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Chapter Text

There's determined, and then there's pathetic, that would be the best way to describe the situation right now. Allow me to elaborate, here at Chroma Academy, we are taught how to use the different types of elemental magic. One of the methods used to teach and improve ourselves, provided an instructor is present, is to allow students to challenge each other. Usually there's nothing wrong, nor is there some other motive. Unfortunately, this is not one of those times. Another student here caught word that I was selected by the council as a candidate for the position of Archmage. I personally have no desire for such a position as I have other plans that don't involve politics or advising others on magic related issues.

See, the thing about this student, Zane, is he can't stand the idea of someone of "lesser blood" being in such a high position when they have done nothing to prove they deserve it. Not much can be done to him though since he's the son of a Duke, but that doesn't mean he can't be humiliated. Jealousy isn't the only motive though, he also has it in his head that if he can "put me in my place" that he "proved himself more worthy of Archmage" than me. I would just tell him to go ahead, but I have my pride, and he's not exactly a pleasant person to be around. Since I can't fight him like I could anyone else, I'm instead playing defensively so I can just knock him out of the ring.

He is by no means weak, being among our top wind mages as most are just entering level 3 spells, but I can make ash shields stronger than any of his spells. Failing that, I can summon quite a few familiars to block whatever makes it through or use them to lessen the damage so the shields can withstand it. Let him tire himself out, then just use lightning to boost my speed so I can toss him out or something to get a ring out.

"Are you ever going to fight?! What does the council see in a-" He began to mock me, but I have other plans.

"If you're going to call me a lowborn anything, just save your breath and focus. You won't get anywhere with insults." I interrupted him. I mostly ignored him as he continued to insult me.

After several minutes of blocking his magic, the duel if you can even call it that began to slow down. Against someone else here, he would've stood a chance, but there are a few things people like him seem to forget: When we first summoned our familiars as part of the entrance exams, the number displayed not just our elements, but how much magic we have, and how strong each element is, among other things such as our "spirit animals" as some refer to them. If he could summon as many familiars as I could and if his wind element was high as my fire, his wind would be three times stronger. Essentially, the more elements we have, the weaker those elements are for us compared to someone with only one element. In short, I have more magic than him, and I've advanced my magic enough so the level differences won't affect my chances.

Seeing an opportunity to end this, I distracted him with a few Thunderbirds and threw and ash chain around his ankle to pull his feet out from under him. He tried to correct himself with wind to land on his feet, but I shot forth a fire blast just strong enough to knock him out, but not so strong as to burn him. As much as I don't like him, I would also like to avoid his father trying to pull something against me if he's anything like Zane. Seeing as the fight was over, I dismissed my familiars and began to take my leave as the teacher announced me the winner. I heard him shout just in time to see him fire another spell at me, I created an ash barrier between myself and the coming wind slash, but before they connected, my surroundings changed from a school environment to a busy street I don't recognize. Humans, demi-humans, beastfolk, the capital of Xelroth wasn't this packed with non-humans.

"Alright, this is new...I'm pretty sure there were no spacial mages or anything of the sort at a school that only teaches magic related to elements like fire and darkness. Now where in Exolvuntur's name am I?"

Chapter Text

Wandering around has yielded no results so far. While we all speak the same language, I don't recognize the written one. Not knowing where I am or how I got here, I can't just go around asking for help even if that would actually be the smart thing to do, and I certainly can't go into a guard house and say "I might be here illegally, can one of you point me in the direction of Xelroth? Maybe to some spacial mages or Locus priests?" So much happening at once, I had actually forgotten about my companion until now. Finding an alley out of the way as to not make a scene, I called out for her.

"Nova?! Are you here?!" A dark flame shot out from my shadow and landed on my shoulder. A bird emitting dark flames, covered in stars and nebulae rubbed its head against my cheek. "Good to know you're still with me. For the time being, go back in my shadow, alright?" I lightly scratched her on the side of her neck. She leaned into it for a moment before jumping off, flapping her wings to slow her descent before molding with my shadow.

Stepping back out of the alley, I continued wandering around, pondering what the best course of action would be. My money is probably no good here, and not knowing how to read will hinder, if not prevent me from getting a job that would suit me until I can get my bearings. I might just have to summon a bird familiar and fly out of here at night when no one's watching.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!!!" I heard a scream. A girl had fallen right in the middle of the street, dropping what looked like a sack of potatoes. I would've walked away if it weren't for a carriage heading being pulled by a giant reptile I don't recognize heading right towards her, moving too fast to stop or avoid her. I used lightning to enhance my speed enough to carry her and the bag out of harm's way.

"Are you alright?" I asked her, ignoring the cheering crowd around us as I handed her her bag.

"I-...I'm fine thanks to you." She said gratefully before pulling out a few potatoes and handing them to me. "Please?! I know it's not much, but it's all I can give!"

"Well first, let's make sure you can still stand." I stood up and held out my hand, which she took and was able to stand on her own. "I didn't do it for a reward-"

*stomach growling*

"On second thought, I did skip lunch, so I guess I'll take one." I accepted one and quickly left the scene before anything else came about.

Passing by a produce shop, I took a detour into another alley. I can't rinse off the potato, but fire should be just as good at the right intensity. I should probably keep moving until I think of something, but then I'd be at it all day.

"What do you think, Nova?" I asked. She popped her head out of my shadow, tilting her head, looking up at me with her glowing white eyes.

*feathers ruffling*

"Heh, I thought so." Nova molded back into my shadow, and I began biting into my lunch. I looked up a few minutes later after hearing multiple sets of footsteps. A kid, a guy who looks like an escaped convict, and a heavier looking man that almost looks like a peddler of sorts stopped right in front of me.

"Well looks like we hit the jackpot here! He's gotta be loaded with the way he dresses!" The convict lifted me by my shirt as the other two moved to my sides. "Give us everything you've got if you don't want to get hurt!" He threatened.

"Am I being robbed?" I asked. I already know the answer, but I just want to see where this goes before I start cursing them. I'm thinking a curse of fatigue, something simple. Pain maybe?

"What kind of question is that?! Yes!" The kid answered the intentional stupid question.

"I have a potato...half eaten...and foreign money." I held up the potato, ready to smash it against his head.

"Move it! Move it! Move it! Out of the way you guys!" A blonde girl with red eyes and brown clothes called out, running towards us. She looks no older than 14, but she's still showing off that much skin. I don't know if I should be more concerned about the thieves, her living conditions, or the fact she's just ignoring the guy being mugged right in front of her.

"Oh look! A distraction!" I smashed the potato against the convict's head and blasted the thieves away with ash before turning my attention to the girl. "Now on to you. I have several id-"

"I gotta go, bye!!!" She interrupted me, then jumped off a few walls on to the roofs.

"Huh...well that happened. Okay, back to you three! Are you going to let me-"

"You're gonna pay for that!" The convict rolled on to his feet and pulled out a couple daggers.

"*sigh* I can't catch a break, can I? Wait, where's the kid?" I immediately felt pain in the back of my knee and fell forward, then got kicked in the face and knocked onto my back. Seeing an opportunity, they began to beat me while I was down.

"That's enough!" Another female voice stopped them as I was about to summon a few werewolf familiars to tear them apart. I couldn't make out everything thanks to the poor angle and lighting, but I was able to make out silver hair and white clothing with purple and gold decals.

"Just who the Hell are you??!!" The convict said to her.

"Someone I get the feeling you don't want to mess with." I answered.

"Shut it!!!" He stomped on my head. I would've summoned the familiars or made ash weapons to stab him with, but I'm curious to know where this is going.

"Return what you stole! I don't care about the other belongings, but I can't let you have that! So, hand it over!" I think she's accusing the wrong people of stealing from her.

"Oh sure, just ignore the guy getting his face kicked in. Nothing to see here...just your average robbery." I thought to myself.

"You mean you didn't come to save this kid?" The large one asked for clarification.

"If you're asking if I have any connection to him, that would be no." She answered.

"If she doesn't stop them before leaving, I'm going to scar them for life at the very least. Maybe a curse to make them think they died instead? Necromancy can detach souls while still leaving them tethered to the body. Yeeeeeesssss, I think I'll do just that."

"Well, you've got no business with us then! If anyone stole from you, it that girl that ran by here!" He informed her.

"What he said! That way, she went that way!" The kid pointed behind us.

"You three don't appear to be to be lying, so I need to go after her!" She ran past us, and the thieves sighed in relief.

"Well, can't say I didn't try to let this sort itself out." I prepared to place the curse on the convict.

"Regardless, I can't overlook what's happening here!" She conjured a few ice blocks after stopping at the other end of the alley and launched them at the three, knocking them down in one shot each.

"That works! I'll take it!" I stood up and faced the thieves.

"Mess with us?! I don't care if you two can use magic, I'm gonna kill you! You think you can win when it's three against two?!" The convict shouted after standing back up.

"You make a fair point, now I need you to pay very close attention to this...counterargument: You suck at math, that kid is out cold." I summoned nine dark werewolf familiars. "And it's eleven against two. So do you still want to go?"

"Ggggrrrr we won't go easy on you next time! Next time, I'll kill you!" The convict picked up the kid and ran off after his other friend.

"Soooo..." I tried to talk to her after dismissing the familiars.

"Don't move!" She said, almost like it was a command.

"I'm trying to talk, not run... Is there something on my face? Besides the shoe prints and dirt?" I asked her after several seconds of staring at each other.

"She really does have beautiful eyes, like amethysts. Now if only she wasn't seemingly trying to gaze into my soul, as if to judge me for something I don't remember doing."

"Wait! Oh no, it couldn't be! Did I make a wrong turn or come down the long way?!" She turned away, asking no one in particular that question.

"I'm lost, so whatever that girl took from you, how about you let me help you get it back? Pay you back for intervening back there?" I offered, seeing a perfect opportunity to get some answers. Seeing the way she dresses, it's also likely to get me in the favor of someone important.

"Uuummm...uh." She tried to think of a response, my offer probably having caught her by surprise.

"Now hold up!" A male voice called out, a burst of light on her shoulder revealed a small white and grey cat with a purple satchel that began flying around me.

"A spirit? It's been a while since I've had the pleasure of meeting one." I took a closer look at the cat. Spirits that can come out on their own like this are usually as old as they are powerful. She must be fortunate to have a spirit such as this, especially one that takes interest in strangers like me.

"Hmmm...huh... He's good! I'm not sensing any malice from him." He backed flew back towards her.

"Definitely fortunate if he can sense any hostility towards her. She's in good hands, or paws in this case."

"You should take him up on his offer. Besides, the more shields between you and the ruffians, the better." The cat suggested.

"Hahahaha! Promoted from student to meat shield! Never thought I'd hear that in my life." They got a good laugh out of me, I like them already.

"I won't stop you if you're serious about helping,but know that I can't give you a reward." She let me know in advance.

"I'm not exactly in this for a reward. I just need help, but for various reasons, I can't just ask a guard or go to a government official. Think of it less as a reward and more helping a guy who can't think of anyone to turn to."

"Alright, if you insist."

We had about as much luck looking for her item as I did in thinking of how to find a way out of my situation, anyone we asked about the thief knew nothing. Apparently, a young teenage girl with blonde hair, red eyes, I think she had a dagger on her back, and brown clothes that cover less than they should, all ring no bells for these people. I wanted to ask just what it was that was stolen, but neither of them has even told me their names yet. Whatever it is, it's important enough to almost relentlessly pursue the thief, but not enough to stop her from helping complete strangers or take momentary breaks like now near the top of several flights of stairs.

"I'm not going to stop helping you, but isn't this city a little too large to find one item, especially when you still have yet to tell me what it is we're even looking for?" The view from here isn't bad.

"We're looking for my insignia, and this city is the capital of Lugunica, how could you possibly not know that? Uh...ummm" She asked me in a way that under any other circumstance would sound like an insult.

"Because I have no idea how I got here. One moment I in a school environment having just won a duel with another student, then I blinked and was outside, in a location I didn't recognize. To make things worse, while we all speak the same language, I don't recognize the written one. Also, 'Lugunica'? That's not a country I recognize either, and my name is Manus, thank you for asking." I answered her as more alarm bells went off in my head.

"We did forget to introduce ourselves, didn't we? In that case, my name is Puck. It's nice to meet you!" The cat flew towards me with his paws stretched out and latched on to my hand.

"You have very soft fur." I commented.

"Aaww thank you! I try my best." He rubbed the back of his head after flying back to the girl.

"It's rather unusual to meet someone who can touch a spirit so casually. Where did you say you were from?" She asked.

"Xelroth, a county on the eastern side of the continent. North of the Tilokra region, west of Sechlor Isle, south of Helmora, and east of Grepo Mountains." I tried to give her an exact location of my home, but she looked at me with concern.

"Lugunica is the eastern most part of the continental map, and none of those are names on it." She said.

"And more red flags, awesome! I really hope this is some kind of delusional coma, otherwise a spacial mage or Locus decided to teleport me without my consent. Though why a God would do that at all to someone not affiliated with Him is beyond me."

"From the sound of it, you're in an even more precarious position than I am. You can't read, you don't know where you are or how you got here, and your money wouldn't be much good here."

"Not to mention I can't just ask who would under different circumstances be the right people for help since me being here at all is probably breaking several laws. Like I said before, I need help, not a reward. Now we still have two more introductions left."

"Huh?"

"Two? But there's only three of us." Puck pointed out.

"Nope. There's four. Nova!" She flew out of my shadow and landed on my shoulder.

"What is that??" The girl asked, startled by the new arrival.

