Descendants of Time (Role-Play Act 5: Revolutionary Moment)

Claudia parked the gurney back into its garage and opened the door to the lodgings for the Duke with her key. The Duke then entered wordlessly, a blank expression she didn’t want to see still there. She wondered if the Duke intended to stay this way and hardly judge her for what wrong she did. She then followed after the Duke, too. It’d be strange to immediately start the topic she was supposed to put away just as soon as she entered the house. It’d make her appear very impatient; so she stayed silent.

However, she couldn’t move. She attempted to figure out what had happened, but she couldn’t see anything, much less move her head. What was going on? A tinge of pain was enough to make her realise what was going on. The Duke grabbed her by the head pressing as if he intended to crush her skull. It was painful. Before a pint of her voice could slip out past her lips; the Duke tossed her to the side, wrecking a table. The force was incredible, and Claudia had no idea that the Duke possessed such strength. If only she still had her armor; it would have cushioned some of the damage.

“Just why do you think I took you out of that damned orphanage?” he said, not quite expecting an answer from Claudia. Perhaps he assumed that Claudia already knew. “The only reason you were allowed to serve under me was so you could use the forbidden spell for the Organization and for my benefit if I’d see fit,” he explained, taking steps to approach the infamous scholar who now laid on the floor, hardly able to move due to the impact. Before Claudia could pull herself up, the Duke pressed her down with his foot.

“So,” he begun, “who do you think you are, using that spell in there of all places, without my permission?”

“I…” Claudia trailed off, realising she had no real answer to get her out of this mess. Claudia – stricken with pain, struggled to stand on her own two feet but failed in that as the Duke's foot impeded her. She only remained silent. To be exact, she only grunted in pain, not entirely sure what to say to sway the Duke's mind.

“Heh. That Director took out the equipments of the knights, I see. Good. You don’t deserve them,” he said, coming into agreement with the Director’s decision. Taking his foot away, he turned his back on Claudia. “The blade shall rest with Mary Shelley. The armory – with the Director. Your honour? Gone. Perhaps you never had any. I am sorely disappointed.” He then began to walk away.

Battered, Claudia stood on her hands and knees, hacking and coughing from the pain. She held her head low as tears hit the floor below her. She grimaced, hearing those words from her dearly beloved Lord so much that it caused her to weep. Her head, her back; they all hurt, aching with pain. Her lungs… she couldn't breathe. It was all too much for her. “I see...you are correct, I had no honour to begin with – I'm just an honourless sow, hugging her master's leg, yes? I'm nobody – just a feeble woman, aren't I? Ha...hahaha….” a pained, low laugh began to build up in Claudia's chest, followed by more tears.

The Duke stopped, not looking back, but he didn’t seemed like the angry Duke she knew for a moment. “Don’t go to that man tonight. Your health is not able for it,” with that, the man left for his room.

Struggling to her feet, weak and exhausted, Claudia held her stomach as she gazed upon the broken aftermath that used to be the table. It was a shame too. Claudia would remember her days serving tea on that table. It was a strange but sentimental memory for her, yes, but as circumstances could tell, she had none but less than pleasant ones. Remembering her position as a maid, she stifled whatever giggles that remained in her throat. Grabbing the nearest broom and dustpan, the girl walked with a slight limp. “I'm just...a feeble woman,” Claudia finally repeated, promptly cleaning the mess.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7okDDVJBZ8)

“So, what do you plan to do?” a young lady asked. The slim figure of the woman stood to the side, Kazimir spotted her from the corner of his eye. She wore a very simple attire. A white top – with a blue scarf cradling her neck – and black-and-white checkered skirt. A pair of black stockings covered her slender legs and black boots equipped her feet. Her face was expressionless and she stared him down with her violet pupils.

“The administrator of Soviets plans to take leave for England in a week. That may be your perfect time to strike,” she advised. It seemed that she was an observer of his previous conversation. Who knew when she slipped into his office?

“I suppose,” Kazimir murmured, pondering to himself.

She then took out a note from her pocket, and read it out. “It seems that he intends to partake in the Queen’s Meeting next month. The event where the rules of the Magic World are revised and rarely changed. There may be much to be learned there… ” she said, her voice trailing away.

“Geh.” Kazimir choked, his expression turning sour at the thought. “So that’s what it is. . .” He remarked in a hoarse voice. Formal events like these weren’t his favourite, the only thing that made it tolerable for him was fooling around with Catherine in his old days. Rather, bringing those memories back, he was assured he would wreck the place if he went.

“. . . I’ll leave that matter to you.”

“Very well. I shall be away to England, then. I must say, I am rather curious of the landmarks there,” she stated, drifting slightly away from the topic at hand. “A revolutionised steam culture dominates it, yet it is starkly different from here.”

“I have never been there, but from what I know England is a small island country, different to the vast expanses of land we have here. It stands that their development would be different to ours. But still. . . ” Kazimir took into deep thought, “. . . if you find anything of interest, try to bring it back or a picture at least.”

“I have no camera,” said she, almost as if complaining, making a rare frown, “I lack ways to bring back a picture, and I would very much like to take a picture of the clock tower myself.”

“I’ll get someone on that but worse case, acquire one in England. . . If they even have cameras. . . “

“They probably do,” she answered, apparently very sure of her statement, “considering their time and age.”

“In any case,” Kazimir said, dismissing the subject, “You have your assignment, pack what you need for the trip and I’ll get everything sorted for your departure.”

It seemed as though she wished to utter a question, or a statement, or something, as she lingered a moment longer in hesitation, but seemed to have shook the thought aside.

“I shall be on my way. Good luck, Kaz.” She took leave then and there.

“. . . Stay safe.” He muttered to himself in the silence, heaving a heavy sigh as he brushed his hand over his head.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JAXfUKb30k)

Aramus was in the pool. With spare clothes as he’d put it when he previously conversed with his student, Elizabeth. Only a few stars glimmering in the evening sky were witnesses to this moment of bliss. The swimming pool was on the rooftop of the hotel, and this was a time when most would be having dinner, so it was devoid of people, save for, of course, Aramus. He laid back in the water, letting his body float along as the sky filled his vision. Already feeling the tension ebb out of his body, the teacher sighed in relief as he treaded water. It really had been too long.

“My, seems rather comfortable there,” a familiar voice spoke, shaking Aramus out of his reverie. He could hear footsteps coming closer and closer, their pitter-patter signifying that the person wasn’t wearing any shoes. When he looked up, there she was – Elizabeth, showing most of her white skin, boldly – wearing a swimsuit. “How disappointing, you went with those spare clothes after all,” she commented, expressing her disappointment, but beamed a smile at her teacher all the same.

He would have shrugged in the water, but that would have disrupted the feeling of bliss Aramus was currently feeling. Instead, he settled for looking up at Elizabeth in her black swimsuit with a smile. “And you, favorite student, never disappoint.”

“I am glad to know.” She giggled – apparently pleased – and came down into the pool, and allowed herself to be engulfed by the cooling, and refreshing water. Her golden locks of hair now mostly adrift; she stuck to the corner, watching Aramus in his moment of peaceful relaxation. Somehow she felt relaxed seeing him in bliss like that. She soon heaved a heavy sigh, as if letting go of various forms of tension from her mind and body.

“Hey teacher, do you think this is the last time we’ll be able to relax like this?”

“Not if I can help it,” Aramus replied in a tired voice, letting himself sink slightly deeper into the water. “Time Warrior or not, I’m going to make sure that as many of us come back as possible. Even if I’m not treated as such, I’m still a teacher and you are all my beloved students.”

“As reliable as ever,” she replied. Elizabeth looked up to the stars before speaking again. “Even after this, many events are coming up. To think the Queen would invite me to the Queen’s Meeting.” To her, it was as if the world had abruptly shed its dusts and cobwebs away to move on with more steps than one, and in a very short time, at that.

“So you’ll be there as well then? It’s a good experience for one so young.” Mildly impressed, Aramus moved such that he would drift towards Elizabeth. “You will get to see all your efforts teaching me proper etiquette come to fruition.”

“I cannot wait to see that,” Elizabeth chuckled, trying to subdue it with a hand. “Well, perhaps the Queen is being thoughtful as mother claims. She likes to invite the heirs of the bigger lineages so that they may garner experience and knowledge from such events.”

“That and mingle with the other nobles. That’s where my reputation comes into play and also why I avoid these events.” Aramus chuckled alongside her, ending it with a sigh. Oh, how he hated those events.

“It isn’t so bad. All you are required to do is to find and know the right people,” Elizabeth stated, trying to sound positive about said events. “I happen to find most parties a little dull, however. It feels like most people are trying to only court me for what my family is, and not out of interest towards me myself.” She sighed – again – too.

“Then you are already better off than I am. Need I remind you of who I am?” Though he wasn’t concerned about himself, Aramus was worried that his student would garner a negative image if they were seen together, especially during such a high profile event. “It was always easier for me to be busy during that time period.”

“Inversely,” she begun, a sly smile forming on her face, “if you are with me, fewer gentleman would be approaching me. It is almost as if killing two birds with one stone.” She giggled again, but much more mischievously now.

“No, no. Being seen with me is taboo and I won’t let that come to pass. I don’t know how to put it but… it’s best if you weren’t seen with me.” This, Aramus did admit somewhat sadly.

“I see. That is… a shame,” Elizabeth replied, making a forced smile. Stubborn… she thought, and didn’t dare voice it as it would be rude. “Albeit, I hardly care about society’s opinion.” It was a personal notion. Unfortunately, she had to care otherwise for her family. It was a conflicting feeling.

“I don’t, and it seems the Queen doesn’t either. Even as a Magister, I am unable to shake the stigma. Unless you have plans to become one as well, then I suppose it’s my duty to help you towards it.” There were a few more reasons that Aramus could think of but he didn’t want Elizabeth to become his collateral, especially since she definitely had a bright future. One outcast was enough.

“Mn,” she nodded silently, smiling tenderly. “I look forward to the help, Magic Magister-sama,” she said, finding Aramus awkwardly floating her way. She couldn’t help but catch the head, and rub the wet hair; patting him. “You should use shampoo more often.”

“I do use it! It’s just not the kind that you people use.” He looked up and enjoyed the affection, something sorely lacking in his life. It was somewhat disconcerting that he didn’t mind even though she was his student. “I was always envious, you know. To be like one of you, one of the privileged.”

“Oh? Envious of the privileged?” Elizabeth responded with a question, or rather, uncertainty. “I think you have gained some of it already. Just that some are jealous, and some haven’t accepted it, yet.”

Aramus laughed uneasily, looking up at the stars past Elizabeth. He remained that way for a time, just thinking. “It’s not just that. The simple things in life that everyone takes for granted.” Perhaps the upcoming encounter with the Time Warrior was making him run his mouth a little more than usual, but Aramus felt like talking today.

“You have a home,” he said finally, a pained expression on his face.

“A home, but with it a countless burden of responsibilities,” Elizabeth said, still smiling, as she looked somewhere far away. “It’s not just fun and games being rich. There are… so many things to consider. Looking good, manners, and societal views aside, we – the nobles born into privileged houses – have a duty to follow in the footsteps of our successful parents, towering over us with their achievements. I feel so incomparable to my mother, and I am one day expected to surpass her. A jest hardly humourous,” she said, letting out her inner worries and thoughts.

“I guess everyone has their fair share. If you can’t do it alone, don’t force yourself,” Aramus offered, knowing what it was like to go at things by himself all too well.

“But I have to,” Elizabeth said, sternly, as if reminding herself. “That is my responsibility. That is what I am meant to do. As a noble, I mustn’t run away from my destiny.”

“And what of Elizabeth the teenager? What does she think?” Aramus asked, tilting his head in the water.

“For now, I want things to remain the way they are. I hardly know myself what I want to do about it; responsibilities and whatnot. I want to be careless like my mother, but I am simply unable to bring about my desires, sometimes.” Her smile turned wry, and she proceeded to chuckle again. Her mother was an exemplary figure when it came to carelessness. “I guess that part of my nature came from my father.”

“Take your victories where you can, eh. Not a bad mindset, if I do say so myself.”Aramus smiled smugly. They were more alike than he had thought. “It might not be my place, but don’t worry so much. You still have a long way to go and circumstances can change. Imagine my surprise when I was selected for the Magister role. It upset a whole lot of people that someone with no lineage or title was chosen. A mere street rat.”

“Ehehe, there’s always some people suffering from such occasions. We always hear stories like that, even among nobles,” Elizabeth replied, but she was somewhat glad that the Queen chose a †˜mere street rat’. Otherwise they’d not have met, after all. It showed how impartial the Queen was in the selection, too. “Who knows, perhaps you have a lineage after all, a long-extinguished, powerful bloodline. I mean, there are theories among scholars that every person with the gift of magic has a blood connection to a family of mage, somewhere.” She especially believed it considering Aramus’ strange hair color.

“Perhaps. Nonetheless, it is not very enjoyable to be the subject of such stories.” Aramus scoffed, taking solace in the water surrounding his body. “And even if there was a bloodline, I would have no way to check myself. I never knew my parents.”

“Ah…” She looked down, only to find Aramus’ face. “I-I… I’m sorry.” Unsure of what to say, the apology found its way past her lips. “I somewhat know the feeling of being the subject of stories, too. Albeit not the kind you experience.” A melancholic expression Aramus never knew was worn by her.

“It is not something you should be sorry for.” Aramus frowned, pensive as he reached a hand up to touch her cheek. “You have nothing to be afraid of, the Elizabeth I know has always exceeded my expectations. Let them talk because that’s all they can do.” He brushed a wet lock of her golden hair to the side, getting a better look at Elizabeth. “It’s never good to bottle up your feelings either.”

“Oh my, it turns out that you’re placating me now, instead.” Elizabeth chuckled, regaining back some of her bright complexion. She wondered exactly how long Aramus had known her. Not too long, likely, but perhaps his attention was gained long ago due to her grades. “Even though it should’ve been me taking care of this log who is looked down on by society.” Blood rose up to her cheeks uncontrollably, but Aramus could hardly make it out in the darkness. Elizabeth was sure to keep her voice from shaking due to the embarrassment; her tone unchanging as her previous speech. He could only see her expressions sparsely from the lights coming from behind, from which they entered the pool site.

“I thought that was my job to begin with?” Aramus said, laughing alongside her. “Society can look down upon me all they want, a log doesn’t care in the first place. So long as I have a place to call home and people close to my heart, that’s all that matters.”

“Well, you already have it, don’t you think?”

“Maybe, maybe not. It’s difficult to say when even your own students look down on you, hah.” Ah, the feeling of Elizabeth’s hand on his head was extremely comfortable, soft as it was. He avoided the question of home, that was a bit more difficult to explain.

“Well, at least you have a hometown then.” She gave her shoulders a jerk as she said so. “I am sure that my classmates will turn around after they see your skills in action. Well… hopefully.” She doubted those words as soon as they departed from her lips.

“Those that survive, maybe. I’m not even sure that you can call a place where you fight for survival on a daily basis a hometown. If there was one place, it’d be the orphanage I was sent to.” Aramus thought back to the times he had spent there, infinitely better than whatever was happening now and before then, barring Elizabeth of course. A tender smile was all Elizabeth needed to see to know how much it meant to him. “That was home.”

“Then, that is still your hometown, despite the hardships; you grew up there and learned the cruelties of the world. One could even claim that our motherland had raised you,” she said, the last part spoken in a matter of factly way. “Hm, but I didn’t know that you were raised in an orphanage, teacher. What was it like?”

Again, Aramus was exasperated. All he remembered about his time in the slums were dirty fingernails, going hungry and fighting with others for scraps of anything… edible. He definitely didn’t want to consider that his hometown. “The orphanage was the only place that I felt at peace. Happy, even.”

“Unfortunately, hometowns aren’t necessarily good places,” Elizabeth begun, “but I like London. You may call me a fool, yet despite all the smoke and soot in the air, it is a rather bizarre place if you look at it that way, but I somehow learned to like it.

“I want to visit the Crystal Palace when I go back for the Queen’s Meeting.” She then looked towards the stars once again. “So, tell me more about that orphanage. What kind of people were there?”

“Kindred spirits. There were never any pretenses and I treated them like family. They helped become the Magister I am today, to prove that even an orphan can do it, if they tried. Of course, as an orphanage, it always came with rough patches when new children came in. I was a bit old when I arrived so I guess I felt like an older brother, like now.” He said all this wistfully, the air seemingly becoming warmer as Aramus let go of a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. “And I miss it.”

“Sounds like a nice place,” Elizabeth commented. It was good to know that Aramus at least had a place that he could proudly call his home. “Perhaps we should give it a visit when we’re back in London,” she suggested.

“What, my †˜hometown’ or the orphanage?” Aramus quipped, feigning curiosity as he looked up at her. “We can do both if there’s time.”

“London is what I consider our hometown, regardless of downtowns. However, if you are so keen to show me the filth you have lived through; I do not mind,” she said sounding confident and mighty, as if having no problem trudging through the dirty places. “But yes, I’d love to visit the orphanage.”

“I suppose it is high time I visited the orphanage. It’s been too long since I went back.” Aramus thought back to his “siblings” in the orphanage and how they would have grown in the time he had been away. He also had second thoughts about bringing Elizabeth through the slums, but if she was so keen on going then a short walk couldn’t hurt.

“In return, perhaps you may visit my home too,” Elizabeth suggested, giggling happily at the sound of it. “A single day where you’re treated as a privileged man wouldn’t hurt, yes?”

Aramus cringed a little in the water, imaging himself as a noble. “Do you think your parents would approve?” he asked. For some reason, her parents opinions seemed to matter more than normal. Especially the Duchess. It probably was due to the fact she was also a Magic Magister.

“Hm… well, I doubt she’d mind. You are a Magic Magister, teacher. Be more proud now,” Elizabeth replied, trying to sound positive. “To be honest, I am not sure what my mother’s opinion of you is, but these days, she likes people based on their combat capabilities. In fact, she used to tell me all kinds of stories about father’s fights and glorious achievements when I was young. Odd bedtime stories, I know, but that’s just how she is.”

“I think your parents and I will get along just fine then, plenty of those where I came from, even before I was a Magister. That’s what my life is, battle. They’re just held in different arenas, so to speak.” He chuckled uneasily but there were times when Aramus felt that way, especially at teaching since it was a fight he couldn’t seem to win.

Elizabeth nodded. “I’d think so. If you have stories to tell about battles; my mother will perk up her ears for them any day.”

“By the way, I’ve been wondering, why do you have hair with such colour, teacher?” Elizabeth inquired. “It is an effect of a spell?”

“This?” Picking at a lock of his own bleached hair, Aramus looked at Elizabeth with a puzzled expression. “What are you talking about? It’s natural. I wouldn’t dye my hair.”

“Yes, but I haven’t heard of a single Londoner with such an unusually grey colour,” Elizabeth said, puzzled as well. “It is all the more mysterious if it is natural.”

“Must have been my time spent in the slums. Maybe someone dropped me in some chemical solution, who knows? All I remember is growing up with this †˜unusual’ colour,’” Aramus said, shrugging it off. “Do you dislike it? I bet you’re thinking it makes me look old,” he continued, smirking.

“It does make you seem old.” Elizabeth laughed. “Well, okay, maybe that was a little mean of me to put it like that. I find it unique, however.”

Aramus deflated a little at that. If she, the paragon of a student, thought he was old, then what of the rest of his class? “No, it’s ok. Just leave little old me, I’ll be fine.” He playfully waved her off, splashing some water at Elizabeth.

“Ack. It was just a joke!” Elizabeth hissed, having water splashed on her face. “It’s almost as if you just want me to pamper you, or something,” she said, splashing back some water at Aramus.

“And what if I do, just for this moment?” Aramus laughed, giving her the eye alongside another wave of water. Her futile efforts would not stop him!

Elizabeth retaliated in kind. “Then you’re just being a big baby!” So what if he was a Magic Magister? She wouldn’t give up this water fight so easily.

“So I’m a baby? Old, young, make up your mind young lady.” This time, Aramus used both hands to chuck water at her. He was this close to using Aquam on her, if only for fun. “I couldn’t care less about my age but I’m too young to die now.”

