Chapter 58: 4-1: First Day Part One

The Story so Far:

It’s been eleven years since the death of George. I go by Stahlia now, and for reasons we won’t get into I wound up changing teams. It took me some time, but I’ve finally come completely to terms with losing my little buddy. I even managed to become a bona fide princess!

That’s skipping ahead a bit. Let’s see… I guess the first major event to recount would be my sister getting kidnapped. I was a real dunce about that, though I wouldn’t have been able to see it coming at least I could have known that the church couldn’t be trusted. Then again, one of their twelve gods is Antenora, goddess of being a cunt-bitc- Ahem, sorry, goddess of plots, deceit, and traitors.

Following that, I was shoved into an arranged marriage and shipped off to the Royal Academy. It wasn’t all bad though, as it turned out, my maid was a member of the same organization that kidnapped my sister. Though given recent developments and me learning about the literal bug she’s carrying around I can’t exactly confide in her anymore… I had just told her I was ready to trust her implicitly! I even told her about my status as a reincarnation. Fortunately, or unfortunately, it seems that my enemies were already aware of that. Though I have no idea how they found out about it.

Probably one of the gods told them, or something like that. After all, it seems like the gods just want to screw with me; one of them even sent me on a nice little suicide mission that resulted in nearly half a year of trauma. It’s a damn good thing I have the mind and memories of an-at-this-point-thirty-something, if I was really just an eleven-year-old girl I probably would have snapped and gone insane.

Then there was the Goblin Army that tried to attack my home village. Thankfully I was able to help repel them, though the way I did it was kinda sorta just a tiny bit extremely flashy. I ended up catching the eye of the up-and-coming third prince. After he got me in a room alone with him and his aide he proceeded to dump a bunch of royal secrets on me and followed up with a marriage proposal. After some consideration, I decided to take him up on that offer, since it would solve a lot of my current problems and put me in a very good position for the ultimate completion of my goals.

Of course, that comes with certain obligations, and I wouldn’t be able to back out of this one when I was done with my own goals, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Things are starting to heat up though, and I’m getting closer to saving my sister from the clutches of the kingdom. Only, it turns out she’s actually being held by a Demon. Not just any demon either, one of the Nine Hell Kings; basically, this world’s version of a Demon Lord. Thankfully my new fiancée is down with bringing down Fifth Seat, King of Wrath Satan as well.

Now I just need to figure out how to get the bug out of my maid, the Rohypnol out of my second and third best friends, and somehow brew a potion that can regrow missing body parts. All while plotting the downfall of a Demon Lord whose been alive for at least a thousand years. I refuse to rely on those jerkwads, I mean those gods, either. But hey, that’s just my NewLife!

Stahlia, Twelve Years Old, Second Month of 948

I was presently in Gustav’s hidden office; according to my class schedule, I was supposed to be receiving lessons in Advanced Blue Magic at this time. As it turns out, I was the only student enrolled in the class, and the class would be held in Gustav’s offices. Rowell was just outside the door to the main office, in the hall.

He had protested that decision, but Gustav had run him around in a circle, stating that I would be learning restricted spells and that Rowell did not have the authority to learn them. For every protestation Rowell put forward, Gustav countered. When Rowell raised his hands in defeat, I honestly felt a bit sorry for him. He was nominally supposed to be spying on me for Five, but hadn’t managed to accomplish much of that. Though now that I know about the worm, I imagine he’s only actually here to let me know I’m being watched, and throw me off the scent. The question is, does he know that’s all he’s here for?

As soon as we entered the hidden room, Gustav immediately turned and took a knee, “My Lady. I must apologize for that man. I would like to have removed him by now, but doing so would tip our hand.”

I felt my face twitch, “Lord Gustav, please do not start treating me like that… at least not until things are official… please.”

I really don’t want people to start treating me like that… for as long as possible. Considering that I had pretty much signed up to eventually be queen, I would have to get over the mentality. But until just a few days ago, Gustav had been my instructor; someone in a position above me. Him kneeling just feels… weird. Thankfully, he did not seem to want to press the issue.

“Very well. If that’s how you want to do things, I can accommodate, at least until after the wedding.” I nodded my thanks, before getting right to the heart of the matter.

“I take it that was a surprise for you as well?” Gustav grimaced and nodded.

“Indeed, I suspect his Highness Rupert was likewise unaware; he would have given me some degree of warning if he had known what his father was planning to do.” I took the seat that Gustav offered to me, in a way I was grateful that we hadn’t stood on protocol and had instead started discussing things right away. I prefer Gustav this way, rather than the hyper formal persona he had when Rupert was present.