"This is Nova, a moonshadow phoenix I hatched not too long ago. Speaking of-" I pointed to the area on my face that was getting stomped on earlier and cut it with an ash knife, causing them to look at me like I was crazy. "-can you spare a teardrop?" Nova ruffled her feathers and held her head above the cut. A tear fell on it and for a few seconds it burned like Hell, but the cut and the bruising were gone after.

"Your wounds, they're gone!"

"Part of the reason these guys are so valuable, and I don't mean monetary value." Nova flew off my shoulder and on to her hands.

"She's so beautiful, it's like staring into the night sky." She smiled.

*whistle*

"I think she likes you. She's usually so quiet that I'd probably lose track of her if she didn't practically live in my shadow, as horrible as that might make me sound as her companion." I extended my arm to lightly scratch the back of Nova's head, causing her to turn away from the girl and fly on to my shoulder.

"Without context, it would." She giggled.

"So anyway, I still have yet to hear your name."

"It's..." She exhaled, averting her gaze for a moment, then looked back at me like she wasn't looking forward to this. "It's Satella." She looked away again. "No family name, so you may address me as such from now on."

"The spirit and how you conduct yourself aside, there's no way that's true with the way you dress. There's no doubt in my mind you're at least involved with someone important." I thought to myself.

"If that's a name I should know, the significance is lost on me. Still, if that's how you want me to address you, then it would be rude not to." Both looked at me with shocked expressions. Not going to question that, so back to the task at hand. "Anyway, we've been sidetracked long enough. It's about time we went back to looking for your insignia."

On our search, we encountered a lost child. I questioned if helping her was the best option right now, but Satella basically said she couldn't just ignore this. She had difficulty at first trying to calm the little girl, but a wolf familiar the size of a puppy did the trick. She calmed down seconds after it started acting like a newly adopted dog, though keeping it that size with that "personality" is a little difficult to do on the move. It's by no means dangerous or taxing, I'd compare it to trying to write on paper with nothing solid on the back of it with a quill sharp enough that it can easily damage the paper. Still, we did find the girl's mother, so Satella was satisfied. After a little while longer, we took another break on a small bridge.

"So, I'm not against helping that child or me before that, in fact, I find it admirable. So, what's so important about this insignia that you'll chase the thief from one side of the city to the other, but not so important that you'll help random strangers?" I asked Satella.

"I didn't want those bothering me on the search, knowing I could've done something, but chose not to." She answered part of the question.

"Don't need a curse to know you're not being sincere. I'd bet you did it because that's just who you are."

"As for the insignia? There's something important to mee that I have to do, and I need it to do so." She answered the rest. "You said you were a student before you came here, what were you studying?" She asked a question of her own.

"That answer will require a bit of context: Chroma Academy prides itself on being among the top schools that focused on teaching the use of the elements. The library still had information on other types of magic, though they were mostly just magics that could be combined with the elements. Water, earth, wind, fire, light, dark, lightning, and their sub-elements when applicable such as ice and ash."

"That's something else I've wanted to ask about, your magic isn't what people would call normal."

"Neither is blinking and being teleported from a school to a plaza when the nearest people who should've been able to do that were several miles away, nevermind to another, undiscovered country, or another world. In short, provided it's not tied to our souls like the elements, or it doesn't require a God's blessing, anyone can learn any magic. I can't learn wind magic since I'm not attuned to it like fire, but I could've learned gravity magic if I wasn't more interested in rune magic."

"For the most part, that's consistent here, but there are a few things that don't work like that here. Lightning isn't an element anyone can use, I've never heard of someone using ash, ice is just considered fire magic, and those things you summoned back in the alley to name a few." She listed a few differences between the magic of our worlds and I created an ash dagger to make one last point.

"Ash is considered fire magic, and it's actually very cost efficient since most will regenerate their magic faster than it gets drained. Smoke is also part of fire magic, but I've never heard of ice being fire. If it has to do with heat, then I can see it, but I've only heard of people making the flames hotter, otherwise ice is a sub-element of water."

"Ice is basically that, but still, so many differences..." She mumbled that last part.

"Different worlds, different rules. Thankfully, the only real differences I'm going to worry about so far are the fact I am illiterate as a result of one, and the change in scenery. Both shouldn't be too much trouble."

"You're awfully lax for someone so young in such an awkward position." She commented.

"Wait, young?"

"Panicking isn't going to help me, and I'm sorry, 'young'? As far as age goes, you don't look so different from me." I looked at her questioningly.

"And you'd be wrong for thinking that, because I'm half-elf."

"She almost sounds like she's confessing to a horrible crime."

"Okay? Admittedly, I didn't notice the ears until now, but I fail to see how living proof an elf and a human can love each other is something to sound ashamed of." She snapped to me; unsure she heard me right.

"Come again?"

"I don't see the issue with you being half of two races. In fact, that kind of acceptance is something a man before my time spent more than a few years of his life striving for, but died before he could see his dreams bear fruit. Though he probably did choose the wrong career. In his words: 'It matters not to me the length of your ears, your fur, your scales, or any other differences attributed with birth. If you are my friend, I would fight with you. If you are a loved one, I would die for you. If you are neither, I would fight to protect you nonetheless. But if your deeds or your masters, not your words, beliefs, or the circumstances of your birth, have made you my enemy, I will not hold back'." I rambled longer than I intended. I was about to go on a little longer, but I saw a tear rolling down her cheek.

"He sounds like a great man." She composed herself quickly.

"He was... Your existence is by no means a mistake, so don't be so ashamed of that. If it helps, I've got another. Whatever others say about you, wear it like armor, then no one can hurt you."

"Er...let's just keep moving."

"We'll be searching for ages if we're searching blindly. It might be better to go back to where you were robbed and ask around there. If she stuck to the rooftops, she could've gone anywhere, maybe someone there recognizes her? Shopkeepers tend to remember the faces of thieves and undesirable customers after all. Come to think of it, why didn't we do that sooner?" I mentally slapped myself.

"He has a point!" Puck rematerialized between us. "We were so caught up in the moment we didn't even think of that!"

"*sigh* Then I guess we're going back." Satella said, no more thrilled than I was about the back tracking.

Finally, our search nears its end. It turns out the girl we helped was the daughter of one of the shopkeepers. Originally, he wasn't willing to spare a moment to answer a few questions, but his wife and daughter quickly changed that. The thief was named Felt and lived in the slums, but he couldn't tell us much more. It was enough though, what with the search being narrowed down from an entire city to a run down, impoverished part of it. Around dusk though, it was also made clear to me that spirits are basically on timers, meaning Puck was out for the time being. Though Satella was able to ask for more directions from "lesser spirits" since the locals weren't going to cooperate save for one a little later, finding ourselves outside a "loot house" soon after.

"What was he talking about? Why do I have to pay money to get back something stolen from me?" Satella questioned the fairness of the situation.

"It's not right but look around you. Poverty and starvation are all around us. Some can't work for various reasons, and others might have difficulty finding or holding jobs. These people basically live off of scraps, they'll take what they can get, even at the expense of others if they're desperate enough. I doubt either of us have what they'd demand, but I might be able to work something out depending on what they've got in there."

"I don't follow."

"If they have weapons and apparel for example, how much would a weapon enchanted with fire sell for? Or curse resistant jewelry? Rune magic is pretty useful. So, you can just leave it to me since they'll likely turn hostile if the owner comes personally. If I could increase the value of his merchandise, it might be enough to just give back your insignia. Everyone wins."

"Alright, be careful."

"Relax, I can handle an old man and a small child."

I went inside and it was almost pitch black, save for moonlight shining through a window. If they get any business, they probably live better lives than most of the slums. Entire suits of plated armor, jewelry boxes, expensive looking vases, a small variety of weapons. There's quite a bit of money to be made selling these, though I can't imagine they get too many buyers. All their business is probably all contracted.

*splash*

I looked down at what I stepped in.

"That body is fresh. Shit."

"Oh dear, you found that?" An almost seductive female voice said from behind me. I wasted no time creating ashen armor under my clothes and preparing a dark fire spell. "I have no choice then, no choice at all."

"Wait! Before you kill me, I'm a practitioner of necromancy, it's kind of my duty as a disciple of Exolvuntur to give this man, and I'm assuming there's a little girl around here, their last rites. Will you give me a moment?" I asked her.

"Hhmm...very well. You may have it."

"That shouldn't have worked, yet it did."

"Lord of the Endless Cycle, I ask you accept these mortals into your embrace. May they find warmth in your Light where Life denied them, and where peace was denied to them by Death in your Shadow. For lives yet unfinished, please grant another chance." I continued reciting lines from His texts for His Gravetenders and Gravewardens. While doing so, I was slowly preparing several traps for her. Explosive lightning runes by extending ash around us to carve and arm them into the scenery, shadow snakes armed with curse bites, and even blood magic despite not having too much experience with it.

"Sorry, but I need your blood more than you do."

As I was about to turn the bodies explosive and make blood spears using what's outside of them, the woman spoke again.

"Time's up!"

"Manus, is everything alright?" Satella walked in, breaking my focus.

"Satella! Run!!!" I shouted, only to hear a scream and a thud. I immediately stopped everything and used lightning to enhance my speed enough to get us out of the building, all sorts of havoc following soon after. After using most of what I had left to get us out of the slums, I tried to use blood magic to heal the wound.

"Damnit! Stay with me! What about Puck?! What about your goal in life?! You didn't come all this way for nothing!"

"Puck! It's an emergency!" I called out to him, hoping for a response.

"Well, that was certainly something." The woman from earlier caught up with us. "I wouldn't bother, the poor girl has already lost too much blood. Don't worry though, you'll be joining her soon enough." I lowered my head to Satella's chest to try and hear her heartbeat but heard nothing.

"*shaky breath* I'm going to feed you your own heart now!" I turned to the voice and summoned more werewolf familiars, all armed with curses, but didn't get a good look at this time of night, just a curved sword was all I could make out.

"Absolutely wonderful!" She disappeared and spoke softly into my ear from behind me. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time." I tried to turn but fell over instead and coughed up blood, my familiars disappearing soon after. The wound was too deep, and I didn't have enough magic left to heal and fight. The killer left and I crawled up to Satella.

"I'm sorry...you deserved better, both of you. If we meet again, I swear I'll make...this...right!" I couldn't hang on any longer, just grabbing her hand was all I could do left.

"Why am I back in the alley? I died! I know I did, and Satella-..." I took several more minutes to process this.

"Well looks like we hit the jackpot! He's gotta be loaded with the way he dresses!" It was the thieves from before.

"Impossible! Did I really come back in time? Or am I being forced to relive this for some reason?"

"Hey! We're talkin' to you, pipsqueak!" The large one shouted.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" I asked, still shocked at what's happening now.

"I said to cough up everything you've got if you don't want to get hurt!" The convict threatened. My shock turning to anger, I grabbed his arm.

"I can do you one better." I shocked all three of them and hit them with a rigor mortis curse while they were down. "I hope you enjoy being prisoners in your own bodies for a little while!"

"I need to find someone who can help. I could try to help Satella early since I know Felt's destination, but if the killer is there already, then we could be walking into a death trap again. I didn't finish all those traps, but she still came out seemingly unscathed and killed me so easily, like it was a game! I could try to set those traps again, but I'd have to convince Felt and the old man how dangerous their buyer probably is and that losing the shop would be the least of their worries, assuming the killer was the buyer. I could try to bargain, offer to enchant some items for them, but then comes the problem with the killer again. So, my only viable options are to blow up the place, get help, or bargain. Wait, Satella and Puck didn't know what Nova was, they didn't even know about phoenix tears! I could try to sell those! Failing that, consequences be damned, I'll find someone who can!"

I found an alchemy shop thanks to directions from a stranger and stole five empty vials using the snake familiars without getting caught, then had Nova fill them up. Summoning a giant bird familiar after finding a secluded spot, we flew in the direction of the loot house. Whatever her insignia is worth, I can't imagine it being worth more than tears that heal almost anything and lift curses thanks to Nova being infused with dark magic. I could very well be marching to my death, but I promised I would make this right. If me coming back wasn't a fluke, then I'll die as many times as I have to. Landing by the loot house, I wasted no time knocking on the door.

"Door's open!" A rough voice called out. Entering the building, I was greeted by a giant of a man, his hand being bigger than my head, who I recognized as one of the killer's victims was sitting behind the counter with a mug of- I'm assuming alcohol.

"I'm here on business regarding that thing Felt was sent out to...acquire."

"Is that so? Well, she's still out right now, so you'll have to wait." He set down his drink. "You're not the buyer, are you?"

"No, but I am here to make a counteroffer."

"It's gonna have to wait until she comes back then. Can't exactly make a counteroffer for something you don't know the price of, much less what the item is exactly." He stated.

"That's fair. So how long do you think she'll be?"

"She'll get here in time for the negotiations, don't you worry."

It wasn't until dusk that Felt finally arrived. Rom, I think his name was, gave her some "watered down" milk shortly after sitting down. The two act almost like father and daughter, it makes me wish I at least had the chance to say goodbye to my family before getting sent here.

"So, before we get down to business, I need to know that you have the insignia."

"Of course!" Felt pulled out a small piece of metal, it was decorated with a golden dragon and a small jewel in the center. "So how much are you offering?"

"Lemme see that?" She handed Rom the insignia to inspect more closely. "Hhmm... I'd say this is worth at least 20 holy coins. You're gonna have to put up quite a bit if you want to bargain for it."

"Since I don't have money, I can offer a quick service and trade for it." I offered.

"What kind of service?"

"I can enchant some items in here with rune magic, and I've got something I doubt you've seen before. Quick warning: Touch the bird, you lose your hands. Nova!" The phoenix flew on to my shoulder again.

"What is that?!" They both shouted.

"Not for sale, but this is." I created an ash stiletto and stabbed my arm clean through.

"What are you doing??!! Are you insane???!!!" Felt panicked.

