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

[Blackraptor]

I was pretty sure that it was the fantasy of a lot of men to be in their room, on their knees, in front of two beautiful girls. Unfortunately, based on the faces of the ones I was currently kneeling in front of, I didn't think my current situation would end with sexy results.

"Okay, look–" I tried to speak up but was immediately interrupted by Angie.

"No, Leon. You don't get to talk right now." She said in a very cold tone. Okay, that was completely understandable coming from her. It was still very scary though.

"Yes, dear." I muttered but thought better than to comment on the dusting of pink that appeared on her cheeks at my response.

"Control, are you here?" Angie called out to the room.

I am. Do you require anything, Miss Angelica?

"Can you go outside for a bit?" My stomach dropped at what she asked. Control hesitated for a moment before responding.

I understand.

Control then broke stealth and proceeded to float out the open window in my room.

"You know, Angie and I got a bit nervous when we were suddenly requested to meet with Queen Mylene at her office." Clarice picked up the conversation. She was smiling, but it was the kind of smile that a woman made when she was thinking of doing something that would hurt you. "We didn't know why she would need the two of us specifically. That was until we thought about our commonality."

"We asked you to do one thing, Leon. No, we actually asked you specifically not to do one thing." Angie scolded me while rubbing her forehead. She then started glaring at me again, making me flinch away. "So why is it that the Queen of Holfort offered us an accord, one that afforded her the right to become your lover even after our marriage?"

"She told us what you have been doing for her, Leon." Clarice sighed and shook her head. "In any other circumstance, Angie and I would be falling in love with you all over again with how sweet you have been. But you went too far and made her fall in love with you too."

"Okay, I understand that–"

"You don't, Leon. You don't understand what you have done. Queen Mylene is in love with you. Completely. When she talked about you, she looked like we do when we talk about you." Clarice interrupted me. The way she spoke and the words she said made me both terrified and elated at the same time.

"We are mad at you, Leon. We are utterly furious with you. We gave you our hearts and are willing to give you everything else, and what do you do? You take another woman into your arms behind our backs despite the fact that Clarice and I are already right here." Angie ranted at me, at the verge of tears. The elation I felt a moment before dying an ugly death. "You don't have any idea how much it hurt when it finally sunk in."

Seeing Angie's face made me start to stand up in concern, but she glared me back down to my knees.

"What you did for us all that time ago, your care, your affection, your friendship, your love, it was all magical. We both fell in love with you because of it. But we can't go through all this again only to have you be taken away by another woman. I won't accept that." Angie's face twisted in anger at the end of her statement.

What have I done? I was so focused on making a lonely woman happy that I didn't even think what that would look like to Angie and Clarice. It didn't matter that I did it with good intentions, I still did it without telling them anything. They both trusted me and I betrayed that trust.

Fuck.

"Tell us why we shouldn't just go back to our fathers and break off our engagements with you. You have one chance." My heart stopped at the finality in Angie's voice. She still looked like she was about to cry, but I could see the resolve in her eyes.

"Make it count, Leon. It would shatter our hearts, but we will break ties with you if you can't convince us." Clarice added with an empty smile, like she had already emotionally given up.

I opened my mouth to tell them that I wouldn't do something like that anymore but the words just wouldn't come out. Could I really say that? That I wouldn't do what I did for Mylene, Angie, and Clarice for someone else who really needed it if I had the chance? Deep in my heart, I couldn't promise that because I didn't know if I would have been able stop myself. Hell, wasn't that what I'm trying to do for Livia? For Marie?

I looked at Angie and Clarice and wanted to tell them that I was sorry, that I loved them, that it was a mistake, that I wanted to spend my life with them. But I couldn't.

Because it wasn't what they asked for.

They might have been willing to forgive me now if I said those words, but what about next time? How many times would I end up putting the two of them through that? The next thing I knew, I was already crying. Angie and Clarice were crying as well.

"I love you, Leon Fou Bartfort. But I need to be able to trust you as well." Clarice said through her tears as she leaned down and embraced me. "Thank you for loving me."

"We would have been fine with it, you know?" Angie bitterly said as Clarice stood up. She shook her head and closed her eyes. "Queen Mylene told us about how empty her marriage with the King has been. If you had just come to us and talked about it, we could have worked through it. Together. But you didn't, and that's what hurt us the most."

"We will be rejecting the Queen's offer and telling her of our decision in regards to our engagement. Make the Queen happy, Leon. Make this worth it. I love you." Angie said before she turned away from me and walked to the door.

"Bye, Leon." Clarice added as she followed Angie. The sound of the door closing echoed through the room.

I stayed there on my knees, staring at the door. I felt something on my shoulder after a while and saw that it was Control's drone. For once, they didn't have a clever remark and just stayed there in silence. I really appreciated it.

…

I sat on the floor of one of the Nagare's observation decks. It was Winter Break and I took advantage of any excuse to get out of the Academy. Angie and Clarice wouldn't talk to me anymore no matter what I did. I had received letters from their fathers expressing their concern that their daughters wanted to break off our engagements. They strongly urged that I find a way to mend our relationship before it was too late. Control also advised me to keep trying to reconcile, but I just felt so drained.

Marie took one look at me and winced. The boys found out what happened with the engagements through Julius and gave their support in their own ways. They even offered to bring me along on the training they were planning on doing over the break to take my mind off things.

Under normal circumstances, I would have jumped at the chance. I declined but Julius told me privately that Mylene wasn't happy with what happened either and would keep trying to talk to Angie and Clarice. I thanked the boys for trying to cheer me up before walking away.

Marie did get me alone one day and I more or less cried my heart out on her shoulder. My sister just stayed quiet through it and stroked my hair.

I really just wanted to get away from everything for a while at that point.

The door to the observation deck opened and someone walked up behind me. They knelt down and wrapped their arms around me.

"It's going to be okay." Livia said as she hugged me. She was here because of what she said when she found out about the situation with Angie and Clarice.

"I'll take care of it."

Livia definitely sounded scary when she said it. I headed her off before she did something to the girls and told her that I'd be happier if she kept me company during the break. Thankfully, she happily accepted.

"Clara and Deirdre are already in the cafeteria and are waiting for us. Lunch will get cold." Unfortunately, she made the same offer to her two new friends. Clara, being the devoted minion that she was, immediately accepted the offer to be useful to me in any way. Deirdre was just excited to be in the same ship as Black Getter, spending most of her time in the hangar and talking to Control about it.

"I'm not hungry." I flatly said.

"Don't lie. Not to me. You didn't eat breakfast either. Come on, you won't be able to explore the elf island if you're too hungry." She said as she pulled me to my feet with surprising strength. Elven Island was a pretty mundane place for the most part, the only real reason why you would have needed to go there in-game was for an event with the main protagonist's half-elf slave. There were some ruins there with some okayish loot but not much else.

Deirdre saw Livia drag me into one of the ship's cafeterias and waved to us. "You're here, good. We were about to start eating without you, Leon."

"I already had your lunch picked out as per Control's suggestions. Do you desire anything else, my Lord?" Clara asked, standing up and bowing to me. I looked at the spread food on the other side of the table the two of them were sitting at and saw my usual selections. "I also got you your lunch as well, Livia."

"Thanks Clara!" My best friend said with enthusiasm as she pulled me to the table. With a glance, Livia gently elbowed my side.

"No, I don't need anything right now. Thank you, Clara." I said, much to Clara's joy. I sat down and started eating, suddenly realizing how hungry I actually was once I smelled the food. The girls talked amongst themselves as we ate, but I didn't really join in on the conversation. They were mainly discussing what we might end up finding at the island.

I had a bit of time to think about how I fucked up with Angie and Clarice and I ended up just hating myself the more I thought about it. The very thing that Livia told me about a successful relationship, I totally failed at. The two of them gave me every possible opportunity to include them in the things I do and made their desires obvious but I just…kept turning my attention to literally anything else other than them. It wasn't intentional, but it's what ended up happening.

Leon, please report to the bridge. There seems to be a situation at Elven Island.

I looked at my current companions and back down at my food. Huh, when did I finish all of it? I guess I was on autopilot. "I'll see what Control wants. Please behave while I'm gone, Deirdre."

I ignored the girl's squawk of indignation and the gigglings of the other girls as I stood up and made my way to the bridge. I took my seat at the Captain's chair and the main displays of the bridge changed to show that there were a number of Holfort Military vessels moving around the island. What the hell is this now?

We are being hailed by one of the ships using rudimentary radio, shall I patch it though?

"Do it. I want to know what this is about." I told Control. I almost said no, but I couldn't shake the feeling that what was happening was important.

"I've heard of a ship that looks like yours from other Captains. I assume that I am speaking to the Doom Knight, Leon Fou Bartfort. Did the Queen send you?" The slightly distorted voice of an older man spoke through the bridge's speakers. I sighed at the mention of my apparently official title as a Knight. Damn you to hell, King Roland. Wait, why would he think that Mylene sent me?

"No, I actually came here to check the ruins around the island but it looks like there's something else going on." I said instead, there was a snort on the other side of the line before the Captain responded.

"That's an understatement. Listen, I know you're not here officially, but we could use some more help in trying to figure out what the hell happened on this island. All the recent monster attacks have stretched the army thin as of late. I can give you clearance to enter the airspace if you can give us a hand with this. I'll take care of any reports we might need to file if you find anything." He sounded pretty eager to get me onboard. Was he hoping that I'd do all the work for him, or were they just desperate for any help that swung their way?

"Can you give me a few minutes to think about it?" I asked instead.

"Of course, I understand." The Captain answered a moment later.

We are now muted.

"Can you call the others up here. I want to talk to them about this." I told Control. My inability to communicate to people and involve them in my actions and decisions dug me a hole I might not be able to climb out of. That doesn't mean that I had to keep doing it.

A quick explanation later, I presented the choice to Livia, Deirdre, and Clara. "We can just leave if you girls want. There are plenty of other islands that we can go adventuring at."

Livia looked at the island on the displays as various military ships flew about. "But there could be trouble down there, right? Shouldn't we help?"

"Leon is already a full fledged knight, but the three of us have no such responsibility." Deirdre reasonably pointed out. "Though I admit that I am curious as to what would require this sort of presence considering the relative autonomy that the elves normally have."

"I will go with whatever you decide, my Lord." Clara's response was pretty much what I expected. Deirdre was a second year student and was apparently really good at combat magic. Clara could take care of herself using a sword and shield. Livia was apparently a gun mage and was very good at what she does, plus she can heal. With me and my tomahawks rounding things out, we had a pretty good party balance if we went down to the island.

"What do you think, Control? Go or no go?" I asked the AI.

I believe that this level of military presence is concerning, as Miss Roseblade mentioned. While we are under no obligation to assist in whatever investigation they are currently doing, we would be a boon for their efforts.

"Okay, patch me back to the Captain. We'll give them a hand, whatever this is." I said with a sigh. Time to see what nonsense this world had in store for me this time.

 

[Blackraptor]

"...then the Queen put together our task force to investigate. We arrive and see the island looking like a warzone, the Elven village completely devoid of life, and the ruins nearby looking like someone took a spoon and scooped out a huge chunk of it." The Captain finished explaining the situation that we managed to stumble into. No one had been able to get in contact with the island for weeks and one of their contractors decided to see what was wrong. They found the current state of the island and immediately alerted the proper authorities.

"And no one knew that this was all happening?" I had to ask since the elves had to have mounted some sort of resistance to whoever attacked them. That kind of activity should have been noticed. At the very least, someone should have been able to escape the island and call for help.

"Like I said, the army's pretty spread thin. Monster outbreaks everywhere, even in places where they've never shown up before. A lot of independent knights have been called up to service too, which was why I thought that you were deployed here to help." That made sense. This was the first time I had actually heard how bad the recent monster attacks have been. The most we've encountered them was during the school trip.

"Alright, what do you need my help with then? It seems like you all have everything under control." I pointed out while leaning into the Captain's chair. Livia and the others had taken the available seats in the bridge and were listening intently to the conversation.

"The ruins, what's left anyway." The ruins? Why would they direct us to that instead of the actual settlement? "There's all sorts of things down there that look like they'd rather belong in a dungeon. Our people aren't really adventurers, so we wouldn't know what would be a clue or not. More importantly, we don't want to trigger anything that might make things worse."

Ah, that made more sense. A lot of the enlisted in the army were either from nobility too poor to afford going to send them to the Academy or just outright commoners. If any of them had the capability of becoming adventurers, then they wouldn't have been regular soldiers. "I see. Anything you can tell us about the ruins themselves?"

"Not much, really." The Captain made a frustrated sigh as he started talking about the other big mystery of the island. "We've secured the perimeter of the giant hole, but that's mainly because there's no one else here. Some of the soldiers did report that they saw some shadows moving deeper inside, so there'll probably be monsters there."

"Understood. Where can we dock?" The Captain directed us to a shipping harbor to the south of the island. It was the closest one to the ruins and there were already soldiers stationed there. We were told that the people on the ground had already been informed of our arrival and to give us any assistance we needed.

"Control, keep the Nagare around the airspace just in case once we disembark. If you can spare a drone, come along with us." I said before standing up and looking at my companions.

"You three best get changed into your dungeoneering gear." They all nodded and we met back up a few minutes later, fully kitted up. I was going with my pilot suit and tomahawks, so no changes there.

Livia was wearing a white adventuring coat that had red and yellow highlights. Her leather gloves and boots were pretty rugged and were ideal for the environment we would be going into. She had her now personal handgun strapped to her right thigh but she also had a magic rifle slung over her shoulder now too. Was she taking lessons from Jilk?

Clara had pretty typical adventuring gear, reminiscent of what Livia used to wear. In fact, it might be what she actually used in Adventuring classes. She had dark green light leather overalls that had armor plating covering her chest, forearms and shins. She had leather gloves and traveling boots to round it out. Her sword was strapped to her waist while her shield was on her back.

I blinked when I saw Deirdre's outfit. Why? She was just cosplaying as Richter Belmont from the Castlevania games. White blouse and trousers, blue pirate coat, brown gloves and boots. She even had a whip strapped to her waist! A whip!

"Why do you have a whip?" I had to ask as I pointed at the weapon. The second year girl just smirked and adjusted her coat's popped collar before responding.

"It's enchanted with my magic and cuts as well as any blade. It, however, is much more versatile to use." She said while pulling out a gem encrusted folding fan. I'd bet money that she was going to cast magic from that thing.

"Wow! That's amazing, Deirdre!" Livia said in amazement and her friend just ate it up.

"Of course! A Roseblade does not do things halfway!" Deirdre said with swelling pride. At the back of my mind, I could almost see her doing the typical haughty noblewoman laugh.

"We're ready to go anytime, my Lord." Clara informed me after one final inspection of her own gear.

The Nagare is now docked. Please proceed to disembark in an orderly fashion.

I blinked when I saw the drone that Control was going to bring along with us. "Are those guns on the sides of that drone?"

Of course. I would be remiss to be the only one incapable of combat should we encounter any hostilities.

We made our way to the doors and waited for them to open up. As that happened, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I could hate myself and be depressed about Angie and Clarice on my own time.

Don't think about them for now. I had to deal with what was in front of me.

I winced when I remembered that this kind of thinking was what caused the problems in the first place. God, there was just no winning was there?

I opened my eyes with a growl as the doors opened to reveal a pretty utilitarian looking harbor. The Captain did say that this one was primarily for shipping. We were quickly met by three soldiers, all of them looking older than the four of us.

"I thought that the Captain was joking when they said that the Doom Knight himself showed up, but here we are. The name's Gabriel, Sir Bartfort. These are Marshall and Ortega, we'll escort you to the ruins." The lead soldier began the introduction. We also introduced ourselves and they seemed surprised that a commoner was traveling with me. They didn't really make a big deal out of it other than that and we started making our way to the ruins.

"This is all wrong." Clara pointed out while looking up at the trees. "Where are all the wildlife?"

"You noticed that too, huh? The complete silence was what our scouts reported about first. This whole thing has been spooky from the start." One of the other soldiers, Ortega, agreed with a nod. Well that boded well for us.

We made it to the ruins without any opposition at all. There were a number of soldiers present as well as one standard military model Armor. Just one? Were there others stationed somewhere else?

The Nagare has lifted off. I can have it stay on standby anywhere on the island.

"Keep it near us and have Black Getter warmed up in case we need it." I suggested and looked up to the clear skies. There was plenty of open air in case I had to fight anything in my Getter Robo. We walked up to the edge of the ruin and saw that it really was just a giant hole. The Captain wasn't kidding when he said that it looked like someone just scooped everything out.

Gabriel noticed my expression and scratched his head. "Yeah, it's just a pretty deep drop. We can get a few rope ladders for you if you–"

"I'll take care of it." Livia suddenly said, stepping forward. Some whispered words and a few hand gestures later, she created a levitating platform made of stone from the surroundings that was large enough for ten people.

The soldiers, Clara, and I just gaped at the casual use of obviously high-end magic. Deirdre had no such issues as she started clapping. "Most impressive, Livia! That spell isn't even taught until the Third Year and you cast it with such speed and ease!"

"Ah, well. I'm just really passionate about learning magic." Livia shyly said and was taken by surprise when her friend took both of her hands in her own.

"And I recognize your passion, Livia. Well done!" Deirdre's enthusiasm made Livia blush and I was reminded once again of the charisma of an Otome Protagonist.

The four of us took the magic lift down, with Control's combat drone floating down at its own pace. As we went down, I noticed some pretty modern looking hallways and rooms that were carved out. This place must have been a pretty big underground complex. We reached the bottom and saw that there were a lot of places we could start looking.

"Control, can you give the place a scan? See if you can point us somewhere good." I asked. The place still looked pretty big, with plenty of hallways that could go to who knows where.

I am already currently scanning the ruin complex from this drone as well as the Nagare. It seems that there are traces of medical and laboratory equipment throughout what remains. There also seems to still be biological signatures moving throughout the hallways and rooms.

"Are they elves?" As I asked that, we all turned to the sounds of footsteps and saw a figure shambling towards us. It was an elf, at least, I thought that it was. It had the long ears of an elf but there were three malformed horns that had blinking lights growing out of its head. Its body was misshapen with its left arm being comically large and having a metal claw at the end. Its legs were replaced with four mechanical spider legs that barely looked like they were supporting its weight.

I'm afraid that they do not seem to be the elves that we were hoping for.

The creature ambled towards us while reaching out with its claw. It suddenly found itself impaled by a stone spike coming out of the ground. I turned and saw that it was Livia's doing. She put her left hand down after finishing the spell and quickly pulled out her handgun and shot the creature in the head, blowing off half of it.

"Nice shot, Livia." I absently muttered at how casually she just did all that. Just how strong had she already become?

"Thanks! I've been working on ways to keep things from moving around too much when I shoot them." The girl happily explained with a big smile. We all walked closer to the creature in order to get a better look.

"Are those machines grafted into their body?" Clara asked in clear disgust when she noticed that a lot of the metal seemed to go under the skin.

"Control, please tell me this isn't Dinosaur Empire tech." I quickly asked because I didn't want to have to deal with those guys if the simulators were anything to go by.

This is not Dinosaur Empire technology. However, the methodology of these modifications are reminiscent of those of another Enemy of Humanity.

"Which one?" I asked helplessly.

The Hundred Demons Empire. The modifications are rudimentary enough that whoever did this may only be working with incomplete data.

"Then is this place one of theirs?" I looked around, not liking the name of that group one bit. The elves were messing with technology from the enemies of Getter Robos? How had no one ever noticed this before?

Of the original Hundred Demons Empire? Impossible, as they were driven off the planet long ago. However, I cannot discount the possibility of any remnants returning after the conflicts of old had ended.

"It seems that there are more of these creatures." Deirdre got our attention as several other franken-elves started crawling out of the woodwork, some literally. They were all varied, some had extra limbs, some had tentacles for legs, some were just torsos on wheels. The only thing that was common about all of them was that they had some variation of horns coming out of their heads.

"Clara! With me up front! Livia, Deirdre, Control, give us some ranged support!" I called out, charging forward and pulling out my tomahawks.

"Yes, my Lord!" I heard Clara call out from behind me as I hacked into the shoulder of one of the creatures. Clara did work with her own swordsmanship, making sure not to get in the way of my own movement. From behind us, wind spells from Deirdre, and gunfire from Livia and Control made short work of the first wave of monsters.

After a while, I started noticing something strange about the things we have been killing. They weren't even putting up a fight. At all. Like instead of attacking, they were trying to get our attention. Oh god. When it finally hit me, I suddenly recoiled from the one I was about to chop the head off of.

"Stop! Stop! STOP! Everyone stop attacking!" I yelled out to everyone, even getting in front of Clara as she was about to stab another of the creatures.

"What are you doing, Leon?!" Deirdre asked in a panic. I shook my head and pointed at the mo–elves that were still approaching us.

"They're not trying to attack us." I said and, as if to prove my statement, one of them finally reached me and caressed my face with their normal hand. A tear fell from their non-mechanical eye as they continued to stroke my cheek. I swallowed the lump in my throat and continued. "I think they're asking us for help."

"Oh no, and we've all been…" Clara trailed off and looked at the blood on her sword in shock.

I shall return to the surface and inform the soldiers of this development.

"What happened to all of you?" I asked even as Livia desperately started healing the elves that we had been attacking, most of which were already dead. The one that I was with then took my head and started pulling me away. I just ended up following them, not wanting to end up hurting them.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked but didn't get an answer.

"Leon?!" Deirdre called out as she and the others made to follow. However the other elves blocked them from being able to. They were also unwilling to harm them now that they knew that they weren't trying to hurt us. So they wanted me alone then?

"It's fine! Wait there for Control to come back!" I called out as I was led into a hallway. The surroundings initially looked like they would fit in a sci-fi laboratory like the one from the Saotome Lab. However, as we went in deeper, the theme of the place started changing.

There were carvings on the wall that looked like they depicted various events. Battles, mostly. The commonality among them was that most of the combatants had the same horns that were on the elves. There were also other constants as well.

A red armored figure that looked like it had a big red mustache and a crown. The most striking thing about it was that it fought with two axes and seemed to fire some sort of light from its forehead. Other carvings depicted a thin blue armored figure that had some sort of pointed lance instead of a fight hand that opened up like a flower. Even more carvings depicted a large yellow armored figure in the middle of what seemed like a hurricane. In all the carvings, the ones that had horns on their heads seemed to be on the losing end of the respective battles.

It didn't take long for me to realize what those carvings were representing. The thought made me sweat and regret following these guys by myself.

I was eventually led to a set of open double doors. Inside looked like a dilapidated chapel of some kind. There were destroyed pews and candle holders everywhere. In the far end of the room was some kind of rudimentary statue depicting some kind of serpent. There was also someone kneeling in front of the statue, a woman with long green hair from the looks of it. She rose to her feet and turned around.

She was wearing a thin white dress that did nothing to hide her body. I grimaced as I made sure to keep my eyes off her absurdly large breasts. When I looked at her face she had empty looking amber eyes and long elven ears. More notably, there was a crooked glowing gold horn coming out the right side of her forehead.

"I am Yumeria, the last priestess of the Great Dragon God. Are you here to kill me or maybe take me like the others, inheritor of the green light?" She said in a placid tone. Oh great, another one who can see Getter Rays?

 

[Blackraptor]

The elf woman, Yumeria, just waited for me to respond to her question. Despite her claims, she didn't seem scared at all that I might have been there to kill her. I squeezed my eyes shut at the memory of indiscriminately killing all those elves outside just because they looked like monsters.

"I'm not here to harm you or the other elves." I said through gritted teeth. I tried to ignore the shaking of my hands as I continued. "We're just here to try to figure out what happened to the island and the other elves."

"Your heart seems wounded, Inheritor." Yumeria suddenly changed the subject. "Do you require comfort?"

I was about to ask what she was talking about when she reached for her dress and tried to take it off.

"Whoa! Whoa! None of that!" I yelled out, surging forward and grabbing her hands. Unfortunately, her dress was a lot more flimsy than I expected and it all pooled at her feet. I was immediately made aware that she was not wearing any underwear. My eyes widened, not because of her sudden nudity, but because of what else I was seeing.

There were burns, scars, and discoloration all over her body. A rather large surgical scar went from the middle of her sternum all the way down to her pubic area. It was like someone literally cut her torso open. Her breasts had pockmark scars and burns, I didn't even want to know what caused those. There were also signs of bruising on various parts of her body. It was like she came from a warzone.

"What the hell happened to you?" Was all I could ask in the face of such a thing.

"This is my penance and proof of my ascension into becoming the Dragon God's priestess." Yumeria answered as she moved her hands over her breasts. I hated that my eyes instinctively followed the action. "Please do not mind my deformities, Inheritor. Everything is still fully functional and can be used for your pleasure. Please take me however you wish."

My face twisted in revulsion at what she was implying. Was she used that way by other people, by the ones who did this to her? I shook my head and crouched down to pull her dress back up over her body.

"You don't have to offer your body like this anymore." I softly said while securing the clothing on her as best I could.

The elven woman tilted her head to the side and regarded me with what might have been confusion. "Do you find my appearance grotesque perhaps?"

"No, you're very beautiful, Yumeria." I told her with a sad smile. She really was, even with all the scarring. She accepted my words with a nod as I took a step away from her.

"I really do want to know what happened to the island though. Can you tell me what you know?" I asked, rounding back to the original topic I wanted to talk about.

"I cannot speak for the surface elves. I have not seen the light of the sun in many years." What? She had been stuck down here for years? Had she been experimented on that entire time? "As for what happened to our grand temple, it was exhumed along with the Dragon God's remains."

Yeah, that pretty much tracked with what everything looked like. I didn't know what the Dragon God was supposed to be though, was it the Getter Robo from the murals? I probably needed to consult Control before I jumped to any conclusions.

"By who?" I asked instead, that should have been something I could get answers with.

"Humans." She said, making me blink.

"Did they look like anyone specific? Like the army or nobles? Adventurers?" I slowly asked, trying to make it easy for her.

"I do not know. I was asleep when it happened. I was only informed about what happened by the Broken Kin after I was woken up by them." The broken kin were probably the elves that had more severe modifications. "By then, the temple was gone and I've been seeking guidance from the Dragon God's Serpent since. You arrived sometime after, answering my prayers."

So she only found out after the fact as well. It looked like the other elves were the only eye witnesses.

"Well, can you come with me? I'm sure that the army would like to ask some questions. That, and this place doesn't look very habitable anymore." I suggested. Yumeria just stared at me for a moment before finally nodding.

"Very well, I need assistance in helping the others ascend to the Dragon God's realm anyway." I desperately tried not to think about the implications of that statement and guided her back the way we came. The other modified elves outside the room accompanied us along the way.

"Leon! You're okay!" Livia called out to me as we came back out to the bottom of the main crater. I noticed that a few soldiers were also down here now and were warily keeping an eye on the elves. My best friend then finally noticed Yumeria and pointed at her. "Who is this?"

"I apologize, I was unaware that the Inheritor was traveling with a Divine Maiden. This humble priestess greets you, divine one." Yumeria suddenly greeted Livia with a deep bow. The other modified elves also started bowing to the best of their abilities, much to the confusion of the rest of us.

"What do you mea–" Livia started asking when Control's probe suddenly appeared in front of us with the light in its camera lens going red.

[Enemy of Humanity Identified]

"Control, wait!" I yelled out and put myself between Control and Yumeria when the AI looked like they were about to shoot her dead.

Please step away from that elf, Leon. She has successfully undergone Hundred Demon conversion surgery and is now functionally an Oni. She is a threat to all humans.

To my surprise, Yumeria actually frowned and looked offended by the insinuation. "I am not a threat to humanity. It is humanity's greed and hubris that is a greater threat to themselves. The state of our grand temple perfectly highlights that."

"Yumeria, can you please stay quiet for a bit?!" I hissed at her, she was not helping! I ignored how she seemed to pout at me in favor of talking to the increasingly hostile drone. "Control, please. We need her alive to figure out what happened and what this place is about."

Control stayed silent for a few tense moments. I saw Livia slowly reaching for her handgun while her other hand started glowing. The two of us locked eyes and I shook my head a bit. She frowned but nodded. The last thing we needed was her and Control having a shootout in the middle of all this.

So be it. But the elf will be under constant surveillance.

Everyone, save for Yumeria and the modified elves, gave a sigh of relief. I walked up to the soldiers and asked which one of them was in charge. Gabriel reluctantly stepped up and said that he was the ranking soldier responsible for the ruins.

"I have to admit, Sir Bartfort, I have no idea what we're supposed to do with these elves. They're obviously not hostile and look like they've been through all sorts of hell, but we don't really have anywhere to safely put them." The soldier stated in frustration over the situation, rather than the elves themselves. I grimaced in understanding, there definitely weren't any easy solutions to this problem. At least, none that I could see right then.

"What about the task force leadership?" I asked, hoping that the Captain from earlier would have a better solution.

