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

We managed to arrive back at the Capital without any other surprises a few days later. Livia more or less gave her room in the Nagare to Yumeria while she stayed with me in the Captain's Quarters. She had been very insistent in affirming our feelings for each other at any given opportunity, to the point that Control had to scold her to restrict our activities to the bedroom. That they did so during dinner was probably out of spite to embarrass us in front of the others.

When I worriedly brought up the possibility of pregnancy, Livia waved off my concern with a laugh. Apparently, contraceptive magic was a mandatory thing for girls at the Academy. She assured me that there wouldn't be any accidents right before she jumped me again.

The girl was insatiable.

The Saint's Necklace was initially placed back in the safe, but Livia complained that Anne kept yelling to give her a turn. Yumeria volunteered to watch over the relic until we got back to the Capital. That definitely won her points with Livia.

Deirdre was obviously happy for us, but she was even happier when she managed to talk me into letting her sit in Black Getter's cockpit for a while.

"You have made me the happiest woman in Holfort!" She yelled, eyes sparkling, before she started moving the levers at random and yelling out Black Getter's attacks. It was pretty adorable, actually. I was glad to make her day. Maybe I should let her have a few runs in the simulator after we get back as a surprise? She’ll probably like that.

Clara spent her time fretting over Livia, much to our confusion. Apparently she took Yumeria's words of having a baby too seriously. Livia bore the pampering like a champ, having a soft spot for the girl.

Once we docked at the Capital, Livia gave me one last deep kiss before running off to talk to Angie and Clarice. I told her to give them more time but she was determined to see her two friends as soon as she could. I just hoped that she knew what she was doing. I wasn’t sure how they would take the news of Livia and I becoming lovers after they effectively broke up with me.

Clara said her farewells as well and made her way to another part of the Capital. Visiting friends, she said. The girl was smiling as she left, but I knew that what happened in Elven Island was still bothering her. I hoped that she would get better with time.

That left me with Control’s Stealth Drone, Yumeria, and Deirdre as the Nagare lifted off to make its way back to the lab. The Saint’s Necklace was in my pocket as Control wasn’t too keen on keeping the thing in the Nagare where it could have been exposed to more Getter Rays than it probably already has.

"Hey, Deirdre do you know what I need to do to register Yumeria as my demi-human servant?" I asked as the three of us walked back to the Academy. I would have asked Jenna but I was sure that she was still at Daniel's until school started up again.

"You just need to register her at the main offices and they will take care of the rest. You will be the one responsible for all her needs though. That includes food, clothing, and board." She answered after a moment of consideration.

"Doesn’t the Academy provide a service for that?" I had heard a couple of girls talk about that once a few months ago before one of our classes.

"They do. There is a separate dorm for demi-humans if you choose to not have them sleep in your room. The school will take care of most of their needs then but you will need to pay a weekly fee." On one hand, that sounded like the best course of action. On the other hand, Yumeria was absolutely not a normal elf so there is also a risk of her getting harassed or something while she was there. I didn’t want to know what an elf that was turned into an oni could do to someone if pushed far enough.

“I might need to keep her with me then.” I muttered worriedly. Despite her behavior and scarring, Yumeria was still an objectively beautiful woman. Having her stay in my room would raise a lot of eyebrows, probably.

“I doubt that Livia would be worried about you taking advantage of Yumeria if she sleeps in your room, Leon.” Deirdre pointed out when she noticed the expression on my face.

I scratched my cheek and coughed at her statement. “I can probably get away with asking for a small bed for her from the staff.”

“Probably.” She said, rolling her eyes and chuckling. “What are they going to do, say no to the Doom Knight?”

“Thank you for allowing me to accompany you, moreso for letting me experience what it is like inside Black Getter’s cockpit. I will not forget this.” Deirdre said to me once we arrived at the Academy. She then turned to Yumeria and gave her a hug before walking off in the direction of the girls’ dormitories.

“Well, let’s go get you registered.” I told the elf and we both made our way to the main academy offices. The process of registering Yumeria as my personal demi-human servant was ridiculously easy. I just had to give them my name and rank as well as her name and race. That was it. I was expected to take care of her, but they didn’t really go very far in checking if I was even capable of that. Yumeria didn’t even need to go through any physical exams or anything either. No wonder so many students had demi-human servants if this was the amount of scrutiny they went through before being allowed in the Academy.

Going back to the boys’ dorm and asking for an extra bed was pretty easy as well. They just asked for the size of the bed I needed and said that it would be delivered within the week. That did mean that Yumeria would have to sleep in my bed for a while though. I guess that I could take the couch, just like old times. I also asked where I could get a few sets of maid outfits for her and was referred to a particular tailor in the Capital that specializes in demi-human servant clothes.

“This is us.” I said for Yumeria’s benefit as I opened the door to my dorm room. It was pretty much how I left it, though it brought back a sting in my chest when I remembered what happened here before with Angie and Clarice.

“You seem ill at ease, Inheritor.” Yumeria spoke up, reaching out and gently touching my arm. “You may partake of my body to soothe the pain in your heart if you desire.”

I lowered my head and sighed in frustration. We had to wean her off of treating herself like some sort of toy. “Thank you for the offer, but no. I didn’t bring you with me for that kind of reason.”

“As you wish. Just please don’t forget that you may take me at any time you wish.” She told me in an almost motherly tone. Thankfully, Control saved me from having to address that particular statement.

I believe that it would be prudent to procure or order supplies that Yumeria may need while we still have ample time to do so.

Well, that was certainly a turnaround from how Control treated her when they first met.

We pretty much spent the rest of the day going around and getting what we needed for Yumeria to make her stay at the Academy as comfortable as possible. She didn’t seem bothered by either the weird looks she got because of her horn or the lecherous looks she got because of the rest of her body. After we got her maid outfit ordered, the sun was already setting.

I sure hope that whatever talk Livia was having with Angie and Clarice was going well.

…

“So we were all under a spell this whole time?” Clarice Fia Atlee asked as she shakily lowered the cup of tea in her hand. “One that made us all think that you and Leon weren’t in love with each other?”

“Livia, you have to understand how absurd that sounds.” Angelica Rapha Redgrave slowly said to the girl who she considered as her best friend. “You don’t have to make something like that up just to justify being together with Leon.”

“But neither of you could even think about the possibility until I hugged you, right?” Olivia pointed out as she bit into a cupcake. The three girls were having tea and snacks in Angelica’s room after Olivia managed to track both of them down. “It was Compelling Voice that did that, even Leon couldn’t get rid of it.”

“Why would you even do such a thing?” Clarice frowned at how her friend winced at the question.

Olivia looked away in shame, worrying the two other girls. “I thought that I didn’t deserve Leon, that he would have been better off with you two instead.”

“Why would you think that?! Of course you deserve to love and be loved by Leon! Clarice and I were both in agreement to accept you!” Angelica began with passion before deflating at the reminder of their decision. “When we were both still engaged with him.”

