the fun possibilities that this could bring over the summer break.

Thanks Marie!

“I don’t think that Louise will do anything, she seems to have a good handle on her emotions.” Marie hurriedly assured me when she saw my reaction. "It'll be fine!"

“Serge will likely be a different story.” Julius went the opposite direction though. “Please be prepared in case he has an outburst.”

“I get it. It’s not like I haven’t been hit with worse over the past year.” If it had to come down to it, I’d give him a free hit because of how messed up their situation was. Anything more would be subject to self-defense. "But are you sure it's okay to divulge all this to me? Seems like a lot of very personal stuff he told to you guys in confidence."

"You will be personally involved in the matter even if I don't tell you about this. I'd rather apologize to Serge about it later than have the two of you at odds because you didn't have the right context for his anger." The conviction Julius had when he said those words made me blink.

Man, what happened to the guy I beat up last year who could only think about how unfair everything was to him?

“Good thing your women aren’t with you. They’d probably rip him to pieces if he does try to attack you.” My eyes widened at Marie’s comment and I dumbly nodded in agreement. Yeah, none of them would have taken a direct attack at me lying down even if I was personally okay with a free shot. Especially with Livia and Anne's 'Shoot First; Mind Control Later' combination.

“Anything else?” The way Julius’ eyes lit up when I asked that made it clear that there was definitely more.

“There is something strange relating to the Sacred Tree, the fully grown one.” Julius then started talking about another part of the meeting he and the boys had with the Chairman when their Guardian Crests first appeared. “As you know, myself and the others were designated as Guardians by the sapling. There is also supposed to be a Priestess who takes care of and can communicate with it. However, there are neither Priestess nor Guardian for the current Sacred Tree as the Lespinasse house was destroyed a decade ago. No replacements were ever chosen by the tree afterwards.”

Lespinasse, that was the house that both Noelle and Lelia were secretly daughters of based on what Marie told me about what she knew of the second game.

“Why was their house destroyed anyway?” I asked in confusion. They had both the Priestess and Guardian so they should be super powerful and important to Alzer in general. So how the hell was their family wiped out, or why for that matter?

“That’s the thing. When we asked, Chairman Albergue claimed that it was a matter of State and he cannot share the details of the incident with outsiders.” Julius stated and we all glanced at each other in silence.

“So basically that means that the other great houses probably did it.” I finally stated and the two of them immediately nodded in agreement.

And here I thought that the politics in Holfort was messed up. So much for Anne’s past being the only major mystery we needed to get to the bottom of.

“We probably won’t learn the full story unless we gain the full trust of either the twins or the Raults.” I said as the conversation ran its course. “For now, just make sure that everyone is ready to come aboard once the Nagare arrives.”

We said our goodbyes and the connection ended. I remained seated in the Captain’s chair as I thought about the whole thing. I was looking at the great expanse of the sky on the displays when I suddenly made a startling realization.

“Hey, Control.” I called out and immediately got a response.

Yes, Leon?

"So Anne woke up from inside the Saint's Necklace after it spent enough time in the Nagare and soaked up the Getter Rays in here." I recalled the several months that the necklace spent in that safe after I got it from the pirates last year.

That is likely what happened, yes.

"What are the chances that the baby Miracle God Tree would have a similar reaction to Getter Rays?" I asked in barely restrained unease.

Zero.

"Wait, really? How are you sure?" I squawked out at the certainty in Control’s statement.

The drone I have accompanying Marie has been analyzing the strange energy permeating from the full grown Sacred Tree. I have come to the conclusion that the tree and its offspring are the products of Getter Ray exposure to begin with.

I smacked my forehead with my palm. "Of course they are."

The Sacred Tree and its kind are likely mutated plant life that gained a form of power and sentience after prolonged exposure to a Getter Ray source. Over the following several thousands of years, the available Getter Radiation on the planet eventually ran out. The members of the species that would have managed to evolve into utilizing the ambient magical energy instead of Getter Rays were the ones that managed to survive and are likely where the Alzer Sacred Tree came from.

“There’s probably something Getter related under the giant tree, isn’t there?” I flatly asked and the long pause from Control pretty much confirmed my fear.

The possibility is not insignificant.

I swear, if it was another Getter Dragon in there, I would lose it!

…

“Big brother!” Marie shamelessly ran up and hugged me the moment we saw each other. I laughed and returned the hug even as Kyle and our new guests walked up behind her. Julius and the boys were loading up their Armors in the hangar and were probably going to get a surprise once they saw Roze Getter there.

Yumeria was at my side and I noticed her smile at Kyle, who tried to remain professional but I could see the blush at his mother’s attention. Marie finally let me go and I looked at the remaining three people there. They were the ones I’d have to accommodate for the rest of the Summer Break thanks to my sister.

“It’s nice to meet you, my name is Leon Fo-” I didn’t even finish my introduction when the guy, who I assumed was Serge Sara Rault, stepped forward and pulled back a fist to punch me. I ignored the exclamations from Marie and the other two girls in favor of keeping eye contact with Serge.

My eyes widened when his fist didn’t make contact with my face, care of the hand that was around his wrist. I turned my head and saw Yumeria holding onto Serge’s wrist with one hand while the other was around his throat. Wait, when did she even move?!

“Urk!” Serge tried to speak but Yumeria’s grip looked ironclad.

“Serge!” The blond girl, Noelle I assumed, called out in panic and tried to pull him away from my maid.

“What were you thinking?!” Louise opted to hiss at her adopted brother instead of trying to help him.

“Yumeria, let him go!” I ordered while grabbing onto her shoulders and ineffectively trying to puller her away from Serge.

“He tried to attack you.” Yumeria stated in a tone I hadn’t heard since I met her at Elven Island.

“I’m aware. I still want you to let him go.” I insisted and she finally relented. Both Noelle and Serge stumbled backwards, the girl barely able to brace them both as Serge started coughing and rubbing his throat. Marie walked up to them to check if they were okay.

“Why the hell did you try to punch our host?!” Louise was already there and berating her adopted brother.

Serge coughed for a bit longer before he could respond. “I was just trying to make him flinch! I wasn’t actually going to hit him!”

“It was still an idiotic thing to do!” His sister didn’t seem like she was having any of it.

“She’s not wrong, even though she can clearly say it in a nicer way.” The blonde added while rubbing his back and giving the older girl the stink eye.

One that Louise returned, crossing her arms under her breasts. “Oh, so now you’re the one defending him?”

“Anyway!” I cut in before things could get any worse. “Like I was saying, I’m Leon Fou Bartfort.”

I then walked up to my would-be attacker and offered a handshake. “That was one hell of a way to make yourself memorable. Serge, right?”

“Yeah, Serge Sara Rault.” He said with a nod and accepted the handshake. He turned to Yumeria and gave her a good look, his gaze lingering on the horn sticking out of her forehead. “You’re a hell of a lot stronger than you look.”

“I am Yumeria. I serve the will of the Dragon God as Oni and Priestess. You will not harm Inheritor Leon.” She coldly stated before dismissing Serge entirely in favor of leaning towards Noelle. The girl didn’t seem to know what to do when my maid just stared at her for a moment.

“You have traces of the Dragon God’s light, but it is changed. Curious.” Yumeria muttered, to the confusion of our three guests. Well, that was definitely a point towards Control’s theory that the Sacred Tree was a product of Getter Rays.

Louise then roughly pulled Noelle away from Serge and hissed at her. “Introduce yourself, you twit!”

“Ah! Right! I’m Noelle Beltre! Marie told me a lot about you! I’ll be in your care!” She hurriedly stated with a deep bow.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Miss Noelle.” I responded with a smile. Louise then cleared her throat and gave a perfect curtsy, making Noelle frown at her.

“Once again, I am Louise Sara Rault. Allow me to apologize on behalf of my house for the unacceptable behavior of our heir.” She sweetly said to try to smooth over what her brother just tried to do. I raised a hand to forestall any further words from her or the others.

“It’s fine. I know who I look like.” Both Louise and Serge looked at me in alarm while Noelle didn’t seem to know what I was talking about. “Julius and Marie explained it. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Serge looked conflicted about it and ignored Noelle’s whispers while Louise seemed to want to say something but held herself back. That was fine, there was a lot of time for them to breach that particular topic anyway.

“Please follow Yumeria to your quarters. I want to talk to Marie about something.” I said instead while gesturing to Yumeria, who gave a respectful bow to them.

“As long as she doesn’t try to choke me again.” That remark earned Serge a slap on the arm from both Noelle and Louise.

“And whose fault do you think that was?!” They both yelled at him at the same time. The two girls then stared at each other, frowning at their sudden and unexpected synchronization.

Serge groaned and started following Yumeria. “Great, now there’s two of them.”

“Please do not cause another scene or I shall indulge in choking you again.” I heard her say, making the poor guy flinch.

“Yes ma’am!” He hurriedly said, making sure to keep Louise between him and the elf. Noelle walked closely at his side and seemed to be teasing him. I turned to Kyle and Marie once they were all out of sight.

I looked at the two of them and noticed something very important that was missing. “Where’s the sapling?”

“Greg has it.” I thanked Marie and told the two of them to ask Control for directions to their quarters while I went to the hangar to talk to the boys. As expected, I saw the five of them staring at Roze Getter.

“Leon, why is there another Getter here?” Chris asked when he noticed me, making the others turn to me as well.

“It’s named Roze Getter and it’s here in case things get too hairy with all the monster attacks going around.” I gave the most reasonable excuse since Marie still refused to tell them the truth about everything.

“So they are still continuing unabated.” Julius said with a frown as he looked back at the other Getter Robo. “Who shall be piloting this new machine then?”

“Deirdre will be handling Roze Getter once Control and I give it to her.” That certainly got a few looks of confusion sent my way.

“She is one of the Roseblade daughters, if I recall correctly. Is it wise to let a woman pilot such a powerful Armor?” Jilk’s comment actually made me laugh out loud.

Miss Deirdre is a natural talent in piloting Black Getter F based on the time she has been spending in the simulator. Roze Getter was specifically built with her piloting it in mind.

The surprise on their faces was pretty much expected. Women typically weren’t part of Holfort’s fighting force outside of support roles even though most of the female nobility were registered Adventurers. They certainly didn’t go around piloting Armors as far as I knew.

I then noticed the glass case that Greg was cradling in his arms and the little plant secured within. “Is that the baby miracle god tree?”

They all blinked and looked at the sapling. Greg nodded and handed the case to me without hesitation. “Yep, we weren’t sure how safe it was for the little guy to remain in Alzer without any supervision.”

Awww! The baby god miracle god tree had five dads! I wonder if they named it?

I examined the tiny sapling inside the case but it didn’t really look any different from any other baby plant that I had seen in our family farms.

“I actually want to check something real quick, can you guys come with me to the bridge?” They agreed and we all made our way there. As we walked, I asked Control to have Yumeria come to the bridge as well. Her comment with Noelle earlier and what Control said about the Sacred Trees made me want to check something.

“Well? See anything weird?” I asked as Yumeria stared intently at the sapling. Julius and the boys were hovering protectively nearby. Even Marie and Kyle were present as well, likely curious about the whole thing.

“The infant also has the same light as the maiden.” Yumeria muttered as she tilted her head. She then turned to me with her brows furrowed. “It is also trying to communicating with me.”

Well, that was definitely something I wasn’t expecting. Everyone else seemed to mirror my own disbelief.

“It’s talking to you?!” Kyle suddenly exclaimed.

“The infant thanks its Guardians for distancing it away from the adult.” Yumeria said, sweeping her gaze over the boys. “It seems that it had been siphoning away the magical energy that the infant needed in order to grow.”

“Can you ask the kid why it chose us as its Guardians?” Greg quickly asked the most obvious question.

Wait, did he refer to the baby tree as a kid?

“The infant feared for its life and reached out to the only ones who had given it affection. The five of you seem to be good fathers.” I heard Marie groan when Julius and the others actually looked proud. I turned to Yumeria and suggested something myself.

“Ask it about the Priestess and if it can already choose one.” She nodded and had a silent conversation with the baby tree.

“The infant says that the maiden from earlier would be the ideal candidate. I believe that she would be able to communicate with the infant if it is shown to her.” Marie and I looked at each other after Yumeria finished explaining. That pretty much confirmed our suspicions.

“You can talk to the kid, does that mean that you can be the Priestess instead?” Greg followed up. That was a really good point. Could Yumeria communicate with the baby plant because of the Oni conversion procedure?

We all suddenly felt a sense of immediate dread and doom as Yumeria responded. “I am already the Priestess of the Dragon God. I would refuse and snuff out the infant if it tried to force me into the role.”

“So Noelle then.” Brad quickly said, with the rest of us nodding in agreement. Yumeria then shifted back to her regular demeanor and continued to speak on the baby tree’s behalf.

“The infant also says that Miss Marie would be an acceptable alternative due to its Guardians treasuring her, though her inability to communicate would make things challenging.” The boys looked happy about that but Marie and I just looked at each other worriedly. If she was chosen as the Priestess, then it might end up complicating our lives even more than they already were.

Please ask the sapling what the role of the Priestess is for exactly.

Everyone except Yumeria flinched when Control suddenly spoke up from the bridge’s speakers.

“The Priestess exists to be the infant’s means to interact with the outside world. They will be its caretaker and see to any needs and concerns that it may have in exchange for its power and protection.” We all heard the AI hum as they considered Yumeria’s words.

“What are you thinking about, Control?” I asked.

The lack of a Priestess and Guardian may become the cause for the Sacred Tree to go rogue due to a lack of oversight and care.

“Wait, the giant tree could turn hostile?” Chris’ alarm was understandable considering how massive the full grown Sacred Tree was.

And here I was worrying about having to fight D2, which was only fifty-five meters tall.

“The fact that we can’t really say no is the most problematic part of this.” Marie said in despair.

I thanked Yumeria for her help and handed the sapling back to Greg. Marie sighed as the boys started to actually talk to it while they went to their quarters. Yumeria and Kyle also left together, the boy probably wanting to catch up with his mom.

“Now they’ll never stop talking to it.” I chuckled at my sister’s annoyance.

“It’ll be good practice for when they actually have kids.” I blinked and turned to her. “What’s your plan for that by the way?”

Marie just looked at me flatly and turned to the door. “I’m tired. I’ll talk to you later Big Brother.”

“She really clams up when I talk about certain things.” I muttered once she left the bridge.

I have been observing Miss Marie’s behavior throughout our stay in the Republic. It seems that she is suffering from a form of trauma related to her previous life.

“I figured when she won’t talk to me about what happened after I died on Earth.” I agreed with a deep sigh. The fact that she wouldn’t tell me about it meant that she probably wouldn’t tell the boys about it either. “What can we do to help her?”

She will need to seek out help on her own. Forcing one to confront their own trauma forcibly rarely works and would normally result in their psyche breaking further.

“Dammit Marie.” She was still stubborn and bullheaded even in a new world.

On the subject of trauma, I believe I have enough material to begin your own therapy. We may start whenever you are comfortable.

“Really? Thanks!” I wasn’t really getting any nightmares anymore, but that was only really because I barely ever sleep by myself anymore. I’d take an actual solution to my problem if I could help it. “I’ll definitely take you up on that once we finally have the time to breathe.”

Understood.

…

Leon, Serge is about to arrive at the bridge. He wishes to discuss something with you.

I thanked Control for the warning just as the doors opened and Serge came in.

“Hey Serge.” I greeted him from the Captain’s chair. He nodded to me and took a look around the bridge.

“Lost Items really are above and beyond the regular stuff we have, huh?” He said after an impressed whistle.

“They can be pretty overwhelming, yeah.” I agreed with him easily enough. We both lapsed into silence. I didn’t really know what he wanted to talk about and he seemed to have trouble actually starting the conversation.

“I hate the kid you look like, you know?” I blinked. Ah, so it was about Leon Sara Rault. His difficulty in talking about it made a lot more sense. “It’s fucking stupid, it doesn’t make sense, but I hate him all the same. Makes me feel like shit since a dead kid doesn’t deserve it.”

I waited for him to continue as he started to pace around the bridge.

“You know, Louise and I got along really well when I was first adopted into the Rault house. She was great, the perfect girl.” Huh, there might have even something more to that with the way he spoke about Louise.

I decided to cut in and be honest about an important thing. “I heard about what you did from Julius.”

“Is that why you didn’t look mad when I tried to punch you?” He asked, not really looking all that upset that his new friend told me about something so important.

“It was a pretty shit situation all around. I can’t imagine what it was like for you growing up.” He nodded at my words and took a seat at one of the nearby consoles.

“Because I felt like they didn’t love me as much as a dead kid, like the little shit I was, I tried to burn away Louise’s memories of him.” His self hatred was pretty obvious with his expression and how he was practically snarling at himself. “Fucking idiot! She’s right to hate me forever. I don’t deserve her forgiveness.”

"Have you actually ever genuinely apologized to her about it?" His silence was damning enough.

Huh, was this what it was like when Livia and the others had to deal with my idiot self?

"It’s not going to get better until you do, you know?" I pointed out and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Yeah, yeah. It's not like she'd accept it." He said dismissively.

"You never know. Besides, that's not the point. The point is letting her know that you regret what you did. Until you do that, she’ll think that you still hate her brother." Serge was pretty quiet after I told him that. He then looked at me with a helpless smile.

"Why does that scare me more than her being pissed at me forever?" I chuckled since I knew exactly what he was feeling.