Leaning forward I pressed for more information, “Right, well, do you have any ideas what the King is going for with this? I can’t imagine this will go over well with the First Prince and his faction’s nobles.”

Frustratingly, Gustav simply shook his head, “No, I have no idea. I could only guess; but if I were to do so, I would say that he is probably planning to force Rupert to take action. His Highness King Drakas is well aware that Rupert was the one to kill his own brother and, likewise, he knows about Five’s identity. Of course, he also knows that you and Rupert have signed the contract; with all that said, this is likely his way of telling his son to stop moving in the shadows and claim the crown. Lucky you, getting caught up in the Royal Family drama huh?”

Setting my jaw, a thin irritated smile graced my face as I retorted, “Of course, there is nothing I would prefer more than that.” My voice was dripping with sarcasm. Nothing ever goes just the way I would like, something or someone always comes in and ruins things.

Gustav chuckled, then waved set his hand on a tea kettle. In short order, it started whistling and he added some leaves to steep. As he prepared the drink I began to mentally prepare myself to put everything out in the open. He poured me a cup, and passed it over. After he had taken his own demonstrative sip I raised the cup to my lips and took my own.

Once I had set the cup down, Gustav posted a question to me, “Do you have any thoughts on removing the influence of the charm from Edith and Sarala?”

The question surprised me since that was one of the things I had been planning to reveal. Catching the look on my face, Gustav nodded, “It seems you do. Are you willing to divulge it to me? If you do not want to, we will continue looking for another method.”

I see… by having Gustav be the one to inquire Rupert is letting me sidestep the contract’s compulsion to answer honestly... Why though? I guess he’s trying to offer me a bit of freedom? Or showing that he trusts me without the contract? Either way, I was planning to tell Rupert anyways, and chances are he would want to inform Gustav. Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead… but this is a world with magic so that doesn’t apply. Well, here goes nothing.

“…Yes, I would be able to remove the charm. Or more specifically, I can give them the ability to remove it.” Gustav’s eyes flashed with interest.

“What do you mean when you say you can give them the ability to remove it? Some Blood Magic Technique you developed? Some sort of potion that makes them more resilient to outside mana? Something else entirely?” I blinked and shook my head while waving a hand to make him stop. I guess the eccentric one is his real personality, given how fast he was talking just now.

Once he was calmed, I sat back and crossed my arms. “Prince Rupert will keep my secrets because of the contract; you are not bound in the same manner.”

The light of curiosity faded from his eyes, though not in its entirety. Folding his hands and adopting a serious expression, Gustav nodded, “So it’s something even bigger than that. I will let Rupert know that you need to speak to him privately on the matter.”

The sudden change in demeanor from rapid-fire-eccentric to stoic noble left me in the dust. Woah, I thought I had just pegged him down as eccentric. Just what is going on with his personality shifts? It’s like he’s bipolar or something, except that those aren’t the usual personalities of that disorder… I gave him a hard look, trying to figure out which personality was the act. There it is. His hands are trembling a bit, so he clenched them to force the professional appearance, he’s actually dying to know but won’t press the issue because of loyalty to the prince, and by extension me. So much for treating me like you used to… I couldn’t help but think of last year, when he had badgered me to learn about calculus.

The memory was saddening, and I frowned involuntarily. Thankfully, Gustav was tactful enough to ignore that. Just something else I’m leaving behind, no use dwelling on it. “No, that would take too long… Blood Magic is old, or so I have been told, and it has been theorized that most, if not all, magic originated from it.”

Gustav adopted a guarded expression and tone, but now that I knew what to look for, I could still make out a few tells that he was now even more curious. Slowly, he asked a question, “…What are you getting at?”

I nodded and laid my hand on the table in front of him, “Including contract magic, correct?”

“…And just who told you that? I know I did not, was it Lord Kell?”

I shook my head no and smiled grimly, “No. As it turns out, Blood Magic used to be the primary magic used by people a long time ago, back when the Hell Kings were still human.”

Gustav shut his eyes tightly and inhaled slowly before breathing out just as slowly. When he opened his eyes he had lost the majority of the signs of his curiosity. Fixing his eyes on mine, I forced myself to maintain eye contact. After a few moments, he reached out and grabbed my hand. An instant later he released it and I reviewed the new memories I had just acquired.

Unlike with Sitri, this negotiation had been fairly quick. Gustav had agreed to keep any secrets I told him, with the sole exception of being allowed to tell Rupert so that he could act as an intermediary for us. I had also agreed to tell him how I knew about the origin of Magic, though that wasn’t a big deal to me since I planned on telling him about what had happened with Sitri anyways; he was smart enough that a bit of consideration would lead him to a correct, or at least mostly correct, conclusion anyways.