"No luck there either, I'm afraid. They're focused on finding out where the surface elves were taken. There are a lot of slave contracts that are suddenly voided or on hold because all the merchandise suddely vanished." He explained. Of course that's what people were more worried about. I couldn't even blame them, there was probably a lot of money in jeopardy because of all this.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. I was going to have to take in this circus, wasn't I? I thanked Gabriel and went back to the others. Yumeria was speaking with the girls, with Control's drone hovering ominously close by. The other modified elves were more or less just standing around patiently, though some were looking at Livia with interest.

"Leon! We have a problem!" Livia exclaimed when she noticed me approaching. "Yumeria said that the other elves are going to die!"

My stomach dropped at the news and I looked at the woman in alarm. "Please explain."

"The instruments used to maintain the Broken Kin's existence were among the things that were taken." She began and my eyes widened. "They will all slowly wither and perish by the end of the week at most."

"Can we do anything for them?" I asked, but Yumeria just shook her head. I let out a frustrated growl and turned to Control instead. "Control, you're familiar with the tech used on them. Is there anything we can do to save their lives?"

The information we have about Hundred Demon Empire technology revolves around how to kill them. Even then, the technology used on the elves is incomplete and flawed. Neither the Nagare nor the Labs have the specific facilities that they may need to maintain functionality.

"Then what can we do?" Clara asked in dawning horror.

The humane thing that can be done would be to have them undergo painless euthanasia.

Fuck, I was hoping that it wouldn't come to that.

"What does that mean, Control? I don't like how that word sounds." Deirdre asked, her expression grim.

The act of euthanasia is to intentionally end life to prevent or relieve pain and suffering.

There was complete silence following Control's explanation. Well, that was until Livia started screaming.

"There has to be a way! There HAS TO BE!" She frantically said as she took hold of Control's drone. "I can heal them! I can make them better!"

I understand your distress, Olivia. However, the issue seems to be the mechanical part of their bodies, not the biological part.

"I don't understand! They're hurting, so I should be able to just heal them! That's what I'm best at! If that isn't enough, then I can learn the magic that can!" Livia cried out and started shaking Control's drone. Clara and I had to pull her off, the hysterical girl proving stronger than either of us expected.

"We apologize for causing you distress, divine one." Yumeria suddenly spoke up, bowing to Livia. "Please do not shed tears for our wretched selves. The Broken Kin may have failed to reach divinity in life, but they will be able to reach the Dragon God's realm in death."

"It's not fair!" Livia cried out, as she clung to me desperately. "Leon! You always found a way to save everyone! Please!"

I looked at Livia's tear stained face as she put all of her hopes on me. It tore me up to see her shock when I just looked away in shame. All I could do was hold her as she wailed in despair.

In the end, it was decided that the modified elves would be brought aboard the Nagare. Control assured us that they would be able to do what was necessary without causing any pain or distress. The girls understandably retreated to their rooms once we got back on my ship, not wanting to be a part of any of it. I spoke to the Captain about the whole thing and I was sure that he started drinking on the spot.

"Fuck, no luck on our end either. Whoever did all this didn't leave any trace at all. The Crown won't be happy with the report I'm going to write. Thank you for the help, Sir Bartfort. A damn horrible thing you have to do. We'll help in burying the elves at least." I felt about the same as what he sounded like and we both said our goodbyes, knowing that things weren't about to get better.

The modified elves were moved to various public areas on the ship as they awaited what was going to happen to them. Control was going to end their lives one after another in the largest of the four medical facilities on the Nagare. They said that the entire process should take no longer than half a day. We would be giving the remains to the army for proper burial on Elven Island. It was the least we could do. We would depart from the island the moment that was done and head back to the Capital.

Before Control started the process, we tried to ask the modified elves what happened and who attacked them with Yumeria assisting us. They were less than helpful as all they were able to confirm was that the attackers were human and they used unknown means to carve out the ruins. They all seemed the most upset when they spoke of how their Dragon God was taken.

I was on the bridge to be alone. I didn't feel like doing anything else but wait for everything to be over with. Yumeria was with the modified elves as she insisted on giving them their last rites to ensure that they would ascend to their Dragon God's realm. I didn't believe in their god, but I silently prayed that their souls would make it there all the same.

The process has begun. I assume that you would rather not know the details?

"Fuck no." I spat out with a frown. I then remembered something else that was notable from the ruins. "Did you know that they had murals down there depicting what looked like Getter Robos?"

I was not able to investigate the ruins myself. Can you please describe these murals to me?

I told Control about the red, blue, and yellow armored figures and the battles that were depicted on the walls of the ruins. I didn't really have a frame of reference since the only Getter Robo I really knew was Black Getter, but it felt right to consider them as such when I saw them.

Those sound like depictions of Getter Dragon, Liger, and Poseidon respectively. The foes they were facing were the machines of the Hundred Demon Empire. Strange that such information would have made it through all this time.

"Wait." I began with a growing sense of unease. "If the red one is Getter Dragon, and the elves keep talking about the remains of a Dragon God…"

The elves may have been worshiping a non-functional Getter Dragon model.

"And you didn't detect any Getter Rays?" I asked, Livia never said anything about seeing the green light she sees off of me either.

It would have been unlikely to detect any. After so much time, any Getter Ray energy still in the reactor would have dissipated thousands of years ago.

"And someone still took it." I said, putting my face in my hands. "Someone out there has a Getter Robo, Control."

A non-functional Getter Dragon is not a threat, not to us. No one in this world save for me has the means to provide the needed Getter Rays to power it. Even then, after so long, the machine itself would have already deteriorated to a point that it would not even be usable.

"I guess." That was a pretty good point. I suddenly chuckled when I had an idle thought based on something from a long while back. "You know, Professor Jin is probably spinning in his grave now that we know that elves have been literally worshiping Getter as a god."

He would not have been happy about it, no.

"So if the elves were worshiping Getter Dragon, why were they using Hundred Demon technology to modify themselves? You even said that Yumeria is a finished product." I asked since it was very weird that they would be worshiping the thing that the origin of their technology fought against.

Correct. While there may be more, Yumeria seems to be the only successful case of Oni conversion. We likely won't find out why until we find the parts of the ruin that were taken, but it is not impossible that the ones who first discovered that place misinterpreted the relationship between the Getter Robos and the Hundred Demon Empire.

I stayed on the bridge with my thoughts until Control finally informed me that the process was finally completed. The remains of the elves were cremated and were each placed in small metal boxes.

The boxes are made of Getter Alloy. I thought it fitting that they would be placed in the same metal as the god they worshiped.

Yumeria thanked Control profusely for giving the modified elves such an honor, in her words. Control may not like or trust her much, but I guessed that they were still just a big softie at heart.

Yumeria, Livia, Deirdre, and Clara went down to Elven Island one more time to witness the elves be put to their final resting place. The soldiers guarding the ruins also turned up for the impromptu funeral. The green haired elf led the ceremony and sang a haunting tune in an incredibly beautiful voice as her fellows were buried near the ruins.

"I would like to accompany the Inheritor and the Divine Maiden. It must have been the Dragon God's will that I meet them." Yumeria said when we asked if she was going to stay on the island. We all looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Well, Livia looked like she knew what she was doing when she reached out and enveloped the elf in an embrace.

"I don't know why you keep calling me that, but we'd be happy to have you!" She said before looking at me with a desperate looking expression. "Right, Leon?"

What the hell else was I supposed to tell her?

…

I was once again lying in bed in the Captain's quarters. The Nagare was headed back to the Capital but none of the girls complained that we were going to cut our adventuring trip short. Deirdre even whined that she never got to see Black Getter in action at all. Our new addition, Yumeria, was currently rooming with Livia as the girl refused to leave the elf alone. I was about to go to sleep when I heard a knock at the door.

Who was visiting at this hour?

"Livia?" She was wearing her pajamas and smiling at me. "I thought you and Yumeria were already asleep?"

"Yumeria is asleep. It seems that she was more tired than she made herself look." Livia answered before entering the room and embracing me. "Are you okay, Leon?"

"No, I'm not." I told her honestly. I wanted to go on this trip to get my mind off of my problems back at the Capital, only to stumble onto a bigger problem instead. "Problems just keep piling up and I don't know how to deal with everything. They just don't stop."

"But there are good things too, right?" She asked, squeezing me in her arms. Man, when did she get so strong?

"Yeah, there are. I just wish that I could have done better with a lot of things." I answered. Angie and Clarice, befriending the boys, finding my sister as Marie, Mylene. There were definitely good things that happened along the way too.

"You will. You're my best friend after all." My face twitched at the little reminder that the girl with her arms around me was also a problem I didn't have a solution to either. Livia didn't seem to notice my distress when she finally let go of me. "This is a pretty fancy room."

"Yeah well, it's supposed to be where the Captain sleeps after all." I explained as she started looking around the room. She then stopped and took a good long look at a particular painting on the wall.

"Leon, why is this painting talking to me?" Excuse me? Wait, wasn't that the painting that had the safe with the Saint's Necklace inside of it? Livia turned to me with a puzzled expression. "Who is Lea?"

 

[Blackraptor]

Marie Fou Lafan was used to playing the villain, it was something she became a natural at. It was a necessary evil in her line of work back on Earth. When your career either lived or died by how many men wanted to pick you from a catalog, you learn how to make yourself appealing to as many of them as possible. Especially since you have an expiration date. You also learned how to make your competition look worse by comparison. So many naïve girls went into that line of work thinking they had nothing left to lose. There was always more to lose, she knew that all too well.

She never thought that her skillset as a hostess would actually be useful after she was reborn. Little did she know that it made her life so much easier after she finally got away from those animals and arrived at the Academy. Add to that her intimate knowledge of the game's romance events, tripping flags with the capture targets became laughably trivial.

Did she actually love the five boys that she managed to seduce? Of course not, they were nothing more than children in her eyes. Clinging to her as soon as she hit the right buttons connecting to their insecurities and desires. Then again, they did have their uses whenever she needed some stress relief. Their money and influence were also beneficial for her to slowly build her own power base with her peers in the background. The bullying she had to endure along the way was insignificant compared to the benefits she received in exchange.

She was able to finally get everything she wanted, the competition she had for the capture targets weren't even worth her time. Idiots who didn't know how to take initiative when they had every advantage. The so-called main heroine herself was just a doormat without an actual player influencing her actions. All that power, that potential, languishing in a ball of pathetic uncertainty.

She worked for what she got! She earned this! She was going to become the Saint and have her happy ending!

Then it all went sideways when Leon Fou Bartfort stuck his nose in her business. Someone who literally went from nobody to nightmare to hero in the span of weeks thanks to his Super Robot and ship. And for what? To help the losers who couldn't even keep their men in line? To help the doormat? He even ended up becoming friends with her capture targets!

Marie could admit, she had no idea that Leon was her brother. How could she? He didn't act at all like he did in their past life. He was so much stronger, more confident, more decisive, more expressive, more handso–just more!

Looking back at their past interactions with the new context of him being her brother made Marie involuntarily shiver. The way he used to look at her with that intense gaze made her legs weak in ways that those boys could never hope to match.

She had always thought that Leon passed away hating her after she forced him to finish the game they were both reborn in. When he held her and told her that she wasn't at fault, she thought that her heart was going to explode. He loved her! Even now, after everything, he still loved her! They weren't even really brother and sister anymore but he still loved her! Those stolen moments between them became memories she treasured and something she craved more and more of.

Then Julius told her and the others that his engagement with the two losers was going to be broken off. At first, Marie thought that he was joking or had the wrong information. Those two were a step away from becoming his pets if he pushed them enough in the right direction. But no, it was true. The moment when she saw what he looked like after it happened, she could only look away. It reminded her too much of the past. When he cried himself hoarse when the two of them were alone, she knew that it was time for her to finally do something for him for a change.

She waited patiently as the two people she was waiting for showed up at the nondescript café in the Capital. When they arrived, she merely smiled at them while they scowled at her. They both sat down and glared at her, not even offering a greeting. Rude.

"I didn't think you two would actually show up." That got an even more intense glare from the both. The time for her cutesy and innocent act had long since passed. It was cute that they thought that such a thing would scare her. Very few things scared Marie anymore, one of those things was the reason why she was at the café sitting across from two losers.

"I was against it initially, truth be told." Angelica Rapha Redgrave forced out of her gritted teeth. The hothead loser looked like she was about to jump her at any moment.

"I was also reluctant to come here as well, but when both Julius and Jilk practically begged us to come and speak, we couldn't help but reconsider." Clarice Fia Atlee continued the thought, placing a hand on the other loser's arm to calm her down. How considerate of the passive loser. It was pretty easy to have the two boys face their old failures when I told them that it was for Leon's sake. The power of Bromance should never be underestimated.

Leon was on a trip with the doormat-turned-monster, his minion, and the second year who was obsessed with his Super Robot. Hopefully, he'd have a good time and get out of his funk by the time he came back. In the meantime, she had two losers to straighten out.

"So what did you want to talk about? Julius and Jilk did not say." The hothead loser asked, making Marie give them her sweetest smile.

"Leon. I want to talk about Leon." The name was definitely a trigger as the two of them immediately tensed up. "Ah, so it's true that you three broke things off then? Shame."

"I don't see why that is any of your business." The passive loser said with a cold smile. Nice effort, but she needed more practice.

"Leon is the friend of my lovers, he even helped Chris finally stop treating me like I'm made of glass." Marie then demonstrated what a real cold smile was supposed to look like. "And he's technically up for grabs now, isn't he?"

The table shook and clattered as the hothead stood up and slammed both her hands on the surface. "Don't you dare! Julius and Jilk would have still been ours if it wasn't for you!"

Ah, she made it too easy. It wasn't even fun if they just gave her openings like that. "And what? Would either of you even have been happy if you two ended up marrying them?"

Marie relished the anguish on their faces when it started to sink in. What did her brother ever see in these two? Was it really because the monster mindraped him into loving them? He never said it, but Marie had suspected.

"Julius already made it publicly clear what he really thought of you during the duel. What kind of marriage would even come from that if it never came to light?" Marie said to the hothead before turning to the passive one. "Jilk wouldn't even talk to you about me, how long until he would have stopped speaking to you about things that really mattered to him altogether if he married you?"

"That's not–" The passive one tried to speak out but Marie knew better than to give up her control of the conversation.

"Leon was the best thing that happened to the two of you and you threw him away. I would have come here to laugh at you, but neither of you seem worth the effort anymore." She told them while shaking her head. Literally had happiness at their fingertips and they let it slip away, and for what? Dignity? They probably would have crawled on their hands and knees if Leon asked before whatever broke them up happened. Pride? When has pride ever done anything good for anyone?

"You know nothing of the circumstances. You don't have the right to judge us." The hothead countered. Marie scoffed at the obvious deflection.

"Maybe not. But you have to know that he won't stay available for very long." She smiled at how they winced, glancing at each other for a moment. "He is a man not seen in Holfort in ages. A legend literally in the making. Other families will absolutely start making plans to put their daughters in contention for him."

"Maybe it'll be Miss Roseblade. Maybe it'll be the Special Scholarship girl. Maybe it will be a completely unexpected woman altogether." Marie narrowed her eyes when the two of them flinched at the last part. Another woman she didn't know about? Was her brother keeping a secret from her after all? Something to look into later.

"Why are you telling us all this?" The passive loser chanced the question. Why indeed.

"Like I said, I feel like I owe him for being such a good friend to my lovers. I just thought you two could use the extra perspective." Marie told them before standing up. She was about to leave when she decided to take one last parting shot. "You never know, I might just decide to take him for myself after all."

That should light a fire under their asses!

Marie walked away with the feeling of a job well done, confident that she had just helped with her brother's girl related problems.

…

Why did I always end up having girl related problems?

"Oh, my dearest sweet Lea. It's me, Anne! It has been so long sinc–" The thing that was wearing Livia's face passionately said before I pushed her away from me.

"Get away from me and bring back Livia!" I yelled back, regretting my earlier decision.

I was obviously not thinking clearly when I just up and showed her the Saint's Necklace inside the safe when Livia wanted to know what was talking to her. The moment she reached out and touched it, this nonsense started happening. She quickly put the thing on and started speaking with a different accent.

"The girl is of no conseque–I can speak for myself, thank you very much!" I looked like Livia battled Anne for control in her head and she eventually started reaching for the necklace. "Don't you dare! You may be of my blood, but I will not tolerate such insolen–My! Body!"

Were you aware that there was an imprint of someone's consciousness in the Saint's Necklace?

"Of course not!" I yelled back at Control. "That was never in–how could I have known?!"

"What is a Saint's Neckla–that's what they're calling this now? Ahahaha! Do they call my bracelet and staff something equally ridiculous?" Anne managed to take back control just as Livia's fingertips reached the necklace. "They are, aren't they? Oh my goodness! That's ju–stop pushing me out!"

I took the momentary distraction to get behind Livia and help her take off the Saint's Necklace. I pulled the thing off her and threw it on a nearby desk.

"Why the hell is the necklace doing this? Can you still feel her?" I asked Livia in concern, turning her around to face me and checking her eyes for anything weird.

"Not anymore. I think she's stuck in there." Livia pointed at the offending accessory.

This Anne, whoever she is, seems to only be able to manifest if Olivia wears the necklace.

"Honestly, what a rude woman! She even mocked me in my head before doing something in there! Saying that I've been stupid for being trapped by my own magic and forcing me to forget that I'm in love with…you." The two of us stared at each other when she finished talking. No way, did that idea actually work? That crazy lady in the necklace actually dispelled Compelling Voice? Who the hell was she?!

It seems that our least expected to succeed plan actually worked, thanks to unaccounted for complications.

"I love you." Livia whispered in disbelief, reaching out and cupping my face. She then smiled in relief as tears started flowing from her eyes. "I love you. I love you! I LOVE YOU, LEON! I LOVE YOU!"

When I felt her lips, I suddenly had a feeling of clarity. Like remembering something that was at the edge of my mind. A lens that was finally coming into focus. All at once, everything I couldn't feel about Livia before came out. It was a rush that I couldn't get enough of and I wrapped my arms around her while returning her kisses.

I am happy for the lifting of the spell that has been afflicting you both, but I would advise against acting upon your newly rediscovered feelings for each other while you are both so charged with endorphins. They tend to bog the mind.

"Control, you are being very sweet but please leave the room for a while!" Livia yelled out before going back to kissing me. She once again demonstrated her surprising strength when she practically manhandled me onto the bed. I was about to tell her to listen to Control when she tore off her pajama top. I kind of just stopped thinking after that.

Very well. I shall check back in the morning.

…

The breakfast that following morning was pretty different. Deirdre, Clara, and Yumeria were already eating when Livia and I showed up together. Clara had already picked out food for us and we both thanked the girl as we sat down to eat. Deirdre looked at us with narrowed eyes before tilting her head in consideration.

"Did the two of you…" She began and her eyes widened then both Livia and I blushed bright red. "Ah! Congratulations? Should I be congratulating you two?"

"We're not really sure yet either." I muttered while covering my face with my hand. Livia briefly spoke about wanting to talk to Angie and Clarice about the whole engagement thing after we woke up, but it was put on hold when her stomach reminded us what time it was.

I did warn you against acting on your passions last night.

"Control, please stop talking about what Leon and I did last night." Livia whined while avoiding Clara's happy smile and words of congratulations.

"This is a blessed day. I am sure that the offspring of the Inheritor and the Divine Maiden will be quite powerful." Yumeria added even more fuel to the fire by reminding us of what was the usual result of such activities.

"We're not having a baby!" I yelped out.

"We're not having a baby yet!" Livia yelped out at the same time. Wait. I stared at her and she pouted at me. "What? I want one eventually."

I couldn't really say anything to that and just started eating. Deirdre and Clara started talking to Livia about what it was like and completely embarrassing her. I smiled despite all of it. After the day we all just had, it was a relief to finally have something going well. I didn't think about all the other cans of worms that were still open, at least not for today. Right now, I just wanted to have breakfast with a girl that I loved and our prying friends.

 

[Blackraptor]

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.

 

[Blackraptor]

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.

 

[Blackraptor]

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?"

 

[Blackraptor]

"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.

 

[Blackraptor]

"You look like shit."

Those were the first words that Marie and I exchanged when we saw each other again the following morning. She was probably exhausted from her ordeal the day prior, while I was exhausted from the attentions of three enthusiastic girls and one very pent up ghost last night.

I had waited for her with Julius and Kyle at the Academy gates. Surprisingly, Livia, Angie, and Clarice opted to be present for the occasion as well. She was being escorted by the Academy's Master of Tea and Gentlemanly Perfection. I gave him a deep bow as he walked past us and proceeded to make his way back to the Academy offices. Marie was wearing an Academy uniform set, likely provided by The Master.

"I heard what you did for me from the Queen. You really just go and do the first thing that pops into that head of yours, huh?" She had a grin on her face but I could easily see the tears she was holding back. She likely knew that her suffering from her former family was finally over.

"It's worked out pretty well so far." I answered with my own grin, getting choked up myself. She then decided to ruin the moment by being herself. Walking up close to me, she placed a hand on my chest and looked at me with upturned eyes.

"So, should I just call you Big Brother now~?" I flinched at the sultry way she asked that question. My salvation from the awkwardness came in the form of a pair of arms wrapping around me from behind, batting away Marie's hand in the process.

"You may be Leon's sister now, but please don't forget who he really belongs to." Livia stated in a sweet tone of voice that hid an obvious threat as she embraced me from behind. Angie and Clarice also stepped up to flank me and claim each of my arms.

"Ho~" Far from being intimidated from their united front, Marie just smiled and raised an eyebrow at the display. "So the three of you can learn after all."

Before anything could start between my sister and my lovers, Julius stepped forward and embraced Marie like it was the most natural thing to do. "I'm glad that you are back safe and sound."

"Thank you for bringing my situation to the Queen's attention, Julius. I knew that you would come for me." My sister's entire demeanor changed as she kissed Julius before turning to Kyle, who had also walked up to her. "Thank you for doing what I asked, Kyle."

And thus, Marie Fou Lafan returned to the Academy as Marie Fou Bartfort a few days before classes started up again.

…

"On one hand, I am baffled that you actually went and adopted that Lafan girl." Jenna started while sipping the tea I had prepared. She then hummed before continuing her thought. "On the other hand, that means that there is a chance that she might marry into the Crown. I'm not sure if I should praise you or laugh at you."

Both Jenna and Nicks were in my usual tea room as they were both very curious about the letter I sent back home about adopting Marie as my sister. By extension, she was their sister now as well after all.

"Congratulations on your engagement with Daniel, by the way." I said instead, making her choke on her drink while Nicks shook his head at her.

"How did you know?!" I grinned at the question and leaned back into my chair.

"I didn't. Thanks for confirming though." I poured as much smugness in my voice as I could. Jenna clicked her tongue and looked away, caught in my little verbal trap. There was a reason why it was a classic back on Earth.

"Cute. Our parents are working out the details, but yeah. Daniel will be my husband once he graduates." It was actually pretty cute how she blushed and smiled as she said that.

"You two are good for each other, I'm glad." I genuinely meant that too. It was great that a bout of madness from my friend managed to open an opportunity for them to find each other. Jenna looked like she didn't know how to feel about my words while Nicks just planted his forehead on the table.

"Great, that means that I'm the only one who hasn't found a partner yet." His lamentations made Jenna scoff even as I patted my older brother's shoulder.

"Have you even been trying?" Nicks groaned at our sister's question. That was when I finally noticed something different about Jenna.

"Where's Miauler?" I asked, making her blink.

"Oh, I terminated his contract after my engagement was finalized. It didn't seem like it was worth it anymore, so he'll probably be sold to someone else soon." She said with a wave of her hand. That made sense, I suppose. Then again, she was probably worried that Daniel would take her having a demi-human servant the wrong way now that they were engaged.

"Wait, Jenna's right. What have you been doing to find a bride?" I turned back to the more important topic of our brother's current relationship status.

"Okay, look–" Jenna cut off whatever Nicks was about to say.

"He hasn't been doing anything based on what I've managed to gather from the General Studies girls." She said with her eyes closed before drinking the rest of her tea and asking me for more. I rolled my eyes and poured her another cup. "He hasn't even taken advantage of the fact that he's the Doom Knight's brother."

"You've been spying on me?!" Technically, Jenna probably just asked around or had someone else do it for her.

"Nicks, you're graduating this year." I reminded him and he shrugged at me

"Unlike you, I'm not under pressure to find a bride as soon as I graduate." I mean, that was true.

"That doesn't mean that you should slack off either." I nodded and pointed at Jenna when she said that.

"What am I supposed to do?!" Nicks continued lamenting even though he was totally the cause of his own problems. It was like looking into a broken old mirror for me.

Jenna and I looked at each other as we both knew that he wouldn't make the effort himself. One silent argument between us later, I sighed and put it upon myself to try to find my older brother a match. I wondered if Deirdre would be interested since she did wish for a good man during the school trip.

It couldn't hurt to ask.

…

I was lying in bed with Clarice as we enjoyed each other's warmth. It was just the two of us that night as Livia said that she wanted some Angie Time before dragging the poor girl away to her bedroom. I wasn't about to complain as it gave me a chance to focus on giving a lot of affection to Clarice, which she very vocally appreciated. When I first saw all of her the night when the three girls jumped me, I was surprised at how fit she actually was.

"Defending ourselves and those we love using our bodies has been a tradition from my mother's side for generations." She said when I brought it up while admiring her perfect abs. Livia then demonstrated the best way to tease Clarice to make them ripple in a very hypnotic way.

"Are you sure you want to wait until we graduate before we get married?" I asked as she laid her head on my chest. It was a topic that had come up a few months ago, and something I asked as we relaxed. My engagements with her and Angie were back on track, while Livia just said that she was fine to get married whenever and just asked to have some time to let her family know about it.

Huh, I didn't know anything about Livia's family when I actually thought about it.

"I want it to be special, with all of us married to you. Together." Clarice answered while I was thinking. That was fair. It would probably end up a nightmare to plan for though.

"I'm fine with it. Will you be able to survive the wait though?" I teasingly asked as I stroked her side.

"Hey now, I'll already be a proper noble lady by then. That means that I can just visit whenever I want on the grounds that my beloved is the Doom Knight and there is nothing anyone can do about it." She growled out before rolling on top of me.

Ah, it seemed that Clarice could be pretty fearsome in her own right.

…

"What's the commotion about?" I asked Raymond and Daniel, who was going to be my brother-in-law in a couple of years, as we looked at a few billboards with a bunch of students looking at things posted on them.

"Oh, it's for the Academy's exchange program to other countries." Raymond answered to my surprise. Exchange program?

"We have that?" It was something that was never even brought up in the game at all.

"It's to promote good relations between the nobles of different countries. Those that sign up for it spend a year of their studies in whichever country they choose." Daniel started explaining while we walked closer to see which countries were offering exchange programs. "It's also used by houses to secure international ties with other noble houses if they can secure engagements along the way."

While we were looking at the lists, I noticed Marie standing by herself in front of one of the boards with a disgusted look on her face. I excused myself and walked up to my sister.

"What's wrong? You look like you swallowed a bug." Marie glanced at me and nodded towards the board she was looking at.

"Alzer Republic. It's promoting entrants for the exchange program with their Academy." I read out loud. I'd never heard of such a location before. Then again, I haven't heard of most of the countries in this world aside from the ones featured or mentioned in the game.

"Alzer is the setting for the sequel." My eyes widened at her words as an uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach.

"You don't think that the sequel has already been going on while we're–" Marie interrupted me by turning around and starting to walk away. I quickly caught up to her as she started ranting.

"Nope! I don't want to think about it! One is enough!" She hissed out angrily.

"But what if there's another person with our circumstance there?" I brought up the possibility. If the two of us could be reincarnated, who was to say that there wasn't someone else in Alzer that was dealing with their own messed up Dating Sim scenario?

"Then they can deal with it. I won't go near that place or their blasted tr–fuck!" I blinked at how emphatic her curse was.

"What's wrong?" Because there definitely was something wrong for Marie to act out that way in public.

"There's a bad end in the sequel that I know of where the Alzer Sacred Tree causes the end of the world." She whispered while burying her face in her hands. With a possibility like that on the table, there was only one thing I could really say.

"Fuck."

…

"There are more of those stories from your world, not just mine?" Livia asked in surprise when I finished explaining what I learned about Alzer from Marie.

Speaking of.

"I'm surprised that you actually told them about us." My sister commented as she drank her tea. We were back in my tea room with Angie and Clarice also present alongside Livia. The school year was starting to wind down and there was a lot more free time allotted so students could prepare for the finals.

"Please don't phrase it like you're having a love affair with our Leon." Angie flatly told Marie, who just stuck her tongue out at her. Control broke stealth and floated between Marie and myself, clearly intrigued by the situation.

How poorly can the situation deteriorate if left to the worst outcome?

"I never actually got the seque–second story." Marie corrected herself, remembering what I told her about the analogies I used to explain things to my lovers. "I just heard from those who did about a bad ending where the tree goes out of control and causes all the floating islands in the world to fall to their doom. I don't know how exactly it can do that though."

Marie proceeded to tell us about the other things it could do. From providing infinite power for everything in the country to making sure that its defenders could never fail. The more we heard, the more ridiculous it sounded.

