Chapter 71: 4-12 Maneuvering

Rupert von Drakas, Nineteen Years Old, Third Month of 948

This audience was going nowhere. My elder brother the first prince had requested my presence at a most inopportune time, given that my forces were moving against Count Francois. If Antonio was not such an imbecile, I would have expected that this was premeditated. But my brother could not scheme nor plot, he was far too honest for his own good. Just like Percival was far too kind.

Too honest, too kind, too cold. The three princes of this kingdom all had our flaws, but mine was the least likely to cause issues in the future. It was a sentiment our father shared, as I was now the crown prince. Successfully usurping my elder siblings, my name was sure to go down in history alongside the few others who had managed that feat. Not that I cared how history would remember me. I should expect I will be known as a bloodthirsty tyrant, given what is to come.

For a moment, I thought of my young bride-to-be. Cursed as she was to share my fate. I could only imagine what the historians might call us. Of course I was not alone with my brother. Not that I feared him, but it simply was not a risk worth taking. Besides, I was not the only one he had requested an audience with. Our father was also present.

“Rise.”

As always, the strength of his voice was inspiring. Though as one who bore the name Drakas, the magic suffusing his words would not affect me. No, I was drawn to the resolve behind his words. My father had been king for nearly thirty years, his was a voice forged with much hardship and adversity. The voice of a king.

Together my brother and I stood. Save for our aides, the room was empty; not even the palace guards remained. There was no reason for them. My father was the strongest human in the kingdom by virtue of the magic granted to the royal family. Though my brother and I were immune to the effects of much of it, we were not able to go against our father directly. Idly, I considered how that was similar to the effect of a Hell King’s ruler skill.

That was what made them such difficult opponents. After all, who would not feel anger at the sight of King of Wrath Satan? What man or even woman would not salivate at the sight of Asmodea’s perfection? Everyone had a price, and Mammon had the wealth to make an offer that could not be refused. That was why the champions had the powers to go beyond the limits of a human, to shake off the shackles of a king through death and rebirth, boost the strength of their comrades, and reject their humanity altogether.

“Father, I must insist that you reconsider. Rupert has never shown an interest in politics, and naming him your successor so soon after Percival’s death… such an act would only incite the nobility.” My brother wore a confident expression, and his words were fluid as ever. Against any normal person, his Charisma would win him the argument.

But our father was no normal person. He was the king of the largest kingdom on the continent, and by extension was shielded from the effects of Charisma. That was not to say that he would not be swayed. It simply meant that my brother would have to rely on logical argument and not his stats and skills. My father looked down at Antonio from atop his throne, “You went to the trouble of arranging this audience, only to tell me that which I already know? You do not help your case.”

I felt my lips twist into a small grin and hurriedly squashed it. Though I lacked the capacity to feel joy or happiness, long years of pretending had ingrained certain habits into me; my subconscious recognized that I should be happy to see my brother’s argument shut down. That manifested in a smile. It was an exceedingly unique problem to have, and one that I struggled with in nearly all circumstances. Except with her.

A phenomenon I first noticed five years ago in Ris, but something about Lady Stahlia suppressed those involuntary actions of mine. It was not something I understood, though if I had to guess I would say it had something to do with her being a kindred spirit in our curse. Though she had apparently managed to overcome her own skill and restore her humanity if Gustav’s reports were accurate. That was even more interesting; the prince who had to act human, and the champion who had to act inhuman.

“But father, given the present conditions of the kingdom, surely you must see how unrest among the nobility would be problematic?” Not to be dissuaded, my brother continued to plead his case stoically and incessantly. If he kept going on like this, I might not even need to involve myself with this… farce.

“AND WHO’S FAULT IS THAT!?” The shout from the throne took us both by surprise; father was never one to raise his voice in anger, and yet here he was.

“You, Antonio, sitting on your laurels and idly collecting your tributes and platitudes as if they were your birthright!?” My brother flinched at the rebuke, taking a few steps back to compose himself.

