Chương 39: The Tragedy of War
After leaving Alley's office, I had spent the next few minutes scanning the file that she gave me in a quiet corner of the Administration Wing. Nothing much there that I didn't already know, but the file did contain a note stating that rehearsals for the upcoming concert were every other day of the week. These rehearsals would be held in the afternoon at the building's main hall.
A rather punishing schedule given the fact that no date for the concert had apparently been set yet. That meant one thing, the concert, and whatever scenario Fate had cooked up, was going to be put into motion soon. I had noticed the connection between Gallant's family and this event just in time. Being forewarned and all of that. With some luck, I would be able to prevent Fate from blindsiding me in the future.
I would have a chance this afternoon to crash one of these rehearsals and pump the Idol or this Trietel guy for information. In the meantime, I was looking forward to having something other than the sandwiches and bottled water The Voice had been spawning for me everyday. The Voice had asserted that the food it was preparing was healthier and better balanced than anything served in the Academy cafeteria, but it tasted all so terribly bland. I could not bear the thought of chowing down on yet another flavorless meal.
Before leaving the apartment, I managed to badger The Voice into spawning me some money instead so that I could eat something else for a change. I succeeded mainly because The Voice wanted me out of its metaphorical hair so that it could get back to whatever it was doing. Not the most glorious of wins, but I'll take a win over a god any day.
And so I marched towards the cafeteria, looking forward to partaking in the spoils of my victory. Or at the very least something appropriately salty and greasy.
...
I meditatively chew on the curry rice that I had ordered, reviewing The Voice's briefing on the final heroine, the Idol. If I am going to be meeting up with her after this, I might as well take the opportunity to prepare. So, Kira Majima, better known as Kirarin. She was ... problematic, to say the least.
When I say problematic, I don't just mean that this heroine has drama. Drama is something that all the heroines share in common. The Idol's problem is that she wants to murder the Hero. Preferably after raping him, but from what I've read, I don't think she is particularly fussy on that count. True love transcends the boundary between life and death after all.
But why the obsession with rape? To answer that question, you have to look back, once again, to the Hero's increasingly convoluted past. And in this case, the circumstances of the Hero's birth. As has been already established, the Hero's mother was captured as spoils of war after the battle that had ravaged Berlin. Old Abe thought that Julianne was just some pretty thing for him to have his way with, but that was not entirely correct.
Julianne herself might not have been anyone particularly important, but the House of Etoil was a different matter. A well established noble house within the Host, House Etoil was made out of barking militants who were itching to throw down against the Legion. As to why Abe had never heard of them before, the reason was surprisingly simple. At that time, House Etoil was an unknown name on earth. The Millennium War was their grand entrance on the big blue planet.
And when I say grand entrance, I mean Grand, with the capital G. House Etoil did not limit their contribution to mere foot soldiers. Actual, blood family members were dispatched to lead their armies from the front and to earn merit. It was under these circumstances that Julianne became an officer in the Host and found herself in Berlin.
Of course House Etoil would not treat their blood like any old foot soldier, even one as distant and unimportant as Julianne. To keep the family safe, personal bodyguards drawn from long serving retainers of the House would be dispatched as well. Julianne got the Majimas, a husband and wife pair that were sworn to protect her on their lives.
During the rout of the Host at Berlin, Julianne was separated from the Majimas and fell into Abe's sweaty hands. The Majimas searched high and low for her, to no avail. With much wailing in distress and beating of their breasts, the Majimas could only concede defeat. A stroke of ill fortune during a time of war had decided Julianne's fate.
However, the truth of the matter was that Mrs Majima was pregnant with the Idol at this time, and the Majimas were obviously not very keen on endangering their unborn daughter for Julianne's sake. The chaos of the retreat made it easy for the Majimas to lose track of Julianne and abandon her the moment things got too hot for their liking. With no one to challenge their version of events, the truth was covered up and the Majimas thought that they could simply go on with their lives.
Unfortunately for them, the reversal of the Host's fortunes in Europe meant that the leadership demanded answers, and most importantly, people to blame. It was at this time that Julianne reemerged as the unwilling guest of House von Amsterg. The indignities that she had experienced made the Majimas, her erstwhile bodyguards, an easy target for censure. The Majimas were labelled as incompetents and were to be kicked out from the Host.
By this time, the Idol had been born and the prospects for the family looked grim. The Majimas bargained for the chance to regain their honor and House Etoil agreed to their request. The Majimas would perform a high risk assault on Legion positions as part of a Glorious Redemption unit. If they succeeded, the stain of their disgrace would be washed clean and the Majimas would return to their place of honor in House Etoil. If they died in the attempt, the Idol would be taken in by the Host and cared for.
No one talked about just surviving the mission obviously. The executioner's ax was waiting for anyone in the unit who tried to cut and run.
The Majimas were unceremoniously slaughtered during the course of their mission and the Idol was taken in by the Host as agreed. Under their capable though indifferent care, the Idol bloomed into a girl of beauty and talent. It was during this time the Idol heard the story of Julianne, her parent's disgrace and death as well as the circumstances behind the Hero's birth.
The Idol acquired a burning hatred for the Hero, blaming him for the downfall of her family. She resolved to mold her talents so that one day she would be able to kill him, restoring the balance of honor. But we return to the question, why the obsession with rape?
It was through chance that the Idol met the Hero before she was ready. During a fan handshake event a few years ago, some lunatic barged in armed with a chainsaw, wanting to rip pieces off the Idol in a fit of unrequited love. The Hero who was coincidentally there at the moment, rose to the occasion and saved the day, after getting his gut chainsawed open. As the Hero lay dying in a pool of blood, the Idol gazed upon the person that she had learned to hate for years, the only person out of the masses of fans there who was willing to lay his life down for her sake. It was at this point the Idol felt nothing but shame, that the man she wanted to kill was her savior.
Of course the Hero got all better from a chainsaw to the stomach and the Idol was introduced to the man that had saved her life. It was at this meeting, looking into those clear eyes that the Idol realized, that yes, this was the man she loves.
But how was she going to resolve the issue of needing to get revenge for her parents? That debt of honor still needed to be repaid. The Idol hit upon at utterly insane solution to the problem. The Idol would approach the Hero and get herself pregnant by him. After getting pregnant, she would proceed to murder him, both satisfying honor and possessing the seed of his love. If the Hero refuses to give her what she wants or gets wise? Well, its a good thing that the Idol is willing to get creative with how to interpret the word "no".
I am going to strongly suggest to The Voice that we prevent the Hero from getting on the Idol's path, if its not too late.
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