CHAPTER 3: THE BLAME GAME

***The Holy Palatial Gardens***

A couple of days after that dream, there was a significant change in the mood of the people inside the Human Saint’s official residence. Although the opening of the Grand Expositions was just around the corner, the jovial spirit had suddenly left the Human Saint and her company, as they were reminded that Kuro’s appearance—though a welcome surprise—still remained what it was…a dream.

“…”

And no one else could know and verify that reality other than the four saints themselves: Maddie, Ruro, Natasha and Seirna. After all, they were the ones who were with him, and the last to leave Cherflammen.

“…”

As such, instead of focusing on organizing the exhibits, they had to postpone their involvement as they wanted to make sense of the events before. After they cut off Cherflammen’s connection to the four other worlds, the saints expected that anyone left in that place would be forgotten for eternity. It was not a surprise that those people close to Kuro who were not there during the evacuation had no idea of the fate of their dearest friend, and were wondering why the ‘blots’, and the dream happened.

“What do you mean you left him?” it was the Beastman queen, Ursura, who blurted out, slamming the table in her anger. “Your Holinesses left the Lord Kuro to fend against all those evils in Cherflammen?”

“Mind your tongue, Lady Ursura,” Ruro reminded her. “It’s not that we left him on purpose…”

“Ruro,” Maddie asked her to give way, “I think it’s better that I explain to Her Majesty, and to everyone else here.”

“I’m all ears, Your Holiness,” Ursura told her, but her voice had a hint of anger, though the monarch tried her best to keep calm. Likewise, the rest of the crowd—all of Kuro’s friends and supporters from the three races—listened.

“I understand your feelings, Lady Ursura,” the Human Saint began, with an obvious difficulty putting her sentiments into words. “Looking back, if only I tried my best to come back for Kuro, then this will never happen. We did attempt to save everyone—that was his wish, and mine as well. However, our limitations caught up with us, and he…”

Tears welled-up in Maddie’s eyes as she took a pause. Pain was written on her face, and she had to breathe deep several times before she continued, “…he sacrificed himself to save me.”

All fell silent with that. The atmosphere was heavy, yet no one left the discussion as they wanted to know more about what happened. At that moment, Seirna entered the talk…

“Sheesh! Cut this drama, you fools!” she told them. “This is what the otherworlder wanted! If you really want to appreciate his efforts, then let’s stop this blame game, and live. Don’t waste his sacrifice to save us!”

“I get your point, Seirna,” Natasha countered. “But you can’t also keep our friends in the dark for too long. They have to know what really happened.”

“With all due respect Your Holiness, Lady Seirna,” the King of Nerfes, Simon, backed the Demon Saint, “as the Lord Kuro’s friend, I’m concern on the fate of my dear friend, and why we ‘forgot’ about him for six years.”

“The Lord Greg has been a big part of our lives,” Princess Noir added. “It’s a shame that he did so much, yet we never remembered him. And I think I speak for the rest of these people around you, Your Holinesses. ”

“Alright! Alright!” Seirna raised her hands, giving up to the pressure. “I hate to admit it, but the otherworlder, I…I owe my life to him as well.”

“I guess we all are,” Ruro pointed out. “So, since we’re at it, maybe we should start coming to terms with my master’s death by apologizing to everyone?”

“Huh?” the Saint of the Flame quickly aired her objection.

“Seirna…” Natasha gave her a long stare.

Not wishing to receive the awkward, judging eyes of the surrounding crowd, the Saint of the Flame relented. She was about to speak when Maddie began her apologies.

“Everyone,” the Human Saint bowed, much to the surprise of all—especially the humans, “I’m sorry for leaving Kuro in Cherflammen! Believe me, I wanted to save him, too, and if possible, exchange my life for his…but…I was careless. He outwitted me.”

“If you’re apologizing for him outwitting you,” the Beastman Saint followed suit, “then I’m also at fault for leaving him behind. I’m a beastman, see? And the last of the Wolf clan; I should’ve used my ability to bail my master out before the portal closed.”

“You know guys,” Natasha stepped forward and bowed even lower than the two previous saints, “if you’re looking for someone to put all the blame, then please, throw it on me.”

“No, we’re sharing the blame,” Ruro quipped.

However, the Demon Saint refused. “I should be honest with everyone here.” Then, she took a glance at Seirna, who immediately got what she meant, and just nodded to show her support. Natasha continued, “Guys…among the people here, I should be the one who should’ve saved the Lord Kuro…no, I should call him my old teacher, Sir Greg. After all, I’m the one who caused him to be summoned here.”

