Capítulo 37: Chapter 37
---3rd Person POV---
Running through the streets of the capital's residential district, Marie was being pursued by several hundred clone troops on 74-Z speeder bikes. Ducking in and out of alleyways to try and lose them, no matter what she did they were right back on her in moments.
'I cannot keep this up…', Marie thought, panting heavily as she wandered further and further from the docks.
Looking around at the families staring at her through their windows, Marie tried to think of a way out of this. Remembering that she had a few magic stones left, she reached into her magic bag to retrieve another firestone. Whipping it out and charging it with a bit of magic, Marie spun around to show her pursuers that she was armed. Deciding to make a stand there, as her legs were on the verge of giving out, it was do or die time.
'I really do not want to kill bystanders, but it is their lives or mine!', she thought, clearing her throat, "Listen up, if you do not let me go, I will burn this place to the ground!! There is no way I am going back to the palace dungeon!!"
Quickly surrounding her, several soldiers began deploying a containment field around the immediate area while the rest took up defensive positions closeby. Unable to react quick enough to escape as the field went up, Marie was quickly encased in a barrier that would protect the residential homes and soldiers from any harm.
"Give it up, Marie Fou Lafan, you are surrounded with nowhere to run now. Surrender peacefully, or we will use force to bring you in.", Commander Dance said, using a megaphone to broadcast his voice, "This is your one and only warning!"
"I am not going back to that damp, dark jail cell!!", she retorted, noticing the emblem on their chest for the first time, "Wait, you are with that Viscount Stark guy?! He is the one that ruined my plans!? That fucking piece of shit, how dare he ruin everything!! I did nothing to deserve this!!"
"You sold out your country to the Principality of Fanoss, disclosed classified military information that got good men killed, and sabotaged five engagements.", Commander Dance said, reading off her charges, "In addition, tonight you destroyed property which belongs to the Crown and attempted to kill dozens of your former peers. Depending how the next few hours pan out, murder might be tacked on as well."
Accepting that she was not going to get away now, she had only one option left. Raising her hand to throw the stone at the ground, several of the soldiers raised their plasma rifles and aimed for her hand and arm. Firing the second they had her in their sights, several plasma bullets vaporized most of her right arm and the firestone instantly. Suddenly losing all sensation in that arm, Marie nervously turned to see the damage. Finding only a small stump where her arm once was, she fell to her knees and began howling like a stuck pig.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY ARM!?", Marie screamed, rolling on the ground in pain, "IT HURTS!!"
"Seize her immediately!!", Commander Dance commanded his men.
Passing through the barrier, several soldiers jumped on Marie and attempted to subdue her. Thrashing around as she tried to bite them, one of the soldiers punched her square in the face to stop her from moving. Using the momentary pause the blow earned them, the men slapped special anti-magic cuffs on her wrist and ankles to seal her magic. Proceeding to remove all the items on her person, everything was handed over to Commander Dance immediately.
"Sir, the enemy agent has been secured and confirmed to be disarmed!", a trooper said, as the men yanked her up onto her feet.
"Good job, secure her on one of your bikes and prepare to head out immediately. We have received updated orders from Viscount Stark. All of us are to head to the Academy immediately pick up another prisoner.", Commander Dance informed them, as he forwarded the new orders to their HUDs.
"FUCK ALL OF YOU!! JUST WAIT UNTIL I TELL THE PRINCE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME!!!", Marie snarled, "ALL OF YOU ARE DEAD, INCLUDING THAT DAMN VISCOUNT!!"
Instead of cowering, like she hoped they would, Commander Dance and his men began laughing at her. Confused by what was going on, she knew for certain that nothing she said was funny in the slightest.
"Have you all gone mad?", Marie asked, as their nonchalant laughter quenched her burning rage.
"We…we are not mad or insane.", Commander Dance said, calming himself down, "All of us just find it humorous that you honestly believe that was a threat. I do not blame you for your ignorance, as the Viscount does not showboat his power, but the firepower at his disposal would blow your mind. He possesses weapons that could vaporize the Principality of Fanoss with the push of a button. The only reason they are still in existence is because he is a kind man who does not want to harm innocent people."
