"I have to wonder whether or not you actually realize the significance of your actions sometimes, Bartford." Chris says, tightening his armor. "Really, inviting the commoner girl to join us just to get her something from a dungeon that would put her in Lady Redgrave's good graces? People might think you're trying to court her through the girl, given your connection to the Redgraves through her brother."
"Saint above, just how paranoid is everyone?" Leon grumbles, double checking his own armor. "I'm just taking the most efficient and expedient action to get things done and people jump to all sorts of conclusions. It's crazy!"
"Hah. Yes, well, member nobility are quite capricious of their power. And attempts to usurp it can come from all sorts of unexpected angles." Chris smiles. "Given your track record of using unexpected angles to get at a target, I would have thought you'd see it."
"Stupid stuffy nobles and their stupid assumptions…" Leon grumbles. "Bah. I'll write a letter explaining the situation and hope Lady Redgrave doesn't think any deeper on it."
"That's a start." Chris nods. "Maybe make a recommendation to take Miss Freycross as one of her followers as well. It will help relieve any other minor worries and quell any rumors about you taking her as a paramour."
"Damn, those kinds of rumors are cropping up already?" Leon clicks his tongue. "My boys are already gossiping about me and Lana being together, I don't need them gossiping about me being with Olivia next."
"Your followers are quite rambunctious, aren't they?" Chris laughs. "I would have thought you'd discipline them by now?"
"I did. They just started gossiping again immediately after." Leon grumps.
Chris laughs and Leon lets him, turning to the rest of the 'expedition' force as they do their last minute checks so everything is in order. There is a group of pretty-looking gynoids helping the other expedition members don their gear, taking the equipment and weapons from crates with the logo for Nielsen Courier co. stamped on their sides. Sybil, notably, is helping Olivia with her own preparations, tightening the light armor she wears while offering encouragement.
There are 15 people in all– Leon, Chris, Olivia, 10 of his followers, a supervising teacher mandated by the Academy so nothing untoward happens during the dive, and a surprise guest that all but demanded to be brought along so he could see the Raven in action with his own eyes.
Greg Fou Seberg, one of the Prince's entourage members and arguably the best fighter among them. He had pestered Chris into letting him join, and the swordsman had relented after asking Leon. He carries himself with the air of an experienced warrior, though prideful to an extent, and flexes his impressive build for the gynoid that's currently helping him into his armor. The bot giggles obligingly, but shows no other signs of being affected.
"No guns, no additional gear, a handful of supplies, light leather armor, and the bare minimum needed for a safe dungeon dive." Leon clicks his tongue. "I can't tell whether or not he's that good or just too full of himself."
"It is a little of both. Greg is a capable warrior, but he's been on so many dungeon dives that there is little ." Chris shakes his head. "The Sebergs espouse martial prowess and bravery, but also caution and experience. He does not have the latter two yet, so…"
//"Typical New Human… no, it's just normal human arrogance."// Hustler One comments. //"Perhaps some humbling is in order?"//
"Maybe later." Leon replies. "He hasn't done anything deserving of a proper thrashing."
//"Yet."// the A.I smugs.
Leon grunts, clipping a sword to his side and picking up his weapons– the assault shotgun and the sniper rifle. He gives both a quick check, nods his satisfaction at their states, and slings them on as he stands. Chris notices his motion and follows, rising to his own two feet.
The reincarnate whistles and everyone gathers, with Greg needing to be reminded by the gynoid he's flexing for that everyone's grouping up. Leon waits until everyone's assembled before hopping onto a wooden crate.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he starts. "Welcome to the dungeon diving activity we've set up today. The aim is relatively simple enough– we go in, kill monsters, build up on our camaraderie, keep our skills sharp, and loot whatever goods the monsters drop. Afterwards, we head into the capital for a quick meal; on me."
Eager cheers go up and a few applaud Leon.
"Hell yeah!" Greg whoops. "Well, what are we waiting for? Come on!"
"Hold your horses, Seberg. We go once we've established the details." Leon chides. "Anyways, we'll be moving in 3 groups. Group 1 will be led by me, with Olivia, Chris, and Greg. Group 2 will be under Harold and Group 3 by Davian; with them picking who they want with them. We'll have Mrs. Henderson as our supervising teacher, and people from the Nielsen Courier co. acting as our loot haulers; meaning any Mana Stones or similar loot you find can be handed off to them. They'll have separate hauling bins and trolleys for each individual group, so make sure to remember which is yours. They'll also be ferrying ammunition and spare weapons, so you can run to them to restock and rearm if you run dry."
"My, quite the thorough plan you've cooked up Mr. Bartford." the supervising teacher nods approvingly. "Would you mind terribly if I bring this up to the school when it's time to plan for the dungeon excursion class? I'll be sure to credit you for it."