Elizabeth meant to splash back at him, but she was hit with more water, distracted by the conversation. “Old in appearance and young in mind,” she said, showing a tongue. “Like those old men who regret not enjoying their youthful days.”

Laughing heartily at her expense, Aramus stuck out at his tongue right back at her. “Hey, if you had spent a childhood like mine, you’d relish the times that you can actually do things without fear of dying.”

“That’s… not true,” Elizabeth said, looking down, her hands not busy splashing water anymore.

“Well, aren’t you guys having fun here?” A voice distinctive from the two’s spoke, walking in with a bold deep blue swimsuit of her own.

“Oh! Mother, you’re sober now?” Elizabeth asked, turning back to face her mother, her melancholic expression now gone.

“I am always sober, daughter. Pray tell what you speak of?” she answered with a question instead, getting into the pool herself momentarily. The pool was now definitely astir with the three inhabiting upon it. “You’re a good one, Mister Valmark, to be able to get in here with my daughter alone. You little fox,” she remarked.

“Eh, me?” Aramus pointed to himself. “We just wanted a swim to let loose some steam before the fight, that’s all. Duchess, ma’am,” he added as an afterthought.

“Well, great minds think alike. I’m here for the same reason,” the Duchess said, sighing to let the stress get carried away from her. “To be honest, I hate facing Time Warriors,” she said, as if speaking from experience.

“Ah, it’s a depressing topic. I don’t really want to touch too much on it, ma’am. My apologies,” Aramus said, giving her an apologetic look. “I’m too young to die against a Time Warrior, even more so since this will be my first.”

“Well, there are many depressing stories afloat the Magic World due to them, that’s for sure,” the Duchess said, not really finding it strange that Aramus was resisting the topic. “If you think you can’t deal with her; just turn tail and take my daughter away from the battlefield.”

“Mother!” Elizabeth said, not liking the idea. “Even if it is a Time Warrior, to do something so cowardly…”

“All the more reason to do so, if you ask me.”

Aramus nodded in understanding. Even if he was a Magister himself, there were some fights best not fought. “I don’t think it’s cowardly. You get away with information, plan against the next encounter. Time Warriors are infinitely more powerful than we are, and any preparation is and will be necessary. You cannot expect to win against them so easily.” He sighed, dropping back into the pool with a splash. “All I want is to come back alive…”

Elizabeth fell quiet and didn’t reply. She wasn’t sure how to, either, feeling defeated, but it didn’t mean that she agreed with the notion.

The Duchess, on the other hand, nodded. “I feel like you and I will get along,” she said, agreeing with the man. “A tactical retreat is better than a vain, grim death.”

“Indeed.” Aramus looked over to Elizabeth, a tad worried. She was young, full of life and energy. Not to mention trying to outdo her mother. What better way to do that than take out a Time Warrior?

“I’ll be off first then,” Elizabeth said, pulling herself out of the pool. She gave a slight bow with her head towards her mother, and walked away.

“My, my, the younglings are so fragile emotionally,” the Duchess commented.

“Perhaps I should go after her. I can somewhat understand what she’s going through.” Aramus made to leave, rising out of the water. He gave the duchess a quick smile though, shrugging. “I skipped a few steps myself on the road to adulthood.”

“I’d think that at times like these you leave them alone for them to recover,” the Duchess said, but then she too shrugged. “But, feel free. You’re her teacher, after all.”

He looked back at her, promptly deciding that a pot of tea would help his frayed nerves and possibly Elizabeth’s later as well, before flopping back into the pool. “What was it like… fighting against a Time Warrior?” With his body floating aimlessly, Aramus looked to the stars.

“To be honest,” the Duchess begun, looking back to a past event that took place a long time ago, “I loved battling. I always felt that my place was in the battlefields in the Magic World, rather than dealing with the mundanes… until I met her,” the Duchess said, looking up to the stars too.

“I haven’t met anyone more dangerous than her, I’ll give you that,” she started. “To think I’m gonna face that Spirit’s next host now. Time sure passes by fast. I might’ve earned glory from that battle, but I honestly thought that it was not worth the danger. I was happy when I saw her fall, but then I turned around, and found a pile. A pile of my fallen comrades.”

“Each to their own but that you would take down a Time Warrior and live to tell the tale is already amazing enough. Against them, it is our few for the many that might fall if we do not eliminate them.” Aramus turned to look at the Duchess out of the corner of his eye, wondering what she must have gone through. “Which spirit are we facing, if I may? I don’t recall the team informing us and yet… you seem to know.”

“Perhaps, I’d rather have no one fight them, really. The Time Warriors are a bunch of people wanting to stay out of battles themselves,” the Duchess stated informatively, speaking what she knew about them. “I felt bad killing a wife who only wanted to tend to her children. As a mother, I can claim that I’ve had my regrets, but it was my duty, and that was that,” she said, sighing. “I don’t like the prophecy. It leads people astray, but… well, that’s just my opinion.

“Ah, yes,” the Duchess finally responded to Aramus’ question. “Speaking of that, I noticed from how they described her powers to the Queen. They didn’t tell her openly, either,” the Duchess answered. “As I have mentioned before; we’re clearly up against the Sagittarius. It’s who I brought down in the past. They may have kept the information away to hog all the glory after everyone distracts the enemy, and kill her. I assume they’ll strike as soon as I cast the Binding spell. The Queen asked me to †˜respect their wishes’, so I didn’t interrupt their briefing.”

“Was that your order as well, Duchess?” Aramus turned cold as he heard the information, to think that these idiots would withhold it in an operation so vital. “If not, I shall have… a word with them. If they survive this encounter.”

He looked back up to the stars, quelling his anger for now. “It is probably not my place to say this, considering I am in service to the Queen but… why bother? The stars are eternal and the cycle will always continue, no matter what we do. You eliminated Sagittarius but within that same lifetime, another reincarnation has appeared.

“It only leads to more fighting. I do not enjoy it at all. But if… the others, if this allows the younger ones to live in peace then I will gladly do it. The less people that bloody their hands, the better.” Aramus reached up into the sky, clenching his fist till the knuckles turned white.

“Exactly why I follow the Queen,” the Duchess replied, smiling. “Unfortunately, this time she did something unexpected, and invited those students…” she sighed. “It seems like the Queen is always reluctant to have the entire country hunt Time Warriors just for the prophecy, though, and that’s what I like about her. Even the prophecy that misled humanity for centuries can’t sway her so easily.”

“Students have no place in this battle, they should be kept out of such affairs until they are ready, no matter what they say,” Aramus said, slightly riled up. “They aren’t prepared for this… Especially, not your daughter.”

Laughing somewhat bitterly, Aramus closed his eyes as he pondered about things done and yet to be done. “Here we are on a manhunt for one of the most powerful beings in existence and I’m struggling to make ends meet as a civil servant. It’s laughable, isn’t it.”

“I want to ask her when I get back to the capital, to be honest. Even if it is her decision, I feel the need to question it.” The Duchess nodded in agreement. “Isn’t my daughter the best in class, though? Perhaps that is presumptuous of me, however.” She laughed, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

“She is the best in class alongside pretty much everything else. I must say that someone has set the bar pretty high for her.” He laughed, raising his eyebrows in the Duchess’s direction. “She needs to let loose some steam and have the chance to be a normal girl.”

“Is there someone particularly exceptional?” the Duchess asked, oblivious to the truth of the matter. “I suppose that is good for her, but she really should spare some of that amassing steam; while I admit that I put her through a lot of studies when she was a child, I did want her to live her teenage life like any other lady,” she continued, then and voiced her main concern: “Unfortunately, she refuses to do so.”

“There is only one person around her who has managed to best a Time Warrior, is there not? It stands to reason that she would try the same in an attempt to be like you,” Aramus said, looking at the Duchess properly now. “Even at school, her way of life has… somewhat alienated her from her peers. She may be earnest and well-intentioned, but her classmates do not share her outlook.”

The Duchess laughed, weakly – in a way – as if not sure how she should respond to Aramus’ statement. “I see, so it is like that?” the Duchess questioned, almost wanting to confirm what she had just heard. She scratched her cheek nervously, almost at a lost for words. “I cannot tell whether I am proud or sad for her now.” She then took a moment to ponder and collect her thoughts on the matter. “I suppose it only makes sense that she would attempt to best me. Hmm… now what to do about this…” She placed a finger under her chin and thought to herself.

“I’ve been trying to take her mind off it by giving her things to do and it seems to be helping somewhat.” Elizabeth’s teacher shrugged, he seemed to be doing an awful lot of that lately. “But I believe this is best addressed sooner than later. I had meant to do that earlier as soon as she left the pool.”

Aramus smiled, thinking fondly of the times he had spent with Elizabeth. “Be proud of your daughter, Duchess. She has taught me a great many things. I cannot pay her back in any way but if I can help it, she will come back alive from this encounter. Perhaps she might see our view of things if I die trying.”

“Huhu, I am already proud, but I think I’ll have her chasing me after all,” the Duchess answered, giving a proud laugh. She seemed to have reached a decision regarding the matter already. “She needs more strength. The sooner the better… just not from a Time Warrior. Well, you sure have your hands full, treating her kindly as a teacher, so I suppose she felt the need to pay you back. She thinks too much about them… debts and whatnot.”

“You’re like a lioness, throwing her cubs off to strengthen them. Personal experience on my end says that hardship does improve character, especially regarding the important things in life, so I can’t disagree.” Aramus shook his head, resisting the urge to shrug at the Duchess’s decision. “It’s the least I can do for her as a teacher. I’ve been looking for ways to teach her practical lessons as well, not just theories in class. I’m not exactly cut out for that though, my skills are best suited for… neutralizing threats. Yes...” Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Aramus chuckled.

“Well,” the Duchess begun, carefully choosing her words. “I know what you mean, a Magic Magister solely chosen out of pure skills rather than knowledge is often awkward as a teacher. It is the only reason why I am not teaching in the Royal Academy,” she stated, chuckling with Aramus. “She will probably enjoy combat lessons. I know she did as a kid when I taught her sword fighting.”

“I’m sure you know my reputation amongst the fraternity. It is not †˜well met’ by any kind of standards, I’ll give you that.” Aramus got out of the water, climbing onto the poolside. “Your daughter always seems like she’s trying to prove herself, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I didn’t have the chance to give her combat lessons but after this trial by fire, I will ensure she will not leave unprepared. Would you care to join me for a cup of tea afterwards, Duchess? This talk is best suited with a hot beverage in hand.”

“Of course,” the Duchess answered, pulling herself out of the pool momentarily. “It is awkward to have such a discussion in a pool, anyway.

“Well, many of us nobles want glory for various purposes, so I am not surprised. I was never particularly conscious of it, but I wouldn’t have met my husband if not for it.” While she wasn’t sure why or how Aramus wasn’t met by standards, she didn’t question it. She’d learn the matter soon, most likely.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JAXfUKb30k)

“I suppose love can come at any time. Pardon my asking, how did you meet him?” Aramus asked, with tea in hand now, and in proper attire.

“In the celebration party after I defeated Sagittarius’ host,” the Duchess answered, sipping her tea, now clad in the outfit she wore when Aramus first met her – it shined magnificently under the bright lights inside the hotel. They simply relocated to the dining area and ordered for tea. Admittedly, the Duchess approved of the tea and its quality, the aroma had already convinced her before she even took the first sip from the beverage.

Aramus’ face dropped at the mention of a party. He knew there was no invite with his name on it.

“He was courting someone everyone thought was †˜out of his reach,’” the Duchess snickered as she begun speaking of her encounter. “He was so very nervous – I remember it even now, the face he made – it makes me smile, even now. It was his first time courting a lady too, it seemed. Apparently, he saw me fight from behind, but I didn’t really know since I hadn’t the time to even note that reinforcements had arrived to aid me in combat. This husband-to-be of mine claimed that it was love at first sight for him.” The Duchess shrugged, looking back at the words he spoke long ago. “He is a very responsible man, and somewhat too uptight about certain things, if anything. Kind of like Elizabeth, I suppose.”

“You haven’t seen the side of her that hates to lose then? She can be hard to handle when that happens,” Aramus replied, taking a sip from his tea cup.

“...That is a trait I suppose she inherited from me – her own mother – admittedly, I saw it everyday when she’d lose to me. She used to challenge me to a duel when she was young,” the Duchess said, chuckling, as if being reminded of fond memories. Fond memories of defeating her daughter over and over again…

“Still, she is giving her all.” Picking up a sugar cube, Aramus dropped it into his tea. Three sugar cubes yet it wasn’t sweet enough for him. “I can’t wait for that to happen when I start my lessons,” he said, already imagining what it’d be like.

“It’ll be rewarding, I assure you,” the Duchess replied, smiling. “It is a good sight to see her trying her hardest.”

“Evidently, I must take her seriously if she is to improve. Your daughter might come home with a few scrapes and bruises,” Aramus said in response, a smile on his face.

“I would hope not!” the Duchess said. “My daughter was invited to the Queen’s Meeting, we wouldn’t want her to look bad there. I assume the Queen has invited you as well?” she asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

“You are correct. I don’t look forward to these events, but it’s what comes with the job.” Even the Duchess was asking him about it now. “Will you be in attendance as well, Duchess?”

“Well, yes, I would be there,” the Duchess answered. “Why’d you not like them? The food is great there, it is a pity that I have to limit my intake to preserve my beauty nowadays,” and so the Duchess said something no other gentlewoman of London would say, much less a noble woman.

“It’s not that I don’t like them. Good food, good place, what’s not to like? It’s the people there which puts me off. Are you sure you haven’t heard of my reputation? It’s related to things like cockroach and pond scum,” Aramus said with a roll of his eyes. “And you most definitely do not need to worry about appearances, Duchess.”

“Really? I have to say, I am rather uninformed about gossips and people’s charades,” the Duchess said uncaringly. Rumours were hardly heard even when her high-class friends of London would talk about them. The words of those ladies simply entered one ear, and left through the other. “So no, I haven’t quite heard of it, all I’ve learned is that you were a commoner who was selected to become a Magic Magister. What is this about cockroach and pond scum?” She then noted the other statement Aramus made, and gave a frown. “I can never stop worrying, I can’t tell what men think. They are simpletons at times, but I fear they have much deeper concerns for appearance… ”

“That I’m practically one of the things perpetually stuck under people’s boots…” Aramus sunk his face into his hands. The Duchess was more out of it than he thought. “The majority of the Magi do not take too kindly to being appointed as Magister. Even before that, this stigma has forced me into picking up a government job. No one else would take me. I’m surprised you didn’t know, all things considered.” Frankly, it tired him to have to keep coming back to this topic.

“I was mostly on break for some time now, that might’ve been the reason. I don’t quite partake much in gossips either,” the Duchess answered, solemn. “I didn’t think you’d be taken this way, however. But I suppose it is a common story; nobles not appreciating those attempting to climb the stairs and joining into their †˜especial ranks’.”

“I suppose I try to stick my head out of social issues, or well, I used to. All I find now are people trying to be on my good side,” she sighed. It was a little irritating having to deal with too many people sometimes. “What worries me about these parties are those trying to court my daughter… she doesn’t take anyone up when invited to the dancing floor, at all.”

“She did mention that when we were talking about the meeting, that it was a problem for her to have so many suitors. I couldn’t care less about all these social events but your reputation does precede you, Duchess.” Recalling what Elizabeth had told him, Aramus thought for a moment about the upcoming meet. “As for me, I’ll need to find a place where I can stay out of sight yet still be able to eat what’s on offer. It won’t be easy.”

“She did? I am rather envious of you now, Mister Valmark,” the Duchess began, as if facing a dilemma. “She seems to speak her heart more to her teacher than her mother. I am hurt,” she stated, apparently thinking deeply, her forehead knitted into a frown yet again.

“Well, you’re gonna have to search hard, then. They invite literally every officially approved Organizations to at least send one member. So, I doubt it’d be easy. The venue is large, and the amount of people surpasses it still,” she stated, already convinced that people would see and likely voice their distaste on sight towards Aramus. As if putting that matter aside, she inquired: “By the way, why not take the plane with us when we head back to London? I will be inviting my daughter, and Mister Takeru too.”

“As they say, school is your second home. I try to endear myself to the students, but not many have taken me up on that, Elizabeth being one of the few.” It was hard to imagine how someone like him would try to be as friendly as possible with students.

“I will take you up on that offer Duchess, it will be my pleasure.” The very thought of going back to England on his money meant that his meals would be limited to rice balls or even worse, going hungry. There was also Almond to worry about in his absence. “It’s going to be another long meeting if I can’t make myself scarce, and without food to boot.”

“Well, I’ll admit that you successfully got yourself endeared with one student,” the Duchess sighed. “Good, now all that is left is dealing with the Headmistress. It will be hard to convince her to come with us,” she added. “I hope I won’t have to bribe her just so I can cover her flight expenses and bring her to the meeting.”

“Just let her pay for herself,” Aramus said, trying hard but failing to conceal his smile. “She’s more than capable. Besides, it’s decree from the Queen. You can’t exactly refuse that.”

“...I wish, but she can refuse it,” the Duchess replied, looking down at her tea with dismay. “She is one of the honoured guests, but she’d rather fiddle her fingers with those… strange devices on her hand from Tokyo.”

Aramus blinked at the Duchess blearily, at a loss for words. “S-she can!? Why can’t I then!? Oh and those are mighty convenient. I’ll teach you if there’s time afterwards!”

“I am, uhm, attending my daughter’s †˜lessons’ for those devices, or so she calls them,” the Duchess said, somewhat unsure of the ordeal herself. “Oh, yes, yes the Headmistress may refuse. As a neutral member she is able to refuse. Since the Magic Academies are considered neutral. In your case, however, you are a Magic Magister, who was granted title by the Queen… you may decline, but I think people will loathe your gall ever more for doing it,” she said, chuckling at the last part as she spoke. “They want Magic Magisters there mostly so that they can beat the people in their debates, especially the ones wanting to impose bans on certain magics.”

“As if I wasn’t loathed enough by everybody as it is. That little bit more won’t change anything, Duchess.” It was true that it couldn’t get much worse for Aramus. Debating wasn’t his thing either. “Alas, I’m a burden in a debate. I’m mostly there for decoration if you ask me. I’m too simple for all that hogwash.” He groused, silently grumbling about how the Headmistress could weasel her way out of this and he was stuck attending.

“At least you get free food,” the Duchess laughed it off, returning to her old point after the good things of the party. “It isn’t something commoners get everyday. The Queen hires the best of the chefs the country has to offer.”

“And that is the reason why I put up with these!” Aramus replied cheerily, pointing at the Duchess to accentuate it. “Food! A scarce commodity all year round for me!”

“Oho, the stomach of a man is as pitless as they claim indeed,” the Duchess said, apparently impressed. “Perhaps we should have a trial of food. A contest to determine who may consume the most.”

“Oh, indeed we should. That sounds like something right up my alley but… are you sure you can keep up, Duchess? I thought there was something about… that’s right, watching your intake?” Aramus snickered, eyeing up his potential competition.

“I… erm, yes, I shall fight this fat away! It is nothing to a warrior!” the Duchess roared, almost catching the attention of others enjoying their food. “Hoho, just you watch. They don’t call me the Devourer for nothing back from where I come from, lad.”

“Then it’s time to put that title on the line, Devourer.” He set the teacup down, looking at the Duchess in the eyes properly. “When it comes to food, you can’t beat me. I treat my food the same way I treat those precious to me, like my life depends on it!”

“We’ll see about that, young man. I shall put that spirit of yours to the test,” the Duchess said, accepting the challenge, placing down her tea too. Both her eyes blazed with flames of determination.

Aramus’s eyes burned like miniature suns with the way this was going. “Very well. Don’t die Duchess, we have a score to settle. Something so important a mere Time Warrior won’t stop us.” To think that someone would challenge him to an eating contest, and the Duchess herself no less. This was going to be interesting.