"No, but this does hurt! Nova! If you would?!" I clenched my teeth as I waited for that sweet burning sensation.

"You must be out...of...your...mind???" Rom and Felt soon after looked in amazement as the wound closed itself when tears landed on it.

"What??" Felt tried to understand what she just saw. "There's not even a scar."

"Phoenix tears can heal almost any wound in seconds, disinfect them, cleanse toxins, and tears from this one can lift curses. So, how much could those sell for?" I asked as I pulled out the vials of tears.

"Somethin' like that would easily sell for at least 12 holy coins each! The bird at least-" Rom said.

"You finish that sentence, and you lose your tongue." I threatened him. "So do we have a deal, or are we waiting for the buyer?"

"Let's see what the buyer has to offer first. Also, don't threaten me again. I let the first one slide, but not again."

"Damnit!!!"

"I'm putting this out there now, but if the buyer is who I'm thinking of, there's a good chance she's going to kill us all." I warned them.

*knock knock knock...knock knock*

"We're screwed. If I had a few more seconds, I could've told them to be ready to run if things get ugly."

"The password?" Rom looked to Felt.

"I didn't mention it to them, it's probably for me though. I'll go check." She left the counter to see who it was.

"So considering the deal is happening here with you, I'm guessing people try to cheat each other often around here?" I asked Rom.

"Eeyup! People tend to think twice after seeing me." He confirmed.

"Well considering you large enough to crush most people with one hand, I can see why."

"I was right, it was for me." Felt came back to the counter. "Over here, care to sit down?"

"I see there are a few extra outsiders this time. I recognize the old man, but not the boy." The buyer walked in, a woman with black hair and dark purple eyes, dressed in all black, provocative clothing showing off her belly and most of her cleavage.

"If I wasn't so terrified right now, I'd actually be interested."

"I'm here to make a bid on the item she brought." I answered.

"I see. Before we begin, I am rather parched." The woman said.

"Not a problem." Rom poured her a glass of milk and we all took a seat at the table in front of the counter. Seeing an opportunity, I carved several explosive runes under the table, set to explode on my command.

"So since he's here for the insignia as well, we're going to sell to the highest bidder, and he's got a pretty big lead on you. I don't care who wins since I'm making a lot of money regardless!" Felt informed the woman of the situation.

"I love that personality of yours." She turned to me. "And what is it you're offering?" She asked. I showed her the vials of tears and made another ash dagger to cut myself.

"These vials contain tears from a holy creature. These tears can heal almost anything, lift curses, cleanse toxins and disinfect wounds." I showed her the healing potential of the tears.

"Truly remarkable, there's not even a scar."

"Rom here says these are worth 12 holy coins each, and the insignia is worth at least 20. So if my math is right, my bid is three times more than the value of the insignia. Now what do you got?"

"It would seem I'm at a loss. While my client did give me extra to sweeten the deal if anything came up, they only gave a third of what you're offering." She admitted defeat.

"Well in that case, for what it's worth, I'm sorry your client will be most displeased." No I'm not. "Say, what did you say your name was?" I asked in case things go wrong here.

"Elsa. Elsa Granheirt. Though I'm curious just what you intend to do with the insignia?" Elsa asked.

"You see, a friend of mine is in the business of making replicas of various items. He caught word of something unique like this, and he just couldn't pass up the opportunity." I lied.

"Hm... I see. In that case, I'll take my leave then. Thank you for the drink." She thanked Rom as Felt gave me the insignia.

*knock knock knock*

"Any idea who that might be?" Rom asked as alarm bells went in my head.

"Please don't be Satella?!" I hoped it wasn't her, anyone but her.

"That's probably for me this time, and it's time I took my leave!" I opened the door and Satella was standing there.

"Can one thing go my way today??!!"

"Take it and run!!!" I pushed her away, giving back the insignia and blocking Elsa's strike with an ash shield.

"Hey! What was-" Satella saw what prompted me to push her.

"Naughty boy, lying to a lady won't do you no favors." Elsa took another swing at me, but I increased the size and adjusted the angle of the shield to block other angles.

"I've never met a 'lady' with a fetish for brutally murdering people!"

"You wound me, I actually kind of liked-"

"Oh, Hell no!!!" I changed the front of the shield to form a series of explosive runes set to explode on impact, all exploding and knocking her back to the table that I would detonate as she was blown towards it.

"My my, that was a neat little trick." She complimented me as she stood back up, mostly unscathed, save for a few splinters.

"Something's not right, last time, she easily closed the distance and I was basically dead before I hit the ground. Is she playing around? Or is the tight space holding her back?"

"I'll help you!" Satella stood back up and shot ice over my head at Elsa.

"Did you not hear me?!" I asked as politely as I could in my situation.

"Let the girl help out." Puck materialized in front of me. "Besides, you've also got me here too. Three on one shouldn't be a problem."

"If you're done chatting, I'd like to continue with our fun." Elsa said, twirling her blade around.

"I don't appreciate you all wreckin' my place, but I've already been paid back for that!" Rom said after bringing his club down on her, but was too slow.

"I was going to get to you two later, but if you insist!" She began practically dancing around him. She was too fast, but he was still a good distraction, so I ran over to Felt.

"She's too dangerous! Run! Get help! I'll cover you!" I told her quickly.

"But I can't-" She tried to argue.

"Do it, or I will throw you out that door myself! We won't survive otherwise!" Just as I said this, Elsa was standing on top of Rom's club and was about to bring her sword down on his neck, but Felt reacted faster than the magic users here and threw her dagger at Elsa's blade, redirecting it towards his shoulder and putting him down for the count.

"Such a bad girl." Elsa began walking towards us, but Satella and-

"Where's Puck? So much for three on one! Well, it should've been four."

Seeing Elsa occupied with Satella, who's actually putting up a solid defense with her ice, I turned back to Felt.

"This is the best chance you're going to get! I can heal Rom without the tears, but only after we're no longer in danger!"

"Why not use-"

"Because he could regain consciousness and get himself killed! Now go!" I interrupted her.

"Like Hell am I-"

"This isn't up for debate, just do it!" After several seconds of I'm assuming an internal debate, she finally made up her mind and ran for the door.

"Do you honestly think I'll let her escape?" Elsa tried to throw a dagger at Felt, but I was sure she'd have more weapons like any competent assassin, so I shot a fireball near her, forcing her to miss when it blew up near her hand.

"Do you honestly think I'd let you kill her?!" I began trying to keep her occupied with a few werewolf familiars whenever Satella created an opening. Elsa was still playing around for all intents and purposes, but if she got sloppy, their fangs and claws were cursed. Unfortunately, death curses aren't something I can maintain on them, but curses to slow her down are no problem. While these events were occurring, I was carving more runes around her and gathering all the ice around the room with ash extending from both arms. I was originally going to just blow her up, but I can make use of heated runes instead. This plan would require more time though since the wood might absorb the water, making my plan less effective, if not useless. As the sun finally gave way to moonlight, I was ready.

"For once, I'm feeling a tiny bit annoyed." Elsa cut down another familiar before I dismissed the rest.

"Welcome to the club! Story of my life!" I responded. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but she can't know that.

"At least I can take a bit of that frustration out on you from the looks of things." She took a step towards me.

"Stop right there!" Satella shot more ice at her, but it was effortlessly destroyed mid-flight.

"I'm getting rather bored of that attack. Do you not have other ones to entertain me?"

"I've got one for you." I pulled all the ice to her feet and she looked at me like I was insane.

"Is that it?"

"Give it a second." I activated the heat runes around her and quickly melted the ice, leaving her in the center of a rather large puddle.

"I'm waiting."

"If nothing else, I'm a man of my word, so I'm going to make you eat your own heart!" I shot a lightning orb above her, and when realization dawned on her face, it was shooting bolts around her. Once the orb was gone, I used lightning to close the distance and tried to stab her in the chest with an ash sword. The key word being 'tried'.

"Now that was a new one! I've never seen lightning before, it's actually kind of a shame I have to kill you." Elsa said after deflecting the sword and grabbing me by the neck.

"Damn it, so close!"

"That's enough!" A new voice called out, something crashing in through the ceiling shortly after.

"Please let it be salvation?!"

Elsa was distracted enough by this that I was able to escape her grasp and move to Satella.

"Cutting it a little close, but I made it in time." A red haired man in what looked like a mostly white uniform and a strange looking sword in it's scabbard strapped to his waist stepped forward.

"Okay, not to sound like I'm complaining, but was that entry really necessary? There's a door right there!" I pointed to the door in question and the man gave me a sheepish look.

"I was in a hurry once I encountered the girl running through the streets, begging for help. That was faster." Was his response.

"Fair enough."

"Now let's see. You must be the Bowel Hunter, you match the description perfectly." The man quickly identified Elsa.

"I'm sorry, 'Bowel Hunter'? She literally has a fetish for disemboweling people?!" I tried to process what I just heard.

"Aahh, Reinhardt, the Sword Saint! I never could've imagined that my opponents would be so much fun! Truly, I must be dreaming!"

"Sword Saint? What, is he like the Archon of this world?"

"You two did well, facing an opponent such as Elsa, but I can take over from here. Please, stand by her over there." Reinhardt pointed to Satella, who was standing over Rom.

"By all means, just let me know when she's within an inch of her life so I can follow through with my promise to her." I moved towards Satella while she was inspecting his wound. "Can you heal him? I could, but I think I'd be better for defense if necessary."

"I can, but it'll be a while until he's stable." Light appeared in front of her hands and was placed on his wound.

"Well let's hope our new friend can handle this better than we could." Just as I said that, he stomped on the flootr and kicked Elsa to the other side of the room.

"Holy shit!!! Does he even need that sword??!!"

"Yeah, I think he's got this."

"Aren't you going to draw that sword of yours? I'd love to taste it myself!" Elsa said to him.

"If the situation truly called for it, it would've already left the sheathe." He responded.

"I think you underestimate me."

"Believe me, I would've drawn it already if I could. Unfortunately, it has decided it's not needed. So I hope you'll settle for this." He kicked up a sword lying at his feet, something I couldn't abide when I can make better.

"Hold that thought!" I made an ash replica of his sword and tossed it to him. "It won't last long out of my hands, but it's still better than any other weapons around here. I'd say it's got three, maybe four minutes tops before it crumbles!" And it took a good bit out of me as well.

"A fine blade, and it feels just right." His sword began to emit a blue glow and he effortlessly disarmed her after her first strike.

"She's likely got more, be ready!" She threw a blade at me to shut me up, which I deflected with an ash shield. "Yeah, no!"

"Your fight is with me, Elsa." Reinhardt said with no small amount of displeasure.

"Then he should stay out of it. I'll play with him later after all." She lunged at him again.

"So is he going to end this soon?" I asked Satella.

"He'll be able to once I'm done healing him with spirit arts." She answered.

"I'm lost, how does you healing translate to him not fighting seriously?"

"If he was fighting seriously, all the mana in the atmosphere would turn away from me. I'm almost done, you can give the signal afterward." The light faded seconds later. Needing no further explanation, I did exactly that.

"She's done, you can actually fight now!" I yelled. Acknowledging the signal, his sword shined brightly and in one swift strike, Elsa was nowhere to be found after the wave of destruction that followed, over half the building missing as well.

"Truly remarkable, that the sword is still intact after that." He praised the quality of the weapon.

"After that though, I don't think it'll last the full three minutes."

"And there is no body. Silver lining: Almost everything went according to plan."

"Regardless, not many can withstand the Astrea family's sword play. I'm afraid I don't know who I should be thanking though for it? I'm Reinhardt Von Astrea, Sword Saint, and knight of Lagunica."

"I'm Manus, previously a student and, though it probably holds no significance here, Archmage candidate." I introduced myself.

"It's over then?" Satella asked as she stood up,but looked like she was ready to fall over as she pressed a hand on her head a second later.

"Are you all right?!" I reached out in case she did, but she stopped herself.

"I'm fine." She assured me.

"That's good. All of us-...most of us made it out in one piece." I had to resist the urge to laugh. "By the way, I'm sorry for pushing you back there. I kind of panicked in the attempt to save you."

"Don't be. You protected me, and you returned my insignia. For that, you have my gratitude."

"Say, quick question. When Felt held the insignia, it glowed, but not when I did. Was I imagining that?" I asked her out of the blue.

"I'm sorry, it did what??!!" Reinhardt asked before Satella could answer.

*rubble falling*

"Manus!!!"

"I've read enough stories to have seen this coming, yet I still didn't prepare for it. Not making that mistake again!"

I turned as I was forming an ash shield and saw Elsa sprinting towards Satella. Not thinking or caring about the consequences of using an incomplete shield, I pushed her out of the way and tried to block Elsa's sword. Unfortunately, it went right through the shield, but didn't cut me despite knocking me back several feet.

"Damn it! Got in my way again!" Elsa said in frustration as Reinhardt put himself between us.

"I'm alive! Please! No more of this today."

Elsa left after promising to disembowel us all. Reinhardt checked up on Satella, who immediately expressed concern for me as I stood in the same position I defended her in.

"Are you all right?! That was far to reckless! Even compared to how you fought earlier!"

"I don't know. I'm kind of afraid to move right now out of fear I've been cut open and my body hasn't registered it yet. Also, sorry for pushing you again!" I responded.

"You appear to be fine. It's likely just the adrenaline, you'll come down soon enough." Reinhardt tried to assure me that I'm okay.

"And we thought Elsa was dead a minute ago, yet she still tried to paint our surroundings with our insides!"

"I don't care that you pushed me since you did it to save me! You deserve a reward for all that you went through, so if you want, I'll grant you one thing in my power." She offered.