"I've heard of a holy tree in a far off land but Lea and I never actually went there to check. I certainly didn't know that it could be capable of such a thing." Anne chimed in, taking over from Livia for a moment, confirming that it was definitely something that had been around for a pretty long time. We were all silent as the clear threat loomed out in the distance with complete uncertainty on how it would turn out.

There is also the possibility that there is something else that is providing the miraculous effects and that the tree is merely a façade.

I groaned at Control's point as we already knew that things in this world were different from the game. Why couldn't it be different in the sequel as well? "Someone will have to go and check."

And from my track record, it probably had to be me. Then again, there was also Fanoss to worry about as well. Dammit! What the hell do I–

"I'll go." Marie suddenly spoke up, her back straight and her expression resolute.

"What?!" I yelled out.

"I'll sign up for the exchange program to Alzer and see if there are any fires that need to be put out." She confirmed my fears with a nod. Was she nuts?! She was the one who didn't want anything to do with the damn place!

"Alone?" Clarice asked, actually sounding worried for my sister. She didn't need to as Marie just scoffed and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Do you really think that Julius and the others would let me go there by myself? They'll obviously sign up alongside me." That made a lot more sense. The boys wouldn't stand for their love to go into a strange place without them. They would definitely be good enough to deal with whatever was there if Marie was herding them.

"Why do this though?" Angie asked, not sounding convinced. Her eyes widened at what Marie said next.

"Because I just got my big brother back and I am not going to lose him because of a fucking tree!" She snarled out with an expression that made my lovers lean away from her. For some reason, I felt really proud of her.

…

The Holfort Academy graduation ceremony was about as grand as I expected it to be. The families and supporters of the students who would be graduating were present as well as some representatives from the Crown. The King wasn't present but Mylene was there to give a speech to the graduates about upholding the values and ideals that Holfort represented.

The whole thing took up half the day, with the other half being a big feast. Minister Atlee was there along with his absolutely beautiful wife. It was clear where Clarice got her looks from.

"Please take care of our daughter. She means the world to us and she clearly thinks the world of you." Clarice's mother said to me before shaking my hand with a grip that was probably tighter than it should have been. The steel in her eyes made it clear that I wasn't getting a third chance if I messed things up with her daughter again.

Message received.

Clarice then led Livia, Angie, and myself back to her room for a more private celebration.

I wonder if all of these strenuous activities was actually helping me improve my stamina to pilot Black Getter? Probably something I should test at some point.

…

The school year ended for the rest of us a few days later. Clarice went back to her family's lands for now, promising to visit whenever she could. When asked what she was going to do with her sudden abundance of free time, she said that she was going dungeon diving with her mother. Well, that was definitely a side of her I wish I knew about earlier because it was really hot.

While Marie and the boys prepared to move to Alzer for the exchange program, I was called to the Palace by a messenger. Surprisingly, it wasn't from Mylene but from the king instead. Oh no, did he find out that I had been having an affair with his wife? The most recent time we had together was a week before Clarice's graduation where I told Mylene about my real circumstances as a reincarnate.

When I arrived at the audience chamber of the Palace, the king was sitting on his throne and was talking with someone else. Someone very familiar, who made my spine tingle in a familiar way. Why the hell was she here?!

"Ah! There he is! I would like to formally introduce to you Viscount Leon Fou Bartfort! Holfort's Doom Knight!" The king said in full bravado, obviously trying to look and sound impressive. The girl we met in the Southern Island turned to me, this time wearing a resplendent black dress befitting her actual station.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Viscount Bartfort." 'Gertrude' greeted me with a perfect curtsy.

"This is Princess Hertrude Sera Fanoss. She is here as part of the exchange program between the Academies and will be staying in Holfort for her second year of schooling." I was getting a sinking feeling as the king introduced her to me as well as explained why she was here. The bad feeling was confirmed with the next words that he spoke. "As you are both in the same year, I thought it brilliant for you to be assigned as her personal protector for the duration of her stay."

I stood stock still as the Final Boss walked up to me and smiled. "Fate has brought us together once more, Bringer of Doom. I shall be in your care."

Was it too late to keep Marie and the boys in Holfort?!

 

[Blackraptor]

Louise Sara Rault was no stranger to social and political obligations. She was the eldest daughter of her house, with her father being Acting Chairman of the Six Great Houses. Due to her status, she was relied upon by her family to take up certain responsibilities. One of those responsibilities had apparently become receiving foreign royalty who had chosen to study at the Alzer Academy as part of the student exchange programs between the nations.

She personally had no interest in the kingdom of Holfort, being raised to consider them as a third-class kingdom due to their reliance on so-called adventurers. Louise even used to think that their insistence to dress up the children of noble houses as adventurers and have them delve into dungeons was an elaborate prank, not a proud tradition. It was why she still couldn't take Serge seriously even after he grew up and the pain he caused her finally faded to a dull ache.

Regardless of her opinion on their country's new guests, she would not be the one to bring shame to her house by being anything less than a perfect host.

When she arrived at the harbor to greet the newly arrived prince, she was admittedly surprised at the method of transportation they had. The massive red ship cut a striking figure as it slowly docked without so much as a sound. Louise was fairly certain that Holfort did not have the capability of building such a thing, thus it must likely have been a Lost Item.

Her surprise was further compounded when the person who disembarked the ship was not the Crown Prince of Holfort. Instead, it was a small girl with long blonde hair who was followed by an even smaller elven boy. The boy was carrying several bags of luggage so Louise assumed that he was her servant. Schooling her expression into a perfect smile, Louise waved at the girl and approached.

"Welcome to the Republic of Alzer. I am Louise Sara Rault, daughter of Acting Chairman Albergue Sara Rault. It is a pleasure to meet you." She introduced herself with a curtsy. She noticed the girl's eyes sharpen for but a moment before it returned to normal. The girl smiled and introduced herself with her own curtsy.

"Greetings Miss Rault. I am Marie Fou Bartfort." Louise noted that the girl's smile seemed to widen as she said her name. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Forgive me, but I was instructed to receive Prince Julius Rapha Holfort and escort them to the mansion they will be staying at." The girl, Marie, nodded at her confusion and pointed towards the direction of the red ship's aft.

"Julius and the others are still unloading their Armors and supplies from my brother's ship." Louise made sure not to give any outward reaction to how casually the girl seemed to speak about the prince. She also mentally filed away the mention that the impressive looking vessel belonged to the girl's brother. "They should join us shortly after they're done handing those over to the Academy staff."

"You seem rather well acquainted with the prince." Louise said, blatantly fishing for more information. Marie simply giggled and tilted her head in a manner that would have likely stolen the hearts of several young men at the Academy.

"You could say that. He is good friends with my brother and I am personally quite close to Julius." Marie stated sweetly. So her confidence stemmed from being friends with royalty? It wasn't anything new to Louise. Indeed, there was no shortage of people who thought themselves special by association with members of the great houses. Louise smiled at the girl but internally scoffed at her. She was of no notice and would likely just be seen as the prince's pet.

What can a single girl like her even do?

…

Marie Fou Bartfort felt a wave of nostalgia as she watched Louise Sara Rault introduce herself to her lovers. It was just like her luck to immediately run into the sequel's Villainess as soon as she had arrived. It was good that her brother and Control made sure that the drone that was floating above her head was also a stealth model. The Nagare launched from the harbor after they were all safely back on the ground, likely headed back to Holfort.

It irked her a lot that she had to spend a year away from her brother just as they were finally back to being an actual family again. She blamed her brother's new attitude rubbing off on her for her inexplicable actions.

"Apologies for the wait, Marie. Louise has arranged transportation for us to the mansion we will be staying at." Julius informed her when she approached everyone else.

"That's wonderful. Thank you very much for your courtesy." Marie said to Louise in practiced ease, making sure to put forth a front of being a proper lady.

"It is the least that the Alzer Republic can do for the crown prince of another nation. Please follow me."

Louise apparently had some official business to talk about with Julius, so they were split up as they were transported to their new accommodations. Julius and Jilk rode with the Villainess while she rode with the others.

"So what did you guys think of Miss Rault?" Marie asked the boys she was riding with.

Chris nodded and adjusted his glasses. "She is a proper lady of her house. Perfect manners as far as I could tell."

"Quite the beauty as well, I wouldn't be surprised if she was already engaged." Brad noted while stroking his chin. Oho? Was she going to have to remind him of her superiority to other girls again?

"Her house must be pretty damn important if she was the one sent out to meet us." Greg pointed out, making the others hum in consideration. Marie already knew that, though. From what she could remember of the discussions about the second game, the Villainess and her family were directly the main antagonists and would cause the most problems. Marie wasn't sure yet how to approach things, but she decided to start by confirming the status of the Protagonist and her Capture Targets once they get to the Academy.

"Mother's breasts are bigger." Kyle proudly stated before completely detaching himself from the conversation and looking out the window. Marie felt a bit bad about bringing him after Leon explained to her the relationship between Kyle and his own new elven maid. Sure, she was a creepy cultist and freaky science experiment but that was just an unfortunate turn of events.

"What about you, Control?" She asked the final member of their group. Marie raised her brow at the lack of response and wondered if the AI decided to spy on whatever Julius and the others were discussing. That was until Control actually spoke out.

There is something very strange with the energies circulating around this island.

Well, that wasn't ominous at all.

Marie sighed and wondered what her big brother was up to.

…

I had a weird sense of nostalgia as I watched the projected live footage that Control was showing me. It was a reminder that once upon a time, I considered myself as nothing but a background character. A mob. Why, you ask?

"Getter Tomahaaaaaaawk!" Because I was watching Deirdre completely demolish the series of training stages, that took me weeks to get through, in a single sitting. We were all in the hangar area with Deirdre in the simulator while Control and I watched her progress from outside.

It was insane how well Deirdre was taking to piloting Black Getter, like watching a natural athlete finally discovering what sport they were meant to play.

It appears that Miss Deirdre is a natural fit to pilot a Getter Robo.

"She definitely hasn't been hitting the same problems I did when I started out." I agreed with a nod while watching her weave between Mechasaurus attacks with a confidence that I didn't develop until much later in my training. She was even flying in ways I didn't consider when I was starting out.

Such things are not unheard of. Do not consider this as evidence of your own inadequacies.

"I'm definitely happy for her. I'm actually wondering if we can give her another Getter Robo to pilot. It'd be a waste if she just ends up as my backup pilot." I told Control. Contrary to being jealous, I was actually glad that we found someone else who could handle piloting Black Getter. That meant that I didn't have to be the only one who could act as the Big Stick whenever the situation called for it.

Black Getter F is meant as the final Getter Robo.

"But can't we build another one from its spare parts?" I argued, the distant memory of a Gundam movie where such a thing was done gave me the idea. Despite not having a face, I could tell that Control was hesitant about releasing another Getter Robo upon the world.

I shall take it under advisement.

That was good enough for me. I wasn't about to push the idea down their throat. We continued to watch Deirdre have fun until she finally called it quits. She was eventually brought down by a group of Mechasaurus that also gave me a rough time the first few tries.

Deirdre exited the simulator covered in sweat, her uniform showing how much effort she put in. Despite her obvious exhaustion, the girl just looked at us with a bright smile on her face.

"That was the most exhilarating experience I had ever had! Thank you both so much for the opportunity!" Her eyes twinkled as she spoke and I couldn't help but get infected with her joy.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." I said as she practically vibrated in place. She was definitely good for some more runs down the line. "We'll arrange more sessions for you to progress through the rest of the simulator missions."

"You would let me pilot Black Getter again after this?" She asked in complete surprise. I laughed and nodded at her shocked expression.

"Control and I have actually been thinking of having you as my backup pilot for Black Getter in case I won't be able to during emergencies or whatever." Deirdre's eyes widened at my words, gulping at the implication of her having an opportunity to pilot Black Getter for real. Control added their own words of encouragement when she still looked uncertain.

It would be a waste of your newly discovered natural talent otherwise.

"I am forever in your debt, Leon, Control! You are irreplaceable friends! If there is anything in my power to accomplish, do not hesitate to ask it of me." She told us, reminding me of another thing that I had to deal with. I did think that it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Actually, there is one thing I'd like you to take a chance on." My friend nodded in eager attention. She then flinched and blushed at my next words. "You're still looking for someone to be your husband, right?"

I managed to convince Deirdre to have a Tea Party with Nicks. I would be technically hosting, but the event would be about the two of them.

The only thing left would be to actually schedule it and hope that my older brother doesn't blow it.

…

"Please forgive the deception during our first meeting, Livia. You must understand that there are still quite a number of people who would not appreciate my presence." Hertrude Sera Fanoss sweetly said to Livia. We were in my usual Tea room along with Angie to facilitate this little reunion. Sadly, Deirdre couldn't be present due to a prior commitment.

"I understand, Hertrude. Angie and the others told me about the history between our countries. I wish that such suffering had not happened." Livia sadly said. I had already briefed my lovers about who Hertrude was in the scope of Livia's story from my old world and what she represented. They were both surprisingly calm with having the Final Boss in our midst like this.

"And you already prove yourself better than most in that regard." Hertrude smiled as if she didn't just deliver a very thinly veiled insult. While Livia accepted our new guest with open arms, Angie was not of the same opinion.

My other lover was absolutely irked at how quickly Hertrude made herself comfortable in Clarice's usual chair. Livia didn't seem to share the same discomfort and was just happy to see a friend again. The irony of which was not lost to me at all.

"If I may ask," Angie finally spoke out in a cool tone. "What exactly are Leon's responsibilities towards you, your highness?"

"Please, just call me Hertrude." The princess simply took it in stride and gave her explanation to us. "As for Sir Bartfort's responsibilities. I suppose that I am meant to be by his side whenever possible."

"I understand that such a thing would not be possible at all times, of course." She added when she noticed Angie and Livia's expressions. She had probably already pieced together what our relationships were considering we hadn't yet told her that the three of us were lovers.

"Angie and I can protect you whenever Leon can't!" Being the sweetheart that she was, Livia immediately volunteered herself and Angie.

"I would be in your debt, Livia." The girl shook her head at Hertrude's words.

"Not at all. Leon always likes to say that friends don't keep score like that." Oh sure, first she steals some of my uniform shirts and now she's stealing my lines too. I had to order a fresh set when Livia, Angie, and Clarice took all of my old ones for themselves. I couldn't really blame them as seeing the three of them wear my shirts was a view I would never trade anything for.

"Then I shall appreciate the gesture for what it is then." Hertrude said with a smile before she gave me a sly grin. "Though, I am surprised that Sir Bartfort ascribes to such a cute sentiment."

"Leon acts prickly at times, but he's just a big softie when it comes down to it." Livia agreed with her own grin. Feeling threatened, I turned to the only ally I had left at the table.

"Angie help, I'm outnumbered." I lamely begged, only for my future bride to also grin at me.

"I'm sure that the fearsome Doom Knight can handle it." I wasn't aware that it was already Bully-Leon-O'clock but here we were.

"Still, I am grateful that you accepted me so readily. It is quite a shame that you waste such a compassion here in Holfort. You would be much better served coming to the Principality." Angie and I stiffened at the obvious offer from Hertrude. We looked at Livia and she also looked a bit uncomfortable. The princess was about to continue when Livia's face suddenly morphed into an angry scowl.

"Your games are tiresome, girl. I only endured it for the friendship you have developed with my host. No more." Livia was wearing the Saint's Necklace this whole time?! Wasn't she worried that someone could identify it or maybe even steal it?! "Tell me what it is you actually wish to accomplish by coming here, Hertrude Sera Fanoss."

It wasn't a surprise that Hertrude was no match for the original wielder of Compelling Voice. It was definitely a surprise to see how easily Anne could use it with Livia's body using just the necklace. How strong would those two be with all three relics?

"I need Livia to come with me so we can save my sister, Rauda." Hertrude immediately said, surprising us with her motivation. Even Anne looked like she wasn't expecting this response.

"Tell me everything, girl."

What she ended up telling us made me plant my head on the table and groan.

 

[Blackraptor]

"Control, does the Dragon God she's describing seem familiar to you in any way? Is it the Getter Dragon from the murals I saw in Elven Island?" I asked after Hertrude gave us a summary of what Fanoss had been plotting behind the scenes. The confirmation that their so-called Dragon God was a giant robot which was probably also a Getter Robo was already pretty alarming.

From initial descriptions, it appears that what Fanoss has uncovered is not an original Getter Robo G model. Instead, it seems to be a Getter Robo D2 model.

"Is that a good thing? I can't really tell." I followed up because I had no idea. A few moments passed with no answer. "The lack of response is really making me nervous, Control."

Apologies, I am merely calculating the possible outcomes. Getter Robo D2 is a Mass Production Getter Robo. It integrates technologies from both the G model as well as Shin Getter Robo. Functionally, it is meant to surpass the capabilities of Getter Robo G.

"I can hear the 'but' from here, Control." I was already rubbing my forehead with the way they were lining up their response.

However, Getter Robo G has the penchant of evolving into exceedingly superior forms under great duress. Overall, facing a deteriorated D2 model would be better for us.

Okay, sure. There was one other problem though. "But that means that it would still be a full-sized Getter Robo?"

Correct. D2 models are slightly taller than Getter Robo G at fifty-five meters due to the elongated horn on its head.

"That would make it almost ten times the size of a standard Armor." Angie pointed out in obvious alarm. It was understandable as we were talking about an utterly gigantic robot by this world's standards that had similar capabilities as Black Getter.

"What's wrong Leon?" Livia asked worriedly when I started hitting my head on the table again.

"Black Getter is eighteen meters tall." I told her and she slumped in her seat. The size difference between a Getter D2 and Black Getter was around the same ratio as a regular Armor was to Black Getter. How strong would its Getter Beam even be at that scale?

Keep in mind that even though they may have a D2, it is tens of thousands of years old now and does not have access to its original power source anymore.

"What are they planning to power that thing with then?" I asked Hertrude after Control made a great point.

"The elves." We all froze at her answer.

"What?" Livia whispered in horror.

"Vandel and his ilk have been researching how to convert the elves' life force into power for the Dragon God. With their long lifespans, he figures that they can provide more energy than humans or other demi-humans." Hertrude explained, a bit of anger seeping through her voice. Huh? What was that about?

"Can they do that?" Angie asked, shaking her head in revulsion at the possibility.

I am uncertain. Getter Rays are sometimes described as the power of life itself. It may be possible, but we have never needed to try that method of powering any of the Getter Robos before. Any means of doing so at this point will likely need to involve magic.

"You said that you're here because you want me to save your sister?" Livia changed the subject to the other major thing we learned after Anne got tired of the word games and just used Compelling Voice on Hertrude.

"Rauda is like an empty doll ever since Vandel tried to have her control his Dragon God using the Flute of the Hundred Demons." Hertrude answered in a strained voice.

"Well, that doesn't sound ominous at all." I muttered. I'd bet good money on the flute being related to the Hundred Demon Empire as well.

"Where is this flute now, girl?" Anne asked.

The princess sighed and shook her head. "It is in Fanoss with Rauda. I planned to have it sent to me should my attempt to recruit Livia end in failure."

"And what would you do with that flute if I refused?" Livia asked nervously. Hertrude set her shoulders and looked at my lover with full conviction.

"I would use it to summon monsters in the middle of the Capital and hold it hostage until you agreed."

"Wha–why?!" I yelled out.

"I have to save Rauda. Nothing will stop me. Nothing." She answered me with gritted teeth. Okay, I get it but that was just way too drastic.

"I say we dispose of he–Anne! No!" Livia interrupted Anne's casual suggestion of murder.

"Assassinating the Princess of Fanoss would cause a war." Anne took back control and scoffed at Angie's words.

"In case you haven't been listening, they are already preparing for war as we speak. Is this not the inevitable outcome of the stories you spoke of?" I nodded at her question, but there was something else I wanted to know more about.

"Why do you think that Livia can save your sister?" Hertrude grimaced at my question.

"I was given a prophecy by an elven elder before she was taken to be processed. Livia would bring me hope, my sister salvation, and would bring doom upon our enemies. This was even before Rauda was reduced to the state she is presently in." I would have normally dismissed that kind of thing as pretty stupid, but we were way past not considering prophecies and the like to have a possibility of happening.

If I may ask. How did Fanoss manage to enter Holfort's borders and abduct most of the elven population while stealing an entire part of the ruins, including a Getter Robo, without alerting the army?

Well, the obvious answer there would be that there were traitors in Holfort. The scarier answer was that they had magic or technology that could let them just show up and do all that stuff at will.

"Vandel arranged the attack with traitors from your nobility, a group calling themselves The Forest of Ladies. Rauda and I then used the Flute of the Hundred Demons to summon a great guardian monster." Well, it wasn't fun to find out that there was literally a conspiracy group in the nobility. On the other hand, at least they didn't have teleportation.

"Traitors? Do you know specifically who they are?" Angie's eyes sharpened at the mention of traitors. I was pretty sure that she would immediately go to her father and brother if she got any names.

"Vandel was the one who was colluding with them. Neither Rauda nor I know which of your nobility are involved." Of course, because that would have been too easy. Control then spoke up next with a question of their own.

What did this guardian monster look like?

"It is a gigantic great masked knight that has a blade-like horn on its head. It was able to spew out great beams of destruction from its shoulders. Its claws were able to dig up the ruins and it was powerful enough to carry the Dragon God." Hertrude spoke with a bitter expression, likely reliving the whole experience. The reason why was revealed as she continued talking. "Rauda and I very nearly passed out from the strain of keeping it under control for the time it took for it to secure the Dragon God to our largest ship. We dismissed it from this realm the moment the work was done."

"Anything you recognize?" Control bobbed their probe up and down in confirmation of my question.

Denkoki. It is a Hundred Demon Mechanized Beast. Ironically, it actually faced Getter Robo G when it was first created. If that flute can summon Enemies of Humanity, then we must destroy it as soon as possible.

Control was absolutely right. If that thing could summon monsters that could fight a Getter Robo, then it would be a really big threat as long as it existed.

"Can you have the flute sent here now?" Hertrude shook her head at my question.

"Asking for the flute would be tantamount to telling Vandel to commence the invasion of Holfort. He might just do so even with the Dragon God being incomplete." Well, we definitely didn't want that to happen.

"Leon, perhaps we should involve Queen Mylene in this now. Even if the invasion won't happen this year, we could at least have some preparations done in the meantime." Angie suggested and I immediately nodded at that wonderful idea.

"Vandel and the old Warhawks have already anticipated that someone might figure out their plan. They have been using the facilities that we took from the Elven ruins to constantly generate and send out monsters against your country." Hertrude informed us. Well, that definitely confirmed that it was Fanoss' fault that there was a big increase in monster activity.

"I don't suppose you know how we can shut those down, do you?" Sadly, she shook her head in the negative.

"I'm afraid not. All that is being handled by those men." I sighed but nodded in understanding.

"If I promised to help heal your sister, but you have to join forces with us to stop Fanoss, what would you do?" Livia suddenly gave a pretty wild proposal out of nowhere. Was she really expecting Hertrude to suddenly switch teams that easily?

"As long as you allow me to kill Vandel personally, I would have no issues with siding with you." I guess she would. Wait, was this part of the mind control too?

"You would betray your country, just like that?" Angie asked her incredulously.

"Vandel turned my sister into a vegetable for his ambitions. He and his fellows were also responsible for the deaths of our parents when they wanted to sue for lasting peace with Holfort when we were very young. Why would I stay loyal to a country that has brought me and my family nothing but misery and death despite our service for it?!" Holy shit! I was looking at the wrong person as the Final Boss. It turned out that Vandel was a way worse monster than I ever expected. Based on Angie and Livia's expressions, they agreed.

"Anne, is she still under your control?" Livia's expression changed, indicating that Anne was taking over.

"Partially," She began, looking at the girl in question. "I changed my command to make her more agreeable and open to us. She still has free will, such as it is, but she will always favor our opinions and inputs over that of others."

"It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but as long as she is not a slave to you then I suppose that it is no different from us convincing her to trust us ourselves." Angie was pretty reluctant about the casual use of mind control, which was understandable.

"I'm not too keen on letting Vandel finish his Getter Robo, but I can't really see a way for us to get to him without starting the war ourselves." I growled out in frustration. If we only knew about the attack on Elven Island then…I would have been up against a Hundred Demon Mechanized Beast that was way bigger than Black Getter. We may have won with the Nagare helping, but the damage the fight might have done would have probably been unacceptable anyway.

"We should still definitely tell the Queen about this. I shall ask father if he can arrange an audience with her." Angie reminded us. How I missed Julius being around so I could just ask him to bring me to his mom.

"I should probably ask her for an official way for us to be able to visit her whenever we need to while this is going on as well." I nodded and raised a brow at the girl when she scoffed.

"Yes, I'm sure that the ability to be able to visit her in private by yourself anytime you wish has nothing to do with it. Just a happy coincidence." Angie flatly stated with her own raised brow. I winced but Livia saved me by nuzzling against the other girl's neck.

"Leon has to take care of Queen Mylene too, Angie." She said while planting soft kisses on Angie's neck. Right in front of Hertrude? Really? The girl in question seemed fascinated by the display of love.

"I know that…" Angie mumbled while valiantly putting absolutely no effort in pushing Livia away.

"Any other suggestions?" I turned to Control while the girls had their fun.

I shall begin construction of a second Getter Robo as you had previously suggested.

"Wait, really?!" I exclaimed so loudly that the girls turned to us.

The looming threat cannot be dismissed. It is a clear and present danger that may not be surmounted with only Black Getter F and the Nagare, not without great cost to innocents.

"Another Getter? Who will pilot it?" Angie asked, gently pushing her loving Livia away from her.

"Deirdre." My two lovers blinked at the name I gave them. I laughed at their surprise and explained why. "Yeah, it turns out that she is a way better pilot than I am and is learning at a ridiculous rate. We actually have her as my backup for Black Getter in case I can't pilot it."

"Will it just be another black bunny?" Livia excitedly asked Control.

I have gathered enough data in regards to Miss Roseblade's piloting style. I believe that building a Getter Robo that is suited for her combat ability would be ideal. It will ultimately be a modified variant of Black Getter F. I have already created a pilot suit for her, in fact. It is currently stored in the Nagare.

"When can you get it finished?" I asked, eager to have some help in big fights.

I am already designing it at the labs and should have it built and ready for testing before summer break.

"We can give it to her as a birthday present!" Livia happily said. "Deridre told me that her birthday is in the summer!"

"Well, that works out." I noted with a chuckle. Yeah, she was going to go nuts with that kind of birthday gift.

"I shall also feel out the opinions of my father and brother in regards to the monster situation and anything about this Forest of Ladies business." Angie stated with a determined nod. She would be the best one to handle the political side of things aside from Mylene.

"I have another suggestion." Anne suddenly spoke up, taking control once again. "While our current symbiosis is excellent, I would like for Livia and I to become stronger still."

"You want the other relics." I immediately picked up on what she wanted. Anne nodded in confirmation.

"You said that my bracelet is in the Capital's Dungeon." She stated, recalling something I said a while back.

"We'd need a reason to go down there." I muttered. We could probably get permission to delve into the dungeon, but likely not to the depth where the bracelet was located at.

"Then it will work out." Angie informed us with a smile. She then sighed when Anne, Livia and I looked like we didn't know what she was talking about. "We'll have a practical exam in the second term for our Adventuring Classes. It requires us to get to a certain depth in the Capital's Dungeon."

"We can make the cover story of preparing for it while we look for the bracelet. Who would we bring?" I asked, open to suggestions. My immediate answer would have been the boys, but they were abroad. I was thinking of asking Daniel and Raymond as well, but I wanted to know what the girls could think of first.

"Well, both Clarice and Deirdre have already cleared the required depth for the exam." Angie pointed out, making me smack my palm on my forehead. Of course they did, why didn't I think of that? The girls giggled at my expense.

"I would also like to help, if you allow it." Hertrude offered with clear determination. "I am unsure about this whole relic business, or why there seems to be another woman speaking from Livia's body, but I trust her implicitly. My sister depends on it."

I can also bring one of my combat drones as well.

So the tentative team would be me, Control, Angie, Livia with Anne, Deirdre, Clarice, and Hertrude. Clara would probably jump at the chance to join as well. That was already eight strong. A Full Party, as it were.

"Well, looks like we have a lot of work to do then." Despite saying that, I was actually smiling.

At least Control and I didn't have to deal with all of this by ourselves anymore.

…

"It hasn't even been a week since we left, big brother." Marie told me in a flat tone. "How can things go so crazy already?"

I was back in my room and Control was using the drones that Marie and I had to transmit to each other so we could talk. Based on the pajamas she was wearing, my sister was also getting ready for bed.

"In my defense, things were already going crazy in the background even before we found out everything we did from Hertrude." I pointed out before flipping things around. "How are things on your end?"

Marie groaned and looked up to the ceiling. "The protagonist is an amoeba."

"Excuse me?" I blinked at what she just said.

"She split into two and I have no idea which one to look after." Marie tried to clarify but that wasn't helping either.

"I still have no clue as to what the hell you are talking about." I told her as much with a shake of my head.