“It’s not yet official, is it? Ending the engagement?” Olivia worriedly asked before gasping at how defeated her friends looked.

“Why bother? Leon already has you and…another.” Angelica bitterly said. Olivia narrowed her eyes at the mention of another woman.

“Who is she?” If anyone asked her, Olivia would insist that she did not growl when she spoke. The two other girls were taken aback by how their friend was suddenly acting.

“How did you break yourself out of your spell?” Clarice asked instead. The three of them just silently had a staring contest until Angelica cleared her throat.

“We all might as well have a sleepover then, if we’re going to trade stories.” She suggested when she looked at the time. The others agreed and they all ended up back in Angelica’s room after having dinner and changing into their sleepwear.

Olivia was floored at the news that Leon managed to actually make the Queen of Holfort fall in love with him. She understood why when they told her about how lonely and neglected Queen Mylene was and how he apparently treated her in such a special way. She wasn’t angry at Leon for being there for the poor woman, though she felt rather self conscious considering how gorgeous and wonderful she was. How could she compete with someone like that?

Angelica and Clarice, in turn, were horrified and anguished when Olivia told them about what happened on Elven Island. Their hearts went out to all the elves that had to be put down and to Yumeria who was put through so much. They embraced Olvia when she started crying at how she killed a number of them before she found out that they were victims. They tried to sooth her when she told them how helpless she felt when she couldn’t even heal them. They then looked at her like she was crazy when she told them about the ghost inside the Saint’s Necklace that tried to have their way with Leon by possessing her body.

“What is even Leon’s life anymore?” Olivia asked helplessly as the three of them laid in Angelica’s bed, with her in the middle.

“Trust us, we stopped trying to think that things made sense once Marie Fou Lafan spoke to us on his behalf.” Angelica said with a mirthless laugh as she curled up to Olivia’s left side. Clarice giggled as she snuggled against Olivia’s right side. The girls silently just enjoyed each others’ warmth in silence for a while.

“So do you think that you can give Leon another chance? You both know that he didn’t go out of his way to make the Queen fall in love with him. I know that you three all still love each other.” Olivia finally asked the question the other two girls were dreading since they started talking about this subject.

“We know that, but it really hurt that we had to learn it from Queen Mylene instead of him.” Clarice admitted as she squeezed closer into her friend.

“Then make him apologize.” Olivia said as she stroked Clarice’s hair.

“And what about the next time this happens? How many more women will he save? How many more would fall in love with him? Where would he draw the line?” Angelica asked in frustration. Instead of sympathizing with her, Olivia could only tilt her head to the side in confusion.

“Did either of you ask him to draw a line?” She got her answer when the two girls looked away in shame.

“We just…” Clarice trailed off, unable to put her feelings to words.

“We don’t want to end up being replaced again.” Angelica completed the thought before continuing when Olivia gave her a flat stare. “Yes, we are aware that our actions have defied our very desire.”

“Would you be willing to talk to him about all this? Just the four of us. Together.” Olivia proposed, pulling both girls into her arms. “You can talk about your desires and your fears. Tell him clearly that you don’t want any more competition for his heart.”

“Do we even deserve him anymore?” Angelica asked with no small amount of fear.

“I certainly think you do. Besides, I don’t think I can match up to the Queen by myself once Leon does take her as his lover for real.” Olivia said before turning to Angelica and cupping her face.

“Livia?” Angelica asked as she felt her face heat up at how close their faces were.

“Let me show you a few ways how we can even the odds.” Was all she heard before Olivia rolled on top of her friend.

“Oh my~” Clarice gasped in surprise even as she leaned in for a closer view.

Olivia giggled against Angelica’s lips as the girl melted into the kiss.

Oh the things she did for her beloved Leon.

…

“What is it? Do you have any idea what time–” Mari Fou Lafan’s complaints went silent when she saw who was on the other side of the door. It was already late into the night, but it didn’t stop a group of armed and armored knights from loudly knocking at her door.

“Marie Fou Lafan. You are under arrest for your family’s involvement with the Offrey house conspiracy. Do not resist.” The one who looked like a leader declared. He glanced behind her and put his hand on the sword strapped to his hip, the other knights following his example.

“Kyle, don’t.” Marie ordered her half-elf servant, who looked like he was about to jump the knights. “Find Julius and Leon in the morning. Tell them what happened.”

Marie wasn’t scared at all, even when the knights treated her roughly as she was taken out of the girls’ dorm in just her sleepwear. She knew that Leon would save her.

It’s what he does.

 

The warm feeling of another body in the same bed as I woke up was something I was quickly getting used to in recent memory. Wrapping my arms around them, pulling them close, and burying my sleepy face in their bountiful chest was something I relished in as my brain started waking up. It took me longer than I would have liked to remember that I was back at the Academy and in my dorm room. I was not, in fact, still in the Nagare and sleeping with Livia. My eyes snapped open and met Yumeria’s as she reached out and started stroking my hair.

“Good morning, Inheritor. I hope that you had a restful sleep.” The elf softly greeted me. The thin sleepwear we bought for her last night did nothing to prevent myself from feeling just how soft she was.

“Yumeria, I was pretty sure that I slept on the couch last night. So why am I in my bed with you?” I asked after pulling away from her, ignoring how much colder I felt once I did.

I suggested that you be moved to the bed with Yumeria after you started having nightmares, Leon.

“Nightmares?” I turned to Control after they broke stealth and floated closer to the bed.

“Your sleep last night quickly became restless. Placing you in my arms in bed calmed your heart and allowed you peace.” Yumeria explained before adopting a small smile that may have been considered smug. “I did inform you that my body can be used to soothe your heart.”

“As a body pillow?” I asked jokingly, appreciating the thought.

“If not as an outlet for your lust while you are away from a lover, then yes.” She said with a nod. I rubbed my eyes at her words. It was too early for me to deal with that kind of talk.

“Please tone down talking about how you want me to use your body in that way, if you can’t stop altogether.” I told her with a sigh. I stood up and went to the adjoining bathroom to handle my business.

It seems that you have developed certain subconscious issues that will need to be addressed. We never noticed it before as you had the comfort of another to mitigate the problem.

“Great, now my head is all messed up too?” I asked in irritation after I was done.

It is a natural effect to the things you have witnessed and have been dealing with. It simply means that you care enough not to brush it aside.

I appreciated the words, I really did. I even understood that what they were saying was correct. “That doesn’t really help me, especially since I don’t even know who to talk to about this.”

I shall look into methods of therapy that may help. In the meantime, it seems that not going to sleep alone is a good way to handle it for now.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at how Yumeria smiled at me when she heard Control say that.

“I guess I’ll be in your care while I sleep in the meantime, Yumeria.” I told her with a nod. If she was so adamant at helping me this way, then I wasn’t going to say no. I definitely needed to tell Livia about this arrangement though, no matter how much I thought that she would probably be okay with it.

Yumeria stood from my bed and gave me a deep bow. “It is my pleasure to be of service to you, Inheritor.”