"Because it means you still love her, despite everything that happened." I told him with a big smile. Serge actually looked surprised at that and furrowed his brow in thought.

"How'd you get so good at this shit anyway?" He asked and I had to take a deep breath.

"I know a thing or two about fucking up in a relationship. My fiancées could tell you some stories." I said with a laugh. I then turned back to him when he didn’t say anything and saw that he was looking at me in complete confusion.

"Did you just say fiancées? As in more than one?" Ah, right. My arrangement wasn’t exactly normal for anyone.

"Ahaha! Well, yeah. I have two and we all have a mutual lover as well. You'll probably meet them when they visit." I internally screamed when I barely prevented myself from talking about Mylene. Don’t talk about having an affair with the Queen, me! Don’t talk about Anne either!

"No wonder those guys talk about you like you're a fucking god." Serge said while shaking his head.

“Thanks for telling me about the other Leon.” He just waved away my words.

“Honestly, I wasn’t going to but Noelle practically kicked me out of my own room here and demanded that I apologize.” Really? Huh, looks like they’re pretty close if he was letting her do that to him. “I may have made a mistake when I became her friend.”

"Friends have the sacred right to call each other out on their bullshit. I'm sure you've seen some examples with the boys."

The two of us shared a laugh at that.

 

“My Lord! There has been a complication back in your lands!” Carla’s face was certainly not the one I was expecting when I was told by Control that there was an urgent request to speak to me over the drone communication network.

We really needed a better name for it.

We were still in transit back to Holfort and it would be about a couple more days before we reached the borders. The Nagare could have gone faster, but there wasn’t anything hectic happening so I agreed with Control when they suggested we take a more sedate pace.

Sadly, it seemed that circumstances once again conspired against me yet again.

I narrowed my eyes at the familiar looking living room that she was sitting in. “Carla, are you inside my parents’ estate?”

“Carla here came all the way from your territory to borrow our little Control drone so she can talk to you. Poor girl was beside herself so I let her since Control here verified that she truly is your follower.” My mother stepped into the frame, pretty much confirming it, and explained why she was there.

“It seemed faster than waiting for your return or going all the way to the Capital to ask Lady Angelica to borrow the drone they have.” Carla continued the thought with a sheepish smile.

“Smart thinking, Carla.” Her face lit up with a much happier smile at my words. I then sighed and mentally prepared myself for what she was about to say. “I assume this is pretty damn important if you could wait for our return."

She winced and my fears were confirmed with her next words, just not in the way that I was expecting. “A few days ago, Lady Zola Fou Batfort arrived at your estate and declared that her son and daughter would take over management of your territory. She even brought along soldiers and several Armors with them, saying that they would help bolster security.”

“She did what?” Geez, even I could feel how cold my mother’s words were. Both Carla and I remained silent and motionless as my mother stomped away. What the hell was that old hag even thinking? I hadn’t heard anything about her since I first showed up in the Nagare and Black Getter and now she pulled this garbage?

“Her children, Rutart and Merce, are currently staying in your new manor and have been ordering everyone around. My father and I keep getting rebuffed whenever we try to re-establish control.” Carla stated regretfully. Those two were in my house?! They better not have been drinking my tea collection! “We simply did not have the manpower to attempt to go against their forces. As a result, your people have become very agitated about what will happen to them, their families, and their livelihoods.”

I rubbed my temples and tried not to let my emotions get out of control. “I’m surprised that you didn’t bring this to Angie, Clarice, and Livia.”

“I didn’t want to turn it into a bloodbath, my Lord.” Carla immediately responded and I couldn’t find any fault in her concern.

“Yes, that was very prudent of you. Thanks for letting me know.” Carla once again smiled at my compliment. I hummed and thought about our trajectory. “Actually, stay there and we’ll pick you up along the way.”

“Yes, my Lord!” Carla excitedly stated before the connection ended.

It seems that a forgotten factor has once again made themselves known.

“You have to wonder why she’s doing all this. What would she gain?” I asked in complete confusion. I outranked Zola now and was completely independent from the main Bartfort house. The only reason she actually had control over my territory was because she brought a small armed force along with her. That made me think of investing in actual security for my lands instead of just relying on the implied threat of Black Getter and the Nagare. I should ask my father about this at some point.

It may be a number of things. She may be testing how much she can get away with before you step in. Alternatively, since your territory is formerly part of the Offrey’s, her reasons may be more nefarious if she is a member of the Forest of Ladies cabal.

“You think she’s in on it?” I mean there was a pretty good chance, but it seemed way too on the nose.

She did try to rope you into becoming a sacrifice for what was effectively welfare fraud.

Thank you for reminding me why I hated this world so much before I met you, Control.

“This is your Captain speaking. I would like to thank all of you for your patronage in choosing Bartfort Airlines. We will be making a short detour to the Bartfort estate to pick up an extra passenger before continuing our way to our primary destination.” I spoke via the speaker network connected to the Captain’s chair. I then had a thought and added something with my announcement. “Would Miss Marie Fou Bartfort and Prince Julius Rapha Holfort please report to the bridge? I have a couple of things to discuss.”

The two of them arrived together a few minutes later and I explained what happened in my territory. “So? Any thoughts on why she’s literally muscling in on my territory?”

“Because she’s stupid and doesn’t have a grasp on reality?” Marie’s initial reaction being snark was pretty much expected. I just hoped that she was also actually thinking about a real angle on what was happening.

Thankfully, Julius seemed to be taking the situation more seriously based on the look on his face. “It is rather strange. She does not hold any actual authority on your lands and her actions would be frowned upon in court should it come to light.”

“What are my options to deal with this, Julius?” He just shrugged at my question.

“You mean aside from violence?” Julius chuckled at my shocked expression with his answer. “You are the ruling Lord of that territory and you have full authority to declare them as unlawful encroachers. That they refused to cede control to the Crown designated caretakers of your lands only strengthens your case should you choose to eliminate them.”

“Though I am well aware that you are very reluctant to take the lives of others due to your own values and the wish of your Armor’s creator.” He added with an understanding smile. I nodded in gratitude that he still remembered what I said during our pirate hunt last year.

“I can’t think of any reason why they would do this. There’s nothing to gain from this aside from inconveniencing you.” Marie finally started contributing to the topic, her face adopting a more serious expression. “Unless this is a trap of some kind.”

That made Julius and I look at each other in alarm with that suggestion. He turned back to Marie and voiced his concern. “You suspect an assassination attempt?”

“Attempt would be a pretty generous term.” She said with a snort while gesturing to our immediate surroundings. “Do either of you think that the old hag can actually cobble together anything that can do any damage to this ship?”

I mean, she was probably right. It still didn't change the fact that it was still a problem we needed to deal with. Hopefully, my half-siblings could just be intimidated to back down to save me a big headache.

“I shall speak with the others. Should this turn into a battle, we will stand at your side.” I nodded at Julius’ declaration. Man, it sure was great to have friends who had my back.

“Thanks Julius, I really appreciate it.” Marie then took this as a signal that the discussion was effectively over.

She gave us a lazy wave while making her way to the door. “Well, have fun bullying a bunch of losers.”

“Leon, there is something I wish to ask your input on.” Julius’ words made me blink since I was expecting him to follow my sister off the bridge.

“What’s on your mind?” A lot, it seemed, based on the complicated expression on his face.

“Recently, Marie has been more open about her feelings and her mannerisms. It has been both intriguing and refreshing in the same breath. At the same time, it has made us realize that the girl that we all fell in love with is no longer anywhere to be found.” I stiffened at the topic. Of course it would have been about Marie. His words were pretty interesting though, so she had been letting her mask slip more and more around them? Did she even notice? “It has been that way ever since you adopted her as your sister.”

I tried to remain calm as I didn’t know how to approach this sudden need to become Julius’ confidant. “I see. Has it changed how you guys feel about her?”

The smile on his face did make me let out a sigh of relief at least. “Not at all. Seeing her be more confident and decisive in her actions has been rather exhilarating. However, it did make me wonder about something.”

“What is it?” Well, tension now at code yellow.

“Why does Marie sometimes refer to the Republic as the Second Game and why does she sometimes speak of Flags and Capture Targets in reference to Noelle and Serge?” I blinked and tilted my head in confusion. Why was he asking that? Marie was using game-speak because they already knew about her real circumstances, right?

Right?!

“Whatever do you mean?” I asked in clarification while trying to remain calm despite the code blue.

“She did say something along the lines of the departed Leon Sara Rault not being in the so-called Second Game and you seemed to take it all in stride. I wanted to ask you about it first in case I was just misunderstanding her odd terminology.” Red! Red! Ultraman blinking Red!

Dammit Marie! Did she literally just forget to not use game terms when talking about stuff we had to deal with while around the boys?!

“Leon?” I flinched and cleared by throat when Julius called out to me.

“It’s a really long story,” I began as delicately as I could. I wasn't really sure how much I could even talk about. “Something that I can’t really say by myself. It would be best if Marie tells you guys about it herself.”

“Then should we confront her about it?” It was clear that Julius didn't like being kept on the dark when it came to something relating to Marie.

I would advise against a direct confrontation on the topic for now.

“Why not, Control?” I asked this time. Wouldn't her coming clean be the best option before it blew up in her face?

The circumstances surrounding Marie’s strange shift in mannerisms and attitude is multifaceted and complex. Approaching it with her in the wrong angle may end poorly.

“But she was fine when she found out that Livia, Angie, and Clarice already knew.” I pointed out and Julius narrowed his eyes at me.

"They alreay know of Marie's secrets?" I hesitantly nodded since I didn't want to lie to him.

That is because they are not you, you highness. Nor are they her other lovers.

“So Marie is hiding something from us, and neither of you can divulge it.” The frustration in his voice pretty much said it all.

“I’m sorry, Julius. It would really be best if it comes from her.” I helplessly said, feeling like crap after Julius literally just promised to help me with my territory dispute.

“So be it. I would like to ask one last thing.” It was pretty jarring to see Julius look so vulnerable and uncertain all of a sudden. “Do you think that Marie really loves us?”

Fuck, why was he asking me this?!

Before I could respond, Julius just gave me a sad smile and walked away. Shit!

It seems that Marie’s relationship with Prince Julius and the others will soon change one way or another.

"You were there last time, why didn't you say anything?" I grumbled at Control.

Because I am of the opinion that Marie needs to be honest to them. Having their relationships be founded on a lie would only cause further devastation in the future if left to languish. She needs this if she has any hope in moving forward as a person.

I rubbed my eyelids as I couldn't really refute Control's reasoning.

“God dammit, Marie.”

You were supposed to be the one between the two of us who was good with all the social stuff!

…

We got to my family's estate without further issue. To my surprise, my mother decided to accompany us as well. When I asked, she beelined to Marie and pulled her away further into the ship. My sister called out for my help, but my mother's face said that bad things would happen to me if I interfered.

I guess she wanted to formally talk to her new adopted daughter.

"Your mother was rather insistent in joining despite the protests of Baron Bartfort." Carla apologetically told me without having to ask her.

"That's your mom? Is every woman you know scary?" I opened my mouth to deny Serge's claims, but then I actually thought about it.

"Well not all of them." Just the vast majority of them.

We finally made it into my territory after a few more hours of travel. When we arrived, the scenery was not what I was expecting at all.

"So does your place usually look like a warzone?" Despite the joke, I could hear the tension in Serge's voice. He and my other guests were at the bridge with me since they were curious as to what my lands looked like. When we got to the biggest island where most of the population and my main estate was located, we were greeted with a sight that made my blood boil.

Currently, a lot of it was on fire with dead soldiers and destroyed Armor everywhere. There were monsters on the ground and in the skies. It was a full on monster attack like what had been happening in a lot of other locations throughout Holfort ever since the Principality got their hands on Hundred Demon tech.

It looked like the small army Zola brought along for her kids wasn't enough to defend the place.

"Stay here!" I told our guests before I ran out of the bridge. "Control! Tell Julius and the others to get in their Armors and prepare for combat! Start scanning for survivors and shoot down every monster you can!"

Initial scans indicate that all casualties are non-civilians. I do not detect anyone, living or dead, in the surrounding areas. I suggest we move to your estate as the populous and any surviving armed forces may have decided to fortify themselves there.

"Do it!" I barked out as I waited for the lift to take me down to the Nagare's hangar.

This was not how I wanted our guests' first impression of Holfort to be like!

 

Louise Sara Rault found herself wondering why the world started to make less and less sense the moment she stepped into the crimson ship called the Nagare. It was the very ship that she received the Crown Prince of Holfort and his companions from during the start of the school year. The vessel itself and everything on it was apparently managed by a machine intelligence that introduced itself as ‘Control’. The gigantic Lost Item was owned by the first impossibility that she experienced aboard the massive, yet paradoxically empty, vessel.

Leon Fou Bartfort.

The moment she beheld the smile of the boy who shared the name and face of her deceased younger brother, Louise felt her breath catch in her throat as the butterflies in her stomach threatened to make her sick.

In a way, she was grateful for Serge's idiotic display as it distracted from her pallor and took her mind off the boy for a few moments.

It wasn’t fair!

Why did he have to look exactly like her Leon? Why was he so gentlemanly and nice? Why did he have to brew such perfect tea? Why did he already have to be engaged?!

When she scolded her stupid adopted brother for his actions, she was challenged and later assisted in her scolding by the second impossibility.

Noelle Zel Lespinasse.

One of the twins that her father inexplicably spared when he led the purge of their treasonous house. Not only did he spare them, he even facilitated their transition to a commoner lifestyle from the shadows.

He even went so far as to fabricate new identities for them as Noelle and Lelia Beltre. They became a pair of commoners who lost both parents in a tragic accident and became wards of the State. All so they could still attend Alzer Academy as students and receive a proper education.

It rankled her that the two of them were just handed everything and never even wondered who their actual benefactor was. It irked her further that her father very explicitly requested her to watch over them and ensure that they were not targeted by any of the other great houses. Louise felt a touch of satisfaction in the way she went about her protection by making sure that Noelle was thoroughly harassed for the past year by her followers.

To think that she would befriend Viscount Bartfort’s sister and be invited to spend the summer with them as well. Yet another thing that was just handed to her.

The third impossibility was none other than her own adopted younger brother.

Serge Sara Rault.

It had been so long since the boy broke her heart and burned nearly all the memories she had of her Leon. He was such a sweet child whom she thought she could one day treasure as much as she did her Leon.

One act of spite was all it took for the two of them to be at odds with each other ever since. How dare he? How dare he?! Her family took him in and gave him the name Rault! Her father positioned him as the next heir of the most powerful house in all of Alzer! How did he show his gratitude?! By taking out his anger over his perceived neglect on her Leon's memory.

Louise loved Serge, she truly did. But what he did was unforgivable.

Over the years, she had accepted that Serge truly hated her as much as she hated him and did all she could for the two of them to stay away from each other.

That he would befriend the Crown Prince of Holfort and his comrades was unexpected, but useful. That they would find a Sacred Tree sapling only for the fool to give it away was beyond infuriating. That he would choose to befriend and provide his personal protection to Noelle 'Beltre' was baffling and irritating. At least that meant that she no longer had to associate herself with the girl.

The true moment of impossibility in regards to Serge happened the night before they arrived in the territory of Viscount Bartfort's family to pick up another passenger. Louise was preparing for bed when she was surprised by the knock on the door, even more so by the person on the other side.

"What do you want Serge? As you can see, I am about to go to sleep. Don't you even have the sense to realize the time?" The bile and spite was all too easy to dispense thanks to all the practice over the years. That he did not rise to her provocation already raised alarms in her mind.

"Can I talk to you, Louise?" The way he asked made her cautious. The next word he uttered left her stunned. "Please?"

She did not know what his game was, but she still ended up letting him inside her quarters. She watched him pace around for a moment before quickly losing patience. "Well? Out with it."

That was when Serge slapped himself using both hands. He saw her shock and chuckled.

"Sorry, I had to stop my brain from thinking stupid things." He said with a grin. One that was quickly replaced with a look of seriousness that she had never seen on his face before.

Louise couldn't place the feeling it elicited in her.

"I don't care about Leon Sara Rault, I never knew him." Whatever that feeling was, it was quickly replaced with white hot fury. She was about to give Serge a piece of her mind when he continued talking. "But I shouldn't have taken out my own pain on the memories of him that you cherished so much. No matter how much those memories made me feel that you'd never love me as much as you did him."

Louise's words turned into a lump in her throat and she stumbled backwards until she ended up sitting on her bed. What in the world was Serge saying?

"I can't take it back, no matter how much I want to. I just want you to know how sorry I am for doing what I did." His apology was something she never thought she would ever hear. Why would she expect it? Didn't he hate her? Why would he ever regret his actions?

"And? Do you expect me to forgive you?" Louise managed to force out despite the turmoil she was experiencing in her hammering heart.

Serge shook his head without any hesitation. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but the way you looked after I burned all his pictures has been haunting me ever since. It's the single biggest regret of my life."

Louise could feel her breathing go ragged. She ignored the stinging in her eyes in favor of glaring at the foolish man who was making her feel such emotions.

"Why even go through all this? Why now? What's the point?" Her voice was hoarse. She could barely see him now with how blurry her vision was.

"Because Bartfort made me realize something more important than my pride preventing me from admitting my wrongdoing or the fear of talking to you about this." Bartfort? Was it Marie or Leon? Did it really matter?