"You…you are lying!", Marie argued, as the soldiers tossed her on a bike, "No one possesses that level of technology!!"
"Just think about this for a moment, how do you suppose we tracked you down so easily and know all about your traitorous activities?", Commander Dance countered, as he pointed up toward the sky.
Looking up at where he was pointing, Marie noticed dozens of small moving specks high up in the sky. Thinking that they looked like satellites from her previous life for a moment, the realization dawned on her that they were in fact actual satellites. Understanding now how the Viscount uncovered her treachery and had evidence to back it up, Marie understood she never stood a chance to begin with.
---Victor POV, Academy---
Escorting each of the victims' families to where their relatives were being treated, I held the critical wound group back to speak with them privately. Explaining the extent of the women's injuries to them and their status, the men clenched their fists in anger. Upset that they were powerless in this situation, I swore to them that my men were doing everything they could to save them. Pleading with me to pull out all the stops to save them, each of them swore they would pay no matter the cost.
"Please do not worry about the cost, I do not intend to charge anyone for the aid rendered tonight. We are all fellow countrymen, and it is our duty to help one another in times of crisis.", I said, retracting my helmet, "Right now, your relatives need your emotional support during this trying time. Go to the tents with your family crest on them, that is where they are being treated. We have water and light snacks for you while you await the results of the surgeries."
Thanking me profusely, the men ran to the indicated tents to be with their families. Returning to Olivia's bed, I found her sitting up with a confused look on her face. Assuming she was unsure how she ended up there, I cleared my throat to get her attention as I approached.
"How are you feeling?", I asked.
"My head feels a bit light, but otherwise I am fine.", she answered, looking at me closely for a moment, "You were the one who pulled me out of the fire, right?"
"That is correct, I had to remove several tons of debris to reach you. I am incredibly relieved that I found you when I did.", I said, with a warm smile, "Oh, before I forget, I managed to grab everything in your room before the building collapsed. When this is all settled down, I can give you everything I have."
"Wait, you did?!", Olivia shouted, as her face lit up, "Did you happen to save a little, worn golden locket? It would have been on my nightstand beside my bed!"
Quickly skimming through the items I retrieved, I located the item she was after. Pulling it out for her, Olivia gently cradled the locket like it would break at any moment. Closing her hand around it, she pressed her hand to her chest with a sigh of relief.
"Before I came to the capital, my mother gave me this locket. It is a family heirloom that has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Every time it changes hands, we are supposed to put a new family portrait in it.", she told me, as she opened it to show me, "Every time I feel like giving up, which has been a lot these last few months, I look at the photo inside and remember I have people back home rooting for me. No matter what happens, I cannot give up after everything it took my family to get me here."
"Hey now, are you saying no one here is rooting for you? I thought we were friends!", I teased her, with a grin.
"I…I did not mean it like that!!", Olivia protested, puffing her cheeks out.
"Olivia, you are okay!!", Angelica shouted, running over to us, "I am so happy that you are alright!!"
Completely oblivious to my presence, Angelica began looking Olivia over for injuries. Protesting the entire time, as I was standing right there, it took Olivia pointing me out for Angelica to quit. Looking over at me, Angelica's face went white with shock when she noticed what I was wearing.
"Victor, you are the Holfort Prodigy?!", Angelica gasped, "Why did you not mention that from the beginning!?"
"I never mentioned it because I wanted you to see me as Victor, not the Holfort Prodigy. Anytime I have introduced myself that way, everyone puts me on a pedestal, and it is annoying.", I said, with a mischievous grin, "Also, Olivia and I had an ongoing bet for how long it would take you to realize who I was. Olivia, you are going to need to break out your wallet for this one."
"Wait, when did we agree to betting on that?!", she questioned, with a worried look.
"Do not pay him any mind, Olivia. He is just teasing both of us.", Angelica laughed, with a smile, "Anyways, Victor, thank you for all the assistance you provided tonight. Many lives were saved because of you and your men."