"By all means, Mrs. Henderson." Leon nods at the older woman, then turns to the others. "Alright, group up. We move in 10 minutes."
"Man, you're something else aren'tcha Bartford?" Greg grins, walking over with Olivia in tow. "Takin' the lead like you did and makin' all these plans… you're the real deal."
"Comes with being a war veteran." Leon shrugs. "You sure you don't need anything else? You're going in practically naked as you are."
"Course I don't! My muscles are all I need!" he laughs, self-assured and proud.
Leon sighs, wondering why he's this dumb. Isn't he supposed to be the heir to a really prominent noble house? Shouldn't he be taught about all the other things to worry about in combat? Hell, how good is he in matters outside of combat?
"If you're sure, Seberg." Leon grunts. "Olivia, you have everything you need?"
"Mm! I picked out armor, a sword, a handgun, basic supplies, and a map of the dungeon; just like you said!" the blonde nods, hopping in place. "Ooh, I'm so excited! This is my first time going into the dungeon! I hope I'll be able to get something good enough for my tribute!"
"You will if you keep up that positive attitude, Miss Freycross." Chris smiles.
"Heya boss man and friends!" Sybil chirps, bouncing over with trolley laden with supplies and empty bins. "I'll be your gopher for today! Let's get along well, yeah?"
"Good to see you too, Sybil." Leon smiles. "And Chris, eyes front. You can ogle her after we finish up here."
"H-How absurd! The mere notion alone that I would be d-distracted by the likes of a woman as beautiful and well-endowed as S-Sybil…" the swordsman coughs, pushing his glasses up his nose and angling it in a way that reflects the light; conveniently hiding his eyes. "Preposterous! Simply outrageous!"
"Hah! Well now, I hadn't expected you to like Demi-Humans, Chris!" Greg laughs. "Can't blame you though– you're gorgeous, Sybil."
"Thanks! I try my best to look good!" the beastwoman giggles. "It's okay Chris, you can look. I don't mind~"
Leon sighs again as Chris splutters, Olivia giggling at the by-play between him and Sybil. He turns to everyone else.
"Alright! I hope you've all grouped up properly, because we're moving out!" Leon orders. "Group 1 will be the vanguard into the first floor! Guns loaded and blades out, ladies and gentlemen!"
"Yes sir!" is the unified reply.
=X=X=X=X=X=
"They fuckin'."
Harold Fou Hansen cleaves another cave monkey in two as it lunges of him, not even breaking a sweat. Around him, his group members gossip even as they fight; not even the least bit scared or terrified of the dark, cramped environment of the dungeon. Compared to the chaos of war, this was child's play. Relaxing even, considering the sort of opponents they were up against here and their past experience fighting much more dangerous foes.
"Oh hell yeah, you see the way Olivia looks at the commander? She wants in on that, no question." Roy nods, gunning down a giant ant. "Reloading."
"I got you." Abe says, stepping in to take over Roy's overwatch duty. "But man, she's got some competition; Captain Nielsen's got her beat in the body department. Experience too, given how she's way older than her."
"How the hell did the commander manage to get with Captain Nielsen in the first place, though?" Joshua asks, casting a Lightning Bolt that turns a score of leaping Cave Monkey's into fading miasma. "She's awfully close with him from what some buddies and I managed to pry out of the colonel. They even go by a first name basis, and she swore herself to him after he was removed from the military."
"How the hell did he manage that?" Roy asks, tapping Abe's shoulder and taking his place.
"Oh, I have the answer to that." Harold laughs, impaling a Centipede-Snake and bisecting it down its length. "See, before he was wedded, there was a big monster infestation at the Bartford Barony– and he went with his father to quell it. Things got rough enough that he piloted an Armor to give the Bartford fleet a fighting chance, but separated when one of the Old Monsters dragged him into a storm. The Little Buzzard and its crew found him on an island trying to fix his wrecked Armor and offered him a lift home."
"Damn, really?" Michael whoops, stomping a Cave Monkey's head in. "Isn't the Buzzard's crew all women?"
"Yeah, all of them. Captain Nielsen confirmed it." Harold nods. "According to her, the commander's the only man she's allowed on-board."
"Lucky bastard." Michael spits. "You can't believe how many people have tried to get on the Buzzard only for Captain Nielsen to say no. And he just gets a lift on it without a second glance?"
"They fuckin'!" Abe laughs. "I got good money on it!"
"You have good money on everyone fucking, Abe. Fuck off." Roy scoffs. "Or better yet, ask the commander and see if he's willing to share!"
"Hah! I'd have better luck getting a pass into the Buzzard!" the other boy laughs. "Joshua, do we have any more incoming?"
"One sec…" the mage of the squad gathers mana in his hands, compresses it, and then releases it. It fills the tunnel and travels forwards into the darkness. Joshua narrows his brows and shakes his head. "Nope. Tunnel's clear."