Maddie and the others’ gazes fell on the Demon Saint. Everyone wanted to ask questions.

Still, Seirna pre-empted them all, “You know the identity of the Demon Saint as Natasha Bellingsen, right? But, in reality, she is Chersea’s most revered hero, Cassandra David, who is—as some of us know—the student of the otherworlder back in their own world.”

Another round of utter silence. There were a lot of issues—big issues—that came up, and their minds were just limited to take it all in. However, it was the demon king-president’s chamberlain, Shevaun, who broke the ice…

“Cassandra David is still alive? And she’s Her Holiness, the Lady Natasha Bellingsen?”

“There are a lot of things I need to explain to you,” Natasha answered, “but yes, I’m still the old Lady Cassandra. I only transmigrated to this demon body after my ‘death’.”

Still, those words weren’t enough to satisfy everyone’s doubts and questions. Save for the Saint of the Flame, their eyes were stuck at the Demon Saint, as if trying to peer into her soul. Natasha wanted to disappear in embarrassment at that moment.

Meanwhile, sensing that it was the opportune time to ‘take the blame’ while all was confused (thus deflecting their possible wrath away from her), Seirna steered them back to the earlier topic, “Anyway, I should also confess…if not for me, the otherworlder would never outwit the Lady Madelaine.”

“Wh-What do you mean?” Maddie asked.

“It was me who taught him how to circumvent our ability to read minds, Lady Madelaine.”

The Human Saint gave Seirna a long stare. At that moment, various emotions came out of her chest. While she certainly wanted to lash out at the Saint of the Flame, Maddie was also aware the decision for her to teach that skill to Kuro wasn’t because of Seirna’s initiative. It was all Kuro’s plan to save them, should the situation turned for the worst…

…which it did.

----------

And just like what Seirna had predicted, everyone else—save for Maddie—was too distracted by Lady Natasha’s true identity, that she avoided their blame thrown upon her. Now her next step was to discreetly excuse herself from the group and leave the palatial gardens just before they realize what had just happened.

However…

“What’s with you people getting sad and agitated?”

“!!!”

A shrill voice of a young woman cut through the silence of the courtyard. When their senses returned, they all turned to the speaker—the Duchess of Braunhauer, Eris.

“Haven’t you heard what happened to the Lord Kuro?” it was the Queen of Amaranth, Jessica, who asked her, “Not only did he die in Cherflammen, we forgot about him for six years!”

“I know!” she countered. “I’ve been listening to everyone’s apologies from the start. However, I refuse to believe it!”

Jessica was taken aback by Eris’ behavior. Nevertheless, understanding that she lost all her loved ones—her parents, and the man in her heart—the Queen of Amaranth only had gentle words for her. “It’s fine that you try to keep the faith, Lady Braunhauer. Please, feel free to mourn for your loss…I join you in your moment of sadness.”

“No!” the young maid insisted, “Until I see the corpse of the Lord Kuro, I refuse to believe that he’s dead!”

The Queen of Amaranth had no answer for that. While she and the Braunhauer duchess were at odds way back in the past, she couldn’t help but feel pity at her former ‘enemy’ nowadays. The pain that Lady Eris endured when her ducal house was nearly wiped out during the Amaranthine Civil War, today she had to face the reality that the man she loved was killed, and forgotten for six years.

Hence, Eris is trying her best to deny the Lord Kuro’s death.

“Lady Braunhauer,” it was Ruro, “while I admire you for being feisty, the fact remains that my master has departed this mortal realm for six years already.”

“But the dream—”

“Dreams are just dreams and not always the truth,” Natasha cut Eris off, visibly irritated. “Believe me; as an element of my god-powers, dreams have always been a part of my life as a Saint. Not all of those has—and will—come true.”

Though she stubbornly clung to the notion of Kuro’s survival, with three people contesting her claims, Eris was buckling in to the pressure. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her face was contorted between trying to maintain a straight expression, and stopping herself from bawling out her emotions. But then, just as the Braunhauer duchess was about to fall…

“I also would like to state my refusal that the Lord Kuro died.”

“!!!”

The silver-haired owl-lady Chief Royal Scientist of Cherwind, Salis of the Owls, stepped forward.

“On what basis?” Seirna asked, quite irritated at her appearance.

“Well, I never saw his corpse,” she replied. “As per my rule, I’d only believe it if I see it. While the chances of the Lord Kuro being dead are high, the fact remains that there’s a small chance that he survived and is waiting for our rescue.”

