Kindred Spirits

After receiving some news that I had absolutely nothing to do with, I was escorted all the way to the capital of Valieris, a city called Roswand. Don’t worry, I kept my bag of treasure safe on the journey.

After arriving in Roswand I made sure to deposit my treasure with the Temple Knights. I also did my part as a good employee and visited the local branch of the Gilden Lions. Surprisingly, they had a letter waiting for me. Apparently Seleni sent it to Ciel, but since I didn’t get it there it was forwarded to Roswand. The fact that it made it to Roswand before me really says a lot about how much I was dragging my feet.

Anyway.

I had the lady at the counter read it to me, but it wasn’t very interesting. I’m not sure why she thought I’d care, but it was mostly about Silvias and that centipede Rakki mentioned back in the prison. None of it seemed like my problem. Besides, Rakki and Sanson were probably back in Milize by now. She also wrote a bit about the current situation in Aizus. Well, current at the time she wrote it, but either way, that was even less interesting. What’s it matter to me that the king and queen kicked the bucket? Besides, at this point the reason for their invasion is pretty irrelevant.

After that I went and did a couple of other small errands, but some goons from the castle managed to find me before I finished everything on my list. They made sure to remind me that I was supposed to head there right away. Getting on the king’s bad side seemed like a bad idea, so I decided to just get things over with and head to the castle.

Now, I know what you might be thinking, and you’d be wrong. I’m not as simple as you might expect. Sure, Roswand was bigger than Milize, but that doesn’t mean I instantly decided it was my new home. If anything, the opposite was true. Roswand had lots of people and lots of fashionable stores, but I actually kind of hated it. Just the idea of living in Roswand made me angry.

I mean, think about it from my perspective. I’m used to being at the top. My fifth sense tells me that anyone who sees me is instantly forced to recognize my overwhelming superiority. No matter where I go, I’m always number one. If anything, it’s a curse. A curse that I love, but curse nonetheless. That’s not possible in Roswand. I didn’t realize it at first, but, I mean, the king lives here. Everyone knows the king lives in Roswand, and as perfect as I am, I’m obviously not the king. That means no one will recognize my status as number one. Sure, everyone will still recognize my beautiful appearance and intelligent mind, but that will only put me in second place. Through the unfair structure of the humans’ governmental system, the king will always be number one.

I found the whole thing distasteful. Down with the monarchy! Power to the people!

Anyway.

I was escorted to the castle and left to wait in some kind of fancy room. It’s a good thing I decided to let the goons bring me to the castle, because it was just too big. I might be good with directions, but even I would have had a hard time finding my way around. Was such an extravagant house really necessary? Come on king, learn some humility.

After a few minutes a rotund boy entered the room. Well, I called him a boy, but he’d have probably taken offense to that. He looked like he’s at that age where being called a child would get him all worked up. How immature. Although I did like the eyeglasses that he was wearing. Glasses were rather uncommon, but I always thought that they had great potential as an accessory. I’d need to look into getting some of my own. They wouldn’t work well with my ball gown though. That’s fine. I’d just need to get a whole new outfit to match a more scholarly look.

“Welcome, I’m glad that you made the time to accept my invitation before making your way to the castle. I’m sure you are already aware, but my name is Micheal de la Foucherie. I am the oldest son of Duke Foucherie, the minister of finance.”

“Huh? Who are you supposed to be?”

“Ah, I mean, I just told you. . .”

“You did, but that didn’t tell me anything. I thought I was here to see the king.”

“I believe that’s why you were brought to the capital, but I had some of my men invite you to the Foucherie estate in order for us to discuss a few matters.”

“Wait, those were your goons?”

“Goons?”

“And this isn’t the castle?”

“The castle? Heavens so. The castle is far more extravagant than this.”

Someone needed to burn this city to the ground. Down with the bourgeoisie!

“Then what are you wasting my time for?” I quickly stood up from the chair I was relaxing in, but I just as quickly sat back down. “Is what I was going to say, but I like your style.”

“My style?”
“Yeah, and I’m not just talking about your expensive clothes and fancy glasses. I’m talking about the fact that you had your goons bring me here before the king’s goons managed to find me. I’ve never met the king, but from what I’ve imagined about someone in his position; you’re risking his ire by bringing me here first. I like that.”

Anyone who takes a stand against that pompous jerk sitting on the throne is a friend in my book. Well, maybe friend is going a little too far, but I’d hear him out first.

“I’m glad you understand. Yes, everyone working at the castle would be displeased that the son of a duke is doing something like this, but a lot of money is about to change hands, and I want to be part of it. Besides, it’s no stretch to say that I’m already involved.”