“Father, I-”

“SILENCE! You have the entire western region at your beck and call. The military arm of the kingdom is in your pocket. Yet I chose your brother over you. Do you not even see why?” Antonio faltered, at that. Our father’s words had struck a nerve; my brother did indeed have the more militaristic nobles in his faction. But that would never be enough to win him this game.

He pulled himself up. Straightening his back and squaring his shoulders, he faced my father’s rebuke head-on. It was actually a bit impressive, “Father, our kingdom is a mighty power. I hold the loyalty of the strongest soldiers and the western ports. If I wanted to…”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop, such was the rage and animosity radiating from my father. Granted, the temperature did not actually lower, and after a scant few seconds, the illusion passed, “You would dare threaten rebellion?”

My brother faltered for a moment, “N-no… I just mean that-”

“Then explain yourself. What do you mean, dear brother?” My voice cut in, and I gave my brother the widest smile I could muster, “If you believe you could do the job better, then, by all means, be my guest.” Punctuating my interjection with a wave of my hand towards our father, I stepped off the carpet on which we had both been standing. Metaphorically clearing the way for my elder sibling.

Before he had a chance to respond to my maneuver, there came a knock at the door. This room was sealed from outside interference but was equipped with a crystalline magic tool. By feeding mana into its pair on the other side of the wards and barriers, one could cause it to change color. In this case, the color change was a vibrant red; that meant an incredibly urgent message had arrived. My brother shut his mouth and stood down to await our father’s response.

The king nodded to his own aide, who then clapped his hands and spoke a keyword, [####### #######]. At that command, the wards around the room dimmed, and an audible *CLUNK* reverberated through the air. A moment later, the door was pushed open. The messenger was Henrake, the de facto head of the kingdom’s military and the one in charge of the capital’s security. If he was the one bearing the message, then there was only one thing it could pertain to.

The man knelt before the king and awaited permission to speak. Instead of granting it, the king turned to me, “Rupert, tell us what you have orchestrated.”

I bowed my head, noting the look of realization on Henrake’s and the expression of irritation on Antonio’s faces, “I believe this report is regarding a disturbance at the estate of Count Francois. As we speak, I have men provided by Duke Claurence moving to arrest the count and his family on charges of conspiracy, treason, and blasphemy.”

I had wanted to keep Duke Claurence’s involvement in my plot a secret, especially to my brother. That was no longer necessary though, as my father’s conduct at this audience had made it abundantly clear that his mind was resolutely made up regarding the succession. Only two things could change that now. The first was for my plans to fall apart, causing my father to change his mind. The second was what I was counting on.

After all, my brother was hopeless, but he was right; my appointment would fracture the nobility, though not quite in the way he was expecting, “Men provided by Duke Claurence? What is he doing working with you!?”

Case in point; my brother’s surprised outburst. I kept my calm as I elaborated, “Simply put, I have unified both our late brother’s supporters and the neutral faction under my banner. Three-quarters of the kingdom support my ascension.”

Antonio’s remaining foundation crumbled before my eyes in real-time. I watched as his face flashed through a complicated pattern of emotions before finally settling on resignation, “If you would excuse me…”

“You are excused.” My father’s dry tone caused my brother to grimace, but he did not protest further. Bowing to the king, then giving me a half nod, he spun on his heel and departed. It was not until after he had left, that Henrake cleared his throat.

My father addressed him calmly, “If you have something to add, Lord Henrake, you may do so.”

Henrake stood up and then bowed respectfully, “If it pleases your highnesses, the actions against the Francois Estate is but one item that is currently occurring; reports have come in of a massive magical discharge, the signature of which matches the magic of the royal family, around the vicinity of Duke Claurence’s mansion.”

I felt my face twist into something approaching distress, “Father, if you would excuse me, I believe I have something rather urgent to attend to.”

Though it was quite rude, I did not wait for my father to dismiss me from his presence before I turned and left the audience chamber. An action that was quite unusual for me. Then again, the linchpin of my plan was presently being threatened by the great enemy. If she falls here, everything will come undone. For better or worse, I had gambled everything on bringing Stahlia into my plans. Without her, the situation might be salvageable, but it would be far from ideal.