“Bring it on. Don’t you dare loosen the grasp on your soul either,” the Duchess returned the remark with an eloquent touch of her own. “Time Warriors be damned in the face of our ultimate showdown.”

“Hah, well said Duchess. I think we should adjourn for now, our… fighting spirit should be saved for another time,” Aramus remarked, draining the last of his tea. “I hope Elizabeth is alright. She’s going to love our duel.” He added with a hearty chuckle.

“She will likely inspect our table manners, haha!” the Duchess said, laughing again, finishing her cup of tea.

“Oh right, those. I don’t need those in something like this. They’re in the way,” Aramus said with a tilt of his head. “Ah… but your daughter has been teaching me etiquette, so I will humor her for it.”

“I suppose I am used to the standards and manners, so I will win with grace. You are free to not use them; consider it a handicap,” the Duchess said, snickering, which stopped as soon as she heard about the teaching of etiquette bit. “She teaches you that?”

“Y-yes, that she does. Something about my commoner upbringing being insufficient. And it’s not a handicap! If you’ll do it then it’s only fair that I should as well.” Aramus looked at her quizzically. Was it something he said?

“Huhu, no, no, I insist that you keep it that way,” the Duchess said with a grin, but soon narrowed her eyes. “In what manner does she teach, and where?”

Aramus gulped. His instincts were telling him to flee and preserve himself but as a Magister, he would uphold everything he stood for. “Well… It kind of happens in her room over a simple meal, just which cutlery to use for which dish. That’s all, Duchess. Really.” His collar felt mighty tight, even if it was unbuttoned.

“Oh? That’s all? Really?” The Duchess’ eyes narrowed even further, staring at Aramus inquisitively. “Is that really all there is to it?”

“Yes, that’s all!” Raising both arms in defense, he tried to avoid her scrutinizing gaze. “I wouldn’t do anything improper of my station, both as a teacher and a Magister!” Elizabeth definitely made it hard to, but that was best left unsaid, especially without consent or approval.

“Well, if Elizabeth insists, then I have nothing to say, I shall allow you to attend these lessons,” the Duchess sighed, resting her gaze on her empty tea cup, she soon had an attendant pour more into it. “I can imagine her worrying about your position, which is why she is helping you in the first place.”

“That’s the main reason. It’s surprising how she can remain so steadfast even with everything going on around her,” Aramus replied, still keeping his arms raised. “Something about preserving whatever reputation I have left as a Magister.”

“I had figured that out already,” the Duchess replied. “It is just how she is, I suppose,” she added. “A little too caring for others. That is one of her good graces. Should anyone try to take advantage of her, though…”

Aramus almost thought that the cup she held would crack and shatter there and then due to how the hand twitched. Moreover, the crimson gaze that lay behind the cup made him shudder even more.

Flinching slightly, Aramus pulled upon his collar. “I’ll be there to make sure nothing happens. Don’t worry, Duchess.”

“So, how many did you kill?” the Duchess asked, making Aramus confused. Was she speaking of his kill count? Before he pondered for an answer, he noticed that the Duchess wasn’t looking at him, but to the right.

Aramus turned to the right to find Takeru standing.

“Twenty-eight,” Takeru answered. “They weren’t really strong individually, but as a team they were efficient,” he added informatively.

“I see. You need to be more discreet; you reek of blood,” the Duchess responded, drinking her tea. It seemed like she noticed Takeru from the scent of blood, instead of listening to his silent footsteps as he approached the two and stood beside them.

When Aramus looked at Takeru, he couldn’t see a single drop of blood on him, nor did his black suit seem to be wet.

“Let loose some of that steam then?” Aramus said with a tilt of his head.

“I let out enough. Either way, it just means that this place isn’t safe anymore,” Takeru replied, sighing, sitting beside the two. He felt sluggish. “For now, I can hide it all with magic… aside from a few exceptions like our Duchess here.”

“No wonder you look squeaky clean. Can that spell hide holes in my robes?” Genuinely curious, Aramus questioned Takeru with great interest. Maybe he wouldn’t have to run around looking bankrupt anymore with this.

“No, I’m afraid it can’t,” Takeru said, showing a grin. “I had someone from our team dry my clothes of blood. It is a simple spell for Aquam users.”

Aramus grumbled, muttering about how nothing seemed to work for him. “So, you said there were twenty-eight? Was that all of them?”

“Well, many people uses Perdo Corpus or Perdo Mentem to make themselves appear more presentable,” Takeru advised, attempting to cheer up a fellow teacher. “Ah, it should be all of them, for now, perhaps. I walked around the hotel to confirm, but there may be a few of them who had snuck in.”

“It’d be in our best interests to take leave soon,” the Duchess suggested. “The fact that they know this location is troublesome enough.” She didn’t think they’d locate them in here so soon, despite the way they attempted to blend with the crowd via magic and other means. Those working with the government were not meant to be underestimated.

“We’d better go then.” Agreeing, Aramus looked to the two for directions.

The Duchess nodded, finishing her tea. “I am going to give the signal, and we’ll shortly check out and take our leave.”

“I’ll keep a look out for enemies,” Takeru said, getting off the chair, as much as he’d like a cup of tea and to relax; he needed to be vigilant.

“Mister Valmark, can you find my daughter in the meantime, please? If she is not in her room; she may not notice the signal.”

Aramus nodded before taking off. Takeru had taken care of quite a number but knowing what was at stake, there were bound to be more.

The only possible places to find Elizabeth were two from the ground floor. One was the lobby where anyone could relax in – with all the luxurious sofas – while the other was the shopping section.

Aramus went to the lobby. There were many sitting and lounging across the place. He noted a few he knew from his own class, and notified them about the signal. However, he couldn’t find Elizabeth anywhere. When he asked if they saw Elizabeth, he was told that she had never came here earlier.

He then went to the shopping section, which was massive. He checked the cooking appliance section first, since that was where he saw her going last, but then she had also joined him in the pool later. She was likely done with that section, but it wouldn’t hurt to look, he thought.

As he thought, there were only older women in the section. However, when he went to the opposite direction – there she was – the golden locks allowed him to recognise the one he was searching for. She was purchasing an item on the counter.

Aramus took a look around before approaching Elizabeth, taking in the appliances and if there were any suspicious individuals. Not that there should be any in the appliances section. “Elizabeth.” He called out, walking to her side.

The woman who turned toward him was indeed the Elizabeth he knew, and not someone else with blonde hair. “Ah, teacher. You almost surprised me,” she said, seemingly startled.

“Almost, almost.” He gave her a smile but it was really time they left. What was she buying anyway?

Elizabeth received the package that was her purchase from the shop clerk. “Are you here to buy anything?”

“Nope, here to get you. We’ve been ordered to move out, there’s been some trouble,” he commented. As much as he wanted to to continue chatting, they had more important things to do.

“Alright.” Elizabeth nodded, noting a possible situation at hand. “I am done here. Let us be off.” The two then left the shop. “Exactly what happened?” She asked as they walked.

“We’ve been compromised. The Duchess believes we have overstayed our welcome here,” Aramus said curtly, eyes peeled. “There might be some of them in the crowd.”

“Sounds troublesome indeed, best be done with this first, then,” Elizabeth said. she seemed serious, yet she smiled.

“It is trouble, which is why I’m here with you,” Aramus returned the smile. “Will you be carrying that with you or dropping it off somewhere first?”

“No,” Elizabeth shook her head, handing Aramus the package. “This is a present for you, teacher.”

Aramus took the polybag and unwrapped the box inside of it, somewhat hurriedly and impatiently since they were literally on the rush hour about now.

What seemed to be inside was… a wallet?

“Remember that day when you lost your money due to the hole in there? I thought that maybe you could use a new one about now. It wasn’t too expensive, so don’t sweat the details, teacher.”

Gingerly taking the wallet out from the box, Aramus’s expression softened as he rubbed a finger across its surface. “Thank you Elizabeth, you don’t know how much this means to me.”

“Perhaps I do, or perhaps I don’t, but don’t let it have a hole again if what you speak is true,” Elizabeth said. “You don’t want to lose any more money, especially for Almond’s sake.”

He chuckled as they traveled, thinking of the young boy who was no doubt still trying to read the books he had set aside. “It’s not like I wanted it to have a hole.”

(Tfw thread got bugged. GG Fakku. That said, this and the new Tsuruko posts to come were actually forgotten, and were supposed to be posted earlier. Herpderp. They take place in the morning of the scenes Aramus had.)

Tsuruko woke up in a bed not in the girls dormitory located in the Magic Academy of Japan, but a condominium in Tokyo. Finding the rays of the sun making its way to her eyes from the window, she could hardly continue to sleep, however comfortable the bed was. The curtains weren’t pulled properly to block it, apparently.

Last night, as she was going home, Alice appeared and invited her to her place. She then provided magical medicines to her when they arrived.

She’d have fallen and passed out on the streets before reaching home, so it was a better idea to accept Alice’s offer. Now here she was, almost forgetting that she had accepted said offer.

Golden locks were seen soon enough as she looked around the room.

“How do you feel now?” Alice asked, she only wore a white bathrobe, apparently having taken a bath moments ago. It seemed that she came to check up on her.

“Where is… this place? ” Tsuruko murmured, using unconscientious effort to pry her eyes open.

“My place,” Alice answered. “You do not remember me carrying you here?”

“My apologies, but not at the least,” Tsuruko replied, sitting up, albeit slumping a little. “Last thing I remembered was that I wanted to proceed back home.”

“I wouldn’t think that it’s the side-effect of the anesthetic that I applied to you… perhaps your brain was simply too tired,” Alice said; making a conclusion to the matter.

“You used an anesthetic?” Tsuruko seemed surprised. “Did I really need one?”

“Yes,” Alice answered, speaking nonchalantly. “I had to treat you… since you had bullets in your body,” she elaborated.

“I see… hope it wasn’t too much of a hassle, and for that I am extremely grateful for what you’ve done. Even if I was supposed to be your bodyguard…” She gave a weak smile. Just then, she’d noticed the feel of the bed-linen on her skin, and that made her realize she wasn’t wearing anything. It would make sense to Tsuruko that it was necessary for her clothes to be removed while performing on her, but…

“I would suppose my garments are kept neatly?”

Alice pointed towards the closet. “I hope you do not mind that I’ve taken the liberty of cleaning and putting them up in the appropriate location,” Alice said, her words as emotionless as ever, but she seemed rather considerate, like any other Japanese are said to be. “I am your employer, so I have the responsibility of taking care of you; please do not pay excessive heed to it.”

“Ah… again, many thanks for that. I feel uncomfortable not wearing the proper attire, especially in front of esteemed persons.” Tsuruko heaved a sigh of relief, let the blanket off her and proceeded to take her garments off their hanger, which she then donned herself. Even with her body not near optimal condition, Tsuruko seemed to be thinking about her image before others. “So… do I have any other business here? Or…”

“No, but I’d recommend that you rest,” Alice suggested, shaking her head as she answered. “You are far from recovered,” she then continued. “As mentioned previously; your duties are for evenings. If you wish to return to the academy, however, I’d think that it is a little late for that.”

“I’m more than wide awake already, and I rest when I sleep,” Tsuruko replied. “At the least, if there’s any trivial tasks that need to be done, please entrust them to me.”

“I refuse to allow it,” Alice said, her tone didn’t change and nor did her expressions.

Tsuruko felt that she was acting rather stern, based on what little she knew about the mysterious idol.

“You are injured,” she begun, not giving enough time for Tsuruko to articulate a response. “How would you do anything while your body aches all over the place?” she asked.

“It’s true that I’m not in prime condition.” Tsuruko nodded. “But my body isn’t so weak as to succumb to minor faults, given the rest I already had.” She had been through more than this during her training, and she wasn’t one to give proper notice of her body’s limits. “It’s of little concern.”

“Very well,” Alice said. “Try doing a set of push-ups, then,” she commanded her.

Tsuruko nodded. She got on her fours, using her pectoral muscles to keep her legs and abdomen lifted and steady. Barely crossing the 10th mark, a bolt of pain ripped across her, making her unable to hold her position, and she let down a knee. Tch, she thought, since when did she get this weak? She was left panting, a look of disbelief encaptured on her, drips of sweat creasing down her forehead.

“That...That was nothing.” Tsuruko tried to control her breathing. “Give me another chance!”

Despite Alice’s apatheticness, Tsuruko could feel the disapproving gaze from Alice in but a moment when she looked up to her.

“You are already tired. I find it irrational that you seek an opportunity despite learning of the fact through the harder way,” Alice voiced her thoughts rather cordially, giving a sigh. It was the first time Tsuruko saw the idol sigh like this, as if she recognized her stubbornness for the first time. “I’d still recommend resting, however…”

“However?”

“...Do as you please.”

Now Tsuruko wasn’t sure if her decidedness had gotten to Alice, or if Alice had stopped caring. Either way, she’d thought she won. But a very good reason as to why she didn’t want to rest was because she would never have considered using anything of her esteemed client’s belongings. It would be shameful if her family knew she couldn’t take care of herself.

Dusting herself off, she asked Alice, “So… what now? Would I have to prepare ourselves a meal of some sorts?”

“I haven’t had breakfast yet, so you may do so if you wish,” Alice said, leaving the room Tsuruko was in.

Tsuruko soon noted that Alice wore slippers, and that a pair of slippers were also set aside for her. Wearing the slippers, she soon noticed that the floor was awfully dusty. Perhaps it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time. Considering that she was living alone, and how busy she seemed to be, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that Alice hardly ever spent time cleaning, or doing any of her other household chores.

Tsuruko was surprised that that was actually the case, and that she’d have to make breakfast for Alice. Even if she had suggested it, she hadn’t touched a stove before, save for some classes in the Academy. Seeing a room like Alice’s made her think of home, but she’d controlled herself from sprucing up the place. What if she were to break something, or press some sort of secret button that would launch a bomb to who knows where? This was a condominium, after all, and such things could be lying in places she wouldn’t imagine.

((GM comment: Oh lord, this girl…))

But the problem now was what she had to make something for Alice. Was she even allowed to use the kitchen? Tsuruko dismissed the thought of actually asking Alice what she wanted to eat, but in her head she imagined Alice responding to her question with something like: Something that doesn’t kill me. Though, I would know for sure if it would. Confused, she sat on the already-kept bed, giving a cramped expression.

Propping herself up, she left the room as well, speaking to what seemed like an empty house, hoping Alice would reply: “Ahem, is it okay to use the kitchen..?”

“I have stated previously that you may do it if you wish,” Alice replied, apparently from a distance.

Tsuruko looked to the left and found a rather fancy living room, which was contrasted when she looked back to the room she was in. Alice was sitting beside a table. Was she waiting for Tsuruko to actually cook and bring breakfast to her, perhaps? Either way, it seemed like her eyes were glowing blue like they did last night before the fight they had. Otherwise, she wasn’t doing anything at all.

“Duly noted,” Tsuruko replied as she found the kitchen. It was equipped with all the latest cooking appliances one could hope to find in a kitchen. Little did Tsuruko know the difference between old fashioned equipments and the newer ones. Therein she had the idea of preparing what she always had in the Shrine: traditional Japanese bento, which consisted of chicken Karaage, rice, miso soup, and pickled vegetables. It required minimal handling of the stove; what Tsuruko would want, especially preparing food in someone else’s house, much less her client. Opposite the kitchen counter was a double-doored refrigerator wherein Tsuruko found the most massive plethora of ingredients she’d never seen before. Could it be that Alice was a secret master chef as well? It was for sure that Tsuruko could find no shortage of ingredients from the refrigerator. She prepared the rice as well as a pot of water and a wok half-filled with oil on the flames, while she started on the vegetables as well as the batter for the karaage.

After some twenty-odd minutes she had finished cooking for both Alice and herself, utilized the dishwasher for the utensils, and even wiped the floor of her bedroom clean, although not daring to touch Alice’s belongings, she left the tables uncovered. Setting the tray of food on the table Alice was sitting in she said to her, “Utterly sorry for the wait. Now, if you would enjoy.”

Alice nodded, without a word she took up pair of chopsticks offered to her by Tsuruko before extracting a portion of rice from the bentou. She chewed the food and then ate the karaage, her eyes widened in delight she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“...It is delicious,” she praised silently.

“I’m glad that you find it that way.” Tsuruko gave herself a bite of her meal, as well, and she was surprised it came out better than she had expected it to. “I also cleaned up your room a little for you.”

“Thank you,” Alice said, giving a bow with her head before she ate more of the rice that was provided by Tsuruko. She smiled, perhaps for just a slight moment. The phone on the table vibrated; drawing Tsuruko’s attention due to the faint noise. Alice picked it and seemed to have read through a message.

“It seems that my work is scarce today… I suppose I may go for a walk,” she said, before facing Tsuruko. “Care to join me?”

“If you would fancy my accompaniment,” Tsuruko replied, “then I shall.”

Alice and Tsuruko walked through the neighborhood around which Ayane lived.

There were many high-rise apartments that seemed to be inhabited by the more wealthy individuals. Not that Tsuruko would know, because she was a sheltered child raised by the Shrine Organization, she simply believed that most people were living in a different world. The feeling of the pedestrians were mutual with that of hers. Her white miko outfit stood out among all those passing by the pavements, however, contrasting her from them despite their thoughts being almost the same towards the wealthier people.

In fact, now that she thought about it, it wasn’t just her who received the inquisitive gazes of the citizens. When she looked at Alice, she found her sight resting on a pair of sunglasses and a white cold mask that covered Alice’s mouth. Her employer – the mysterious idol – wore a black jacket with a hood that covered the majority of her hair except a few gold locks that made their way out to her shoulders.

The contrast between the two were undoubtedly large.

Now that she thought about it, Alice didn’t disguise herself in such a bizarre manner last night. Was it because not many people wouldn’t recognize her in the darkness of the night? That couldn’t be; Tokyo’s lights were illuminating enough. Perhaps there was a different reason. Whatever the case, it seemed like Alice came to the conclusion that she’d have to go out on a walk with such a getup. Tsuruko wasn’t sure if that would be refreshing to her, at all.

The two soon approached a park. Children played across the grounds, and the girls made way for the bench. Alice sat down, and prompted Tsuruko to sit down beside her.

“I am curious, were you promised any form of payment for protecting me?” she asked with a muffled voice as she watched the children playing around.

“Not that I know of,” Tsuruko said, not turning her head to look at Alice. “Rather, it would be... wrong of me to take up a job for money. I have enough for myself, and besides that, I do not question the motives of my Organization.”

“I see…” Alice said, her voice trailing away. “That is an interesting anomaly in human behavior – to not want any form of compensation for a life-risking job – you must’ve been raised to develop a severely strict mindset so that you find the circumstances natural.”

“It is my duty to fulfill their obligations,” Tsuruko said. “For they gave me shelter even when they knew about my situation.” Tsuruko thought she knew what Alice was going to ask, but she figured she’d already know. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but what was your motivation to become an… idol?”

“Were you adopted?” she asked, but then looked down.

“No… just… cursed, if you would put it.” Tsuruko recalled the story of her birth in her mind, spacing out for a moment.

“I knew someone… who dreamt of being an idol.”

“What happened to them?”

“Having Susanoo’s spirit was hardly considered a curse by your Organization,” Alice informed, a blue light was visible from behind the shades she wore. “It is specifically written here that the leaders were overjoyed to learn of this fact.”

“He was the manifestation of hopes and dreams... gathered among centuries. Before I was bestowed his power, I was in a questionable state.” Tsuruko held her right hand to her chest.

“A notion irrelevant to the advantages of the matter. What matters is that you are now special, and that the Organization views you as such,” Alice replied in a matter of factly tone. “As for what †˜happened’ to them… hm, well, I suppose they simply died.”

“Is there any particular reason for their death or some sort?”

“Yes. Attacked by a terrorist Organization.”

“I see.” Another one of these Organizations Tsuruko was told about, whom may or may not consist of she and Alice’s previous attackers. “So in that case, I would think you’re carrying on their dreams in their stead.”

“Indeed.” Alice nodded. “I have seen the same dream as her, I suppose. She was the one who taught me about idols.”