Miss Marie is speaking metaphorically. There seems to be no singular protagonist as we found that there are two girls with the name Beltre. A pair of twins, Lelia and Noelle.

"And you don't know which one of them is the protagonist?" Marie's frustration was understandable then.

"The heroine of the second game didn't have siblings and there was no default name for her either." Marie showed her frustration by punching her pillows. "Apparently, the first name is a blank space while the last name would always be Beltre when you start a new run."

"What about the love interests? Anything on them?" I changed the subject to the other end of the equation.

"Control has found one so far, Loic Leta Barielle. Handsome redhead but is apparently pretty intense." She said, though it sounded like she wasn't personally interested in him as a guy. "Trying to look for any of the others is pretty hard with our current arrangements."

"Why? Is someone restricting you guys?" Was Alzer treating them poorly because they're foreigners?

"The opposite." Marie waved off my concern with a sigh. "The chairman of the great houses apparently is taking Julius' presence seriously so he actually has his daughter acting as a guide for us."

"That doesn't sound so bad." I pointed out with a tilt of my head.

"His daughter is Louise Sara Rault, the main villainess. The chairman is Albergue Sara Rault, the final boss." Well, that was definitely not the people we needed attention from.

"Fuck."

"I know, right? I even found out from her that she has a younger brother who might also be a potential love interest. I'd need to investigate more to find out for sure." Marie said irritably. I recalled the conversation with everyone earlier and had an idea.

"Looks like we both have our work cut out for us." I started slowly before broaching the topic. "You can always let Julius and the boys in on this. I'm pretty sure that they would believe you being a reincarnate and my sister in our past life."

Marie just looked at me blankly before closing her eyes and shaking her head. "...I'm tired. Goodnight, big brother. Please cut the connection, Control."

What was that reaction about?

 

[Blackraptor]

Marie Fou Bartfort stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. It was supposed to be the face of a young woman who had finally gotten everything she could possibly want in her new life. Cute looks that could make a guy's heart skip a beat with just the right angle and application of body language. Handsome, wealthy, influential, and devoted young men who were at her beck and call. Money, status, and the envy of her peers. Her beloved big brother, who she thought lost to her from her previous life, had even returned to her. After everything had gone wrong in her life on Earth and again in Holfort, she finally did it.

She had won.

It was all perfect.

"You can always let Julius and the boys in on this. I'm pretty sure that they would believe you being a reincarnate and my sister in our past life."

The memory of her brother's words from a few days ago made her frown in annoyance. She knew that he was just trying to be supportive and giving her advice, but his decision making was colored by his experience with his own harem. She scoffed at the hilarity of the brother she remembered as an awkward nobody, who she still loved dearly, becoming a harem protagonist. Sure it was with a monster and a bunch of defective losers, but she would tolerate them as long as they made him happy.

Alas, not everyone could take the same path that he did. Marie had to claw her way up from the dirt to get to where she was now.

"Don't take her away! She's all I have left!"

"You should have just let me take the money! Stupid bitch! Now I have to make sure you don't take this to the cops! What a worthless whor–"

"Marie? Are you still finishing up in there? The servants have finished preparing breakfast for everyone." Jilk knocked on the bathroom door. Last night was his turn with her and he always woke up first so he managed to get ready for the day before she did. It was a reminder of how well her life had been going.

"I'm fine Jilk." Marie said out loud as she used her hand to wipe away the condensation that had built up on the mirror, her own warped face looking back at her.

"Give me back my daughter!"

"Just die already!"

"Everything is fine."

…

Marie was thankful that the villainess was a year ahead of them. That meant that she wasn't hanging around and making a fuss the whole time they were at Alzer Academy. Control had been going around on their own, trying to gain any information about the possible love interests or either of the twins. It was just good luck that Marie and Brad ended up sharing a few classes with one of the possible protagonists.

"So you came here all the way from Holfort with a bunch of hot guys, including a prince? That's amazing!" Noelle Beltre said from the seat in front of Marie. The way Alzer Academy was set up reminded Marie far too much of a Japanese High School. It seemed that the developers of the second game decided to play it safe and go with what was familiar. A dull wave of nostalgia swept over her the first time she saw how everything was set up, the only thing missing were sliding doors. It was quickly washed away with the reality that she didn't really remember much from her own high school life back on Earth at all.

Marie lightly laughed in a disarming manner, a skill she had perfected during her days as a hostess. "I was just lucky enough that they chose the same exchange program that I did."

"Are any of them single?" Noelle asked, leaning in conspiratorially. They both glanced to another part of the classroom where Brad was surrounded by girls due to his good looks and natural charisma. Marie grinned and decided to have some fun with him.

"Oh no, all five of them are very much taken!" Marie said loudly enough that Brad stiffened and immediately started making excuses to the girls who wanted to get to know him better. How was she supposed to see them as anything but boys when they acted like this? Leon totally wouldn't have acted like that.

"That's a shame. Their girlfriends are pretty lucky girls." Noelle noted with a sad sigh, the feeling of getting one over another Otome Protagonist made Marie smile. Still, she was here talking to the gyaru-looking blonde girl for a good reason.

"What about you though? I would have thought that you already have a man." Marie set her line out and gave it a little tug to see if the girl would bite. "What about that guy you're always with?"

"Nope, sad to say that I'm still single. I would love to have a boyfriend but there are factors that prevent me from getting one normally." She admitted easily enough. Marie raised a brow when Noelle looked away with a sad smile. "I definitely don't want to drag Jean into my life's problems more than I already have. He deserves better than that."

Marie hummed along with the explanation. Looks like there was something there after all, albeit with apparent obstacles. The name Jean didn't bring up any memories though, another anomaly caused by the protagonist being split into two different people? Something to get back to later on.

"What about your sister? You mentioned before that she already has a boyfriend." Marie asked with an interested expression after giving Brad another glance. Ah, he had taken to diligently going over his notes for the next class instead of flirting. Such a good boy.

"Not really surprising that someone as pretty, smart, and classy as Lelia managed to get the attention of one of the great house's sons." Marie's eyes dulled at the way Noelle laughed at her own words. She recognized that laugh anywhere. It was the one she herself made every time she wanted to convince someone that she was fine and that there was nothing to be worried about.

"Oho? Do tell." Of course, that wasn't relevant anymore. Noelle didn't seem the type who was perceptive enough to pick up on that brief slip.

"Emile Laz Pleven is his name. They're pretty cozy together whenever I see them." Marie's eyes narrowed at the name. That was definitely one of the capture targets. At least one of the twins was making progress. Noelle then looked like she tasted something bitter. "I am happy for her, just wish that the shrew would leave me alone long enough for me to find a good guy myself."

The shrew was likely the villainess, Louise Sara Rault.

"Any idea why she's focusing on you? Why not pick on your sister as well?" Noelle gave her a long suffering look at the question.

"Like I said, her boyfriend is a member of the great houses. She won't mess with her because of that, so she takes it all out on me instead." Noelle answered with a pout while looking away. So the children of the great houses avoid conflict with one another? That was something useful to know.

Marie reached out and gave a reassuring pat on the blonde girl's arm. "I'm sure you'll find the right man for you. You never know, he might already be in arms reach."

"Thanks for the support. What about you though? Got anyone special?" It was a clumsy attempt to change the subject, but Marie couldn't help but give a fond smile when she thought about her question. "Oooh! I know that smile! Come on girl, don't leave me in suspense!"

Marie giggled at how invested Noelle suddenly became. Girl talk never really changed, no matter where she ended up.

"We were apart for a long time and only rediscovered each other through a weird coincidence. I definitely can't imagine living my life without him anymore." Marie said without naming any names. Noelle's eyes sparkled as she filled in the gaps with her own imagination.

"Is he back in Holfort? Don't you miss him?" Marie's smile became a bit sad but she nodded at the question all the same.

"He is, and I do. But I've been without him for years, I can wait for one more." Noelle let out a jealous sigh and looked away from Marie.

"Lucky~"

…

It was dinner and everyone was gathered at the dining table after they thanked the servants for the food. Julius was at the head of the table, with Marie to his left and Jilk to his right. Chris was sitting beside Jilk, with Brad next to him. Greg sat to Marie's left and let out a frustrated sigh that got the attention of the rest of the table.

"Ugh! I hate that there aren't any adventuring classes on offer out here." His friends easily agreed with his sentiment. Marie didn't mind not having to go down deep dank caves filled with traps and monsters.

"Indeed. We may need to venture out on our own if we want to keep ourselves from losing our sharpness while we are here." Chris said as he cut into his meal. He and Greg's rivalry had become friendlier as time went on. It was a shame that the tension between them was gone, but Marie was fine with not having to break up their fights anymore.

"A dungeon expedition sounds like a wonderful change of pace, don't you think so?" Brad put forward the idea. Marie's face remained impassive as she let the boys discuss the matter between themselves. If they wanted to play adventurers to occupy themselves, then she wouldn't stop them.

"We'll likely need to ask the Holfort Embassy for guidance on that front." Julius muttered, getting everyone else's attention.

"How come?" Greg asked. Jilk wiped some sauce from his lips before answering on his best friend's behalf.

"Adventuring is looked down upon in Alzer, as you all know." We all nodded at his words. "Yes, so we need to make sure that we won't be upsetting anyone if we do decide to delve into a dungeon for training."

"What's wrong, Marie?" Chris asked suddenly, making them all look at her. Was she making a face without realizing it? Marie recovered by shrugging and giving them a sweet smile.

"Just thinking about how different the atmosphere of the Academy here is compared to the one back home." It was almost boring how easily they accepted her words. Not a peep of challenge as to what else she might have been thinking about. Not a single word of concern unless her mask slipped.

How could she possibly love them when they never bothered to try to know what her life was like before she came to the Academy? Even after she was released from the Palace dungeons, and was only allowed to remain in the Academy thanks to Leon's quick thinking, they never bothered to ask how those animals treated her in the past.

Why should she rely on anyone else when her brother was the only one who had always proven that he could be counted on when it came to her well being? The only thing she had ever known from other men was bitter disappointment.

"I know what you mean. Nobles and Commoners freely intermingling like that is unheard of in Holfort." Marie easily slipped out of her thoughts and back into the conversation with Julius' words.

Marie told her boys that she wanted some time alone after dinner, but not before reminding Chris that it was his turn that night. She left the blushing boy to be teased by his friends and met with a waiting Control in her room.

Miss Marie, I have uncovered some additional information about the possible love interests based on the criteria you have outlined.

It was not the first time that Control's convenience made Marie jealous of her brother. Such feelings were fleeting as she was now also being helped by the AI. Marie sat down on her bed and reviewed everything with Control.

Hugh and Fernand of the Druille house were apparently already out of contention. Hugh was to be engaged to the villainess, while his older brother Fernand was already out of the Academy and was a politician. It seemed that their flags needed to have been raised the school year prior. Shame, but there was nothing to be done.

Emile was already with Lelia, which confirmed Noelle's words from before. Nothing to worry about there other than letting nature take its course. Hopefully, neither of them ruin what they already have and cause her more headaches.

Louise's younger brother was also confirmed to be attending the Academy, Serge Sara Rault. Though it seemed that he was adopted into the household. Marie's lips quirked at the coincidence. He was the delinquent type who didn't show up to class a lot and favored going into dungeons instead. The only reason why he doesn't get in trouble for that was because his adoptive father was effectively the ruler of the country.

The only ones remaining among the great houses who would have made sense were Pierre Io Feivel and Loic Leta Barielle.

Control immediately emphasized that Pierre was not a viable option. The behavior and rumors surrounding the boy painted a picture of an abusive child who was never disciplined properly when they were young. Bullying, blackmail, extortion, assault, possibly even rape. Marie mentally chalked him up as a possible antagonist for the twins with how cartoonishly evil he seemed to be. The power of the great houses must have been pretty incredible if they could cover up all that.

Loic was not any better, unfortunately. It made her initial assessment of him completely wrong in hindsight. He was actively pursuing Noelle and was even claiming that they were already in a relationship to anyone who would listen. The fact that Noelle never mentioned him during their talks already raised red flags for Marie. Especially with how much Noelle went on about wanting to have a boyfriend. It was further confirmed when Control said that the few times he observed the two interact, Loic was aggressive to the point of harassment regardless of how much Noelle rejected his advances. More red flags.

Marie's hands clenched into fists so tightly that she could feel her nails dig into her palms. She was very familiar with the types of men that Pierre and Loic resembled.

"Thank you for all that, Control. You went above and beyond with all this." She really did appreciate everything the little drone had done so far. It would have taken her weeks to find out all that on her own.

It is no different to what Leon and I did when we were uncovering what you had been doing with Prince Julius and the others last year.

"Yeah, that figures." Of course they investigated her actions. It was probably what eventually led to Leon getting to know the losers.

I would like to note that there does not seem to be any unifying bond between the possible love interests this time, aside from the two who are siblings.

"Yeah, I noticed that too." The whole point of Julius and the others being friends was to give the player an excuse to be able to easily interact with the love interest of their choice. The sequel was intended to be a lot easier in terms of gameplay, the other side of it was that the player needed to work harder for their flags. It was the whole reason why Emile was so easy to romance, in case the player messed up with the other Capture Targets.

Based on all information gathered, the only real viable option that would not end poorly for Noelle would be Serge.

"And that opens up another can of worms because he's Louise's adopted younger brother." Marie continued the train of thought with Control's drone bobbing up and down in agreement.

Do we instead hedge our bets on Lelia instead? She has already secured one of the love interests.

"I'm not Leon, Control. Giving that many leading statements gets pretty obvious to someone who is used to them." It was a bit amusing to watch the little floating sphere back away from her, like it was startled or something. "I've figured out that we might need to think beyond the designated Capture Targets if we want Noelle to get a guy."

My apologies. I had thought that a similar method would work with you.

"I don't know what kind of issues you helped my brother get through, but I'd like to thank you anyway. It's pretty nice to see him so happy." She meant every word of it as well. If only they had someone like Control during their previous life.

You're welcome. If there is anything you would like to talk about as well, I will always be available.

"Mommy!"

"Die! Die! Die!"

"I think I'll be fine for now." But that didn't mean that she was ready to talk about her life after her brother died.

I understand. Do you already have a plan of action then?

"I think that it's time for me to take a page from Leon's book." Marie said with a more genuine smile.

…

"Hello there, you're Jean right?" The rather plain looking boy with brown hair looked surprised when Marie approached him in the hallway.

"Oh yes, can I help you?" He asked with an awkward smile. If he was placed in any other setting, he might have been considered quite handsome. The boy next door look still had its own merits. Sadly, this world had people who looked like supermodels as the norm.

"My name is Marie," She introduced herself and assuaged his concern with her next words. "Noelle has told me all about you."

"Nothing too embarrassing, I hope." She laughed along with him at his self-deprecating joke. That was a point in his favor. Being able to make fun of yourself was a good trait to have for anyone.

Marie tilted her head and set out her line. "Not at all, I am curious though."

"About what?" A soft tug and Marie knew that she had him.

"How did the two of you become such good friends?"

Marie's smile grew wider as Jean spoke about how his aging dog and Noelle shared the same name. The ease in which he told her about their relationship was just too good.

She could definitely work with this.

 

[Blackraptor]

"Roseblade? You set Nicks up with a Roseblade?" Jenna asked with a bit of alarm. She, Nicks, and I were back in my tea room talking about the Tea Party I managed to set up between him and Deirdre.

Nicks had graduated in the same ceremony as Clarice and was now working under our father officially to help manage all the new growth in our family's territory. He was given time off from his work when my mom found out that I might have found him a match. Dad was annoyed but could not overrule his loving wife if he wanted her to stay loving to him. Thus, Nicks found his way back to the Academy.

"What do you have against Deirdre?" I narrowed my eyes, feeling a bit defensive of my friend. My older sister just rolled her eyes and waved off my concern.

"Her, I don't really have an issue with. However, I've heard rumors about her older sister. Dorothea Fou Roseblade, the Academy's Golden Girl of her year." Huh, Deirdre never mentioned that she had a sister. Then again, I never really told her about my siblings either until I brought up Nicks. Jenna then turned to the man in question. "You were there before she graduated, right?"

"Miss Dorothea? Yeah, I was in my first year when she was already in her third year." He confirmed with a nod. That would make her two years older than Nicks and three years older than Deirdre.

I filed away that piece of information and spoke up. "So what's the big deal about Deirdre's sister?"

"She was at the top of her year her entire time at the Academy. Three years and no one could come close to her academic and practical scores. She was perfect in everything." Jenna was surprisingly knowledgeable about an alumnus that was already out of the school by the time she would have started. Was she an admirer or something?

"Not really seeing anything wrong with her so far, Jenna. She sounds awesome, actually." I pointed out. Nicks just opted to stay out of it and let the two of us talk amongst ourselves.

"The problem with Dorothea is that she never managed to secure an engagement her entire stay in the Academy. In fact, she's still unmarried to this day." I blinked at Jenna's explanation. What? That was crazy! If she was the best of the best of her year, the guys in her generation should have been tripping over themselves trying to secure an engagement with her!

"That does sound pretty weird. Do you know anything about it?" Nicks looked at me with wide eyes as he sipped his tea. C'mon man! This could be our new sister-in-law we're talking about here! You could be more involved, you know?

"I'm in General Studies. Everything I know about Miss Dorothea is from what I heard from others during that time. At most, I saw her every now and then around campus from a distance." Nicks told us before narrowing his eyes in recollection. "I can't say that I ever heard her be involved with anyone from that time though."

"See? If she is unmarriable, who's to say that her younger sister is any different?" Jenna scolded me while pointing at Nicks. "You're really useless when it comes to this stuff."

"At least I'm actually trying to do something to help Nicks. You've been too busy scaring off some of the new first year girls who were just trying to ask Daniel for directions." The look on her face when I shot back with that made Nicks and I laugh.

"He told you that?!" She actually looked pretty hurt so I decided to give her a break.

"No, Raymond did." Jenna's expression immediately changed to a far colder one as she muttered to herself about teaching my other friend a lesson. "Don't harm our friend, Jenna. I'll tell Daniel."

"How dare you use my fiancé against me." She mumbled unhappily and just decided to chomp on some snacks.

After a few minutes of more small talk and Nicks telling us how Finley and Colin were doing, he finally broached the subject of the Tea Party. "So, anything I should know about Miss Deirdre so I don't embarrass myself in front of her?"

Jenna also looked at me in curiosity as I thought about the question. Livia knew Deirdre better than I did as a girl, all I really understood about her was that she really liked Black Getter.

"Honestly, just treat her with respect." I told him the most obvious, yet important thing he could do. "She's pretty friendly and doesn't put people down like some of the other girls. She really likes Black Getter so I guess you can use that as a conversation starter."

"Easy for you to say, you have like three girls all over you." It was actually three girls, a ghost, and a very full-grown woman. I wasn't going to correct Nicks' misconception though.

"Nicks, you're a grown man. Act like it." Jenna told him with a sigh.

"Just relax and talk about anything. I'll set everything up beforehand so you don't have to worry about the drinks and snacks." I said more supportively. Once I was done, all Nicks really had to do was break the ice and make a good impression. I was totally not ignoring how unconvinced he still looked by the time we finished talking to him.

I was sure that it was going to work out.
…

Nicks Fou Bartfort sat across from the third-year girl that Leon set him up to have a Tea Party with. He had heard of the younger Roseblade sister before but this was the first time he had actually seen her personally. She was pretty different from her older sister in terms of her style. The long curls of her hair made a very striking impression. When he followed Leon's advice to talk about his Black Getter Armor, Deirdre immediately went on and on about how much she loved the intimidating machine. It was pretty startling to watch a girl be so invested in something that was predominantly male oriented.

Deirdre Fou Roseblade's first impression of Leon's older brother was that he was much more reserved than her friend. He had told her that he was an alumnus from the General Studies section of the Academy but not much else. She jumped at the chance to speak about Black Getter when he brought up the subject. Of course he would know about it, his brother was the Armor's pilot. Nicks looked like he was listening intently to her stories about her training in the simulator but she could tell that he wasn't really that interested in it.

When she asked about what he was doing after he graduated, Nicks started speaking about his experience in helping his father manage the family lands. They both quickly realized that they really didn't have anything in common with each other. Deirdre thought it was a shame as Leon went through all the trouble to set them both up with each other and she did genuinely think that Nicks was a good man. Though it didn't mean that they couldn't be friends. Nicks thought that Leon was right and she was a great girl, she was just a bit too intense for him and she didn't seem interested in the things that he did.

Nicks was about to thank her for her time and end the Tea Party when the doors suddenly burst open. The two of them turned to the source of the commotion and saw a young woman in a purple dress that had long straight blonde hair and blue eyes. Nicks' eyes widened when he recognized who just showed up.

"Dorothea! What is the meaning of this?!" Just as Deirdre exclaimed, the one who interrupted them was none other than her older sister. Nicks was wondering what she was doing here when the woman walked up to the younger sister.

"I told you not to accept this Tea Party invitation. What if he turned out to be someone unscrupulous?" Nicks felt a vein pop on his head. The hell was this woman talking about?

"Excuse me? I happen to trust Leon. If he says that his brother is a good man, then I will believe him. From what I have seen so far, he is correct in his assessment." He felt a lot better when Deirdre took his side and defended his dignity.

"That still does not mean that he is worthy of a Roseblade." Dorothea adjusted her argument instead. Rude. She didn't even know anything about him and she was already judging him.

"You just want me to end up like you, still unmarried even after graduating." He had to hold back his laughter at how casually Deirdre said that. Her older sister didn't seem to be expecting such words as she recoiled like she was struck.

"I'm just looking out for you, sister. It's been clear that you don't really think your actions through based on your letters." Oh yeah, that was definitely the wrong thing to say based on Deirdre's frown. It got even worse with her next words. "I mean, really! Piloting an Armor? A noble lady doesn't do such things!"

"I happen to enjoy piloting Black Getter and I am thankful to Leon and Control for giving me the opportunity even though I am a woman." The younger sister slowly said through gritted teeth. Nicks could empathize as he was getting really pissed at the older sister as well.

"And this is why you won't be able to find a ma–" Both sisters froze at the sudden loud noise close by. Nicks slammed both his hands on the table and stood up, knocking down his chair in the process.

"SHUT UP!" Dorothea took a step back as Nicks walked around the table and stepped between her and her younger sister.

If there was one thing he always understood, it was that his siblings had to find their own way in life. As much as he wanted to help them whenever they were in trouble, they would never learn if he did that. The results with Leon and Jenna spoke for themselves. The effects were a bit skewed with Finley so far but Colin was doing good progress into eventually being able to find his own path.

Nicks knew that he was making a mistake. He knew that he was blowing it and wasting the hard work that Leon put into this Tea Party so he would have the chance to find a good bride. But as an older brother, he couldn't stand how Dorothea was acting anymore.

"Ah!" She yelped as he went and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"I don't know what your problem is with your sister, but you sure as hell don't get to tell her how to live her life like that!" He yelled while shaking her a bit.

Deirdre looked up at Nicks' back as he stood between her and Dorothea. She never noticed how much taller than her he was or how broad his back actually was. A strange new feeling settled in her chest as he started berating her older sister.

"I get that you're trying to look after your younger sibling, I've done that too! But you can't live their life for them! You have to let them make their own decisions and let them live with those decisions, they won't ever grow up if you don't!"

The Roseblade name was always respected at the Academy thanks to her older sister. Deirdre herself started attending the Academy at the perfect time. It was long enough after Dorothea's time that people didn't compare her to her older sister, but was recent enough that their family's name was synonymous with success and excellence.

The side effect of that was people always saw Deirdre as superior to them, and she proved time and time again that she was. Leon and his lovers were the few who looked at her as an equal and not someone to look up to. They considered her as a friend instead of an idol.

What she was currently experiencing with Nicks was completely different from anything she had encountered before.It was the very first time Deirdre found someone outside her family actually protecting her instead of confidently expecting that she could handle the situation herself. The realization made her eyes widen and her cheeks burn up.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?! Answer me!"

For Dorothea, being yelled at and manhandled by Nicks brought out a very new feeling in the very core of her being. She was the greatest of her year. Unparalleled and perfect in every way. Every boy who tried to court her wilted the moment she challenged them in any meaningful way. It was so disappointing that she never ended up getting married to anyone. All she wanted to do was prevent her younger sister from suffering through the same disappointments that she did.

Instead, Dorothea realized that her sister found the one man who was actually willing to stand up to her. Even better, he was doing so for the sake of her darling younger sister. The fierceness of his voice and the fury in his eyes made Dorothea's heart throb in a way she had never experienced before in her entire life. Has she finally found the one? She had to know.

"So what will you do next, you brute? Will you pin me down on the floor? The wall? The door? And right in front of my dearest sister?" Dorothea excitedly asked in quick succession as her breathing grew harder and her face heated up. The unexpected reaction snapped Nicks out of his anger. He quickly let go of the older woman and stepped back, only to be stopped by the table behind him.

"If I recall from Deirdre's letter, your name is Nicks, correct?" The man in question hesitantly nodded as Dorothea stepped forward and smiled. "Nicks, yes. I can get used to calling out that name."

"Is there something wrong, dearest Deirdre?" She asked as the hand she was about to reach out and touch Nicks' face with was intercepted by her younger sister, Deirdre holding onto her wrist with an iron grip.

"Nicks is having a Tea Party with me, dearest Dorothea." She calmly explained to her older sister even as both their arms shuddered from straining against one another. "It is quite rude of you to take away his attention from me."

"Not at all. I merely wish to get to know him better, for your sake as well." Dorothea also calmly explained to her younger sister as she kept trying to free herself. Nicks watched all this and was quickly losing patience at their antics. These two were supposed to be the best of the best of their respective years?

"What a coincidence, that is what we were doing before you quite rudely interrupted us." Deirdre responded, standing up so the two sisters were face to face with each other. The younger sister still had her older sister's wrist in her hand. Nicks finally decided to take a page from Leon's book himself and do something crazy enough to maybe work.

"Will the two of you stop barking at each other like a couple of mutts?! You're sisters dammit!" He yelled at them both, startling them enough for him to pull their arms off each other.

He glared at them both before speaking again in the tone he used to cow his own younger siblings whenever they went too far. "Now, will the two of you cut this shit out and get along or do I have to collar you both?!"

He wasn't sure if he got the right reaction when both girls looked down shyly, blushed, and fidgeted.

"Yes." They both said at the same time. Nicks breathed a sigh of relief and more calmly asked Dorothea if she wanted to join them for the rest of their tea party. She graciously accepted and things pretty much settled down from there.

Nicks was so relieved that the two sisters stopped arguing with each other that he never followed up on what exactly they meant when they answered 'Yes' to him.

…

I was surprised when, a few days after the Tea Party with Nicks, Deirdre apologetically told me that she wasn't going to be able to join our party when we went into the Capital's Main Dungeon.

"I have to go home and talk to my family about a few important things." She explained before giving me a wistful smile, she was even blushing! "Your older brother is a wonderful man, Leon. Be proud of him."

I couldn't help but grin as I watched Deirdre walk away with an actual skip in her step. Looks like Nicks made a really good impression on her. That was fantastic!

I guess that meant that he won't have any issues with marriage anymore.

Mission Accomplished! Good work, Me!

I was waiting at the Dungeon Entrance for the others in my pilot suit. Control was going to escort them here so I decided to check to see if there would be a lot of people around. Thankfully, there weren't that many so far.

"Ho there, friend! Might you be the infamous Doom Knight?" I blinked at the familiar voice that called out from behind me. I turned around at the sounds of armored footsteps and took a step back when I saw who it was.

Resplendent in gleaming white armor and a blue hooded cloak. There was a longsword strapped to his waist that had a pretty elegant looking pommel. The most striking thing about the new arrival was the mask he was wearing to cover his eyes. Though it did nothing to cover the very familiar blue hair of a man he had seen a few times before.

"C-can I help you?" I asked in a slightly higher pitched voice because I couldn't believe what I was looking at.

"I see that you are about to delve into the dungeon yourself. I would like to ask if you would let me join your party. It would be a good experience for me to have an adventure with the Doom Knight." Yeah, that was absolutely the last thing I was expecting to hear when I woke up this morning.

"I see. Umm…what should I call you?" Roland Rapha Holfort, dressed up as the Masked Knight that helps the main protagonist sometimes in the game, grinned even though his disguise didn't work on me at all for some reason.

"You can just refer to me as Masked Knight!"

 

[Blackraptor]

To my surprise, it didn't seem like the rest of the party saw through King Roland's Masked Knight disguise at all. Not even people who should have absolutely recognized him like Angie and Hertrude.

"I have heard of the Masked Knight before from my mother." Clarice commented after I introduced him to the others. The recent graduate was wearing her dungeoneering gear, which consisted of a grey studded leather vest and white crop top that just happened to show off my fiancée's fantastic abs. She also had dark blue trousers and black thighboots. Completing the look were a pair of armored gauntlets that had reinforced metal knuckles. Her lack of any other type of weapon made it obvious how she preferred to deal with threats. No wonder Jilk looked so bad after their talk where they officially broke things off. "She said that you are as skilled as an adventurer as you are a flirt."