Classes wouldn’t start up again for another week, so I decided to go for a more casual outfit instead of my uniform. Yumeria got into a simple dress we got her while we waited for her maid outfit to be finished. We were about to go out to get some breakfast when someone started banging on the door.

“Leon! Leon! Are you awake?!” I blinked. Julius? I quickly went to the door and opened it because of how urgent he sounded. He stood there in pretty casual clothes as well, Marie’s half-elf servant was next to him looking like he hadn’t slept.

“What’s going on man?” I hesitantly asked. The rest of the boys were still back at their respective homes for the break, but Julius pretty much stayed in the Academy if only to avoid seeing his jackass father at the Palace. I was pretty sure that he visited his mother frequently during the break though.

“Mother?” Both of us whipped our heads to the half-elf boy at the words.

“What?!” I exclaimed as he slowly walked towards Yumeria, who was looking at him placidly. She had a kid, and it was my sister’s servant?

“Leon, why does that elf woman have a horn?” Julius asked in mild worry at the glowing horn sticking out of Yumeria’s head. I was about to give him an excuse when her apparent son kept talking.

“How are you alive?” He asked her. Oh no, was he born before she was taken by whoever did that to her? No, he recognized her so that means that she must have also raised him to a point.

“Do I know you, child?” That was definitely not the correct thing to say as the boy walked up to her and grabbed the front of her dress.

“It’s me, Kyle! Don’t you remember your own son, you useless mother?!” He started yelling. Right, his name was Kyle. He started trying to shake his mother but Yumeria remained unaffected by his words or actions. Did she really not remember him? Was it also caused by her conversion into an Oni?

“Kyle, stop! This isn’t the time or place! Think of Marie!” Julius called out to him while walking up and pulling him away from Yumeria. Wait, what did he just say?

“Julius, what happened to Marie?” Both boys froze up at the question, probably at the tone of my voice when I asked it.

“It would be best to talk over breakfast to save time.” Julius eventually suggested. I frowned but agreed, if something was happening then we’d need the energy. We went to the cafeteria and picked up whatever food was available before going to a pretty isolated table to talk.

“So they just took her? Without any written warrant?” I asked while quickly packing in my breakfast. Julius wasn’t eating as fast as I was, but he was doing it at a pretty constant pace.

So Marie was arrested because of the Lafan’s apparent involvement with the Offreys. But even if her family was involved with them, why the hell did they take her? And why in the middle of the night?

“I wanted to help her but she told me to seek the two of you out instead.” Kyle told us bitterly while picking at the eggs on his plate. Yumeria was just quietly eating her own breakfast without any comment.

“Why did she tell you to wait until morning to get us?” I followed up, a bit frustrated that I didn’t even know that my sister was taken while I was asleep.

“Likely because we wouldn’t have been able to do anything to help her anyway that late at night. At least, nothing that wouldn’t cause us trouble later on.” Julius finally spoke up. Damn him for making sense.

“So, what can we do?” Julius considered my question for a few moments as he finished up eating. I had already cleaned out my plate and was just waiting for what our next move was.

“I’m planning on going to the Palace to ask mother about this. Chances are that an order like that would pass by her desk.” I flinched at the mention of Mylene. Julius didn’t seem to notice it as he spoke to me with a smile. “I’m hoping that you can come with me, Leon.”

I nodded in agreement. The two of us needed to talk about a few other things anyway. “Yeah, sure. That’s probably the best way to do this.”

“What about me?” Kyle suddenly asked, to our surprise. “What am I supposed to do while you two are gone?”

“I was assuming that you wanted time to talk to your mom.” I told him with a shrug. It seemed like the natural thing to do after they were finally reunited after who knows how long.

“Why would I want to talk to a horrible woman who forgot about her own son after she threw him away?!” He seethed in obvious pain. Ah, so he likely didn’t know what Yumeria went through then.

“Okay, I get that you’re mad. But trust me, Kyle. Whatever happened between you and Yumeria, I am certain that she didn’t let you go willingly.” I told the boy as gently as I could.

“How can you be so sure of that?!” I grimaced at the question, remembering Elven Island.

“Do you really think that she got that horn voluntarily?” I asked him and he looked taken aback. He then glanced at Yumeria’s head and looked like he was finally thinking about everything more rationally.

“Can you take care of Kyle for the day? I know that you probably don’t remember him, but talk to him and tell him about what has happened to you. He can probably fill you in on his side of the story too.” I requested the elven woman. She looked between me and Kyle before nodding.

“I shall abide by your wish, Inheritor.” I gave a sigh of relief at that, then she gave me a follow up question. “What do you wish for me to tell the Divine Maiden if she seeks you out?”

“Divine Maiden?” I shook my head at Julius’ puzzlement.

“One thing at a time, Julius. Trust me.” I told him while rubbing my temples. God, it really was just one thing after another. Not even giving me the time to clear up one problem. I took a deep breath and looked at Yumeria. “Tell her that I went with Julius to the Palace to ask about something that happened to Marie. Don’t tell her that she was arrested.”

“Control?” I called out as Julius and I made our way to the Academy entrance. The drone made itself visible as it kept pace with the two of us.

Do you require anything, Leon?

“Can you go over to the girls’ dorm and check if you can find anything that might help us figure out who took Marie?” I asked, even though it was probably a long shot. Control made the drone move as if it was nodding.

I shall try to see if there is a trail I will be able to follow.

“Thank you, Control.” Julius gratefully said just as Control went invisible again.

Unlike last time where I needed an official summons to meet Mylene, Julius just walked into the Palace like he owned the place. Which is pretty fair. We made our way purposefully through the halls, people making way for the Crown Prince and…the Doom Knight. I hated Roland more and more each day. A familiar pair of guards were outside the office of the Queen when we finally made it there.

“We wish to speak to my mother. Is she available to receive us?” He asked one of the guards, who saluted and quickly went inside the office to check.

“The Queen will see you now.” The guard said after he came back out, holding the door for the two of us. We gave our thanks and went inside. Mylene was at her desk and looked like she had already been working for a couple of hours based on the paperwork there. She really needed to delegate more of her work to other people, or at least give them to her husband to deal with instead.

“Julius, Leon, welcome.” She greeted us with a smile, one that became a bit sad when she glanced at me. Oh no, I hope she hasn’t been blaming herself with what happened with my engagements. “Based on your expressions, you didn’t come here for a simple visit.”

“Forgive us, mother. I’m sure that you would have liked your reunion with Leon to be under better circumstances.” Oh man, I had forgotten that Julius was totally onboard with me dating his mom. “It’s about Marie.”

The conversation became more serious once we started explaining to her what happened last night according to Kyle.

“It’s true that we had found evidence that the Lafans were conspiring with the Offrey in order to smuggle contraband and pirates through their territory in exchange for wealth.” Mylene enforced the fact that Marie’s family was just the worst ever. “Though I am unsure as to why there was a need to arrest her in the middle of the night.”