“One of these days I’ll have to also learn about these †˜idols’ from you, Alice.” Tsuruko smiled. “I mean, if you would allow me to, of course.”

“I did not think that you were interested.” Alice meant to state it as a fact, but determined in her mind that she was puzzled in the end. “It is something that Shamans seem to care not about. However, I have no qualms allowing you to learn about them from me.”

“I was indifferent towards them as I knew close to nothing about them,” Tsuruko explained. “Because they weren’t explicitly featured in textbooks… even if they were, they didn’t have the thought of educating me about these kinds of… occupations?”

“Well,” Alice began, “Shrine would teach more traditional and cultural knowledge to their future generations. Hence, it is natural that you weren’t taught about them, as they weren’t taught about to people in the past. Idol academies are a recent addition, after all. The service sector is ever flourishing in our country, unlike the past.”

“I figured. Besides, we are two whole different worlds, after all, and I’d never imagined myself to meet someone like you.”

“I have been associated with the Shrine for a very long time now,” Alice stated indifferently. “I am not so far from your world.”

“Then I wonder why only now have they introduced me to you,” Tsuruko suggested. “There’s an endless amount of people who are definitely better at dodging bullets.”

“According to uncle – a man who is also your uncle, I believe – †˜be it man or woman; experience comes only with real combat’, perhaps that is the real reason.”

“I certainly hope that would be the case… ” Tsuruko sighed, looking toward the sky. “I just hope I can be of use to them.”

“I wonder: do you want to be useful to them, or me?” Alice asked. “Never mind… besides, dodging bullets is not an easy feat for an ordinary human being.”

“It’s definitely something I need to learn in order to not become like this,” Tsuruko said. “I’ve only ever learnt to survive by myself, and was trained in only close combat… this was the first time I met with guns.”

“It isn’t something most may do,” Alice declared coldly. “It is mostly done by very skilled magicians and other Time Warriors. I’ve only ever seen Magic Magisters properly dodging bullets.”

“Someday I’ll be one of those skilled mages,” Tsuruko said. “I’m confident I will.”

“Good luck,” Alice said.

Somehow the voice from her words just now sounded different. Did she just smile? There was no way to tell with her face mostly hidden.

Alice then took out her phone, apparently vibrating yet again to indicate that she was being called.

“Alice speaking.” She picked up the call, and listened to the voice of the person from the other side. “Ah, Fuyuo-san, is it? What is the matter?”

At this, Tsuruko turned to Alice. It was a familiar name. Why wouldn’t she know it? Although she wasn’t completely certain, it awfully reminded her of her family’s name. Was Alice speaking to her father, or a family member of her household?

“Another Time Warrior appeared, is it?” Alice asked as if to reconfirm. Her voice was monotone, but she was undoubtedly surprised, evident from how she stood up from the bench immediately.

“Understood, I’ll be on the way,” she said, hanging up on the call and putting her phone away. “Are you coming along?” she asked, facing Tsuruko.

From that gaze, Tsuruko could feel that Alice wanted to tell her to go back to the condominium to rest. “Are we going to fight those terrorists again..?” asked a worried Tsuruko.

“The European Forces have indeed turned up. A citizen who turned out to be a Time Warrior is involved,” Alice elaborated. “I must attempt to rescue her. She could also be Japan’s potential second Time Warrior to be of service…”

“If you’re going, I’ll go as well.” Tsuruko sounded determined. “No matter what the situation is, I must still protect you… It is my duty and responsibility.”

“Do not overwork yourself,” Alice said, walking away.

“I’m feeling pretty normal already, talking to you made it better.” Tsuruko parted from her seat and paced behind Alice.

There were wreckages left and right. Fires, corpses, people crawling, children crying, and lastly, broken faucets and pipes spraying water in varying directions. It was as though the world was ending. The devastation this place faced almost seemed as though there was a great calamity here. What kind of a storm had passed through this area?

Tsuruko noticed some foreign-looking people full of large and astonishing holes on their bodies across the street.

Alice looked them over with her expressionless face from behind her shades.

“Seems like they are the Europeans who fought the Time Warrior,” she concluded from a glance, passing by them casually.

“What happened to them, to be utterly destroyed like that…?” Tsuruko was still in disbelief. She’d frequently seen nature and the like being destroyed, but people dying on her was still a first-hand experience.

“Your father will explain,” Alice answered. “I wasn’t given a proper briefing of the situation.”

“My father? I didn’t know he was involved in this…”

“He has been for a long time,” Alice explained. “Most of the adults of the Shrine had been co-operating with the government.”

“Yes, but I thought only minimally.” Tsuruko wondered what secrets they kept from her that she had yet to find out.

“Most young shamans are not informed until they are old or considered responsible enough,” Alice mentioned – as they crossed many pulverized establishments – turning to Tsuruko. “Perhaps your time is close for having the secrets unveiled.”

“Personally, I think that time is long past.” Tsuruko laughed. “But it’s not in my position to question their competencies.” She then shifted her focus: “Do you know of the person who might’ve done this?”

“How’d it be long past? Only the adults are mostly informed about such circumstances. I’d consider you lucky,” Alice stated, confused. Why did this girl attempt to demean herself all the time? She wasn’t sure, but it seemed that this person had no confidence whatsoever from how she spoke and behaved. “I am currently theorizing that this is a result from both sides, but perhaps most of the damage is wrought from the Time Warrior.”

“What are Time Warriors like?”

“They are warriors possessing absolute power, for which they are feared and revered, or so Shrine claimed when they explained them to me,” Alice answered.

“They must be really strong to be revered and feared at the same time,” Tsuruko commented. “There are enemies and allies within them, is it right to say so?”

“Indeed.” Alice gave a nod to the notion. “I’d think most of the destruction here is the work of the Time Warrior. I was told that European forces were detected in engaging a Time Warrior… that must imply that all the destruction took place after the report was made.” Alice was somewhat impressed that by the time she arrived, this area was already in a big mess.

“Is there anything that might tell where this Time Warrior might have went?”

“The security cameras… but it seems most of them here were destroyed…” Alice said, a little perplexed from how she frowned. They could probably recover the records, but it’d take time.

Suddenly, Alice raised an arm, signifying Tsuruko to stop – just as she did herself – facing the vacant air before her on the pavement.

A man appeared out of thin air. Tsuruko immediately recognized him. How could she not? It was her father, after all.

“I see that you have arrived to the site at last, Alice-sama,” the shaman who donned the habit of a temple monk bowed deeply to her.

“Father?!” Tsuruko tried so hard to contain her surprise that it almost sounded like a scornful remark; as if she didn’t want to see him. “You...”

“Tsuruko?!” her father exclaimed similarly. Like father like daughter; he too was surprised. “My goodness. What are you doing here? What happened to going to the academy?”

“I was sent here to accompany Alice as per the Shrine’s orders,” Tsuruko explained. “You weren’t informed…?”

“No, what I am asking is what you are doing here now. I am well aware of your new duty as it was my own request,” her father explained, “but you weren’t supposed to be accompanying Alice-sama in the morning for your classes.”

“Oh, that. Well, to cut things short, I got injured while performing my duty and Alice had so kindly taken the liberty to let me rest at her abode for the night. I was allowed to follow her this morning after being nursed back to a good condition.”

“Rather forcibly, yes,” Alice interjected, then faced her father. “What is the situation?”

“We need to talk later…” Tsuruko’s father grumbled, then turned to Alice. “Our Japan was finally blessed with yet another Time Warrior, but the European scoundrels caught wind of it before us and attacked her. The warrior retaliated, so now this area is in ruins, unfortunately,” he explained.

“All this…?” Alice spoke as if to reconfirm. There were wreckages all over the place. How many people died, exactly? “I will go see to it,” she said, leaping off with great speed.

Tsuruko’s father immediately followed, and so did she.

The area was in tatters, but the spot that seemed to have received the most congregation of force was the spot where a girl – slightly younger than Tsuruko herself – lay. Tsuruko peeked from behind her father, while Alice approached the apparent Time Warrior who was on the asphalt road. She got up, or rather, sprung up, and tried to pat herself, but seemed to have felt stinging pain.

Alice sighed. “We’re taking her up,” she said, then walking away. “Let’s go,” she said to Tsuruko.

When Tsuruko observed her more clearly, she noticed that the girl was very injured, with clear flesh wounds and blood visible.

“...Aren’t we going to treat her or something? She’s bleeding,” Tsuruko pointed out.

“That’s what she asked me to do,” her father answered. “I’ll have to get an ambulance for her. She probably needs similar treatment as Alice-sama.”

“Treatment...?” These events happened pretty fast relative to Tsuruko, and she had yet to take in the wreckage of buildings as well as people.

“Yes, Time Warriors get advanced treatment compared to the rest of the citizens,” he explained. “I suppose you can say that it is a kind of investment.”

Something struck Tsuruko. “Does that mean Alice is also a…”

“You didn’t know?” her father asked, surprised. “I mean, there must’ve been plenty of signs.”

“Hm.” Tsuruko well didn’t know Alice was a... that sort of thing, and she also well didn’t know what these Time Warriors were capable of. Again, she wondered what kind of world exactly she was going to step into.

“Well, if you want to turn back, now is the time. We’re going to take this girl to the hospital, but you need not come along, your duty is only really guarding her in the evenings,” her father said. This time it wasn’t Alice, but her father trying to convince her to not get involved.

“You know me well, Father, and I finish what I start,” Tsuruko said. “As long as I’m with Alice, my duty’s never done.”

“Alright, you asked for it daughter. Let’s be on our way.” The two then walked along the same path Alice took, and soon made way for the hospital.

It was evening. The curtain of the night had fallen, and the darkest hours of London were soon to begin. Iris felt an ominous feeling from the gray clouds. Perhaps they felt more ominous than ever because of the thundering clouds and the crows’ calls she heard in the afternoon after she parted ways with Michael. The pair stood over a house as they watched Mary leave from Lyceum Theatre. The priest looked to the other side and on the building, he spotted Laura standing afar, also watching the scholar leave.

“So, she’d be giving us a sign when we’re supposed to dive in, right?” Iris asked as if to confirm. They went over this already an hour ago when they met up.

“Pretty much. Be careful though, once we’re inside. I don’t want a repeat of the last time,” Michael replied, glancing at Iris before returning his gaze towards Laura.

“Same to you, don’t overuse that arm of yours,” Iris said pointing at his right arm. Despite the fact that the wound lied between his neck and his right shoulder.

“You know, if this were just a normal wound it’ll be easier to handle. Must’ve hit a muscle or something,” Michael quipped, flexing his arm a bit. “I think it will be safer if you casted near Laura, she’s better suited for defending than I am, I’d assume,” he added.

“I wonder. Is she something like a priestess with supernatural senses?” Iris asked. She had been wondering who Laura was and why Michael brought her over to help Mary.

“She’s dependable, more dependable than me, at the very least,” he answered, as he tried to evade her question.

“If you say so.”

“Yeah. Well, you aren’t that shabby, yourself. You were more useful than I was last time.” He grinned at her.

“But is it alright to be busy with her like this?” Iris asked. “What about Bram Stoker?”

“I can’t exactly leave you two alone with her, can I? I mean, I pretty much got us into this mess… Unless you have a suggestion?”

“I honestly have none. If anything, I’d tell you to pursue your main mission and leave her be as she requests,” Iris answered, apparently nodding to herself as she floated beside the man. “The cloaked man is a man, not a woman, after all.”

“We’ll see,” Michael said while a small frown appeared in his face. He knew he was avoiding his mission, the cloaked man was hard to find, and he imagined that he’d be a lot harder to find now. Even so, that wouldn’t be any problem, as long as he continued his hunt. What was stopping him, he wondered. He glanced at Iris and felt something twisting in his gut. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and quietly returned to watching Mary, glancing at Laura at certain intervals. That’s when he noticed that Laura signalled to Mary’s direction with her arm. He nodded to her, and jumped off the roof of the house.

Laura too, leapt and shifted to another house, and soon the three followed Mary. The next minute, Mary had disappeared from the streets as Michael turned to where she was a moment ago.

“Did she notice us?!” Iris asked, flying all the way to the spot she was walking on. There was no sign of the girl.

“Probably it happened again?” Michael asked as he looked at Laura.

“Indeed,” Laura said, approaching the two from behind. “Well, that was a part of the plan, I suppose,” she said, taking out a pendant. “With this, we should be able to walk our way into the Boundary. As long as you don’t chase her with little distance; perhaps we can spy on her in that world. I feel like we should not approach her after entering the Boundary.

“You two ready? Stick close to me,” she said, channeling her mana into the pendant.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Iris, remember what I said, okay?” He glanced towards Iris and then stepped close to Laura, her scent immediately filling Michael’s nose, a thing he quite appreciated. He then shook his head and looked away, silently whistling a tune.

“Mhm. Let’s go.” Iris stuck so close that she almost entered Laura’s form without noticing.

“Alright.” Laura started walking. The city around them begun to warp to form places they never knew; it wasn’t the London they tread everyday. The engine lights hardly kept the path alight, and the houses looked stranger than ever. There were no people to be found passing by, and since Mary had entered the Boundary before them; they couldn’t see her before them like the previous time they crossed through it.

Soon, they reached the sight they found familiar; steel floors and structures. A city so warped and contorted that it was hardly the London they were in moments ago. The houses were there, but they were probably inaccessible like the last time.

Laura tapped her foot as if to confirm the floor of steel. “Well, this is a strange place,” she commented. “I’ve never heard of such a Boundary. Considering the fact that London is a place swarming with mages from all across the globe now; it is strange that no one has reported such a place.”

“Hm, from her reaction, it seems like it never ended well with her passengers,” Michael said as he started searching for Mary’s tracks. He heard faint sounds of footsteps and focused on it, raising his hand to signal his need for silence from his companions. In a few moments, he was confident of the direction from where the sound was coming from. “I think I’ve found her. Lets go.”

Laura and Iris nodded, solemn. They followed after Mary, sneaking across various structures as they kept a keen eye over her.

“It seems like she isn’t wandering around aimlessly,” Laura commented.

“So she has a destination?” Iris asked.

“I have no idea, but perhaps she does.”

The three watched the platinum haired lady from over a building. Mary now approached a place where a spacious field unfolded before her.

“That seems like a good place to fight in…” Iris commented.

“That seems like a good place to fight something really big.” Michael corrected.

Mary stopped somewhere around the middle of the steel-floored field. Michael was sure that a monster would pop up from somewhere.

“Are you really certain? I am not seeing any monster anywhere here,” Laura said, looking around. It was a building they stood over, and there was no sign of a monster. Even if there was one far away, she’d hear something in this oddly silent world, or even see it coming.

“Well, I haven’t lied to you – the boundary story was true, wasn’t it? Just wait for it.” He replied looking around like Laura, trying to get a good grasp of the area. He was sure that something would appear; and he would be prepared.

However, no one appeared from any other paths, and just when Michael was convinced that perhaps some monster would probably appear soundlessly out of the blue regardless, Iris beckoned the attention of the two.

“Look,” she said. Laura and Michael turned back and focused their attention towards Mary – their eyes widened in shock. The air ripped itself apart before Mary as a black portal opened. Michael half-expected it to widen so that a monster would prowl into the world. He almost stood up to dive in and face the monster. However, what came past the portal wasn’t a monster, but a man. Laura hastily pulled on Michael’s left-shoulder and had him crouch down forcefully with them.

“Let’s observe for now,” Laura said.

Michael nodded and kept silent. He nudged his head towards the direction of Mary and the strange man, trying to signal if they could move closer so that they’d be able to eavesdrop.

“We’ll have to perk up our ears,” Laura whispered to Michael. “If we try to get any closer; we’re gonna have to jump down from this building.”

“And that means a lot of noise when we land…” Iris added after her. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Eavesdropping… from here? Can any of you lip read?” Michael whispered back, not lifting his gaze from observing. He stopped himself from trying to make any more jokes and focused on listening intently.

“We aren’t that far…” Iris said. “I can’t do that, but I do have good ears.”

“Same, I can’t lip-read, unfortunately,” Laura answered. “so, we’re counting on you, Iris.”

“Roger that.”

The man who stood before Mary was undoubtedly handsome; long black hair and hazel eyes stared her down. He wore a smile; a very charismatic expression, his red shirt, and white coat over it complimenting it. A long black cape extended from his shoulders, but that was not what caught Michael’s eyes. It was the white spiky wheel that revolved continuously behind the man. There were black stars orbiting around his head. Just who was this man? He was literally surrounded with magic as far as the naked eye could see.

“...What is he?” Iris asked, her mouth agape. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be impressed by such a handsome-looking man, be scared of the things around him, or just find him strange.

“Very definitely something not normal,” Michael replied. His eyes scanned the various implements attached to the man as he tried to remember if he could recall anything related to it. He sensed no evil from the man, and for a second or two, he might have sensed holiness from him. Unable to notice nor recall anything that might help him, he turned to Laura with a questioning gaze.

“Nothing on my side, either.” Laura shook her head with disappointment. “To think he elludes even my eyes.”

“Oh, Mary. My dear beloved Mary. How nice of you to visit me tonight,” the man began, spreading his arms wide in two opposing directions. His voice resounded rather loudly against the steel structures. “How has your day fared today?”

“It went well,” Mary answered. “Thanks to you,” she added sarcastically. “Isn’t that enough for pleasantries?”

“Why yes,” the man replied, shrugging, he seemed very happy nonetheless. His voice wasn’t so loud anymore. “Allow me to hear your report.”

“This,” Mary pulled a blade out from her eye. More specifically, her right golden eye. It was a long black sword. So long, that it was definitely longer than the height of her own body. The tip of the blade rested on the metallic floor as she displayed it for the man. “I negotiated with the Director, as requested.”

“Oh? So these are the kind of weapons the scholars of the British Western Indian Company are making.” The man inspected the blade, rubbing it with his hand while peering into it intently. “To think they gave such a weapon to a new recruit. I wonder if they have stronger weapons available.”

Iris reported what the man had just said – and what Mary said – whispering to the two beside her, and continued as the man conversed with Mary.

“This is hardly a threat. Is there any more need to investigate their products any further?” Mary questioned, a tired tone made apparent from how she sounded.

“Well, I suppose it may not be superior to your weapon,” he replied, the smile waning away. “But bear in mind that your sword cannot cut this blade easily.”

“...Really? They’re treating Claudia rather nicely there, then,” Mary commented silently.

Unable to hear properly, Iris was about to go closer, but was stopped by the two.

“So,” he started, “any report on the vampires of the BLoodLuSt?”

“I’ve discovered that the Lycanthrope – after its attack – from yesterevening vanished around the Church Road. There must be a Boundary there that’s hiding their hideout,” Mary reported. “I suspect that the Lycanthrope is a product of their many experimentations,” she added. “Human experimentations,” she said, cringing.

“A Lycanthrope disappeared around Church Road, she said,” Iris told Michael with a concerned look.

Michael glanced at Laura, his face filled with surprise. “Really, Church Road? Do you think it lives there?” he whispered.

“How ironic… this is a matter of grave urgency. I do not work over there, but it is strange that I haven’t heard an inkling about anything like it,” Laura whispered back to Michael.

“There must be something wrong with that. Nevermind how they accidentally released a lycan, but to have a base of operations that near and us having no clue about it…” Michael closed his eyes for a second and calmed down. “At least there’s another lead I could use. I guess.”

“Indeed. There is something strange going on. Normally, a Boundary so close to a church would be detected relatively fast,” Laura agreed, giving a nod.

“Unless…” Michael stopped himself in order to return to listening to the man. We could always talk about it after we leave the Boundary, he thought.

“I see,” the man replied, a serious expression as his attention was shifted from the blade. “The BLoodLuSt hideout. I want you to look into it,” he commanded.

“I’ve already traded information with the Director. He’ll likely take care of it. Besides, I have an erran-” Before Mary could finish, the man grabbed her by her neck, and brought her face close to his eyes. “You do as I say,” he said abruptly, his voice full with rage.