“So going by that rule of yours, if you don’t see your brain, you’d believe that you don’t have one?” the Saint of the Flame shot back, chuckling. “What do you propose we do? Open up Cherflammen—a ‘box’ full of real dangers—just to prove whether your theory is correct?”

At that point, Salis fell silent. Of course, she didn’t want the dangers associated with the opening of Cherflammen to happen. However, there’s this little feeling in her heart that she’d never accept the saints’ words until she was proven otherwise.

Supported by that strange dream, her ‘gut feeling’ tells her so…

“Let me tell you what happened when we left Cherflammen,” Seirna continued. “After we cut the ‘connection’ to that world—the reason we all forgot about that matter until now—there’s no one barely alive there! The sky light was consumed by…the Lord G-Gaius’ dragon, every living thing killed by his ‘shadow children’. Now tell me, ‘science’ owl-lady, how can anything survive in that cold, dark, and barren land? Not to mention, the Seductress is after the otherworlder’s god-powers, and all that he’s armed with is a gun!”

“You omitted the part where that idiot, Gaius, also wanted the god-po—”

“Shut up, Natasha!” the Saint of the Flame barked.

“…” Salis only gave Seirna a long stare. While she had no other ways to disprove the Saint of the Flame’s claim, the owl-lady kept on insisting within her that the Lord Kuro—the only person who caught her heart, just like the others present—won’t go down that easy. After all, as he always told her, he had everything thrown at him: knives, swords, spears, magic, bullets…and he still came back alive.

“…”

And also, she’s pissed at how the Saint of the Flame is trying to make her look like an idiot, so this is also a matter of personal pride.

While Salis and Eris attracted everyone’s attention—and for some of them, their scorn—by their sheer denial of what happened to their friend, Maddie remained composed from where she sat. Like her other saint friends, she was also looking into the thoughts of the owl-girl and the Braunhauer duchess. And like those two, she wanted to ‘wholeheartedly’ believe that Kuro was still alive…

----------

***The Saint’s Tree, Cherwoods***

“In order for us to bring in huge amounts of water into the interior of Cherwoods, we have to widen the irrigation canals, and put paddling machines so that there’s a continuous current to push water up to the very end of this system.”

The Dorians watched Kuro’s presentation about his proposed network of irrigation canals stretching far north up to the shores of Cherwoods, and south to the frontiers. He also showed them a miniature example of his canal design to reinforce his proposals, much to the delight of the elves.

“In time, we can also build aqueducts so we can bring water even to the highest elevations of this land.”

“You mean we can supply the settlements in the hill areas with this ‘aqueduct’, Mister Kuro?”

“You’re right on track, milord!”

The Lord Ingwer observed his companions as they trade questions with the human commoner. He would also look into the miniature samples and try the system for himself. The irrigation network Mister Kuro was proposing was viable, and it would solve his city’s issues in a blink of an eye (since they could use magic to move earth in a flash). However, there were questions in the Elvish lord’s mind…

“Mister Kuro.”

“Milord?”

“Well, I admit, your proposals are good,” the Lord Ingwer began, “and really, I think this might be the answer to our city’s problem with water supply. But then, I hope you forgive me for asking this. I wanted to know, what will you gain from these plans, Mister Kuro?”

There was a moment of silence, as the question of the Elvish lord visibly surprised the human commoner. Nevertheless, Kuro was quick to recover his senses; he smiled and said, “Milord, I won’t deny I’m getting some sort of benefits in doing this for your saint. However, if you suspect that it is for money, for fame, or even controlling Her Holiness, then I plead for consideration. Though I may not elaborate on our working relationship, I can say with confidence that it is I who needs her help more than she needs mine.”

“Are you saying that you’re not interested in these things around you? Vast palaces? The power and influence?”

“Do all elves wanted those?”

The Lord Ingwer shook his head.

“Then, milord, not all humans are the same as well. For me, I only wanted to live in peace, and those things you mentioned won’t bring me what I desire.”

The human commoner and the Elvish lord locked gazes for a short while. The Lord Ingwer was determining the sincerity of the man before him, and likewise, Kuro would never back down from his intimidation. And when the former realized the truth behind his host’s words, he asked another question…

“Alright, Mister Kuro, you convinced me. Now, I still have another concern,” the Elvish lord brought everyone’s attention to the miniature. “While I agree that this network of irrigation canals can solve our problems with water supply, I want to know where would we get this ‘paddle machine’ to create a current in the ditches?”