“Then where is she?” Julius quickly asked, more concerned about the girl herself.

“Likely held in one of the dungeons. I shall have my personal men look into it and retrieve her.” She told us, much to our relief. I was just glad that she would be able to get out quickly.

“Thank you so much, mother.” He proceeded to give his mom a hug.

“I know how much you love her.” She told him with a laugh. There was one other thing though.

“What will happen to her afterwards?” I asked since freeing Marie was just the immediate issue being taken care of. “The Offreys were dissolved and their titles revoked. Their assets and territory were taken as well. What’ll happen to Marie when that happens to the Lafans?”

“Her noble rank will be revoked and she will become a commoner.” Mylene stated, much to Julius’ shock.

“What?!” He reacted pretty much as expected.

“It is something that has to be done. The Crown has been working hard in dismantling any form of corruption that we can find. We can’t take it easy on anyone. I’m sorry, Julius.” It was understandable and was a pretty sensible policy, though there was a reason why corruption was always so hard to put down even back on Earth.

“So once that happens, Marie won’t be a member of the Lafan house anymore.” I commented and received a nod from her.

“As they are no longer of the nobility, any bond they would have would be simply familial with no titles attached.” Mylene confirmed. So Marie would be free from her crooked family, finally. That took care of one of her biggest concerns in her new life. Probably even enough to get her off the idea of trying to become the Saint as well, especially since the necklace was haunted.

“I have full control of my branch of the Bartfort house, right?” I asked, a crazy idea forming in my head. Must be the Getter Rays again.

“Yes, you have full autonomy of your territory and affairs so long as you act in the interest of the man Barfort house. Why?” She asked with a tilt of her head. Julius was also curious at where I was going with this. I gave them both a smile and told them my idea.

“How hard would it be for me to adopt Marie as my little sister?” It turned out that, with the Queen literally right there, it was super easy and was barely an inconvenience. A few signed documents later, and Marie was now Marie Fou Bartfort. She was my sister again. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

It was probably going to be hell to explain to Livia and the girls though.

“I’ll present this to her once my men bring her to me.” Mylene said as she placed a copy of the adoption papers in her desk drawer. “I’ll also try to find out who orchestrated her arrest in the first place. She didn’t need to be taken to the dungeons.”

“Do you think this was done by a court noble?” Julius growled out in obvious anger.

His mother sighed and nodded. “Likely. A lot of the court are unhappy with the possibility of her becoming Queen one day.”

“Thank you so much, Leon. I can’t even begin to wonder how to make this up to you.” Julius said with tears in his eyes. Man, he really loved my sister. I couldn’t even be upset that he’s dating her.

“Friends don’t keep score like that, Julius. Besides, this’ll give me an excuse to aggravate the little gremlin whenever I want.” I joked, putting up the act that I still considered Marie as a gremlin. I mean, she was. But she was my gremlin now too.

“Well, I’m sure that you and mother would like some alone time together. I shall make sure that no one interferes.” Both Mylene and I flushed at his confident words. Before either of us could stop him, Julius left the room and we heard him address the guards as he closed the door. “My mother has more things to discuss with Viscount Bartfort, ensure that no one disturbs them.”

“Honestly, that boy of mine.” I heard Mylene fondly say.

“He means well.” I turned to her and saw her expression suddenly turn remorseful. I was pretty sure why as well. I walked up to her and took her into my arms. “What happened with my engagement wasn’t your fault Mylene.”

“How can you say that? If it wasn’t for me being so arrogant about things, then Angie and Clarice wouldn’t have taken it so poorly.” Her words were muffled by pressing her face into my shoulder even as her arms returned my embrace.

“It was probably going to happen anyway.” She pulled back and looked at me when I said that.

“What do you mean?” I sighed at the question and proceeded to tell her everything that happened from the moment Angie and Clarice confronted me about her as well as what came after. By the end of the story, we were on the couch with my head on her lap as she stroked my hair.

“I had read the report about what happened in Elven Island and that you were involved. But to think that it was that bad.” She told me with a shake of her head. Wait till she found out about the ghost in the sacred relic.

“We still don’t know who did it?” I asked and got a sigh in response.

“Certain nobles suspect that the Principality had something to do with it, but that is just likely just biases talking.” So no luck then. It was probably the Principality based on what will probably happen in the future, and wasn’t that just a fun thing to consider? The Black Knight with a Getter Dragon, even a deteriorated one, was just so bad. Before I could wallow in despair, my eyes widened as Mylene leaned down and kissed me.

She was blushing when she pulled back and quickly glanced away from me. “Forgive me. I just missed you so much and–”

“Mylene, where do you see this going?” I asked, it was something that had been on my mind while we were on our way to Elven Island. Angie and Clarice pretty much spelled it out that she was in love with me. I was definitely starting to see her as a woman I loved as well. But this sort of relationship couldn’t possibly go anywhere without blowing up in our faces.

“Us?” I nodded at her words before elaborating.

“I’m with Livia now too. She’s determined to have me, Angie, and Clarice reconcile as well. Where do you see yourself fitting into that if it happens?” Mylene nodded and looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, considering her next words.

“Roland has been hinting about abdicating the throne once Julius graduates and proves himself worthy of the crown.” I blinked at that sudden revelation. The King wanted out? Really?

“He’ll probably go back to becoming a mysterious adventurer or something.” She continued with a roll of her eyes. She then looked back down at me. “I’m planning on divorcing him once that happens and I am no longer Queen.”

“Then I’m hoping that you would take me as a wife or a concubine. Even if I’ll really just be Mylene by then.” My eyes widened at what she was planning on doing. Oh, she really was in this for the long term. She seemed to see something she liked as she leaned back down and started kissing me again. One hand continued to stroke my hair while the other started moving elsewhere.

“Mylene, wait. If we take too long in here–” I tried to say but ended up gasping when she found what she was looking for.

She giggled at my concern and kissed me on the nose. “My personal guard are ones I trust with everything. They know the value of discretion.”

“Yeah, but in your office?” I asked and just saw her eyes twinkle. Uh-oh. I knew that look. Livia made that look a lot of times recently.

“There is an adjoining bedroom to this office in case I need to take a nap.” She whispered in my ear before making me sit up so she could stand and pull me to the other room.

We didn’t quite make it to the bed.

 

I was able to return to the Academy sometime after lunch, Mylene insisting on having a meal with me before I left her office. She showed none of the awkwardness that I felt as several servants set a table for us to eat. The meal itself was pretty nice and she seemed pretty happy about everything. Mylene also made sure to give me one last deep kiss before I departed, telling me to visit again soon. I shifted my shoulders as I felt the itchiness from the fresh scratch marks on my back courtesy of the woman. She was aggressive in a completely different manner from Livia, in ways that I would probably be executed for if I talked about it in public.

I went up to my dorm room and was greeted with a pretty surprising sight. Kyle and Yumeria were both asleep on my bed, with the boy wrapped around his reunited mother’s arms. That was good. I hope that they were able to reconcile.