"And what is that?" Louise choked out. She felt strong arms wrap around her and pull her into a tight embrace. For a few precious seconds, all she could feel was warmth and a heartbeat that was as frantic as hers.

"That I still love you, Louise. I don't think that's really ever going to change." With those words and one more squeeze, Serge let her go and left her room.

Was it really a wonder why she had been unable to look him in the eye since?

Beeping noises and flashing lights shook Louise back to the present as the scene of an island in flames dominated the bridge's screens.

Thankfully, Control informed them that there did not seem to be any civilian casualties that it could detect. How it could even do so was just something she chalked up to it being a Lost Item.

After everything she had experienced in the Nagare so far, the massive and evil looking black Armor that flew towards the incoming monsters didn't seem so impossible to Louise.

…

"Are you sure you don't want us out there fighting alongside you yet?" Jilk worriedly asked over the comms.

"The Nagare and I can slice a path through these chumps just fine. I need you five fresh once we get to my estate so we can defend it as well as we possibly can." I explained and they all accepted my reasoning well enough. I understand how antsy they were, I would have been too in their shoes.

"How the fuck did a bunch of monsters manage to take down all these soldiers and Armors?" I heard Greg ask while I crushed a bunch of man-sized bats with Black Getter's hands. That was actually a good question. Most of the monsters weren't even Armor sized.

"It may be possible that they were all caught unawares." Julius posited as I turned to another swarm of bats.

"Getter Gatling!" I yelled out and started blasting the airborne monsters that were converging at the Nagare.

"It's pretty hard to miss this many monsters." Chris countered with a pretty obvious point.

I continued shooting, not bothering to think about where all the ammo was coming from, as the boys discussed the situation further.

"Do you guys think that the monsters manifested amidst this force?" Brad's suggestion made us all clam up even as the majority of airborne monsters surrounded the Nagare.

[Getter Beam]

And then they were gone. It sure was convenient to have the Nagare around!

"That suggestion has very serious implications." Jilk muttered. The implication being that someone may have intentionally manifested the monsters on the island itself. Was this Zola's doing then? Why would she destroy the army she brought along?

"We can figure all that out once we secure the island and its people." I said as my mansion finally came into view. The signs of combat were obvious around the estate, but the manor itself looked untouched. The three military grade armor surrounding it may have helped.

Leon, it appears that there is someone on the Mansion's roof.

I adjusted the camera and couldn't help but gape at what I was seeing. "Control, why the hell is Livia on the roof of my house with her rifle?!"

Unknown. She had previously left the Redgrave estate days ago with the intention of visiting her family. I have no inkling as to why she is here.

"So Angie and Hertrude aren't here?" I looked around anyway to see if either of them were around.

Affirmative. My drone is still with them and they are presently enjoying horseback riding at the Redgrave estate.

"And Clarice should be helping Mylene at the palace." I recalled what she and Mylene discussed a while back. I just shook my head when Livia stood up and stated waving at us with a big smile on her face. "Just what is that girl thinking?"

It is likely that she wanted to surprise you when we arrived.

I snorted. "Well, I'm definitely surprised."

Prince Julius and the others are deploying. I have outlined the best defensive positions for them to take while we take stock of the situation.

"Thanks Control." I watched as the boys started filling in the gaps that the three Armors couldn’t cover.

The trio of Armors are trying to contact us.

"Put them through. I want to thank them anyway." The crackle of a radio signaled that the connection was successful.

"We had a feeling that you'd show up sooner or later, Sir Bartfort." I blinked at the voice that greeted me.

"I recognize that voice. You were one of the guys from Elven Island!" He was one of the escorts we had and helped us with the whole Broken Kin incident.

"Gabriel, Sir Bartfort." He reintroduced himself, the Armor he was piloting waving at Black Getter. He then indicated the other Armors with him. "Marshal and Ortega are in the other two Armors."

"How did you three get involved in this mess?" I asked due to the improbability of us meeting again under these circumstances.

"Standard patrols, sir. Our ship picked up a distress call from this island. Lots of screaming that monsters just came out of nowhere and were everywhere all at once. By the time we got here, nearly all the defenders were already dead." Well, it looked like Brad was onto something after all.

"What about your ship?" I looked around and couldn’t detect any military vessels around. Was it sunk? But there wasn’t any wreckage.

"Went in as bait and led as many of the flyers away from the island as it could. Cap'n is probably having a fun time kiting them everywhere. They should be back soon." Gabriel said with a chuckle. Their ship was probably fine if he was being this casual about it.

"I think everyone on the island right now has been crammed inside the manor. From what the administrators told us, they were holding a big feast in the honor of the workers when the attack hit." A feast? Right before the attack? That seemed suspiciously convenient.

"The little lady you were with on Elven Island showed up in the middle of all the fighting and started picking off all the small monsters that we were having a hard time hitting. She's damn scary with her magic and gun." I sighed at those words. Of course Livia’s first reaction to all this was to start blasting. Anne probably helped her too.

The military ship that Gabriel was talking about showed up a few minutes later and helped secure the island. They had detected the Nagare and decided to return and link up after they finished off the monsters that pursued them. The soldiers inside were deployed to help put out the fires and look for possible survivors. The boys and I split up and helped the soldiers sweep the island for any remaining pockets of monsters, wiping out any that we found. Gabriel and his team stayed behind to continue protecting the manor and the people within.

Once all that was done, I returned to the mansion. I helped Livia off the roof by letting her step onto Black Getter's hand. When I got out of the cockpit to join her, my lover embraced me and gave me a deep kiss.

"Surprise!" I couldn't help but laugh at how she still tried to sell her surprise. Her face then shifted indicating that Livia tagged out.

"I would suggest speaking with your half-siblings inside. They have been rather enlightening after I spoke to them." Anne took over and spoke with barely restrained disgust. We both got off Black Getter's hand as people finally started coming out of the manor.

"Viscount! Thank goodness that you are here! We all thought the worst when we saw the fires in the distance!" The man I remembered as one of the foremen who were in charge of renovations around the island greeted me. Other workers and their families started greeting me in sheer relief.

"It's going to be okay. Me and the army are here. Even Prince Julius and the other heirs of the founding houses have been helping wipe out the monsters." I yelled out for everyone to hear, indicating the ships as well as the very distinct Armors of the boys. The people started happily talking about their ordeal finally being over.

A small shuttle from the Nagare landed in the estate grounds. My mother came out first along with Carla as they started managing the crisis. I left them to it since they were clearly better at it than I would have been.

Marie, Kyle, Yumeria, and my guests from Alzer emerged soon after. Serge and Noelle were gawking at Black Getter while Louise chose to remain with Marie. Though I did see Louise glaring at Noelle when the other girl wasn't looking for some reason.

"Where are Rutart and Merce?" I asked the foreman I spoke to earlier.

"Inside your study, my Lord." I have a study? I blinked at that. Livia seemed to notice my confusion and started tugging at my arm with a giggle.

"I'll take you to them." Thank you Livia! We made our way through the manor. It was the first time I saw the inside of it now that it was finished. It looked pretty cozy, actually. Shame I had to stay at the Academy dorms for most of the year. We stopped in front of a set of heavy double doors. Livia opened it and inside were my half-siblings.

"Leon!" Rutart Fou Bartfort happily greeted me. He was a year older than Nicks and was already out of the Academy by the time I enrolled. Still unmarried though. His blonde hair and blue eyes showed far more Zola than I was comfortable with.

Speaking of.

"What took you so long?! What if something happened to us?!" Merce Fou Bartfort yelled at me, fury etched on her face. Yep, she was definitely Zola’s daughter. She was actually even older than Rutart, making her the eldest among all us siblings. She was also unmarried. Her hair and eyes made her look every bit like a younger version of her mother. This was not a good thing.

"What was that, Merce?" Livia sweetly asked, making her presence known. Both my older half-siblings flinched and Merce quickly raised her hands.

"I'll be good!" She squeaked out.

"So, either of you want to explain just what the fuck has been happening on my island?" I growled out, no longer having the patience for this nonsense.

"It was Mother's idea!" They both quickly said at the same time.

Of course it was.

Rutart and Merce proceeded to tell me everything. Zola gave them several strange looking boxes and instructed them to be distributed to their soldiers. The boxes were supposed to summon a few weak monsters that would cause a ruckus but be quickly put down by their forces. That would show that the two of them would protect the people when their very Lord couldn't.

Unexpectedly for them, the boxes dispensed far more monsters than their soldiers could defend against. The situation quickly deteriorated from there. Only the timely heroism of Gabriel’s patrol ship bought them enough time to establish a meaningful defense. Livia showing up was just icing on the cake. Considering how scared they both were of her, she must have shown how displeased she was over what happened here.

"Stay here. You'll go with the army later and tell them what you just told me." They were about to protest but quickly shut up thanks to a glare from Livia. Hopefully, Mylene can use this to possibly squeeze some useful information provided that Zola hadn’t gone to ground just yet.

Livia and I went back outside where I saw my guests actually helping my mother with the still scared citizens. Marie was also there healing the people who had minor injuries, probably from the panic. Kyle and Yumeria were assisting her whenever they could.

"Leon! Looks like everyone is safe. Good thing there was a celebration going on when the attack hit, huh?" I turned to the voice and saw Serge and Noelle walking towards us.

"Do crazy things like this always happen here?" Noelle asked with clear uncertainty.

"Crazy? This isn't crazy." Livia pointed out before humming in thought. "Well, not to us. Not recently."

I chuckled at their reaction to her words and decided to properly introduce her to them. "This is Olivia, one of my lovers. These are my guests from Alzer, Serge and Noelle."

"It's nice to meet you!" Livia greeted them with a sunny smile. She spread her arms wide, her rifle rattling on her back as the clamor of people worrying about their futures sounded all around us. "Welcome to Holfort!"

 

The immediate aftermath of the botched takeover of my territory by Zola and my half-siblings was rife with irony.

The first irony was actually surprisingly mundane. After all the crazy nonsense that I had been dealing with, being locked in my manor’s office and doing paperwork was actually pretty relaxing and therapeutic. Coming from a former overworked Japanese office worker, that was damn weird.

Another set of ironies was that the destruction of so much of the main island’s infrastructure actually gave us the excuse to start extensive renovations on pretty much everything.

The additional support from the Waynes, Redgraves, Atlees, and my own family made starting up construction pretty easy. All this needed labor resulted in a sudden influx of new jobs for both the people who were already living on the island and the people from the smaller islands in my territory. In fact, all the paperwork I was doing was to approve and facilitate all the additional growth my lands were suddenly experiencing.

The next set of ironies that I found was that the soldiers that Zola brought weren’t even professional soldiers. They were known as the Dragon’s Claw Mercenary Group, though they were nothing more than pirates that didn’t actually do any piracy.

According to Gabriel, they were pretty cheap to hire relative to other merc groups and were competent enough to hold land and defend it during peacetime. The Crown even used to hire them for monster extermination jobs a few years ago. It also seemed that the mercs were outfitted with equipment that was way above their pay grade, probably bankrolled by Zola, but their lack of training and cohesion were what did them in.

As promised, the army took custody of my half-siblings, with Julius and the boys hitching a ride back to the Capital with them to visit their families. They left their Armors in the Nagare for pickup at a later date. Hopefully, Mylene would be able to nab Zola and figure out what the old bat was thinking and where exactly she got those monster spawners.

The boys also very reluctantly left the baby god tree on the Nagare, understanding that it was the safest place for it. Control was monitoring it at all times and had drones taking care of its needs. It was actually pretty surreal how the five of them assured it that they would return soon and that it should behave while with ‘Uncle Leon’. Serge and Marie got a big laugh out of their behavior while Noelle and Louise just looked at them in complete bewilderment.

Clara was back with the Waynes and was working with her family to manage the repairs and renovations while mom went back home. Whatever she talked to Marie about apparently went super well. She said that she was very excited to see dad again as soon as possible. I desperately tried not to think about the very familiar expression on her face as she said that.

“Big Brother, it’s lunch time.” Marie said after poking her head into my office. With everyone else gone, it was mainly me, Marie, Livia, and our guests staying in the manor.

Livia immediately had me help her test the durability of the furniture in the Master Bedroom after we got everyone settled in. The morning after got pretty awkward when Serge solemnly requested that he and the other guests be moved to bedrooms on a different floor of the manor, as far away from the Master Bedroom as possible. Neither Noelle nor Louise could look Livia in the eye for the rest of that day. I mentally made a note to have that room renovated for soundproofing once classes started up again.

“Is it?” I asked, rubbing my eyes while Marie fully entered my office and closed the door behind her. “Thanks for telling me.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to turn into a workaholic.” My sister idly commented, eyeing the stacks of paperwork on my desk.

“It’s pretty zen when you get into the flow of it. Are the others already waiting?” I explained with a shrug. Marie nodded at my question but quickly looked uncertain about something.

“Listen, did something happen between Serge and Louise?” I blinked. The Rault siblings?

“Hm? What do you mean?” I asked for clarification while organizing the paperwork that was already finished.

“He’s been way nicer to her than I remember and she’s been clinging to him a lot for the past few days whenever we go outside. It’s gotten to the point where she looks like she wants to throw Noelle out a window whenever she asks Serge to go do stuff with her.” Marie stated worriedly. Really? I didn’t really notice any real difference in their behavior. Then again, I really only interacted with them during meals lately. I then clapped when I remembered my talk with Serge on the Nagare’s bridge.

“Well, I did give Serge some advice to genuinely apologize to Louise for what he did when they were kids.” I told her with a big smile. If they were already that close, then it meant that his apology probably went well.

Good for them!

“Leon.” In stark contrast to my own feelings, Marie gave me a look like I did something stupid. The fact that she used my name instead of calling me Big Brother immediately made me nervous.

“What?” That seemed to be the wrong thing to say as Marie started rubbing her forehead.

“You just opened up the Villainess Route for Serge like you did for yourself with Angelica.” She slowly said. Opened up the Route? Wait a minute, that would mean that-

“Serge and Louise?! But they’re brother and sister!” I quickly exclaimed. My protests just made Marie shake her head.

“Heaven help me.” She muttered while looking up to the ceiling. She then looked back at me irritably. “Thanks for making my job in Alzer even more complicated.”

“How was I supposed to know?!” I complained and my sister just snorted at me.

“Both of us were Japanese. This world is based on an Otome game series made by lunatics. Do you really think that non-blood related sibling romance would be off the table?” There was something else with the way she spoke her point, but all I could really think about was something Control told me a long time ago.

"This isn't anime, though!" This place was real. People don’t operate by the rules of stupid wish fulfillment and-

"Leon, you're dating the ghost of the Kingdom’s Saintess who is sharing the body of one of your other lovers by way of a magic necklace and bracelet. You have a Super Robot from the far distant past that just dumps on anything else here. You have a harem." Marie mercilessly shut down my train of thought with hard facts. She then pointed to herself in exasperation. “I have a harem!”

I looked away and started muttering. "Well, when you get down to it, it's more like I'm part of Livia's harem more than anything."

"You're also banging the Queen, who is arguably the most desired woman in the Kingdom." I grimaced as Marie slowly drawled out her killing blow. Honestly, there was only one thing I could say to all that.

“Shit.” Marie rolled her eyes at my reaction.

“I can’t wait for their dad to find out that Serge is being fought over by his adopted sister and a daughter of the Lespinasse house. I hope his stash of booze is extensive.” My existential crisis over realizing that my life really had become a Power Fantasy Harem Anime came to a screeching halt with those words.

“I thought Serge and Noelle were just friends.” I dumbly said and Marie looked like she was ready to start throwing furniture at me regardless of her actual physical strength.

“Don’t fucking start, Leon. He’s literally one of her potential capture targets from the game in the first place.” She ground out and harrumphed at me. “Is this what your women had to deal with all this time?”

“Sorry!” What the hell crawled up her butt?! She was being a lot more angry. Was it because Julius and the boys weren’t here?

“Let’s just go downstairs so you can see it yourself.” Marie finally said and I just quietly followed her to the dining room so I didn’t end up setting her off again.

“Oh good, I thought you were chained in that office of yours.” Serge joked from his seat at the table. With the additional context that my sister gave me, I was starting to see where she was coming from.

“Good day to you, Viscount Bartfort.” Louise greeted me with a smile from her seat at Serge’s left.

“Hi Leon! We didn’t see you at breakfast.” Noelle happily greeted me from her seat at Serge’s right.

I realized that I wasn’t returning their greeting when Marie bumped her shoulder into mine. I perked up and smiled at them as we made our way to the tale. “Yeah, there’s been a lot of paperwork. Sorry if I haven’t been a good host so far.”

Louise waved off my concern with the poise that was expected of a girl in her social standing. “Don’t worry, Viscount. Marie and Olivia have been lovely in your stead.”

“Where is Livia anyway?” I asked, looking around for my lover.

“She went to another room with Control. She’s probably talking to your other women.” Marie pointed out while taking her seat at the table. As Lord, I had to sit at the head of the table. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until Yumeria and the other servants brought in our meals. A few minutes after we started eating, Livia finally showed up with Control.

“Where have you two been?” I asked after she kissed me and took a seat at the table, Control choosing to idly float around.

“Remember that Deirdre’s birthday is coming up?” I nodded, Nicks was actually worrying a lot about it last I checked. “I was talking to Angie and we’re planning on having a girl’s day out in the Capital on her birthday.”

“Huh, I’m sure she’d actually love that.” Livia nodded enthusiastically at what I said.