"Alright then. Able, you're on overwatch. Everybody else, start gathering Mana Stones and loot." Harold orders. "And Roy's right Abe, fuck off with your conspiracy theories. You know the commander doesn't like it when we speculate."
"If he didn't want me to speculate, then he shouldn't have gotten so many pretty blondes attached to him." Abe sniffs, picking up Mana Stones. "And don't talk like you're any better– I know you've been muttering about Lady Redgrave getting with the commander too!"
"Shh! Quiet, he'll hear!" Michael hisses.
"Oh please, he's in a separate tunnel further down dealing with Chris and that Seberg kid." Abe snorts. "No way he'd be able to hear us and deal with those guys at the same time."
(Unfortunately for them, Leon does and plans to reap his terrible petty vengeance on his overly imaginative underlings once they're out of the dungeon.)
=X=X=X=X=X=
Olivia takes a deep breath as she sights the Salamander, already bleeding and hissing. It pains her that the poor monster has to suffer for this lesson, but she reminds herself that this is necessary so she'd have experience handling her handgun. So she steels herself and fires thrice, killing the monster on her third shot with a hit to the head.
It dissipates into miasma, leaving behind a large Mana Stone and a small chest.
"Oh, a chest? Well done." Chris praises. "Getting those is quite uncommon. They usually hold rarer rewards than normal– maybe even something Lady Redgrave might like."
"I hope so– I feel so guilty to have Leon take me with him on something that was supposed to be between all of you." Olivia sighs, glancing at where Leon and Greg were off killing more monsters of the dungeon's 7th floor. "I've troubled him enough already by getting him to send some of his people to help and look after me, I don't want to owe him any more than I already do."
"I haven't known him too long, but Leon does not strike me as the kind of person who finds it annoying to help others." Chris smiles. "You know of his story, correct? Of the Forest of Ladies and how he was forced to enter the army at 13 because of them?"
"I-I do. It was such a terrible thing…" Olivia swallows the rising horror and disgust. "How could those ladies do something like that?"
"Some people are but monsters wearing human skin." Chris shakes his head. "But back to my point; he wasn't the only victim of those disgusting fiends. Yet he chose to stay behind with them and fight with them for longer if it meant completely getting rid of the problem." the Arclight heir tilts his head one way. "Plenty of chances for him to reap rewards at no expense, yet he chooses the more difficult or dangerous choice to help others; at his own risk no less. I would imagine bringing you with us for a brief excursion so you can find a good gift is of little issue."
Olivia thinks over the swordsman's words as she beholds the young man wrestle with a Salamander that had tackled Greg to the ground, hoist it over his head, and lob it down the hall. He shouts and his men form ranks around him, adding their gunfire to his as they commit to a staggered retreat back to the central tunnel.
He could have easily grabbed Greg and ran back on his own, but he instead chose to do a fighting retreat so the people around and behind him wouldn't be put in danger. And he stays with his men despite the host of injuries on his person, leading them by example.
"...Leon's an incredible person, isn't he?" Olivia murmurs.
"Hmph. I suppose he has to be to have survived the things he has." Chris smiles at Oliva. "Go and collect your earnings, Olivia. I shall go and help them with their little problem."
Oliva watches him go, sword drawn and legs pounding as he runs to the firing line. She watches him jump over the line and proceed to butcher the approaching monsters singlehandedly, giving Leon and his men a moment of reprieve to reload and reorganize.
But they don't run. Instead, they draw blades and charge in after Chris– sweeping over the mass of monsters and cutting them down through furious energy.
It's awe-inspiring, the courage on display against such foes. It's amazing, the way he can still keep going despite being injured. It further cements the idea, in Olivia's mind at least, that Leon is perhaps one of the greatest people she's had the honor of befriending. It fills her with energy, the kind that makes her want to act and improve.
Then she hears the hissing.
She turns and screams as a small Salamander lunges at her from the darkness– no larger than a dog but scalier and far more vicious. It forces her to the floor, jaw snapping as its claws fail to find purchase on her armor. She hears panicked voices and shouting, but has no time to turn and look as she holds the Juvenile Monster's head away.
Panic rises up in her as she struggles, eventually getting the monster off of her with one solid kick. It flies back and rolls across the dungeon floor, where two more of its kind scamper into view.
"Olivia!" a voice shouts, but it's distant under the loud pounding in her ears and the gunfire behind her as she gets up to her feet.
One of the small monsters lunges at her and her instincts scream at her. She throws herself to the side in a roll and draws her sword. The second one hisses and charges, jaw open.
With a cry of exertion, she brings her sword down– missing the beast by inches but forcing it back. She spots the third beast move, leaping up to her, and she brings her sword up. It's edge catches the little thing's underbelly, but its momentum carries her off her feet.