“Sitri, the demon I was sorely beaten by in Ang told me that during her age Blood Magic was the predominant form of magecraft, and that chanting did not exist yet. We also entered into a contract to ensure my, Dominic’s, and Jacqueline’s escape. That is how I knew Blood Magic contracts existed.” After Gustav got over the surprise and shock at learning the next queen had entered a contract with a demon, I spent the next half an hour reviewing the terms of that contract with him. He was, naturally, worried that I would wind up bound in a way that would prove detrimental to the kingdom.

Thankfully, since I was bound by yet another contract requiring me to tell him the details regarding how I knew about these things it was easy enough to convince him of my honesty regarding the terms. I was honest as well, going over the terms word for word, and describing my actions immediately afterward. These contracts really are convenient, though I need to be careful not to abuse them. I could easily wind up binding myself in such a way that I can’t move freely. I’ve been able to avoid doing that so far, but it is a definite possibility. Unless it’s of the utmost importance, I should avoid sealing agreements with magic.

Once the air had been cleared and it had been made clear that I had not sold my soul to a literal devil, it was time for the big reveal. There was really no way to ease into something this big, so I opted for the blunt approach, “I can grant people skills. I gave Jacqueline [Charm Immunity], and that got rid of Dominic’s taint on her.”

Gustav froze and was silent for a full minute before finally sinking back into his chair, “You… you are telling me you can step into the domain of the twelve, and guide the purpose of one of the races? Do you understand the ramifications of such a claim…?”

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I bobbed my head up and down, “Yes, why do you think I went so far as to ask you to bind yourself with Blood Magic? And it is not that I can step into their domain. According to an Oracle the church received a couple of weeks ago, I literally became the thirteenth god for a few moments when I granted the skill to Jacqueline.”

That revelation caused Gustav to start rubbing his temples vigorously. I waited patiently for him to recover, I knew that this was probably going to be the result of sharing this with him. Finally, he nodded a couple times and sat up, “The church received an Oracle? I assume you learned the details from your friend… Sana, was her name? Can you tell me what you heard? They have not communicated anything to the king that I am aware of.”

I guess he’s going with the approach of just not thinking about it. I suppose that makes sense, I’m basically shattering all of his preconceptions about how the world works right now. Though I still need to inform about the cost of granting a skill, if it’s something I have to do for two people I’ll be down and out for probably a month or two… not that I have a sample size large enough to know for sure… Hell, I didn’t even know if I could grant the skill to Edith and Sarala. Jacqueline had been over level forty and had a decent quantity of Life Points for me to spend. It was possible that Edith and Sarala wouldn’t have enough.

I had a theory that I could spend additional time of my own life to make up the difference, but without a test case, I had no way to be sure. As such, while I was willing to give up a few years for my two friends, especially when I knew I would desperately need their support, I had no way to know if it was even possible. There was also the fact that I would age significantly while in my comma. For Jacqueline, I had grown a year or so physically, and I was still young enough we could hide it and pass it off as a growth spurt.

But if I suddenly grew to be sixteen or eighteen, or even older, it would be a lot harder to hide. As such, me giving them the skill was a definite last resort. Based on the clock in the corner, there was about half an hour of time left in our “class”. I would need to make sure to at least tell him that there were restrictions, and that I couldn’t be counted on for something insane, like augmenting the skills of an army. In theory, it should be obvious that exercising the ability of a goddess would have a cost associated with it. But given the worldview challenging magnitude of the ability, it was possible that Gustav and Rupert would arrive at the conclusion I could do anything.

Which is certainly not the case. I can do a lot and am certainly special, but I have limits. I also want to avoid using my authority as much as possible, since the gods definitely noticed when I did; they couldn’t have made an oracle about a thirteenth if they hadn’t. I can be almost certain that if they don’t already know it was me, they will figure it out if I keep using it.

“Yes, the oracle detailed that Asmodea, Queen of Lust has advented, and that a thirteenth god was born for a moment. As I said a moment ago, I am reasonably certain that last part was referring to me; the timeline matches up with when I gave Jacqueline the skill.” This time Gustav didn’t take too long to respond, and simply absorbed the information before nodding.

“I see, we were already aware of the new Hell King, and you told me about the… goddess thing… already. So the only takeaway is that the church is not telling his Highness King Drakas.” Falling silent, Gustav began to stroke his chin in thought, “…Which does not bode well; we are already contending with an infiltration, to have the church moving in the shadows as well… Please, maintain your connection to Miss Sana as best you can. While only an apprentice, the fact that she was present for an Oracle should elevate her standing somewhat.”