"I didn't do this for a reward, not that I have any idea what I'd want in the first place. So let's just take it one step at a time. Hello, my name is Manus! May I have the name of the Lady I fought tooth and nail with?"

"*giggle* It's Emilia. Just Emilia." She held out her hand as she smiled at the simple request.

"You know what? If I was right about the cut, totally worth it! Father would be proud, after painfully reminding me how much of an idiot I was today."

I took her hand in mine as I stood up properly, letting my shield crumble.

"I'm amazed you can still stand. You would make an excellent knight if you chose that path." Reinhardt praised me as the sword finally crumbled as well.

"Maybe, but I'm not sure that's what I want to do in life."

"To each their own. I won't press the matter, but if you do, I'd be happy to point you towards a few other knights I trust if you need anything."

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll still need to think about-" The next sound made me look down towards my gut.

*fabric tearing*

"Okay. First off, damn it. Second, called it. Third, Nova, help." I fell back and quickly lost consciousness due to blood loss. I think I heard Nova screeching, but that was it.

Chapter Text

I woke up in a sweat but didn't remember what I dreamt of. It took me a moment to realize I was in an unfamiliar bedroom, the recent events with the insignia having actually happened. I inspected where Elsa cut me, but there wasn't a scar, meaning Sat-I mean Emilia or Nova, who was sound asleep on the nightstand next to me, saved me. Not wanting to disturb her, I chose to gaze out the window, only to be greeted by the sight of what was more like a large field than a well-tended lawn of a rather large estate. A place like this would definitely be suitable to advance my magic, darkness anyway. I don't think they'd appreciate fire and lightning.

"I really should get her something, I've asked more of Nova in one day than I have since she hatched. Until then, depending on what happens now, I hope she'll be satisfied with a place like this to soar as freely as she wants."

Wondering where everyone is, I quietly left the room to see if there was anyone to speak to. Finding no one, I left the door open and walked down the hallway, paying close attention for any noises after leaving, but it's like there's no one around. Eventually deciding to see how it would work, I figured opening doors and closing every door might help. After the first door, I was met with a little blonde girl in a red dress, said girl looked at me like I just interrupted something important. Looking past and around her, I only had one thing to say about the library I just found.

"I love this place already."

"Now if only I could read."

"What an aggravating man you are, I suppose." She said in a tone that matched.

"Whatever I did, I'm sor-... You're not human, are you?" I asked after noticing she had pink butterflies for pupils.

"You were quick to notice, compared to most."

"I'll leave it at that for now. Sorry to bother you further, but where exactly am I?"

"You must be the one Emilia brought. To answer your question, you are in my library, which also serves as my bedroom, I suppose. If you were referring to your general location, that would be Margrave Roswaal's estate." She answered, her tone never changing.

"I knew Emilia was associated with someone important. I don't want to bother you any longer, so considering I don't know my way around here, would you recommend staying here until someone comes, or go back and wait?"

"Hold on." She closed her book and set it down before walking towards me, placing a hand on my stomach.

"What's this a- *sharp inhale* ow!!! Okay, taking magic, that answers that! You could've at least asked." I said with no small amount of displeasure in my tone.

"Most wouldn't even know what happened before falling over. The fact you know and are still standing proves you're at least know a bit about magic, I suppose. Doing so proved you're also not an enemy, though your magic is strange compared to everyone else's."

"I can likely explain that in detail, but for now, part of the answer would be that one of my elements is lightning."

"Impossible, that isn't one of the six elements." She didn't believe me. I coated my hand in lightning in response, her expression changing from aggravated to curiosity.

"We might have more to discuss, 'I suppose'?" I asked her, copying her manner of speech.

"I suppose we do. Later though, the others will want to know you're awake. Go back, I'll alert them for you. I trust you'll be ready to explain then?" Her brows were still slightly furrowed, but she had a very faint smile.

"Most likely. I'm Manus by the way." I said as I opened the door to leave.

"Beatrice."

I didn't have to wait long after returning. Two maids who looked like polar opposites of each other greeted me, twins actually. One with pink hair covering one eye red eye, the other with light blue hair covering her other blue eye.

"They're actually kind of cute. Under any other circumstance, I'd joke about being rewarded like this."

"So, are we expecting more company, or are we about to move somewhere?" I asked them.

"We are awaiting Miss Emilia." The blue one answered.

"Indeed, Miss Emilia is on her way as we speak." The red one basically repeated.

"Okay? While we're waiting, could you tell me your names? I'd rather not refer to you by colors any longer than I have to."

"This is my sister, Rem."

"And this is my sister, Ram." The red and blue ones answered respectively.

"And I'm-"

*knock knock*

Emilia was standing in the opened doorway, dressed probably in the same clothes she slept in. "I'm glad to see you're all right, Manus. Nothing feels off, I hope?"

"Well my insides are still inside, so I think everything's fine. Was it you or Nova there who saved me?" I asked, pointing to the bird who was now waking up.

"It was both. Your wound was so severe I wasn't sure I could save you, but I think I saw teardrops fall on it. The wound looked like it was healing that much faster." She answered as Nova flew towards me, landing on my shoulder.

"Phoenix tears are amazing. She hasn't been flying for too long, but her tears are still pretty strong for her age. Give her a year or two and she'd probably be able to heal even worse in seconds. As things stand though, I'm not sure her tears would've been enough, so thank you."

"After you risked your life for me so many times when you didn't even know me, it's only natural I return the favor."

"If our positions were reversed, I'm sure you would've done the same for me. Anyway, I've spent long enough inside, could you walk us outside in case anything goes wrong?"

"Of course!"

Finally being able to get some fresh air, I let Nova fly around as she pleased. There weren't many opportunities back in Xelroth for her to be as free as she is now, life in a city can be a little tight after all. Being a moonshadow phoenix, she would actually be more comfortable at night, but I didn't want to take those kinds of risks back home. In an open field like this though, that won't be an issue.

"So does anyone else live here? I've already met Beatrice and heard her mention a 'Margrave Roswaal', but this place feels a little large for just five or six people."

"It's just us actually. Though I agree, it is a bit excessive."

"'A bit'? That's an understatement, but if he prefers a home like this, who am I to say otherwise?"

"That's one way to look at it, but home is home." Puck materialized from behind Emilia.

"Hey, spirit, what happened back there?" I asked referring to the fight with Elsa, pretending to not know the answer.

"I'm sorry about that! I ran out of mana before I could actually join the fight. It would have gone a whole lot differently if I could've stayed a little longer. Thanks for protecting Lia while I was out!" He said gratefully.

"I made an adequate meat shield! In all seriousness though, it wasn't a problem, she helped save my life in return, so we can say we're even."

"Not exactly, but we'll get into that later. For now though, you should take it easy." Emilia warned.

"Admittedly, I've never been one for physical activity, so that shouldn't be an issue. The recovery aside, you're probably in better condition than I am. But if it'll make you feel better, I promise not to hurt myself without you being there to heal me." I said jokingly.

"I'd prefer you not hurt yourself at all." She giggled before looking past me. "What brings you two out here?" She asked the twins, who bowed as they greeted us.

"Miss Emilia, our Lord, Master Roswaal has returned. Please, come inside." They said at the same time.

"Is that just their thing, or are Roswaal's tastes 'unique'?" I thought as I took a look at Nova, who was looking for food herself.

"Has your morning improved since my interruption?" I asked Beatrice as we entered the dining room.

"It has, I suppose." She answered in the same tone as when we met.

"Betty! Haven't seen you in four days! Hope you've been staying well and lady-like?" Puck greeted her.

"Hello, Bubby!" She smiled, her eyes practically sparkling.

"Well her personality did a complete 180°."

"I've been waiting so eagerly for you to come home! Will you stay with me today, if you suppose?"

"Sure thing! Today's the day we can finally relax together!" He flew into her hands and she spun around in joy.

"What did I just witness?" I asked Emilia.

"Those two are good friends, Beatrice just can't get enough of him." She answered.

"My my~, how unu~sual to see you see you here, Beatrice. I'm so happy you're dining with me, I do ever so love your company, and treasure our times together!" A man dressed like a jester greeted her upon entry, but she paid him no mind.

"I guess we're just waiting on the Margrave then?"

"Manus, that man is actually-"

"Oh no, it's quite alright, Miss Emilia. I'll handle the introduction." He looked down to speak to me. "I am in fact the Lord of this manor, Roswaal L. Mathers, so very pleased to make your acquaintance, Manus, right?"

"I am so glad I keep my mouth shut as often as I do. I might've lost a hand if I actually said he looked like a jester back home."

"Please, have a sea~t. I would so lo~ve to meet the savior of Miss Emilia." He invited me to the table.

*stomach growling*

"Well, even if I wanted to say no, that's not an option." I took a seat by Emilia. Taking spoonful of the soup, the flavor was for lack of a better way to put it, the best I've ever had. "My compliments to the chef, I can think of a few diners back home that would love to have them."

"Ah~ that would be Rem's cooking. Despite her appearance, she is a wonderful cook." He praised Rem, who stood to his left.

"That's an understatement. So, I assume you wanted more than just to meet me?"

"Indeed, for you are a rather unique individual in a very peculiar position. You come to the mansion of Margrave Mathers in the kingdom of Lugu~nica, and you say you don't understand a thing."

"It should come as no surprise. Though I can't exactly prove it, I'm not from this world, and how I got here is anyone's guess. One moment, I'm in a school environment, the next I'm in a plaza I don't recognize. Thankfully, the only differences worth noting so far are the differences in magic and the fact I am by this world's standards, illiterate. The latter can be fixed as we go." I spent the next several minutes explaining to the best of my ability what I think happened and answering questions as they came. Some of it was said the first time, before Elsa killed me, but they wouldn't remember that of course. I doubt all of them believe me, but while it would make things easier, I don't need them to.

"Troubling indee~d, I'm afraid we can't help with returning you home. Even with mine or Beatrice's vast knowledge, such a thing is beyond us."

"If it was intentional, a spell gone wrong, or a God, I don't think there's much that can be done. It would've taken an insane amount of power to transport me from the capital of Xelroth to any other city in the country. The fact I've been sent to another world means either the God of Space, Locus, or a mortal with godlike power was involved. Neither of which I can do anything about. In truth, I had no idea what I wanted to do back home, this might actually turn out better. So you sounded like you were about to go into something else before we got caught up in that."

"I was. For you see, Lugu~nica isn't in what you'd call an agreeable state. It is without a king after all, and shortly after he went into hiding, an epidemic spread throughout the castle. With no heir chosen, the kingdom is led instead by a council of wisemen, which is currently in the process of selecting a new ki~ng." He explained.

"Why does he linger on words every time he speaks?"

"And to top it off, you've made contact with Miss Emilia, a direct connection to my household. A~h the dilemma."

"So in other words, I saved a candidate for this country's next ruler, who from what I understand, is being supported by you. Meaning a foreign entity has, for better or worse, become quite involved in the royal selection. Said entity, me, is owed greatly by present parties involved." I finished for him.

"Indeed, though beyond your initial encounter, it is your~ choice to become any more involved in the selection. But putting that on hold for a moment, you deserve a reward. Just name it, and it is yours!" He offered graciously.

"Let's put a pin on that. You're practically offering the world to a guy who has no idea what he wants, nevermind having no idea what this world has to offer. For the time being, I think it would be best to focus on familiarizing myself with the written word of Lugunica and, since my family didn't raise a freeloader, a job." I'll cash it in later, if I think about it.

"Hhmm you make a fair poi~nt. Then allow me to welcome you into the service of House Mathers, Rem and Ram will make excellent teachers and coworkers, I assure you. When we're done eating, they would be more~ than happy to show you to the dressroom."

So the dressroom didn't have anything in my size, the twins had to take my measurements while Emilia went off to study for the selection. Afterwards, Ram gave me a tour around the mansion while Rem prepared my uniform.

"And this is the restroom."

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to be either normal, or unnecessarily extravagant compared to everything else?" I opened the door to see Beatrice playing with Puck. "I thought you- oh! I get it. Also, I saw nothing." I closed the door.

We continued on, it wasn't until dusk that we finished Ram's chores. Having never worked in my life, it gave me a new perspective of the working class. I personally never had any problems, but, well, "a day in their shoes" and all. Rem brought my uniform to my new room to try on later and it fit perfectly.

"Once again, she would've been very desirable for quite a few establishments back home. If I were selected as Archmage despite not wanting the position, I would've chosen her to make the robes."

"What would you like done with those?" She asked, referring to my school uniform.

"I actually have no use for them now. Though there is one thing I'd like to keep from it." I pulled out a small watch from it.

"What is that?"

"A keepsake. It was something given to all new students at Chroma that served multiple purposes. Time, identification, and a sort of tracker for how much we've advanced our magic. It's also where I kept pictures of my family." I opened it up to show her.

"It has sentimental value then?"

"That's right. Nova was the only other thing I was able to take with me since she practically lived in my shadow. Speaking of..." I opened the window and whistled; Nova came flying in a few seconds later. "Did you enjoy yourself?" She rubbed her head into my hand.

"The two of you are rather close." Rem commented.

"Phoenixes are considered sacred back home, enough so that mistreatment of one is usually grounds for severe punishments. Truly beautiful creatures. The only other one I've ever seen in person was a cryophoenix under Seres's moon a few winters ago. If I were a painter, it would've been too beautiful to sell. I've kept you long enough though, we both have a busy day tomorrow."

"That we do. Rest well, Manus."

The chores weren't too difficult, more numerous than anything. I mostly just helped out Ram as Rem did most of the work. Then every evening, Ram would teach me to read and write, which became a little easier as I wrote down Xelroth's language for comparison. She wasn't really a bad teacher, just a little strict, but that's good sometimes, and she had a habit of falling asleep on my bed. Almost a week later, and I woke up in the same position I was in when I met Rem and Ram. I was in the robe, we hadn't met, I started five or six days over again.