“Right? This would also be a good opportunity to show Noelle and Louise around as well!” The two girls in question looked startled at their inclusion.

“Umm…isn’t this a celebration with your friends? Seems kind of awkward for outsiders like us to be there too.” Noelle pointed out, with Louise very reluctantly nodding in agreement.

“Then it would be a good chance for you two to become friends with everyone then!” Livia told them, her enthusiasm seemed to be the deciding factor of her argument.

“If you are sure, then I would love to be a part of the celebration.” Louise finally said, with Noelle also nodding soon after.

“It’ll be me, Deirdre, her sister, Angie, Clarice, Hertrude, Marie, Clara, and you two!” Wow, that was a lot of friends with them.

“Wait! Why am I included?!” Marie squawked out.

“Because you’re included!” Livia told her with a big smile. One that said that Marie didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

“Fine!” My sister acquiesced.

“That’s actually a good idea. It’ll give me time to wrangle up Nicks and get her present over to their family estate.” I told them before turning to Serge, who was looking pretty amused about the discussion.

“What about you, Serge?” He blinked at me and shrugged.

“The boys have a surprise for me that day too apparently. So I guess I’ll be hanging out with them.” Well, I guess that covered everyone then.

…

Deirdre’s birthday finally arrived so Control and I dropped off the girls and Serge at the Capital before quickly making our way to my family’s estate. There, I bore witness to something I would never forget for the rest of my life.

“Yeah, laugh it up.” Nicks grumbled as I obliged and laughed harder at his pure white tuxedo.

“It’s her birthday, Nicks. Not her wedding.” I told him after I finally settled down. Mom then came downstairs and handed Nicks a big bouquet of roses. The flowers probably had some sort of preservation magic on them or something with the way they were sparkling a bit.

“Now you make sure that you make my future daughter-in-law very happy today.” Mom joyfully instructed Nicks and even he couldn’t bear to refute her.

“Yes, mother.” I smiled at the exchange and looked around.

“Where’s dad?” Mom giggled and pointed upstairs.

“Oh, he had a late night and is still sleeping.” Colin chose this moment to appear and give me a big hug. I laughed and swung him around a bit. He then said something I wasn’t expecting at all.

“I’m going to be a big brother!” I blinked at his excited words and looked at mom. She just smiled at me and I immediately knew what it meant. Huh, so five kids wasn’t enough for them?

Well, it wasn’t like they couldn’t support another child.

Finley also finally made herself known as she walked up to Nicks. “Please make sure not to mess this up. It would be a waste of everyone’s efforts.”

“Why are you talking like you had any contribution to any of this?” Nicks sniped at her but Finley just ignored him in favor of approaching me instead. Ice cold, that one.

“Please find time to bring my future sisters-in-law here for tea. I miss conversing with them.” That was a surprisingly normal request from Finley. I didn’t really have any reason to refuse and the girls would probably enjoy spending time here again anyway.

“Oh sure. I’ll let them know.” That left one last person in the family. “Speaking of sisters, where’s Jenna? With Daniel again?”

“They’re staying at the Capital and won’t be back for another week!” Mom excitedly informed me. Nice to know that things were still going well between the two of them. I guess that they wanted to spend as much time together as they could since Jenna was graduating this year.

We said our goodbyes and I promised Colin that I would visit again before the summer break was over. Once we were back onboard the Nagare, I turned to my big brother with a wide smile.

“I don’t like how you’re looking at me right now, Leon.” He flatly stated while adjusting his grip on the bouquet.

“So, Control and I have this idea that will probably make Deirdre super happy.” I immediately told him while rubbing my hands in anticipation.

“I don’t like the way you are saying those words either. Stop doing that with your hands.” I did not stop. Control then imposed themself in front of Nicks.

We have something to show you. Please follow me. Bring the bouquet.

“Why does that sound like a threat?” Nicks whispered to me.

“Only if you don’t follow instructions.” I whispered back and we both quickly walked to catch up to the drone. As I expected the destination was the hangar where the Getter Robos and the Armors were located. I really wished that I had a camera when I saw Nicks’s jaw agape when he saw Roze Getter and we explained who exactly it was for.

Rest assured that you merely need to stay seated in the cockpit. I shall handle the actual maneuvering of Roze Getter.

“And why do I need to do this again?” He nervously asked us. I gave him two thumbs up before actually answering.

“It’ll be a big surprise that Deirdre’s going to love!” Nicks looked conflicted but eventually sighed and nodded his consent.

“Fine. Do I go in now?” He asked, looking back up at the red Getter Robo.

We are almost at the ideal deployment range for the plan. I would advise that you board immediately.

“It’ll be fine.” I assured him with a pat on the back.

“Leon, your definition of fine has been irreparably skewed in this past year.” He pointed out. I then patted him a bit harder for that quip.

I guarantee your safety so long as you follow instructions.

“He’ll actually be fine, right? He’s not wearing a pilot suit.” I asked Control as Nicks gingerly entered Roze Getter’s cockpit, trying not to trip or hit anything with the bouquet.

Neither were you when you first started piloting. Your brother will be fine.

I chuckled at how invested Control was for our little stunt. “You’ve really gotten into the spirit of doing dramatic entrances, huh?”

I have come to understand why the various Getter Teams enjoy performing them so much.

…

“Welcome to the Roseblade estate, Leon and Control!” Deirdre joyfully greeted the two of us as she gave me a hug and patted Control’s drone. “The others are already inside and are relaxing.”

“I take it you girls had fun.” I inferred by the big smile on her face.

“Quite so. Louise and Noelle are delightful new friends, though it seems that they have a brewing rivalry if how they speak about this Serge is anything to go by.” Jeez, even Deirdre could already tell? Was I really that blind when it came to how girls give hints on their interest or was it a guy thing in general? “Quite exciting!”

I nodded along and gestured to the door we just entered from. “Well, if you’re not too tired, Control and I actually have a surprise for you outside.”

“Oh? Lead on then!” She looked like she would be happy with anything at this point. Though, she did lean closer to me with a question. “May I ask if you know if Nicks will be stopping by as well?”

“That’s actually part of the surprise. Ready, Control?”

We are go, Leon.

I grinned at Deirdre and pointed up. She seemed confused but looked up anyway, her eyes squinting as she noticed what was coming down from the sky. Those same eyes snapped wide open as she let out a gasp. I looked past her and noticed that Livia and the other girls were coming outside to see what was going on.

“Leon, what is that?” Deirdre whispered in complete disbelief.

I didn’t answer her yet and let the Getter Robo land on the ground. Its arms were crossed while Control manipulated its Getter Wing so it would look like it was fluttering dramatically in the wind. The popped collar of the cape added to the impressive image. I turned to Control and gestured for them to make the introduction.

Deirdre Fou Roseblade. We are happy to present to you the first Getter Robo that has been built in the past seventy-two thousand years. Its base design is that of Black Getter F’s, though reasonable design changes were made in consideration for its intended pilot.

Deirdre looked down at the two of us, tears in her eyes, as I pointed right at her. “I did say that having you as just my backup is a waste.”

Its designation is Roze Getter and is for your personal use. Happy Birthday, Deirdre.

“Happy Birthday!” I yelled out while spreading my arms wide.

“Whaaaaaaaaaah!” Deirdre immediately launched herself into my arms and hugged me. “You are the best brother-in-law ever! Thank you so much, Leon! Thank you so much, Control!”

I laughed but patted her to let me go. “But wait! There’s more!”

“Huh?” She tilted her head, then looked up as Roze Getter started moving. One of its hands moved to its head as the mask opened up to reveal the person riding inside. “Nicks?”

“Happy Birthday, Deirdre.” He said, face completely red when he realized that there was also an audience present.

“Best brother-in-law ever.” Deirdre whispered to me before running to Nicks and knocking him to the ground with a jumping embrace. The other girls finally approached once the excitement died down.

“So that’s what you’ve been keeping secret.” Angie said after giving me a kiss. I just grinned at her before Clarice turned my head so she could get her own kiss.

“Do you mean that Deirdre will be the pilot? A woman?” Louise asked in surprise while Noelle just looked between me, Angie, Livia, and Clarice in utter shock.

I nodded to her while jerking my thumb in Deirdre’s direction. “I say with full security in my own skill that Deirdre’s a better pilot than I am.”

“So you are the Doom Knight I keep hearing about.” An older girl approached me and offered a handshake. I took it as she introduced herself. “Dorothea Fou Roseblade, I too am aiming to become your older brother’s wife.”

Ah, was that the situation then? Oh dear. “I’m surprised you let her call me brother-in-law so openly then.”

“My love for my sister will always be greater than any jealousy I might feel right now. Besides, it’s her birthday.” She said while looking fondly at Deirdre embracing the bouquet of roses that Nicks handed to her. The other girls looked on in good cheer, even Marie.

“So, will we be bringing Deirdre into the fold in regards to the truth and the future? She will be fighting at your side eventually.” Angie whispered to me after pulling me a distance away from everyone else. That was a good point.

“Well, not today at least.” I told her as Livia ran up to Deirdre, probably about to gush over her new Getter Robo.

 

Greg Fou Seberg was grinning like a fool the entire time they were all walking with Serge. Their friend from the Republic was dropped off at the Capital with all the girls who were staying at Leon’s estate for the five of them to pick up. Leon himself was prepping stuff for Deirdre’s birthday while the girls, including Marie, would be going around the Capital with the birthday girl herself and would hopefully all have a good time.

Saintess help any idiot who tried to make a pass at that group.

That left Serge as the odd man out, which was fine for them since Julius and Jilk came up with a pretty good idea for him anyway.

“So where the hell are we headed anyway?” The man himself asked while looking around in clear bewilderment. The Capital of Holfort was very different from the one in Alzer, mainly due to the lack of any sort of vehicles. The streets were primarily littered with people actually walking or were traveling in carriages. There were the odd knight on horseback, but that was few and far between.

“It has come to mind that the Republic doesn’t have an Adventurer’s Guild, does it?” Julius asked instead. The question made Serge squint and look out towards the distance.

“I mean, technically it does. But it’s more just a government registry of people who wanted to delve into dungeons for tax and liability purposes.” He and the others knew all about that. Their Adventurers Guild was a joke. Little more than a clerk office with some overworked government employees who had to catalog what their country’s Adventurers did and found. The dungeon where they found the Sacred Tree Sapling should have been discovered ages ago if there were competent people handling things.

“So it doesn’t have a proper Adventurer’s Guild then. With a full support structure, personnel rankings, party finders, notice and job boards, and other things.” Serge grunted in agreement at Jilk’s little jab at how Alzer did things.

“Then, as fellow Adventurers, it would be remiss for us to deprive you of such an experience then.” Julius picked up the ball just as they arrived at their intended destination. “Welcome to the Central Holfort Adventurer’s Guild.”

Serge looked completely surprised at how busy it was inside. It better be, since it was the central office of the Guild itself. The best Adventurers, the most challenging jobs, the best rewards. All of it could be found here as long as you could actually hang with the kind of people there. They made way for a group of heavily armed men and women who looked like they were about to do a major job, not even noticing who they just passed by.

In the Guild, the line between Commoner and Noble blurs into non-existence. Even people like Julius and Jilk were just new Adventurers in their eyes. There were a lot of Noble houses who got their start as Commoners that did something significant enough to be given a title. That was how their whole Kingdom was founded after all. Even those who didn’t do enough to warrant a Noble title still got a lot of honor and prestige based on their deeds. With all the extra monster attacks everywhere, a lot of Crown sponsored bounties and jobs kept everyone busy. It was a good way to get pressure off the Army without only relying on mercs.

“Ah, Prince Julius and companions! I have been waiting for you!” The Guild Liaison for the Academy was an old lady, a Commoner who was probably as old as Greg’s grandmother now. Despite that, he knew that she had a legacy for being a hardcore solo dungeon delver back in her day. A woman who was so badass that she could have been an Earl and a retired Independent Knight by now if she were a man. She looked at each of them in recognition before finally settling her eyes on Serge, who was still looking around at the hustle and bustle. “Is this the young man you spoke of in your missive?”

“Yes, this is Serge Sara Rault. He is a good friend from the Republic of Alzer and one of the few there we’ve met who takes dungeoneering seriously.” The old woman snorted at Julius’ mention of the Republic.

“You think Adventuring in Alzer is hard now, try it about forty years ago.” She said with a roll of her eyes, going further into her issue with the place. “Wouldn’t even let me inside a single dungeon because I was alone and a woman. Please, I could snap one of their soldiers in half with my thighs back then.”

“Wait, what exactly is going on?” Serge finally asked, looking between them and the Guild Liaison.

“It was a surprise.” Brad told her when she raised an eyebrow at Serge’s cluelessness.

“Right.” She drawled out before shaking her head and turning to their friend. “Well sweetie, Prince Julius here has brought your name forward to be officially registered as an Adventurer in our guild.”

Serge’s shock was pretty funny to see. The Liaison then started going over all the rules and responsibilities of Holfort Adventurers with him in detail. The look on his face when she took out a stack of forms for him to fill up was even funnier. The whole talk about the bureaucracy of the Guild was going to take a bit so Greg decided to take a look at one of the job boards to pass the time. He saw a familiar face there and couldn’t help but grin.

“Aren’t you a bit too old to be looking at job boards?” He joked as he gave a hefty smack on the back of a large man with graying red hair. Glen Fou Seberg, Greg’s grandfather and the man his younger sister was named after, turned to him and raised a brow. The veteran adventurer and Earl didn’t look bothered by his grandson’s strike at all.

“It’s my retirement, squirt. I can do whatever the hell I want with it.” The old Noble’s gravely cadence rumbled as he regarded Greg. “What are you doing here anyway? The Academy is on break, right?”

Greg explained Serge’s circumstance as well as why they were here with him. “Hmmm…it was smart of you to register him here then. If the kid is serious about Adventuring in the long term, he’ll eventually need to properly learn the rules and courtesy around his peers.”

“So, anything good?” Greg asked as they both turned back to the job board.

“Bah! Just monster extermination quests all the way down. All the escort or rescue quests have already been snapped up.” He took a closer look and realized that his grandfather wasn’t exactly being completely honest about the available jobs.

“There are a few investigation quests up.” He noted and pointed at a few job requests from the Crown and other Nobles.

“Not my speed. I leave that up to the nosy people like the Atlee.” His grandfather dismissed the requests with a wave of his hand.

“Greg! Serge is almost done with–oh! Greetings Earl Seberg!” They both turned to see Chris looking between the two of them in clear surprise. Greg couldn’t really blame him considering his grandfather was already supposed to be retired.

“You’re Arclight’s boy, Chris, right?” Chris stood up straighter after being addressed and nodded in confirmation. “Thanks for looking after this lunk! Kid’s likely to lunge off a cliff if he was left alone.”

“Very funny gramps. Well, we gotta go. Don’t die out there!” He waved the two young men off as they walked away and went back to looking over the job board.

“Was that really the appropriate thing to say to your Grandfather?” Chris whispered to him and Greg just looked at his friend and once rival with a tilt of his head.

“Yes? I mean, I don’t want him to die out there.” Chris blinked at his words and slowly nodded.

“Fair.”

“So, we ready for phase two?” Greg asked as they reunited with the others. The Liaison just finished up telling Serge on when he would be able to pick up his official Guild Identification Card.

“We’re not done?” Serge must have thought that registering him with the Guild was the whole surprise.

“Not yet. You see, a student’s Second Year at Holfort Academy involves a Practical Exam wherein they have to gather a Party of up to eight individuals and make it past the thirtieth floor of the Capital’s Dungeon.” Brad helpfully explained to their friend. Greg decided to pick up the ball since this was a topic that he was pretty invested in.

“Since we’re studying in the Republic for our Second Year, that practical exam would be waived for us and that sucks.” He elaborated, not able to fully convey how upset he was that Alzer’s Adventuring Class amounted to nothing more than amateur archaeology.

“Hence, we planned on doing the exam in spirit. That was when Julius had the idea to bring you along with us.” Jilk continued the train of thought. “However, since only registered Adventurers can delve in the Capital’s Dungeon, we needed to get you signed up here first.”

“So that means that I’ll be doing that exam with you guys?” The five of them nodded at Serge’s question.

“Should we make it past the thirtieth floor, we will be considered as grown men in the eyes of Holfort.” Julius said as he patted Serge’s shoulder. “So, are you up for it?”

Serge’s excited grin suddenly became a frown as he shook his head. “I didn’t bring any of my Adventuring gear with me though. I don’t even have my gun.”

“Unfortunate,” Chris said in mock lamentation even though they were all grinning at their friend. “I suppose we have no choice but to outfit you with proper Holfort grade adventuring equipment and weapons.”

“Thankfully, we now have a pretty easy in with that now!” Greg suddenly cut in, suddenly having a great idea. He turned to where his grandfather was speaking with a few other Adventurers. “Hey gramps! I need a favor!”

“Earl Seberg is here?” Julius asked in surprise as the large man walked up to them with unusually silent steps.

“What do you kids want?” Greg then proceeded to explain what they needed with barely held excitement.

His grandfather nodded along and quickly agreed to help. “Fine. There aren’t any worthwhile jobs here anyway. We can raid the family Armory for something he can use.”

“Thank you, Earl Seberg.” Serge gave his thanks in complete seriousness.

“If you want to thank me, don’t get killed while having Seberg equipment.” Greg couldn’t help but laugh at his grandfather’s joke. Serge didn’t seem to get it and solemnly nodded instead.