As was natural, my mind began to whirl as I attempted to figure out how her potential death would throw things awry. The most obvious setback would be the possibility of my duplicity towards the demon coming to light. In that case, I would not be able to do anything other than inform my brother as to the true nature of things and surrender myself. Attempting to keep the throne at that point would invariably doom the kingdom.

Even if Stahlia was able to protect my actions, I would still find myself in an awkward position; Duke Claurence would very likely fall, and the fact that I had acted against Count Francois would come to light. No, it doesn’t matter if she protects my plot or not. Simply the fact that I moved against the count will be grounds for my suppression. Stahlia must be protected.

As I arrived at that conclusion, I came upon Duke Claurence. He was doing a good job of hiding it, but I could tell that he was distressed about what was happening. Gustav had vanished from my side at some point, but he was smart; he would have been able to piece out from my mumblings that Stahlia needed our help and begun to move towards that end on my behalf.

“Come, Cecil. We need to get to the Academy’s command center.” Duke Claurence nodded sharply and fell into step behind me. As we walked down the halls of the palace towards our destination, I felt a prickle on my neck. Tensing up ever so slightly, I gripped the hilt of my sword. Where is it…?

“Your Highness!” Duke Claurence’s shout caused me to spin around and draw my sword in one smooth motion. Stabbing forward, I pierced the forehead of a young woman wearing a servant’s uniform. Her eyes glazed over, and even as we watched, her flesh began to twist and morph.

“Fuck! Cecil, be on guard!” Demonization. So Five has already discovered my scheme and seeks to silence me. Well, I suppose there is no point in hiding my cards anymore then. This was obviously one of the Shadows trained by Five, and implanted with one of his worms. No common assassin would spontaneously begin a transformation like this, nor would they have been able to infiltrate the palace.

Shutting my eyes, I called on the magic of the royal family. When I opened them, I beheld a world of light. It would only last a few seconds, and I would gradually go blind if I used it too much. But this was similar to Stahlia’s own ability I had heard about. Based on her descriptions, I knew what to look for. My Eyes of The King soon spotted the absence of mana along the woman’s spine. Without hesitating, I swiftly stabbed into it even as it spread itself out and attempted to encompass the woman’s entire spinal cord.

The bubbling flesh and twisting limbs ceased, indicating that I had killed the demon worm, “Cecil, I am going on ahead. Be wary of shadow agents, if you have to fight make sure to destroy their spine.” Gustav had hypothesized that the worms might be able to trigger demonization, but this was the first time I had been able to confirm it.

“What about your highness?” His voice held genuine concern for my wellbeing, which was admirable considering that his own family was at risk.

“I will be going on ahead.” Firmly gripping a medium-sized diamond that I always carried on my person, I spoke the Keyword, “[############# ####!]”

A flash of light enveloped my vision. When it dimmed, my surroundings had completely changed. I was now standing in the center of Gustav’s hidden office. The diamond, valued at some hundred thousand Drak, crumbled into worthless dust. Of course, that was the value without taking into account the lost enchantment it carried. Teleport Stones were exceedingly rare and getting my hands on this one had cost a small fortune.

This was the “command center” we had set up for emergencies, and this definitely qualified as one. Approaching the map of the city that hung on the wall, I studied the various points of light that had appeared on it. These were each representative of my various assets, my personnel. The majority of them were around the Francois Estate, these would be the ones led by Ferdinand.

I had the utmost faith in his abilities, and I knew for certain that he was loyal. But the fact that four of my men have been killed since I first looked at this map… They were fighting a strong foe to be sure. Even as the former One, before Five purged the ranks… to think that you are struggling this much. I could only trust that he would prevail.

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More concerning was Stahlia’s own light. Thankfully, she had accepted the brooch with little complaint, and seemed to be wearing it consistently. If not, I would be unable to trace her on this map. What was concerning was the way her light had just flared up to be nearly as bright as the sun. The brooch worked by drawing on a small percentage of the wearer’s mana, and transmitting it to the map.