"I will not deny it, though I would like to think that I merely appreciate the beauty of women." Roland rolled with the backhanded insult. He must have been used to women being on guard if they already knew about his alter ego's reputation.

"Still, it is rather convenient that you would appear just as we are about to delve into the dungeon." Angie pointed out with narrowed eyes. My other fiancée was wearing a really fancy red sleeveless battle dress. It had an armored collar but was cut low enough to also show a lot of cleavage, there was even a large gemstone in the middle that drew the eye directly at her chest. She did have a small pauldron on her left shoulder for some protection though. She wasn't wearing trousers so her thighs were on full display whenever she moved but she thankfully was also wearing sturdy looking boots. Angie was armed with a single-edged broadsword that was strapped to her waist.

"Isn't it great? It's good that he can fill in for Dierdre!" Ever the ball of sunshine, Livia looked on the bright side of the situation. She was wearing the same white number she wore when we went to Elven Island, complete with her handgun and rifle. Clara also wore the same thing she did during our trip, opting to just silently stand behind me.

"Exploits of the Masked Knight have even made it to the Principality. The rumors of your skill and power approached the utterly unbelievable." Hertrude added her own opinion on the matter. Just how long had the king been doing this if he was also known all the way out in Fanoss?

The Princess of the Principality was wearing a dark red battle coat that had a furred collar. It was buttoned up to cover her entire torso. I could also catch a glimpse of what looked like black shorts as well. She too wore leather boots and even had leather gloves as well. The only weapon I could see on her was a handgun strapped to her waist. The most striking thing about Hertrude was that her hair was tied up into twintails instead of her usual hime cut.

Control was also there using a drone I had never seen before. It was the size of a basketball and was colored yellow and black. It also had box compartments on the sides and what looked like a flat rotating dish on top. When I asked what this particular drone was for, they said that it was used for Emergency Search and Rescue. While they didn't think that it would be used for its intended purpose, the utility tools packed in the side compartments and the ground penetrating radar it came equipped with would help a lot when it came to the actual traversal of the dungeon.

After introductions were done, we talked about the kind of formation we would use once we were inside the dungeon.

"With eight of us here, including an Academy Alumnus and a veteran Adventurer, we could probably get away without any formation until like the tenth floor." I pointed out. Honestly, the team was a bit of an overkill since the protagonist and her chosen love interest should have been able to acquire it with just the two of them. Hell, Livia and Anne could have probably done this by themselves.

"I would be fine with taking the spear tip of the group. I have visited this dungeon literally hundreds of times now, sometimes by myself. I am intimately knowledgeable of the first fifty floors." Masked Knight boldly suggested. No one really spoke against it so we settled on a hexagon formation.

King Roland would take point, forward flanks would be Clara and myself, rear flanks would be Angie and Livia, rear guard would be Clarice. The center of the formation would have Control with Hertrude. When the princess complained as to why she was basically being protected by everyone else, Livia just told the reason to her straight.

"The rest of us here have been delving into this dungeon a lot for adventuring classes, so we know what to expect. This will be your first outing here so you don't have the same awareness that we do." Man, it felt like ages ago when Livia was terrified of fighting giant ants and thought that healing herbs were great treasures.

Hertrude accepted the reasoning well enough and we went down to the entrance of the dungeon proper. In the game, the Saint's Bracelet was located on the twenty-eighth floor of the dungeon. There was a hidden wall that the protagonist would notice once the window to get it opened. Players would have a few weeks of in-game time to get strong enough to make it that far. It would no longer be possible to acquire it once the practical exam for second years to reach the thirtieth floor started.

The first ten floors were a complete joke for our party, the most notable thing about it were all the fake walls that Control detected that held some cheap loot. Oh, and there was also the event of Clara being able to defeat the boss of the tenth floor by herself. The giant ant queen being bisected by the General Studies student after she easily dealt with its guards was a thing of beauty.

"I gotta say, I never expected that from you. I'm really proud of you, Clara." I told her with a big grin on my face. I would have expected that kind of performance from Angie or Livia, but certainly not Clara.

"Thank you, my Lord! I have been working hard to become strong enough to keep up with you and the others!" She proudly said as Livia healed her wounds while giggling. Masked Knight pretty much dominated the next five floors, his swordsmanship and magic being on a completely different level from what we could do. Well, with the exception of Livia and Anne when it came to magic. Even Clarice grudgingly admitted that he was an incredible fighter.

Things evened out a bit once we got to the twentieth floor. The area was just a labyrinth of hallways so there were attacks and traps from all directions. Control was able to stay on top of trap detection if Mask Knight missed any of them himself.

"So how are calling out numbers supposed to help with spotting monsters?" Masked Knight asked me skeptically. Numpad notation was more common when it came to fighting games, but one thing I noticed during my time playing the game's dungeon sections was that it was also super useful in monster and trap callouts. Since the dungeons were mainly grid-based, it was pretty easy to mark where ambushes or traps would happen by just assigning a number on a square of the map.

"Well, we split up what we see in front of us into nine squares." I demonstrated by moving my arm to metaphorically split the hallway in front of us. "One, two, and three are the bottom row. Four, five, and six are the middle row. Seven, eight, and nine are the top row."

"So, say Control detects an arrow trap coming from the upper-left corner of the ceiling, they can just call out Arrow Trap Seven instead." It would have been even better if we all had a HUD that showed a compass, but this would also work. "It'll be faster to convey than actually calling out where threats will be in real space."

"Hmmm, an interesting concept. I shall remember that if I end up in an unfamiliar dungeon with a party." Masked Knight said with a nod. We pretty much ended up calling out traps and monsters using those designations and it went super well.

"Angie! Giant Viper Four!" Clarice called out just as she punched clear through the carapace of a giant beetle. Angie immediately turned around and swung her sword, the gimmick of her weapon activating as it split up into multiple segments that were held together by a steel wire.

"Flame Slice!" Angie yelled, engulfing her whip sword in fire just as it made contact with the snake monster that launched itself at her. The results were pretty immediate as it was cut to pieces and burned to a crisp.

"Monkey Six! Livia!" Hertrude called out before shooting at the rabid monkey that appeared from the shadows. She missed but it had to change direction and flew right past its intended target and right into the path of my tomahawk swing. Livia then pulled out her rifle and started shooting at where the monkey monster appeared and flushed out four more. She, Hertrude, and Clara made short work of them by way of gun and sword.

It appears that the concept you introduced has yielded great success.

"Just standing on the shoulders of giants, Control." I said with a laugh just as we reached the boss door for this section of the dungeon. I was thinking about how to deal with the ape boss there when someone started opening the door.

"Please, allow me." Masked Knight stated as he stepped forward to face the gigantic gorilla monster boss. "This has become a routine for me of sorts."

What followed couldn't even be called a fight. The gorilla couldn't come close to hitting Masked Knight at all. Even after pulling out a stone sword that was as big as it was, there was no mistaking how outmatched it was. Every swing, every strike, every single move it did was evaded and countered with contemptuous ease.

"Does this count as animal cruelty?" I asked as the boss slammed its sword on the ground, which only allowed Masked Knight to run up the blade and slash its face with his magic enhanced sword.

"His swordsmanship is impeccable." Angie muttered in keen interest while Masked Knight continued to dance around the poor monster. The others were watching with varied degrees of interest. Clara, Hertrude and Livia were really into it, while Clarice didn't look too impressed.

"Hey, Control." I whispered to the drone while everyone was too distracted by the demolishing that was happening. "Can you see through Masked Knight's disguise?"

There is a faint distortion around him when I visually try to acquire him. I assume that this is some form of magic.

"Enchantment that keeps people from finding the wearer's true identity." I quickly provided. Control slowly backed away from everyone else and spoke in a deliberately lowered volume.

Then I assume that you already know that Masked Knight is King Roland?

"It doesn't work on me for some reason. How did you find out?" The drone bobbed up and down to indicate a nod.

I performed a search in the database I have been building of people that we have encountered. Masked Knight was an eighty-six percent match to the king.

I blinked at the new information. Control has a database of people now? "I thought you don't scan people without their consent?"

I did not scan any of them. The database is purely made of visible visual information that anyone can see. People can disguise themselves, but there are mannerisms that are difficult to remove. Moreso if they do not realize that they have said mannerisms.

I nodded at the explanation. Well, that was fine then. We both turned back to the fight when we heard the boss scream out in pain. Masked Knight had used the boss' own sword to decapitate him. I whistled at the impressive feat while the boss dissipated into motes of light. "That's just mean."

"Apologies for the wait! The beast is vanquished!" He proudly said before taking a bow. He even took the time to bask in the applause from Angie, Livia, Hertrude and Clara. "Please! It was not a problem!"

"Not very humble, is he?" Clarice asked just as I stepped up to stand at her side, Control floating towards the others.

"He has good reason to brag." I said with a nod. He was a terrible husband and father, but no one can say that King Roland was a weak man.

We eventually made it to the twenty-eighth floor and I noticed Livia immediately tense up. "Can you feel it, Livia?"

"Yes, it's this way." She nodded, voice a bit tight. Was Anne talking in her head about something?

For the first time since we entered the dungeon, Masked Knight relinquished the front of the formation. Livia walked purposefully through the dungeon, gunning down anything that even looked at her funny. It was pretty hot to see her like that, rifle in her right hand and handgun in her left. From the flush on the faces of my fiancées, they both felt the same way. She eventually led us to a dead end, but she kept moving forward without a care. Clara was about to call out to her about the wall Livia just walked through it and caused a ripple to appear on the surface.

"An illusory wall?!" Masked Knight called out in obvious surprise as we all looked at each other. "I have been through this part of the dungeon, back-to-front, for years and I never noticed this!"

"Fuck waiting." Clarice hissed out before running through the wall. We all soon followed in her wake. The other side of the wall was a small room with a dais that dominated the center. On the small platform was a pedestal that held a green bracelet. We all watched Livia reach out and take it before putting it on her right wrist.

Angie walked up to her and touched her upper arm. "Livia? Do you feel any different?"

Instead of answering, she slowly turned and focused her widened eyes directly at Masked Knight. She then pulled out her handgun in an instant and shot at him, the king barely having the time to evade it.

"Livia?!" Clara yelled out in a panic. Livia ignored Angie and Clarice calling out to her to stop as she just kept shooting Masked Knight.

"I see through you." My blood froze at Anne's hollow tone of voice, seemingly having taken control of Livia's body again. That didn't sound like the Anne we had known all this time. "HOLFORT!"

 

[Blackraptor]

Bang!

Roland Rapha Holfort couldn't quite hide the grin on his face as he once again barely dodged the shot from the Saintess Candidate that his old Master found. Though, merely calling her candidate was pretty worthless at this point since it seemed that she already acquired two of the three Saint Relics. Her usually friendly and cute expression had been replaced with a snarl that he had not seen on a woman in quite a long time.

It was obvious to him that the poor girl was no longer in control of her actions and needed a hero like himself to save her!

"Anne! Please stop this! Masked Knight is not your enemy!" And based on the yells from her lovers, they seem to be quite familiar with the change as well. Anne huh? So that was the name of the previous Saint. But why was she so adamant in killing him?

He scoffed at how the Bartfort boy that Mylene had taken as her secret lover stepped between them, as if Roland was too weak to protect himself from a crazed girl with a gun. He chose instead to move away from the child and keep the possessed girl's attention on him. It wasn't like she would ever be able to hi–

"STAND STILL, HOLFORT!" Roland's breath caught in his throat as his body suddenly froze up. He willed himself to move and was almost successful, but the delay in his movement was long enough that the girl was able to line up a shot. He grit his teeth in preparation to catch the round on his arm, but he was saved from having to bother by the Atlee girl.

"Anne! Listen to us!" She called out to the spirit even while deflecting the shots with her armored gauntlets. "This isn't you!"

"HOW DARE YOU ASSUME THAT YOU KNOW ME!" The ghost yelled out. She grunted when the blue haired girl grabbed her from behind and attempted to restrain her. "LET GO OF ME!"

The girl winced and instantly complied to her own shock. The boy then called out to everyone as he and the Atlee girl continued to try to keep themselves between him and the Saintess. "She's using Compelling Voice! Don't listen to her!"

"Not a very easy thing to do, my Lord!" The blue haired girl complained as she tried to find another angle to restrain the enraged girl.

"Anne please! Don't do this! We all love you! Don't let your fury consume you!" Angelica uselessly tried to convince the enraged ghost even as she used her sword whip to throw off the girl's aim.

"LIES! ONLY LEA EVER LOVED ME! ALL OTHERS ARE BETRAYERS!" It didn't seem that anyone knew exactly what she was talking about, based on the way they were glancing at each other. It didn't really matter to him either way.

"HOLFORT, FIELD, SEBERG, MARMORIA, AND ARCLIGHT!" Oho? She has a grudge with his family as well as the other original great houses? Now this is more interesting than just going into an old dungeon! He couldn't help but laugh in excitement when the girl formed a magic sigil on her hand and ran it across the handgun in her other hand, causing it to spark brightly. "ALL FIVE WILL DIE BY MY HANDS!"

"Try it if you can, specter of my ancestor's past!" This was what he wanted! Facing the unknown and prevailing! Saving an innocent maiden from the evil spirit possessing her body! This was what adventuring was all about! "You will not be the one to end my adventures!"

"You're not helping, you masked moron!" He ignored the boy's yells in favor of running headlong into the barrage of magic bullets that now started coming out of the handgun. The bullet came out of the gun like normal but then exploded into a spread of white hot metal after a short distance. The girl really put a spell on the gun's ammunition that changed the way they behaved? Brilliant!

Roland was absolutely having the time of his life! He knew that joining the boy's party was a good idea! As expected of himself!

…

Olivia clutched her head as the empty void around her shrieked and pulsed red. This was not the same thing that happened whenever Anne would take over her body. The usual warmth and love she would feel was completely absent. There was so much anger and sorrow coming from every direction that it was almost choking her.

"Livia, can you perceive me?" Olivia looked around when she heard Anne's voice, the one that she recognized. A platform materialized at her feet and Olivia felt gravity taking hold of her to be able to stand on it. Countless small sparks of blue light suddenly appeared in front of her and coalesced into a girl who looked exactly like her. She was wearing a very ornate white dress that looked like it was ceremonial in nature. The most prominent part of her outfit was the very familiar necklace that she was wearing.

"Anne? What is going on?" From the wince that the other girl gave her, it wasn't anything good.

"I'm afraid that the fragment of myself that is in the bracelet still remembers the betrayal of the others too freshly." Betrayal? By who? When she put on the bracelet, all she remembered happening was a loud scream in her head followed by her blacking out and ending up in this void. She then noticed the spiraling angry red clouds in the far distance.

"Is that her over there?" She pointed at it before quickly holding Anne by the shoulders when she suddenly grimaced and looked like she was about to collapse.

"Yes, her anger. My anger against the ancestors of the ones you now call great houses has not diminished at all." Anne explained with great effort. She raised her hand in the direction of the red clouds and a brick walkway suddenly started forming in front of them. Olivia took the hint and started helping Anne walk across the newly created path.

"What happened, Anne?" She asked as the two of them walked, which was a very strange experience as she knew that this was all literally inside her own mind. "Between them and your Lea?"

"They betrayed us." The identical girl, who was leaning on her shoulder as they walked, bitterly stated. She could feel the emotional pain coming from Anne, but it felt more muted than the one coming from the distance. It was still there, but it didn't hurt as much as it probably did with the other part of her. "After everything we all went through, the adventures, the hardships, the triumphs. Once we united everyone into the Kingdom you see now, they betrayed and killed Lea. And they even banish–they banished me?"

"Anne?" Olivia asked when Anne stopped walking. She narrowed her eyes and pressed her palm on her forehead.

"What did they do to me again?" She muttered to herself, struggling with a memory. "What happened to me afterwards? Why can't I remember?"

"Deep breaths, Anne." She ignored how silly it was to ask a ghost in her mind to perform breathing exercises. Surprisingly, Anne followed her instructions and it actually seemed to work. Was it all mental then?

"Why can't I remember what happened to me after their betrayal?" Anne said in pained confusion.

"Do you think the other parts of you have the rest of the memories?" Olivia asked her. If the Anne they know was only one-third of a whole, then the other two parts may have something that their Anne did not.

"There is one way to find out." The spirit of the Saint's Necklace said in determination. "Come, we go together."

Olivia nodded and promised to herself that she would do her best to help both Annes. "Yes, together."

…

For fucks sake! When the hell did Livia learn how to turn a handgun into a shotgun?! Who even gave her the idea in the first place?!

None of us could get close to Livia's entire frontal area as the threat of getting hit by the tiny molten buckshot she made was too real. That left King Roland, who was laughing, on his own to defend himself from the assaults.

"So, anyone want to talk about how Anne called Masked Knight 'Holfort'?" Clarice asked while inspecting her gauntlets for any major damage. No one seemed to have an answer, so I sighed and decided to let them in on the secret.

"Masked Knight is King Roland in disguise." I told them and nodded at their shocked expressions. "Yeah, I know."

"Why does Anne want to kill the king?!" Clara asked in clear alarm. Control floated towards us and got our attention.

From the context clues Anne had provided from this and other conversations, it would appear that she and her lover were wronged by the ancestors of Prince Julius and his friends. She is now seeking revenge by proxy.

That certainly sounded like it. Jeez, was I ever glad that Julius and the boys were all the way out in Alzer with Marie. Who knew what would have happened if Anne was exposed to them for an extended period of time?

"What do we do now? We can't stop Livia without hurting her." Clara went back to the main issue at hand. We were all equipped to kill monsters, not to subdue someone non-lethally. Clarice might be able to, but I doubt that she would be willing to beat up Livia and Anne.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Hertrude yelled out, getting our attention. We all turned back to the fight and saw that Roland finally decided to take the situation into his own hands.

The bastard tried to slash at her, but Anne used her handgun's butt to block it. She then weaved beneath Roland's arm and got in his face. Anne proceeded to reach out with her other hand and grabbed the king by the throat. With a vicious smile, she chokeslammed him into the stone floor. Far from being incapacitated, Roland just got back up and headbutted her along the way. Anne was disoriented from the hit and the king took advantage by raising his sword for another swing. I was about to throw one of my tomahawks at him when someone else beat me to it.

"Don't you dare!" Clarice roared out as she became an orange blur and parried the sword swing with her gauntlets.

"Away with you!" Angie then followed up by wrapping her sword whip around Roland and throwing him to the far end of the room. I took that chance to run up behind Anne and wrap my arms around her, making sure that her arms were restrained. There was one chance for me to be able to stop her, something that Anne told us about herself a while back.

"Anne! Look at me!" I yelled at her, moving my head over her shoulder. She struggled against me with a growl, trying to get free.

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO STO–" The words died in her throat when she turned and finally got a good look. "Lea?"

"Do you see me, Anne?" I asked, as she didn't seem to properly notice me earlier.

"Lea." She whispered in disbelief. Anne then grimaced and her expression completely changed.

"Leon!" I blinked at the sudden change in how she spoke.

"Livia?!" I yelled out in surprise, slowly starting to let her go. She managed to take back control? What about Anne?

"Anne and I are trying to calm the other part of her in the bracelet!" She began explaining but looked like she was under great strain. Livia shook her head and held herself against me. "Please buy us time to–NO! YOU WILL NOT STOP MY VENGEANCE!"

Shit! I tried to tighten my grip around her again but Anne slammed the back of her head against my face. I recoiled in pain and that was enough for her to kick me away.

Please keep her in place. I may have a way to restrain her.

Following Control's words, we all moved to surround Anne. Unfortunately, our wonderful ruler had other ideas.

"You all had your chance! I shall be the one to expel this evil out of this innocent maiden!" He yelled out while dashing towards Anne. Innocent maiden? That term didn't apply to either Anne or Livia at all.

"Hertrude! Clara! Angie! We have to keep Masked Knight off Anne!" I called out to the others before glancing at Anne. "Clarice! Stay on Anne and keep her still for Control!"

"You children really think that you are a match for me?" He mocked while easily dodging our attacks. Even between the four of us, we couldn't fight him head on. That was fine, we just had to buy time for Livia and our Anne to snap the other one out of her insanity.

"You won't hurt my love!" Angie roared, her sword being engulfed in fire. I guess she didn't have any qualm against raising her blade against her king if it was for Livia. The heat didn't seem to bother Roland as he defended against both Angie and Clara.

"I knew that there was something wrong with Holfort's king!" Hertrude yelled out while taking pot shots at Roland. As she didn't have as much combat experience as the rest of us, she took on the role of distraction. "Do you really prance around like a child in costume instead of ruling your country? I feel sorry for Queen Mylene."

"Ha! Nice try! Mylene put that all on herself! If she would only let herself fail so I could swoop in and fix everything, then she wouldn't be so overworked!" The mocking tone of his voice woke up something in me that I hadn't felt since the party when Angie challenged Marie to a duel.

"You did that to her on purpose?!" I roared out, Angie and Clara moving aside so I could cross blades with the king. I could see his smile clear as day and I gripped my tomahawks tighter. "So you can make yourself look good if she messes up?!"

"I think that my Lord wants to kill the king now as well." I ignored Clara's jab in favor of chasing Roland after he tried to disengage from me.

"As long as he keeps distracting him, then it's fine!" I heard Hertrude say, but the only thing I could see was the bastard that caused so much sorrow to Mylene.

"Then by all means, come! I will show you the difference between us!" Far from being offended by my words and actions, the shitlord king just spread his arms out in challenge. Fine! Then I was going to make him regret it.

…

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Clarice Fia Atlee winced as she barely blocked another shot from Anne's handgun with her gauntlets. The spell she used against the king was swapped out to one that made the bullets she fired far heavier than they should have been. The downside that she saw was that Anne could not fire as frequently as she normally would without any magical augmentations to her weapon.

It was just good luck that she was so blinded with rage that she didn't seem to remember that she also had a rifle strapped to her back.

"On my love for you and Livia, I shall not let you pass and make this mistake." She declared while keeping herself between Anne and the sounds of combat behind her. She was curious as to why Leon sounded like he wanted to kill King Roland instead, but she assumed that it had something to do with the Queen.

She saw Control's yellow drone fly up behind Anne and smiled. With a swift chop of her hand, Clarice forced the gun to point down onto the floor.

Target locked. Deploying net.

The boxes on the drone's side opened up and a pair of nets shot out to wrap themselves around Anne. "WHAT IS THIS?! I CANNOT MOVE!"

Please do not struggle. That net is made of materials that can withstand forces far beyond you.

"Leon! We got her!" Clarice called out with a smile that became awkward when she saw what her beloved was doing. "You can stop trying to kill the king now."

"Hahahaha! You need years more training to even try to hit me, boy!"

"Fuck you, Shitlord King!"

…

Olivia and Anne reached the source of the red clouds and saw that it was indeed another Anne. She was identical to the girl at her side, save for having a bracelet on her wrist instead of the necklace around her neck. She smiled at the strained look on her face, knowing that the people she loved were keeping her from making a terrible mistake.

"What do we do?" She asked her Anne in worry.

"This is still your mind, Livia." Anne said confidently, not taking her eyes off her other self. "Imagine something that can restrain her."

Oh, is that all? That was pretty easy then.

Olivia closed her eyes and solidified the image from her memory. A moment later, a large black hand reached out to wrap itself around the other Anne. The angry Anne yelled out in surprise as the rest of Olivia's Black Bunny materialized behind her.

"DO YOU BELIEVE THAT YOUR HATRED COULD EVER MATCH MINE?!" She challenged after finally noticing her and their Anne below her.

"No," Olivia said with a smile. "but my love can."

Anne floated up to where her other self was now completely trapped. She could faintly see the two of them stare at each other, like a strange mirror.

"I am you, you are me." Despite the distance, Olivia could still hear their words very clearly. "We are one in the same. Come back, so we can be whole again."

"WITH YOU?! YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN BROKEN LOVE!" Olivia grimaced as she felt the hurt those words caused.

"Yes, I understand it now. Our purpose and what we represent." Her Anne responded, looking back down at her.

"What do you mean?" Anne closed her eyes at Olivia's question before placing a hand on her necklace.

"My necklace holds Anne's love." She started as she turned to the snarling face of the other Anne. "Her bracelet holds Anne's rage."

"Then, what about the staff?" Olivia asked as there was one more saint relic, according to Leon.

Anne gave her a sad smile before looking up to the reddened sky of her mind. "The staff holds Anne's sorrow."

Olivia frowned at that knowledge. If this was how her rage behaved, then she was not looking forward to knowing what her sorrow was going to be like.

"NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" The other Anne screamed out in anger and panic as her Anne reached out to cup her face.

"We exist to do two things. To seek justice for what happened to Lea and to find him in this life." Anne said, making Olivia shake her head.

"But Lea is gone!" What good would it do when it all happened so long ago? Even Leon said that he was not Lea.

"If you were in our situation, with even a sliver of a chance to be reunited with Leon, would you take it?" Olivia looked away in shame as she knew the answer to that question immediately. She would have been willing to do just about anything to be with Leon again.

"There has to be a better way." She weakly said.

"There was, but Anne didn't choose it." Anne then closed her eyes as both versions of her were engulfed in a bright light that forced Olivia to close her eyes. Once it finally dissipated, all that was left was her, her Black Bunny, and Anne who now had both the necklace and bracelet.

"What do we do now?" She asked as the newly combined Anne floated back down. The girl who looked just like her took a deep breath and seemed like she was about to say something that she didn't want to.

"Get the staff and find the truth about the betrayals."

…

I glared at the smirking shitlord king after the girls managed to calm me down. Once Anne was restrained by Control, everyone focused on getting Roland and I away from each other. They were pretty successful as I was absolutely not going to fight them just to get to him.

Anne had stopped struggling a little bit ago. Olivia may have been successful in what she was attempting. We all saw her close her eyes for a few moments, the rest of us waited with bated breath. We all tensed up when she finally opened her eyes and spoke out.

"It's over. We managed to calm the other Anne down." Livia! The net around her immediately fell apart and she was quickly wrapped up in the embrace of my fiancées, with Clara and Hertrude walking up to her with relieved smiles. I was about to join in on the group hug when I saw Livia's expression change again.

"We all have much to talk about." I couldn't help but sigh with the way Anne said those words.

Of course we did.
…

"I suppose our only recourse in the matter is to keep each other's secrets." The shitlord king said with a smirk after we managed to exit the dungeon. He then looked between me and Livia, with Clarice and Angie standing protectively at her sides. "You stay quiet about me, I stay quiet about her."

"How do we even know that you would keep your word?" Hertrude challenged him, making the manchild laugh.

"Because it's far more interesting to have her free and running around in the wild." Before I could even react, he reached out and pulled me close to him. I was about to push him away or knee his nuts when he started whispering.

"Don't use Mylene's office too often for your trysts. It's becoming obvious. As a reward for entertaining me so much, I'll hand her a list of manors that I use whenever I want to meet my mistresses." My eyes widened at what he was suggesting. Was he actually helping me have an affair with his wife?! This guy is nuts! "That should let her be as loud as she wants. You can even bring your other lovers there as well, see how long you can last under the onslaught. Maybe even try your luck with the Fanoss Princess."

"Thank you all for the unforgettable adventure!" He yelled out after roughly pushing my stunned self away from him. He then waved to the others with a big smile. "Till next time!"

"Is it too late for me to shoot him in the back of the head?" Anne asked as we watched him walk away.

God, I hated him so much.

…

Marie Fou Lafan kept her face completely neutral as she watched Jean be brought down from where he was strung up on a tree in the middle of campus. She and Chris stumbled into the commotion when they saw people running to this location. The young man looked to have extensive injuries from beatings. Marie was very familiar with how those kinds of things looked like.

"He was targeted by them, wasn't he?"

"But what did he do to piss off a noble?"

"If it was Feivel and his goons, it could have been anything."

"Is such behavior allowed here without consequence?" Chris asked as he looked at the boy being taken away on a stretcher by the school staff.

"If you are one of their six great houses, then yes." Marie muttered to herself after overhearing what the other onlookers were saying.

It was a few days since she started coming up with situations where Jean and Noelle would interact more and more. She even made sure to be present in some of them to make them talk about each other in positive lights. Marie had not used her intuition in matchmaking as much as she did on Earth, but she got back into the hustle and flow of it like putting on a favorite glove.

The current situation was strange to her as she was sure that Pierre Io Feivel wasn't interested in Noelle. Was he provoked into doing this by another party? The only one that sprung to mind was Loic Leta Barielle.

She looked around but didn't see Noelle in the crowd, did she not know?

"I'm going to my classroom. Make sure that Greg behaves in your classes." She told Chris, not even waiting for his response before marching to the classroom she shared with Noelle and Brad.

"Whoa, what's with the intensity there?" The blonde gyaru asked jokingly. Brad caught her eye and she shook her head when he moved to stand from his seat. Like the good boy that he was, Brad immediately nodded and sat back down.

"Jean was attacked and was taken to the infirmary." She quietly said, making Noelle freeze. The so-called heroine immediately stood from her seat and sprinted out of the classroom. Marie followed her as it was a convenient way to find out where the infirmary was anyway.