Olivia falls with a pained cry, drawing her handgun as the second monster rushes in. She shoots three times, hitting once– forcing the monster to slow down into a limp; giving her ample time to draw her knife. When it lunges for her, she manages to pin it to the ground and finishes it off with a stab into the neck. Then she notices the first monster, having waited until she was vulnerable at the cost of its two fellows, rushing in.
"Leon!" she screams, arms coming up–
A silver blur hits the monster and bisects it clean through the middle, its two halves disintegrating into nothing. Olivia blinks the panicked tears out of her eyes and turns to her savior.
"Sorry, was a little tied up." Leon pants, bleeding from a few cuts and sporting a few bruises on his face. "You okay? You're not hurt are you?"
"Y-You're hurt!" she gasps, panic and fear forgotten as she scrabbles to her feet.
"What, these? Nah, I barely felt them." he snorts, turning around. "Well, don't jsut stand there– go clear the rest of the tunnel! Poor Olivia here almost got mauled!"
"Yes sir! Sorry sir!" one of his underlings shouts, running past him. "You heard the commander, move it!"
"Fuck, sorry Bartford." Greg winces, walking up to him. "Got too ahead of myself back there and you ate it. I'll make it up to you, promise."
"You can make it up to me by making sure my boys don't end up eating shit." he snorts. "Follow the ones that just ran past us– I don't want a single one of them getting hurt, you hear me?"
"Gotcha! I'll take care of 'em real good, just you watch!" Greg promises and takes off running. "Oi! Save some for me!"
"I take full responsibility for your injuries, Olivia. I hadn't thought to make sure the area was safe before going off to help Leon and the others." Chris says, looking guilty and contrite. "I will cover all your medical expenses and give you half of my Mana Stones."
"N-No, it's okay. They didn't get through my armor anyway, so it's alright." Olivia laughs, only a little nervous, before turning to Leon. "But Leon, you're hurt!"
"Bah, the healers up top can fix this." he scoffs. "Besides, I barely felt them anyways. Don't worry about me, Olivia."
"Leon, you shouldn't be forcing yourself to say that." Olivia puts her hands on his face. "Here, let me…"
Before he could protest further, Olivia calls upon her power and white light glows from her hands. She meets his eyes and watches as they damn near bug out of their sockets, making her laugh even as the many cuts on Leon's face reknit and the bruises fade. Beside him, Chris chokes.
"A-Are you okay Chris?" Olivia gasps. "Don't worry, I'll heal you next!"
"N-No! No, there's no need for that!" the bespectacled swordsman says, hands rising up. "I-I am not hurt, j-just… surprised is all. Very surprised."
"Olivia…" Leon blinks. "You… you can use healing magic?"
"Mm. I've always been good at this." she nods, smiling at him. "I-I know it's not enough to repay you for all this, but… I'm glad I was able to help you, Leon."
"...heh." the young man smiles at her with that same, genuine expression and her heart skips another beat. "There's nothing for you to repay, Olivia. And besides, friends help each other don't they?"
"Y-Yeah. Yeah, they do!" she beams up at him. "You're right, Leon!"
"Of course I am." he grins. "Now, Chris mentioned you got a chest from killing that big Salamander earlier. Why not check it out?"
"Oh, you're right! I almost forgot!" she gasps, rushing to the chest and kneeling in front of it. "Please be something nice that I can give to Lady Redgrave…!"
She opens it and gasps at what's inside.
=X=X=X=X=X=
Angelica Rafa Redgrave beholds the bracelet she's received as tribute from the scholarship student, Olivia of Freycross.
It is a well-made item, with an intricate gold-inlaid pattern engraved onto its cool platinum surface. She picks it up with her hands and gasps at the finer details on its surface, marveling at the exquisite craftsmanship that couldn't have possibly been made by mortal hands. Or perhaps, it was made by mortal hands but the technique for it had been lost to time– adding an air of mystery befitting a treasure of the dungeon.
She looks at the commoner, who fidgets nervously in her seat but nonetheless wears a proud expression that makes Angelica jealous. Not because of her managing to find a treasure in the dungeon, though that does play a small part. No, she's jealous because the commoner managed to go on a dungeon dive before the planned dungeon excursion meant to be done in a month's time, and reaching a floor deeper down than any freshman student was allowed to go in! And with the war veterans too, whom the rest of the Academy have started to refer to as the Ravens!
How?! How could she have managed to join such a select group and go so deeply into the dungeon?! And to have found a treasure on her first dive– Angelica sets the bracelet down and takes a deep, calming breath.
Goodness, here she is losing her composure over a commoner's good fortune. How improper.
"I accept your gift, Olivia Freycross. You have my sincere thanks." Angelica says. "This is no doubt a treasure from the dungeon. It must not have been easy to obtain."
"I-It wasn't, no." she nods. "I had to kill a large Salamander to get it, and even then it was with Leon's help. If it weren't for them I might have been injured."