As such, the fact that her light had just brightened to such an extent as to be blinding, would indicate that her mana capacity had just grown several times larger in less than a second. A moment later, I could only stare open-mouthed as the light traced a path from the Claurence estate to the Francois. It took less than twenty seconds for my fiancée to cover a distance of nearly seven kilometers.

Abruptly after arriving it dimmed dramatically, and I was left momentarily unable to see until my eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room. Whatever she had done, she had been left with barely any mana at all. She was not dead; our contract was still intact as far as I could tell. That did not mean she was not dying though. From a table to my right, I selected the appropriate Link Stone. The range was limited to only a few tens of kilometers, but my target was easily within that scope.

{Ferdinand, what happened just now.}

[Ah, your highness. Her Highness Lady Stahlia just arrived and did something to the demon we were fighting. She then abruptly collapsed, and the demon fled.]

{You were fighting a demon? Considering you it must have been a fairly old one. What of Stahlia’s condition.}

[The demon in question matches her highness’ description of the Original Sin, Sitri. I have my men checking her highness’ condition now… Lord Rupert, they tell me she has passed.]

{…She has passed. No, that is not possible. Collect her body and bring it to the command center.}

Cutting off the connection, I placed the stone aside. Truly, I hated using the blasted things. It was impossible to convey nuance or tone, all you could transmit were basic words. I double-checked my contract with Stahlia and confirmed that it was indeed still active. She is not dead then, so what happened? What exactly did she do?

I picked up another stone and activated it.

{Gustav, forget the Claurence Estate. Link up with Ferdinand. He is bringing Stahlia’s body to the command center.}

[…Acknowledged, your highness.]

{Good, be mindful of Shadows on your way, it would seem that we have been completely exposed.}

[I imagine so, considering that I am staring at Count Francois himself, encased in ice… The Rosial girl is here as well, and Jacqueline. Should I bring them with me.]

So that’s how it is then. Count Francois and Five were one and the same. While we moved against the count, he decided to move against Stahlia… We lost that gamble completely.

[Yes, bring them with you. I promised Stahlia to deliver her sister after all.]

★★★★★★

A White Void

The girl was once again beset with a sensation of vertigo. Lurching upright, she found herself back in the infinite white space. Glaring animosity at the androgynous figure, “You didn’t have to do that so abruptly.” She snapped.

The figure shrugged, “Well what would you prefer? I offered to show you your acquaintances and that’s what I did.”

She sighed and sat back. Closing her eyes for a moment, she ruminated on what she had just witnessed. Rupert von Drakas was her fiancé, and though she did not love him, she would be lying if she said she was completely apathetic. He was useful to her just as she was useful to him. There was that niggling thought though, stemming from what she had just born witness to.

“…You said my contract with Felicity was severed.” The obvious question hung in the air; she and Felicity had lost their connection, and Felicity was now at risk from her own skill. If the demonization she had just seen while in the prince’s mind was anything to go by, then it was a painful, traumatizing process. The girl shuddered to think that her adopted sister might have to undergo something like that.

The figure waved their hand dismissively, “This is this and that is that.”

The girl raised her eyebrow, causing the androgynous entity to sigh, “Hah… Is it truly that hard to figure out? Felicity was your slave. Rupert was your fiancé. The two contracts involved are entirely different; sure, they both link your souls. But the latter is far more intimate. Think; you didn’t get all tingly when you signed the slave contract, did you?”

Thinking back to that memory of a little over a year ago, the girl nodded. What the figure said was true; she had not thought about it before, but there was a distinct difference in how she felt between the two contracts. This caused her to recall her other two contracts, the one with the demon she had cursed, and the one with her teacher. Both of those had felt unique as well, though closer to the engagement contract than the enslavement.

As she arrived at this realization, the figure spread a smile across their face, “See, you figured it out! Well done!” Their tone was truly jovial, and it made the girl’s skin crawl.