"Another Death Loop?"

Admittedly, I was feeling weak before I fell asleep, but that could be attributed to how tired I was. If it was a curse, my own dark magic should've been able to fight it off like the body fights off a cold. If that was the case, then it's a matter of figuring out when and what cursed me if it was strong enough to kill me through my natural defenses. If it was poison, the others could've been targeted as well. Otherwise, someone killed any number of us in our sleep. The best option I can think of right now is to follow through with the days leading up to my death to figure out what actually happened. There's a decent chance the threat enters the mansion, so I'll leave for a short time with the intent to "pay back" the alchemist I "acquired" the vials from.

The days continued as they did before. I helped around the mansion, learned to read and write thanks to Ram, and had the occasional chance to talk to Emilia with Puck, and Beatrice. Then near the end, Rem had me come with her to the nearby village, where I entertained the kids with my familiars of various sizes. The only difference this time around is that I didn't get bitten by a dog, but that was it. On the final day, I asked Roswaal for an early pay check and went on my way. I had my familiars search from up high for any good vantage points and found a path up a cliff, overlooking the manor. It wasn't until around dusk that I heard chains and something heavy being dragged on the ground. Once I heard the dragging stop, I molded with the shadows to avoid a large metal ball with spikes on it, embedding itself into the wall instead before I returned to a physical form.

"Okay, that's new. Not seeing anyone enter the mansion means I might have been the only target."

"A shame, I was hoping to end this quickly." Rem stepped out from the shadows, holding the handle for her unreasonably long and large flail. Seeing that the threat was her, and likely Ram too, my will to fight just 'died' in a sense.

"Seeing that you're here, I'm betting Ram isn't too far behind."

"I intended to finish this before my sister saw anything. If you won't resist, I can make this quick."

"I'm not going to fight you, but I'm not going to let you kill me either. You can't kill me, Rem. So tell me why?"

"It is our duty to eliminate any suspicious individuals. That is all."

"I'm not an enemy, and as hard as it might be to believe, I've never lied to any of you. So I'll ask again, why? Ask me a-"

*high pitched sound*

I blocked an incoming wind slash with ash, then changed it to a sword with the edge ablaze to cut the chain on Rem's flail.

"So Ram is here as well now? Back to what I was saying, ask me anything, and I'll answer. Whether you're friends or servants of Roswaal and Emilia, I'd rather not kill you if I don't have to for survival. Then again, if killing me for being-"

*high pitched sounds*

"Again???"

Same attack, same response.

"As I was saying, if you really are just doing your jobs, then there's a fair chance Roswaal knows, unless he asks you to keep him out of such business. Now, we can handle this like reasonable adults, or you two can keep trying and failing to kill me." Ram finally stepped into view as Rem looked at me with rage. "Well go on, believe it or not, you're at my mercy, and I can easily escape if I want to, yet I'm choosing to try and meet you halfway. You owe me answers at least." I blasted the cliff Rem's flail was embedded into with enough force to launch it back to her.

"And if anything goes wrong, I've probably got more Death Loops or whatever these are actually called."

"To sweeten the deal, I can even curse myself so lying will inflict intense pain on me, which would enable you to kill me while I'm writhing in agony. Will this suffice?" I asked them.

"If you insist on doing this the hard way-"

"I'm offering solutions that don't involve mindless bloodshed, Ram! Whatever I did, I'm sorry! Whatever you think I'm guilty of, I'm asking that you let me plead my case instead of murdering me for a crime I don't even know I'm guilty of!... How do you expect me to just accept this without explanation? How can you expect me to fight someone seriously when until this point, they've done nothing to deserve it?"

"This will either end very well, or very poorly, but I'm going ahead with the curse."

I formed an ash claw on my finger and began carving runes into my other arm. I'm not going to worry about it scarring since I'm either going to die, or I'll be able to heal it with blood magic. Element: Darkness. Level: 3. Type: Curse. Target: Self. Condition: Lies. Result: Pain. Duration: 5 seconds. Most of the time, only three or four runes are needed for the desired result, like with Elsa, but this required more. Afterwards, it was a matter of charging the runes, which will be active until they're out of magic, or until I heal the wounds, whichever happens first.

"Each of these runes serve a specific purpose. All together make lying an undesirable choice. They won't kill me, but anyone else would wish they did if these activated. Empowered by blood magic by carving them into my body, the effects will be more intense." I pointed to each rune, all of them glowing a dark purple with black mist seeping out of them. "Now if I lie, I'd be at your mercy for the next 5 seconds. This is the best chance to clear things up. If there is any part of you that doesn't wish to kill me, please listen to it." I pleaded with them.

"We couldn't believe you anyway, all you've done is waste time and mana." Ram said, trying to point out the flaws in my 'plan', if you can call it that.

"Maybe, but unless you have a better idea that doesn't involve murder, it's all I've got. Now ask your questions so we can get this over with, go back to working together for Roswaal and Emilia, and we can pretend this never happened."

"Are you affiliated with other candidates in the selection?" Rem finally started asking questions.

"I hadn't even been in this world for a day before I met Emilia. Do you seriously think I became that involved that quickly? No, I'm not affiliated with anyone else but her."

"Who do you really work for?"

"Haven't you been paying attention? The only people I've ever served are the same two you serve."

"Why do you serve them?"

"Roswaal was willing to hire an unemployed, broke, and illiterate school 'drop out' simply because I asked after helping Emilia. I'm employed by him, but I'd say I serve her."

"Answer the question!!" Rem's voice cracked.

"The way she lives her life. She's too generous, too selfless, too kind even to those undeserving. Just as Puck senses no malice or hostility in me, I can't see even the slightest bit of fear or hate in her eyes, yet, her blood has made her life difficult, which would justify her actions if her morality was reversed. She's a better person than I could ever hope to be, but someone like her would be too easy to manipulate or outright remove from the picture. That is why. Call it curiosity and adoration."

"Cut the crap!!! I refuse to believe such lies when you so badly reek of the Witch's scent!" She shouted.

"You'll have to be a little more specific. The only witches I've ever had anything to do with were far from evil. One was a dark mage who charged almost nothing to remove curses, one was a loner in the forest near the city, and the other ran a brothel! The absolute worst any of them did was the first one who slept around a little! If you're smelling anyone, it would be her from eight months ago! Why are you a maid and not a Bloodhound??!!"

"Don't play games with me!! After everything your kind put us through, after everything the Witch's Cult has done, you think you can just walk into our home and act friendly with everyone??!! The thought of you conversing with any of them, especially my sister, sickens me to my core!!!" Rem still won't believe me.

"Fine, then let's try this. My name isn't Manus." The runes on my arm glowed brighter and I fell over, screaming, like someone just inflicted every pain imaginable on my arm. Stabbing myself at the loot house was nothing compared to the agony I chose to endure in the attempt to get them to believe me.

"You're only wasting time, but-"

"I am of the Witch's Cult!" I interrupted Ram. I nearly lost consciousness after this one, but to my surprise, Ram looked like she was coming around. Rem on the other hand, looked uncertain.

"Making progress, but I'm certain I won't be able to lie again."

Once the pain subsided, I shakily stood up and walked towards the cliff. A fall from here will almost certainly kill me.

"It's as I said, I don't want to fight, but I don't want to die either. I'm not your enemy, I don't support anyone else in the selection, and I don't know what witch you're even talking about. We're already past the point of no return from the looks of it, so do two things for me? Take care of Nova for me, and do everything in your power to help Emilia. So with that said, see you next time around." And with that, I took the plunge.

I found myself in the bedroom again when and where I met the twins. After breakfast with Roswaal, I decided to hold off again on cashing in the favor, but also held off on getting the job from him. That encounter with the twins prompted me to meet with Beatrice to ask about the Witch.

"Yes, I can smell it on you, stronger than before, I suppose."

"In truth, I don't know how or why I have her scent. The last witch I interacted with was eight months ago, but someone's scent should be long gone by that point."

"Indeed. When people talk about the Witch, they're actually referring to one in particular, the Witch of Envy, Satella."

"I am so glad I didn't refer to Emilia as Satella during my second life. Also, why would she take on the name of someone that sounds like she's hated by everyone?"

"Well that about confirms the witches I know aren't involved. None of them bore the names of the Seven Deadly Sins. What can you tell me about her and the cult?"

"The Witch was so starved of love that over 400 years ago destroyed half the known world and killed the other Witches of Sin. It took the combined efforts of the first Sword Saint, the Dragon, Volcanica, and the Great Sage just to seal her away. As for the cult itself, it's comprised of worshippers of the Witch, their Archbishops having inherited each of the other witches' Authorities. A truly insane sort, I suppose."

"She reminds me of someone like her several hundred years ago back home. They also needed the most powerful people in the world just to seal away a threat who did things just as bad for less. What was that about 'Authorities'?"

"A power that will manifest itself differently with each user, but will at it's core, be the same. You could say that Authorities are the antithesis of Divine Protections, though using them will chip away at a person, even more so if the two are incompatible."

"If that's the case, I think I know why I have her scent now."

"And why do you suppose that?"

"Believe it or not, I've di-..."

"..."

"Why did time stop?"

Darkness began to form in front of me, eventually shifting to form a hand from the center that would extend towards me, reaching into my chest.

"Okay okay okay! I get it, I'll take the hint!"

The hand began to caress my heart as I stood there, unable to even blink. Afterwards, it grabbed my heart and gave it a tight enough squeeze to cement the message, but not enough to actually hurt me.

"I'm sorry! I'll keep my mouth shut! I get the message! I'll be a good boy!"

The hand withdrew and the darkness subsided, time resuming shortly afterwards.

"Ah forget I was saying anything. So Authorities can deprive one of their sanity, the effects even worse if they're incompatible. Assuming the Authority of Envy didn't originally belong to Satella, and assuming she wasn't a willing recipient, could it be removed without killing her?" I asked, Beatrice slammed her book shut.

"Why would you want to know that?!"

"Because dark mages like me have a natural resistance to curses, and Authorities would classify as such due to their effects on the mind. It's not uncommon for us to extract curses from people and just let our magic fight it off as if it were an infection in our bodies. If that's the case for Satella, her actions could be attributed to her Authority depending on the extent of her insanity. If she was a willing recipient, then she should be held accountable for it. If not, then she's just as much a victim, with a lifetime of repentance ahead of her."

"You don't fear the name of the Witch, and you talk of wanting to help the scum of the world! Do you even hear yourself?"

"Loud and clear! Now can it happen or not?"

"Unfortunately for you, that information isn't in this library."

"I won't push it then. Well, I've bugged you long enough. I'll see you later."

"I suppose you will. Next time, I'll be asking the questions."

"By all means!"

After spending a day in the library answering Beatrice's questions so she'll have more knowledge to add to the library, I wanted to speak to Emilia. She's not studying right now, so she's likely outside, probably either enjoying a walk with Puck, or talking to the lesser spirits in the area. She was in the gardens out front, laughing about something with Puck. Seeing me as I stepped out, she welcomed me over.

"I see you two are enjoying yourselves. Room for one more?"

"Nope! She's mine!" Puck said in a playful tone.

"Too bad, not a request!"

"Fear not, Lia! I'll protect you from this villain!" He flew up to me and began lightly punching my cheek.

"Emilia, Puck is picking on me!" I pretended to be a victim and 'cowered' from him.

"Haha! Justice prevails once more!" He announced triumphantly.

"Evil always finds a way, my adorable little feline friend!" I used shadow tendrils to bind him.

"That's cheating!" He slipped out and began showering me small, but harmless blocks of ice.

"To quote a favorite song of mine, 'honor means nothing, for war is unfair'. Now accept your fate!"

"Never!"

"Stop it, you two!" Emilia giggled, then escalated to full blown laughter.

"And just like that, nothing can ruin this day." I said to no one in particular.

"Agreed." Puck nodded his head.

"So what brings you out here?" Emilia asked once she finally came down.

"Nothing important, I just wanted to see a friend, and ask her opinion." I answered.

"What did you need?"

"I'll likely still be thinking about it for a while regardless, but do you think I should take Reinhard's advice? Or should I actually get a job from Roswaal?"

"Well, I'd rather you not put yourself in more danger than necessary, and Rem and Ram I'm sure wouldn't mind an extra set of hands."

"If you wanted me around that badly, you could've just said so! All joking aside, we haven't really had the chance to talk, and there was something I wanted to test as well." Emilia tilted her head slightly.

"Something you wanted to test?"

"Something to see if the magic in our worlds is different enough to classify as such. I know you're a spirit arts user, but I at least want to see if you'll be able to summon familiars anyway." I summoned a few dark wolves as I said this.

"What would I have to do? Is it dangerous?"

"That's the fun part! I have no idea! Ice is classified as fire here, but a sub-element of water back home. Now, assuming you can't use your own mana since you use the mana around you instead, I'm honestly expecting this to go in every direction at once! If you're up for it, I'd be happy to try to teach you the spell."

"Sorry, but I'll have to set my paw down on this one. This isn't something I'm willing to risk." Puck refused.

"I'll have to agree with Puck on this one. Sorry." Emilia apologized.

"I wasn't expecting otherwise, but thought I'd offer anyway. Have your studies been going well?" I changed topics.

"Yes, actually." As she answered me, her expression changed to look a little more serious.

"Something on your mind?"

"...Have you thought about what you wanted from me or Roswaal?"

"Honestly? No. I can't really think of anything I'd want that I'd need the favor to obtain, and unless Beatrice's library has a means of sending me home, that's out of the question."

"I'm sorry, but that isn't something any of us can do." She apologized.

"It's not your fault, and there's nothing I can do about it right now, so all I can do is make the best of it."