“Money you say?”

“Exactly. Everyone at the castle is focusing on war, but they haven’t properly considered the economic impact. Soldiers can’t march on an empty stomach.”

“Those fools. That’s why this kingdom needs people like us. I knew we were kindred spirits from the start. It’s all about gold. Why can’t they see that?”

“They are shortsighted, the nobles of this kingdom almost always are. It’s a welcome experience to learn you aren’t like them. You are much easier to work with than Seleni made you out to be.”

“You know Seleni? Small world.”

“Yes, we recently became better acquainted through our time at the Royal Academy. It hasn’t been properly confirmed, but you are her elder sister, correct?”

I liked the sound of that Royal Academy business. I want to have a school arc, but I’d push that tangent to the side for now.

“Yeah, that’s me. I’m her older sister. Big sister, some might say.”

“Of course they would. Anyone who laid eyes on you would instantly recognize you are the older of the two. While you still maintain a youthful beauty, your maturity is obvious to anyone with eyes.”

“You know, I’m starting to like you, glasses. If you ever need a favor, just ask.” It’s about time someone finally said what everyone has been thinking. “Actually, are you interested in living forever?” I still had plenty of that immortality potion to spare.

“An interesting topic, but would you mind if we discussed more practical matters?”

“Sure, I guess.” First Sanson and now this guy. What’s up with these humans not wanting to live forever? I’d just have to trick him into drinking some.

“Well then, am I correct in assuming that you are aware of the situation you currently find yourself in?”

“For the most part.”

I’m sure it’s all a big misunderstanding, but I was aware that some people seemed to think I orchestrated some kind of mass killing.

“What you might not be aware of is that 284 returned to Roswand a few days before you, and he has already given his testimony before the king.”

“I didn’t know that, but it’s hardly surprising. I wasn’t exactly in any rush to get here, and even now, I still haven’t gone to the castle.”

“Yes, your lack of urgency is certainly interesting.”

“Thanks. What was that protagonist wannabe’s punishment anyway? The way I see it, he’s the one at fault. I’m just a victim here.”

Was there any other way to see it?

“284 has yet to receive any punishment. It was determined that while he acted somewhat rashly, he had been deceived by the true mastermind.”

“The mastermind, huh? Scary stuff. I should probably use the same excuse.”

“No, I don’t think it will work for you.”

“Ah, I get it. You don’t think anyone would believe someone like me could be deceived? I’d see right through any mastermind.”

“No, it’s not that. . . After having met, however briefly it may have been, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the mastermind is you.”

“I knew it! I knew that guy was trying to steal my position as the main character. I’ll kill him first!”

I started to leave the room, but glasses rushed over and talked me out of it. He went on to give me the jist of that guy’s testimony.

Basically, it went like this.

The both of us, along with a noble of Ciel and someone he didn’t recognize, were locked up in a Holy City dungeon for falsified crimes. After realizing that the troops from Aizus were continuing to advance we decided to break out and confront them. Then, one Baronetess Remnant Blanche, who herself was under orders from the Saint of Valieris, gave him permission to confront the Aizus force. Baronetess Blanche even went as far as to register her mana, leaving undeniable proof of her involvement.

After escaping prison, he did indeed confront the Aizus army. Apparently his plan was to summon some kind of big, but overall harmless, magic to slow their advancement and then contact the capital for new orders. But that’s not what happened. What he didn’t account for was the absolutely massive amount of power that Baronetess Blanche used to register her mana. He also didn’t account for the completely volatile nature of it. That meant that he had no control of the magic he tried to release. The mana Baronetess Blanche forced onto him came pouring out, turning his otherwise simple spell into a miasma of undead energy that killed every human it came in contact with.

“I’ve been framed! I demand a lawyer. He’s got no evidence!”

After glasses finished telling me what happened I immediately felt the need to declare my innocence. Why was it so hard to get decent representation these days?

“At first most people agreed that 284’s story couldn’t have been true, but unfortunately for you, there is indeed evidence. After the coat of arms from 284’s uniform was examined, every single court wizard agreed with his story. Even after days had passed, it was still leaking a sinister mix of undead and divine energy. They all agreed that without proper warning, no one would have been able to control such a violent cocktail of magic energy.”

“Well, they still don’t have any proof that it was from me.”

“Unfortuenately for you, they do indeed have proof. Samples of your noble registration were retrieved from the Blanche household in Milize, and the magic signature matched that of the magic leaking from 284’s coat of arms.”

“I’ll claim it was planted evidence!”