Michael gripped his weapon tightly, silently weighing his options. He didn’t know why the man did it, because Iris didn’t explain what they said, but he felt an intense anger from seeing it. His reason had won over his anger soon enough; there were too many unknowns with the man, and they were getting useful information. He continued watching, his gun ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice.

“Eek,” Iris almost unintentionally squeaked. “That seems rather painful, but I don’t know why he did that to her.”

“You see this chain here?” he whispered in Mary’s ear, a smirk crept up his face as he caressed her neck. There was indeed a white chain attached to it. Albeit, it was ephemeral. “Ah, I suppose you cannot see it, but you can feel it.” Based on Mary’s wails, he assumed that she did feel it. “As long as it exists; you are my slave, and you are to listen to me. Only me. Understood?”

Mary only nodded weakly before the man released her. She dropped down to the steel floor; panting, holding her own neck. The chain turned invisible as soon as the man’s hand let go of her.

“What… what’s happening there?” At this point even Iris could feel Michael trembling, as his grip started getting tighter and tighter. He could feel his heart pounding faster and faster, as if urging him to draw and fire. His patience was wearing thin and he felt like he was hanging by a thread.

“I’m sorry, I can hardly hear their voices now…”

The three could only see Mary being strangled, and the chain wasn’t visible due to the distance.

Laura placed a hand on Michael’s shoulder. “You’re gonna have to bare with it a little longer,” she said, just in case.

“It’s okay,” Michael replied, although it sounded more like he was telling himself that.

“Remember, I am only letting you have a peaceful social life as a reward for your hard work. Any disobedience and I will see to it that it is destroyed.”

Iris tried hard, but the words didn’t come through, she was very tempted to fly her way closer.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry! So please don’t do that. Please don’t… separate me from Charlotte again…”

“Good girl,” the man’s smile returned as he eyed the lady on the floor gleefully. “Now, do take care of this pathetic excuse of an experimental monster of the BLoodLuSt that you lured here.”

The same portal opened behind the man. The sight behind him consisted of nothing but deep crimson. He stepped back and vanished as the pathway closed, and Mary heaved a sigh. The blade she took out earlier for her master to see was sucked back into her right eye, and she stayed there; crouched on the steel floor.

“She kept saying sorry… I wonder what he said,” Iris said, sighing. She was starting to feel hopeless. “I wonder who Charlotte is, though.”

“Her sister? First time I’ve heard of that name,” Michael said, finally calm after the strange man left.

“We’ll have to investigate later.”

“Somehow I am relieved that he’s gone,” Laura whispered. “I don’t know who he is, but he certainly seems dangerous,” she concluded. With what hung around him, and how they couldn’t sense anything from him; it was no wonder that even Laura didn’t want to face him on a battlefield.

Michael tried to recall the information they found out from the conversation. Apparently, there was a BLoodLuSt hideout near the Church Road, and the Lycanthrope was apparently their doing. And Mary got a blade from some new recruit of the British West Indian Company, was she also spying on them, perhaps? As he reached his final thought, he felt his anger coming back so he squeezed his temple with the palm of his hands to calm himself.

“So… what are you guys gonna do?” Iris asked, not sure what to do now other than to watch. It didn’t seem like Mary was doing anything.

“It’s Laura’s call. Unless you want me to decide, then I say we go take care of the monster he talked about,” Michael calmly replied to Iris, giving a glance to Laura as he said her name.

Laura nodded. “That’s what I planned to have us do,” she said, glancing at the two. “It seems like Mary is supposed to take out †˜experimental’ monsters here for some reason.”

“Look at her, she’s a mess,” Michael said, pointing towards Mary. “We can probably handle a monster or two, so we can take care of that before we set off. Imagine if that thing’s still around when the Boundary disappears.”

Iris was about to say something, but she was cut off as the three heard a growl. A monstrous growl.

“There he is, well, soon.” Michael pointed towards the direction he knew the monster would be coming from – eastwards.

A man walked out from a road to the east and approached Mary. A strange object floated around behind him. As Michael peered into it intently, he noticed that it was definitely an Infernal member, as did Laura. Iris simply got a bad vibe from it.

Mary pulled herself up from the steel floor to face her adversary. “So, you’ve come,” Mary said, facing the man. “Marco – hunter of noble blood.”

“That I did,” the man replied slovenly. His head was positioned in a somewhat tilted manner, as if he was letting it hang that way out of laziness. “You’re not a noble, but you’ve been an eyesore to our Mistress, you see…”

“I’d think so,” Mary agreed, a sword came down from a hollow darkness originating from her right eye. Taking hold of her black sword, she took a stance.

The ghost clad in an empty suit that floated behind the man growled yet again, giving away blue flames, and Marco simply stood with a smirk across his face. “Tonight, I shall have you join my menu comprised of ladies, Kitty.”

“Don’t call me †˜kitty!’”

Laura sighed. “Let’s go,” she said, motioning a hand towards the two- no, three on the field ahead of themselves. She then jumped down from the house, followed by Michael and Iris.

The loud thump from the two landing onto the steel grounds diverted the attention of the people already on the field. Mary stared with wide eyes, while the other man sighed, as if disappointed that he’d have more to deal with.

“Here comes more… mn, but she looks hot,” Marco said, a tongue slithered outside his lips as he eyed Laura.

“What are you people doing here? I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t look into my business further?” Mary asked, sounding angry. In truth, she was well-aware that the three had been watching. With her eye, it was possible to locate them and feel their presence, but she pretended as though she was startled to learn just now that they followed her regardless.

“Later, after this,” Michael replied to Mary as he unsheathed his gunblade.

Mary wanted to tell Michael to stand back and let her take care of her own fight, but figured that Laura and him wouldn’t listen. She nodded; wordlessly accepting their help, and faced Marco. Her blade sensed her determination for battle, and vine-like wires formed from the hilt. There were small thorns on them, so she yelped when they pierced into the skin of her arm. It seemed that her blade completely attached itself with her hand by doing this.

“You guys seem rather confident,” Marco said, his smirk growing wider. “Don’t get over your head before this even starts.” The man pulled his arm, reciting incantations; gathering mana from the Infernal Realm.

“Get ready,” Laura said, entering fighting stance. Iris brought her hands up to her chest and was alert of any spells. She wondered what action she’d take. Mary knew that dashing in now would be a bad idea, considering the phantom behind the man. She couldn’t tell if it was chanting, but could see an intense amount of power being generated through her right eye.

“Hmm, perhaps I’ll go with you first,” he pointed to Iris, making her yelp. Soon, Iris held her head as if she was in pain, Marco’s grin grew ever wider at this sight.

“Are you alright?” Laura turned to Iris, apparently worried, and soon turned back to Marco with an agigated look.

“Forwards!” Mary shouted.

The phantom behind Marco rose up – halting Mary and the others before they could come closer – and a large blue ball of fire formed before they knew it.

“This is bad,” Mary whispered under her breath.

The ball of blue fire soon came down. Michael, Laura and Mary split up – from witnessing it lower itself from its position over the Phantom – dashing away in different directions to escape the attack, but it turned out that Michael didn’t run away in time, and was caught in the resulting explosion.

With a pained scream, Michael was blown away, before he slammed into a nearby wall. The pain he was feeling all over his body – starting from his back due to the wall – kept him conscious, and he had to use his gunblade as a crutch to stand. He felt light-headed as he looked towards the fray, the thought of giving up not crossing his mind. He readied his sword as he charged right back. He barely made a few meters before falling flat to his face, his body had hardly gained back its sense of balance and he felt wobbly.

Laura felt tempted to have her palm meet her forehead, but she had better things to do.

“Michael?” Iris uttered, looking around, but instead of one, she saw three Michaels getting slammed on the wall, and was rather confused. Regardless, she wasn’t about to just watch her loved ones get beaten up. Iris called upon her knowledge of the Rego Technique, and the Form known as Terram; gathering mana into her ethereal body from the Magic Realm. She then concentrated, and searched for an object that could serve as her weapon. Looking towards the building they jumped down from earlier; she spotted a broken part of the house laying beside it. She chose said object mentally, and directed her mana to get it – manipulating it.

“What…?” Marco uttered thoughtlessly, looking at the object Iris lifted, he thought of ways to dodge it, but it was already coming his way by the time he even started thinking. It was simply too late. Soon, the Phantom behind him was bashed by the rocky object. “Oh, so she targeted my pet instead…”

Finding Marco and the Phantom preoccupied, Laura took the moment as an opportunity, and focused too, gathering mana to make her attack. It’d be unwise to slash at it when it was in the situation that it found itself in, hence she decided to cast a spell. She outstretched her arm, after which sparkles formed. Soon they amassed to form a bolt. She leveled her arm towards the Phantom, hoping to damage it further now that it was bashed hard by an entire part of a building. She concentrated, making the bolt launch off towards her target, making herself feel a recoil as it departed from her palm.

“Phew. That should take care of that,” Laura said, after witnessing the spiritual monster stutter repeatedly due to the electricity of her bolt.

“Naive. That’s not enough to take my friend out,” Marco remarked, and the Phantom pushed the object into the sky with pure strength. Who knew where an empty suit could find such strength.

Both Iris and Laura cringed.

“We’ll see how long it lasts,” Laura said, not about to give up.

As if it was completely unhurt, the Phantom coat sped through the distance and found itself between the two group, before casting an unexpected spell. Colorful bright lights formed, and everyone turned their gaze away instinctively from the burning flare. It was so bright that they could hardly look around.

“You idiot! Do stuff like that from behind me,” Marco shouted at his ally, which comically returned to his side in a frenzy.

Michael blinked his eyes repeatedly to shake off some of the effects of the flare, which flashed brightly just as he rolled over. Raising his gunsword, he shot at the man who he thought was called Marco, hoping that the explosive bullets would do their work on him. Marco noticed, but did not move. The bullets pierced the man’s flesh past his clothes. He fell down, but the smirk didn’t leave his face. Michael thought that he had killed him. However, the man rose up momentarily, and stretched his neck as if warming up.

“Killing a vampire isn’t so easy, Mister Priest,” Marco remarked, still smirking at Michael.

“Vampire, huh. You should have said that first,” Michael replied, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Why else would I want Lady Mary on my menu? Obviously because I will dine with her blood,” Marco replied, giggling mischievously, apparently excited at his idea. It was as if the bullets had no effect on him.

“Tch, to think a real vampire would appear here of all places,” Laura commented. She assumed that he was a vampire, but wasn’t completely sure. There was hardly any light in this area for her to confirm his fangs, so she could only confirm from his own words. Now that she knew that she was facing a vampire, she could only perform her duty as a knight of the Church, and execute him; it became the focus of this entire mission now.

“Or you could just be a pervert. Or a stalker. Or a stalker pervert...” Michael trailed off, counting his list with his fingers.

“Maybe,” Marco said. “I don’t mind being a pervert or a stalker, so long as I get my dinner.”

“Have I mentioned how disgusting you guys are?”

“No? I’d really appreciate it if you shut the hell up, though.”

“We will after you’re dead,” Laura dashed forward and soon met Marco in close-ranged combat. Her blade’s steel flashed as she danced; making multiple slashing attacks. Marco parried most of her attacks with ease, but it seemed like he hardly put any effort into it and thus suffered some damage from Laura’s assault. Iris seemed to have attempted to cast a spell while Marco was distracted, but since they were moving around too much, she couldn’t concentrate.

If only Laura could have him sit still for a while… but I guess I’m asking for too much, Iris thought.

Marco tried to cast a spell as Laura attacked. Having his blood shed by the blade of a woman he clearly underestimated enraged him. For the first time, his smirk was gone. He tried to utilise magic to retaliate, but Laura’s attacks didn’t allow him to do so. Chanting incantations to draw mana required concentration, and he couldn’t do both dodging and casting at the same time.

On the other hand, it seemed like the Phantom failed to cast its spell too, because it was distracted by the spell that Iris was finally able to cast properly; hands of earth broke out of the steel floor and caught the ghastly spirit, thus immobilising it.

Michael sheathed his gunblade and drew out his gun, knowing that it would be more effective against the vampire. He tried to shoot Marco, but he missed, his eyes still hurting from the spell the coat used. He felt pathetic, after having boasted that they could take out a monster or two while Mary †˜was a mess’ they were having so much trouble taking one of the two down already.

Laura flipped back with a jump after her flurry of attacks were over – she had to catch her breath, after all – and soon reached Michael. “You okay over there? That Ignem spell is making it hard to continue attacking,” she said, apparently focusing on gathering mana and touching the steel of her blade with the hand that wasn’t holding the hilt.

“Let’s see…” he replied. He took aim, and shot again at Marco. This time, the bullet connected, but Marco didn’t seem to be particularly hurt, but he felt . “Pretty fine, actually. I think I can see better now.” The shot also interrupted Marco’s spell. Again.

“Tch, we aren’t getting anywhere here,” Marco scoffed, his smirk never reformed. The Phantom was also preoccupied with trying to get out of the arms made out of earth that was restraining it. It wasn’t looking good. He then looked around, his pupils moving left and right. Wait… where’s my target at, anyway? Did she just… make a getaway? That sly bitch.

Laura blinked her eyes a few times. “Alright, I can see better again now,” she said, her blade now sparkling with electricity as her spell was active. “You keep that up with the gun, I’ll fight him in close-range,” she said, dashing forwards.

“Yeah, well… I’m not sure I can do anything else,” Michael said.

Iris was about done casting her next spell, too. Seeing Laura charge in, she was confident that she could hit her target as Laura would distract Marco. Her hand glowed blue. Bluer than her own form. She motioned her hand towards a bulge of rock she found on the corners of the field, and it hovered in mid-air, as if responding to her magic. She then waved her arm and pointed it towards Marco, then shifted it upwards; directing it to the Phantom who was struggling with the muddy arms even now. The stone hit its mark, but wasn’t enough to take it out for good. Iris was then on her knees on the steel floor; tired.

“I can’t anymore,” she complained to no one in particular. “Drawing mana is such a chore…”

Her spiritual body is unable to handle it anymore, huh? Laura concluded as she engaged Marco in combat. Her blade slicing air as Marco dodged her blade with ease. He seemed to be much more serious than lazy now. Tch, I can’t hit him. Laura felt frustrated, her attacks were either missing, or were being blocked by his arm.

“Heh, don’t underestimate me,” Marco roared, pushing Laura back with his arm. “Electric augmentation isn’t good enough.”

While the stone hurled on it wasn’t enough to take Marco’s Phantom out, it was tired of struggling with the arms brought forth by Iris’ spells, and finally fell flat on the floor before transforming into a patch of blue flames and vanishing.

“What, seriously?” Marco was ticked off, seeing his partner had fallen just like that. “To think they could take out my familiar,” he muttered. When Marco turned to the sight of the Phantom’s disappearance – distracted – Laura took it as an opportunity to strike. Her blade was soon brought down upon the vampire, but Marco managed to block it on time. He then caught her arm with his other free hand and – to her surprise – pulled her close. Laura widened her eyes in shock and bewilderment, both her arms gripping the sword she was wielding; there was no way resist his pull.

Marco’s mouth opened, his fangs showing in the faint light present in the atmosphere, while Laura’s expression contorted in fear. She hadn’t felt such fear in so long. She released her sword and as it fell down to the steel floor, she tried to push the vampire away, but a woman’s strength was insufficient against a monster such as Marco.

“I’ll have you tonight instead,” Marco said, his breath falling upon Laura’s ears before his fangs sank onto her bare skin around her neck.

Laura’s vision was shook, and it seemed to blur. The pain was stinging, as the vampire sucked on her neck and drank her blood. It was the most disgraceful moment of her life; having her blood – the commander’s blood – sucked out by the enemies of the Church; the vampires. Her strength waned, and her arms fell low. She stopped resisting eventually, and was no longer able to push Marco away.

Iris wanted to scream and shout Laura’s name out at this sight of such horror, but she was too tired to even open her mouth as she laid on the ground. She felt very powerless. Meanwhile, Michael saw what the vampire was doing and immediately prepared to shoot; however, they were too close to risk it. Gritting his teeth, he maintained his aim and fired upon seeing an opening. To his despair, it happened after the vampire bit Laura. Immediately after shooting, he started running towards Laura.

Taking the shot, the vampire slumped back; interrupted – his arms detached from her – Marco tried to hold Laura back as she fell to her knees from being weakened. At such a moment, Michael heard a whisper to his ear, despite finding no one around him.

It was Mary’s voice, “Take care of your friend.”

“Thanks.” Michael curtly replied, as he slid towards Laura’s side. He cradled her with his lap and arms as he pushed her head slightly with his fingers, in order to look at where she was bitten. “Laura?!”

“...Eh? Is that you… Michael?” Laura said, holding the wound on the corner of her neck, her eyelids barely kept open. “...To think I’d be bitten by a vampire of all things,” she tried to get back to her feet, but felt that she didn’t have enough strength. “This is pathetic…”

“Well, he did take a good amount of your blood so don’t push yourself. Feeling anything different?” Michael asked as he wrapped his handkerchief around Laura’s neck as a makeshift bandage. “Tight enough?”

“I can’t quite tell other than the pain… I can’t see properly,” Laura said, rubbing her eyes lightly.

“You know, it’s rude to interrupt when someone is having dinner,” Marco growled, taking a step toward the two. “You guys act like I’m not here anymore.”

Michael ignored the vampire as he carefully laid down Laura on the floor, “Don’t try to move around, you’d just lose more blood.” He turned around after speaking, pointing his gun towards the vampire. “You won’t be here anymore.”

Laura nodded slightly, and complied as Marco spat blood on the floor angrily.

“Why you-”

“Well, he is right,” a different voice spoke.

Marco darted his eyes to the corner and turned, finding his original target for the night inches away from him.

Mary wore a confident smile as his eyes widened in shock; her deep black sword impaled his back – crossing through his beating heart – and pierced out from his chest; dying his clothes red.

Marco tried to hit Mary with his elbow, but Mary’s speed was overwhelming. She pulled her blade out and vanished into the darkness of the area; his blood spraying out from both sides. The man clutched his chest and staggered a few steps backwards. His expression was contorted in pain and humiliation of being out-maneuvered.

“I’ll remember this… and hunt you all down,” Marco said, cursing Mary internally. A portal opened behind him, nothing but black could be seen beyond it. The man vanished along with it.

“How’s she looking now?” Mary asked, approaching Michael from behind.

“I gave her some first aid, but I better take her to the Church, there should be someone who can give her an actual treatment,” Michael replied wiping Laura’s blood on his coat. “If you want to talk about anything, we’d have to do so later. Though, my guess would be something along the lines of why are you here again, or I told you not to come again?” he continued as he stroked Laura’s hair to calm her down.

“I have no intention to speak to you regarding the matter anymore,” Mary answered, shaking her head. “You’re only diving into needless danger like this,” she added.

The moment Michael blinked his eye, he was back in London like last time, except with Laura before him now, instead of Iris. Mary was again nowhere in sight. Iris seemed to be lying on the street unmoving, too.

“Next time, try to bring biscuits and tea. I like the sweet ones,” Michael said, raising his voice with hopes that Mary would hear. Afterwards, he knelt down and carried Laura on his back and then walked to where Iris was lying. “Iris? Nap’s over, we have to go.” He said as he was quite unsure on how to check the girl’s current status.

Iris looked towards Michael and smiled, nodding. However, instead of getting up, her body dispersed into the air.

“Huh. I guess that means she’s fine, then?” Michael said to himself as he adjusted Laura’s position. On a pleasant day he would’ve enjoyed what he was feeling, but he was too tired and in too much pain to care at the moment.

“She’s out of mana reserves,” Laura murmured from the back. “You need some mana to… maintain a spiritual form.”

“Right, I guess she could sleep it off. I hope at least. You okay? Bear with this for now, I can’t have you walking immediately after that,” Michael said as he started walking. He was not in a good shape himself, but he figured he’d just used the pain to keep himself awake.

Two fox-like ears popped up from her head. “I feel terrible, I can’t even keep up the illusion…” she grumbled tiredly. “That stupid vampire… whatever you do; don’t take me to the Church now, lest you want me to be in more trouble.”