"Well that's one way to look at it." Puck commented.

"It's not a particularly bad situation. I'm away from home, yes, but I'm thinking I might enjoy life here better. The company so far has been pleasant, so I don't really have a reason to complain"

"I'm glad to hear it! Listen, I know you're not worrying about my debt to you, but if you need anything, anything at all, I'll do everything in my power to repay you!" Emilia looked at me seriously.

"I wouldn't worry about it so much. There were four other people back home who owed me favors for years, and I never got back to them. But if owing me is bugging you that much, then I know how you can pay me back."

"It's nothing inappropriate, I hope?" Puck asked in a tone that promised death.

"Like that would stop me at this point."

"How about this: I'm the kind of person who has a habit of not stopping until I'm done, or until it finally hits me that there's nothing more I can do. If you see I'm at or past that point, reel me in, forcefully if you have to in order to get me to stop and get some rest. How's that sound?"

"Hehe, I can do that." She smiled at the small favor.

"Great! Because I'm probably about to start doing that if Roswaal's hiring."

"Good luck! You'll need it." Puck said, almost like he's expecting me to overwork myself.

"So~, Manus. Am I to understand that you wish to serve House Mathers?" Roswaal asked to be certain he heard right.

"While I could just live here as a permanent resident, I'm sure, not only would that be boring, but my family didn't raise a freeloader. So if you'll have me?"

"Is this the favor, or a simple jo~b application?"

"Just an application."

"Then consider yourself employed! I'll send for Rem and Ram to get you situated."

Afterwards, it was a matter of working until the final day when the twins try to kill me, or the curse that might have done so. Rather, I waited until the day before instead in case it was a curse. Best case scenario, I'm right and can strike preemptively, worst case scenario, I'm wrong and the twins try to kill me again. Once we were in town, I entertained the kids there with familiars again as the twins did the shopping, and tried to befriend the dog again to no avail. This time though, I was more alert and felt something off about the bite. Wanting a second opinion I figured it would be best to ask Beatrice once we reached the mansion. As we arrived, Roswaal was just leaving.

"Ah~, I see you three are together, good. That will save me precious time on my way out." He greeted.

"This didn't happen before, what changed? Us not being here should've had nothing to do with this."

"Lord Roswaal." The twins bowed.

"Going somewhere? You look like you're dressed for a meeting." I noted how he changed to a suit.

"Indeed! The one I'm meeting with is absolutely drea~dful to deal with in normal attire, so I had to switch to dress clothes for the occasion. You see, I received message earlier that came with some troubling news, so I'm off to do my rounds. With that said, I don't expect to be home tonight." He explained.

"Any chance it will impact the village or the mansion?"

"That I don't know. While I'm away, I trust you two to look after the mansion." He looked between the twins, then walked over to me, placing his hand on my shoulder and lowering himself to speak. "And I trust you to look after Miss Emilia."

"So basically, keep doing what I've been doing."

"Essentially. Look after things while I'm away~, everyone!" He flew up, then bolted off faster than any high-level wind or lightning mage I've ever seen.

"Can you two get started without me? I need to talk to Beatrice first."

"Why can't it wait until later?" Ram asked.

"Because if it's a false alarm, then I'll only be a few minutes behind you. Otherwise, at least one of us is heading back to the village."

"We already bought everything we needed though." Rem stated.

"You'll have an answer soon." I walked past them and opened a few doors to find Beatrice, who was still reading like she always is.

"What brings you here at this hour?" Beatrice asked with a curious expression.

"The short answer is that I need you to confirm something. I was bitten by a dog earlier, but it feels off for lack of a better way to put it." I answered.

"Off how?"

"I can't exactly explain it, it's almost like the feeling you get when you're expecting something to go horribly wrong, not exactly dread, but like you're feeling it before you actually feel it."

"Let me see." She approached, then stopped for a second to sniff the air. "You appear to be right, I suppose. Kneel for a moment." Her hand glowed as she placed it near my head. Seconds later, my hand began to burn a little, darkness seeping from the wound.

"Yeah, I figured." My other hand glowed a dark purple as I placed it over the bite, the darkness fading away shortly after.

"So, you really can dispel curses, not many can do that. You don't seem the least bit fazed by this revelation though, you could've died after all." She commented on how calm I am.

"Panicking won't accomplish anything and would've only made me look like a fool if you intended to do it yourself anyway. Delayed curses are usually a lot more subtle back home, so I'll have to see if I can learn that spell after I'm done. I know I'm pushing it, but I need you to tell Rem and Ram to meet me by the entrance."

"I wouldn't for anyone else I suppose. Consider yourself fortunate."

"Thank you!"

"Beatrice said to meet with you, but didn't say what for." Ram said as she approached with Rem.

"The short version is that Beatrice confirmed a suspicion of mine. The dog that bit me cursed me and has likely cursed others, which is why I'm heading back, and I'd like one of you on standby in case things go wrong.""

"But if we follow Lord Roswaal's orders to the letter, there would be no reason for either of us to go with you." Rem said.

"Not just people, but kids are about to die, and your more worried about following orders? I can't tell if I should be amazed at how loyal and obedient you are, or your complete lack of concern for people who are practically right in front of you? If you'll recall, his orders to me were to look after Emilia, and we all know what she would do in this situation."

"*sigh* Rem, go with him. I'll confirm things with Miss Beatrice and guard Miss Emilia." Ram sided with me albeit reluctantly.

"Sister, you shouldn't-"

"Manus, are you going somewhere?" Emilia asked as she descended the stairs. "I heard voices and came to see what was going on. Is something happening?"

"Most likely, but nothing you'll need to worry about." I answered.

"I'll bet you're about to do something dangerous again, aren't you?"

"Yes, but it can't be more dangerous than Elsa. Besides, things are actually in my favor right now. Don't worry, I promise I'll be back."

"I know you'll be careful, but you'd better keep your word!" She placed a hand on my chest. "Go with grace. May the blessings of the spirits be with you."

"Aaww, she said a prayer for me."

"Well now I'm definitely coming back." I took a step outside. "Nova, you around?" I called out, she landed on my shoulder a few seconds later, then I summoned a large wolf familiar to ride on. "We're set, let's get to it!"

Arriving at the village, the residents were already in a panic searching for missing children. Running back to the edge of town, there were tracks leading into the forest.

"The barrier's been broken!" Rem pointed towards a crystal that wasn't lit up like the rest.

"What exactly was that keeping out?"

"Mabeasts, magic creatures of the Witch's creation, and they roam free beyond this point." She explained.

"So that's how it is?" I turned to the villager. "Spread the word about what's happening, I'll send the bird when we've found them so you all can bring them home. I'm going in." I climbed over the fence, only to be stopped by Rem as the villager left.

"Wait! What are you doing?!"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm saving whoever I can."

"But with Lord Roswaal away, how can you be sure this isn't an attempt to lure us away from the mansion?"

"That would mean someone's plan hinged entirely on whether someone noticed I was cursed, and that would've been a very poorly thought-out plan at best in more ways than one. Besides, what do you expect me to do, knowing I'm the only one who can help? Their blood isn't going to be on my hands."

"But why go so far? What do you have to gain for this?"

"Absolutely nothing. As for why? Call it Envy, though that's probably not the right word here." I answered, wanting to see her reaction to my choice of words.

"'Envy', you say?" Rem's tone changed to sound more aggressive.

"One wants to be a seamstress, one wants to be like his father, one wants to show his mother just how much he loves her, one is excited to have a baby sister, and two are arguing to see who's going to marry the girl of their dreams. I don't know their names off the top of my head, but unlike me, they have dreams for the future. I was taken away from my family and I imagine they're torn up about it, and what? I'm just expected to sit idly by as this village digs empty graves? I envy them, but I don't want them to get hurt because they have something I don't! It's because I envy them that I want them to live."

"Now how will this affect you, I wonder?"

"Then I'm coming with you. I was ordered to watch over you, so I can't leave you alone." She calmed down enough that her previous aggression was no longer present as she pulled out her flail from out of nowhere.

"Not going to question that one."

I had Nova fly above us as Rem lead the search. I wanted to ask why she's a maid and not a tracker of sorts, but I didn't want to think back to that death loop. She eventually led us to a clearing where six of the seven kids were all lying in a circle, each with bite marks.

"Well it's official, either someone wanted this, or Mabeasts have a certain way to do things."

"The fact they're even alive in the first place is a miracle, unless someone or something wants to turn seven victims into a few dozen. In which case, someone's a sick bastard, or this is an intelligent predator."

"It's a long shot, but can you undo the curses on them?" I asked Rem.

"No, we would need Miss Beatrice for that."

"Can you buy time and cover me then? Back-to-back, I can undo maybe four of them, and Nova should be able to do the same for the other two here, but then I'd be low enough on mana that I wouldn't be much good if we're attacked, and the other kid might not make it."

"What do you mean about Nova?"

"Kids are dying, and you want to know how a holy creature can help? Given, it can because it has darkness, but the point still stands!"

"Her tears can lift curses and heal people, but a death curse will take her focusing entirely on those two for a few minutes each, minutes they might not have, but should be enough for Beatrice to arrive."

"I can heal them enough to stabilize them, it won't be enough to save them." Light emitted from her hands and one's condition already improved. Just as she began, one of the girls woke up, begging me to help the missing child.

"On your death bed, and you're more concerned about your friend? Admirable, but your priorities are backwards."

"Very well. Change of plans, after I help three of them, I'm going for the other girl." I informed Rem as I did just that.

"Wait! If she's been taken by the Mabeasts, it may already be too late!" She warned against this.

"And in which case, I'm going on a bloody massacre. Trust me when I say there will be vengeance."

"You have no personal reason to go in there, you wouldn't be avenging anything, killing just to kill."

"And what we're dealing with is no better. If your suspicion was correct, someone fucked in the head is going to die soon. If I'm right, then what we're dealing with is a better hunter than most people who've been doing it their entire lives. Besides, these kids have you until the villagers arrive, then they'll also have Nova in case you're all attacked. As young as she is, she's still dangerous to anything she deems a threat. They're in good hands." I took a step forward, but she stopped me.

"We still don't know the magnitude of the threat, nor do we know where the child is. Not to mention if you get lost, I might not be able to find you."

"You're right on the first two, you don't have to worry about the third, and we both know that's bullshit. I have the Witch's scent after all." She looked up at me in alarm.

"How do you know-"

"I don't know how or why I have her scent. The last witch I had any interaction with was almost a year ago, before I was sent here. Though having her scent probably means for whatever reason, I was pulled to this world instead." I turned to her. "I know you don't trust me, and not knowing as much as you do, I can't understand why. Until I read a book a few days ago, I never even heard of the Witch, Satella, so I'm still kind of blissfully ignorant of quite a few things. Whether you trust me enough to believe I'm not an enemy, or if you don't, perhaps even hate me enough to kill me, it doesn't matter right now. Their lives are worth more than both."

"And if I didn't trust you, what would you do?"

"I wouldn't fight you, but I wouldn't let you kill me either. I'd just let you and Ram tire yourselves out to the point that we'd have to talk, then we'd just work our way from there. Now if you'll excuse me, there's another kid that needs saving." I ran off into the forest before she could protest further.

Along the way, I would frequently send out familiars to scout out the area. More specifically, I'd send them out and wait several seconds after they traveled far enough. The further I went, the more dread I felt. The kind where you're fully expecting something to attack, but it seemingly never comes. A few minutes later, I found a body near a fallen tree. It was the girl who held the pup earlier.

"Still breathing? Sorry, but I can't afford to undo the curse right now, so you'll have to endure a little longer."

*growling*

A large, horned dog with glowing red eyes and ribs emerged from the bushes. It almost looked like it was smiling, as though it was a serial killer about to claim it's next victim.

"Dogs are typically in packs, is that not the case here?"

"I was expecting something more intelligent, but the fact you're not running says you don't fit the bill." As i said this, it disappeared into the shadows, keeping it's movements silent until it jumped out from behind me. If I moved, it would've hurt the girl, so I stood my ground. I used dark magic to bind it like I did with Puck earlier, and thanks to it being dark out, there was more for me to work with. Stronger too since light is at it's lowest here. Catching it out of the air, I slammed it into the ground and stabbed it with an ash dagger as the tendrils crushed it's ribs. It stopped moving a couple seconds later.

"I love magic, I really do."

*more growling*

"Huh, thirty against one? Well that's not fair-" I commented as more than I felt like counting made themselves known. As I summoned a few dark werewolves, one leapt at me. "-for you anyway!" One of the werewolves intercepted it and cursed it while biting the throat. As more began to approach, Rem finally caught up.

"The villagers have retrieved the children, thank you for buying time."

"Good, and Nova's with them?"

"Yes,-" She swung her flail around to kill a few that were going after her. "-and my sister, as well as Miss Emilia and Miss Beatrice are already there as well."

"Good! Makes my job easier!" I picked up the child. "Now where to the village?!"

"That way!" She pointed back where I came from.

I didn't pay any attention to much else besides what I was doing. All I heard for the most part was chains and Mabeasts dying. Eventually, I could see torchlight, I turned around to make sure Rem wasn't too far behind, but she was covered in blood and very noticeably injured, and my familiars were following close behind. I debated giving her the child and holding off the Mabeasts, but before I could come to a decision, I felt the ground shaking. Before I could react, Rem pushed me out of the way of a landslide, getting caught in it herself.

"Rem??!!" I gave the child to a wolf familiar large enough to safely carry her the rest of the way and tried to make my way towards Rem. After taking just a few steps, she stood back up, but something was off. A horn that looked like it was made out of energy protruded from her forehead and she had a psychotic expression, laughing and screaming like she's in a blood rage as she slaughtered several with ease.