Well, I don’t exactly like the thought of using Sana like that, but this is better than you trying to tell me to cut off ties with her because the church is dangerous. There is no way in hell I would go along with that, this way I can work towards shielding her. At the end of the day, I probably need to get her out of the church somehow. “I do not appreciate being told to use my friendships as political tools, but I can see what you are getting at… As long as she does not wind up at risk, I will follow along.”

Me from a few months ago would have whined a bit and gone along with the request begrudgingly. The new me was walking her own path, and I would make sure that I was on equal standing with Rupert, at least as much as I was able, at the end of the day the Queen was second fiddle. In some cases even third fiddle. Gustav gave his assent, “That is all I ask, I am sure his Highness Prince Rupert will appreciate your willingness to work with us.”

Not wanting to let things fall into an awkward silence, I opted to take this opportunity to roll things back to a previous topic, “…Regarding that; do not get any ideas about having me make an army… Granting skills is, well, costly for me. It is an absolute last resort.”

Gustav looked loathe to dive into that topic, but reading the seriousness writ in my expression, he begrudgingly asked me the details, and I spent the remainder of the meeting detailing the repercussions I had experienced, both when I first accessed Rosin’s status menu, and when I had actually exercised my authority on Jacqueline.

As the class period came to a close, Gustave stood and helped me up from my seat, “Thank you for being so open with me and by extension his highness; he will be pleased that his effort to afford you some privacy in the face of the contract was responded to with your trust.”

It seemed that the eccentric was sated for now, as he had dropped back into the exceptionally formal mode. That’s really disconcerting that he can switch between two extremes like that. Still, it was just something I would need to get used to. Heading out into the hall, Rowell fell into step behind me. He was doing his best to avoid displaying his irritation at being left out. I honestly need to do something about him. It’s getting annoying to constantly have to find excuses to ditch him…

I made a mental note to consider a way of ridding myself of my third shadow, though whatever I decided on would likely tip my hand and change the status quo from relative non-aggression to active rebellion, or at least active resistance, given my new position whether or not my future actions could be considered rebellion anymore was debatable. I did have the tacit approval of the newly anointed Crown Prince after all.

My next class was annoying in multiple ways. For one, it was on the opposite side of the Academy grounds. For another, it was my Swordsmanship class. That meant that Dominic was going to be there. I hadn’t interacted with him that much the day before, so I was unsure how the announcement about Rupert purportedly planning to pick his fiancé would affect our relationship. Hopefully, it wouldn’t. But these things hardly ever went the way I wanted them to.

With a heart filled with trepidation, I made my way out onto the training field and to the group of boys, or rather, young men at this point in their lives. For the most part. There was one of them that was still a boy, and I didn’t mean Dominic acting childish. There was a physical boy going through introductions. More specifically, the other students were introducing themselves to him. After all, Ferris von Febligi had the highest social status out of all those present.

I paused a short distance away, I needed a moment to compose myself before stepping onto this new battlefield. But really, skipping straight into a fourth-year swordsmanship course? I get that he’s the son of Duke Febligi and that house is renowned for their martial prowess, but isn’t this a bit much? The thought occurred that he was probably here because of me. After all, he had made no secret of his intentions to get me away from the third prince faction.

It was easily conceivable that he, or rather his father, would leverage the reputation of his house to place him in a higher-level course. The fact that it was the same course as myself was most certainly not a coincidence, there were several other classes for this year he could have joined. Thankfully he won’t be so easily able to skip ahead in magic, math, or alchemy. Hurray for small victories… While I had never really intended to remain with him, I had still been around Dominic long enough to be able to read him a bit by his body language.

While he was smiling as he greeted Ferris, I got the distinct impression that he was furious, as well as a bit agitated. A strange combination of emotions, and one that signaled how hellish the next few months would be. Maybe the king’s announcement will accelerate Rupert’s timetable… one can hope at least. Having properly resigned myself, I closed the remaining distance and took a position on the periphery of the class; I did not want to get in the middle of what I was sure was coming.

And now he’s coming this way. Damnit, can’t you take the hint? Sure enough, Ferris had made his way over to me as soon as my presence had become apparent to the rest of the class. As he approached, a hush fell over the other students, save for a few whispers and a couple of them that made concealed gestures to at their neighbor. Of course you would all be overly interested in this. After the incidents the past couple of weeks…

There was the third party present that was also interested, and I chanced a look in its direction. Dominic had fixed me with an unfriendly glare, but was remaining a bit away from me. So he’s still going for that ‘neglect’ bullshit hmmm? Fine. I’m not going to deal with this crap for the next few months, if you want to be a child, then I’ll be a bitch. I waited patiently for Ferris to finish his walk and then performed my greeting.