Welcome back, Leon. I trust that your meeting with the Queen was fruitful. Julius stopped by to inform us that Marie will be freed soon but also that you were staying there longer to discuss other things with Queen Mylene.

“Yeah, it took a bit. Did Livia come by to look for me?” I asked, quickly changing the subject from Mylene. I took a seat on the nearby couch so as to not disturb the mother and son.

Yes. She asked that I inform you to look for her once you returned. I should warn you that she seemed to look rather thoughtful when I mentioned that you and Julius were with the Queen.

“Well, that can only be good. Did she say where I can find her?” If it was Livia, then the discussion could probably go in wildly different directions. The mention of her did remind me of something though. I made my way to a locked desk drawer even as Control answered my question.

She said that she would be at your usual Tea room.

“Got it.” I said, unlocking the drawer and taking the Saint’s Necklace inside. Good thing I didn’t bring it with me when we went to meet Mylene considering what happened. I placed the necklace inside my pocket and turned back to Control. “Did you find anything in your investigation? Marie’s going to be fine, but anything that can lead us to the ones who did this to her would be great.”

Unfortunately, due to the brevity of their presence in the Academy, I was unable to follow a trail that led farther than the general area outside the campus grounds. I can only confirm that Marie was escorted by five heavily armored knights.

“That’s pretty hardcore for one girl.” I pointed out. Were they worried that someone else was with her last night? I grimaced, not wanting to think about what my sister would have been up to at that hour with someone else. I definitely didn’t want to think that it would have probably been with one of the boys either.

It may be possible that they were expecting resistance from her or other sources during the arrest.

“Well, looks like we’ll need to trust in Mylene’s investigation on this then. Thanks a lot, Control.” I knew that she was plenty busy already, but this was my sister we were talking about. I made a mental note to make it up to her in some way later on.

Of course. I would also like to inform you that I was able to find a few designs that would be viable ranged options for Black Getter F. They will be ready for testing in the simulator so I can construct whichever ones you would like to use in the Lab.

Oh, fantastic! That should help a lot with not having to waste energy on using Getter Beams on smaller monsters that I couldn’t hit with anything else. In fact, the talk of the simulator actually reminded me of something else.

“Speaking of, do you think we can have Deirdre have a go in the simulator at some point? She seemed pretty happy when I let her move the levers around inside Black Getter’s cockpit.” I asked as I knew for sure that she would have the time of her life in there even in a non-combat scenario.

I see nothing wrong with it. I can accommodate her with the tutorial course once you arrange it with her.

“That’d be great. I’m sure she’ll have a great time.” I said with a smile.

Likely so. It would also be good to have a secondary pilot for Black Getter F should you be unavailable for whatever reason.

“Deirdre would probably bounce off the walls if she heard you say that. I’ll come back once Livia is done with me. Wish me luck.” I joked as I made my way to the door. I wonder if we could build a second Getter Robo for Deirdre if she ended up being good enough to pilot Black Getter?

Please make sure not to make a mess of the Tea room. It would be a challenge to remove any stains from the carpeting there.

The sass on that one.

I made it to the Tea room and heard voices coming from inside. I knocked on the door and the conversation went silent. Ominous. I was about to open the door when someone beat me to it.

“Leon, you’re back!” Livia happily said even as she pulled me into the room and into a kiss, barely giving me the time to close the door behind me. She eventually let me breathe and I was able to see who she was talking to. I gulped as Angie and Clarice looked at me from a table with unreadable expressions. Livia took advantage of it by pulling me to the table and sitting me down right between the two girls while she sat across from me.

Ah, was this what it felt like for someone who was about to be executed? It felt even more stressful than my thesis defense back in University.

“Now then, I’m glad that all four of us can be here to–” Livia’s smile suddenly twisted into an angry scowl. She turned to me and looked downwards. “Leon, dear. Did you bring the necklace with you?”

I blinked and immediately understood what the issue was, “Is Anne yelling at you again?”

“Wait, is that the haunted necklace she was talking about? Is it actually real?” Clarice asked in complete disbelief even as I pulled out the accessory and handed it to Livia.

“She told you about the Saint’s Necklace?” I asked Angie even as Clarice looked between me and Livia in confusion.

“She said that there is a spirit there that wants to take over her bod–” Her response was cut off when Livia put on the necklace and started speaking in that weird accent again.

“How dare you keep me locked up while you enjoyed Lea over and over aga–stop doing that and listen to me you little piece off–” Livia managed to get control and stomped off to the far corner of the room while she talked to Anne. She looked really angry.

“Yeah, that was pretty much how I reacted the first time I saw it too.” I said with a chuckle when I saw Angie’s and Clarice’s faces.

“Who is Lea?” Angie asked with narrowed eyes.

I rubbed the back of my neck as I explained what we thought was going on. “The spirit inside the necklace, Anne, seems to be mistaking me for someone that she knew.”

“And she keeps trying to take over Livia’s body?” I sighed at Clarice’s question even as we all looked at Livia literally having an argument with herself. She was even making angry hand gestures as both her and Anne fought for control.

“Seems to be like it. We haven’t really learned anything about her since she keeps doing that whenever Livia wears the necklace. If she doesn’t, then she’s the only one who can hear Anne’s voice in her head.” The three of us looked on worriedly as Livia looked like she was about ready to start punching herself just to hurt the ghost.

“His name is Leon and he belongs to me, Angie, and Clarice!” She angrily yelled, making the three of us at the table blush. She hesitated before continuing. “Maybe one other woman, but definitely not you!”

“But he looks just like him! And you look just like how I did! It must be destiny that I be reborn as you! Just accept me so we can be one! We can have him together!” Anne countered with logic as weird as the way she talked.

“We can talk about that some other time! Right now, I want to talk to my lovers about apologizing to each other and making up!” My eyes widened at that and I looked at the other two girls. They conveniently started looking at literally anything else.

“Lovers?” I had to ask and the two of them blushed bright red. Livia, what did you do to Angie and Clarice last night?

“Livia was very insistent with us last night.” Clarice vaguely answered after coughing.

“Very insistent.” Angie repeated with a happy sigh while looking like she was recalling a memory. Oh wow, she totally got them both.

“Ah, so you two have been introduced to her insatiability then?” I asked with a laugh. Finally, there are others who can relate to how relentless Livia could be in those kinds of things.

“Yes, imagine our surprise when Livia told us what has been happening between you two while on your trip.” I tensed in worry at what Angie said, only to be surprised when she and Clarice took hold of one of my hands each. “But she also told us about what else happened there as well.”

“Are you okay, Leon?” Clarice asked and my shoulders just slumped. Was I really in that bad of a shape that everyone could tell what a mess I was?

“No. Livia has been helping, but there are just so many problems that keep piling up.” I saw them look down at the table sadly and I quickly gave their hands a squeeze. “You two aren’t one of those problems.”