"Well that's not the least bit concerning, that definitely would've been trouble in the last death loop. Should I let her work this out of her system?"

As I was debating this, several tried to pounce on her from above. I dashed towards her with lightning and pushed her away, then blocked her attackers with ash, then set them ablaze as they made contact. Looking towards Rem, she seemed to have regained her sanity. Just as quickly did she regain her sanity did a few pounce on me from behind, pinning me and my familiars to the ground as they bit into my limbs and various places on my torso.

I don't remember losing consciousness, but I regained it underneath an unfamiliar ceiling. I tried getting up, but I was immediately stopped by pain all over my body. Examining my arms revealed the wounds had been healed, likely by either Emilia who was sleeping across the room, or Nova if she had any more tears to spare. Probably Emilia if considering how tired she looks.

"How can people fear, much less hate you when you're that devoted to protecting people?"

"You're awake?! That's good news!" Puck flew out of Emilia's hair and landed on top of me.

"Hey, Puck! She's been here since I was brought back I'm guessing?"

"That's right, she used all her resources right down to her Od to heal you. It's a good thing you didn't go alone, that's for sure! We should let her rest."

"I'll definitely have to make it up to Emilia eventually, though I know she would say I don't owe her anything and try to say I shouldn't. Speaking of not going alone, what happened to Rem?"

"She's fine, her Demon transformation let her heal really fast. She took most of the damage, but she had no injuries by the time she carried you back."

"And the kids? What about the barrier?"

"Nothing to worry about! Betty and I took care of those, though most were already saved from the curses. Did you do that?"

"Yup. Perk of being a dark mage. Well, as sore as I am, I can't stay in bed. Think you can put her on the bed after I leave without disturbing her?"

"Nope."

"It was worth asking. Well, I'm off." He flew off and I got out of the bed.

"Later!"

I quietly left the house and immediately met up with Ram, who was carrying a basket of potatoes.

"Ansum, you're awake." Ram greeted.

"That's new, I honestly can't tell if that's good or bad with her."

"So it would seem. So, about Rem-"

*stomach growling*

"How shameful of you! Pestering others for food so soon after waking up! Eat this!" She tried to force feed me what looked like a potato.

"I'd rather you not try to kill me with food, or at all if possible." I stopped her and took it. "This is pretty good."

"It's freshly made, rather, freshly steamed!" She boasted with a smug look on her face.

"I'll take your word for it."

"About last night, thank you. You did fine work."

"It needed to be done, though it could've gone better. Though what brought this on?"

"If things had not been stopped in their tracks, the lord would've been held accountable for this incident. You were right to do as you did." She said as she looked to a small crowd of the villagers.

"Though I'm not out of the woods yet." She looked at me seriously.

"Explain!"

"I can still feel the curses on me. Since Beatrice and Puck haven't healed me completely, I'm guessing it's beyond their power. Though I still want to give it a shot." I tried to use dark magic, but the second I tried, it's like my insides caught on fire for a split second.

"Ansum, what's wrong?!"

"I don't know! I can't use dark-... And I think I understand! Note to self: Don't use familiars around cursed beasts!"

"I don't follow."

"Our elemental magic is tied to our souls, and familiars are our 'spirit animals' so to speak. I don't know what's different since this didn't happen back home, but I'm thinking my familiars were cursed, and so too is a part of my soul." I explained.

"Meaning you're cursed on an even deeper level, and helping you is beyond our power." Beatrice approached us from the opposite direction of the villagers.

"And where is Rem? Don't tell me she went back in?!" I demanded an answer from her, Ram looked towards her with a mix of dread and anger.

"And what would you do in her position, I suppose?"

"Are curses here also lifted like most back home are when the caster dies?"

"Correct."

"Then she's alone in the forest?!" Ram started running in it's direction, but I stopped her. "Don't get in my way! I can't afford to be as nice to you right now, Manus!"

"Well that answers the question from before."

"Do you know where she is?" I asked her.

"With my clairvoyance, I can find her." She answered.

"And can you fight like her?"

"What does that matter?!"

"I'm going with you! I can't use dark magic, but fire and lightning are still on the table. Now, can you fight like her?!"

"No. I can't fight in my Demon form like Rem can."

"Wait, you're Demons? World differences. Anyway, why can't you?"

"Because unlike Rem, I'm hornless. I can only use a rather extreme bit of wind magic." She demonstrated with a strong gust of wind around us.

"So horns from the sound of it are the source of your power, but I saw what happened after she changed. It would be more of a last resort if the frenzy can't be controlled." I deduced from that small bit of information.

"Correct. Now we need to hurry." I let her pull away from me.

"Going in there would mean giving up on your own life, I suppose." Beatrice said with certainty.

"As one blessed with Death, I can promise that things will be very different this time around. To quote a favorite song of mine, 'where is the enemy when Death is on my side'? We've delayed long enough, I'd like to reclaim my darkness. Tell Emilia I said thanks, and that I'll see her soon!" I formed an ash sword as I moved past them.

I followed Ram into the forest, wanting to know more about the whole "hornless Demon" thing, I asked her for clarity. The short version is that she lost her horn years ago, and while she's come to terms and is even somewhat thankful for it, the same can't be said about Rem. In fact, both are lucky to be alive right now since single horned Demons, twins, are usually disposed of after birth. The thought of killing a child simply because it was born, if I didn't know any better, I would've said their race would've been right at home in the Ashlands with my world's Demons. After an attack from a few Mabeasts, I thought it was time to make a suggestion.

"I have an idea to find Rem, but it's just as likely to backfire on us."

"What is it?"

"I don't know how or why, but I have the Witch's scent, and I can make it stronger at will. Doing so might draw out the Mabeasts, which will draw out Rem as well since she can smell it. Your thoughts?"

"It's as reckless as it is alarming, but I care about finding Rem more than anything right now! Do it!"

"If you insist, just be ready for a fight. I've di-"

Time stopped again like before, as did the sudden darkness and hand from it.

"I wasn't going to tell her, just needed this to happen. Satella, Witch of Envy, or whatever you call yourself, just trust me?"

The hand placed itself on my chest this time but didn't do anything else. It just stopped for a moment before retracting, allowing time to resume. 

"The wind picked up, and I can smell Mabeasts rapidly approaching! What did you do?!"

"Turned myself into bait, just do me a favor and don't tell Emilia. Now get ready!"

She quickly exhausted her magic, and there were too many. I quickly considered just barricading us in an ash shell, but if that landslide was caused by magic, then it would've been just as dangerous. Seeing no better option, I took her and ran, eventually being forced to jump off a cliff and carried down by a bird familiar.

"Your magic is incredibly convenient." Ram commented.

"Would be more so if these things couldn't curse souls." Just as I said this, we were surrounded by more. Seeing nowhere else to run, I set Ram down and created a three-meter-long blade to keep them from getting too close, setting the edge ablaze as I began carving runes into the ground. Element: Fire. Sub-element: Ash. Level: 4. Shape: Spike. Condition: Motion.

After quickly setting several of those up, a few of the Mabeasts charged towards us, but were impaled just as quickly. One avoided the traps, but I cut that one in two. Before more could come at us, Rem jumped down from the cliff above, something that would've been good news if she didn't decide in her frenzied state that I'd look better without a body to contain all my blood. Thankfully, the Mabeasts became an excellent distraction.

"So any ideas on how to pull Rem back to her senses?" I asked as I watched this display of brutality in amazement and horror.

"Her horn. One good hit will do it." She answered.

"... Any plans that don't involve me having to get up close and personal with Sanguinis's chosen?"

"I don't know who that is."

"God of Blood. Now any other ideas?"

"No." She answered plainly.

"Fuck."

"Later."

"I'm sorry, what?!" I asked, unsure if I caught that right.

"What?"

"Whatever, fine! Let's get this over with! If I die, tell Emilia her Lugunica is one I would've liked to have seen!" I picked up Ram and used lightning to close the distance with Rem, pushing Ram into Rem's arms and hit her horn with the flat side of the ash sword.

"Huh, that was easier than I thought."

Rem fell down, hitting her horn knocked her out.

"Well done, now I hope you're ready to carry her?" Ram made that sound like it's my responsibility.

"She's your si-" I electrocuted several of the Mabeasts coming towards us. "-your sister, why me?! Nevermind! Screw it!"

"What's going on? Where are we?" Rem asked after waking a long while later.

"Well well, look who rejoined the land of the living, you've only been out for a few hours."

"You're a real handful, you know that?" Ram asked her sister just before a Mabeast pounced at us. "Fula!" Ram tore it to shreds with wind magic. Afterwards, she led us off the path to hide for a moment.

"Why did you come?" Rem asked, like she was hoping we wouldn't.

"What do you mean? It's only natural Ram would be there for her sister, and I couldn't leave you alone to potentially die saving me." I answered.

"Why couldn't you just mind your own business? I have to do this alone, it will all be pointless otherwise."

"You talk like you're atoning for something, like you don't deserve to live."

"It's my fault you were hurt! I haven't changed since I was a little girl, I didn't try to save you! It's my responsibility, I have to do this so no one else gets hurt!" She said with nothing but guilt and self hatred.

"Well that's not happening. If you try to take on that much weight, you'll break before long. You can't do it on your own, and it's not worth it to me if you die for it!"

"Something you wouldn't normally hear a necromancer say. I mean, death is usually the source of it's power."

"You're more than your mistakes, you're my friend, damnit! And as your friend, I'm telling you to leave the rest to me." I heard the pack getting closer.

"Ansum, I believe you've gone insane." Ram commented.

"Nope, but I have reclaimed what was mine." I demonstrated with a bit of dark magic. "Now, Ram, take her and go. I'll be back after I show them the Darkness of the Abyss."

"Wait! You can't be serious! It has to be me! Please, just-"

"You want to make amends for not saving me in a way that if you thought about it, could've gotten both of us killed, then live damnit! You're your own person, live how you want, not how you think you should or deserve! Leave the past where it is and decide your future for yourself! The curses are all gone, you've done your part. Now I'll do mine." I interrupted Rem and started walking towards the pack as Ram carried Rem away.

"No! Stop! Manus!" Rem called out as she was carried away. I approached the Mabeasts, after the first several were killed with curses, the rest almost seemed to make way for me. The pup that cursed me first was here. As I got closer, it changed from a pup to an overgrown monstrosity, large enough it could probably eat a man whole.

"Aeternam mortem quaero, quae peccatores remissorum criminum exspectat, tibi absolutionem offero. Meo ense abscindam peccati mortalis sordes. Obscura messis." A large weightless scythe made out of shadows shaped like bones took form in my hand. It went through all of the Mabeasts in it's path, but did no physical damage. Instead, it ripped out all their souls, absorbing them all into the scythe that disappeared seconds later. Almost all of them, the giant one jumped high enough to avoid it.

"Good for you, you're not a mindless beast!" I kept using lightning to avoid it's fangs and claws.

"I honestly pity you, spawn of the Witch, child of the Dark, for neither Venari's Endless Hunt nor the peace in Exolvuntur's Shadow await you." I formed an ash scythe with various curse runes: Pain, fatigue, and blood as I kept avoiding it's strikes. I couldn't fight like this with Elsa as I'm not too good at close quarters or controlling my speed in tight spaces, but I can go all out here. Every cut would drain it's stamina, force it to bleed faster, and inflict pain much worse than the wound actually is. I could've gone further with pain, but something like this deserves to suffer.

"To think such a God damned pushover could cause this much trouble! I hope you can understand me, because if so, you should know exactly who I am!" I continued to slash away at it whenever I had the chance, though there were a few close calls.

"I am nearly a master of fire, lightning, and dark magic, and I'm quite adept with runes and blood magic! I was the most likely candidate to become Archmage of Xelroth! And lastly, I am one blessed with Death!" After a few more slashes, I weaponized it's own blood and repeatedly skewered it from the inside out. All that was left when I was done was a nearly dead, overgrown dog.

"This is the end. Infernus Tempestas!" A giant pillar of black and purple flames erupted from beneath it. It didn't take long for it to be reduced to ash. As I finished the job, I grew dizzy and had to sit down to avoid hurting myself.

"My my, what a specta~cular display! Truly, I can see I left things in good hands!" Roswaal praised my work as he landed near where the fire was.

"Have you been here long? Help would've been appreciated." I commented.

"Fear not, for I wouldn't have let anything happen to you~. I would've stepped in if things got out of hand, Emilia was quite worried after all!" He assured me.

"I'm guessing she's the reason you're here?" I asked.

"Par~tially, I also wished to see you in action, my dear Ma~nus."

"Seriously, why do you linger on like, every other word? It's creepy as hell!"

"Lord Roswaal!" Ram called out, approaching with Rem, acting as her support. "I'm certain we caused a lot of trouble for you, you have our sincerest apologies!" She bowed.

"Quite the opposite! You handled things quite well while I was gone, truly remarkable! I'm grateful,-" He looked down at me. "-and I'll be certain to express that gratitude for what you've done for me."

"Well, we'll have to put that on hold. My reserves are still good, but that was a lot of magic back-to-back on top of the Hell the last day or so have been. I think I'm just gonna pass out now. See you in the morning!" I stopped clinging to consciousness, falling back and embracing sleep.

I awakened in one of the more comfortable bed rooms with Rem by my side. It was kind of strange, I mean, she and Ram would've tried to brutally murder me in that one loop. Now, it's kind of hard to imagine her as my would be murderer with all the regret and self loathing that's practically emanating from her. Her attempt to save me just adding to that.

"I'm sorry." She spoke first.

"There's nothing to forgive. I'm fine, the curses are gone, the village is safe, everyone is happy. So why won't you let yourself be happy for once? Even when you look the part, you still sound almost dead inside."

"It is too early for this."