"I see." Angelica nods, then waves at her two attendants to leave her and the commoner on their own. "I am curious that you were able to gain Lord Bartford's approval to join in his dungeon expedition. Especially one so deep– Salamanders are usually encountered on the 5th floor, correct?"
"Y-Yes. We went all the way to the 8th floor before we turned around and headed up." Olivia confirms.
"The 8th floor?! That's–!" Angelica coughs, face flushing. "A-Apologies. The subject of dungeon diving is fascinating to me."
"I-I understand. Leon said you would because your family has Adventurers as ancestors." the girl smiles. "I'm glad you liked it.
Angelica laughs. It's refreshing to not need to worry about any sort of verbal sparring in a conversation and just… talk. Outside of her family and closest confidants, Angelica can't say she has anyone that close in the Academy. Julius perhaps, but…
She takes a deep breath and exhales, willign the though. No, now is not the time for that.
"You hadn't answered my question, however." Angelica states. "How were you able to gain Lord Bartford's approval to join him and his people in their dungeon dive? And why are you referring to him so casually?"
"O-Oh, was I not supposed to?" the girl fidgets. "He told me to call him by that name, so I did. As for your first question, my lady…" she looks away, ashamed. "He helped me when I was being bullied, because I had no idea about all the etiquette and unwritten rules in the Academy. So he brought me to his sister and she explained what I needed to do."
"I see." Angelica nods. She supposed it should have been expected, given the girl's commoner status. But to think it was bad enough for Bartford to get involved… "So the rumors about you seducing him and his men…?"
"S-Seduce?! Me?!" the girls blushes a deep red, stammering and spluttering. Angelica laughs. "I-I wouldn't! That– Leon's– I-I'm just a commoner a-and he's–!"
"Calm down, Miss Freycross. I had suspected as much too, but given your reaction I can confirm that you're telling the truth." the ducal daughter shakes her head. "Regardless, with this, your bullying troubles should end and you can resume your studies without trouble."
"I-I hope so… I just want to learn more about magic and its mysteries…" the commoner nods, then brightens. "Oh! I almost forgot! Leon wanted me to give you this!"
She reaches into her cardigan and produces an envelope. Plain and white, addressed to Angelica. The ducal daughter blinks and accepts it, opening it to read the letter within. Then she reads it 2 more times to make sure, before looking at the girl with wide eyes.
…can use Holy Magic, possible Saint descendant, recommend adoption as one of your followers…
Ah. No wonder Bartford's gone so far for her. And to just give her to Angelica, and thus the Redgraves… if she weren't already betrothed, she might have even considered…
"I see." Angelica smiles. "Tell me Olivia, have you always been interested in magic?"
Her father would need to know of this, and soon. After all, it's only polite to return one good deed with another.
NOTE: The author of this fanfic might be making a patreon; I'll give the link on here when he/she posts the link. Support him/her if you like this ff.
Life continues on well enough after handling Olivia's 'problem'. She's inducted into the ranks of Angelica's followers easily enough, and with her protection as well as her reputation of dungeon diving to get her tribute piece to the Redgrave daughter, none dare disturb her studies any more.
Still, Leon and some of his underlings still periodically check up on her; both to make sure she's doing okay and so their friendship doesn't atrophy.
It pays to be in a Saint descendant's good graces, after all. Plus, she's such a sweet girl– her presence is a balm in an academy filled with loud harlots. Even his underlings, as much as they tease him about his (completely non-existent!) efforts to snatch her up, acknowledge that she's arguably one of the better women in the academy; willing to try and keep that adorable innocence of hers intact for as long as possible.
Olivia's induction into the ranks of Lady Redgrave's followers also has the added benefit of Lady Redgrave herself becoming closer to Leon and his followers. Nothing overt of course– a ducal daughter getting too close with a group of war veterans carries too many connotations to be safe in an environment such as the Royal Academy.
But there is no denying the friendliness and good cheer visible between the two groups whenever they interact, indicative of something deeper.
However, this development is not the most notable development currently happening in the academy.
=X=X=X=X=X=
Marie Fou Lafan watches as Chris Fia Arclight laughs– laughs at something spoken by one of those scary looking mob characters, the ones with the scars and uproariousness to them that makes the reincarnate think of adults rather than hormonal kids.
But that doesn't make sense! All the students here couldn't have been older than 20! Yet these plebs walked and spoke like grown adults! Was this part of the worldbuilding or some kind of background info that she missed? Did the Kingdom put adults in uniforms among the students to sus out anything bad and stop it before it spread, like drugs? Ugh, what the hell was this non-sense?! She didn't need it!
Marie grit her teeth and watches as the Arclight boy separates from the scary-looking mob and walks along, moving away from the usual training spot he was supposed to be in so the protagonist would run into him and start his route. Instead he walks away, moving to the Armor hangar and stepping inside.