Michael turned his head around to see two fox-like ears on top of Laura’s head. In his surprise, he suddenly stopped walking before speaking again moments later. “Right, and I can’t take you to a hospital too. How about Robert’s place? Does he know about it?”

“He doesn’t… it might be more problematic that way…” Laura sighed, finding it hard to even talk. “How about a hotel? I’ll pay the rent. I can produce the illusion for the attendants for a bit, if anything,” she said, her panting was started to sound alarming as she suggested.

“Uh huh, just focus on being awake to keep the illusion then. Don’t worry about the other things, I’ll see what I can do with your wound there too,” Michael said as he started to walk again, his pace considerably faster than earlier. “Hold tight,” he said as he started to jog, trying to find a hotel as soon as possible.

Michael jogged, with Laura behind him across the streets of London at the dead of night. He found a few officers of Scotland Yard along the way, from whom he had to hide. It was irritating to say the least, the officers were finally taking the curfew seriously. Perhaps some people were reported to be wandering across the streets at night.

Michael finally found a hotel after a lot of searching, albeit it was a high-rise building, and he gulped at its size, wondering just how expensive the fare would be.

“It’s alright, just go in,” Laura said, “I can afford it.”

“Remember to increase my salary after this,” Michael joked as he stepped inside and walked towards the reception area.

Laura smiled, and concentrated to put up the illusion to hide the ears that poked out of her blonde hair.

The receptionist was rather sleepy, but noticed the footsteps and and blinked his eyes to find the priest, carrying a woman behind himself no less.

“Good evening my good man, could you spare us one room, two separate beds, and a first aid kit? As you can see, my friend here is quite tired,” Michael said, tilting his head to the side as if asking the guy a favour.

“Good evening, sir. Please give me a moment to check…” the man said, rubbing his eyes, as if confirming if he saw something weird on the woman’s head just now, but decided that it was probably nothing after peering towards Laura for a moment. He then looked down on a log on a notebook to check, then looked back to Michael. “Yes, we can provide a room, but a first aid kit for the tired?”

“Uh, yeah, I scraped my… knee.” Michael said. Well, more like I ate an explosion to the face, but you wouldn’t believe that, would you? he thought.

“I… see, we’ll provide it soon, then.” The man then called an attendant, and asked him to show Michael to the room, handing the attendant the key to the room.

(BGM)


Michael entered the room. The attendant handed him the key and placed the first aid kit on the table. The room was beyond luxurious, a place so bright he couldn’t believe that such rooms existed throughout his life. Just looking at the sofas made him feel hesitant about even taking a sit there.

It seemed like Laura had already lost consciousness, and her breathing was much faster than before. Her body was heating up profusely, and her face appeared red.

Michael immediately laid Laura on the bed and took out the supplies he’d need to clean Laura’s wounds and to replace her bandages from the first aid kit. Carefully cutting out his handkerchief, which at this point was stained with blood, he began cleaning Laura’s wound. A few minutes later, after he finished bandaging Laura’s wound, all his exhaustion and the pain from the recent battle returned two-fold. It took him a minute or two to resist passing out, and then he went towards the washroom and moistened a towel with warm water and brought it to wipe some of the dirt off Laura.

When he reached Laura, he found her awake. Her face was awfully red – perhaps more than moments ago – and she was sweating profusely, breathing heavily too. “...You’re still awake? You should rest yourself,” she said, her fox-ears visible. “I’ll be fine.”

“How are you feeling?” Michael asked, laying the back of his palm on Laura’s forehead to check for a fever. “I’ll sleep later, since I have to clean my wounds too. Here, use this if you want to get some dirt off,” he said, offering the moistened towel to her. Michael noticed that Laura’s forehead was really hot. Was it really just a fever, or something else?

Laura weakly received the towel, wiping her face. “My head feels heavy… and something keeps trying to blacken my vision.”

Michael sensed nothing that would imply vampirism from Laura. “Really? Are you sure it’s not just your eyelids?” He tried cheering her up. “Let me check again. Excuse me.” He said, using his hand to raise his hair and expose his forehead. He closed in on Laura like he was about to kiss her but instead, he used his forehead to check her temperature. He realized she did have a fever, he stood up to check if the first aid kit had fever medicine. “Well, looks like you have a fever, after all. Try to rest some more.”

“...Stupid,” Laura uttered, embarrassed. She wasn’t sure if the blood rising up to her cheeks was due to the fever or her embarrassment, but she almost raised her hands to push the man away when he approached her the way he did. Not that she could do anything while feeling so weak. Laura laid back down on the bed again.

“Hm? You say something?” Michael asked when he returned. He had a glass of water and a pill in one hand and another towel in the other. He was keeping his gloves in his pocket and it looked like he had washed his hands. “Here, this should help with your fever. Afterwards, I’ll put this on your forehead, so try not to move around. Do you want a change of clothes? I could try to see if they have some downstairs. Or are you hungry?” he said, offering the medicine and water to Laura.

“N-No… I don’t want any change of clothes or food,” Laura answered. She then took the proffered pill and glass of water and gulped them down momentarily. She almost dropped the glass because it appeared to be too heavy for her. Michael moved his hand immediately to catch the glass when he saw Laura was about to drop it, accidentally dropping the towel he was holding. He was quickly able to catch not the glass but Laura’s hand.

“Ugh… sorry about that,” Laura yelped seeing the remainder of the water from the glass wet the sheets as well as her thighs. “To think I can’t even hold a glass… this is pathetic,” she said, grimacing.

“I’m actually surprised you can still remain awake like this, considering what happened. Use the other bed, this one’s too wet and it might worsen your fever,” he said, using the towel he dropped to soak up some water from the sheets.

“No, no… where would you sleep then?” Laura asked, refusing to take Michael’s bed.

“The floor, I think. The bed’s too soft, I’ll take some of the sheets, though,” Michael replied matter-of-factly. He preferred sleeping on something hard, like the floor, and never got used to sleeping on soft beds. Even his room at the church didn’t have a soft mattress.

“...You don’t like soft places?” Laura asked, subsequently moving and getting off the bed. “That is a surprise… but I suppose you didn’t have much luxury as a child…”

“Yeah, well my mum provided what she could and I helped too. But hey, it turned out okay,” Michael replied as he took some of the less drenched sheets and threw them on the floor. “How about you, how did you land a job for the church?”

“Umm, well, if you don’t mind, y-you could sleep with me in my bed if you want,” Laura suggested, her face beet red. “I-It’s my fault that this bed got drenched, anyway,” she said, averting her gaze from Michael, and ignoring his question. “Soft beds are amazing when you’re used to them.”

Michael froze and stared at Laura for a good part of a minute when he had heard what she had said. “U-uh… y-yeah, soft seems nice,” he said, using every ounce of willpower he could muster to try and not stare at Laura’s… softness. “I… I’m f-fine with the floor, I think.”

“Floor… ? Even if they have carpets… it’s probably cold, and besides, who knows when they last cleaned the room,” Laura said, not liking the idea of the floor at all.

Michael cleared his throat before speaking. “Uh-huh, it’s okay. You should get some rest, don’t worry about me.” He removed his gun’s holster, which was also his gunblade’s sheathe. “I’m gonna clean up a bit, call me if you need something,” he said as he tried to change the direction of the conversation.

“You get some rest too then… use the sofa at least. You got hit with that fireball, remember?” Laura said, tiptoeing, almost falling, in fact. “And call the room service, don’t clean yourself.”

“You worry too much! Here we go!” Michael said as he picked up Laura into a princess carry before softly plopping her on to the bed.

“...People would get strange ideas if you did that to a lady,” Laura said, averting her gaze from Michael again. She tried to sound angry, but somehow Michael could tell she wasn’t all that mad at the moment.

“Hmm? That was the first time I’ve done that, so I don’t think people would make a big deal of it,” Michael remarked. “Besides, I carried you from that place to here, it isn’t really that different.”

“It’s about how you do it…” Laura muttered, a voice so low Michael could hardly guess. “Ugh, whatever, my head hurts. Good night.”

“Hmm? Have a good night, too. Maybe you’d feel better when you wake up,” he replied as he returned to cleaning up the room and the sofa.

Michael woke up when he rolled off the sofa and found himself over the carpet. Apparently, he did finished cleaning up somehow before he fell asleep, for disregarding the sofa, the rest of the room was tidy. He raised his head to look toward the bed, and saw Laura was still fast asleep. Michael decided to take a bath and began disrobing his coat, which to him, looked irreparable. He sighed at the prospect of having to pay for another one before taking another glance at the sleeping girl. To be completely honest, her ears piqued his curiosity but her reaction when he asked about it was rather dangerous.

Now that he looked at her closely, was her pillow wet? Michael thought, approaching the woman to inspect it. Perhaps she dropped a glass of water again somehow? But then, how’d she get the water on the pillow to begin with? Michael looked over her with a bewildered expression; noting that her fox ears were visible when she was asleep.

“Mommy…” The faint whisper was all he needed to hear to know that the pillow was in fact stained with tears. Laura seemed to be crying in her sleep. Perhaps she was having a nightmare. Was it a product of the vampire’s bite? He didn’t know, but what he did knew was that it took a large toll on her.

Michael went towards the bed and sat beside Laura’s sleeping figure. He started stroking her hair as he spoke, quoting his mother’s words to him. “There, there. Tomorrow’s going to be better. See? We’re alive and you’re probably, hopefully not a vampire.”

“I’m sorry…” she uttered in her sleep still. “I’m so sorry,” and she repeated herself… over and over again.

Michael continued stroking Laura’s hair as he hummed Gloria, his mind starting to clear up. These past few days were rather unexpected and eventful, and he was just glad he managed to survive those two recent encounters he had. He thanked God for that.

After about ten minutes, Michael was back from the bath. He wondered if Laura had finally stopped crying.

When he stepped back to the room, he found Laura sitting on the side of the bed. For some reason, she held her head. Was she in pain? Was she still in grief?

Walking closer to his apparent commander, the knight from the Church he worked with; he was shocked to find that Laura’s eyes were flickering with a red glow. Her face was drenched, he wasn’t sure if they were tears or sweat. Perhaps both. He wasn’t sure what was going on at all. What he did know was that vampirism was something that tried to take over people, or change them for good even, but a strong will could resist it.

“Shi- Laura!” He quickly grabbed the cross he always carried, along with his gun which he quickly holstered in his pants. He rushed to Laura’s side and held the cross in one hand, pushing Laura to the bed with the other.

“Oi! Laura wake up! Shit, don’t get turned with a bite from that stalker pervert vampire! Laura!”

“Eh?” Laura uttered, her entire body stiffening up. Her eyes were blue before he knew it. “Michael? What happened?” she asked, tilting her head as if she didn’t know what happened. “...Exactly what happened?” She asked again, her face turning grimmer. Michael’s face looked as though he had seen a ghost, or something much more scary.

“You nearly turned. Your ears are one thing, but I don’t know what they’ll do when that happens in the church.” Michael relaxed, removing his hand from Laura as he spoke.

“Turned?” Laura asked, confused.

“Into a bloodsucker,” Michael said as he made chomping gestures with his hands and mouth.

“...Sounds bad,” Laura said, a solemn expression floating into her face as she put a hand under her chin, “To think it’d affect me this much.”

“We should’ve expected this. What do you want to do now?” Michael asked, taking a seat beside Laura at the bed. He found it uncomfortably soft, but put that thought at the back of his mind, focusing on the pressing matters at hand.

“I’ll rest here another day,” Laura answered. “I can’t go back without being at full strength. I’d be insulting the might of the Roman Catholic Church that they boast of so proudly,” she said, feeling bad about her current state. “You’re free to take leave,” Laura added. “I thank you for all your help, Michael,” she said, giving a slight bow with her head, all business.

“I will. If you promise not to leave this room no matter what, till I get back,” Michael said, his tone completely serious. “Would you like something from the church? A change of cloths, perhaps?”

Laura frowned. “You need not come back, I’ll take care of myself.”

“That’s not up to you. Your problem is to not get turned; mine’s is if you do. Besides, I’m doing you a favour by keeping your secret, do me a favour and just stay here for a while.” He smiled as he put his hand on her head.

“Hey, I’m still your commander – secret or not – and do not forget that,” Laura said, raising her voice to dangerous levels as she put Michael’s arm out of her way. “I said I’ll be resting, stop being meddlesome. Go take care of your sister or something.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll trust you. But know that if you do turn… No, nevermind. Rest well, and take care,” Michael replied as he stood up and picked up his wrecked coat.

“I won’t turn into a vampire,” Laura said, her voice clearly resonating across the room, making her resolve known.

“I hope so,” Michael finally said as he walked out the room, taking a small pause before closing the door.

Claudia was in the café today. The sight of the streets and the nearby structures the same as yesterday. People flocked across the road, and the noises of the crowds were constantly heard. It was just another day today. The rising steam from the factories hadn’t changed, nor did the air carrying soot. What did change was her situation, ever since yesterday. Her status as a Dark Knight taken away, along with what she gained with said status.

She wished that this situation would change already. The attendant had served her tea despite Claudia not ordering any, and even provided some biscuits on a plate.

“Lady Pearse got these yesterday. Apparently they were imported from India. You should drink before it gets cold,” she informed, before hurrying away to the other customers. Charlotte and Mary had yet to arrive from the Royal Institute, so she was here on the table all alone, and the attendant felt the need to attend to Claudia even though she wouldn’t make any orders.

“Ah, thank you…” Claudia said, taking the tea and sipping it halfheartedly with a grimace. She politely yet weakly set it onto the coaster. The events from last night had left a bad taste in her mouth. The burning pain from the other night had trumped her. Claudia could still remember the agony her master of all people had dealt her. His words… they burned into her chest as much as the physical pain had. Did he truly care about her anymore – rather, did he care about the girl at all? The way he threw the girl into the table so simply. Claudia was hurt, rather, heartbroken. Her shrouded affection for the Duke had been jaded since then.

“I suppose it's for the best…” Claudia said aloud, constantly holding her side. Why was she so accepting of this? Perhaps she felt that lying back and taking this would allow the situation to blow past sooner.

“Good day to you,” a familiar voice uttered, pulling a chair out and taking a seat.

When Claudia turned, she found Mary. The platinum haired lady was already back from the academy and ushered the attendant to bring over their usual set of food. That same golden eye and the blue eye turned to her, as if worried.

“Seems like you really skipped class today. How do you feel?”

Claudia looked to Mary with a face of grim but tried to hide it with her trademark smile. “I'm...just fine, Mary. Thank you for your concern,” she said bluntly. She turned away with a look of dejection and scowled low to the ground, all the while keeping her hand upon her side.

“Well, if you say so,” Mary replied, giving her shoulders a jerk. “You can talk to me about it later if you want, though,” she added, implying that she could see through her smile. She then received tea and the lavish set of food from the attendant who beamed a smile at the two ladies. Mary dropped a sugar cube in her tea and shifted the spoon for a moment, then sipped some tea after placing the spoon away on the saucer.

The girl did not seem as talkative compared to yesterday. She only spoke when she was spoken to or gave one-word answers. This wasn't like Claudia at all, especially when in front of her new friend. “Mary…” Claudia called out with a hint of worry to her voice. “...Have you ever felt like the world was out to get you? That everyone within it merely plotting your utter destruction?” she asked out of the blue, referring to a now not-so-well hidden part of her life.

“Yes, I have,” Mary instantly answered, sipping her tea again. “But I honestly doubt anyone is plotting against you.” For some reason she seemed pretty sure of what she said.

“Mnm, I see. Forget I said anything, then. It was nothing of importance,” Claudia replied, not sure what to do anymore. She felt bereaved, along with the burning desire to be purged from this world herself. Tears ran their ways down the girl's face and into her tea, making slight plopping sounds as they dropped into the cup. Claudia quickly wiped them away however, attempting to shroud the unladylike gesture from her friend. “Oh...who the hell am I kidding? I've been stricken low, Mary. My honor, my dignity; all for naught… there's nothing for me here anymore, mon chéri." Claudia said, stifling her sobs.

From behind her, Mary’s arms wrapped around her in an embrace. “It’ll be fine before you know it. Cheer up,” she said, trying to placate the girl. Her hand shifted to her head and patted her. People watched as she did so, but Mary didn’t care about the eyes of the public, not now.

“Ahh?” Claudia was completely astonished as she was blessed by Mary's lucid yet unfamiliar touch. Her tears halted for a moment to allow the girl to understand what was happening. “Mary, I…” Claudia began to say, as she noticed others gazing at this spectacle, but for some reason she didn't care either. Hesitant but at the same time willing, Claudia reached up to Mary, hugging the woman's soft skin in return. “Thank you, Mary. I… truly hope so,” Claudia replied, not completely as empathetic as she was but cherished the moment nevertheless.

Mary finally released her grasp from Claudia and went back to her place. “So, I guess we should pick a topic to talk about. Is there anything in mind today?” she asked. “We usually do it this way – Charlotte and I – but perhaps I’ll let you be the chooser of topics today.”

"I'd love to," Claudia said as a vague smile crept to her face. Speaking of which, she noticed that somebody was missing. “By the way, where is Charlotte? Would she not usually be with you at this time?” the girl asked. The atmosphere was off without the presence of her blonde haired acquaintance completing the trio. Besides, she needed to catch up with Charlotte since yesterday's sudden cut off from their 'date.'

“Still in the academy, I’d think,” Mary answered, giving her shoulders a jerk. “I am sure that she came to class today since I spoke to her in the courtyard,” she added, remembering her morning today. “But I didn’t quite inquire about her schedule. Usually, she’d take more time today.”

"Hm, I see. Mary, have you ever wondered what Charlotte does in her free time? At least a little?" Claudia asked.

“Hm? In her free time? I’d think she writes, maybe?” Mary guessed. “Aside from doing her research and homeworks, I suppose?”

“Are you sure that's all? Just yesterday in the midst of our– well, we conversed a bit more in the park, yet she was gone the next second I glanced at her. She said something about an †˜urgent matter’. I've been curious about it ever since,” Claudia explained.

“And there’s something wrong with that?” Mary asked. “She did say that she might get called back to the academy,” she added but seemed to be pondering about it deeply nonetheless with fingers under her chin.

"Perhaps I am thinking into it more than I should," Claudia said, letting the subject go for now. "Other than that, I am completely stumped – what to talk about, I mean. What would you have in mind, Mary?" she inquired.

“Perhaps you are. You are rather inquisitive of people you meet for the first time,” Mary chuckled as she said so. “Hmm, well alright. Have you heard that the Queen plans to have a law of emission limits for the gurneys?”

Claudia furrowed an eyebrow from Mary's first comment but ignored it to listen further. “I have not. For what reason?” she asked.

“For the citizens, I guess. The gas can be rather harmful to some people and generally to the environments, too,” Mary answered. “I personally like this, but I’m not sure about you. I have heard before that you drive a gurney for the Duke.”

“Oui, I do. Well, honestly, I am not too impeded by it. As long as I am able to get to where I intend to go,” Claudia said, feeling indifferent on the subject. Perhaps she just prefered to stay neutral on some matters.

“Problem is that the parliament seems to disagree with the idea. They do not want the demand for gurneys dropping,” Mary said insightfully. “I think they’d rather have more gurneys produced here.”

"Mnm, I wonder why. At the same time, they would save gas and thus, money," replied Claudia, not truly seeing the issue with the gurneys not being used as often.

“Well, inversely, if you drive around more, and thus consume more gas; you’d be inclined to get more, yes? Then you’re paying more taxes. Perhaps they want that,” Mary replied.

"Hmph, such is a parliament hungry for the meager wages of the people they govern," Claudia remarked in annoyance.

“Well,” Mary begun, “the royalty doesn’t have a treasure vault or anything. They need money too,” she said, finishing her tea. “Are you sure that you should be saying that, though? The Duke is a part of the parliament. Albeit, no one knows of his personal opinions outside it.”

Claudia remained quiet for a moment as she heard mention of the Duke's name – well, title, to be exact – pass through her ears, sighing as she did. “...Although governments need money to function correctly, he is not without consequence either...he's just like the rest of the men with their noses in the air…” Claudia growled lowly.