“Aren’t we? After what we did to you. We didn’t even give you enough of a chance to explain and just lashed out.” Livia walked back to us before Angie could continue talking.

“Which is why we are all here.” She started before tossing the necklace back to me. “She’ll be quiet, at least until we’re done.”

She took her seat and reached out to hold Angie and Clarice’s other hands. “So how about we start with the big issue, Leon. You and Queen Mylene. Explain.”

That was definitely something I had been rolling around in my head ever since the situation had gone out of hand. So, I started telling the three girls I loved my side of the whole thing. They stayed silent as I explained the original intent of my interactions with Mylene. Then I got a bit embarrassed at how the two of us basically roleplayed as a student and a transfer student to obfuscate what our interactions would look like from the outside. I then told them about what she seemed to have been dealing with on a daily basis and what I offered her. Then everything went from grounded to all the way to the moon when I used a tradition from her homeland to demonstrate how I wanted to protect and care for her.

“And that’s pretty much how everything with Mylene started.” Angie and Clarice didn’t look surprised, which made sense as Mylene probably already told them about most of what I talked about. Livia looked at me intently and smiled.

“So when were you planning on telling us that the two of you have already made love?”

“How–”

“Oh, Leon. I’ve pretty much figured out how tired you get whenever we finish. It looks like she really was pent up.” Livia’s smile turned into something pretty scary even as Angie and Clarice let go of my hands.

“Leon!” Angie yelled at me.

“I’m sorry!” I said.

“No you’re not.” Clarice flatly stated.

“No I’m not.” I admitted in shame.

“Any other world shattering revelations you’d like to share with us, Leon?” Livia asked with a tired sigh. It looked like even her patience had a hard limit.

“Well, there is one thing.” I stood up and backed away from three glares. “Okay! To preface, the situation was already crazy to begin with.”

“Just get it over with and tell us.” Clarice growled at me. I nodded and explained everything that happened this morning. From Kyle and Julius telling me what happened, to going to Mylene, to my solution to Marie’s situation.

“Every time, Leon. Every time.” Livia tiredly muttered while rubbing her forehead.

“Out of literally anyone else in Holfort, you picked Marie Fou Lafan to adopt as your sister?” Clarice made a disgusted face while asking me that. Rude.

“Well, technically it’s Marie Fou Bartfort now–” I immediately shut up when Angie pointed a finger at me.

“Don’t remind me how she managed to get your name before the three of us did!” I lowered my head in shame. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend what it must have felt for them.

“What were you thinking, Leon?” Livia asked in a gentler tone. What was I thinking? I was trying to save my sister!

“I…you don’t know what it was like for Marie growing up. What she went through to even get to the Academy.” I let slip in a bit of frustration. I looked up and saw the three of them with expressions of worry and surprise.

“Why would she tell you all of that? Why would you go so far for a girl that hurt us so much?” Angie voiced what they were all probably thinking. I couldn’t just tell them that the reason why I adopted Marie was so I could protect my sister and have her as family again, now could I?

Wait.

Couldn’t I?

I looked at the hurt in the eyes of the three girls that I loved. Their pain borne from me being unable to tell them about what my motivations really were. It was the same damn thing that happened with Mylene. I didn’t even think about telling them about mine and Marie’s situations because I thought that they didn’t need to know.

Didn’t need to know? That was the core of the problem in the first place. Until I could get rid of that thinking, until I was finally honest with the three of them, then it would never end.

No, not again. I won’t lose them because I couldn’t imagine that they would believe me.

Communication, Trust, and Understanding. That’s what Livia said, and that would be what I’d abide from now on.

“What do the three of you know about alternate worlds and reincarnation?”

 

“Reincarnation? Like being reborn after you die?” Clarice asked with pursed lips.

Livia’s face suddenly turned sour. “Ugh, Anne is saying she knows all about that.”

“But what are Alternate Worlds?” Clarice followed up with the other half of the equation. I wasn’t surprised that they weren’t familiar with the concept.

“Well, they’re worlds like ours, but different. Like imagine a world that doesn’t have flying islands and everything is just floating on the oceans. Basically, what you might consider as fantasy worlds from books of fiction.” I tried to explain as best as I could. I’d probably need a better analogy later.

“That makes more sense.” The third-year voiced out with a nod.

“Wait, what does that have to do with your relationship with Marie?” Angie suddenly cut in with narrowed eyes. Fair, as it sounded almost like I was trying to change the subject.

“It has everything to do with it because the two of us are both reincarnations as well as from an alternate world.” I watched the three girls glancing at each other. Well, at least they haven’t called me crazy just yet.

“What are you talking about?” Clarice asked in continued incomprehension.

“Leon, dear. Can you please hand me the necklace again?” I blinked at the request, but I handed the haunted accessory all the same.

“One chance. Behave yourself or I will never touch this thing ever again.” Livia threatened the necklace before once again putting it on. Anne immediately made her presence known. “Ahh, I knew that you are the reincarnation of my beloved.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but that’s not what I mean.” I shot her down immediately, making her pout. Pretty weird to see that with Livia’s face while knowing that it was some ancient ghost. I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself. “Now, I’d like to tell you all everything that is really going on with me, and Marie by extension.”

“Why? You could simply just tell us what we would have wanted to hear.” Angie asked simply.

I closed my eyes for a moment, only opening them once I was ready to speak. “Because I hate having to hide such important things from the women I love. You can all decide if you want to continue having a relationship with me afterwards.”

“I trust you, Leon.” Livia told me with a smile, with Anne chiming in. “Anything for you, beloved.”

“Alright.” Clarice added with a nod.

“Tell us everything, Leon.” Angie closed things out, leaning forward on the table.

So, I began telling them my real story. Starting with a better analogy of what happened to me. “Imagine this world, with everything you know, is a book on a shelf. Each of you has a dedicated page on that book that defines who you are. This is the same with everyone and everything else.”

“Now, imagine that there is another book on a different shelf. One that has wildly different contents than your own. Some things may be similar, some things may be identical, but a lot of things don’t match at all.” I continued, giving them a few moments for the concept to sink in a bit.

“The thing that happened to Marie and myself is that our pages in that other book got moved to this book and replaced what would have been the pages of Leon and Marie of this world.” I continued on, making hand gestures to try to help them visualize the analogy. “So, instead of a Leon and Marie that are born and grew up like everyone else, we have the memories and experiences of our lives from that other world as well.”

“So you are so protective of Marie because you are both from the same book, as you describe it?” Angie posited with a raised brow. I shook my head in response.

“It actually goes deeper than that. Marie was my younger sister in that other world.” The three girls’ eyes widened at my words and they all looked at each other.

“How are you sure?” Livia asked the obvious question.

“We both told each other stories from the childhood we had in that other world and it all matched up. We only really discovered it during the school trip, before the monster attack.” I saw the comprehension dawning on Livia’s face when I mentioned the school trip.

“That’s why the two of you suddenly started behaving differently back then.” She muttered while looking at me.