They left the Guild and made their way to the Seberg Armory. It was located separately from the family estate, but his family thought it prudent to have the building as near the Capital’s Dungeon as possible. As they traveled, Brad excitedly spoke up about something Serge never expected. “The delve to the thirtieth floor should give us time to talk about what has been developing between Serge, Miss Noelle, and Miss Louise.”

They all got a quick chuckle when Serge seemingly nearly tripped on nothing when he heard Brad. “What the fuck are you on about?”

They all smiled but quickly realized that Serge was being serious. Uh-oh.

“Oh, is he one of those types of men?” Greg’s grandfather quickly caught on to what’s going on and made his own comment.

“Oh dear.” Julius muttered as he and Jilk looked at each other.

“You don’t notice how the two of them have been looking at you as of late?” Brad slowly asked as Serge’s face quickly started moving through a number of emotions when he started to understand what they were implying.

“Louise is my sister!” Serge hissed at them in indignance. Greg blinked at his point and raised one of his own.

“You’re adopted though.” Serge just started to violently shrug at him in response.

“Ah, one of those situations. I had a friend that had the exact same dilemma.” Earl Seberg spoke up about the development. They all turned to him and Greg’s curiosity won out.

“What happened?” His grandfather shrugged before answering.

“Married for the past fifty years now and enjoying their retirement out south.” They all then turned to Serge who looked like he didn’t know what to think of the suggestion that he could be romantically involved with his adopted sister.

“So you’d be fine with Miss Noelle then?” Julius asked instead. Well, that would make sense if he wasn’t comfortable with a relationship with Louise.

“Noelle is just my friend! Hell, her twin sister rejected me!” Oh damn, he already went for the other Beltre before?

“A true Power Move, then.” Brad said with a nod of admiration. Serge looked like he didn’t see it as a compliment though.

“It seems that Serge does not quite have a lot of experience with women.” Chris commented with a teasing lit in his voice.

“I don’t want to hear that from you five!” Serge quickly retaliated before scratching the back of his head. “Why are you guys pushing for this anyway?!”

“Would it really be so bad? To be with either of them?” Jilk asked with a gentle smile.

“Or both of them?” Brad added with a more devious smile and a wiggle of his eyebrows. With how those two acted around each other, Greg thought that it would probably take a miracle for them to agree to share a man.

“Take the advice of an old man, kid.” His grandfather suddenly cut in, sounding a lot more serious than the rest of them. “Happiness has a way of suddenly flashing before your eyes and disappearing just as fast. If it’s within arms reach, take it and never let go.”

Serge still looked conflicted but it seemed that they got through to him a bit. “Can we just focus on getting me geared up for the dungeon!”

“Yep, my friend was like that at first too. You’ll learn.” Earl Seberg told him before they continued their way to the Seberg Armory.

…

Crash!

Clarice Fia Atlee could confidently admit that there was an immense sense of satisfaction as she punched through the wall of the manor that was supposed to be hiding one Zola Fou Bartfort. She, Angie, and Hertrude went back to working with Queen Mylene’s people in regards to uncovering the Forest of Ladies conspiracy after celebrating Deirdre’s birthday. It took a week of squeezing the information on her safe houses out of her children, but now they had been able to clear through most of them.

The defenders they encountered when they arrived was all the proof they needed that their target was there. Clarice had come to know more about the Queen’s personal agents and it was little wonder that each and every one of them were veteran Adventurers. Even as an Alumnus of Holfort Academy, she was still mildly humbled at how quickly they took down their foes. A few sought to go after her instead of brawling with her companions. She quickly corrected their misconception that she was a weak link with well timed counter punches to their sides and throats.

“How dare you come into my home and attack my guards!” Clarice’s breathing became faster when she heard the voice of the woman who had been tormenting the Bartfort family for so long. The woman who had apparently planned to marry off her Leon and have him die in a far off battlefield for the relief money. The woman who engineered a failed takeover of her future husband’s lands. Zola took a step back and hid behind a make elf in a servant outfit when Clarice started stepping towards her.

Clarice didn’t even need to look at a mirror to know what her expression looked like at that moment.

“Zola Fou Bartfort,” Clarice slowly snarled out, disgusted that the woman still shared her love’s name. Not for long, she hoped. “You are under arrest for conspiracy against a knight of the Crown and against the Kingdom itself. Your children have already given you up. I am personally very upset at what you tried to do to my fiancé’s territory.”

“That hair and that undignified way of fighting.” Clarice clenched her fists tighter at the way Zola talked about her mother’s fighting style. “The Atlee girl, then.”

She noticed the elf protecting that hated woman and she narrowed her eyes. “Leon was at Elven Island and helped to try to uncover what happened on it.”

“He is even sheltering the last remaining Priestess of your Dragon God.” She added, hoping that the mention of Yumeria’s survival would move him. “Please don’t protect her. Even if Zola doesn’t know what happened there, then she could still know the ones who do.”

The elf looked at her impassively and shook his head. “I am not one of the defective ones who worship the Dragon God.”

“What are you doing?! Protect me!” If Clarice was surprised when he suddenly moved away from Zola, it was nothing compared to the sheer panic of the woman herself. “Why are you doing this?! I loved you!”

“You only love the fact that I will never age until long after you die. My mother was among the dead in Elven Island. My siblings are among those still missing.” He coldly told Zola, surprising everyone there with the additional information. He then turned to her and the other agents and raised a brow. “Honestly, it took far too long for you all to catch on to her. I am willing to testify against her and divulge all I know.”

“Traitorous subhuman filth!” Zola shrieked before pulling a small knife from her sleeve and running at the elf servant. In a single moment, Clarice was there between them.

Crack!

“Did you have to break her jaw like that?” One of the agents flatly asked her as they inspected the now unconscious traitor. She just shrugged and smiled at the agent as they started to carry Zola outside for transport. The elf servant went with them while the others started combing the manor for any useful clues.

When she returned to the Palace, Clarice wondered if it would have been easier for everyone if they brought Anne in to just zap Zola into telling the truth. She could not find it in herself to suggest it to the Queen when she was debriefed, internally relishing how she was told that they would get the truth about her involvement with the Forest of Ladies by any means necessary.

 

Mylene Rapha Holfort rubbed the bridge of her nose as her dear son, Julius, finished explaining what he could not convey via letters on certain things that had happened during the first term of their student exchange experience. The partial Sacred Tree Guardian Crest on the back of his hand made her imagine all the wonderful letters that would start being exchanged between the Kingdom and Republic should word get out to the other ruling houses of Alzer.

To think that they had a sapling of the legendary Alzer Sacred Tree inside Holfort’s borders right at this very moment, safely nestled away in her dear Leon’s ship. The political and international upheaval it could cause, on top of the looming threat of the Principality, made her want to drink until she couldn’t remember her name anymore.

Maybe even drag Leon into one of Roland’s safehouses and not come out for a week. Angie and the others wouldn’t mind, right?

“And why didn’t you tell me all this when you first returned for your break?” She sweetly asked her son, who very much knew what that specific tone meant. Julius fidgeted in his seat, the poise and confidence he displayed earlier all gone.

“It didn’t seem like something I should open up with right after coming home. I at least wanted some time to spend with you, Erica, and Jake before telling you about everything.” Her son’s answer and sincerity warmed Mylene’s heart and her earlier irritation melted away.

“I see, thank you then.” Julius looked rather relieved that his excuse was accepted. How cute of her son! “Back to the topic then, you say that Yumeria has been communicating with the Sacred Tree sapling and it has already identified a potential Priestess?”

“You are taking the fact that our sapling can communicate at all rather well.” Julius’ disbelieving tone made her giggle, which then ceased when she remembered why exactly that was the case.

“Certain things in my life recently have forced me to keep an open mind about many extraordinary things.” She explained with only a slightly strained smile.

“Leon things then, I understand.” He stated with a smile, correctly guessing the person even if not the specific reason why. “But yes, it seems that Miss Noelle Beltre is suited to become a Priestess.”

“You understand what this implies, yes?” Julius nodded at her before answering.

“That she and her twin sister are likely survivors of the Lespinasse massacre. It is an extraordinary irony considering she seems to be quite taken with Serge.” Mylene hummed at that. Her son’s letters spoke of Serge Sara Rault and the friendship they had forged. He was adopted into the Rault house but they were still likely the reason why Noelle and her sister no longer had a family.

“That will cause complications.” She muttered. Starcrossed wouldn’t even begin to describe what those two would be should they try to pursue a romantic relationship.

It would likely take a miracle for it to actually work out.

“Hopefully, Chairman Rault can develop a suitable plan of action by the time it could become a complication. We had also considered her sister as a candidate, since she is also involved with a son of a great house of Alzer, but we don’t quite know if the sapling would agree.” Julius added in contemplation. Mylene was very proud of the way he was taking all this so seriously. Regardless of what the relationship between Serge and Noelle would end up as, forging bonds with them would be very beneficial for Julius once he became king.

“And what is Marie’s opinion of the situation?” Mylene decided to ask. Throughout their discussion on the ongoing events in the Republic, Julius had not once mentioned his shared lover.

Such a term should have irritated her more, if she were not in the exact same arrangement with Leon. Like mother, like son then.

“She is the first person among us to befriend both Noelle and Louise. It was quite a boon that she thought of inviting them both here for the break.” Julius quickly said with a smile that made Mylene look at him with worry. It was the same kind of smile she had whenever someone asked her what it was like to be married to King Roland Rapha Holfort.

“Julius, what’s wrong?” Her son looked like he was about to deflect but ultimately decided to be honest with her.

“I fear that Marie is hiding something very important from us. From me.” That made her blink. Ah, so her son had started to piece together that there was more to his dear Marie than he thought. It seemed that the girl had chosen to continue keeping her true status as a reincarnator a secret from her son and his friends.

“Are you certain?” She probed, wondering how he made that conclusion.

“Leon all but confirmed it when I asked about her behavior as of late, but he seems unable to divulge anything. Likely out of respect for Marie’s privacy.” Oh Leon, you darling young man. Wanting Marie to come forward with the truth herself was an honorable intent, but it seemed that he failed to understand that not all could do what he had been able to accomplish.

Unfortunately, she also needed to think about the Kingdom’s future as well.

“Julius, we both know that you will need to take the crown the moment you graduate. Roland will likely force the issue one way or another with how favored you have become in court and to the populace.” She began, leaning forward despite the obvious discomfort her words were causing to her son. It was an inevitability they needed to talk about. “So I must ask you this so we can begin preparations. Will you be taking Marie Fou Bartfort as your Queen?”

“I…would like to ask for a bit more time before I give you a committed answer, mother.” The crack in her baby boy’s voice made her immediately stand and take him in an embrace.

“I understand.” She whispered as she stroked his hair. “Julius. I want you to know that whatever you decide, I will always love you. You will always be my darling son.”

“Thank you, mother.” He said, returning her embrace.

They both decided then to talk more about the other things that had been happening during his stay in Alzer. The adjustments they needed to make to the different way their Academy went about things. The frustrations they had over not having a competent Adventuring class. The misadventures they experienced when going about Alzer itself.

Hearing her son living his life and enjoying it was something Mylene would always treasure whenever she could.

“And if I may ask one more thing?” Julius asked just as he was preparing to leave. There was a certain smile and glint in his eye that Mylene should have been better prepared for. “When are you planning on introducing Leon to Erica and Jake?”

The mention of her daughter and step-son nearly made her trip. She pouted at her eldest when he didn’t look the least bit apologetic. It was certainly something she had thought about more than once whenever she spent time with her other children. She knew that explaining how she had fallen so deeply in love and was having an affair with a man as young as their older brother was going to be quite complicated. Even moreso that she was planning on eventually divorcing their father so she could become that young man’s wife or concubine.

So, Mylene hedged her bets on a situation that would likely lighten the blow once it comes.

“Not until I am free of Roland at least.” She firmly said, her son nodding without any judgment in his eyes.

“Very well. Please be careful around Erica then, we both know how perceptive she can be when she chooses to.” Was his parting words as he finally left her office. Mylene knew that most of all, her young daughter sometimes acted with a wisdom beyond her age.

It was almost like she was also a reincarnated individual as well. Of course, such a coincidence would have been absurd.

Certainly.

Mylene shook her head free herself of the odd topic, she was just spending far too much time with the absurdity that was Leon’s life.

Perhaps she should also make an effort to get to know the true Marie and have a serious talk with her about her son. It was her right as the girl’s possible future mother-in-law…and maybe even future sister-in-law.

When exactly did her life become a trashy fantasy romance novel?

…

Angelica Rapha Redgrave sat with her father and older brother, enjoying the rare opportunity to have tea with both. It was a few days after Clarice was able to finally capture that hateful Zola Fou Bartfort and the Queen’s agents were able to extract several important truths from her regarding the so-called Forest of Ladies. Hopefully the Crown would be able to root them all out before they cause any further problems.

“I would like to give my thanks again for your support in uncovering where Zola Fou Bartfort was hiding and providing much needed resources and manpower in reconstructing Leon’s lands.” She told her father, ignoring how her brother, Gilbert Rapha Redgrave, was snickering at her gratitude. Honestly! He never changes!

“That organization was always something I wanted to stamp out, had I the time to actually seriously pursue them. I suspect that all the complications I have run into while investigating them were deliberately done.” Her father, Vice Rapha Redgrave, told her in irritation. He then shook his head to likely dismiss the thought. “It was also to our family’s advantage that your future husband’s lands prosper anyway.”

It was at that moment that her brother decided to speak his mind about her presence with them. “Still, I had thought that you would be spending more of your break with my future brother-in-law. Not that I am against spending time with my precious little sister.”

“I would love nothing more than to spend more time with him. However, his sister thought it wise to invite important guests from Alzer for the break.” Angelica would likely never come to like Marie Fou Bartfort. No matter how much her Leon treasured his reincarnated sister. “There is also the matter of him training with Deirdre in the use of her new Getter Robo.”

“Ah, yes. You mentioned that before. Such a curiosity that he so freely gave out an Armor that can match his own to a woman of another house.” Her father mused, clearly not happy with the decision. His words caused a stab of irritation in Angelica.

“Deirdre is an honorable woman and I trust Leon’s wisdom in the matter.” She defended her friend and her love. Her father scoffed and waved a hand in her direction.

“It is not the girl herself that you need to worry about. That Armor represents a scale of power that none can yet match, save for its counterpart that your fiancé wields.” He clarified. It was true that both Getter Robo were far beyond what other Armors could handle. Control did state that such machines were originally used to destroy what they termed as Enemies of Humanity.

The fact that the Principality acquired a dilapidated Getter Robo was something Leon has been trying to prepare for.

“You suspect that Deirdre will be taken advantage of?” She asked and got another scoff.

“If not her, then her family. Her house has many allies that would quite enjoy wielding her as a weapon against their political foes.” Her father’s words made far too much sense that it was actually starting to worry Angelica. It would not be the first time that a house leaned on their ally to strike against another.

“Would it matter once she marries Leon’s older brother?” Considering how happy Deirdre was with Nicks during her birthday, it seemed to be a sure thing. The complication with her older sister would likely be settled between themselves.

“It may even make it worse as they could be pressured to bring both Armors to bear for the sake of their allies.” Gilbert pointed out. Angelica frowned with how her father and brother were speaking and where their discussion seemed to be leading to.

“And it would be best if it was in our hands. Is that what you are implying, father?” She said in a tone that was perhaps sharper than she would have liked. If her father was offended, he did not show it. Her brother looked rather amused though.

“No self-respecting head of their house would not want such power at their disposal. Your friendship with her helps. But should the Roseblade house turn against us, then we would have little chance to stand against such a monster.” Her father’s words caused an ugly feeling in her stomach. Imagining their men facing down a Getter Robo in futility was an image she did not need.

“Leon wouldn’t allow that.” She asserted.

“Leon Fou Bartfort is a good man, but a poor politician with likely no training on how to navigate court.” Gilbert said with a patient smile. Angelica knew that he wasn’t trying to be irritating, but the feeling still surfaced within her. “His individual power and his connections can only take him so far. He still needs to be able to stand before the rest of the court on his own two feet. There are many problems that he can and will encounter that he cannot simply destroy.”

“Angie, you are trained by Queen Mylene Rapha Holfort to be her successor. You may not become Queen anymore, but all you have learned is still there. You were meant to support a King. Surely, you can support a Viscount.” Her father continued the train of thought. She could not refute what they were saying at all.

“What are you suggesting then?” She had an idea, but she wanted to be certain first.

“Cover for your future husband’s shortcomings in court. It will be your responsibility as his wife that he will never be taken advantage of.” Her father said in all seriousness.

“Does that also include you, father?” All her father did was laugh at her accusation.

“I would be disappointed in you if you simply folded from pressure from me.” He told her with a big smile. “Show the court why you are your mother’s daughter.”

She returned the smile and bowed at her father. “Of course, father.”

“It would also be prudent to solidify an alliance with the Raults, seeing as their heir and daughter are acting quite favorably towards Leon.” Gilbert added as if it was an idle thought.

“You are never satisfied, are you brother?” Angelica asked with a long suffering sigh.

“I will always look for ways to ensure our family’s future, sister.” Her brother responded in full amusement.

…

“My baby girl!” Olivia laughed out loud as her father embraced her. He was a large man with a full beard and short brown hair. A life of farmwork forged him into the caring man that loved her mother and raised her into the person she now was.