She scurries after him, thoughts racing. This made no sense– he was the stoic 'well done son' swordsman! What could he possibly be doing in here that would take him away from his schtick with swords and self-pity moping? He's the only one left whose flag she hasn't triggered, the harem route wouldn't be complete without him!
The diminutive blonde finds a window and peeks through, finding the blue-haired glasses-wearing boy shrugging off his blazer and shirt (god those muscles!) to put on a worn shirt with a long smith's apron. He walks over to an Armor that she swears she's seen somewhere before but can't remember, and raps the machine's left shin. A beastwoman with red hair pops her head out and hops out.
Marie gasps– she was topless! No, not quite topless, but she might as well be given how that flimsy shirt of hers struggles to contain those massive, ugly, disproportionate udders! Honestly, she can't understand how men can look at those ugly things and think 'yeah, I want that'. Flat was fine too!
Still, she watches as the beastwoman approaches Chris and grabs his hand; pulling him to the Armor while talking animatedly with every step. Marie frowns at the interaction, and seethes at the sight of the small, fond smile on the boy's face as they disappear from view.
"Fuck…!" she hisses, pulling away from the window and kicking a rock as she walks away. "I missed him! How the hell did I miss him?! He's not supposed to have any kind of love interest before meeting the protagonist! This– This doesn't make any sense!"
Her brother 100%'d that stupid Otome Game, and it didn't say anything about the capture targets moving on to other women if their routes weren't started!
…or, maybe it did? The devs were FromSoft, they were known for being fucking sadists with their game difficulty with all sorts of background mechanics. Maybe there was some kind of hidden timer or set action limit that determined in what order and how long you had to route-lock them? Gah! It's been years, she doesn't remember everything damn it! Stupid game devs, stupid fantasy world, stupid men and their stupid fixation for stupidly large boobs!
Marie takes a deep breath as she returns to the main pathway, moving to the next Event Area as she's come to coin the places where notable story-related events were meant to happen.
Well, it doesn't matter now. Even without Chris, she's still got Greg, Brad, Jilk, and Julius– a nearly complete set. Between the 4 of them, she would be set for life; living is wonderous luxury with pretty dresses and tasty food and every other thing the protagonist would earn after wrapping all the capture targets around her fingers~
She reaches the main plaza and sees the crowd of two-bit extras surrounding Prince Julius and Jilk. The former looks to be speaking with the Villainess about something. Oh! That's right, this is the Tea Party Act! This was where the protagonist was supposed to wander in and the Prince would invite her to a tea party instead of his own fiance!
…yeah, that sounded scummy even to her, b-but the protagonist managed to do that in the game! So why couldn't Marie?
She could use Holy Magic too! She did the same things the protagonist did in the game! She even put up with the capture targets' issues just like the protagonist did! And then there was all the shit that wasn't shown in the game; the bullying from other girls, the missing school supplies, the graffiti and the room wrecking– stuff that wouldn't really fit in an Otome Game. Well, she supposed the plebs would get jealous at her success, but man was it annoying.
But all of that wouldn't matter once she completes the game. None of their complaining and bitching would reach from her future place atop a mountain of gold surrounded by the capture targets and all their flunkies~
So she takes a deep breath and puts on the mask she's trained so long to wear, making sure to step into the plaza with the best uncertain/scared posture she can make.
"U-Uhm…" she starts, drawing everyone's attention. "W-What's going on…?"
"Marie!" Julius beams, his handsome features lighting up as he walks over. "Thank goodness, we were looking for you!"
"Oh. I-I'm sorry if I was inconveniencing you, Your Highness…" Marie curtsies. "I was just from the library, studying. Did you need something from me?"
"Oh, not at all!" he smiles. "You see, Saint's Day is coming up and all the boys are obligated to hold tea parties. I don't want mine to be anything flashy, so I'm only inviting acquaintances." he takes her hand and squeezes once. "Would you honor me by attending my tea party?"
The crowd gasps and breaks out into murmuring. The Villainess' eyes damn near bulge out, and Marie strangles the urge to laugh at the silly expression– even though it's such a cliche Otome Game trope, seeing it happen IRL is way better than some still image.
"Y-Your Highness…!" she gasps, playing into her role as hard as she can. "I–!"
"Wha– W-Wait, Your Highness!" the Villainess pleads. "There are rules and etiquette to be followed in a tea ceremony! Moreover, any tea party you hold must be large enough to befit your position and rank! You cannot simply just–"
Julius sighs and turns to the Villainess with an expression that mixes boredom and annoyance, with the severity of a man who's so done with her shit.
"You would dare to question my decision, Angelica?" he asks.
The crowd gasps again, wild murmuring spreading like wildfire. The Villainess flinches back, shocked– just like the game. Ooh, this is so much better IRL than in some still image!
"B-But the authority of the royal family–!" the Villainess starts.