“But when were your pages moved? Was it some sort of magic spell from your other world?” I winced at Clarice’s question since I knew they probably weren’t going to enjoy this part.

“No, I’m pretty sure that we only got reborn here after we…died.” Yep, the look of horror on their faces was definitely something I never wanted to see again.

“You died?” Livia whispered.

“Back in my old world, yeah. I don’t know her circumstances, but I have a feeling that Marie is in the same situation.” It was a topic my sister skillfully kept avoiding whenever I brought up the subject of our previous lives.

“How did you die, if I may ask?” Anne asked in a surprisingly serious tone.

“That actually goes hand-in-hand with another thing. Something that you all probably have the right to hate me for.” I said with a loud sigh while wiping my face with my hands.

“I already knew things about Holfort, the Academy, and all of you before I was even reborn. Well, except for Anne’s existence.” I just ended up laying the cards down on the table. The three girls were silent until Clarice looked like she had an Idea.

“Did we have equivalents in your old world?” That was a pretty clever assumption. Sadly, it was wrong.

“No. I mean, not as people anyway. Okay, this world doesn’t really have an equivalent to this so I’ll just go for an analogue. Are you all familiar with a play or stage performance?” I breathed a sigh of relief when they all nodded.

“Great. So, in my old world, there is a particular performance that centers around a girl who wasn’t a noble but was enrolled to a prestigious academy for nobility because of her talent for healing magic. There she meets five heirs of great noble houses, including the crown prince. She befriends them, and even ends up falling in love with one of them. There are variations of the outcomes for each of the five heirs.” They all blinked at my words and I could see them slowly piece everything together.

“Through trials and tribulations, three years worth of experiences, the girl and her chosen love eventually prevent disaster from descending upon the capital of their country and live happily ever after.” I closed my eyes as I continued telling them a summary of what happened in the game.

“That girl’s name was Olivia. The heirs were Julius, Jilk, Brad, Chris, and Greg. It was your story, Livia.” I opened my eyes and smiled at the gobsmacked girl in front of me.

“Wait! Wait! Wait! What does that mean? Livia with Julius or Jilk? Were we not there?” Angie suddenly protested.

“You were actually, both of you were. But you two were cast as Livia’s antagonists depending on the variation you would see. Either of you would serve as obstacles for her and her lover.” I explained and the three of them looked distraught at the idea of being enemies with each other.

“How did this relate to you dying?” Livia finally asked, looking like she didn’t really want to know the answer.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes as I told them. “I may have pushed myself to experience every single version of the story in a short span of time, of which there are a lot, until I died of exhaustion.”

“You died because of me?” I quickly reached out and took Livia’s hands in mine when I saw her face as she said that.

“No! No! That was all my stupidity!” I vehemently told her while massaging her hands to try to calm her down. Angie and Clarice also helped by cuddling up to the panicked girl.

“You said that you saw all these stories play out?” Clarice started once Livia finally calmed down. “Did Marie?”

“Yes, that was the reason why she was able to have them fall in love with her so easily. She knew things about them that no one else probably did.” I winced at the anger and hurt in the eyes of Angie and Clarice.

“Five heirs, you say?” Anne suddenly piped up. She didn’t even comment how I was still holding Livia’s hands, which she could probably feel as well.

“Yeah, why?” There was a flash of anger in her eyes but it vanished a second later.

“Nothing important right now–then why did you bother taking control?!” Livia growled out as she took her body back. She then looked into my eyes and asked her own question. “So, if Marie hadn’t interfered, then I would have ended up getting together with Prince Julius or one of his friends?”

“That’s the likeliest outcome.” She nodded at my answer and smiled.

“Good, I should thank her sometime.” The rest of us looked at her like she grew two new heads.

“What?! Livia!” Angie voiced her incredulity.

“If she hadn’t done what she did, then the three of us probably wouldn’t be here talking right now.” Livia pointed out as she reached out to caress Angie’s face, making the other girl blush. “I might have even ended up being enemies with either of you. I certainly would not have met Leon or had become close to him. I can’t even imagine a life like that.”

“Dammit.” Clarice suddenly muttered.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as Livia and Angie continued being affectionate with each other.

“Marie actually spoke to Angie and I while you two were away during winter break.” We were both surprised to hear that. The hell was Marie thinking, doing that while I was away?! “She mentioned that her interfering with our respective engagements was the best thing to happen to us because it directly led to the two of you. We are both very angry that she is likely correct.”

“I’ll talk to her about that and make her apologize.” I said with a sigh and a shake of my head.

“So, was that why you kept trying to make me meet Chris and Greg during the first term?” Livia asked in a way that made my spine crawl. I gulped and nodded gingerly.

“Yeah, I was still operating on the assumption that I could still put everything back to the way it was supposed to be. Back to how the stories would have gone. I wasn’t even supposed to interact with any of you. Leon Fou Bartfort wasn’t part of Olivia’s story.” I explained, they looked pretty alarmed at the last part.

“What changed then? Why help Livia? Why help myself and Clarice?” I chuckled at Angie’s question as that was probably the first big turning point in my life here. Well, one that didn’t involve giant robots.

“Because Control made me realize that this world isn’t just a story with a set script. That you aren’t actors or characters that only behave a certain way. Everyone and everything changes and grows in their own ways.” I smiled at the memory of that conversation. I couldn’t even imagine what kind of person I’d be if Control wasn’t there to talk me through things I never even considered at the time. If only I had someone like them in my old life. “It also didn’t help that Marie’s actions had already changed so much that the story is barely even reliable for reference.”

“How much do you actually know about us, Leon?” I hummed at Livia’s question. It wasn’t as much as I thought I did, actually.

“Anne? Nothing. Angie and Clarice? Not all that much since they were just treated as adversaries you would overcome. Most of the story revolved around you and the boys.” I admitted. Livia then looked down and pursed her lips.

“Then you were nice to me before because I was a character in a play that you knew?” I winced at that since it was true.

“At first, it was because you were the main protagonist. Then we started spending time together and I started caring less and less about that. By the time my talk with Control happened, I wasn’t even thinking about it anymore. I think I was falling in love with you by that point.” I told her with as much sincerity as I could, making the girl smile and blush.

“Leon, what happens to me and Clarice in your stories?” Angie suddenly asked in a small voice. “What happens when we try to stand in Livia’s way?”

“Are you sure you want to know? It’s not going to happen anyway?” I carefully asked. There was literally no benefit to telling them that.

“Humor me.” She insisted with a sad smile. I nodded and started telling them.

“Right. Basically, for you Angie, it’s everything you went through with Marie but spaced out for three years.” All three girls winced at the thought of having Angie still go through the same things she did earlier in the school year. “You basically slowly watch Julius slip away from you and into Livia’s open arms. The duel you challenged Marie to would have happened at the early part of our third year with Olivia. Your chosen champion would have lost and we don’t hear about you until the end where it would be mentioned that you were banished and forced to marry a remote lord.”

“What about me?” Clarice nervously asked as Angie digested that information.