“Well, there are ways to build that ‘paddle machine’,” Kuro got a parchment and drew his ideas. “First, a ‘quite’ simple paddle machine in which we can use elvish manpower to push the water. Advantage of this design is that it’s easy to build, and we need to get those machines as soon as possible. The disadvantage is, its power depends on the physical strength of the elf ‘pushing’ it.”

“Not to mention, if we’re using people, they get tired.”

“Exactly.”

“And the second option?”

“We can build an automated system of a ‘paddle machine’. Elvish intervention is limited to maintenance and refueling, and the machine can continue working even during the time of long sleep.”

“Of course we wanted the second choice,” the Lord Ingwer commented.

“So do I,” Kuro countered. “However, the next question will be, where do we get it?”

Another round of silence. The Dorians had no idea where to find such a machine, and the human commoner seemed to be clueless as well. But then, the Lord Ingwer put up the idea of, “How about asking Her Holiness for some water golems to operate the ‘paddle machines’ of the first design?”

“Well…that can work,” the human took a pause before continuing. “However, as of now, we can’t do that.”

“What do you mean, Mister Kuro?”

“I offer my apologies, milord, but as of now, we can’t rely on the power of the Elf Saint.”

“I-I don’t understand…” the Elvish lord’s face went pale. “Is this…the reason she secluded herself?”

Kuro nodded, and he added, “That’s all I can give you on the saint. So, for now, it’s us who do the work for her. Besides, in the eventuality that Her Holiness’ powers vanished completely, the irrigation system will continue to service every elvish settlement in Cherwoods. So no need to worry once we finished building it.”

The Dorians, still in shock at what they’d just learned, were silent for a few moments. Kuro just let them be, sensing that he didn’t want to press them on deciding immediately on the matter he proposed. However, the Lord Ingwer returned to his self and asked,

“You’re right, Mister Kuro. If that is the case with Her Holiness, then we have to find the machine your irrigation system needs.”

“For now, we can do away with the first machine design. In fact, we already got volunteers willing to do the ‘paddling’,” the human replied. “However, as more settlements around Cherwoods will need to be included in the canal network, the more we’ll have to rely on the autonomous machinery.”

“Got it. But do you have an idea of where to get such a device?”

“Well…” a poignant Kuro then looked towards the windows of the room, towards the border crossing between Cherwind and Cherwoods to the east. “I know someone who can help you with that.”

----------

***The Holy Palatial Gardens***

The exhibits finally opened with a holy mass, conducted by the Grand Mother Templar Superior, and a benediction from the Human, Beastman and Demon saints. Then the month-long celebration proceeded as planned. Guests were still arriving, either by carriage and a network of ‘highways’ established six years ago, or by the train (the Holy Palatial Gardens had a tram station inside its complex). The nearby town of Arles had all of its inns fully booked, while the grounds between Arles and the Palatial Gardens (the border of the Saint’s estate and the duchy of Savoy) now resembled a ‘tent city’, for a great number of visitors preferred to stay near the events for several days. The exhibits were just too big to be completely seen in one go.

While the invitations were sent only to the leaders of the human, beastmen and demon races, the expositions were open to everyone. The scale of the celebrations eventually reached from all the corners of Chersea, Cherwind and the two other worlds, Cherwoods and the land of the dwarves. As such, there were also guests coming in from their people.

“We bid you welcome to our exposition,” the Human Saint greeted the elves and dwarves that had just arrived by rail. “We hope that you find our displays to your liking.”

“Bless you, Your Holiness,” the head of the Elvish delegation replied, as his eyes wandered and marveled at the opulence of the Holy Palatial Gardens’ tram station. “By the Saints, I never been to a place of such grandeur…”

“There would be more at the exposition grounds, Lord Herrun,” Maddie gestured for them to follow her. “Our societies had progressed far for the past few years…or in your culture, long sleeps. Thanks to that one man…” The Human Saint’s eyes went from her visitors to the prominent statue of a man in the middle of the station.

“That man?” the elf was taken aback. “Y-Your Holiness, you mean all of these are his doing?”

The Human Saint nodded, “Well, not everything was his idea, but he laid down some of the concepts we developed into the useful machines we use today.” She led them beside the foot of the statue, “By the way, I myself did this a week ago.”

“Impressive!” the Lord Herrun read the plaque on the pedestal, “This man is a genius! Looking at the list of his ideas here, this is phenomenal!”

“Indeed, he is!” Maddie proudly answered, though for some reason, there was a hint of sadness on her face. “It’s just unfortunate that he’s not here to see the fruits of his labors anymore…”

“Oh…what happened to him?”