Olivia finally found the time to visit her home village and it was fitting that the first person that recognized her was her father. Angie had offered to take her here with an escort, but she assured her love that she would be fine. The trip back home was largely uneventful, thankfully. With the way Olivia chose to dress herself in heavy traveling clothes, she just looked like any other commoner that was traveling alongside her. Her clothes also helped conceal the Saint Relics and her handgun.

“I missed you too, Papa!” She happily said, returning the embrace. The other people in the village also started to recognize who she was and started greeting her as well. Olivia couldn’t help but be happy being with so many people she cared for being around her.

“You should have sent a letter ahead if you were going to visit.” Her father told her with mock annoyance. She bumped her shoulder against his as they made their way back home, greeting friends and neighbors along the way.

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” She said with a shrug.

“Well, I’m certainly surprised. Though, we also have a surprise for you too.” The grin on her father’s face made Olivia furrow her brow in suspicion.

“What do you mean?” Instead of answering, her father simply smiled and opened the door to their modest home.

“Dear! Look who decided to drop by!” He called out into the house. Olivia stepped inside and was hit with a wave of comfortable nostalgia. Footsteps from deeper in the house caught her attention and a woman who closely resembled her stepped into view. Her mother was almost like a look into the woman she would grow into, if only having far longer hair.

“Livia?!” Olivia smiled at the surprise on her mother’s face. She then looked down and the smile turned into her own shock.

“Mama, why do you have a baby in your arms?” Her father laughed and made his way to her mother’s side.

“Say hello to your younger brother.” Her father’s words made her smile again. She was now a big sister?! That was great! “This little man’s name is Darlington!”

That was far less great! “What did you name my baby brother?”

“It was a joke, Livia! You should have seen your face!” Her father laughed while her mother just shook her head with her own smile. They were both in on it?!

“That wasn’t funny Papa! Mama! I thought you named the baby something he would regret for the rest of his life!” Her alarm was not appreciated by her new baby brother as he started crying in her mother’s arms.

“I’m sorry! Please don’t cry!” She quickly stepped to the baby and wasn’t quite sure what to do. Thankfully, her mother was quick to calm the baby down with soothing coos and gentle rocking.

“His name is Nicholas.” Her mother finally revealed his real name. That was definitely more normal than Darlington. “This is your big sister, Olivia.”

“Would you like to hold him?” Her father offered and she immediately nodded her head. She gently took the baby into her arms and the two of them kind of just stared at each other.

“Hello Nikky.” She whispered and her brother responded with various gurgling noises.

“Aww! He likes his big sister!” Olivia rolled her eyes at her father’s words while her mother looked on with clear joy.

Treasure your bond with your sibling.

Anne? What’s wrong?

I am uncertain. It seemed like something I needed to make sure that you understand.

After spending some more time catching up with her family, Oliva decided to walk around her home village, greeting the people who weren’t there when she first arrived. She eventually found herself standing on the very hill where the old Sage found her the first time they met. The moment when her life changed forever. It gave a view of her village and made her feel like her old life was so far away now.

“I won’t be able to be just Olivia anymore once we go to claim your Staff.” She idly muttered as she thought about everything that had gone on in her life in the past year.

Getting cold feet?

She giggled at Anne’s question. “Of course not. Just wondering how it would affect things here.”

Leon will likely want your family safe and well provided. Angie and Clarice will absolutely agree with him.

“They are all lovely like that.” She nodded in agreement. The two of them relaxed in companionable silence as the clouds rolled by.

“Once all of this is over, after we claim the Staff and we save Hertrude’s sister and deal with the ones ruining Fanoss, what will happen to you?” Anne was quiet for several moments, to the point where Olivia thought that she might have made her friend angry.

I am uncertain. Claiming the Staff and learning the truth of everything might end up letting me finally pass on properly.

“You would be fine with that?” Especially considering what the whole point of leaving part of herself in the Relics was.

What reason do I have to stay here? I cannot share your body forever. I will also never try to take it away from you. You deserve to live your life without a ghost living in your head.

Olivia wanted to argue that she could just stay with them, but that wouldn’t be fair to Anne either. To a degree, she would still be an outsider in everything. She heard Anne sigh before she spoke up again.

More than that, I am just tired.

“I’m sorry that you couldn’t find Lea.” Olivia sullenly said, earning a chuckle from Anne.

It was a foolish endeavor to begin with. Reincarnation may be real, but the chance we took was simply a gamble that did not pay off.

“I understand why you did it.”

Giving me the chance to be truly loved by Leon and the others is more than I could even ever hope when I woke up again. So thank you, Livia.

“I’m happy to share it with you, Anne.” And Olivia meant every word of it. After a while the two of them noticed loud voices coming from the village.

A commotion?

“Monsters.” Olivia whispered as the village warning bell sounded. She was on her feet and quickly ran back with magic enhanced speed.

“Livia?!” She ignored her father’s yell in favor of running at one of the villagers who was about to be attacked by a giant wasp.

Olivia pulled out her handgun but hissed in frustration at the angle. “I don’t have a shot. Take control!”

Anne took over and a blade of light manifested in her other hand. The Saintess danced between the monster and its intended victim before driving the blade into its head.

“Foolishness.”

Olivia took back control just as her father ran up to her. She turned to him and pointed back at where he came from. “Take everyone deeper in the village!”

“What about you?!” He yelled in panic as more monsters started closing in.

She turned and quickly dropped five of them in quick succession using precise shooting. “I’ll be fine.”

“Right.” Her father whispered in awe. He hesitated for a moment longer to speak to his daughter one more time. “Be careful, Livia.”

Olivia nodded and turned back to the oncoming monsters. Not really enough to be called a horde and none of them were too big. Compared to the things in the Capital’s dungeon, these were more like inconveniences.

“Don’t come near my village!” She yelled out as ran her hand across her handgun, changing the property of her shots. Wind seemed like an appropriate element to use considering how many flying insect monsters there were. She aimed at the closest one and a sound akin to thunder boomed when she pulled the trigger. A single shot had the force and area of a cannon ball with how the air around it twisted and howled. Just like that, the group of monsters directly in front of her were reduced to chunks of meat, goo, and carapace.

Olivia turned to another target and repeated the process until all the monsters were dead. None were even able to come close, which was a shame since she had a light spell ready in case they got near enough.

“Livia!” Her father called out when she returned to where everyone was.

“I told you that I’d be fine, Papa.” She told him with a giggle. Olivia turned to the rest of the villagers and gave the good news. “All the monsters are gone.”

Rather than the joyous cheer and applause she was expecting, there was dead silence as the other residents just stared at her. She could see awe and fear in their eyes in equal measure.

“They’re just surprised. You’re still the same Livia that grew up here.” Her father assured her but she just shook her head.

“We both know that’s not true. But I appreciate the thought, Papa.” Olivia said before walking back home to check on her mother and brother. The villagers parted before her and she just walked on without uttering another word.

We’ll reclaim the Staff once the break is done, Anne.

So be it. Thank you for being with me, Livia.

Of course. We do this together, Anne.

 

Hertrude Sara Fanoss would never admit it out loud to anyone else, but being away from her sister for so long had been making her rather anxious for her well-being. Being able to spend her days as simply Hertrude and not a Princess of Fanoss had been very enjoyable. She just wished that Rauda was here to experience it alongside her.

Gaining the trust and support of her savior had been laughably easy, Livia was such a darling like that. Likewise, she trusted her and her allies to make the correct decisions on how to approach the looming problem of the Principality. Scheming on her own had been troublesome and there was more than one instance when she felt that her paranoia was getting the better of her.

Thank goodness that she had found allies that she could implicitly trust.

“The military has started mustering their armies at staging points throughout the Principality.” She demonstrated her reciprocation of trust by freely providing the latest covert reports that she received from her ‘handlers’ in the Principality. The fools still thought her a sleeper agent that they could use to unleash hordes of monsters in the Capital when the time came.

“Fanoss is finally making their move?” The Bringer of Doom, Leon Fou Bartfort, asked with narrowed eyes. His voice had an almost excited tin to it. It was one of the rare instances wherein they spoke without any of his lovers present. Livia was still visiting her home village, while Angelica and Clarice were busy assisting the Queen with the rot festering in Holfort’s noble court. She had given them as much information about the Forest of Ladies as she had available, but most of the work had to be done by them.

With all of his women indisposed, he had no choice but to live up to the responsibility foisted upon him by Holfort’s frankly disgusting King and keep her safe. To that end, she was picked up by Leon at the Capital and would remain at his Estate for the rest of the break with his guests from the Republic. Hertrude could not help but be impressed by his ship even as he served her tea in the Captain’s quarters. Vandel would have quite the surprise when he came here.

His broken elven servant was also present in the room, as was the machine known as Control, but the two of them were the ones carrying the conversation.

“It will take time to be able to organize everything, but the orders have been sent out. It seems that Vandel and his ilk are almost ready for their invasion.” She told him, more to manage expectations than anything else. “Are you?”

“If it’s against D2, then we’re pretty sure that we can take it down.” Leon stated a nod and a smile. The way he said it made her raise an eyebrow.

“Such confidence. I’m intrigued as to the source of your certainty.” To her surprise, it was Control who elaborated on the point.

Both Leon and Deirdre have been training in the combat simulator against a production class Getter Robo D2 that is being piloted by a simulated version of an incredibly skilled pilot.

“Simulator?” She repeated the strange word, it was not something she was familiar with at all.

Leon hummed and slowly answered her, as if he was trying to convey the information in the best way that she could understand. “It’s basically something that lets us experience a pretend version of a scenario and have us deal with it to a shockingly realistic degree.”

“And this has let you prepare for the fight against Vandel’s Dragon God?” That got a nod from both Leon and Control, which was a strange thing to see as it was presently just a floating orb.

With both Black Getter F and Getter Roze in active combat, I cannot see a scenario where a refurbished Getter Robo D2 controlled by a lone pilot with no experience can win. The size difference between units will be irrelevant.

“I see.” Hertrude halting said. With how they spoke, it was like the oncoming threat of the Dragon God was going to be nothing more than an inconvenience to them instead of the catastrophe she saw it as.

How fearsome.

Leon’s next words surprised her even more. “The thing we’re more worried about are you and your sister.”

“How so?” Her heart clenched. What manner of trial did the world have in store for them now?

“Control and I agree that the moment that the Black Knight realizes that he doesn’t stand a chance against us, he’ll pressure you to summon a Hundred Demon Mechanized Beast to try and even the odds.” Hertrude wasn’t sure how to take how dismissive Leon was being regarding Vandel. Was he so certain of their victory against him? Were they truly that powerful?

She dared to hope that they were.

Based on your account of summoning and controlling one, it is highly likely that attempting to do so again by yourself will result in your death. There is also the circumstances surrounding Hertrauda Sara Fanoss’ comatose state.

She grimaced at the memory of trying to control a Guardian Monster alongside Rauda. She wouldn’t be surprised if Vandel ended up using her sister’s safety as a threat for her to summon another one despite the risks.

“If your sister became that way trying to control the D2, then her consciousness might actually be trapped inside it.” Leon posed the possibility, making her gasp.

“Are you certain?” The way that Leon and Control glanced at each other made her worry.

No. A Getter Robo D2 should not be capable of doing such a thing to anyone. We theorize that the usage of magic is the cause of the current complication, but we simply do not have enough information to be sure.

“It means that even if we can secure your sister’s body, Livia might now be able to do much if her consciousness is actually trapped inside D2.” Hertrude’s hands tightened into fists at the news. Even with their Savior on hand, it might all still be for nothing then?

“Will destroying the Dragon God free her?” She proposed the obvious solution to the problem.

“Here is the hard part. We don’t know either.” Leon grimaced after she found herself slamming her fists on the table, rattling the tableware on top.

“Then what do you know then?!” She hissed at him. What use was everything she did if the whole purpose of her reaching out to them was so plagued with uncertainty?!

Please understand that we are operating with the goal being your sister’s survival and wellbeing. This is why we are being so cautious about all aspects. To that end, both Leon and Deirdre have been training in disabling a Getter Robo D2 instead of outright destroying it.

“Which, believe me, is a hundred times harder in practice.” The hollow tone that Leon used as he spoke conveyed the difficulty of the task. Knowing what they were aiming for made her feel a little better about the unknowns. “If we can immobilize it, then Control can study it to see what the best way of getting your sister out of it is.”

Fundamentally, it is still Getter technology. Even with the interweaving of magic, it should not be beyond comprehension.

“Very well, I understand. However, there is also the challenge of securing Rauda’s body in the first place.” She finally brought up the other complication in their situation.

Leon nodded as if he had already anticipated that, something Hertrude honestly wouldn’t put past him. “Mylene might be able to help that with her agents, though it would make things easier if you have anyone loyal to you and your sister over on that end that can help.”

She was still amazed at how casually he refers to the Queen.

She shook her head and got back on topic. “We do, in fact. The challenge was always finding a safe place to keep her once she is out of the Principality. I shall see how we can coordinate our efforts then.”

Hopefully, all this preparation and planning would also give her the opportunity to kill Vandel herself.

The rest of their journey was rather quiet, time that Hertrude spent luxuriating in her room’s wonderful bathtub. Control was a darling for suggesting that she experienced a warm scented bubble bath. She could have stayed there forever. Sadly, she was warned by the very same Control not to stay in the bath for too long in order to avoid getting sick.

When they arrived at Leon’s lands, they did not disembark at the local harbor. Instead, she followed Leon to a much smaller ship that flew out and deposited them right in front of his estate. It was like having a small ferry hidden inside a larger vessel, quite novel.

“Welcome back! This the person you went to pick up?” A man greeted them when they stepped off the tiny ship, Leon’s maid quietly walking off directly to the manor without prompting. Hertrude paid her no mind as she found attention taken by the man that Leon was happily shaking hands with. He was tall, with brown hair slicked back, his sharp eyes were even more striking due to his tanned skin. He was wearing adventuring equipment and looked as if he had just returned from a dungeon expedition.

Hertrude found herself quite intrigued by this man and the casual confidence he exuded. It wasn’t like the confidence that Leon sometimes displayed either. She was also used to people desperately projecting bravado, such was the sad reality of being surrounded by warmongers.

But this was different. Very different.

“Greetings,” She smoothly inserted herself into the conversation, making sure to sway her hips just a bit more than normal. Her smile widened a bit when she caught his gaze flicking down for a moment to appreciate it. “I am Hertrude Sara Fanoss, Princess of the Principality of Fanoss. Who might you be, sir?”

He blinked at her a few times and turned to Leon, who just shrugged at him. “Uhh, Serge Sara Rault. Nice to meet you.”

So this was the man Deridre said that Louise and Noelle were competing for? She was starting to see why. This was quite intriguing indeed!

“Rault? The ruling house of the Republic?” She sweetly asked, a little lean forward and an upward turn of her eyes making him swallow. How cute! She obviously already knew about the details, but it was a good way to open a rapport between the two of them.

“Well, more or less. Don’t let the other five houses hear that though, they’ll probably start complaining.” He tried to regain his footing with levity. She giggled along with him, with poor Leon looking like he had no idea what was happening.

“Fascinating,” She wrapped her arm around his and felt him shiver when she pushed her chest against him. “I’d love to learn more about the Republic.”

An unexpected interruption suddenly made themselves known from the direction of the manor. “I would be more than happy to discuss the finer points of how ladies of the Republic are supposed to conduct themselves, Miss Hertrude.”

They all turned to the voice and Hertrude was surprised when Serge suddenly freed himself from her grasp. Both Noelle and Louise didn’t look very happy with her, though it seemed that Serge interpreted their expressions to be directed at him instead.

“It’s so nice to see you again, Miss Hertrude.” Louise’s perfect smile belied the venom in her voice as she greeted her. The reason why was obvious. Truly? The Republic really condones such relationships between siblings, even adopted ones?

“A pleasure to see you again as well Miss Louise.” She returned the greeting, the other woman not looking the least bit intimidated despite knowing that she was a princess. Noelle quickly attracted attention by very unsubtly placing herself between Hertrude and Serge.

“Hi there! Great to see you again, Hertrude! Are you visiting?” A rather forced introduction, but Hertrude chose not to comment on it.

“Good to see you too, Noelle.” She returned the greeting with a nod, her eyes lighting up in mischief as she answered the blonde’s question. “And no, I shall actually be staying here with all of you for the remainder of the summer break.”

She was never a meek girl, and decided to demonstrate it by clearly making her intentions known.

“And thank you for the offer earlier, Miss Louise. However, I would very much enjoy a different perspective on the Republic. I have a feeling that conversing with Serge about it would be rather delightful.” Louise’s smile became much more brittle at her words. Noelle’s lips also started twitching at her declaration. She then turned and winked at the man in question, who just helplessly turned to Leon.

The fearsome Bringer of Doom, the man so confident that he could prevail against a Dragon God, seemed like a lost child as he looked between all of them. The juxtaposition was astounding.

Hertrude Sara Fanoss found that she was inserting herself into a love rivalry that was already underway.

That was fine, she didn’t mind the competition.

She was planning to overthrow the ruling factions of the Principality and deal with a Dragon God for the sake of what is effectively her sister’s soul.

What are two ordinary girls compared to that?

…

Noelle paced around her room, an irritated expression on her face as she thought about what happened earlier that day.