"Who did this to him? Why?" Noelle asked as the both of them looked at the unconscious boy on the bed. He had bandages all over him, but he still looked rather banged up. The doctor said that they would need to move him to a proper hospital for further treatment.

"The rumors say that it is probably Feivel and his friends." Noelle looked at her like she was insane.

"What? That's crazy, we haven't even talked to him all year!" Well, that confirmed her thought that Pierre did this of his own volition.

"Then it could be someone else." She narrowed her eyes when Noelle suddenly looked evasive. "Do you have an idea?"

"I'd rather not say." Marie hummed, not saying that the girl pretty much confirmed that Loic was probably involved. Noelle opted to stroke the boy's hair instead. "Jean…"

The girl took a deep breath and shook her head. "His injuries. How can he afford the treatment and rehabilitation?"

"Ah, you don't need to worry about his injuries." Marie told her, seeing the opportunity for what it was.

"What are you–" Not waiting for Noelle to finish her question, Marie reached out and did what she did best. After a moment, Jean started glowing in a faint yellow light.

"Is that healing magic?" Marie couldn't help but preen at the obvious awe that Noelle was showing.

"I am quite good at it." She confirmed, barring certain crazy monsters that were drunk on her brother's love.

Noelle looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Why are you doing so much for us?"

"Partly because I think you two look cute together, partly because I hate men like Pierre, partly because my brother would be disappointed if I didn't." She grinned at the way the other girl blushed and looked away.

"Noelle?" Jean called out after regaining consciousness from the healing.

"Jean!" Marie moved away once she was sure that most of the boy's injuries were fully healed. "Are you okay?"

"I feel a lot better now. What happened?" Jean looked at her in equal awe after Noelle explained what she did. Marie just basked in the moment. "Thank you so much. I don't even know how to begin to repay you."

She was suddenly surprised when Noelle enveloped her in an embrace. "Thank you, Marie! You are the best!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome." She bragged as both Noelle and Jean started laughing.

Marie grinned to herself. In one fell swoop, Pierre just helped make sure that both Noelle and Jean are firmly in her pocket out of gratitude. A blessing in disguise, as it were.

As for Pierre and Loic?

Well, Marie decided that it was time to invite Miss Rault to a Tea Party. If she was lucky, she might even meet her younger brother.

 

[Blackraptor]

Serge Sara Rault didn't really know what to think of the Holfort exchange students when he first saw them. He was scoping out a new dungeon that was discovered recently, only to see the five young men also there for the very same reason. He had vaguely remembered his adopted father mentioning that the crown prince of Holfort and his friends were part of the exchange student thing that the Academies did, but he never thought that he would end up running into them while he was adventuring.

When they introduced themselves to each other, Prince Julius noted that Louise mentioned him during one of their talks. The name elicited complex emotions in Serge. She was his adopted sister and his first love. If only she wasn't so obsessed about her deceased younger brother, if only he hadn't been so blinded with jealousy that he alienated her by destroying the dead boy's pictures, then their relationship now might have been very different.

It didn't really matter anymore. He always said as much to himself whenever the dull ache of remembering how kind Louise was to him, before he messed everything up, resurfaced in his heart.

Serge knew that the Holfort nobles were all adventurers by tradition, but he wasn't quite prepared to witness them in action himself. He would be the first to say that he himself was quite the capable adventurer. His prowess with firearms was honed through years of training and experience. He couldn't help but feel the sting in his pride as he watched the Holfort nobles tear through the dungeon with an ease that made all his training seem worthless.

"This place is pretty neat! Having everything upside down makes things a lot more exciting!" The red one, Seberg he reminded himself, said with a grin as they climbed over what should have been the upper part of an entryway. Everything was pretty normal at the start, until they activated a mechanism that suddenly spun the room around. Now they had to traverse the ceiling of the dungeon while watching out for monsters falling from what would have been the floor.

"Just don't forget to stay in formation, Greg." The blue one, Arclight, reminded his friend. Those two together made up the vanguard of their group. They were so good at killing monsters in front of them that the rest of their party hadn't really needed to do much of anything unless it was an ambush.

"Let's not do a repeat of the snake dungeon where we had to chase you down after you got captured by the boss." The purple one, Field, made the rest of their friends laugh with that. This was something that Serge never really experienced before. He always delved into dungeons by himself as no one else seemed interested, barbaric and uncultured they called it. Field himself was a pretty damn strong mage, casted magic as fast as someone firing a gun too.

"That's not quite fair, Brad. Any one of us could have been caught in that trap." The green one, Marmoria, said with a chuckle. He was the only other one in their party that used guns, specifically a rifle and handgun. Serge was more of a shotgun guy, but he respected how well Marmoria handled both weapons depending on the situation. The guy was also pretty happy about having someone else to talk to about guns. Apparently he had an apprentice back in Holfort that he was pretty proud of, a girl of all things! Serge couldn't really imagine it himself.

"What about you, Serge? Do you have any memorable dungeon stories that you can share?" The last member of their group asked. The white one, Prince Holfort himself. For some ungodly reason, he was acting as their rear guard. He decided to humor them with a few stories of his solo expeditions on a few of Alzer's dungeons.

Serge would have expected that the prince would have been better suited in the front with Seberg and Arclight. Holfort explained that he could see the battlefield better from the rear in order to give out commands. He also said that he was the one who reacts the fastest when it comes to surprise attacks from behind. How the hell did they find that out? Did they test it themselves against a dungeon? Serge thought that it wouldn't have been surprising if that really was the case.

Marmoria, Field and himself took up the middle of the formation as the ranged fighters. The formation proved so effective that he was actually getting bored, even monsters that got past their frontline or rear guard were easy pickings for the three of them. Marmoria could pop them from afar, Field could fry them from mid-range, and Serge could blast them to pieces if they got close. He could admit that it was pretty relaxing, hanging out with other capable men and just demolishing a dungeon on their first try.

"Ugh! A chimera?" Seberg said in disgust when they got to the end of the dungeon. They all looked up and saw the fused monster on the inverted floor, prompting the complaint. It wasn't moving yet, probably waiting for them to attack it first.

That was a mistake it won't live to regret.

"I dunno man, it looks pretty damn flammable to me." He said with a grin before elbowing Field's side. "What do you think, Brad?"

The mage mirrored his grin and raised his hand towards the monster, a red sigil appearing a moment later. "I'm willing to find out."

"Split up and keep it away from Jilk, Brad, and Serge!" Holfort immediately yelled out, moving to the front to join Seberg and Arclight as the boss screamed in pain and fell down to their level. "The three of you concentrate on dealing as much damage to it as you can!"

It was pretty funny that Serge didn't even think that being ordered around by Holfort was insulting in any way. It was a good game plan and it meant that he could shoot the damned thing as much as he wanted!

The lion head of the chimera was still on fire when it got back up and reared its snake head to attack. He noticed that it was targeting Field so he shot it in the face. He and Marmoria glanced at each other as both their shots hit it at the same time, utterly mulching the snake part of the chimera altogether. They both grinned at each other before changing their target to the ram head that was coming out of its back..

The poor bastard couldn't do anything against them. While it was reeling from the loss of its tail head thing, Arclight and Seberg were already slicing at its legs and making it bleed out. Then, the crazy bastard Holfort charged in with his shield and made it topple over after shield bashing its lion head. The six of them jumped it while it was down and it was dead a couple of minutes later.

"Hell yeah!" Serge yelled out in triumph as they all exchanged high fives. This was what he was missing all this time! The thrill and excitement of overcoming a dungeon and its boss with an actual party!

"Good shooting. It's not easy to hit a target that moves around that much with a shotgun." He accepted the compliment from Miamora with a fist bump.

"You boys made it too easy. I almost feel sorry for the thing." Serge said with a laugh that the others joined in on.

"Yo Serge, this normal for Alzer dungeons?" Their attention was taken by Seberg's question. He was standing in front of the dissipating corpse of the boss.

They all looked at each other and walked up to the body and saw that the miasma that appeared when the boss died was being absorbed by something. When all of it was gone, they saw that the only thing left was a small plant that kind of glowed with the way the light hit it.

"A plant? That's it?" Arclight sounded confused and disappointed by that, not that Serge could really blame him either. Where was the big gold chest and cool stuff?!

"It must hold some significance if it is the final reward for a dungeon. I mean, it's literally glowing." Field suggested. That was true, it was probably some magic plant of some kind.

"First time I saw anything like this, that's for sure." He finally said before turning to the exchange students and grinning. "Y'know what, you guys keep it."

"Are you sure?" He nodded at Arclight's surprise.

"Hell of a fun ride rolling with you guys. Consider it as a thank you for letting me join in." Serge genuinely meant it as well. It was definitely something he needed after how shitty the previous school year was. First time his heart throbbed for a girl since Louise and he got shot down without even a second thought. The pink Beltre twin really did a number on him back then.

"If you're sure, I can take it to my family estate in the summer break and plant it in our forest. See what it can grow into." Seberg suggested. They all looked at each other but it didn't look like there was going to be any complaints.

"Then it is settled. Good work, men." Holfort finally declared while Arclight helped Seberg extract the plant and put it and some soil in a bag. Serge didn't know anything about plants and just left them to work.

"Well, adventuring with you guys is a lot of fun." He said after they managed to exit the dungeon.

"You attend the Academy, right? Why don't we see you around?" He snorted at Marmoria's question. As the heir to the Rault house, he was going to be part of the elite no matter what he did. Not going to the Academy just meant that he wasn't causing any problems there anyway.

"Never really had a reason to. It was just boring to me." Serge admitted with a shrug. The guys looked at each other and looked like they were having a conversation without actually talking. Weird.

"Well, I'm sure it will be less boring with friends." Field finally said before extending a fist in his direction. The other followed suit, making sure that there was space for him to bump his fist into formation too. He laughed and took the offer for what it was.

"Hell, maybe you're onto something there pretty boy." Serge said with a big grin as the six of them stood outside the dungeon they just conquered.

Maybe it really was worth going back to school now that there were real men attending in his year.

…

Marie Fou Bartfort was certainly surprised when her boys regaled her with the stories of their little dungeon adventure. To think that they would stumble into one of the capture targets, the younger brother of the villainess she had invited to tea. She already had one of the twins in her back pocket along with her potential lover, but also having one of the canonical love interests would be useful as a backup plan as well. It certainly helped that he was one of the less problematic boys, more interested in dungeoneering than harassing women.

She only distractedly nodded along when Greg showed her the strange plant that they received as the final reward of the dungeon. It didn't look like anything, it certainly didn't give off a glow like they said that it would. Apparently, Greg was going to bring it to their family estate when they return to Holfort for summer vacation. She just waved them off and reminded them to make sure that the plant would be properly watered and have enough sunlight.

They then left once again after putting their silly new plant in Greg's room, saying that they were going to celebrate some more with their new friend. Boys will be boys.

Half an hour later, the villainess sat in front of her in a tasteful blue dress. "I must admit that I was not expecting an invitation for a Tea Party with you."

Kyle had prepared the tea and snacks for them to partake. Not at all near the quality of her brother's but it was acceptable enough.

"It's partly gratitude for taking time to help us get used to living in Alzer and attending the Academy here." Marie said easily enough, slipping back into old habits and training.

"And the other part?" She smiled at Louise's question.

"Well, one can never have too many friends."

"Especially friends of influence." The villainess noted with a nod as she took a sip of tea. Marie felt herself being appraised by the older girl. "I see that kind of thinking has served you well so far."

Knowing when to take pride in her accomplishments, Marie nodded. "It's a talent."

"I have heard that you have become friends with Noelle Beltre." Ah, there it was. She was wondering how long until Louise noticed that.

"She sits in front of me in class. With her personality, it was only a matter of time." A plausible excuse, if a weak one. Louise simply hummed and regarded her with a neutral expression.

"You don't seem to approve." That was obvious enough.

"I merely think that you can choose far better friends." A slightly tense silence settled between the two of them. Why was she so hostile to Noelle and not Lelia? Was it really just because the other twin managed to get one of the capture targets?

Kyle suddenly walked up to her with Control's drone in his hands. "Mistress? Your brother wishes to speak with you."

"It's from his ship, it allows us to communicate through long distances." Marie explained to the curious looking girl. She and Control both agreed that people knowing that it was sentient was a bad idea. They ended up coming up with an excuse to have the drone around when needed by saying that it was a communication device between her and Leon.

"Please, I don't mind." Louise said with a smile. Marie nodded in thanks and pushed a 'button' on the side that activated the drone.

"Nice to see you again, Big Brother." Marie happily greeted the projected image of Leon from the drone. She quickly looked at Louise when she heard porcelain rattling from her side of the table. "Are you okay?"

"Q-quite alright!" Marie raised an eyebrow at the way the usually composed young woman was suddenly acting.

"Are you with someone?" She sighed and turned back to her clueless brother.

"I'm having tea with Miss Louise Sara Rault, she and her house helped us get settled in." She turned the drone so he could see Louise from his end of the display. Marie blinked when Louise got a better look at Leon. Why did she look like she saw a ghost?

"Hello! Nice to meet you! I'm Leon Fou Bartfort!" Marie thought that she heard a soft gasp from Louise. Now she was really interested in what this was about. Was it love at first sight? "Thank you for helping Marie and the boys over there."

"Louise?" Marie prompted, finally snapping the girl out of her daze.

"It's no problem at all, Leon." She said with a beautiful smile. Wait, she was already calling him by his name so familiarly.

"Any reason for the sudden call, brother?" Marie chose to ask instead, it might have been an emergency after all.

Leon snapped his finger and tried to look around the room from his end. "Oh yeah! Is Julius there? I need to talk to him about a few things."

"Sadly, he and the others went out. Seems that they made a new friend." Marie said with a patient smile. She then remembered something and her smile became just a bit more smug. "In fact, it is Louise's younger brother, Serge Sara Rault."

"They met Serge?" Marie nodded at Louise's question.

"They ran into each other while adventuring." That earned an eye roll from the other girl. They really don't appreciate adventuring here, huh? She supposed that the mountain sized miracle tree gave them more than what they needed so the profession wasn't really needed at all aside from digging up magic stones.

"Huh, neat. I guess I'll just call back later then. So sorry for interrupting your Tea Party." Leon stated with an awkward laugh. Louise just laughed along, seemingly genuinely delighted by him.

"It's no problem at all, Leon." Wow, she was really laying on thick. Did her brother really just seduce a second villainess?

"Till later then, big brother." She said her farewell to Leon.

"Yeah, take care Marie!" She couldn't help but feel her heart flutter at how happy he said her name. Damn this place for keeping her away from her big brother!

"Thank you, Kyle." Kyle bowed and took away the drone, once again leaving the two of them alone. Oddly, the silence that followed was a lot more companionable than before.

"Your brother seems to love you very much." Marie blinked at the wistful tone in her voice. Didn't Louise have a brother herself?

"He's the best. I can't imagine not having him around." Not really able to resist herself, she just had to brag about Leon.

"I see. He studies in Holfort Academy then? He did not choose to join you in the exchange program?" Louise asked in quick succession. She seemed really interested in her brother.

Marie shrugged and started to explain, even though part of it irked her. "He has other things to deal with. Besides, he's engaged and probably wouldn't be able to get away even if wanted to."

"Political?" Louise asked while leaning forward.

"More romantic on their end, more political on the parents' end."

"Of course." She heard Louise say and barely heard her whisper to herself. "A shame."

Oh god, Leon really did seduce another villainess! How does he do it? Was it some sort of gland? No, wait! She could use this!

"Do you have plans this summer break?" Marie suddenly asked, a plan quickly forming in her mind.

Louise raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "Not really, no. Why?"

"I'm thinking of paying you back for everything." Marie couldn't help but give out her most brilliant smile. If this worked, then she would have some of the main drivers of the plot on her side. "Would you and your brother like to visit Holfort?"

The way Louise's eyes widened at the offer confirmed that she had said the right thing. The smile that was shown a moment later was just icing on the cake. "We would love to."

She would need to tell Leon and Control about this later on, but they would see why this would work so well in their favor.

What's the worst that could happen?

 

[Blackraptor]

Deep breath!

Pull left!

Clench! Push right! "Hrrgh!"

"Haaa!" Exhale. Inhale. "Getter! Beam!"

"Double Tomahaaaaaawk! Boooomerang!"

"Holy shit!" I cursed while prematurely ending the Getter Beam. I barely managed to move Black Getter enough away from the thrown double tomahawks, ones that had blades which were as big as my Getter Robo was tall. The thing that threw it was a simulated version of a Getter Robo D2, proper scaling and all.

When you hear the words "Mass Production" in terms of mecha, you would normally imagine that they would be pushovers. Nothing but cannon fodder to make the main character or the antagonist look good by ripping them to pieces, usually with an accompanying musical score that amplifies the experience.

I wanted to rip apart the animation studios who conditioned me to think like that! D2 was not a pushover! It was at least as fast as Black Getter and was way stronger because of the sheer difference in mass that it had. The second it popped its bat-like wings when the fight started, I knew that I was in trouble.

"God dammit!" I continued to curse, reaching to Black Getter's waist to pull out its new weapons. A pair of four barreled gatling machine canons unfurled from their compact form, one in each hand. I aimed it squarely at the face of my foe and held down the triggers of the guns. The shots hit but didn't even show any visible damage on the red paint.

"Getaaaaaaaaa! Beeeeeamu!"

"Hrrragh!" I pulled hard on the levers while clenching again to deal with the sudden increase of my weight, Black Getter flying zig-zag to avoid the pink death beam that was coming out of the emitter on D2's head.

"Tomahawk!" I yelled out in desperation. Black Getter pulled out a tomahawk and I threw it at the face of my enemy. It stopped firing the getter beam but I had to groan when it just slapped away the incoming weapon out of the air like it was nothing. The wings on its back flapped once and I immediately tried to fly away from it. The sound of the sky being sliced open was the only warning before D2 appeared, flying parallel to Black Getter. It pulled out another tomahawk and tried to swing at me.

"Fuuuuuck!" Forcing Black Getter into an immediate stop to avoid the hit was a very bad idea. My vision blacked out for a few seconds and I just desperately started pulling and pushing levers to try to keep myself moving even though I didn't know where anything was. Colors and spots swam in front of my face, the feeling of falling was the only thing I was sure of. I couldn't keep this up much longer. Come on Leon, think! This thing could do everything I could and was way bigger than Black Getter! There had to be a way around it!

Sadly, my opponent didn't afford me enough time to think of another strategy.

"Double Getter Beaaaaam!" I yelled out in panic when a red blob suddenly appeared in front of my blurry vision. Red and pink light flew at it but it just blocked both with its forearms and crashed itself into me.

Warning lights started flashing everywhere as sparks flew out in front of me. My vision finally cleared enough to realize that D2 was using the buzzsaws in its forearms to cut into Black Getter. I tried to push and pull at the levers to get something going but it was too late as everything went black. The message that the mission was a failure appeared in front of me.

Please do not feel too bad about the loss. You are not used to fighting something that is equal or superior to yourself. The only other time you attempted was against Gilgilgan.

"Doesn't make it sting any less." I muttered while burying my face in my hands. It was a complete stomping. I had no chance in hell against that thing. Was this what I had to look forward to?

It does not. However, context is needed here. I highly doubt that the refurbished Getter Robo D2 that the Principality will field will be anywhere near as capable as the fully functioning unit you just faced. Additionally, whoever will be piloting it would not have the same talent, training, and experience as the pilot AI that you faced.

That made me blink. It was weird that the D2 was actually calling out attacks that didn't sound like it came from a synthesized voice. "So whose AI did I go up against anyway?"

I loaded a toned down AI of Ryoma Nagare into the simulated Getter Robo D2. The piloting experience they had in Getter Robo G translated well to the mass production unit.

"Isn't that one of the original Getter Team members, Professor Jin's friend, and the guy my ship is named after?" I asked in growing horror at what I was really up against in that short fight.

Correct on all counts.

"Why did you think it was a good idea for me to face the D2 being piloted by a monster like that?!" I couldn't help but yell out. No wonder I couldn't do anything against it, I was fighting a full-sized Getter Robo that had the AI of one of their legendary pilots. Just how hard would it have gone if the AI wasn't toned down? I shuddered at the thought.

Because if you can hold your own against even a simplified version of Ryoma Nagare, then you will be able to face anything Fanoss can deploy against you. This includes any possible summoned Hundred Demon Mechanized Beasts.

"Any ideas on how Black Getter can damage D2 though? Nothing seemed to be working." I pointed out. Getter Tomahawk, Getter Beam, Getter Razor, none of them did enough damage that I could take advantage of without getting immediately torn to pieces in retaliation.

I am currently making recalibrations on Black Getter F based on the data you have provided with this simulation. The changes will be reflected the next time you face Getter Robo D2 in the simulator. Further adjustments will be made based on subsequent bouts.

I groaned at that. It made sense that I had to practice fighting against the thing we knew was going to attack Holfort at some point. It didn't make it feel any less like a mecha version of a FromSoft game. Wait, wasn't that just Armored Core? I shook my head to clear my thoughts, I must have still been reeling from getting tossed around.

"We need Deirdre." I finally said. Having her fighting alongside me if the D2 we end up facing was anywhere near what I just lost against would be just fantastic.

Construction on the new Getter Robo is proceeding on schedule. We should have more than enough time to complete it before Miss Deirdre's birthday. I shall also import its data into the simulator once it is complete and calibrated to her specifications.

I nodded with a smile. That was good. The rest of summer break should give her enough time to break it in and set it to the way she liked it. I then tapped on the armrest of the simulator's pilot seat when I finally realized something. "How the hell do you make this thing simulate g-force anyway?"

Don't worry about it.

Yeah, I should have expected that answer.

…

Angie's dad finally managed to schedule us some official time to speak with Mylene in her office and we decided to just tell her everything. That meant that I brought along Angie, Livia, Clarice, Hertrude, and Yumeria for the talk. To that end, I just managed to finish explaining the truth about what happened on Elven Island, Fanoss' involvement in all the recent monster attacks, and the fact that they have a flute that can summon Enemies of Humanity as well as unearthed an old Getter Robo. Hertrude and Yumeria filled in the blanks and answered any additional questions Mylene had on the matter.

Control was out handling other things, mainly giving Deirdre her new pilot suit. She was probably already wearing it and spending some quality time in the simulator against D2. I wouldn't put it past her to be able to beat it after enough time to learn the fight.

"You know," the Queen of Holfort started as she looked at all of us sitting in her office. "I thought that we were going to have a very different conversation when you came here with all these girls."

I furrowed my brows when she said that. Then I saw how she was looking at me and finally caught on to the meaning. "What?! No! I would die!"

"Only in your dreams, Leon~" Hertrude teased with a grin.

"Inheritor Leon is adamant that I keep from offering myself to him in bed." Yumeria added with a nod. My lovers just laughed at the humor at my expense.

We then proceeded to talk about the possibility of traitors in the Holfort nobility. In particular, the group that Hertrude spoke about.

"Hmm…" Mylene hummed in consideration after we finished explaining that part.

"So, Forest of Ladies." I started, really hoping that she could shed some light on the matter. "Do you know anything about them?"

"A cabal of noblewomen that has existed for decades, all from the middle ranks, conspiring to manipulate and undermine the authority of men from the same ranks. Even going so far setting up doomed marriages that would pay out well for them should their new spouses die in the battlefield." We were all silent at the rather comprehensive description of a supposedly secret organization.

"We have no actionable proof, but the Crown is well aware of them." She added with a frustrated sigh.

Angie leaned forward, looking very interested at what Mylene knew. "Do you know who the members are?"

"Only suspicions."

"I would have thought that you would be more alarmed about what my country has been up to." Hertrude pointed out with a raised brow. That was a good point. Fanoss' capabilities and actions should have already caused great concern, especially with the history the two nations had.

"Oh, I am very alarmed. I have just learned how to hide it well." Mylene answered with a much more tense smile. She then turned to me with the same smile. "So, any other world shattering revelations you all wanted to share with me?"

"You are not native to this country, as Leon has told me. But how versed are you about the story of their saint?" Well, that certainly counted as one of those.

"Why is Livia speaking in that accent and why does she look like she has religious looking accessories?" The queen asked as Anne displayed the necklace around her neck and the bracelet around her wrist.

"Those are the Saint's Necklace and Saint's Bracelet." Mylene's eyes widened when she heard what they were. I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction before continuing the explanation. "You are currently speaking to the previous Saint, Anne. Livia lets her use her body to interact with the outside world."

"...what?" The others gave her patient smiles as she processed what I just told her.

"Welcome to our world, Mylene." I added with a shrug. It took her a few minutes to steady herself and finally be able to speak clearly.

"And here I thought that you being reborn from another world was the most shocking thing you could tell me. Why do you keep getting wrapped up in things like this?" She asked, giving me a withering look that I just shrugged at. I didn't know either!

"I wouldn't complain. It was one such contrivance that eventually led to the two of you meeting." Anne pointed out and Mylene just nodded to her in acquiescence. She then blinked and groaned in a rather un-queen-like manner.

"What's wrong?" I had to ask in concern.

"I just remembered what Roland said before he handed me a list of mansions that he said people didn't know about." I cringed at the reminder of what King Shitlord told me at the end of our dungeon dive. He was actually serious about that?! "He told me that it was a reward for being entertained by an old ghost."

"I still desperately wish to kill that man." Anne muttered in an unamused tone of voice.

"Get in line." Mylene's quip didn't surprise us in the least considering the workload that King Shitlord kept piling on her.

"I shall do what needs to be done and mobilize my own intelligence network on the matter of the Forest of Ladies. If they truly are treasonous, then I shall relish in unmasking them." Mylene told us, getting back on topic. She set her gaze on the girls and hummed in thought. "To that end, I would like to ask for assistance from Angie, Clarice, and Princess Hertrude."

She smiled at the surprised expressions of the three girls. "Investigating a conspiracy and managing my day-to-day is something I cannot handle by myself. I shall introduce you three to my trusted aides and you shall help them in uncovering this conspiracy."

"It would be our pleasure, Queen Mylene." Hertrude immediately responded, with Angie and Clarice nodding in agreement.

"And you Livia…Saintess Anne?" Mylene asked hesitantly.

"Livia now, your Majesty." Livia answered with a smile. Yeah, Mylene was going to need some time to get used to that.

"That is so strange…" She said as much before shaking her head and continuing with a stern voice. "If you wish to claim the staff, then you will need to go to the Temple directly and undergo their trial. However, if you do so, you will be publicly outed as the Saintess. Your life will never be normal again."

"My life hasn't been normal since I met Leon." Livia told her with a sideways glance to me.

"Hey!" Everyone else giggled at the teasing, even Yumeria looked amused by it.

"I can't imagine myself living any other life. I'll do it. I promised Anne as well. Whatever is waiting for us when we reclaim her staff, we'll face it together." Livia added with a confidence she never had at the start of her first year. Her voice then shifted to let Anne answer as well.

"Yes.Together."

"If that's it for the official reason for your visit, I would like to ask Yumeria and Princess Hertrude to return to the Academy first." We all looked at each other at the rather specific call out. Mylene continued with a gesture towards the door. "I shall have my personal guards escort them there."

"So, any reason why you want just the four of us here?" I asked after both girls were escorted away by four very serious looking knights. Before Mylene could answer, we all turned to Livia when she started taking off the Saint Relics.

"Anne said that she would allow us privacy, if we're going to talk about what she thinks we will be talking about." I was about to ask what she was talking about when Mylene reached over to hold one of Angie's and Clarice's hands in her own.

"Allow me to apologize to you both. I should have handled revealing my involvement with Leon with more tact." Our eyes widened at what she was saying, except for Livia who was just smiling at the unfolding scene. "I was just so happy. I can't even describe the joy I felt when he accepted me. The elation I felt was something I thought I would never feel outside loving my precious children."

"You don't have to apolo-" Livia's kind words were interrupted by a surprisingly stern voice.

"She has to. As the queen, an adult, and a woman." Angie scolded our mutual lover before turning to Clarice. The two of them had a silent conversation by way of some form of mysterious female telepathy and nodded to each other. She then turned back to Mylene with a smile. "We accept your apology, Queen Mylene."

"Honestly, we were more mad about Leon not being the one to tell us about it." Clarice cut in with a grin, the rest of them giggling when she gently elbowed by side.

"Awww! Don't pout, Leon. You all already forgave each other." I was not pouting, Livia! How dare you insinuate that!

"I can finally say this with full conviction in front of you all." Mylene happily said as she turned to me. I couldn't help but blush when she cupped my face and looked at me with just the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. "I love you, Leon Fou Bartfort, with as much of myself as I can give."

I opened my mouth to respond when I finally realized something. My eyes widened and I could feel myself suddenly give a look of horror.

"Leon? What's wrong?" Mylene asked in sudden alarm, the other girls also looked very concerned. "If that was too much, then I'm–"

I grabbed her hands and shook my head as she suddenly looked remorseful for her declaration.

It wasn't that.

It wasn't her.

Not at all.