“He’s dead…”

“Uhm…my condolences, Your Holiness,” the Lord Herrun bowed. “I didn’t know that this man you admire has already left the mortal realms. If it’s possible, may I know the name of this brilliant mind you speak highly of? I see that his name is not yet on the plaque.”

“We’re still having it cast,” Maddie explained. “But yes, his name is Greg Santos. To his friends, however, we call him ‘Kuro’; in fact, in this region, he is known as the ‘Lord Kuro of Arles’.”

The elf fell silent for a few minutes, as if surprised at the mention of the person’s name behind the statue. Then, he said, “That name…it is familiar, Your Holiness.”

“You might’ve heard of him before. He goes by many monikers, like the ‘Commoner General’ and the ‘Rock of Chersea’ here in this land. In Cherwind, he is the ‘Eternal King of Cherwind’, and the ‘Chief of the Orphans’. Among the demons, they call him the ‘Special Scholar’, and the ‘Master of Cassandra David’.”

“Huh? The Master of Cassandra David? Our greatest hero, Your Holiness?”

“Yes, he’s the old teacher of hers in the past. Like the Lady Cassandra, he comes from another world.”

“Ah! So this man’s really someone big!” the Elvish lord mused. “Still, Your Holiness, I think I heard his name recently. I just don’t remember where…”

At that point, Maddie read the elf’s mind, searching for any traces of Kuro in his thoughts. But then, another elf came beside the Lord Herrun and whispered something, bringing the latter’s memories about the man she loved in her full view.

“Right!” the Lord Herrun exclaimed before the Human Saint could do anything. “I remember now. There’s news coming from the Saint’s Tree that there’s a man who calls himself ‘Kuro of Arles’. Strange though; you say he’s already dead, but my friend, the Lord Ingwer of the city of Dorian, actually talked to him…and he gave him great advice on how to solve the…err, what he calls the ‘desertification’ of the frontiers of Cherwoods! In fact, the reason we’re here is to look at those machines he men—”

At that moment, the dignified expression and gestures from Maddie disappeared, as she grabbed the Elvish lord by his arms and demanded, “Milord, this Lord Ingwer of the city of Dorian, where can I find him?”

“Err…uh…Y-Your Holiness…err…c-calm down…”

“That man claiming to be ‘Kuro of Arles’ is a fake!” she bellowed. “I’ve seen him die with my own eyes!”

The servants of the Holy Palatial Gardens joined the other elves in trying to get the Human Saint’s hands—stuck like a crab’s pincers—off on the poor, confused elf. Maddie, once the Lord Herrun was free of her grasp, realized the folly of her actions, and returned to her usual prim self. She immediately offered her apologies to the Elvish delegation.

“I-It’s fine, Your Holiness,” the Lord Herrun brushed off the incident with a laugh. “I myself would react in the same manner, should I learn that someone is using the name of the person I look up to.”

“Still, someone’s using my Kuro’s name to enrich himself. Unforgivable,” the intense ‘killing intent’ that Maddie unconsciously unleashed intimidated her guests. However…

“Your Holiness!”

“Huh—”

The Human Saint didn’t even know what hit her, for her head maid, Lily, moved so fast those with untrained eyes couldn’t see that she actually slapped her friend on the head, ostensibly to bring her back to her senses.

“Goodness!” Lily wore a smile on her face, yet everyone could tell that she’s pissed at Maddie. “Your Holiness, I left you in-charge of the welcoming party because you insisted—and I trusted you—in doing so. But what’s going on with you scaring our valued guests?”

“Ha?” the Human Saint countered, “I didn’t do anything!”

“Your Holiness,” it was the Beastman Queen, Ursura. “We can feel your bloodlust from where we are—which is on the other side of the Palatial Gardens. So we rushed to check on you. Look, even the other saints are with us!”

“Oh?” then Maddie realized that Ursura and Lily teleported to her spot by the Ruro, Natasha and Seirna, along with some of the Paladin Guards led by their captain, Lady Sylvia Henristone. The Human Saint’s face was red, and she tried to step aside to her embarrassment. She also explained, “I’m sorry, everyone! I’m alright…it’s just that, I learned from our elf guest that there’s someone in Cherwoods impersonating Kuro.”

The moment she said those, the murderous air emanating from everyone else save for the Saint of the Flame filled the tram station. Though they never spoke, one look at their faces and everyone could tell that there was only one thing in their minds, which was, “Kill that imposter!”

The Lord Herrun could only chuckle, “Everyone here loves The Lord Kuro for sure, no?”