“Ugh! Another one just had to show up! Thanks a lot, Leon!” She complained to herself once she fully understood the implications of Hertrude’s words and actions. “It was bad enough with just Louise, now a literal princess has to be interested in him too?!”

Louise’s change in demeanor towards Serge was as sudden as it was shocking. But the underlying emotions behind it was something she couldn’t deny. Even though she was still weirded out that Louise could develop such feelings for her own brother, regardless of their actual blood relation.

Weird or not, she was still competition.

And wasn’t that something she never would have thought a year ago about Louise!

Noelle already knew that what she was feeling for Serge was going beyond that of just friendship.

She was woman enough to admit that she was attracted to him.

Spending time with him and getting to know what he was really like was wonderful! Him not even commenting about the way she styled herself or how she acted was just a big plus! He just saw her as she was and acknowledged it all! No weird looks, no questions as to why she behaved that way, so asking her to act more like a proper lady! He took in everything about her and accepted that it was all Noelle!

Add to that how he stood up for her against Loic, how he declared that she was now under his protection, how he did right by that promise so far, how could she not develop feelings for him?

Was she maybe going too fast? Probably? But the cost of taking things slow might be Louise, and now Hertrude, swooping in and snapping him up instead. Like hell she was going to let that happen without a fight!

Noelle couldn’t deny that her rivals were mighty, so she badly needed advice on how to proceed. Who else better to ask than the girl who has five men head over heels in love with her?

“It’s open.” Marie called out from inside her room. Noelle opened it and couldn’t help but take a look around. It wasn’t the first time she had been in there, but she couldn’t help but feel how much more mature Marie’s room felt. Which was so weird considering how short she was, not that she would tell the girl that out loud. “Noelle? What’s wrong?”

“I need advice.” Comprehension immediately formed in Marie’s face and she nodded to a chair for Noelle to sit on.

“I heard about Hertrude, definitely wasn’t expecting her to be attracted to Serge.” Noelle snapped her gaze back to Marie. She already knew? The other girl just shrugged at her. “I heard from Leon.”

“How am I not surprised that you already know about my feelings for Serge?” She asked with a helpless chuckle. She just couldn’t get anything past Marie.

“You and Louise don’t hide it well. I think denial is the only reason why Serge is still acting dumb about it.” She even knew about Louise?! Wait, what was that about Serge? “Give him time.”

Noelle blinked and nodded. So things just haven’t really sunk in for Serge yet? “Okay, but what should I do? I’m up against the daughter of the ruling house of Alzer and a literal princess!”

“Just be yourself, that’s all you really need to do in order to make Serge fall in love with you.” Noelle could feel her face heat up at the certainty in Marie’s voice. Really, already going with the L-word there?!

“Are you sure?” She squeaked out.

“You’re a lot more special than you give yourself credit for. Just remember, have more confidence and be yourself.” Marie’s assertions made Noelle think about something she put out of her mind for so long.

Be herself? Who was she really anymore anyway?

“Sometimes, I’m not even sure what that means anymore.” She muttered to herself while looking at the floor.

“What do you mean?” She sighed at Marie’s question but decided not to look up.

“Serge told me about the Sacred Tree Sapling.” The lack of reaction from Marie just confirmed that she already knew all about it as well. Then she probably already knew about her lovers being the guardians. That made this next part much more awkward for her. “I am also aware that I could become the Priestess.”

“Since when did you know?” Noelle couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“Since I was a little girl.” She finally looked up and gave Marie a sad smile.

It was a long running belief in her family, her real family, that the Sacred Tree would choose its Priestess. The Priestess would then find the man that she loved and, if he reciprocated her feelings, he would gain the Guardian crest as proof of their mutual feelings for each other.

A story of True Love.

“Hey, Marie.” She spoke up in a whisper as the girl she was talking to walked up to the window and looked outside. “If it really chooses me as its priestess, and your lovers remain its guardians, what will happen then?”

It was something she didn’t want to think about, but it was like a sword dangling over their heads. It would have to be addressed one day.

Marie was completely silent for several moments, to the point where Noelle was about to call out to her and ask if she was okay. Before she could, the other girl turned around to face her and Noelle couldn’t help but feel frozen and terrified at the look that Marie gave her.

Noelle decided to give Marie space for a few days.

 

Deirdre Fou Roseblade wasn’t really paying attention to all the goings-on around her. It made her feel a bit bad because she was currently with her family as they made their regular inspections of their lands and people. It had been a long standing tradition for the Roseblade house to make time throughout the year in order to personally check in on the territory they held and those who lived there. Their family were once commoners themselves, until her forebearers proved their excellence to the crown through accomplishments as Adventurers.

Despite being distinguished, their house never forgot their roots and endeavored to have good relations with the commoners they governed over. After all, if their house could rise up and earn greatness, it was not out of the realm of possibility that another family under their rule could one day do the same.

The rather unorthodox approach of governance resulted in a much more positive relationship between them and their people. Their productivity and loyalty spoke for the effectiveness of this policy. Although, an odd result of this was that the various villagers knew them even better than their actual peers at court. To the point where she and her older sister were actually treated by village elders as their own grandchildren.

“What’s wrong little Deirdre? Thinking about your man?” One such elder teased her after being caught spacing out. Her thinking about Nicks? Well, perhaps at another time, but not at that moment!

All she had in her head recently were the various strategies that she and Leon had been developing on how to subdue a much larger foe. Specifically, the Getter Robo D2 that they had been facing in the simulator back in the Academy. Both of them were learning more and more about their foe through their respective failures. It was a process Leon liked to refer to as ‘Labbing’. Control even provided an invisible drone to stay with her so they could still communicate and the like, she was sure that it was floating around the room at that present moment.

It still did not change the fact that she was anxious to try out some ideas that they came up with over the break.

“It is a bit too soon to consider Nicks as ‘her man’ in my opinion.” And with those words from her dear sister, Deirdre’s focus immediately centered on the current conversation. Their parents were busy speaking with the various suppliers and distributors in this village, so the two of them were left with an elder for the moment. She was an old woman who actually spent a bit of time helping raise them when they were both still toddlers, hence they were both still doted on.

“Ah, so the argument on which one of you would be the wife and which would be the concubine is still ongoing then.” The casually delivered words caused a shock between her and Dorothea that neither of them expected. The elder simply snorted and waved her hand at the two of them. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. I was once young as well, I know how things can sometimes work between nobles. Men who are rarely satisfied with just one woman.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s more about you implying that we can both have Nicks.” Her older sister thankfully pointed out the reason why they were so surprised. The elder merely raised her eyebrow and tilted her head.

“Can’t you? The only real issue would be the official titles, I believe.” Not at all! There were absolutely more concerns than that!

“But both of us being with the same man would cause problems in securing ties with other houses through marriage.” Her sister continued to argue but the elder actually just laughed at her face in response.

“Dorothea, if you were really concerned about such a thing, you’d already be married and with child.” Well, that certainly shut her up. The elder then gave both of them a much gentler smile before continuing. “Besides, your house has always ever prioritized the happiness of the family over politics.”

Neither of them could deny that. The philosophy of happiness and contentment resulting in excellence and productivity extended to their family as well. She knew of relatives who actually married commoners out of love, despite their chance to marry into other noble houses instead.

“If your parents were against the two of you loving the same man, then they would have already talked to both of you about it and drawn the line.” The two of them looked at each other with widened eyes. That was certainly a good point. She assumed that their parents were just waiting for them to settle the matter between themselves, but was she wrong about that?

“But then, what of succession?” Deirdre suddenly asked before she could stop herself.

“Don’t ask me, I’m just an old commoner woman.” The elder reminded them before waving them off as if she wasn’t the one who started this whole discussion to begin with. “That’s something better spent talking about with each other, your parents, and your man.”

Such a solution would be a rather convenient way to circumvent their current issue regarding Nicks. Despite their love rivalry, both her and Dorothea also genuinely wanted each other to find happiness in life. If they could both be with Nicks, then would that not solve everything?

Well, not entirely considering how competitive they could be.

“I shall bravely take the burden and responsibility of being the wife then. You may relax and enjoy the life of being Nicks’ concubine.” Dorothea suddenly declared with closed eyes and a solemn nod, as if she was undertaking a great challenge. Oh, was that how she was planning on starting this?

“Not at all, dear sister. I am more than up to the challenge of supporting the love of our lives as his wife. You are more than welcome to assist us as his concubine.” Deirdre challenged as both of them leaned toward each other, neither backing down even for a moment. Despite their words, both of them were smiling and had laughter in their eyes.

It seemed that matching collars were in their future after all.

After their enlightening discussion, the two of them joined their parents and spent more time going around the village. It was always a pleasure to talk and catch up with their citizens. Deirdre couldn’t understand why more nobles didn’t do this. There was almost no real downside to it and the chance to find rare talent among the common folk was always a good thing for all involved.

Unfortunately, fate decided to interrupt the good cheer as the village warning bells rang and shouts started erupting from beyond the settlement.

“What is happening?!” Her father called out over the tolling bells. Just as he spoke, a man came running toward them. The sheer terror in his face made it obvious what the cause was.

“Giant monster attack! There are so many of them!” His hoarse yell only confirmed it. The villagers started to clamor in panic even while her parents looked up to the skies.

“What of the army patrols?” Her mother asked. There were supposed to be regular army patrols around inhabited islands due to the rise in monster attacks all over Holfort.

“The ones that were supposed to be here never showed up! We thought that they would just be late but they’re not here!” One of the other elders answered as everyone started to understand their dire situation. Giant monsters were approaching and the village did not have any form of military presence. Even with her family here, there was no way they could fight several large monsters on foot by themselves while keeping the people safe.

Their parents immediately sprung into action and began coordinating an evacuation, Dorothea quickly instructing that the children be gathered together immediately. Unfortunately, the distant roars made it clear that it may have been already too late. She was proud of their people that, despite their obvious fear, they still had the presence of mind not to panic.

“Control.” Deirdre called out and the drone quickly became visible at her side. Control immediately made it known that they were listening in on the whole thing.

I have already deployed Roze Getter from the Nagare the moment the first bells rang. It will arrive shortly.

“So quickly?” Not that she was complaining!

Do not underestimate a Getter Robo’s speed if it does not have to take the pilot’s safety into consideration.

“Deirdre! What are you still doing here?” Her father asked after running to her. He then turned in surprise at the presence of Control. “That sphere.”

Roze Getter is inbound. It will arrive in the next seven seconds.

Knowing what that meant, he turned to her in slight worry. “You’re going to fight?”

“Of course. I am a Roseblade.” The sound of the sky being sliced open punctuated her declaration. She looked up and beheld her Getter Robo lowering itself from the sky, much to the shock of the villagers. “Continue with the evacuation in case any monsters get past me!”

She didn’t wait for her father’s answer as she was already running to where Roze Getter landed. She quickly jumped up the offered hand and climbed inside the cockpit. Control’s voice came from all around her with a warning.

Please observe caution while maneuvering without your pilot suit. The effects of sudden movement will be more pronounced and you may suffer from discomfort or even injury if you are not careful.

She nodded as the screens finished lighting up. “Noted. Thank you, Control.”

Several Armor sized airborne and ground based monsters detected.

She turned Roze Getter in the direction that the indicators were pointing at and confirmed what Control said.

Gigantic wolves with bull horns, chimeras, and four-armed bears on the ground.

Giant sharks, squids, and crabs in the skies.

There weren’t as many as the Mechasaurus she had once faced in the simulator. This was good for the sake of the village behind her.

“Control, I shall use the magic converter!” Deirdre declared, placing both hands on two specific levers. She concentrated and let the spell she had in mind flow through her and into Roze Getter.

After but a moment, she felt it begin.

Magic thrummed all around her. Her Getter’s power was resonating with her own magic. She absolutely did not understand the underlying mechanics of it, but she knew that Getter Energy was being converted into magic somehow.

She never felt so powerful before! It was a feeling like no other!

Deirdre beheld the monsters threatening her family and her people and decided to deal with the ones in the sky first.

“Take this! Roooooose Twisteeeeeer!” The emitters on Roze Getter’s forearms, where Black Getter’s Getter Razor would have been, discharged a constant stream of pink light. Her Getter’s cape flapped from the wind generated from the effect. Roze Getter then crouched down before leaping into the sky, arms forward as the entire Getter Robo started spinning. With her magic being amplified to a degree that should be impossible, Deirdre turned Roze Getter into a tornado of destruction that shredded the airborne monsters.

It did not matter that they tried to bite at her.

It did not matter that they tried to restrain her.

It did not matter that they tried to smash her.

Roze Getter tore through them all.

The attack eventually ran its course and she came to a stop just as the monsters on the ground were finished being showered with the fading remains of the ones she had just killed.

“Huuuuurrrggghhh!” Deirdre groaned out as she desperately kept her mouth shut to prevent herself from throwing up all over the cockpit. With a disgusted grunt, she swallowed everything back down and made a mental note to ask for a lot of water once this was all done.

I warned you about the ill effects of fighting without a pilot suit.

“Yes, I should have taken your advice more seriously.” She said with a nod, trying to ignore the gross feeling in her mouth. “We shall use more conventional means then.”

Control thankfully chose not to comment that she could have used any number of other spells instead.

“Double Tomahaaaaaawk!” Deirdre found herself loving the extra weight and heft that the larger battle axe-like tomahawks had. Each swing punched through her foes much more easily than the normal tomahawks that Black Getter wielded. The tradeoff, she quickly discovered, was that they were much more unwieldy and tended to get stuck in things she wasn’t intending.

Thunk!

Such as the ground.

She needed more practice in using them.

Despite having to be more conscious about her swings, the ground monsters didn’t prove any more challenging than the ones in the sky.

Jaws filled with sharp teeth? Chopped off.

Claws that could crush Armors with ease? Chopped off.

Tails that discharged corrosive venom? Chopped off.

It did matter how fast, or how many, or how aggressive they were. They all fell to the swings of her tomahawks.

Deirdre was starting to miss her enemies in the simulator, the ones in the real world were too easy to defeat!

I noticed that you decided against using Getter Beam on the monsters.

“Ah, I didn’t want to cause problems for the villagers by causing melted gashes all over the ground.” She quickly explained to Control after finishing off the last of the monsters. “The holes made by the tomahawks would be easier to fill in and smooth out.”

A good point. Rather considerate of you.

“Of course, these people are under my family’s rule and protection.” She proudly stated while returning the tomahawks back to storage. Deirdre then returned to the village to see everyone at the entrance cheering and waving at Roze Getter.

It seemed they realized that they were no longer in imminent danger and chose to witness the monster extermination instead.

“Our people!” Her voice came out of Roze Getter’s external speakers. With her Getter Robo’s arms spread wide, Deirdre made her triumph known. “Roseblade stands before you, victorious!”

The villagers' cheers intensified.

…

Serge Sara Rault wondered when his life started spiraling out of control.

Who was he kidding? It started the second he involved himself with people from the Kingdom of Holfort! If he hadn’t met Julius, Jilk, Chris, Brad, and Greg, then his life would have still had a sense of stability! Things would have still been the same! Everything would have still made sense! No Noelle teasing him! No Louise clinging to him! No Hertrude cornering him!

He would have been back in the Republic and-

“And what, Serge? Be miserable and alone, hating everything and everyone?” He asked his reflection in the bathroom mirror. It was a brand new day and he was almost getting used to all the changes in his life so far. That was until a literal princess decided that he was prime boyfriend material for some damned reason and riled up both his friend and his sister.

He couldn’t deny it anymore. His life had turned into a trashy romance play. He would have said book, if he actually read trashy romance books.

As he changed into a fresh set of clothes, he thought back to the time he had been spending with Noelle and Louise. At first, he just assumed that they were both just being friendly even though they still couldn’t get along with each other. With the self realization that it was something more, he understood that he had actually been going out on dates with them this whole time.

Why the hell didn’t anyone else tell him?!

Add the Fanoss Princess to the mix and things got even more complicated!

Louise was Serge’s First Love when he was younger. He would freely admit that she had just become more beautiful as she grew into the woman she now was. No, it still felt weird that he wasn’t weirded out at the possibility of having a romantic relationship with his adopted sister. Their dad was going to freak out when they came back from the summer break.

Noelle was Serge’s First Friend who was actually from Alzer. Her smile and positivity was just incredibly infectious that he couldn’t help but become happy around her. He knew that the name Beltre was just a front and that she was actually a Lespinasse, spared by their father along with her twin sister. Yet another thing his dad was probably going to freak out about.

Hertrude was Serge’s First Admirer that didn’t back down because of his name and status. The sheer focus, confidence, and certainty in her words and actions was something he personally admired. He didn’t really know Hertrude that well yet, but he had a feeling that she would fix that issue even without his input. His dad may freak out about that, he wasn’t really sure yet.

Serge found that he didn’t mind their company at all, and that scared him more than he wanted to admit. He knew that he was a fuck up. He had been wasting his life since he was a kid thinking that everyone hated him and hating them in return. He let the voice in his head that always made him angry over nothing win every single time.

Who’s to say that he wouldn’t fuck up a potential relationship with any of those women too?

That terror drove him to seek advice from the one person who would know a thing or two about his dilemma.

“So what do you think I should do?” He felt a bit bad interrupting Leon while he was working in his office, but he didn’t have anyone else to turn to. Sure he could have asked Marie, but something about her just always rubbed him the wrong way. He had no idea what the boys saw in that girl.

“Still weird to see this from the other side.” Leon muttered after blinking at him a few times.