“…Mutually linking our souls is a deeper connection than forcing such a bond. I suppose that’s pretty obvious huh.” Her voice was thin and self-deprecating. If she had known about the effect she had in suppressing Felicity’s skill, she would have arranged a better contract. Then again, she had no inkling that she would die so suddenly until after she had already assured such a fate through her own actions.

In short, there was no use crying over spilled milk. Unless she found a way to go back, but she dismissed that thought nearly as soon as she had it. Invariably, returning would cost her something dear. The condition she left her body in was well beyond the means of White Magic or Alchemy to repair. It would take a miracle to restore, and if the girl had learned one thing from her dealings with the various gods, those always came at a price.

Still, if her connection to the mortal world through her fiancé was still there. It was possible that she could use that. Shutting her eyes, she focused inwardly. It was hard, as if there were several barriers in place, but after a moment, she was able to grab hold of a thin string of cold mana. The girl smirked to herself. Mana was the power of the soul, and that was all she was right now so of course she could use it.

Grasping hold of the thread, she shaped it into a wish. Using the Yellow Magic spell “Distant Whisper” as a base, she formed the line of mana into a thought, a message. Then she threw it at the connection to Rupert that was welded onto her being. It took a few tries before she managed to break through. To be frank, it was actually incredibly painful; the connection was clearly not intended to be used this way.

“Holy shit! You actually went and did it!” The androgynous figure expressed pure delight; they had known what the girl was trying to do the moment she started, yet they had not moved to stop her. After all, it would be far more interesting if she managed to succeed, “Hell, that’s going to spice things up a bit. I can already see the tapestry re-weaving itself… You have talent. Here, a reward.”

The entity reached out and flicked the girl’s forehead. She felt rough energy enter her from the point of contact. After the initial abrasion, it seemed as if the pain from her stunt had faded, “…What did you just do to me?”

The figure grinned, “I patched the hole you tore in your soul by sending that message to Rupert. Wouldn’t want you to drain away into entropy just yet, now would I?” The calmness with which he spoke once again caused a shiver to run down the girl’s spine.

“Incidentally, what did you send? I didn’t peek at the content, but whatever it was, you altered the fates of a lot of people.”

After a moment of hesitation, the girl opted to answer their question. It sounded like they could find out on their own if they really wanted to anyway, “I told Rupert where to find Felicity, and asked him to guard her in my absence.”

The figure nodded, “I see I see, yea that would make a big ripple; Claire won’t be able to get her back to the Beastkin’s homeland now, so then it would cause… Ah, forgive me. I get carried away by cause and effect far too easily.”

Snapping their fingers, the androgynous figure caused a kettle and pair of cups to appear, “It will take me a few moments to set up the next dive, would you care for some refreshments?”

The girl took the offered cup and sipped idly at the tea. As disconcerting as it was, this window into her friends’ and acquaintances’ lives was comforting. Though the fact that according to Rupert she wasn’t dead just yet was a bit unsettling, she was sure that was only because she was presently in the “buffer” as the figure had called it. Once they had finished and she moved on, she would expire.

There was also the question of Ferdinand being an ex-shadow and a fairly high-ranked one at that. While curious, there was little she could do about that, so she opted not to think about it. She idly sipped her tea, until the figure nodded, “Right, well we’re all set! Ready?”

They smirked as they asked for her consent; from the figure’s point of view, her consent was hardly a requirement. She had already agreed to give them a favor in return for being shown these glimpses. The phone thing whirled to life, and projected a shimmer of light into the air between the two of them. The picture drew itself into the air and the girl’s eyes widened.

“No thank you! I don’t want to go inside that head!” Her protestations fell on deaf ears, as the figure merely grinned, “Too bad! See you in a few minutes!”

The girl felt herself be sucked into the drawing of a very familiar demonic girl. It would seem she was going to see how Sitri had felt to have her class and skills sealed away. The girl wasn’t entirely sure if she hoped for it to be painful or not; after all, she was about to learn first-hand.

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