"You are welcome.", I said, as the sound of an approaching carriage drew everyone's attention to the edge of the courtyard.
Entering the courtyard, with several dozen Royal Guards in tow, the Royal Carriage rolled into the courtyard in a hurry. Stopping a few yards from us, Duke Redgrave and Queen Mylene hurriedly exited the vehicle to survey the damage. Taking one look at the smoldering rubble, Mylene's expression soured.
"Drag the princes out here immediately!", Mylene shouted, clearly irritated by her early morning awakening and the damage before her.
Stepping into the carriage to collect them, it ended up taking almost ten guards to force them out of the vehicle. Once they were outside, the guards dragged them over to the Queen who began glaring daggers at them. Hanging their heads in shame, neither of them could look Mylene in the eye at that moment.
"Do you see the damage Marie caused?! That dormitory has stood since the founding of the Academy, and she razed it to the ground!", Mylene berated them, as the duke approached Angelica, Olivia, and I.
"Did everyone make it out alive?", he asked Angelica and I, in a solemn tone.
"Everyone got out alive, but a dozen or so women may not make it through the night. They are currently in surgery, I will know more in a few hours.", I answered.
"Victor's men have treated most of the injured, there are only a few left waiting to be looked at.", Angelica added, pointing to a few students with cuts and bruises.
Nodding his head, the duke walked back to Mylene and updated her on the situation. Watching a fire ignite in her eyes as she heard everything, she immediately slapped her two sons across the face with a resounding thud. Shaking with anger, it was taking everything she had not to beat them senseless for causing this disaster. As she restrained herself from hitting them again, my troops began to converge on the Academy with my prisoners in tow.
Disembarking their vehicles as they landed, they dragged Marie and the Principality spies before me. Tossing them onto the ground, the soldiers fell into formation and saluted me in unison. Saluting them back, all of them snapped to parade rest while Commander Dance spoke.
"Sir, we have disarmed and secured the prisoners per your instructions!", he said, loudly so all could hear, "The rest of the division is out helping reassure the populace that everything is under control, sir!"
"Excellent work, commander!", I replied, with a grin, "Arrest the traitor Stephanie Fou Offrey immediately. She has been selling information on our troop deployments and movements, supply line details, and much more to the Principality. In addition to that, she has been helping the Principality buy up the debts of noble houses in the Kingdom to blackmail them into doing their bidding."
"You heard the Viscount, get moving!", Commander Dance barked.
Sending an image of Stephanie to the troops, all one thousand soldiers began combing the area for her. While they were busy searching for her, Jilk and Julius noticed that Marie had been captured. Discovering that she no longer had a right arm anymore, the two of them attempted to run to her, but were stopped by the Royal Guards.
"Unhand me this instant, Marie needs me!!", Julius berated them, as he attempted to break free of the guards.
"She is gravely injured, why are you stopping us from helping her? I will see that all of you are stripped of your positions for this!", Jilk threatened them, as his face was pushed into the dirt.
Visibly regretting her decision to drag them here, Mylene's patience on this matter ran out. Having come to the decision that Marie and Stephanie were both traitors, she was more than ready to resolve this matter here and now.
"Both of you, be silent!", Mylene snapped, turning to me, "Viscount Stark, having reviewed all the evidence you have provided, I hereby sentence Marie Fou Lafan and Stephanie Fou Offrey to death. Please carry out the Crown's decision immediately!"
"I understand, Queen Mylene, it shall be done now.", I answered, morphing my right hand into an Energy Battleaxe Head, "Commander Dance, please hold the prisoner in place."
Doing as I commanded, Dance grabbed hold of her and forced her to bow on her knees. Sobbing uncontrollably as I took my position next to her, Marie looked over at Jilk and Julius with a fearful expression. Overcome by emotion, Julius spoke before he even realized what he was saying.
"Marie has yet to have a fair trial!! As Crown Prince, I demand she have a Trial by Combat!!", Julius said, as I raised my hand up, "As her fiancée, I offer myself to be her proxy!"
"I offer myself as well for my beloved Marie!", Jilk shouted.