"Is irrelevant here, given how I am a student and not the Crown Prince. The matters of the court and all its empty words do not, should not, apply to the youth who are studying here." he sighs. "I understand that you are my betrothed, but that does not give you the sort of authority to interfere so much with my life. Need I explain further?"
The Villainess and Prince Julius stare at each other for a long moment, and Marie worries the big-titted cow would do something out of script just like Chris did with him disappearing off with that beastwoman. But then, a pair of hands grip the Villainess' left arm and–
–wait.
Hold on a sec.
Is– Is that the Protagonist?!
"A-Angelica…?" she says, that same sickeningly sweet voice that Marie tries so hard to mimic sounding worried. Worried for the woman she was supposed to be rivals with! What the hell…!?
The Villainess takes a deep breath and gently pulls away the Protagonist's hands from her arm. She assumes a formula stance and bows alongside the rest of her entourage. The Protagonist is only a moment too slow to follow, but the fact that she follows to begin with is…!
"I apologize for my transgression then, Your Highness." the Villainess bows. "Please pardon my impropriety."
"Hn. See to it this does not happen again." Prince Julius orders.
The Villainess rights herself and walks past, her entourage following– the Protagonist in particular hovering close by. Marie assumes the same position as the Protagonist would in the game, fearfully watching the Villainess as she walks by, glaring hard in the brief moment they were side by side. It's intense enough to make Marie swallow, cold fear settling in the pit of her stomach even as she holds her ground.
She wouldn't do anything here, not when the Prince was nearby. And it wouldn't fit with the game's narrative anyway– no violence by the girls before the appointed time and all.
And she's vindicated when the Villainess keeps walking, her entourage following after without a word. Marie watches them go, internally sighing with relief. Good, she kept up the act and managed to play through the scene just like the Protagonist would have. She's one step closer to that golden end now, just a little bit further and all her worries will disappear.
"I'm sorry for the discomfort she may have caused you, Marie." Prince Julius. "My betrothed is… not the most personable individual in the school."
"I-It's alright, no need to worry." Marie says, not needing to fake the tremor in her voice. "But… i-is it really alright for me to attend your tea party, Your Highness?"
"He wouldn't have invited you if it wasn't– it's just that his propensity towards formal events has always been quite lacking.." Jilk says, grinning at Julius. "But this is the first time I've seen His Highness show so much eagerness while inviting a girl."
Julius blushes and looks away, and Marie can't help the giggle that slips past her lips. He looks so cute when he's flustered.
"R-Regardless," he clears his throat. "I'd still like you to attend, Marie."
"Of course, Your Highness…!" Marie beams, forced at first before becoming a tad more genuine when the Prince smiles back.
Just as he did in the game, good. With this, she should already have advanced his Affection Score high enough to almost route-lock him; meaning now's the time to advance the other capture targets' Affection Scores and open up the Harem route. Without Chris, she'll have much more time to plan ahead even if she won't be able to get the whole set– so it works out! Yeah!
She just has to keep this up until the Duel Event triggers! Then it'll be smooth sailing!
Ooh, she can't wait!
=X=X=X=X=X=
"...did– did that just happen?" Harold gawks. "Did the Crown Prince just–"
"Embarrass his fiance, a ducal daughter, in favor of a mere viscount? And from one of the biggest supporters of the crown?" Leon grunts, watching the crowd from his place at the central plaza's gazebo. "He's either an idiot or that viscount girl's done something to him. Regardless, this does not bode well for the future."
"Ain't that the truth." Davian grunts. "So, what're we gonna do about it? Report this to the Redgraves?"
"No, not yet. If we jump the gun and intervene, we'd be seen as some kind of outside force trying to butt into politics. Moreover, the Prince had decreed that outside matters should not be brought into school." Leon shakes his head. "As stupid as that order is, he's the Crown Prince so his word is law."
"Damn. Alright." Davian sighs. "So, what do we do?"
"Reach out through the grapevine, gather whatever information you can about Marie Fou Lafan." Leon orders, sipping his tea. "Either she's genuinely bumbling into this mess or she's got a bigger goal that we're not seeing. In the meantime, I'll task Chris with keeping an eye on His Highness and cataloging whatever he sees and hears."
"Yes sir." Harold nods. "Do we station people to keep an eye on Lady Redgrave's followers? Knowing them, this might act without her say so to try and worm into her good graces."
"Good call, Harold. Do it." Leon nods. "I'll talk to Olivia and tell her to keep up what she's doing now, so Lady Redgrave doesn't lash out. Last thing we want is her starting trouble."
"Aye, commander. We'll get it done." Davian glances to the side, grins, and stands. "In fact, we'll do it right now. C'mon Harold."
"Wha– oh. Yeah, we'll do it right now commander." the other boy nods, grinning. "Do enjoy the rest of your day, sir."