“You…just sort of stopped appearing in the story around the end of the first year. Livia’s story with Jilk revolved more around his own family and his friendship with Julius.” I told her and she mutely nodded.

“That’s enough of that from you two.” Livia forcefully said, getting all our attention. “I would never do that to either of you. Angie, Clarice, I love you both. Leon loves you both. So stop thinking about a possibility that will never happen.”

“You’re right. Thank you, Livia.” Angie said gratefully while Clarice just opted to embrace and kiss Livia right in front of me. Well, that was definitely something I was going to remember for a long time.

We took a few moments so that everyone could recover before we moved on. I was about to start when Livia’s expression changed and she started speaking.

“You mentioned a disaster that my host and her love were supposed to prevent. What was it in your story?” Ah, so I was talking to Anne now. Kind of hard to tell who was in control unless they spoke up.

“The Principality of Fanoss.” The three of them stiffened at the name. Their eyebrows shot up at the next thing I said. “They declare war on Holfort in the third year of Olivia’s story.”

“Leon?” Clarice called out to me while I was thinking about the Black Knight, Hertrude, and all the other things that could eventually be coming in the future.

“Sorry, I just remembered something else that complicates things. Let’s go through everything in order first.” I waved off her concern and decided instead to summarize what we’ve talked about so far. “So, Marie and myself reincarnated from a world where this one is the setting of a story about Livia. It’s why we know things about people, places, and events. Things have changed because of our actions and our foreknowledge isn’t as useful anymore. Any questions?”

“Good, because that was the easy part.” I said when they shook their heads. I cracked my neck before diving into another big topic. “So, Marie. Here is her story.”

I proceeded to tell them about Marie’s childhood as a Lafan, her motivation for taking Julius and the others, and her eventual end goal.

“I still hate that girl for what she did, and how devoted you have become to her.” Angie said in obvious jealousy. She then harrumphed and continued. “But I understand why she did it and I can at least begrudgingly respect her tenacity.”

“We still probably will never forgive her.” Clarice added and Angie firmly nodded. Well, that was definitely something to work on between them.

“So the child wishes to usurp the role that was originally meant for my host? She has ambition at least.” Anne spoke up again to comment on Marie, Livia seemed fine with her taking over for a bit.

“Most of her problems have been taken care of with the Lafans being dissolved and my adoption of her as my sister. I’ll talk to her once she comes back and tell her that she doesn’t really have a reason to want to go after any of the other Relics and be declared as the Saint.” I explained and assured them that Marie was probably no longer a threat at all to any of them.

“Pffft! They actually call myself and my possible successors Saints? Who was the delusional fool that started it?” Anne’s mocking expression suddenly shifted to a confused one as Livia took back control. I can’t believe how fast we were all getting used to that. “So I can become this Saint?”

“If you can acquire all three relics. The necklace I was able to get from the pirates we fought over the holiday. The bracelet is somewhere in the Capital’s main dungeon. The staff is at the Temple itself and would be given once you have the other two and demonstrate your superiority in magic.” I listed out the remaining two relics and their locations.

“What happens if Livia gets all three?” Livia’s expression once again changed to a haughty one at Clarice’s words.

“Then she will inherit my power or we will become one–I haven’t agreed to either outcome.” Livia quickly shut down Anne’s developing narrative on what was going to happen.

“This all seems so very complicated.” I laughed at how tired Angie sounded.

“Welcome to my world. Besides, all this is supposed to be spread out over our three years at the Academy.” I told them. Some things were out of order, but we hopefully still had more time to deal with things before it all came to a head.

“If you know so much of what will happen, couldn’t we warn people about problems that will arise?” Ah, the obvious thing that someone with future knowledge would probably want to do. Clarice’s idea wasn’t bad, just a bit too late.

“There is a way of thinking back in my old world about foreknowledge. The more you change the past, the more the future becomes uncertain. Honestly, the only thing I have a good idea will still happen is Fanoss since they’re definitely still angry about all the invasions Holfort did decades ago.”

“What invasions?” The three of us were quiet at how innocently Livia asked that question. Angie decided to educate her about the campaigns that Holfort conducted in order to try to reacquire Fanoss back into their territory.

“I didn’t even know that happened.” She admitted in disbelief that such a thing occurred.

“Most commoners probably don’t, but that’ll be the main motivation.” I said, trying to make her feel better.

“Shouldn’t we still warn the Crown at least? I’m sure Queen Mylene would listen to you.” Livia then asked and I had to sigh because of what I was about to tell them next.

“That’s probably not a good idea because of the last wrinkle in this whole thing. Getter.”

I started telling them about going to the island where I found the Saotome Labs and Control. Then, I explained that they weren’t supposed to be there along with all the other Getter related things that have been popping up. This included what happened in Elven Island and maybe even the increased monster activity everywhere.

“Then things are even more misaligned since Getter and the things related to it were never in the original stories you knew about.” Angie summarized with a thoughtful nod.

“You’ve been burdened by all this the entire time we’ve known you? All by yourself.” Livia sounded a bit angry when she asked that.

“Well it’s not as bad as you think. I have Control to bounce ideas off of.” I tried to play it off with a laugh.

“Leon, Control told me about the nightmares.” And I wasn’t laughing anymore at how Livia was looking at me.

“It’s more of a recent thing.” I weakly stated as I sank back into my chair with how they were looking at me.

“And you told this to the Queen?” Livia continued her questioning.

“Just the Elven Island stuff when she brought it up as one of the reports she read. I’ll tell her about the rest of it once we get another chance to meet.” I informed her. She then narrowed her eyes like she was going over something in her head. She then nodded and smiled.

“I think I understand why she led you to her bed.” I blinked at that. It was so weird to hear how okay she sounded about it.

“Leon, meet us at Angie’s dorm room after dinner. This will probably be the best chance we can get before classes start up again.” She continued as the three girls looked like they were having an entire conversation with just eye contact. Why was I breaking out into a cold sweat?

“What? Why?” I managed to ask. The three girls simply gave me a smile that made me feel certain things.

“Don’t worry about it.” Livia said before her face soured and she rolled her eyes. “Fine, you can get one, afte–at last! You are a worthy successor!”

I was very worried.

The rest of the day passed and I had dinner with the girls at the cafeteria. I went back to my room to inform Control about going to the girls’ dorm and to check on Yumeria and Kyle.

Please remember to hydrate.

Those were Control’s parting words when I told them about going to Angie’s dorm room. It seemed that Julius passed by and said that Marie would be released tomorrow, so Kyle was going to be sleeping with Yumeria for tonight. Neither sounded bothered by it when I asked them.

I arrived in front of Angie’s room and knocked on the door. It opened and I beheld three lionesses prepared for a hunt. I instinctively started looking down and gulped. Angie and Clarice pulled me in the room as Livia closed the door. I blinked when I noticed that Livia was wearing the Saint’s Necklace.

The only thing I thought as the three of them closed in on me from all sides was that Control gave me sound advice.