I hope the perspective lets you be more appreciative of certain things.

“The hell are you two on about?” Both the man and the floating orb turned to each other and then back to him.

Don’t worry about it.

“What Control said,” Leon added with a nod before clearing his throat. “But more importantly, I don’t really have any real advice that could probably help you.”

That was complete bullshit! “You have three lovers!”

“Who are all very lovely and, more importantly, very different people from the girls you are talking about.” Serge grumbled but couldn’t deny that Leon was right.

“Honestly, I’d just give you the same advice I got myself and wish you luck.” He then perked up and leaned forward in great interest. He’d take pretty much anything at this point!

“And what advice is that?” He asked with bated breath.

“Decide for yourself what you want out of this and make your choice based on that. And make sure that you adhere to these three things: Trust, Communication, and Understanding.” Leon sounded pretty proud of his words, but Serge didn’t share his confidence at all.

“All that seems way too general.” He pointed out, to which Leon just shrugged.

“Aside from Hertrude, who acts way differently around you than she normally does with us, you know those girls better than I do.” Damn, that was a good point.

He slumped in his seat and looked up at the ceiling. “That doesn’t help as much as I hoped it would.”

“Sorry to say that girls don’t come with an instruction guide. If they did, then it would have saved me so much headache last year.” He and Leon shared a chuckle at that.

Man, if only.

Leon then looked at him more seriously and gave him something to really think about. “Serge, before you decide to do anything, make sure that it is what you really want. It might hurt them more if you are just forcing yourself just to try to make them happy.”

A few days later, Serge found himself walking back to the manor after some target practice with the shotgun he got from Serge’s grandfather. It was a surprisingly quiet day for him, with everyone doing their own thing. His ears perked up when he heard familiar voices as he passed by the manor’s main tea room. The door was ajar and he saw that Louise was having tea with Leon.

“Leon was so excited and promised that he would protect me if he became the Sacred Tree Guardian.” His sister animatedly said. Serge immediately understood who she was talking about, and it wasn’t the Leon she was having tea with.

“Sounds like he was a great kid. I would have liked to meet him.” Said Leon told her with a nod.

Louise sighed and looked down at her cup of tea. “I’m sure the two of you would have gotten along well.”

There was a moment of silence between them and Serge was about to walk away when Louise spoke up again.

“I must confess, I had originally wished that you would have taken my Leon's place when I first saw you months ago.” He felt his heart clench at the admission, even Leon looked pretty surprised. “When you and Marie spoke during our tea party and I saw your face, it was like everything was falling into place again.”

“Do you feel the same way now?” Serge could hear the hesitation and caution in Leon’s voice.

His sister shook her head and gave him a sad smile. “All I can feel when I look at you now is a dull ache in my heart. I can’t let myself stay like this.”

“Move forward then,” Leon told her before shrugging. “I mean, you have Serge now right?”

The smile he saw Louise give took his breath away. “Yes, I do. Having him in that place in my heart sounds wonderful.”

Serge couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think, he couldn’t do anything but quickly walk back to his room and lock the door. Through ragged breaths, all he could hear was his hammering heartbeat, all he could feel was the heat from his face, all he could think of was that smile on Louise’s face and if Noelle and Hertrude could smile like that too.

“I am so fucked.”

 

With the summer break winding down, I got a surprise visit from Angie. She said that she just missed me and finally had free time in order to properly see me. Sadly, it seemed that Clarice was still caught up with work for Mylene and likely wouldn’t be able to visit any time soon. The joy I felt in seeing her again was quickly changed to fear when she started looking over my work with the renovations.

“-and look here! You are being overcharged on building materials for roads that don’t even need to be built anymore!” She scolded me while waving an invoice that I had approved a week ago.

“Okay, I may not have been completely paying attention to it.” I meekly admitted and got a sharp glare in return. Angie shook her head and turned her gaze on the floating drone at my side.

“Control, why haven’t you been helping Leon here?” Control and I glanced at each other at the question and I silently pleaded them to be cool about it an-

Leon requested that I leave administrative tasks to him. He gave assurance that he was up to the task.

Come on! I thought we were bros! Why you gotta rat me out to my girl?!

“I thought that I was up to the task.” Angie’s gaze became colder at my response. I quickly leaned back to my roots as a Japanese man and began making excuses. “Look, I’ve been a bit distracted with my guests and figuring out a way to safely deal with the D2!”

“I know, which is why I will take over your tasks for the remainder of the break.” Her immediate response made me blink. Even Control didn’t seem to have expected those words from her.

“Excuse me?” That made her laugh and she immediately launched into correcting my work. Time slipped by as we did paperwork side by side. It was surprisingly relaxing, even moreso that when I did it alone.

“Not that I’m ungrateful, but why do all this now?” I asked when we took a break for some tea.

“I will be your wife, will I not?” I nodded at the question.

“Well, of course.” That wasn’t really in question at all anymore.

“Then is it not my responsibility to support my husband if he has too much to deal with?” I felt myself blush at how sweetly she said that, making her giggle.

“I suppose.”

“I’m sure that Clarice would agree and likely would have taken up some of your work as well if she was here.” She continued, reaching out and caressing my cheek. “Like you said, you have other things that require your attention. Let me help you with the other things then.”

“I didn’t want to bother you with all this menial stuff.” The caress then turned into a pinch. “Ow!”

“Silly Leon. Did you forget? I was being trained to be Queen until last year.” She reminded me as she started patting my cheek instead. “This? This is nothing compared to what I would have dealt with if my engagement with Julius was not broken.”

I could not win. She was clearly fully prepared to take over my work even before she got here. “That’s a really good point. I’ll leave this to you then.”

“Oh, and do warn Marie. If she is to become the next Queen, then she will be in for a rather thorough educational experience.” Her casual remark suddenly reminded me of the can of worms that had yet to be addressed.

“Leon?” Angie quickly caught on to my discomfort. I looked into the eyes of one of the women I loved and immediately chose to be honest with her.

“Marie hasn’t told Julius and the others yet.” It took a few moments for her to fully understand what I was talking about.

“About her being a reincarnate and her foreknowledge?” I nodded at her clarifying question.

“I’ve been hinting that she should and Julius is definitely catching on with how careless she has been about it lately.” I explained, I still wasn’t completely sure when Marie’s mask started slipping in front of the boys but it was definitely coming off more and more.

“But why? The five of them are utterly devoted to her.” Control decided to step into the conversation to address Angie’s confusion.

Based on my observations of Marie, she seems to have surprisingly deep seated distrust of men in general.

“Her? But she is in a relationship with five men.” Angie correctly pointed out.

It is very complicated. Another factor I have observed is that Prince Julius and the others do not have the awareness of her that she would have appreciated from a partner.

“What do you mean?” I was the one who asked this time.

Why did they not know of the abuse and neglect she experienced with the Lafans?

Angie and I turned to each other with widened eyes. We both turned back to her and she spoke before I could. “They never asked her?”

Looking back on the events of the past year, there are several context clues that would imply her unfortunate life circumstances. From her general stature and growth being stifled due to malnutrition, to her lack of clothing other than her school uniform, to her refusal to speak of her family voluntarily.

With what I knew of my sister and how she operated, I started putting things together.

“And with how easy it was for her to hook them in, she must feel like the five of them are only with her because she showed them what they all wanted from a girl.” Control bobbed up and down to confirm my theory.

Correct. Marie does not consider them as true lovers because they only see the Marie they want to see and not the true person underneath. They may not have even made any efforts to try, believing everything at face value.

“I refuse to pity her for what she did to us, but I at least understand why she is acting that way. It is the same ignorance I displayed with Prince Julius before.” Angie sounded like she just swallowed something bitter when she said that.

“Any way we can help them along then, Control?” This was my sister and my friends after all.

Any intervention from outsiders would be met with suspicion. Unfortunately, this is something that they all need to resolve themselves. Much like how it went with your own relationship.

There was only really one thing I could say to that. “Emotions are hard.”

“I do not disagree.” Angie agreed with a nod.

…

With Angie freeing me up, Control and I finally had the time to do something we had wanted to for the entire break. We were back at the Saotome Labs with an extra person looking at everything all around us.

“Is that an actual Mechasaurus Skull?!” Deirdre squealed out as we passed through some of the areas that I went through the first time I discovered the labs. She immediately ran up to it and started touching the skull like a little kid.

“Yeah, I didn’t really know where else to put it so we just left it alone here.” I told her once Control and I caught up.

Professor Jin had originally wanted to put it up as a trophy, but circumstances ultimately prevented that from happening.

“Who is Professor Jin?” I smiled at Deirdre’s question.

“Someone we want you to listen to.” We then proceeded to lead her to Control Room 1, the very same place that I watched Professor Jin’s final message. We didn’t have to do this here, but it felt more significant that we did.

She took a seat in front of the main monitor at our instruction before Control played the Professor’s message. Deirdre gasped, clenched her fists, and even teared up a bit throughout the video. By the end of it, she looked like someone who just had a lot of her world views suddenly upended.

“That was all quite a lot to take in.” She whispered distractedly before looking down at her hands. “To think that we are wielding the final legacy of the protectors of humanity’s past. It is a rather sobering responsibility.”

“Trust me, it’s not quite over just yet.” I told her before moving my seat in front of her and telling her my side of the whole story. Reincarnation, Marie, Anne, Fanoss, Alzer, D2, the Sacred Tree, all of it.

She started rubbing her forehead now that she had more context on everything we were having to deal with. “Did Professor Jin not specifically ask that Getter not be treated as divinity?”

Time has a way of making people misinterpret things from the past.

“And this threat is the reason why you built Roze Getter for me?” Control and I nodded at the question.

“We didn’t want to waste your talent and I didn’t want to have to fight D2 alone if there would be innocents that have to be protected.” I told her and Control continued the thought.

Not to mention the issue of Hertrauda Sara Fanoss’ safety.

“The vanquishing of an Evil Getter wielded by the Black Knight, with the soul of a Princess possibly held hostage within. A godlike tree in another nation with the potential to doom us all.” Deirdre said with a shake of her head, her voice having a slightly excited lit to it. “This would be trashy fiction if it were not true. And this is before I even consider the ghost of the Saint that is apparently sharing Livia’s body now.”

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.

“That sounds like a quote from someone important.” Control nodded at my observation.

Mark Twain, a writer from the distant past.

I vaguely remembered someone with that name but couldn’t really put my finger on it. I just shrugged and turned to Deirdre instead. “Well, that is pretty much all of it.”

“Obviously, I shall fight at your side Leon.” She instantly declared with a determined nod. “With everything happening and what could happen in the future, you shall have me as your ally.”

“That means a lot more than you can imagine.” I told her in sheer relief. We shared a laugh before we gave her a tour of the rest of the labs.

“So, was I ever mentioned in those stories from your other world.” Deirdre suddenly asked as we took a lift down to some of the lower levels.

I hummed and thought about it, shaking my head when I couldn't remember anything about her or her sister in the Otome Game. “Sadly, the Roseblade family wasn’t really mentioned at all.”

“Then those who wrote those stories have poor taste!” Deirdre then started to rant about all the reasons that she and her sister could have enriched Livia’s story.

I certainly couldn’t deny that they would have made things more interesting.

…

Summer Break was nearly over and we were all already preparing to return to our old routines. Before that though, I decided to gather some people together and address a god tree shaped elephant in the room. I served tea and snacks in the admittedly crowded tea room of my manor. Those present were Marie, Noelle, Louise, Serge, Control, the Boys, and the baby god tree.

Said baby god tree was currently in its new enclosure and nestled in Greg’s arms.

Hertrude returned with Angie to the Redgrave Estate, but not before very publicly kissing Serge and promising to visit Alzer some time. From the looks that Louise and Noelle gave her, it was pretty much a declaration of war from the princess.

“So that’s the Sacred Tree Sapling then?” Noelle warily asked, pointing at the baby god tree.

“Yes, we are all also aware of you and your sister’s circumstance as the remaining members of the Lespinasse house and your ties to the Sacred Tree.” Julius’ words immediately made Noelle tense up.

“Easy there, Noelle.” Serge quickly said in a soothing voice while reaching out and holding her hand. “We’re all here to talk about a way for things to not go bad once we head back.”

Noelle gave him a relieved smile and I noted that they didn’t let go of each others’ hand. Louise seemed to have noticed as well but didn’t comment on it.

Jilk spoke up to continue the conversation. “Her concern is understandable though. If the sapling chooses her as the Priestess, then she would gain its crest.”

“Gonna be weird to explain her having to wear gloves to hide it, especially if she never wore them before.” Greg pointed out the obvious.

“Not to mention the attention it would bring to her from the other great houses if it does go public.” Chris added with a thoughtful hum.

Brad suddenly spoke up with something I had also considered. “Does she need to become the Priestess already though?”

“That’s actually a really good point. Noelle doesn’t necessarily need to do it now.” I agreed with a nod. Everyone else seemed to be considering it until Marie finally chose to speak up.

“No, the extra political clout it would give her would be too useful in case anyone tries anything dumb.” I mean, that was true. However, I couldn’t help but feel like Marie was jumping the gun a bit.

“Noelle’s under my protection so it shouldn’t even matter anyway.” Serge reminded everyone. That was true. If it was clout, then the Rault family should have more than enough to keep Noelle covered.

“Loath am I to admit it, but keeping Noelle safe should be our main priority.” Louise’s reluctance was pretty obvious to hear.

“Been pretty quiet there, Noelle.” Serge suddenly said, nudging Noelle with his shoulder. We all finally noticed that Noelle had been staring at the baby god tree for a while now.

“It’s talking to you, isn’t it?” Marie asked tensely. Noelle nodded distractedly and narrowed her eyes at the baby god tree.

“It’s saying that there is something wrong with the other Sacred Tree and it needs me to become its Priestess.” Well wasn’t that just the kind of good news we all needed right now.

“Well that isn’t ominous at all.” Greg said what we were all probably thinking.

“We promise to protect you while we are the guardians and see if there is a way for the crests to be transferred over to Serge.” Brad declared with complete confidence. The mention of giving the guardian crest to Serge made him and Noelle blush due to the implications of it. From what I understood, the guardian and the priestess always ended up marrying.

“I accept.” Noelle finally declared.

“Here we go.” Marie muttered as both Noelle and the baby god tree started glowing. A few moments later, the Priestess Crest was visible on the back of Noelle’s hand. I guess it was time for us to get her some gloves.

A couple of days of preparations later, Control and I gave them all a ride back to the Republic. The words of the baby god tree made the gigantic god tree look a lot more sinister when I saw it again from a distance. After saying goodbye to everyone and returning to the Nagare’s bridge, I spoke to Control about something that was on my mind the whole trip.

“Control, keep an eye on Marie. Make sure she doesn’t do anything drastic.” Because I had a feeling that my sister was going to go off the rails and I worried that the boys might not be able to catch it in time.

That was already my intention.

“Have I told you how much I love you, Control?”

Not recently, but thank you.

…

Vandel Him Zenden face split into a vicious grin as he looked up at the Dragon God.

Finally!

Finally, it was restored! The massive ancient Armor that had the power to reduce cities to ash in a matter of moments! It was finally at his fingertips!

The lives of the Elves that were sacrificed to power it were irrelevant!

The experiment that led to Princess Hertrauda becoming comatose was irrelevant!

The number of lives taken by their manufactured monsters to stretch Holfort’s armies thin was irrelevant!

Everything led to this moment!

All for the sake of his vengeance!

“It’s time.” Vandel breathed out as the golden eyes of the Dragon God stared back at him, challenging him to take control of all that power.

So be it. He was ready for it.

Even if it resulted in his body and soul burning away to nothing.

As long as he burned down Holfort first.

…

Lelia Zel Lespinasse rolled her eyes as she heard her sister open the door to their apartment while singing an inane tune. It was just like her to be so happy while being so oblivious to the truly important things.

“Lelia! I’m home!” Noelle called out as she moved around the living room, likely looking for her. “I brought a bunch of souvenirs! Did you know that there are a lot of-”

Lelia couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction upon seeing the look on her sister’s face when she saw who was with her in the apartment.

“Loic.” Noelle whispered in utter fear as her eyes went from the man to the collar and chain in his hands.

“You kept me waiting for a long time, Noelle.” Her sister made to run, but Loic was much faster and she was quickly restrained before she made it to the front door.

“Lelia! Whatever I did, I’m sorry! Please help me!” Lelia just sneered at Noelle as Loic collared her stupid sister.

“I’m done with your wishy-washy shit, Noelle.” Her sister’s eyes showed complete shock and hurt at her words. Good, it was about time she finally understood. “You belong to Loic now.”

“What do you really want out of this anyway?” Loic asked her even as he pulled the chain, forcing Noelle to follow them back to the living room.

Lelia looks at her terrified sister, the protagonist and savior of Alzer. “Break her and make her your obedient pet. It should make everything moving forward easier for me.”

She then blinked when she noticed the gloves that Noelle was wearing. No way. Could it be?

“Stop!” Noelle shouted but Lelia was still able to tear the gloves off her, revealing the Sacred Tree Priestess Crest on one of her hands.

“Holy shit.” Loic whispered in awe, recognizing the crest.

“I told you.” Lelia smugly told him. That should secure his trust in her.

At last, after putting up with that dumb sister of hers for all this time, things were finally going her way.

Of course, there could be more.

"Actually, can I borrow a few of your soldiers? There is something in a dungeon I want to get as insurance."