Leon blinks, but does nothing to stop them from leaving. If they were going to take the initiative on this, then he won't stop them; he's actually a little impressed. But why were they…?
Two soft hands cover Leon's eyes, gently tugging his head into a bountiful valley. He sighs and takes back everything he said about his underlings.
"Guess who~?" Lana sing-songs.
"The biggest pain in my ass." Leon groans, and the gynoid laughs as it pulls away to walk into view.
"Bingo. Then again, it was a little easy to guess." the A.I walks into a vacant chair and sits down, leaning back. "So, how's school?"
"It's worse than I thought it'd be." he groans. "The kids here aren't just hormonal teenagers, they're also rich and privileged. Saint above, I hate it here." he looks at her. "Speaking of, what're you doing here? I thought you were busy making sure my territory doesn't go up in flames?"
"Think of it as karma." Hustler One chuckles, not needing to say karma for what exactly. "And yes, but I'm capable enough to multi-task. Besides running your Viscountcy in your place, I'm still running the Nielsen Courier company as well as the newly established Arquebus Arms. I'm proud to announce that we have two working rifle designs that are arguably superior to the bolt-action rifles currently in service. The first prototype is currently being stress tested."
"Please tell me you've figured out auto-loading guns."
//"I have, yes."//
"If we were in private I'd kiss you."
//"There's nobody looking~"//
Leon snorts.
"Good news all around." Leon nods. "How goes the courier business?"
"Good, good. We've managed to cover 2/3s of the Kingdom by now, and I'm thinking of commissioning a set of slower ships to cover bulk hauls and expand the courier fleet." Hustler One says. "I've gathered enough resources by now to acquire and modify old hulls from the bigger noble houses, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"Would you have enough left over to cover your other projects?" Leon cocks a brow.
"Plenty." the blonde gynoid nods. "You won't have to worry about that."
//"Motherwill's repairs are still proceeding, however slowly."// the A.I continues through their private comms. //"But I've set aside enough to start work on a custom ship– something like a Cruiser-class void ship with all the bells and whistles of an Old Humanity spacecraft. The interior would be fully and comfortably furnished too, so any guests you bring aboard won't be complaining too much."//
"Hmm… I wouldn't mind a private ship for my own personal use." Leon muses.
//"Or,"// Hustler One continues. //"I can get to work on a spy ship complete with long-range observation and scanning apparati, as well as infiltrator and spy bug units."//
"Ah, right. Fanoss." Leon's brows narrow. "What do you know so far?"
//"Nothing too in-depth. Just the basics and general knowledge."// Hustler One answers. //"But given their past, it would be wise to set up an observation post so we can start infiltration efforts."//
Leon crosses his arms and thinks. On one hand, having a personal vessel on par with the spacecraft of Humanity's golden age would be invaluable for direct combat; giving him an edge that can turn the tide of any engagement. But having a spy ship in Fanoss and keeping an eye on them would allow for planning as well as preemptive action. As the saying went, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
He refills his tea cup and takes a sip, wincing at the taste. He hated tea in his past life, and it was only through forcing himself to drink the hot leaf juice that he managed to develop something akin to a resistance to it. He doesn't like it, not one bit, but it was better than nothing.
"Make that spy ship." he orders. "We can buy a ship and refit it with proper armor and weapons later– intel on a long-term threat is more important."
//"Good choice. I'll get the build order up."// the A.I nods, then it continues externally. "So, I received a peculiar delivery order today."
"Oh?" Leon blinks.
"An Servant Agency that handles the hiring and contract making for various exclusive servants hired Nielsen Courier for an express delivery order to the Academy." it says. "Apparently, someone here purchased one of their most expensive servants and paid them to be express-shipped here to their new 'mistress'."
There's a long moment before Leon understands. So the exclusive servant he bought for Jenna already arrived. Good, then hopefully she'll leave him alone now.
"I oversaw the delivery myself, but the client demanded to see the contract. Seeing no reason to refuse, I handed it over and… well…" the A.I smirks. "You may want to cover your ears.
"STUPID BROTHER!" echoes Jenna's voice from across the plaza. "YOU BOUGHT ME A FEMALE SERVANT!"
Leon takes a deep breath, counts to 10, and exhales as Jenna marches into the gazebo.
"You said you wanted an exclusive servant." Leon calmly explains. "You never said anything about– gurk!"
"...my new mistress is quite an energetic young woman." the beastwoman maid says to Hustler One, watching Jenna try and fail to wring the life out of her brother with twitching cat ears and an impassive stare. "I find it odd that my buyer handed me to his sister and did not keep me for himself."
"People can be strange." Hustler One nods. "You'll get used to it."
Note: Thank you all for the reviews, it's boosting this fanfic up really high! Also, if you can, check out my own fanfic "Halo: Gravemind's Guide To Survival In Warhammer 40K" updates for it are a bit slow due to real life circumstances, but I'll post soon.
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