"Us too!!", Brad, Chris, and Greg chimed in, pushing to the front of the crowd with their weapons at the ready.
Looking up at Mylene, I saw a terrible pain etched on her face. She understood the ramification of what Julius had just done, and she was overwhelmed with agony. As the King was unlikely to step up to carry out the trial, it would fall on her to raise a sword against her own children. She did not want her sons to die by her hand, but she had a duty to carry out as Queen. Not wanting such a kindhearted woman to shoulder this, I interjected myself into the matter.
"I, Victor von Stark, hereby request that the Court name me its proxy in this matter.", I said, with a resolute expression, "I will see that justice is carried out in this matter."
"Victor…I…I do not want to burden you with this…", Mylene replied, on the verge of tears.
"Queen Mylene, no mother should have to raise a sword to fight their child in combat.", I stated, with a smile, "Let me shoulder this burden for you."
Seeing the resolve in my eyes, Mylene eventually nodded her head in acceptance.
"The Court accepts you as its proxy.", she acknowledged, "As the Court is the one being challenged, we set the venue and method of combat. How would you like to proceed, Viscount Stark?"
"The trial will be held in three days in the Academy's arena. We will duel using our mech suits.", I proclaimed, "Till then, Marie and Stephanie will be held beneath my mansion. It is clear the princes cannot be trusted to uphold the sanctity of the trial, given their past actions. Is this acceptable?"
"I guess…", Julius agreed, knowing he had no leg to stand on here.
Glancing over at Angelica and Clarice, the two girls looked like someone had ripped their hearts out and smacked them with it. Turning and running away from the scene, Clarice ran to her father while Angelica ran off somewhere to be alone. Feeling the urge to do something well up in my chest, I told Commander Dance to take the prisoners to the holding cells once Stephanie was found.
Storming over to the two princes, I told the Royal Guards to back away from them immediately. Sensing the murderous intent in my tone, the immediately released them and gave us a wide berth. Grabbing Jilk by the collar with my left hand, I changed my right hand into a fist again as I hoisted him into the air. Slamming my fist squarely into his face, a loud crunching ran out from it as he flew several feet backwards.
"That is for trampling over Clarice's heart. I may not know your ex-fiancé personally, but I can tell what kind of person she is by the subordinates she keeps in her company. All of them are among the most upstanding people I know, if war comes to the Holfort Kingdom, I would trust them to watch my back in battle.", I berated him, "You lied to her, led her to believe you genuinely cared, and then broke her heart in front of the entire student body. In three days' time I swear on my name that I will deliver upon you tenfold the pain you have caused her. Write your last will and testament before entering the arena as you are liable to leave in a box!"
Grabbing Julius by the hair, I picked him up and drove my fist straight into his gut knock the wind and his dinner out of him. Falling to his knees, as he puked up his guts, I shook my head at him in disgust.
"That was for your mother! You attempted to use her motherly love for you to cancel Marie's execution, you are truly a cunning, rat bastard! I can say with the utmost certainty that your ancestors are turning in their graves right now because of that stunt! You are a disgrace to this kingdom, the nobility, and the legacy your forefather's left behind.", I admonished him, as I raised my arm up and changed it into a rocket propelled hammer, "As for Angelica, I cannot fathom why you would choose a traitorous wench over a faithful, loving woman. If you had been honest with her from the beginning, Angelica would have done whatever it took to be your ideal wife. She went through over a decade of harsh training and studying for you, but you could not tell her how you truly felt. I can see it in all your eyes…the five of you never gave a damn about any of your fiancés. They could have turned water into wine and made it rain gold from the skies, but it would never be enough to win your love. The fact is, because your parents chose them for you, they never stood a chance in hell."
Unable to refute my words, Julius just knelt there silently staring at the cobblestone. Wanting him out of my sight, before I vaporized him, I activated the thruster on the hammer and went full bore in a downward arc. Slamming the hammer into his chest, a powerful shockwave sent him soaring into the night sky toward the palace. Calculating his trajectory, I estimated he would land somewhere in the palace gardens, so he would survive…maybe.
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