“Once they test your mana in person they will be able to discount any such claims.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll admit I gave him some of my mana, but he’s the one who requested it!”

“He requested that you register your mana with him for record keeping purposes, but you clearly poured more magic than any normal human is capable of producing naturally or containing into him. No one would believe that you used that much mana by mistake. If 284 wasn’t as capable as he is, you would’ve killed him outright.”

“Capable? Don’t make me laugh.” If I couldn’t defend myself, I just had to tear the other guy down. “I wasn’t trying to kill anyone in the first place, but that phony didn’t survive me blasting him with my lifeforce because he’s capable. He only survived because he made a pact with a demon.”

Glasses took a moment to wipe his forehead with a handkerchief.

“I see. I suspected 284 had something he was hiding. Now it’s my turn to ask for proof.”

“Proof? Are you really going to trust that shady guy over an upstanding citizen like me?” Needless to say I had no real proof other than Rakki’s word.

“Frankly I don’t trust either of you, but my relationships are built on mutual economic prosperity, not trust. That’s why I needed to speak with you before you made an appearance at the castle. I need you to tell a similar story as 284, and under no circumstances say anything that would put him under further investigation.”

“Is that what this is about? Why would I listen to you?” Glasses flicked a gold coin in my direction. I made sure to catch it without breaking eye contact. “Continue.”

“If you listen to me and testify to what I tell you, both you and 284 will be fine.”

Suspicious. Was he taken in by my charm? I really was a sinful woman.

“And why exactly would you feel the need to help me? It seems like you’ve got some kind of relationship with that slanderer, so I get why you’d go out of your way to make sure he doesn’t take the fall, but why exactly would you try to make up a story for me too?”

“Two reasons. The first is that I need to make sure the delegation from Aizus leaves Valieris happy, and second, I need you to owe me a favor. I’ve heard that your assistance is absolutely necessary for me to make any kind of deal with Saint Milize.”

“With Ane? What do you need with her?”

“Because of what you and 284 did, war is a very real possibility, and a saint will be even more valuable in times like that. My family stands to make a lot of gold if we can smooth things over with Aizus. And if war can’t be avoided, well, she could make us enough gold to weather this storm. If we prepare for both we’ll be guaranteed to profit.”

“I see.” I didn’t see. “But are you sure you still want anything to do with Ane?”

“What do you mean?”

Ane had definitely been summoned to the capital as well. That should have given more than enough time for glasses here to learn what she was really like. Given her current condition, I don’t see how anyone would view her as a sound investment.

“Wait, is Ane even in the capital?” Now that I thought about it, it’s a bit surprising that I hadn’t run into her yet. It had been a few weeks since we last saw each other, so she definitely would have sniffed me out.

“No, there was a problem in Milize that required her attention.”

“A problem? Ah, are you talking about the situation involving the spider and the centipede?” I remembered hearing about that from Seleni’s letter.

“Yes. I trust then that you are aware of the situation?”

“Far more than I’d like to be, yeah.”

“That’s good. We’ll be using that incident to craft your excuse. As long as you listen to me we’ll both come out on top.”

“What exactly do you have in mind?” I was already fairly certain I wasn’t going to do what he wanted, but on the off chance he tossed me another coin I decided to keep listening.

“First, you will claim that you went to the Holy City in order to ask for aid in handling the colossal spider and centipede that attacked Milize.”

“But I didn’t. I went to the Holy City to cause a prison break.”

“Leave that detail to yourself. Your excuse doesn’t need to be true. None of the high nobles will care if it’s true or not, it just needs to sound right.”

“So you want me to lie? I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but as everyone’s big sister I’m known for my honesty.”

He took his glasses off for a moment and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“True as that may be, this isn’t the time or the place for honesty. I’ve lived in the capital my entire life, trust me to craft a story that will serve you far better than the truth.”

“Alright, I’m at least willing to hear the rest.”

“Once you got to the Holy City you triggered the barrier surrounding the city because you were coated in the demonic essence leaking out from the colossal spider. That same essence was then what was accidentally transferred to 284 when you registered your mana with him. Neither you nor 284 were at fault. Unfortunately you are still afflicted with the creature's terrible essence. This was all caused by the unholy creatures attacking Milize.”

“Will anyone actually buy that story?” I mean, I get that not everyone was as observant as I was, but I didn’t think that story would hold up to much scrutiny. I mean, did the timeline even match reality?

“They will. The nobles of this kingdom would much rather blame the spider. The alternative is admitting that you and 284 are capable of effortlessly killing 5,000 men. No one would willingly throw guilt at the feet of people who could do such a thing.”