“A pleasure to once again meet you, Lord Ferris.” Punctuating my words with a deep curtsy and a flat blatantly fake smile. The impression was that I was paying him only the courtesy required by our different stations. It was a far cry from what one would expect a young lady who was being courted to do. But it was exactly the response one would expect from an engaged young lady who was being poached and was not happy about it.

Ferris faltered briefly and, out of the corner of my vision, I saw a look of surprise cross Dominic’s face. What do you expect? I am engaged after all. Just not to you, not that I’ll be telling you that. After all, my fiancée wants me to act like things are normal between you and me. If you weren’t reacting so childishly, I would have spent the next few months slowly taking a distance and working to reduce our contact so the coming announcement is less painful for you. But since you’re acting the way you are, I see no reason not to add more and more superglue to this relationship. That way when I rip it off later it hurts like hell.

Was I acting petty? Absolutely. At this point though, I honestly did not care one wit. Ferris pulled my attention back to him as he gave his return greeting, “Indeed, it is a pleasure, Lady Stahlia. I look forward to seeing the measure of your ability, I have heard some amazing things after all.”

The bow he gave me was not the half-bow that he should have done given the station, but rather a full bow. That indicated that he was still intent on pursuing me. Would it be laying it on too thick if I flat out rejected him here…? No, given how I acted at the wake, I think I should be able to get away with being a tiny bit blunt. “Lord Ferris, while I appreciate your formality, I do feel it is unbecoming of your station for one such as myself.”

He gave me a funny look, but didn’t offer a retort, simply stepping back after a moment and slightly dipping his head by way of apology. I had, in no uncertain terms, told him to stop being so familiar with me. On the surface, it sounded simply like a gentle push to open some distance between us. However given the context of the events over the past few weeks, it took on a much more direct meaning of “I’m engaged, back off.”

As Ferris took a few steps back, Dominic fell in to take his place at my side. He was barely managing to conceal an enormously pleased expression, and I flashed a smile of my own briefly in his direction. It was a genuine smile, brought on by the thought of the payback that was coming for him in the near future. It was a bit sadistic for me, especially without [Cold Hearted] active, but I was just done with his shit.

The more I thought about it, the more I grew irritated with myself for worrying about hurting him when I signed the contract with Rupert in the first place. It was a big change for only a couple of days, but I chalked it up to having realized that I was free. So to speak; of course I wasn’t free in the truest sense, but there was a massive difference between an engagement arranged and an engagement willingly entered. Even if love wasn’t involved in either.

The voice of our instructor boomed out across the gathered students, calling for class to begin, “Alright you lot, form up. It’s the first day of the new school year. You all know what that means. Before we get started though, Stahlia!”

At the sound of my name I stiffened; in my experience, it was never pleasant when a teacher singled me out and for various reasons, they seemed to keep doing it. Hiding the irritation I was feeling at being called on, I answered crisply, “Yes, instructor?”

He nodded at my prompt response and then dropped a nice fat bombshell on the class, “I was told what you were involved with over the break. You will be sparring with me this year so that you don’t accidentally kill someone. The rest of you, pair up!”

Yea… I guess that makes sense. The level advantage will be a bit large at the moment. Though I wish you had just said I over-leveled them instead of being all dramatic. I doubt I would mess up to the point of killing someone. Still, while his method had been rough it was a welcome suggestion, this way I would avoid any awkward happenings. I stepped back and away from the other students; in a way this was similar to last year since the teacher had been giving me private lessons for the first few months until I had managed to catch up to the other students.

Glancing over the pairs, it seemed that things were moving fairly predictably, with people forming up according to friendships or healthy rivalries. Except for the predictable two. Dominic had paired himself up with Ferris. It was plainly obvious what was going on with that pairing. Great, and I suppose the instructor isn’t going to separate them, is he? Sure enough, the instructor didn’t seem to see a problem with Ferris and Dominic sparring with each other.

Really? The sons of the noble heads of the First and Third Prince factions are being allowed to spar? With swords? There is no way this ends well! For a moment a dark thought flashed through my mind, that perhaps Ferris would “accidentally” solve my Dominic problem a few months early. I quickly grabbed hold of that thought and crushed it with a shiver. It was frankly scary how quickly my mind had gone in that direction. Why though? Everything is going fine now that I’ve solved the charm and the engagement problems… is it a sort of rebound? I’m growing to hate him as the influence of the charm fades? Then the contract with Rupert may have served as a catalyst…

Pulling me back to reality, the instructor had shouted “Begin!”. The first match, Dominic vs. Ferris, had started before I could interject about how bad of an idea it was.

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