“Hm?” Mary uttered, noticing something amiss with wide eyes. “You have a lover’s quarrel with him, or something?” Mary asked, putting the topic aside.

Claudia scoffed. “Lover? I’d think not. With him, that word holds no value to me,” she explained with an irritated click of her tongue. “...He thinks nothing of me, just some rat he pulled out of an orphanage. I’m afraid the feeling is mutual, now.” Claudia said. Just yesterday, she blushed at the very mention of her Lord's name. It was obvious why that did not remain.

“Huh? What happened?” Mary asked, appearing to be concerned now. “Did the Duke say something bad because you used the forbidden spell?”

Scowling grudgingly, Claudia nodded. The girl kept holding her side. Apart from that fight with Catherine, that table had only worsened her wounds. “He did more than say a few mere words, mon chéri. He… possessed some kind of inhuman strength – I didn't even know he was capable of throwing me so easily,” Claudia explained as she grit her teeth.

“Are you alright? I didn’t think he’d hurt you for it.” Mary looked over her from down to up. It didn’t seem as though she was particularly injured. Then again, the academy did treat her out of the injuries that Catherine gave her. Perhaps a throw wasn’t going to make injuries easily visible.

“I am fine – no, in fact, I am rather peachy, actually. For I have already washed my hands of my Lord; I had determined this as I walked here.” Claudia declared.

“So, you’re going to leave the Duke?” Mary asked, tilting her head, not sure if it was a good idea.

Claudia remained silent once more, realising mentally this was her last chance to turn back from her decision. However, she was already in too deep with this. After all, she already decided she was leaving. “Yes...I see no reason why I should not – after all, the Duke knows me only as some brigand who used a forbidden spell out of impulse. I'm positive that no matter how hard I try to forget about it, the fact of the matter that I did it will stick with me forever. He won't let me forget about it either, I'm sure.” Claudia said, going through with her decision.

“You can really no longer be a Dark Knight. Are you sure about this?” Mary asked again despite hearing the answer. “Think of all the things he bought for you, and how he gave a girl enslaved by slavers a luxurious room to live in. All those books – erotic as they may be – that you bought were from his money. You’d lose all of these luxuries if you do this.”

“Je m'en fous. For what cause if I have to live with and serve a man who completely hates me, now? I was in love with him, for Heaven's sake. I never used his money anyway, that can burn for all I care. And as for being a Dark Knight? I never had the honour to be given that title to begin with…” Claudia said, repeating what the Duke said last night.

You did spend his money, though. Those books weren’t given out for free… Mary wanted to voice, but decided against it. “Then I’ll put it like this,” Mary sighed, “do you really want to sever yourself from the man you love just for this, and not persevere?”

“For what reason do I need to anymore? It is obvious I am vilified by anyone who witnessed me use the spell. It is a wonder I wasn’t exiled.” Claudia replied. “To tell the truth? No, I don’t want to sever myself, but a person of my caliber and background does not deserve that pleasure,” she answered, completely dejected from reason.

“Not everyone knows that you used the spell. Only your teacher from the combat lesson saw it. The staff members have only heard of it. The Director likely wants to keep it under the wraps,” Mary replied, trying to reason with her regardless. “Remember that the most that can take place is a rumor for people to talk about. The Duke has special intel, but not everyone has such a thing.”

Claudia sighed deeply, putting her head into her hands. “Mary...if I decide to stay with this man, I want you to tell me to my face that this decision will not end up being in vain,” she said, completely regretful that she did not try to resist Mary’s words longer.

“No,” Mary shook her head. “I do not want to appear pretentious,” she stated, smiling. “I want you to decide for yourself. I know that I have acted as a busybody enough, for I am concerned. But,” she said, sighing, and then continuing, “I personally think that it is not a good decision to leave him, but you’re going to have to come to a conclusion on your own.”

This is going to sound a bit cliched, but ask your heart: what do you really want to do?” she said, placing a hand on her own heart. “Just so you know, if you do leave him; perhaps you can come over to my lodging temporarily before you find a new place to settle in.”

Resting her chin on her hand, Claudia thought long and hard for what seemed like a long time, followed by a few hums of deep thought. She truly did take Mary’s suggestion to consideration – as generic as it sounded. Claudia heaved a long sigh as she finally came with her decision. “I will stay for now. After all, the Duke...really is the man I love, right?” Claudia said, mocking a smile.

“Though...I think I will take you up on your offer to stay at your lodgings – just for the time being, of course.”

“Eh?” Mary uttered, startled. “If you’ve decided to stay with the Duke, why come over to me?”

“Because she wants to cheat on me,” a different voice answered with a laugh. It was Charlotte. “Good day to you two,” she greeted, taking a seat.

Somehow, Claudia’s spirits were slightly more lifted than before, bringing her face to a small yet authentic smile. “Bonjour, Charlotte.” she greeted.

“Well, I suppose she is cheating on the Duke too,” Charlotte continued off her previous comment with a smile as if she knew just what was going on. “This girl is a master of affairs, I tell you,” she faced Mary as she stated her conclusion, apparently warning the innocent girl.

“That must be true,” Mary agreed, nodding deeply.

“H-Hey now, I’m not cheating on anyone. I am merely weighing my options.” Claudia said with a wry smile, taking to the girls’ joke.

“So, what are you gonna do with your belongings?” Mary asked, “I’d think bringing a few of your things is customary for staying over,” she elaborated her reason for her question. “Unless you’re fine with wearing spare clothes from my closet.”

Claudia put a finger on her lip and stared up to the sky, thinking. “I would only think to bring a few books, maybe one or two extra outfits. I wouldn’t want to burden you too much.” Claudia said in thought for her friend. She was merely sleeping there for a few days to completely regain her composure and let her Master cool off. Claudia had no intention of imposing on Mary more than she already was.

“Ahh, I thought that you’d try not to show face for some time to make him realise how much he loves you,” Mary teasingly responded, putting a finger below her lips.

“Oh. That wasn’t the point?” Charlotte said, confused.

“Seems that way.”

“Jeez, give me a break. The Duke would likely not even realise I am gone, knowing him,” Claudia remarked. “I mean, he’s oblivious about most things it seems. All in all, he wouldn’t really care, I suppose.”

“Don’t decide that on your own,” Charlotte pointed out. “You never know what goes on in the mind of a man. Sometimes they have strange ways of showing kindness.”

“I wonder about that…” Mary looked towards Charlotte, uncertain.

Claudia chuckled with doubt to her voice. “A man showing kindness, mnm. That’s almost as fictional as the books we read. I will be damned if a man who wouldn’t have some sort of ulterior motive to showing their so-called kindness to a woman exists,” she said, scoffing.

“Who knows, maybe they do.” Mary shrugged. “Truth can be stranger than fiction. You might find a man showing kindness in an even weirder manner.”

“Oh, like a swift jab to the face, yes?” Claudia remarked with a dark chuckle.

“Welllllll, they do say that some masters are very considerate about their servants. So they teach them to not get ahead of line with a bit of, well, a helping hand,” Charlotte chuckled, taking her remark as a joke.

Claudia laughed, attempting to make good out of her situation with a little dark humor. Then again, Charlotte really didn’t know much, as she just came in. Claudia didn’t want the girl to worry for her in this case. She would only make it so that she was sleeping at Mary’s for a while just for the mere experience, perhaps. “So anyways, has much happened at the academy, Charlotte?” Claudia asked, steering the topic.

“Just a lot of research on my side,” Charlotte answered, “my teacher insisted that I help with it, so I skipped my other classes,” she added, then sighed, as if she was tired. She wanted to get the attention of the attendant about now, but she seemed to be busy getting other customers’ their orders.

“That’s new.” Mary tilted her head. “I didn’t think the professor would have you skip class for it.”

“A new discovery in sight, he says,” Charlotte replied, giving her shoulders a jerk.

"A discovery? Mnm, it must be a spectacle for you to skip class over. What was it?" asked Claudia, leaning forward in interest.

“That, I am not allowed to share with you two,” Charlotte said, raising a finger in delight. “Until we publish the information.”

“Stingy,” Mary commented.

“Shame,” Claudia replied with a simple shrug.

“So… what do we talk about today?” Charlotte said, the attendant was now setting the tea, and came with a tray holding some more biscuits. Just how much did these girls liked to order? She sipped on her tea. “This tea is exquisite. Where is it from?”

“India.” The attendant beamed a smile at her. “Lady Pearse got it shipped in yesterday.”

“I see,” Charlotte said as she attendant left.

Seeing the attendant go off, Mary faced Charlotte. “Now that I think about it; they never actually †˜ship’ any goods to England, do they?”

“Indeed,” Charlotte nodded.

“Why wouldn’t they? Despite the war with Japan, I would think England would still have ties with the other countries,” Claudia said.

“That’s not it,” Mary answered, shaking her head.

“Did you forget that England is surrounded by a dome of cloud?” Charlotte said, trying to remind Claudia. “They can only use the Magic Portals for transportation of goods. The mundanes are clearly lied to regarding the shipping matters. No ships can cross through that wall.”

“Ahaha...perhaps I know too less about London, than I thought,” Claudia said, mocking a nervous chuckle.

“Actually, why do you know so less?” Mary asked, curious. “You seemed to not know about a café you likely pass through everyday.”

Claudia scratched the back of her head in thought. “To be honest, I don’t...really go anywhere besides the academy and home. Granted my occupation, I had no other desire to go anywhere but the same two places over and over again, and I have repeated that since I first arrived in England at a young age,” she explained.

“You must’ve liked that luxurious room,” Mary teased.

“A maidservant having a luxurious room? Why, isn’t she living the life,” Charlotte said, as if envious.

“Eh, it had its share of ups and downs. First, I had to get past the sickness of not being home. Other than that, as time passed I felt like a mundane repeating the same cycle everyday without any indication of a change,” Claudia said, crossing a leg over the other.

“And then, you took up the eroticas,” Charlotte followed up, completing the story for her. “That said, what about that book you said you’d share?”

Mary’s forehead met her palm almost immediately. How did it get to this lewd topic? Again? She remained silent nonetheless.

“Oh, calm yourself, mon cheri. I know how adamant you are. I will try to keep myself at bay, for your sake,” Claudia said reassuringly, patting Mary on the back with a chuckle. “As for the book, I have it here.” She reached into her school bag – god knows why she brought it in the first place if she did not plan to attend class today – and pulled a book with a rather interesting cover in appearance. The title, in all white text, read Fifty Shades of Grey. Claudia smiled as she handed it to Charlotte. “Here you are.”

Mary put Claudia’s hand away with a scoff. “Oh, please, you deviant. Don’t infect me by doing that.”

“Why thank you.” Charlotte received the book with glee. “I’ll give it a read tonight.”

Claudia giggled at Mary’s foul gesture, just adoring her reactions each time she and Charlotte visited this topic. “You are most welcome. I hope you enjoy it more than I have,” Claudia said with a wink.

“I hope so too,” Charlotte said, placing the book inside her bag.

“So… if you two don’t have a topic to visit… here’s my find today,” Charlotte said, taking out a paper rolled from her bag. It was a newspaper. She made a bit of space on the table – in which Mary too, helped – and laid the paper flat out for the two to see.

“There is news that a Time Warrior – other than the one everyone knows about – was found, in Japan, no less,” Charlotte said, pointing at the main article of the newspaper.

“The Times sure have good intel on the Magic World aside from the mundane side, huh?” Mary commented, surprised by the news.

“How about that? Two Time Warriors to worry about. I daresay heads will be rolling should they decide to pursue them – quite literally, actually,” Claudia said with a sip of her tea.

“Say, I think they already rolled,” Mary pointed at a particular paragraph of the article. “The article here says that around thirty-five people were killed in action.”

“Indeed it does, Mary,” Charlotte nodded. “And that was apparently just a teenager, according to this article here.”

Abruptly, Claudia ended up choking on her tea in the midst of a sip as she heard this. She beat her chest and heaved a few coughs to get herself back together before rejoining the two. “Thirty-five? That sounds about right...but a teenager? That’s not even remotely plausible,” she said in disbelief.

“With a Time Warrior, it is,” Mary answered, solemn. “It has never been easy. The price to pay for each of their deaths was big.”

“There are rumors of Time Warriors hiding in England, too, you know,” Charlotte said. It was a good time to talk about this now that they got on the topic.

“Are they really? I hear it is difficult to tell if a person is a Time Warrior or not, no?” Claudia asked.

“It says here that a Spirit Seer noticed an abnormally high spiritual energy,” Charlotte said, pointing at the first paragraph of the article. “Spiritual energies are what Time Warriors utilise, other than spirits and spectres themselves.” What Charlotte didn’t add, however, was that Spirit Seers were very rare and only a very few were known to exist in the world.

“Well, it isn’t just that. There’s not only the Zodiac mark on their eyes, but the mark that appears somewhere around their body too, yes?” Mary said, as if to confirm.

“Yes,” Charlotte nodded. “But the latter is harder to notice, but it is an absolute proof. The eyes only show the mark if they use their powers, apparently. You’d have to see really close into their lens to find the mark in there.”

Claudia put a hand under her chin in thought. “I wonder who – in London for that matter – would be among the Time Warriors. Would they even be inclined to work with humanity?” she asked, wondering if they would much rather work on their own. It would be understandable granted an entire army would want them dead.

“Depends,” Charlotte replied, considering the thought too. “It is true that the one that was discovered in Japan is working for them. So, in a way, it is proven in history that some may work with us humans.”

“There are rumours that the Time Warriors work here, just that no one managed to flush out their identities,” Mary added, “Well, they are only rumours, but that is what they say.”

“Interesting,” Claudia said, curious to the matter. “I don’t know why, but I have a hunch they will be revealed soon. These types of things never go unnoticed for too long.”

“Well, a lot of Time Warriors were executed before by the magicians,” Mary replied, smiling, taking the topic casually despite speaking of death. “How else would the Royal Council be able to boast of their †˜logs of defeated Time Warriors’?”

Charlotte chuckled to Mary’s words. “Well, you never know. Some information may be fabricated to provide the inhabitants of Magic World their peace of mind.”

“Lying to keep public interest at bay…. Honestly, knowing that would only unsettle me far more than Time Warriors just being around, if anything.” Claudia said.

“Ignorance is bliss, my dear,” Charlotte said grandly, spreading her arms with a grin. “What would you do if someone told you that the Duke was involved in larceny? You’d rather not know, yes?”

“That does sound unsettling – finding out someone you know commits crimes,” Mary said, already finding the sound of the statement poignant.

“Well, it is a good thing that such a scenario is not true,” Claudia said with a smug smile. “But I will answer your question... to be honest, not knowing would only make me curious to the matter, granted I know what the Duke does on a daily basis,” she answered.

“But if no one would’ve said anything; you wouldn’t think of it, yes?” Charlotte questioned, “You’d not be implored to consider the validity of the statement, and the implications would simply not be made.”

“Agreed,” Mary uttered, sipping on her tea. One would be able to note that her first cup was finished some time ago by now. “People are often curious, and it may lead to various danger. Especially in Britain where many Organizations hire assassins to get rid of eavesdroppers.”

“Mnm, that is true, I suppose.” Claudia said, giving in.

“Anyway,” Charlotte begun, pleased that Claudia came to an acceptance, “they say here,” she pointed to a particular paragraph of the article, again, “that her Royal Highness intends to gather up a raid group to fight the Time Warrior.”

“I suppose they’re gathering people specialised in combat now; spies are often ill-suited for combat, after all,” Mary said, taking a peek at the newspaper. “Oh… it says that they invited even Duchess Caroline Louisa Cavendish Bentinck. The Queen must be serious.”

“Who?” Claudia questioned with a slight head tilt. She wasn’t so sure of the people in the Queen’s inner circle, not that she was practically ignorant of Parliament.

“...You don’t know Caroline?” Charlotte asked, a little surprised.

“No? I never really cared enough to know of any well-known officials,” Claudia said.

“Really? I’d think that the Duke had perhaps mentioned her once to get you inspired,” Mary said, apparently astonished as well.

“You read this one yourself,” Charlotte said, pointing to one of the lower paragraphs of the article where information about Caroline was given.

Claudia peered down to the newspaper, reading the part with an uninterested look on her face. Then she realised why the two seemed so surprised; according to the newspaper, Caroline was the Duchess who slayed a Time Warrior in the past. Additionally, it had also mentioned that she was a Dark Knight.

“Eh? Now that’s interesting,” Claudia said, amazed. “As expected, she must be quite the warrior if she was called by the Queen.”

“Oh, yes she is,” Charlotte said, regaled by the glory of the Duchess. “She is also a real war veteran who had successful operations throughout the Secret Great Mages war.”

“Pardon her,” Mary said, not carrying the same – excited – tone as Charlotte. “She is a big fan of her, you see.”

“I do not mind, it is normal for one to get excited for a war veteran capable of such a feat. I am rather uppity about it, myself.” replied Claudia with a smile.

“That’s right, Mary!” Charlotte said. “Be more excited, it’s the Duchess Caroline we’re talking about!”

“Ahaha…” Mary laughed, all stiff with a forced smile.

“Oh, and guess what, she publishes monthly reports of her research,” Charlotte said, finding a kindred spirit in Claudia, spreading the love. “As a scholar, she researches and invents spells effective for combat use and shares some of the details with aspiring warriors.”

“Really? I don’t suppose any of those details could be shared with me, no?” Claudia asked, dismissing the fact that her Dark Knight status had been taken away for the moment.

“I can share them with you soon,” Charlotte answered. “I have a rather large collection of her publishings.”

“Well, splendid. Perhaps that could impact my performance as a Knight,” Claudia said with a satisfied smile.

“Hopefully it would,” Charlotte replied, jolly. “Although adopting most of her principles and techniques would require quite the amount of training and patience.”

“Ah, I see,” Claudia said in thought. Taking from her last fight, she really had problems lasting long to which she would end up dying or passing out from the first three hits. Now that she thought of it, Claudia was a really fragile girl despite training for many years. Hell, her wounds still bothered her to this day. “Technique and patience, hm…” Claudia put a hand on her chin and thought deeply on those two words, wondering what it took to have those things, because to be honest, Claudia was naive enough to think she had those things from the beginning.

“Is something the matter?” Mary asked, noting Claudia’s expression.

“It annoys me how I’ve been given the title of Dark Knight when I’ve hardly any fighting ability to last a single match,” answered Claudia, pointing to her side which still had bandages wrapped around it under the shirt she wore. “If only I could become stronger…”

“That is weird, did you have a frail body from birth?” Mary asked, puzzled, “Or maybe you didn’t received enough training?”

“The Duke could have his reasons for accelerating your training too. You never know,” Charlotte said. “But maybe training with the Duchess’ publishings might help.”


“Perhaps,” Claudia said, to Charlotte. “I am what others would call †˜petite’, I’m afraid that is what caused this.” Now self-conscious about her body, Claudia darted eyes back and forth to the girl’s bodies and her own, nervous.

“Hmm… really? I couldn’t tell,” Mary shrugged.

“Well, everyone has their shortcomings,” Charlotte stated.

“Mnm. That much is true,” added Claudia.

“So, you plan to train now?” asked Mary, cranking her head to the side with curiosity. She wondered exactly how she’d go about it.

Claudia raised an eyebrow. “Not… really? I would need to wait a little while before training again,” she fibbed, thinking of an answer not to reveal to them that her knighthood was taken – at least to Charlotte, anyways.

“I see,” Mary said, somewhat thoughtlessly. “Well, I was wondering where you’d be doing it. Doing it over at my lodgings would certainly be a little dangerous…”

“Well I wouldn’t want to break any of your personal belongings. That would be bad for the both of us,” Claudia replied with a chuckle.

“Indeed, and my room happens to be of humble space,” Mary stated. “Or, well, small. I suppose it is good enough. It was very cramped when I once had three guests, however.”

“Ah...that may take a bit of getting used to…” Claudia said nervously; wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.

“Mn… I’d love to come over too, but I have so much homework…” Charlotte said, lamenting being a good student for once.