"What's going on Leon?" Clarice asked when I still didn't talk. I gently took Mylene's hands off my face and I slowly turned to look at each one of them there with me.

"I've never actually told any of you that I love you, have I?" I softly asked in shock and disgust at myself.

Things became a bit more hectic after that question.

…

"Big brother! We have a major complica–what the fuck happened to you?" I sighed at Marie's sudden disbelief. I managed to take a shower and change into a new set of clothes when I returned to the Academy. Sadly, the love bites on my neck that my four lovers inflicted on me earlier that day were still visible and were probably going to stick around for a day or so.

Maybe I should wear my pilot suit's scarf tomorrow during classes?

It was already dark and Control suddenly told me once I was done changing that Marie urgently needed to speak with me.

"Turns out that I've never actually told any of my four lovers that I loved them. Once I did, well…" I trailed off, not really feeling the need to elaborate the rest of what happened that afternoon.

My sister hummed and nodded at me. "Right, I never actually asked who the mysterious fourth woman you have actually is."

"Queen Mylene." Well, that was a lot of complicated expressions on Marie's face. It was pretty funny to look at. She was about to say something when I raised a hand and elaborated on a couple of important things. "Julius already knows and is weirdly okay with it. King Shitlo–Roland also knows and doesn't care."

"I need to freak out about that sometime in the future once it fully sinks in." Marie muttered before shaking her head and leaning at the camera. "Fuck that for now, something else happened here!"

I sighed and gestured for her to proceed. "Okay, lay it on me."

"Remember that tiny plant that Julius and the others found in a dungeon?" I raised an eyebrow at the question. I nodded, she had told me about the weird drop that the boys and their new friend got from the chimera they fought.

"Well, they've all been taking turns taking care of it." I had to admit, the image of the five of them taking care of a plant was pretty adorable. Marie continued and the feeling changed into something more tiring. "This morning, when they were doting on it and talking about what it would grow into, it suddenly started glowing really brightly."

"So it's a magic plant?" I asked, did it suddenly give them the power to throw fireballs at will or something?

"It's worse than a magic plant. The five of them suddenly had markings on the back of their right hand." A magic plant in the Alzer Republic that can give hand markings had a very specific connotation.

A very problematic connotation.

"Marie, you better not be telling me what I think you're about to tell me." Marie winced and gave me a helpless shrug.

"We asked Louise about it and apparently they all have a fragment of the Sacred Tree Guardian Crest on them. She then took all five of them with her to have a meeting with her father about it." She told me, confirming my worst fear. Out of literally anything that could have dropped for them, the boys just had to hit the one jackpot they didn't need to hit. "They're still at their estate right now."

"So what you are saying is that the tiny plant they found is a baby Sacred Tree?" I slowly asked, already imagining the headaches that this was going to cause for us.

"Louise called it a Sacred Tree sapling and it is apparently the first time in decades that someone found one that didn't immediately wither away to nothing." Marie's tone also reflected the way I felt. Shit, a lot of people in Alzer probably won't be happy about this.

"How does that affect things over there?" My sister pulled at her blonde hair with my question.

"I don't know!" She whined.

"Any other world shattering revelations you'd like to share with me before we both try to sleep this off?" I asked tiredly, borrowing Mylene's words from earlier. Marie suddenly perked up and clapped at my question, looking like she did when she thought that she did something really clever.

"Oh yeah, I invited Louise and her brother over for the summer."

I was kidding!

 

[Blackraptor]

Julius Rapha Holfort had to wonder if any family which was the majority ruling power of a country just naturally succumbed to dysfunction and fell apart given enough time. That was what happened with his own family after all. His worthless father, his poor mother, and his dear younger siblings. He thought of this as it seemed that he had another example unraveling right in front of him and his trusted friends.

After they were whisked away to the Rault family manor by Miss Louise, an audience was quickly arranged with her father. To say that Chairman Albergue Sara Rault was alarmed by the news that the five of them had become the apparent Guardians of the Sacred Tree Sapling they found in the dungeon was an understatement. The alarm turned into apoplectic anger when they told him about Serge's involvement in the acquisition of the sapling from a dungeon.

"-or were you not paying attention to all the lessons you had about how the Sacred Tree works!" Julius couldn't help but wince in secondhand shame as their friend was being dressed down by his father.

"Well, how the hell was I supposed to tell that it wasn't just a special healing herb or something?!" His reasoning fell on deaf ears as both his father and elder sister glowered at him.

"It's things like this that make people question the wisdom of adopting you to become house Rault's heir." Miss Louise's derision was the last straw for Julius. From the looks of the others, they were of the same mind. He decided to intervene before Serge could dig himself into a deeper hole with his family.

"If I may interject, Chairman." He spoke out, not in the least intimidated with the way their eyes darted to him. Attention was something Julius was well used to, whether for good or ill. "We would appreciate it if you do not blame Serge for the current situation. We would also like the chance to speak, being the very guardians that you are all arguing over."

"Honestly, none of us want to be the Sacred Tree Guardian anyway. If there's a way to give the crest over to Serge, then we'd be all for it." Greg added, with the others nodding along. Ah, that was certainly another way to go about things. Excellent idea, Greg!

Serge looked at us in complete disbelief before finally finding his voice. "Are you guys serious? You'd actually give up the ownership of your own Sacred Tree to me?"

"We don't particularly need one." Chris pointed out as he adjusted his glasses.

"Besides, we would be hard pressed to find a suitable location to plant a tree that would eventually grow into the size of a mountain." Brad's joke made them chuckle, even Serge was smiling. His father and sister just looked rather stunned though.

"You crazy bastards." Serge muttered while turning away from everyone. If his family would not support him, then it would fall to them to pick up the slack.

"You're our friend now, Serge. We always have our friends' backs." Jilk gave voice to his thoughts. As expected of his best friend. He then added something they all definitely agreed with. "If he was here, I'm sure our other friend, Leon would say the same."

"Leon." The way the Chairman said Leon's name made the five of them glance at each other in uncertainty. Did his reputation already make it all the way out in Alzer as well? It certainly wasn't impossible if the right people knew about it.

"It's the young man I spoke to you about." Louise hissed at her father, making him grimace. Well that was certainly not the kind of reaction he was expecting.

"What's this about?" He finally voiced their confusion. Even Serge was not meeting their eyes, looking away as if he was sulking about something.

"I would like you all to take a look at this photograph." Albergue said, reaching towards a framed picture on his desk and offering it to them. Julius had to blink a few times to make sure that he was not seeing things.

Chris was the first one to snap out of their shock and ask the most relevant question. "Why is there a picture of Leon as a child in the Rault household?"

"That was my son, Leon Sara Rault." The Chairman's son?! He even had the same name! Julius noted that Louise looked rather crestfallen at the mention of the boy. "He would have been your age by now."

Ah, that certainly explained it.

"My condolences." Julius genuinely meant it. He couldn't even imagine what it would have been like for them. His friends also gave their respects before they all took a closer look at the picture.

"The boy looks exactly like our Leon despite being a completely different person. What a fascinating coincidence." Jilk said in clear wonder. The resemblance was definitely quite uncanny. The Rault house would likely have been sent into a panic if Leon had accompanied them in the exchange program.

"Coincidence." He heard Louise say after a scoff. Julius chose not to comment on the strange reaction from the older girl.

"Back to the topic at hand." The Chairman said after they returned his son's photo. "Sadly, there is no record of any instance of the Guardian Crest being transferred to another or rescinded while the current Guardian was still alive. More so, the mere fact that the guardian was chosen before the priestess already upends the traditional order of how things are done."

"Can we just get a full explanation on how all of this is actually supposed to work then?" Greg asked in complete exasperation.

Jilk expounded on the growing confusion and frustration that we were all feeling at that point. "I agree. We do not have a complete picture of what the significance of anything is, preventing us from properly appreciating the severity of it as you all seem to."

Chairman Rault accepted their words with grace and proceeded to educate them about how the process worked. About the legend of the Sacred Tree and how it is renewed through the discovery of Saplings. About how it chooses its caretaker, the Priestess. About how the Priestess chooses its protector, the Guardian. How the specific Priestess and Guardian Crests are more powerful than any of the other ones that the great houses possessed. The way he spoke of it, the Priestess and Guardian could very well be considered as the Queen and King of the Republic.

That did raise a particular question though.

"But wait, if we are the Guardians of the Sapling, where are the Priestess and Guardian of the current Sacred Tree?" The uncomfortable silence that settled following Julius' question did not bode well.

"The previous Priestess and Guardian, along with every single priestess throughout history, hailed from the now destroyed house Lespinasse." Julius hummed at the information. He remembered being taught that house Lespinasse was the primary ally of the Kingdom in the Republic. He also knew about it being destroyed when he was still a child.

The part about the Priestesses originating from that house exclusively was all new information to him though.

"Destroyed? By who?" Brad asked in surprise. He looked at everyone and continued his thought. "If the claim of the power that those two crests hold is true, what could have possibly caused their downfall?"

That was a very good point. Julius narrowed his eyes at how uncomfortable Albergue suddenly looked. Could it be?

"I'm afraid that the details surrounding the fall of house Lespinasse is a matter of State and cannot be divulged to foreigners." He stated diplomatically. A rather stark change in standing from how freely he gave them information earlier.

Albergue definitely had something to do with what happened to house Lespinasse.

"Where does that leave us then? Does that mean that there is a priestess out there just running around in the open?" Greg's question did raise an interesting point.

"It is unknown. The order of selection is out of order so we wouldn't even know where to begin looking." Albergue answered with a shake of his head. He then gestured towards our hands. "For now, I would highly suggest hiding your recent status as guardians."

"I suppose that we will need to start wearing gloves moving forward." Brad stated with a hum while looking at his fragment of the crest. Discussions continued in a more mundane course. Mainly just assurances that what had happened would not sour diplomatic relations between their countries.

"Thank you for speaking to me about this. I shall try to figure out a way to handle the situation that won't cause a war between our nations." The dismissal was pretty obvious, but there was no reason why they needed to point it out.

"If there is anything we can do to help, please ask. I am still the Kingdom's Crown Prince." He said with well practiced ease.

"Thank you, Prince Julius." The Chairman answered with a smile. Before they left, Julius wanted to make sure of one more thing.

"Before we go, may we speak to Serge?" Albergue narrowed his eyes at the request, but nodded his consent. The six of them walked out of the Chairman's home office just as he turned to speak to Miss Louise.

"How are you feeling?" Julius asked Serge when they stepped into a separate empty room. Their friend tried to put up a strong front, but it quickly broke down in the face of their collective concern.

"Like I'm the fucking failure Louise keeps telling me I am." Greg immediately placed a supportive hand on Serge's shoulder when he said that. Julius followed suit, knowing a thing or two about being seen that way thanks to his father.

"Our words earlier were not just for show. We are your friends and allies in this." Julius reminded him. The others nodded in agreement when Serge looked at each of them. "If anyone gives you a hard time for your involvement in the sapling's discovery, then they will contend with all of us."

"Thanks." He finally said with a relieved smile.

"We'll see you at the Academy, alright?" Chris asked, his fist out in an obvious offer.

"Yeah, see you crazy bastards there." Serge answered with a laugh as the six of them bumped their fists together.

…

Marie Fou Bartfort wondered why it was so easy to slip into the routine of being a high school girl again. She didn't particularly enjoy high school back on Earth, she forgot about it and the experiences she had there midway through her University days. Despite all that, chatting and hanging out with Noelle and Jean was just something she ended up doing as a matter of course. It wasn't even really intentional anymore. Was it the atmosphere?

With how the two of them had become closer than mere friends, Marie was certain that Noelle and Jean would end up as lovers. All her observations when she saw the pair huddling together when they thought no one was looking was quite telling. Once that is done, she just had to bring Noelle to the Sapling they now had and she would-

"You okay there, Rie?" Noelle called her attention using the nickname she insisted on. "You look like you swallowed a bug."

Marie couldn't just tell her that her five lovers, one of whom was the Crown Prince of Holfort, had become the Guardians of the Sacred Tree Sapling. What would happen once Noelle did become the Priestess? Did that mean that she would have to marry one of the five to secure the Good End of the second game?

The most obvious candidate was Julius because of his status. That would bind Holfort and Alzer in marriage and would probably end up being beneficial for everyone involved.

Marie chose not to think about the ugly feeling the thought brought about in her chest.

They were all nothing but children, she told herself, including the two who were looking at her with growing concern.

"I was just thinking about a rumor going around that the two of you have been sneaking around by yourselves." Marie turned the conversation around on the two teenagers with a smirk. Deflect and cover, just like always.

Don't let them see what was inside.

Never let anyone see what was inside.

No one would accept it.

No one ever had before.

As expected, the pair looked alarmed and made eyes at each other. Ah, so they were already at the phase where they could already have conversations with just eye contact. Excellent!

"Rie's a friend, we can trust her." Noelle assured her obvious boyfriend with a pat on his arm. Jean looked a bit hesitant and nodded. Oh? Were they finally going to tell her that they were together now?

"So listen," Noelle excitedly started while gently elbowing Jean's side, making him blush. These two were just adorable. "I've actually been helping Jean here use all your advice so he could ask his crush from the Third Year out on a date, and he finally succeeded!"

What?

"It was touch and go for a bit, but I just remembered all that talk about finding a girl who was worth overcoming my fear of being rejected for." Jean shyly stated, while Noelle just gave the boy a thumbs up. "Honestly, I was surprised at how easy it was. I was just upfront and honest about my interest and she said yes."

Who said yes?!

"Well, Rie also said that asking the girl out is the easy part. Making sure you don't mess up the date itself will be harder." Noelle lectured, repeating some of the things she said to them to hint how he should act once he was dating his friend. "But you should be fine with all the tips Marie gave you."

This wasn't why she gave that advice!

"That is true. Thank you Marie, I never would have even thought about asking her out if you didn't say all that stuff about regretting missed opportunities." Jean just continued to hammer the truth that he had used all her tips and tricks in order to ask out a girl who wasn't Noelle!

"So, who is this lucky girl then?" Marie asked with a big smile she used to hide her panic and loathing behind.

"Her name is Emma. Her family runs a local bakery that I frequent with Elle." Jean told her with a smile of his own. Marie was sure that his dog, who shared a name with Noelle so they just call her Elle, helped in convincing whoever that Emma was to go out on a date with him.

Oh god, everything was spiraling out of control! The girl who had half the chance to become the Priestess is still single when the Sapling was already on the board! What else could go wrong now?!

As if answering her question, another person walked up to them and spoke up. "I see that you're having fun there, Noelle."

"You don't have to say it like that, Lelia." Noelle tiredly responded. Marie took a look at the newcomer and immediately knew who she was. How could she not? She looked like a palette swapped version of her friend. Lelia Beltre looked exactly like Noelle, but her hair was pink instead of blonde. They both even had side tails, though Lelia had her tied on the left side while Noelle had hers tied on the right. If they fused together, you'd get the girl that Marie saw on the poster of the second game.

"Hello Lelia." Jean greeted the pink Beltre sister.

"Jean." Wow, talk about dismissiveness. She then turned to Marie and raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"

"Marie Fou Bartfort. I'm an exchange student from Holfort." Marie introduced herself with a smile. It seemed that the other twin was a lot less friendly in general.

"Listen to this, Lelia!" Noelle excitedly started to tell the story of Jean's recent success with women. "Marie is awesome! She managed to get Jean to finally ask out Miss Emma on a date and she accepted!"

"I see. Good for you, Jean." She really didn't like the mild mannered boy, huh?

"Thank you." At least Jean didn't seem so offended by it. Or was it that he was just used to the way the pink one treated him.

"Speaking of dates. You should just follow my advice and give Loic a chance. He's obviously a good match for you." Marie tensed up at the pink one's words. Noelle winced and made it obvious what she thought about that idea.

Marie finally decided to smoothly insert herself into the conversation. "A bit of a high bar to go after an heir to a great house."

"Why not? I'm dating Emile." The pink one pointed out before waving a hand at her sister. "It will be easy for Noelle since Loic is already interested in her."

"Well, I'm not interested in him. Why do you keep pushing him on me?" Noelle grumbled and it looked like this was a conversation that already happened before.

"Because it's for your own good. He's perfect for you." Marie couldn't help but snort at the pink one's assertions.

"That's a pretty tone deaf thing to say. Are you sure you two are twins?" She said with a mocking smile.

The pink one narrowed her eyes at her even as she spoke. "Stay out of this. This is between me and my sister."

"Your sister can decide who she can love for herself." Marie firmly stated. Who did this bitch think she was?!

"Please stop arguing!" Noelle suddenly spoke out and stood to her feet. She then grabbed the pink one and started to lead her away.

"Thanks for standing up for me, Rie. I really appreciate it." Noelle told her with a smile before pulling her sister to another part of the Academy. "Come on, Lelia! Let's talk about this somewhere else."

"She won't be happy with Loic." Marie finally said once the twins were gone.

"No, but Lelia is strangely insistent on it." At least Jean didn't seem blind to how bad a pick that one was. He then took on a thoughtful expression. "Loic wasn't even that bad during our first year. He was a pretty genuine guy."

Marie narrowed her eyes and leaned towards Jean. "What changed?"

"I'm not sure. I do recall that he was just following the advice of someone close." Of course someone else caused this garbage to happen. Marie looked back in the direction where the twins went and scowled.

Dammit! Why did she have to work around a shitty sister too?

Didn't she have any self-awareness?!

 

[Blackraptor]

Noelle Beltre, secretly Zel Lespinasse, was used to being involved in strained relationships. From her own twin sister, to Louise, to Loic, she knew all about it. Even her new friend, Marie Fou Bartfort or Rie as Noelle liked to call her, was at odds with Lelia and had that kinda-friend thing going on with Louise. Weird that her only stress free relationship was with her best friend, Jean. Sadly for Noelle, said best friend was off enjoying life with his new girlfriend. She was happy for him, super happy in fact! Noelle just wished that she could find love and happiness like Jean had.

Those were the thoughts that were floating in her head as she and Rie were walking through the Academy hallways, on the way to the cafeteria to get some food. Sadly, luck decided to remind her what her reality was currently like.

"There you are." Noelle stiffened at the voice coming from behind them. "You sure love to give me the runaround, don't you? There needs to be a limit on how well you do the whole hard to get thing, Noelle."

Both of them turned around to see Loic Leta Barielle standing behind them with a grin on his face. The orange haired young man was holding a collar attached to a chain which led to a bracelet in his other hand. Noelle couldn't help but shiver at the look he was giving her.

"Sorry, Noelle is occupied at the moment. I'm afraid that you'll need to reschedule." To her shock, Rie stepped between her and Loic and spoke out. "I would also like to inform you that girls generally don't like pushy men."

"You're that Prince's pet, aren't you?" Pet? Rie and Prince Julius? They had that kind of relationship?! The implications of such a thing somehow managed to take Noelle's mind off the fear of Loic. "Don't get involved in the affairs of another country. It's rude."

"Oh dear! You seem to misinterpret my relationship with Prince Julius." Rie sweetly said as she leaned forward and continued. "I'm not his pet."

The implications of that statement made her brain lock up for a moment.

"Are you serious?" Even Loic voiced his disbelief at the possibility of Rie being the one in control of their relationship.

Rie then started laughing and pointing at him."The fact that you started to believe me just like that doesn't earn you a lot of points!"

"Pretty uppity for a barbarian noble. I should put you in your place." Loic snarled out and started taking steps forward. Rie stopped laughing and backed herself into Noelle, urging her to retreat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Loic." They all started at the new voice, this time coming from behind Loic. "Marie Fou Bartfort is under my family's protection. Louise and I'd be pretty damn upset if something happened to her because of you."

Tanned, with brown hair slicked back, and an overall look and demeanor of a delinquent. Noelle recognized Serge Sara Rault immediately. He was the guy that Lelia rejected the prior school year after all. She heard Rie let out a sigh of relief even as Loic whirled around to address the other guy.

"Fine. I'm only here to collect Noelle anyway." Noelle winced at the blatant declaration. Loic then turned away from Serge and dismissed his presence. "Now stay out of my business and leave my lover and I to our business."

Her eyes met Serge's and she couldn't help but silently plead for his help. He narrowed his eyes and gave a small nod. Noelle felt a sudden wave of relief when he placed a hand on Loic's shoulder.

"Even someone like me can see that she doesn't want what you're offering." Serge said with cocky ease. Loic seemed to have enough and slapped his hand off his shoulder.

"This is none of your business, Serge!" The other guy didn't look very impressed and just walked around to stand between them and Loic.

"Well, I guess I'll be making it my business then." Oh wow, Loic looked really mad.

"Noelle's under my protection from now on. You can keep trying to go after her, but I've fought way worse things than you in dungeons." Wait what?! Why?! Didn't his sister hate her guts?! Why is he going this far?! From now on?! What did that even mean?! She was super grateful to him but Noelle thought that he was just helping for this one time!

"You really want to steal what's mine?" Loic asked, as if scandalized by the declaration.

Serge then laughed at his face and shook his head. "Get your eyes checked, Noelle is a person who can make her own choices in life. She's not owned by anyone, especially not by an annoying bastard too dumb to take a hint."

Calm down Noelle! Your heart didn't just skip a beat! There has to be a logical explanation to everything going on right now! Oh wow, was Serge's back always that broad? No! Bad Noelle!

"If you two start fighting then I'll be the one to end it." Louise's pissed off words immediately dumped an ice cold bucket of water over Noelle's silent panic. They all looked down the hallway and saw that the older girl was not in the mood for what was currently happening with the way she was stomping towards them.

"I don't care who started it. This ends now! This is not the kind of behavior members of the great houses should have at the Academy of all places!" She hissed at both boys. Noelle flinched when Louise's gaze settled on her. "Of course you're involved."

The older girl's frown deepened when Serged placed himself between her and Noelle. "Don't tell me that you've taken a liking to the girl, Serge."

"Well, I haven't been to school in a while and thought that I should make new friends other than the boys." Noelle blinked. Friends? With her? Was he serious or was it just an excuse to his sister?

Louise sighed and turned to Loic, speaking in a tone that brooked no argument. "Leave, before I take this up with your father."

"I'll be back for Noelle. You can't keep her from me forever, Serge." Loic finally said after a few tense moments, walking away and taking that damned collar of his with him. Did he just have that on him all the time? Creepy! Super creepy!

"Don't shame our family any further." Louise said to Serge before nodding to Marie once and stalking away. Good riddance!

"Well, that was intense. Thanks for the help, Serge." Rie tried to joke about it but Noelle could tell that her friend was a bit shaken as well.

"Just be glad it wasn't Julius or any of the others who found Loic doing that to you two. They might have really thrown hands with him." Serge and Rie shared a laugh at his words. Wait, were Rie and Prince Julius really a couple then?! Was he the guy she was talking about from way before? Oh wow, she really was the only one left among her friends who was single then.

She chose not to think about how she only really had two real friends.

Noelle shook her head to clear her thoughts and stepped up to their rescuer. "Thank you, Serge. Sorry about how Lelia treated you last year."

"Wow, I help out and you stab me in the heart like that? You Beltres are ruthless." Serge flatly said. Noelle's eyes widened at how even Rie looked at her like she was stupid. Oh no! She shouldn't have brought up Lelia!

"I am so sorry! I didn't mean it that way!" Noelle was panicking so she wasn't really ready for Serge to place his hand on top of her head.

"It was a joke! If that asshole tries to mess with you again, you come to me!" He said with a grin while gently stroking her hair. Noelle couldn't help but just shyly nod, her face feeling like a furnace. Serge bid goodbye and walked off, Noelle keeping her gaze at his back. All she could think of was what Lelia was thinking when she rejected a guy like him. Noelle slapped both her hands on her cheeks. Snap out of it, stupid Noelle! Stop beating so fast, stupid heart!

She turned to Rie and saw her friend giving her a sly grin and two thumbs up, her eyes sparkling.

"Don't you dare start, Rie!" Her friend just slid closer to her and elbowed her side.

"Why not? Serge is a pretty great guy based on what Julius and the others have said to me about him." Marie stage whispered while wiggling her shoulders for some reason. "A bit of a bad boy, but that seems more like a front than his actual self."

"Rie~" Noelle whined in embarrassment. The last thing she needed was rumors about her and Serge suddenly popping up all over the Academy.

"You know what? Both Louise and Serge will be visiting Holfort for the summer break, you should come too! I'll introduce you to my brother!" Rie sounded super enthusiastic about the offer, especially when she mentioned her brother. "Who knows, you might actually reconcile with Louise and get closer to Serge."

Noelle couldn't help but scoff at that last part. "Rie, did you hit your head or something? Me getting along with Louise is about as likely as Serge actually being interested in me in that way."

"As far as visiting your home," She trailed off, thinking about it seriously. It would be a nice change of pace and an excuse to get as far away from Loic as possible. "I don't know, what about Lelia?"

"You don't like my sister that much, huh?" She asked with a smile when she saw Rie make a face at the mention of Lelia.

"I don't like how she treats you." Aww! Rie was such a sweetie pie!

"It's fine. She's busy and has a lot of expectations on her because of all her talent." Noelle assured her friend, who just sighed and decided to concede for now.

"Alright, she can come along. You invite her then, I'm sure that the two of us would just burst into flames if we tried to be nice to each other." Now that was something Noelle really ended up laughing at. The rest of the day went without any further issues, thankfully.

The same couldn't be said when she arrived home and told her sister about Rie's offer.

"Holfort? There's nothing good there at all." Lelia dismissively told her just as Noelle went to the kitchen to start on dinner. Wow, way to put down an entire Kingdom there sis.

"But it would be a great opportunity to travel and meet new people!" Noelle excitedly told her, imagining all the fun things that they could do together.

"We don't need to meet new people. We belong in Alzer." Huh, she didn't think that Lelia would be so stubborn about this specific thing. Was it because Marie was the one who invited them?

"But Lelia…" Her sister snorted at her tone and shook her head.

"Fine, you go then. I'll stay here for the summer break." Noelle bit her bottom lip at how mean Lelia was being.

"I don't want to go if you won't come along." She finally relented. She just wanted to make some fun memories with Lelia again.

"Don't even pretend that you don't want to go, otherwise we wouldn't even be having this conversation." An icy claw squeezed at Noelle's heart with every word that her twin sister said. "Go if you want, it's not like you ever listen to me anyway."

"Why do you hate me so much, Lelia?" She whispered before running out of the apartment, unable to stay in her sister's presence for a second longer.

Noelle wandered the streets with no real destination in mind. She didn't want to go back home but she didn't know where she could go either. It wasn't like she had time to take her purse with her when she stormed out.

"Well, you have the look of someone who was just told that the Sacred Tree isn't real." Noelle's glazed eyes finally focused when she heard a familiar voice. Those same eyes widened when she saw Serge looking at her with a raised brow.

"Hey Serge." She numbly greeted him, not really in the mood for anything.

"Hearing that tone coming from you is pretty spooky, I gotta say." Serge commented, his tone softening with his next words. "You wanna talk about it?"

Noelle shook her head, not wanting to think about Lelia at that moment.

He hummed and gestured down the street he was walking along. "Well, I'm gonna visit the boys for dinner. Marie lives in the same manor they're staying at, so you can tag along if you want."

"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden? Is it because of Lelia?" Noelle couldn't help but ask. Was it just pity? Was it a whim? Was he just doing it to let her guard down like Loic once did? Was it something else entirely?

Serge scoffed but Noelle saw how his eyes dimmed a bit at the mention of her sister. Lelia seemed to have that effect on certain people.

"Because I know what it's like to have pretty shitty days. Looks to me like you're having one for the record books." He finally said while looking up at the afternoon sky. He then looked back at her and gave a lopsided grin. "Turns out, having the right friends goes a long way to helping with the shitty feeling you get from that."

Noelle couldn't help but giggle. "You could have totally said that in a much nicer way."

"Hey, talking can be hard." Serge argued with a pout. It actually looked kinda cute, like a grumpy cat.

"Aren't you the heir to your house? Talking's totally gonna be part of your job description." Noelle couldn't help but tease him. Instead of being offended Serge just smirked and shook his head at her.

"Well, ain't you little miss know it all?" Noelle laughed and bumped her shoulder against Serge's as they made their way to the manor where the Holfort exchange students were staying.

At least it didn't seem like she only had two friends now.

…

I looked up at the completed Getter Robo that we were going to give Deirdre on her birthday. Control and I went on a quick trip back to the labs for the weekend in order to see the finished product.

It mostly looked like Black Getter with key differences. The biggest one was that it wasn't colored black. Instead, it was actually colored in a light shade of red. Not quite pink, but it was going in the right direction. It had a mask, but it was colored red and green instead of gray. The red Getter Wing didn't look all tattered either, with Control saying that the one on Black Getter was an aesthetic choice rather than a quality issue. It also ditched the scarf in favor of extending the Getter Wing's cape up around its neck and giving it a rather prominent popped collar look.

When I looked at the rest of it, I also noticed that it didn't have Getter Razor. Instead, it had what looked like vent slits where the blades were supposed to be. Getter Spike was also absent, replaced with what seemed to be knuckle dusters that were folded onto the back of each hand.