“What a shame, I would have loved for you to come by. We could have had something of one of those get togethers children have – what are they called? Sleepovers?” Claudia asked out of curiosity. “Honestly, I am not too worried about the assignments at the moment; they can wait. I’m no underachiever, but I also do not really care for them either.”

“Well, you quit, after all,” Mary said, slightly jealous that Claudia had some extent of freedom.

“I sure am worried,” Charlotte said, “The research assignments aren’t even practice materials anymore. We’re carrying on our experiments even at home now for the research group I am in,” she added.

“Must be an important experiment,” Claudia said, with a hum of thought. “And I suppose it is still a secret, yes?”

“Of course,” Charlotte answered without any delay.

The attendant came over to the girls, seeing the vivid sight of a vivacious atmosphere and brought over more biscuits and scones as an extra and additional service with a big grin. “So, how was our tea today? I daresay they were lovelier than usual?”

“Delicious,” Mary responded immediately.

“I may only say the same,” Charlotte followed after her.

Claudia nodded in ardent agreement with the two. “Indeed, even more marvelous than yesterday,”

“I see, that makes me happy even though it wasn’t me but Mrs. Pearse who got it. I hope the lady in the evening will be just as pleased,” the attendant said, giggling to herself.

“I have heard that business in the evening never goes well?” Charlotte inquired, a hint of surprised loomed in her expression.

“So I heard,” Mary said, perplexed all the same. “Since most ladies and gentlemen prefers the bigger restaurants, I believe?”

In London, due to the curfew, most dinners were dined much earlier before eight in the clock, and this café was hardly a popular choice around such times. People would prefer much fancier or larger restaurants. Cafés like these were fancied in the morning and seldom for lunch.

“Well, we’ve recently started finding a visitor or two around evening. I suppose we’re starting to turn a new leaf,” the girl replied to the ladies across the table, delighted.

“Well that is good to hear. I would hate to see this place go belly up, especially when I just got settled in,” Claudia commented. “However, you can never have too many people. It couldn’t hurt to try and attract more.”

“They actually get quite the number of customers despite being located in this busy city center of the capital,” Mary said, complimenting.

“Oh no, we’re not that popular…”

“Well we didn’t say popular yet,” Charlotte chuckled.

“Indeed, I believe you have the potential to be, though,” Claudia nodded sagely. “I know nothing about businesses, but if life experiences have taught me anything, if you... put out, a little more, you will most definitely be awarded for it.”

“I sure hope so!” the attendant nodded energetically. “Now, if you people will excuse me, I must look into our other customers. Have a good day, ladies!” she went off saying that.

“So, Claudia,” Mary begun, “When do you plan to head home to pick up some of your stuff?”

“As soon as we depart, I suppose,” Claudia answered simply.

“Well, why don’t we depart, then?” Mary asked, finishing another cup of her tea at last before grabbing a few scones and munching them down. “This is something better off dealt with early.”

“Then I shall be on my way. There is a plethora of research to deal with at home,” Charlotte nodded, finishing her tea too.

Claudia rose from her seat after finishing off the rest of her tea and gave a bow to Charlotte. “Well I wish you luck on your research. Adieu, Charlotte. Shall we?”

Mary nodded, Charlotte smiled, and the two got up, departing from their comforting chairs.

“Let us be off, then,” Mary said. The three parted from the café.

Claudia now stood before a house. It was a plain and simple-looking lodging where her friend lived. Beside her, said friend stood and looked over it. The gate and walls awaited their entry. The house was two-storey long and was rather thin compared to the many structures she was used to viewing. Such was the life of an apparent random commoner lady in the prosperous capital of Britain.

“Come in,” Mary beckoned her. Her countenance was filled with excitement from what Claudia could see.

The two ascended in height as they climbed through a staircase, making way to the upper floor of the house. With the noise of an opening door, Claudia found herself in a rather small and cramped room. Cramped indeed, with: a bed, an escritoire, and a table in the corner. There were no carpets and the floor was wooden. There was a black engine in the corner and two doors, one leading to the bathroom, the other to a small kitchen. Mary gave a terse tour of these two rooms to Claudia in but moments upon reaching her apartment.

“How...roomy?” Claudia said, unsure what the correct word to describe the lodgings would be. She looked on at the condensed apartment, put off by its sheer size. It was a far cry from her room back at the manor, but a home is a home, she would say, despite not being used to a common setting at all.

“Well excuse my room for being incomparable to yours,” Mary commented, pouting as she sat beside her desk, which was littered with letters and notes likely delivered to her in recent times and books in the corner, which were her study materials, apparently; Claudia could tell that they covered magical subjects from a glance. Mary heaved a sigh thoughtlessly as she relaxed, which was almost unladylike, but she could forgive herself just because she was at home now. “Well, make yourself at home, however small it is.”

“That I will,” Claudia replied, setting her baggage onto the floor. As she walked over to the single bed in the room, a thought came to her: where was she going to sleep? “Err, Mary? Where will I sleep?” she asked, rather hesitantly.

“Ahaha…” Mary gave a forced smile and a dry chuckle, looking over to her bed. The one and only bed was just behind her chair. “With me in there, it seems…” she answered with a wry smile.

That sparked a reddened, surprised expression from Claudia. “I-Is that so?” she asked, rather flustered. “Well, I d-don’t mind that at all…” is what she uttered. The thought of sleeping with this woman had engaged an array of thoughts not many people would approve of. Mary was kind enough to allow Claudia to sleep here; it would be best to keep her obscenities at bay for the time being.

“Hm? Is something the matter, your face is red,” Mary asked, tilting her head with bewilderment. “A-Ah! Pardon my lack of consideration. I-If you don’t want to share the bed, I guess I can arrange for myself to sleep on the floor,” she said, sounding somewhat flustered herself, but for different reasons unlike Claudia.

“No! No! It’s fine, don’t worry; I’m fine! Ahaha…” Claudia stammered haphazardly. “I am already imposing enough. Making the host sleep on the cold floor would be rude of me.”

“Well, I wouldn’t sleep on bare wooden floor…” Mary sighed, trying to let go of the topic since Claudia seemed to be insisting otherwise. “Well, don’t just stand around, Claudia; take a seat,” she said, beckoning her visitor to her bed. “What would you like, tea or coffee? Oh, we had such a beverage moments ago in the café, I suppose? Perhaps it’d be untoward to offer the same so soon.”

“R-Right, yes we did…” Claudia answered, taking a seat upon the unfamiliar bed – even the sensation of the sheets was alien to the girl. Was this what the girls would call a sleepover? She thought. Crossing her leg over the other in an attempt to get comfortable, Claudia turned to Mary. “I’m afraid one cup of tea would be enough to do me in. I am actually feeling peckish, honestly,” she chuckled.

“Mnm… what would you like to have then?” Mary openly pondered. “I’ll try to make something for you.”

“Wow, usually I'm the one doing the cooking. Umm, okay, let's see....” Claudia said in surprise. “Anything is good, really. Maybe something not as fattening, I suppose?”

“That is not helping me, Claudia!” Mary said, even more unsure as to what she should do. “What do you usually have for lunch?”

Scratching her head, Claudia thought. “Well, I would often cook my Lord a different meal every day, but if I were to guess after every week, we would have something along the lines of poultry; maybe steak if he is in a saucy mood,” she replied with a scratch on the back of her head.

“Hmm… you often eat higher-class food, so perhaps I’ll try my hand at it today,” Mary murmured before looking back to Claudia. “Alright, you stay here and relax.” Mary’s mind was set. While they wouldn’t be able to have much food – as the British often avoided eating overmuch during lunch – she decided that fricassee served with rice and savoury soup would seal the deal for them both. They were indeed courses enjoyed by upper-class individuals often, but Mary knew how to cook them up regardless, for some reason. Perhaps she had enjoyed cooking courses in the past.

Claudia hummed in reply, adjusting herself along the bed and crossing a leg over the other to get comfortable. Glancing around the house, despite it’s small size, Claudia did admire how well Mary was able to live in such conditions whereas Claudia simply could not see herself ever doing something like this. “Are you sure you do not need any assistance, Mary?” Claudia asked, only to make sure of course.

“Of course not,” Mary said in response to her question. From how delighted she sounded, Claudia could feel that she was confident in her skills. There were many different kinds of noises heard despite the reply. Mary was indeed working hard. “That said,” she started, “what do you want to do from here on out?”

Claudia quirked an eyebrow. “In terms of serving The Duke? I do not know, but to continue doing so bodes only a harsh relationship between us, I suspect,” she replied, looking off into space. “Perhaps I will find a new line of work if not all goes well.” She shrugged as she glanced over to Mary's position, unsure if she saw or not. Luckily, the kitchen was set in a way that she couldn’t see Mary from all the way out here. It seemed to be modeled as a spacious room beside the one Claudia resided in. All she saw was Mary entering it and moving to the left and never caught her shadow again aside from her voice.

“It’s not just about the Lord Duke that I am concerned about, Claudia,” Mary began, apparently about to state her real question. “With your blade confiscated along with your title now, what kind of a mage do you intend to be? Unless you plan to quit…” she said, adding a certain possibility. “I suppose there is that option too.”

“That is open for consideration, yes,” Claudia replied, thinking to herself in turn. “It would be a waste starting anew with how long I've been under the Duke, but at this point, anything would do. To be honest, I'm not sure. I'm not that seasoned with magic by itself; more so with the blade.” She cupped her chin with her hand and glanced back to the direction she knew Mary stood. “Any suggestions?”

“It’s never too late to pick up a new sword from somewhere, or just find something new to do as a mage,” Mary said. She ignored making a concrete proposal, as Claudia would have to find out what she wanted for herself rather than be led to things by others.

Claudia shrugged. “Fair enough. It would be nice to have a sword by my side, though. I guess that would be my next step before deciding upon anything else,” she replied. “Is there a place in which I can purchase a weapon around here?”

“Of course,” Mary said in a matter of factly manner, apparently it was obvious. “There are many who craft iron-made weaponry through steam technology these days, so it isn’t hard to get your hands on a cheap weapon.”

Claudia smirked. “Perfect. Make no mistake, it won’t be to my preference for a cheap weapon, but I will make do for now,” she replied. “Then again, like I said, I’ll be glad to have a sword in my hands again. I’ll feel safer that way.”

“That sounds about OK rather than perfect, but it’s all good as long as you are content for now,” Mary said before continuing. “I can show you to a shop if you want, if you’re okay with going out this evening.”

“I have nothing more to do after dinner, so why not?” answered Claudia. “I wasn’t planning on sleeping anyhow.”

“Then that’s settled,” Mary replied, sounding somewhat energetic. “We can drop by at the café on our way back too, if you want.”

“I have no objections to that. Albeit, I would be rather full, but no matter. I can stick around,” Claudia decided.

Mary then came back, her hands full with plates of food. As she planned, she brought fricassee with rice, and soup for both of them in the room, and soon ported over a jug of water and two glasses. She then sat down opposite to her on a chair that lied behind the desk in the corner of the room, after the food was placed over the small table that lay between her chair and the bed. It was a small room, and the table – which was clearly much smaller in terms of height in comparison to the two – was the only place she could place the food on.

“Now it looks even more cramped, but I hope you don’t mind that,” Mary said, sounding a little embarrassed.

“Ahaha...that's fine. I chose to stay here after all, so there's no room for complaints,” Claudia said nervously, avoiding a snappy remark about the keyword room. “The food looks great though, Mary. Where did you learn to cook?”

“Glad you asked,” Mary said, pumping her chest out with pride. “I have learned through self-teaching in the art of cooking, and have triumphed over Charlotte’s challenge that I’d fail as a cook and a future housewife,” she spoke grandly, answering Claudia as if she had been waiting for the question all along.

Claudia merely chortled. “Housewife, you say? I never pictured Mister Escott as a cook anyways,” she remarked, covering her mouth whilst laughing.

“Hm? W-Where did Mister Escott come from?”

Sighing, Claudia shook her head at Mary's modesty, smiling. “Oh, Mary…” She said. “It's nothing, let's just eat for now.” Claudia dug in, delicately scooping the food from a fork and shoveling it into her mouth with small bites.

“Right… ” Mary grumbled. Albeit, she already knew some information about the aforementioned man, but she refused to indulge in her joke. “So, now that we’re going to the café, I suppose we’ll get to know who this evening customer is that the attendant was talking about.”

"I'm curious as to who they are, indeed," Claudia replied.

The night’s curtain had fallen, and Mary and Claudia had gone out for the night. The two opted for not having dinner at home as they’d simply go to the café. This spared Mary the effort of having to cook again for the remainder of the day, and gave the two more time to spend outdoors. The café wasn’t meant for dinners, but they still had some offers on menu that would serve well for the occasion.

Passing along the streets of Square Miles, the two made way for their destination. The streets were bustling even now as many seemed to prefer having dinner at restaurants rather than at home. The evening had only just begun, so it was far from the quiet and desolate streets of night under the law of curfew at the moment.

“Oh, hardly any customers, as usual,” Mary commented, apparently not surprised. Why a good café such as this lacked customers in the evening was unfortunately clear; it was a central area in the city where many better restaurants were open, too. Thus, the café was simply not popular at an hour like this.

The two entered gingerly, eyeing the tables and chairs for a vacant spot to take over. There was a couple having dinner at one table, and a lone lady at another – who Claudia found somewhat familiar from the height and colour of the hair. The attendant who’d serve them in the morning rushed over to the two.

“Oh! Good evening you two. It is certainly rare to find you two here now?” she greeted with a question, clearly surprised.

“Mnm, there was not much to do and I was curious how the café would fare in this time of night,” Claudia answered. “I suppose it is alright to have dinner outdoors once in a while, no?”

“Well, regardless of the reasons; you two are more than welcome to this… desolate café. Please take a seat you two.”

The two thus went over to the table beside the one inhabited by the young lady and sat down before the attendant went over to get the menu.

“I think she is…” Mary whispered to Claudia, despite feeling that Claudia already knew herself.

Claudia let out a small gasp but stifled it quickly as she grazed eyes with the woman that sat next to the two. “Merde, Catherine…” she uttered, recalling their battle...and what Claudia did to her. “Here all of nights...?”

“She is our evening visitor. Pretty, is she not? I wonder if she is from a family of nobles,” the attendant spoke from beside Claudia’s ear. As astounding as her sudden presence sounded, it startled the two when they realised she was already back with a pair of menu leaflets for the two.

“She is pretty, indeed. But…” Claudia began, a stroke of air caught in her throat. “I cannot say we are on good terms at the moment.”

“Mn? Is it someone you know, then?” the girl asked curiously. One could say that her instincts for spicy gossips and rumours were already at work, but Mary wasn’t sure what to say.

Claudia nodded in response. “Well, you could say that. There was...a mishap between us and I never got the chance to apologise for it, especially when I recently promised myself to. That's all,” she said, propping her chin on her palm.

“Then why not do it now?” Mary asked, wondering what was making her stay glued to the chair.

“Well…” Claudia sighed as she rose from her seat, hesitantly at that. “I’ll do it...but I really don’t plan to beat about the bush.” Sighing once more, Claudia approached the seated Catherine and greeted her nervously, expecting a negative reaction. “B-Bonjour...Catherine,” she greeted, albeit incorrectly. Perhaps England had swayed Claudia’s own native language.

“We will move to another table to give you some space,” Mary whispered before pulling the excited attendant away with her.

“Bonsoir, mademoiselle Claudia,” Catherine greeted formally and respectfully to Claudia – seeing Mary move away to the other side of the café – almost as if expecting Claudia to speak to her.

Taken aback by the unexpectedly pleasant greeting, Claudia's words were caught in her tongue as she stammered uneasily to find them. “Ahh… listen, about our battle – back at the academy – I, erm, wanted to apologize for what happened. I was not in the right state of mind, you see,” Claudia explained.

“My, why apologise for such an act?” Catherine asked, apparently lost to the reason behind the apology.

“...If my mind travels back to that day, I recall we were barred from… using forbidden spells, and yet the heat and adrenaline of battle swayed me to do so anyways.” Claudia replied.

“It is not simply the usage, but the very knowledge of said spells that the Queen forbids. I care not what magecraft you employ for combat, personally. For I find great pleasure in viewing the true nature of individuals,” Catherine said, a devilish giggle escaping her lips. “You were only doing what you felt like, yes? That is fine; beauty lies in those who act with freedom, and are devoid of restraints.”

Claudia absentmindedly smiled from that, as she related very closely to what Catherine had explained. She felt silly thinking those things about her; being a snob and whatnot. She wanted to impose more as to why her act was wrong, but Catherine had explained her piece. There was no point in arguing against it. Flipping a strand of gold from her eye, an even bigger smile crept up to bless Claudia's features. “I… thank you for understanding, mon amie. But, I must say doing as I pleased bode consequences that are fairly dire for my position,” she said.

“De rien,” Catherine promptly replied, her smile portraying her apparent vivacity. “That is because you hold a rather pitiful position. How unfortunate. While one should maintain freedom, there are times when they must exact it with care.” These words followed rather casually in her respectable tone, almost as if she was throwing thorns towards the Duke. Catherine indeed held no sense of restraint on her part.

“I see… pitiful,” Claudia said to herself, chortling after giving Catherine's words much thought. “So what are you ebbing to? That I must think differently of my position?” she asked, curious.

Catherine shook her head, denying the guess. “Oh no, of course not, you are free to think however you wish,” she answered after a moment. “You cannot change a position from thinking differently about it,” she stated cordially. “You may as well change it, if you are uncomfortable with it.”

Claudia hummed and quirked a brow as she stared into the ceiling. “Change it, hm? It doesn't sound like a far cry from what I was planning...” she said, thinking still. “Hnn, why not? I grow tired of serving one so deadpan and cold. But then the next course of action would be finding what else would suit me."

“I may lend you a new situation. However, you hold ties still to The Society.” The girl frankly voiced an issue. One would wonder how she even came into possession of such information.

“How do you know I…” Claudia began, taken aback. But she then shook her head, dismissing it. “No matter. I could simply be quit of their lot. It wasn't like I had much tenure to begin with.” Claudia shrugged.

“I see,” Catherine responded, extending her glove-covered hand out to Claudia slowly. Her hand gently laid itself over her cheek, the smooth fabric of the black glove was pleasing to the touch for Claudia. “You are prone to switching loyalty rather easily, or is it just me?” she grinned, articulating her question.

“...Perhaps those whom I have been loyal up to this point have proved unsavoury,” she remarked, smirking defiantly. "So maybe it is just you."

Catherine soon retracted her arm after listening to her statement – carefully eyeing her countenance – and as soon as she did so; a voice entered Claudia’s head – directly into her mind. It spoke thus: “If you truly wish for a new situation; seek me out in the West End in the city of Westminster, Piccadilly. I shall await you at the Ritz Hotel.” Was it a Corpus spell implanted into her head to relay a special message?

The girl's eyes grew wide as she listened to the voice. It was Catherine's, but she appeared to have not spoken as the voice resounded. Soon, Claudia regulated herself and nodded, understanding completely.

“Tomorrow evening, and please; arrive alone,” the voice added. Catherine soon finished her tea and stood up, picking up her parasol. “Bonne soiree, it was a pleasure speaking to you, Claudia.”

"Likewise. May we cross paths once more," Claudia replied, smiling.

Catherine then exited, apparently leaving behind a slip of paper as payment. The attendant beamed a smile towards Catherine as she left from picking up the apparent payment, happy.

Mary approached Claudia with a worried expression. “Well, how did it go? Looked like it went well, has she forgiven you?” Mary asked, a solemn look on her face.

Claudia nodded. “She took it rather well; better than I thought, actually,” she said. “I would even go as far to say that we are now acquainted.” Claudia seemed like the most amused girl in the world as she said that.

“I see, that is rather surprising news, yet most welcome at that!” Mary remarked – her expression relaxed as spoke, feeling glad for her friend – as the two returned to their original table and chairs. “I suppose we have delayed our dinner enough, however, for I feel famished now.”

"Well order away, I for one am not that hungry from the small bites of fricassee from earlier, but I'll order something anyways; maybe something to drink perhaps," Claudia said, looking over her menu.