Weaponry has also been adjusted based on the data provided from Miss Deirdre's simulator runs as well as her own feedback.

"Oh? It'll run a different loadout from Black Getter?" I was pretty curious on what Control came up with for the new Getter Robo.

Getter Robo G style Double Tomahawks will be dispensed from the shoulders instead of the standard types. They will also be able to be combined and extended into a double-ended polearm weapon.

I whistled at that. Going heavy duty then, huh? I definitely would have chopped off something important if Black Getter had those instead of the regular tomahawks.

A stronger Getter Beam emitter is placed at the center of the chest. Miss Deirdre did not seem to utilize the head Getter Beam despite having it unlocked for some time now. The power it would have used will be redirected to the main emitter instead.

"Aww! But shooting two Getter Beams is awesome!" I whined. I didn't even know that Deirdre didn't use the head Getter Beam at all.

Getter Spikes have also been replaced with hyper heated knuckle dusters for extreme close encounters.

I hummed and noticed something from the weapon list. "No gun?"

Miss Deirdre seems to prefer the use of magic instead of firearms.

"This thing can use magic?!" This was a magical Getter Robo?!

I have been experimenting with the integration of magic into Getter technology in the labs for quite some time now. I have based the design changes on what I have scanned from the Armors of this world as well as Olivia's personal weaponry. All of which should accommodate Miss Deirdre's use of the craft.

"So does it work?" I asked.

In theory. We will likely need Miss Deirdre to test things out.

"Is that safe?" I followed up.

Is piloting a Getter Robo ever truly safe?

"Point." I conceded as I set my gaze back at the Getter Robo in question. "So can we give it to her now that it's done?"

I am still uploading her combat simulator data into the systems. I would actually like to spend the rest of the weekend for you to test out its basic functionalities as well.

"Sure, I can put it through the simple stuff. Wouldn't want it to fall apart the second Deirdre decides to fly with it." Being a test pilot sounded pretty cool, to be honest.

Perish the thought.

"What is it?" I asked when Control's drone suddenly started wiggling around.

Miss Marie wishes to speak with you.

I wondered what she could want to discuss even as Control patched her through. "Hey there, sis."

"Leon! I have great news!" Uh oh, I knew that smile. Nothing ever good came from that smile.

"Whenever you say that, I always have a sinking feeling in my stomach." I said as much and Marie pouted at me like a child.

"Rude!" She said before completely dismissing the insult and getting to the main topic. "Anyway, Serge managed to come in with a big assist with an annoyance a few days ago. Thanks to that, I managed to convince Noelle to visit us during the summer break too!"

"And let me guess, Julius and the boys want to bring the Sacred Tree sapling back too?" I rubbed my forehead even as I asked. Did she really not understand what she was doing?

"Where else would they put it?" I guess not.

I sighed and decided to ask the obvious question anyway. "So, the guests you invited will all be staying where again?"

"Hm? I mean, you have that new mansion in your lands that you haven't used yet, right?" My sister asked with a big smile as if she didn't just set me up to babysit some of the most important people in the second game's story.

"God dammit Marie."

…

The day the first term ended signaled the start of the summer break. I was on the Nagare with Control and Yumeria as we made our way to Alzer to pick up Marie and the rest. My lovers just wished me luck when I told them about the mess Marie made and reminded me to get them if I needed help. Livia and Hertrude were both staying with Angie for the break. Clara went back to her family to make sure that my mansion would be ready to receive what pretty much were foreign dignitaries.

All the while, Black Getter was no longer alone in the hangar. The newly named Roze Getter was standing at its side and was just waiting to be introduced to its fated pilot.

 

[Blackraptor]

"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.

 

[Blackraptor]

"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!

 

[Blackraptor]

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!"

 

[Blackraptor]

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.

 

[Blackraptor]

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.

 

[Blackraptor]

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.

 

[Blackraptor]

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.

 

[Blackraptor]

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."

 

[Blackraptor]

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."

 

[Blackraptor]

It had been a long time coming, but here we were. Livia stepped into the Temple of the Saint with myself, Control, Angie, and Clarice in tow. Hertrude decided to stay at the Academy while we did this, citing that she didn't want to be caught up with what happened considering what occurred last time Livia and Anne got a Saint Relic. Both agents of the Crown and a Control drone were looking after her so she should be fine until we returned.

Livia showed the two Saint Relics and requested to be tested for her worthiness to become the new Saint. She was quickly ushered by the bishop to a room with a weird glass ball and was asked to apply her healing magic to it. It glowed bright enough for all the priests present to gasp in surprise.

"Is that a good gasp or a bad gasp?" I whispered to my fiancées. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"The specifics of the rite for succession of the next Saint is only really known by the temple." Angie explained. "The only thing the crown really knows is that any prospective candidate needed the other relics first as well as unprecedented amounts of healing magic."

"Besides, there hasn't really been a new saint since Anne anyway." Clarice also pointed out. Yeah, that made sense.

We watched as Livia talked to the bishop before he walked with her back to us. "There is one more test. The candidate is required to wear the regalia of the saint before claiming the Staff."

"So what is the test? Does she need to fit in the dress?" I asked and received groans from Angie and Clarice.

"Leon." Livia called out to me with a pout. Sorry!

"No, the final test is claiming the Staff itself." The bishop took it all in stride. "If the Staff reacts to the Saint candidate, then we know it to be the final proof."

Angie and Clarice went with Livia to be fitted with the Saint regalia. That left me on a bench with Control floating at my side. "How are everyone back on the Nagare?"

There are no delays in transit so far. Your sister and the others should arrive back in Alzer by tomorrow afternoon.

"Good, that should give everyone enough time to rest before their new term starts up." I commented with a smile. "So you'll be leaving a drone with Noelle?"

Marie suggested it and I agreed with her. She is now a person of interest to anyone who would want to control the Sacred Tree.

"Well, she has a lot of friends to keep her safe, at least." I said just as I saw the girls return. Wow, Livia looked really good in her Saint Regalia.

It was an elaborate dress of white, teal, and aquamarine. Gold linings gave it a flare and the white detached sleeves brought it all together. Prominently displayed on her are both the necklace and the bracelet of the Saint.

"Well? What do you think?" Livia asked a bit shyly.

"I already knew how it would look, but I wasn't really prepared to see it in person." I told her with a smile, referring to the CG in the first game that showed her in the regalia.

"She gets to keep this, right?" Clarice asked the bishop, who nodded. "Nice."

Clarice? Please don't say that in a way that could be interpreted as sacrilege.

"See, I told you that you look wonderful in it." Angie reassured Livia with a smile and a squeeze of her hand.

We are then brought to a hall that had a set of very heavy looking double doors on the other end. Before we could reach the doors, the bishop interrupted us.

"Only the Saint Candidate may enter. All others must remain here." He suddenly said, making us all look at him in surprise. "The birth of a new Saint must be a solemn and private affair."

Livia seemed fine with it but the rest of us looked at each other in worry. Hertrude had a point when she said that she was worried that another fragment of Anne might do something drastic.

"What do you want to do, Livia?" I asked the girl herself and she just smiled at us.

"We'll be okay." She said confidently, her gaze going distant as she likely conversed with Anne in her head. "Yeah, it'll be okay."

I was about to say something else when Angie and Clarice walked up to my sides and held my hands. Clarice spoke up, "We trust you, Livia."

"Make sure to come back to us." Angie added as the both looked at me meaningfully. What else could I have done?

"I believe in you." I said, both to Livia and to Anne.

With one more wave, Livia entered the chamber and the heavy doors closed behind her.

…

"I must admit, I am feeling nervous about this." Anne said as they walked up to the very ornate gold and teal Staff that was displayed at the center of the chamber. "It'll be okay, Anne. We'll face it together. Whatever truth it may be."

"Ready?" Olivia asked as she reached out to the Staff. "No, but go ahead."

Olivia's vision was consumed in white light as her hand made contact with the Staff. After a moment, she found herself in a very familiar place. "We're back in my mind?"

"We are." Olivia looks to her side to see Anne standing next to her in an identical outfit. Anne grimaced and pointed towards the distance. "Behold, the last piece of myself."

Olivia looked in the direction Anne was pointing and gasped. There, on the ground, was a figure who looked like their whole body was being restrained by heavy chains. The chains wrapped all around them save for their neck and head, secured by several of them that seemed to be fused to the ground itself.

Olivia quickly ran up to the person, with Anne walking somberly behind her. She gasped when an identical face to hers and Anne's looked up at them. An expression of misery and resignation regarded them, bags under their eyes and their hair disheveled. She looked awful.

"Why are you here?" The chained up Anne gasps out, sounding like she hadn't had any water for ages. "Leave."

What? Leave?

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked with a strained smile. "We're here to free you! To get you back together with your other fragments! We already have two of the relics and–"

"No!" The chained Anne gasps out in a poor attempt at a scream. "Leave! There is nothing to be gained here, fools! Only misery, pain, and death! Give this up or everyone you love will suffer!"

Olivia took a step back from the hostility she was receiving. She turned to Anne, who just regarded her other self dispassionately. "Anne, what's happening? Why is she talking like this?"

"This part of me embodies Anne's sorrow." Anne said in a hollow tone of voice, a tone Livia never wanted to hear from the Saintess. "She likely has no other way to interpret anything aside from that emotion."

"That's all the more reason to save her!" Livia reaffirmed before turning to the chained Anne. "Don't worry, everything will be okay!"

She was regarded with an incredulous expression before the chained Anne shook her head and gave her a broken smile. "Ah…so nothing has changed after all."

"Huh?" Before Livia could ask what she meant by that, Anne placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded to her other self.

"Let's get this done, Livia." Right! Of course! We needed to focus!

"Okay!" Olivia smiled at the chained fragment of Anne and tried to reassure her. "Hang in there, we're going to release you."

She and Anne then each placed a hand on the chained Anne's head and everything went white once more. Things were blurry for a while until a vision coalesced in front of Olivia.

"What? What is this?" It was a courtyard with a very familiar pair of people talking. "Leon? Is that me?"

Due to how different they are dressed and how they both looked older than herself and Leon, there was only one conclusion. "Are these…Anne and Lea?"

The vision shifted to other moments of their lives. They showed what looked like relatives of Prince Julius and the other heirs. Based on the time frame, that meant that these were the founders of the Holfort Kingdom.

"So even everyone's ancestors were such good friends." Olivia couldn't help but comment as she watched scenes of them all going on Adventures and overcoming hardships.

Dealing with pirates.

Making alliances between other nobles.

War, so much war.

Despite all that, the seven of them kept moving forward together. If one would falter, they would quickly be supported by all the others. It reminded Olivia a lot of Leon's friendships.

There was just one problem.

As happy as all this was, there was something at the back of Olivia's mind that reminded her that this was all going to end in tragedy. It was what Anne kept saying after all.

Except, the visions just kept going.

Olivia stood in awe as the first King of Holfort raised his sword in triumph in front of all his people. His friends and comrades cheered in relief and joy. Even she could feel how victorious they all were. There, at the king's side, were all the founders along with Anne and Lea.

"So the betrayal happens after the founding of the Kingdom?" Olivia asked as the visions shifted. It showed everyone struggling to keep the court in order. How the new King met his wife and how he received foreign dignitaries. In the meantime, all the Founders were shown establishing their own territories.

All the while, Anne and Lea were at their side in support.

"Is Lea proposing to Anne?" Olivia asked in shock as a vision showed Lea going down on one knee and placing a ring on a crying Anne's ring finger. The King and the other Founders gave them both congratulations. They were in a familiar courtyard. Was that in the Academy?

"Wait, what's going on?" She started getting worried when she saw Anne and Lea's wedding. They got married?! Why didn't Anne ever tell her something that important?!

The visions shifted to Anne and Lea saying goodbye to their friends and moving to a homely village somewhere in the Kingdom. They had a small cabin and Lea was unbelievably just working as a carpenter. One of the people who stood side-by-side with the Founders was a carpenter?! Was this why Leon's family weren't considered as a Founding Family?

She watched as Lea went home to be greeted by Anne carrying a tiny bundle in her arms.

"A baby?! But I thought that Anne was betrayed by everyone? What is happening?!" Olivia started to panic. Was this the truth of Anne's past? But she was happy! Lea was happy! They had a family and were content!

"Hang on." She muttered when she finally realized something very important. "Why haven't I been looking through Anne's eyes if these were her memories?"

The vision was suddenly cut out and Olivia is suddenly left in a void of complete darkness. She looked around but saw nothing but black

"What?! Anne?! Where are you?! What happened?! Everything is dark! Anne?!" Her cries echoed through the darkness, but there was no response. She tried to move, she tried to wake back up to reality. She couldn't get control of her body again. Nothing was working.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

Olivia's blood froze when she felt a pair of hands wrap around her head from behind.

"You are just like her." A familiar voice whispered from behind her.

Olivia screamed.

…

Dammit, was it supposed to take this long? What the hell are Livia and Anne doing?

I paced around the room worriedly while both Angie and Clarice simply held hands and kept their eyes on the heavy doors to the chamber. I wished that I had a fraction of their poise.

That was when a shrill beep sounded from Control's drone.

Alert! Sudden increase of build up of Magical Energy detected from within the chamber! Please get clear!

That was all the warning we got before the heavy doors were very violently slammed open, cracking the walls when they hit. The shockwave knocked everyone in the hall off their feet as we all looked to the entrance. Livia stood there with the Staff of the Saint in her left hand. All three relics glowed as Livia looked around the hall.

What the hell is going on?!

"Livia? Anne? What the hell are you two doing?" I called out as I got back up on my feet. Livia looked at me like it was the first time she had ever seen me. Her face suddenly lit up with a big smile.

"Lea!" Wait what? "It's been so long! How have you been?" Livia then raised her hand and a lance of white light shot out towards me. It would have hit me had Control not moved directly in front of me and projected some sort of energy shield. Livia clicked her tongue and regarded the drone in front of her.

Identify yourself.

I blinked at Control's statement. What the hell were they talking about?!

Another lance of light shot out from her hand that managed to pierce Control's shield and impale the drone with some sort of lance made of light. It then falls to the ground, completely inert.

"Control!" I yell out, cradling the broken drone in my arms. I look up and yell at the perpetrator. "Anne! What the hell are you doing?!"

"You don't get to use that name, Lea!" She snarls at me before saying something that completely caught me off guard. "Not after you stole my sister away from me!"

She tries to blast me again but I got pulled away by Angie and Clarice. I looked around and found that the bishop and the other priests had wisely vacated the hall.

"Thanks!" I say as the three of us stand together against…whoever this was.

"That isn't Anne or Livia." Angie points out grimly.

"I noticed." I say with a nod.

"Who are you?! What have you done to Livia and Anne?!" Clarice yelled out and got a look of confusion from the woman before us.

"Anne?" She questions before shaking her head. "She was never here."

Never here?

"There has only ever been me." She smiled and placed a hand on her chest. "Mary."

Who the fuck is Mary?!

 

[Blackraptor]

Mary, that was the name the person in front of us identified herself as. She sure as hell wasn't acting like either Livia or Anne. She slowly walked forward, making Angie, Clarice, and I back away to keep our distance for the time being. Mary pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at me. Was she getting ready for another attack?

"You're not Lea." She idly mutters, as if talking to herself. Mary then looks at me in disgust. "Their descendant then. Somehow, that makes me feel worse when looking at you."

"Part of me really wants to just kill you outright because of what you represent. Your very existence just reminds me that Lea and Anne had-" Her words were interrupted by Clarice swiftly closing the distance between them to attempt a punch straight to her face. My fiancée's fist was stopped a few inches from its target thanks to a small circular magic shield that got in the way. Mary raised an eyebrow at Clarice as she continued to try to force her way through the shield. "Rude. Didn't your parents teach you not to interrupt someone who is speaking, Clarice?"

Bang!

"Tsk!" Angie clicked her tongue as she leveled Livia's handgun at the Staff of the Saint, the bullet being blocked by another magic shield. So Livia handed her gun to Angie when she got changed, huh?

I hated that I was completely unarmed, but that didn't mean that I was completely helpless! I charged at Mary and reached out to the Staff. I heard her snort before using the staff to parry another punch from Clarice and smack my arms away from her. Before I knew it, she had driven the end of the staff into my gut and narrowly missed smashing the side of Clarice's head with a swift spin move.

"Please, I was a top level Adventurer back in my time. You three are nothing compared to what Anne and I had to face together." She said while turning her gaze to Angie. She made a contemplative sound and smiled at her. "Shame. You would have been a much better host."

None of us really knew what she meant, but there'd be time to try to figure out what was going on later! The three of us exchanged looks and began to move to surround Mary. She just rolled her eyes and spoke. "Kneel."

Just like that, we were all brought down to our knees. I grit my teeth as I tried desperately to get back to my feet, even pushing down on the floor with my hands. Nothing worked. I looked at Angie and Clarice and they were both failing to find any success, though Angie fired another shot at the Staff that pinged against a magic shield.

"Give Livia back to us!" I yelled defiantly at Mary, who looked at me in confusion.

"Ugh! You even sound like him!" She said in clear disgust. Well, excuse me! "Clearly helpless and defeated, yet still so confidently defiant."

"Argh!" I cried out in pain when Mary struck the side of my head with the staff. My vision swam for a few seconds and I could feel something warm flowing out from where I was hit.

"You bitch!" Clarice snarled before once again trying to get back to her feet.

"You'll pay for that!" Angie emptied the rest of the ammunition in Livia's handgun at the Staff, to no effect.

Despite it all, Mary ignored them both and kept her gaze trained on my face. "Strange, that wasn't as satisfying as I had expected."

"Who are you, really?!" Angie yelled out. "You said that your name is Mary, right?! What do you even want?!"

Mary looked at Angie with a frown. "Do none of you really know who I am? What I had accomplished alongside Anne, Lea and those morons that you call Founders?"

She clearly didn't like how the three of us just looked at each other with uncertainty.

"Who am I?" She snarled in command, compelling us to answer truthfully.

"I don't know." The three of us answered at the same time. Mary growled before flourishing the Staff of the Saint behind her, blasting the chamber that once held it with powerful beams of magic.

"So they erased my name from history as well?!" She screamed out at no one in particular. "Was stealing my sister not enough?! Was sundering my soul and trapping the fragments in relics not enough for them?!"

"Fine. I guess I'll wipe their families from existence to return the favor." Mary suddenly said in a completely calm tone of voice. She turned to me and smiled. "I'll start with you."

"We'll stop you." Clarice's voice gave her pause.

"Excuse me?" Mary slowly asked, walking up to Clarice and placing the end of the Staff under her chin. "How are you planning on doing that from all the way down there?"

"We'll find a way. Whoever the hell you are doesn't matter. We'll stop you, get Livia back, then you can fade away from history for good." Clarice's words made Mary's eyebrow twitch in irritation. "No one will ever remember you or your name ever again. You'll just become a forgotten memory."

Mary stared at Clarice for a few moments, seemingly thinking about her words. She then smiled, pulled the staff away, and patted Clarice's cheek with her hand. "You know what, you're right. Everyone would just eventually forget about me even if I get my revenge."

Alarm bells rang out with the way she agreed with what Clarice just said. Angie and I then cried out in alarm when Mary drove the end of the Staff into Clarice's stomach, making her double over in pain.

"That means that I need to do something unforgettable." Mary kept talking as if nothing happened, slowly pacing in front of us. "Something that would etch my name as the last thing that this Kingdom ever knows. Something that the rest of the world will forever remember me for."

That definitely didn't sound good at all.

"Right." She muttered, giving a faraway look. "That could work."

"Well! This was all very enlightening, but I think I need to talk to a few people." Mary said in an utterly delighted voice. "I think I should pay a visit to a certain Principality, see if I can't convince them to accept some changes in leadership that would be beneficial for everyone involved."

Oh fuck no!

"No! Don't you dare!" I snarl out. Mary taking Livia and the Saint relics straight to Fanoss would be the worst thing that could possibly happen! Clarice and Angie shared my opinion based on how they were trying to struggle against the compulsion again.

She ignored us in favor of kneeling down in front of me. I hated how Mary was using Livia's face when she smiled at me. "Here's a parting gift for you, Leon."

"Lea's decisiveness was always so irritating. It seems that is something which his bloodline retains even now. So…" Mary placed a finger on my forehead, making my heart skip a beat. "Doubt."

My breathing suddenly became ragged. All sorts of horrible scenarios flashed in my head. Different scenes of failure and hopelessness formed in my mind. There was no way we could deal with all this without something terrible happening! Even with Black Getter F, there was always a chance that my mediocre piloting would let everyone down! There were so many ways that this would go wrong!

This was all my fault! If I hadn't met Livia, then she would have been fine! Everything would have been fine if I hadn't stuck my nose in everyone's business! I should have just stayed as a mob and coasted through my Academy days! What the fuck was I thinking?!

"What did you do to Leon?!" I heard Clarice scream out and shuddered as Mary started laughing. A strong woman like Clarice didn't need a man like me weighing her down. She deserved a man who could stand at her side who didn't need the crutch of an all-powerful ancient machine of destruction.

"Leon? Leon, love, look at me." I turned to Angie with a frightened look on my face. Oh god! Why the hell did I ever think that I deserved a woman like Angie?! She was so out of my league that I might as well have been a commoner! She was supposed to become a Queen and I took that away from her!

What about Mylene?! If word of our affair got out, she would never recover from it! I'd end up destroying her life and her family just because I couldn't keep it in my pants!

I killed Yumeria's people!

I risked the lives of Clara's family!

I cursed Deidre to a life of combat with a Getter Robo!

I left my sister in a foreign country that had something that could cause the end of the world!

I'm ruining their lives!

Everything is my fault!

I shouldn't have even been reborn!

I didn't deserve this second chance at life!

I should have just stayed dead!

Before anything else could happen, the doors to the hall burst open. I turned my head and saw a large armored drone with boxes on its sides suddenly fly in. It flew up and moved towards Mary.

Cease all hostilities! Prepare to be detained!

Control's declaration was followed by a pair of nets being fired at Mary. She snarled and blasted the nets away with her magic.

"Irritating machine!" She said, dodging away from another pair of nets. "Don't think that I'm stupid enough to fall for this twice!"

Mary turned to me with a vicious smile.

"Try not to die, Leon." I shivered at her words, looking at her with wide eyes. "I want to be there to laugh at your face as you watch your Kingdom burn to the ground."

"Ta-ta!" She added, raising the Staff of the Saint before she vanished in a flash of light. All at once, our compulsion to remain kneeled disappeared. I was quickly enveloped by Angie and Clarice in an embrace.

Control's new drone hovered near us as several priests and the bishop cautiously peeked in from outside.

"Control, Mary did something to Leon." Angie told them worriedly while stroking my hair.

I assume that the Mary you refer to is the individual who has possessed Olivia's body?

"Yes. She said that she was going to Fanoss to make them help her get revenge on the Kingdom." Clarice added with a pained expression.

That is very alarming.

Alarming didn't even begin to describe what just happened!

Leon, you must calm down. Extended elevated heart rate may permanently cause damage.

"How can I possibly calm down, Control?!" I yelled out hysterically. "We may have just ruined everything!"

"Don't despair, Leon. We'll find a way." Clarice tried to reassure me as she cradled my head on her chest.

"How could you possibly know that?" I asked her helplessly.

What transpired for Leon to become this way?

"Before you arrived, Mary compelled Leon to doubt." Angie answered worriedly.

Specifically on what?

She hesitated before shaking her head. "She didn't specify."

That is even more concerning. For now, we must have Leon's head injury treated. I shall look into ways of helping him overcome the inflicted brainwashing.

Oh yeah! My head was still bleeding! No wonder I was getting dizzy!

That was my last thought before the adrenaline wore off and I blacked out.

…

When I woke back up, I was in my dorm room at the Academy. A regular sized drone was floating at my bedside. Other than that, I seemed to be alone.

"How long was I out?" I asked out, my throat hoarse.

A little over a day. Your head injury has already been attended to personally by the bishop of the Temple. They have agreed to keep the incident under wraps for now.

Yeah, that made sense. There would be a panic if people found out that the next Saint turned out to be a genocidal maniac bent on the complete destruction of the Kingdom.

I shall alert Yumeria to bring you food to aid in your recovery. Please hydrate in the meantime.

I looked at the jug of water and empty glass that Control indicated.

"Thanks." I said after drinking a glass of water. I sighed and looked at the drone. "So…Livia."

I apologize. I am somehow unable to track her after Mary teleported away.

Dammit! This was all my fault! I shook my head, remembering that what I was feeling was all Mary's fault. "Angie and Clarice?"

They are currently speaking to Princess Hertrude and Queen Mylene about the incident and potential threats that Mary represents if she makes contact with the Fanoss forces.

"God, this is all my fault." I groaned, slapping my forehead. "I should have left that fucking necklace alone."

If you had done so, then you and the others would have remained under Olivia's unintended brainwashing.

"That would have been better than this!" I yelled back before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Control. I just…"

I understand. This is one of the many unknowns that we couldn't have anticipated. The solution of using the Saint Necklace was a speculative one to begin with.

And now, we had a vengeful ghost possessing one of my lovers who had the power to control people's minds and was in possession of three powerful magical artifacts.

You couldn't have said Final Boss any louder if your tried.

God, I might even be forced to kill Livia at this rate!

"Mary's messing with my head." I hissed while trying to shake off that horrible thought from my mind. "I can't think of anything except how badly anything can go."

I am aware. I am currently synthesizing medication that should help with your symptoms.

"You're going to give me medicine?" I asked in surprise. I had thought that we would have needed to get Mary to remove this from my head.

Your initial symptoms are consistent with acute anxiety. It may not actually be the case, but the medication should help with suppressing it until we can have Mary or Olivia to undo it.

"Thanks, Control." I said with a relieved smile. Sadly, the moment didn't last very long.

A warning alarm suddenly sounded from the drone, making me groan. "What now?"

I'm afraid that another emergency situation has transpired in Alzer.

"Is it Marie?" I immediately asked worriedly.

No, though I have already informed her and she is presently trying to call you.

"Patch her through." I sighed, might as well find out what this new mess is about. Control projected a very panicked looking Marie in her room.

"Leon! Something really bad just happened!" I sighed at her words, surprising my sister.

"What a coincidence, join the club." She looked at me worriedly before speaking.

"Oh god, what happened over there?" Marie asked and I shook my head, gesturing to herself.

"You first." I said and she immediately regained her panicked expression.

"Lelia handed Noelle to Loic on a silver platter when she went back to their apartment! What about you?!" I buried my face into my pillow and screamed at that news. After a few moments I put away the pillow and looked at Marie dead in the eyes.

"Anne wasn't actually Anne. It was actually the ghost of her crazy sister. She possessed Livia and is planning on linking up with Fanoss to destroy the Kingdom." I said, Marie repeating my action on her end. After a while, the two of us just stared at each other.

"I can't tell which one of us has it worse." She muttered.

"Does it matter?" I responded with a shrug.

"What do we do? If Serge finds out about what happened to Noelle, he'll go on a warpath." Marie started, the gears in her head obviously already spinning. "I sent out Julius and the others to keep him from doing anything stupid, but we're still stuck."

"I don't know." My words startled my sister.

"What?" I could hear the fear in her voice.

"Mary brainwashed me into doubting everything I have ever done and everything I can ever do." I explained and Marie became even more alarmed. "Until I can get the medicine that Control is making to suppress the effects, I'm pretty useless right now."

"Fuck." It was really the only way for Marie to express our current state.

I sighed and told her the first thing that came into my head. "Ask Louise for help. I know they're love rivals, but she should be able to put that aside if she knows what could be at stake."

"Yeah, better than nothing." Marie muttered before rubbing her temples. "God, why do we have to save the world? We were failures in life back on Earth."

I couldn't give Marie an answer.

…

"Thank you for your cooperation." Mary told the nice man who let her ride in his carriage after she asked him nicely. In truth, she could have teleported or flown to the airship port. She decided to take the scenic route to get used to her new body as well as properly sift through all the recent memories in her head.

She was disgusted that the incomplete version of herself had enthusiastically laid with Lea's descendant. Yet another reason for her to make Leon's death as slow and painful as possible. She didn't even want to think about the insurmountable lasciviousness of the girl who looked so much like her sister. She felt dirty for even having to possess the girl.

More importantly, she had learned the full strength of Leon and his allies. They were formidable and Mary would have had a genuinely difficult time overcoming them.

Thankfully, the lunatics in Fanoss had the perfect solution for her problem ripe for the taking. Controlling their armies and monsters along the way would also be a nice bonus as well.

Compelling the crew of a luxury airship was trivially easy for Mary and she stood in the bridge as the Captain and crew awaited her command.

"Where to, ma'am?" The Captain asked. Mary smiled as everything started to finally come together in her mind. After so long, she would finally have her vengeance for the betrayal of the ones she had thought were her friends and allies.

Anne was destined to rule everything with Mary at her side!

They would all pay for tricking Anne into marrying Lea, into giving him children, into making her lesser than what she should have been!

"The Principality of Fanoss, if you would."

Mary couldn't wait.