"I'm aware of my faults. No matter how hard I try, I'll always be a powerless, incompetent, Demon reject."

"She's about to spill it all on me, isn't she? When Ram would probably be needed most, she's not here."

"I'm nothing more than her replacement. Why was I able to keep my horn? Why were we born twins? I've only held her back since our birth, so why?" She cried, finally having an outlet for a lifetime of bottled up emotions.

"First off, you're probably the only one who cares about the horn thing. Second, she wouldn't trade your horn for hers, much less you for the world. Third, even if she did have a horn, it wouldn't make her a different person. She would be stronger, and perhaps even more protective of you, but that's it. You would still be the better cook, the more efficient worker, and while I'm sure she doesn't mean anything by it, you don't give back handed compliments, or come off as smug, condescending, or sarcastic half the time either. You're a better fighter too, unless you can use magic to enhance your physical capabilities."

"You're wrong! You wouldn't be saying that if she still had her horn!"

"Even if the horn is a factor here, it doesn't change the fact that I only got to know the two of you as you are today. You went with me into the heart of the forest. You helped save those children. You went back in to save me, something that probably wouldn't have been necessary if they couldn't curse souls, preventing me from using dark magic to remove the curses. I was dying, and your first response was to nearly get yourself killed for someone you probably wanted to kill not a day before. Ram went in for you, not me, and she didn't seem too concerned for me."

"She was, I'm sure!"

"Maybe. I can't fully understand what it is between you two and your past, but I was serious back then. You're more than your mistakes, your faults, you have a life, so live it. People tend to only get one after all, and she wouldn't want you to live like your life has no meaning, like the only reason you exist is to pick up her slack and all in all, be her replacement. She hasn't just come to terms with the horn, she made it sound like she was better off without it. Magically, no, but yes to everything else. The next chance you get, talk with her. She won't lie, there's no doubt in my mind she'll tell you pretty much the same thing I did. You weren't given life just so you could live someone else's, that's a real waste. Everyone, you especially will be much happier once you start." I assured her.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Seriously, how deep does this go?!"

"Because I'm good like that. You however can't know I'm wrong unless you prove me wrong, and the only way to do that is by talking to Ram and pouring even more of your heart out to her than me. Neither of us will have lied, we will have only spoken the truth, and words you needed to hear. If you still can't trust me, at least trust what I tell you now."

"I'd just become more of a burden to you all."

"Easily crushed is the one who would carry the weight of the world on their shoulders alone. Let's be real here, I'm physically weaker than probably everyone here, I'd be worth little without my magic. Even as she is now, she's still better off than I am. You hold her in such high regard and value yourself so little, do hate yourself so much that you regret being born? This needs to stop, Rem! Even if Ram did have her horn, which you blame yourself so much for, do you know what would be different about her? Her magic would be stronger, that's it! Stop letting the past define who and what you are! If you can't live for yourself, then live for me! For us!"

"'For you'?"

"We rely on you because we know we can, not because you're 'Ram's replacement'. I know that if we had to go through the events in the forest again, that I could rely on you to watch my back. I know how far you would go for me despite your previous disposition towards me, and regardless of power or competence, that is something too valuable in more ways than one to let it go to waste. If you can't live for yourself, then let me be your reason to live, let me take comfort in knowing I have someone to rely on like Emilia with Puck. You're my friend, and I'm asking you to stop, you've suffered enough. All the blame is from you, no one else."

She stared at me for several seconds, tears still rolling down her face.

"Really not good with this, I hope said all the right things."

"Manus!" She jumped out of her chair and buried her head in my chest as she clung to me tightly. I couldn't make out much more of what she said, but this confirmed I did something right.

"That's it, let it out. Let big brother Manus bear it all."

I met with Emilia later that night, she was communing with the spirits again. Truly a beautiful sight, not wanting to disturb her, I let her finish before approaching.

"I don't think I had the chance to thank you for healing me after I got mauled back then, did I?" I asked her.

"You got hurt again."

"Things didn't go as smoothly as we'd hoped, even worse when I temporarily lost essentially a third of my magic, and when Rem tried to save me, not knowing I would've been fine otherwise. Sorry." I apologized.

"I'm not mad, in fact, I'm glad you kept your promise. You were originally brought to the mansion because you saved me, nearly dying in the process, and you nearly died again. Puck had to prevent me from leaving the cottage to help you once I found out what was going on, I didn't want to think about what would've happened if Roswaal hadn't returned. I suppose this means you saved me again."

"I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done, and we both know if our positions were reversed, that it would still be the same. You gave me the strength to save myself, saving you wouldn't have been possible otherwise. Listen, I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. A simple 'thank you' is worth more to me than any number of apologies." She interrupted me.

"I wasn't finished. I'm sorry to have worried you. I can't promise to stay out of harms way, but I can promise to be careful, and thank you every time you heal me. So with that said, thank you!" She giggled in response.

"I'll hold you to that! Still, I should be thanking you."

"Well if we can expect more like what we've gotten in the past four days, we're going to be hearing each other say that a lot. I don't suppose we can just skip all the trouble and go straight to the end, can we?" I asked.

"I'm afraid not. Regardless, I should think of a way to show my gratitude."

"I know I can't talk you out of that one easily. Though I do have one idea." She perked up at this.

"What is it?!"

"How about you we just go and have fun doing whatever some time? Everyone could use some time to relax, and I've had enough near-death experiences to last me a while. Maybe we could teach each other how to utilize the other's kind of magic? It'd be pretty cool to add ice to my arsenal, and I'd love to see what you could do if we can use the other world's magic."

"If that's what you want, it can be arranged." She smiled.

"I look forward to it. It's getting pretty late, I think it's time to tuck in. For now though,-" I stepped towards her and hugged her. "-goodnight, and don't tell Puck about this part, I fear he may kill me." She giggled as she reciprocated the hug.

"You'll be fine."

"You're not saying he won't try though."

"I won't let him. I promise."

"... Hey, Emilia.?"

"Hm?"

"I'm holding you to that."

Chapter Text

After the incident in the forest, Roswaal gave me a few days off near the end of the month and extra pay. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I went out to the yard to work on advancing my magic. Unfortunately, a few of the spells I know of to test if I've advanced to the next level aren't exactly environmentally friendly, so I can't test if I've mastered fire or lightning yet. The other method was meditation until I achieve "enlightenment", but I don't have the patience to just sit and contemplate the meanings, purposes, and the very existence of darkness, all on different scales.

Since I was able to use Dark Harvest back then, it means I've technically mastered dark magic, but thing is, each individual spell is a "muscle" of it's own. If you don't use it often, you're going to waste more trying to cast it, and tire yourself out more, hence why I wasn't able to remove the curses from all the kids. It's one of the reasons why I use rune magic, because it doesn't drain more than necessary. After molding with shadows for a while, Nova flew down towards me. Knowing I haven't given her much attention over the last few days, I put the magic on hold and prioritized her, sitting down in the shade and letting her come to me. She's a strange one by bird standards, she's almost like a cat when interacting with humans, so all I need to do most of the time is just let her get comfortable and give her all the attention she wants. Eventually, she flew off and Emilia approached me from behind.

"Manus?" She leaned over with a light smile.

"Eeyup, what can I do for you?"

"Lia's decided to take you up on your offer from before. Besides, you've got me curious too." Puck flew out from her hair.

"Great, maybe when we're done, you can try to teach me your fire and dark magic?" I asked him.

"If it works, I don't see why not."

"Regardless, it's still worth trying. Now, the first thing that needs to be done is teaching the spell. It was actually part of the entrance exam for Chroma, easy after the first time, difficult for most though. The examiners just taught us the spell and told us to make do."

"That doesn't sound fair." Emilia commented.

"In their eyes, if you couldn't tame, much less summon your familiar, you weren't worth teaching. It's among the top schools, just the entry is brutal. That won't be the case here as I never agreed with that part of the exam. You're in good hands, I assure you, and my way is easier, for me anyway."

"Your way?" Puck asked.

"They taught a spell that practically forces the result, mine draws them out, and doesn't need you to actually say the spell. The first thing to note is after you first cast it, you won't need to do it again per se, more like will them into existence. Try to remember that feeling when you first tapped into your own magic, then try to reach even deeper. You'll be looking for an out of place shape so to speak, that will be your familiar in it's dormant state. Afterwards, just wake it up and try to get it to follow you out if that makes sense." I explained, instructing Emilia at the same time.

"You think it'll work?" Emilia asked.

"I'm hoping it will. Now, as I said before, I don't know how it's going to work for you. You're primarily a spirit arts user, but you'll have to use your own magic for this to work. I'll be right here if anything goes wrong, in truth, I'm half expecting it simply because of the differences in our worlds with fire and ice magic. Now if it does work, one thing to keep in mind is the element can determine how aggressive your familiar will be until you tame it, as for what you summon, we won't know until you do it, and regardless of the element, a dragon will still be more dangerous than a tiger. Fire is among the most aggressive, but ice is pretty low on the list as a sub-element of water."

"Is there any way to know what I'll summon?"

"Nope, but whatever you summon is the only thing you will be able to summon with limited adjustments like elements, sizes, and limbs depending on what you summon. In my case, that would be wolves, snakes, and birds, and I can alter the first two to have wings for example because I can summon birds. Now, the first time you summon your familiars, you will automatically summon the maxed number you can, rather, any more than what you summon now at whatever sizes they're summoned now will drain your magic faster than you regain it. In short, you can keep out however many you summon here indefinitely. Though the cost will still change depending on the sizes, you could summon a third of what you can at larger sizes and after a point, the drain will be the same." I explained further.

"I think I understand. I'm ready to try it!" She said with determination.

"I look forward to seeing what you bring into this world."

Several minutes passed and there was no change. Still, she kept at it, standing there silently with her eyes closed.

"You really think it'll work? Otherworldly magic I mean?" Puck whispered to not distract her.

"Best case scenario, it does. Worst case scenario, it's just a few minutes with friends. Besides, if it does work, that means she'll have more to work with should you be unavailable, or spirit arts not cut it. Like you, I'll be there to help when I'm able, but there's only so much we can do even in person. She'll be more capable if it works." I whispered back.

"I'll always worry about her regardless, but it's good to know she has other people to rely on."

"Spoken like a parent. Is that the case here? Or some other kind?"

"She's like a daughter to me, I can't imagine a world without her."

"If I fail to protect her, you have my permission to kill me. Just warn me beforehand."

"In fact, it'd be for the best if these death loops are infinite."

"Don't jo-" Puck was interrupted by a bright light shining from in front of Emilia. After it died down, she appeared to have difficulty standing and was breathing heavily. In front of her were eight familiars, all resembling large felines, leopards it looks like. What truly caught my attention though was the complete lack of aggression from the three cyan flame ones, the five ice ones were as calm as expected.

"Well, that confirms it." I reached out to one from both elements, they nuzzled my hand and I immediately pulled back out of confusion.

"Is something wrong?!" Emilia asked out of concern.

"Those three are all sorts of backwards, but that only makes me that much more eager to try this world's magic! Feel them yourself and you'll see what I mean." Emilia reached towards them and she realized what I meant.

"Cold fire?"

"Either we just made a discovery that my world will probably never see, or we just successfully combined two different types of magic. Truly, I am as happy as I am excited!"

"Incredible..." Puck commented as he flew towards them to see what we meant.

"Now, there are a few things to remember about familiars and this kind of magic. The more elements you have, the weaker they are compared to someone with the same number of familiars, but fewer elements, and the more you have of one element, the stronger it is compared to the rest. The difference can be closed though with enough experience. Assuming this is still following the same rules, your cold fire is a little weaker than your ice." I continued to explain. I was about to explain more about familiars, but I heard what sounded like a carriage from down the road. An elderly man, dressed better than me, probably in his sixties was driving it, with black ground dragon pulling it with ease.

"Well, this looks important."

"From the capital?" Emilia said.

"Maybe. Were we expecting company?" I asked.

"Not that I'm aware of." She answered.

"If it's important, then I can wait."

"You can stay, I want to see what this is about first."

"Fair enough." The carriage stopped by the entrance of the mansion. The man climbed down and opened the door, allowing a feline demi-human woman with short, light-brown hair with blue bows, wearing a white and light blue dress to greet us.

"She's kind of cute."

"Good afternoon, Miss Emilia. I come with a message regarding the royal selection." She announced.

"The royal selection? Would you like to move this inside?" Emilia asked.

"Sure! Lead the way!"

"You need me around for this? Or the capital if you're being called?" I asked her.

"Not right now, no. If I'm being called to the capital though, I'd actually appreciate if you came along. Oh! Um, how do I make them disappear?" She referred to her familiars.

"You can literally command them to do so, verbally or mentally, provided they've actually accepted you as their master." I instructed her.

"Please, go away?" She commanded, they faded away seconds later.

"That settles it, you've passed with flying colors! We'll continue another time."

"What was that?" The emissary asked her as they headed inside. I turned to the driver afterward.

"I couldn't say no to her, even if I wanted to. Would you like something to drink? I'm no good at brewing tea, so I hope water is fine?"

"That would be appreciated, thank you." He responded.

"In that case, I'll be back shortly."

I wasn't lying when I said I was no good at brewing tea. I considered using the expensive mix Ram uses on rare occasions, but while I'm sure I could avoid those consequences, she does know where I live, as well as my work schedule. I returned with a tray filled with a few cups and a pitcher and greeted him again.

"I hope I didn't make you wait too long?"

"Not at all." He took one of the cups after I poured some into it.

"I could ask Miss Emilia later, but what can you tell me about what's going on here? To our understanding, we weren't expecting visitors."

"Not knowing your position or status in this mansion, I cannot risk saying anything careless about out dealings here." He dodged the question.

"I understand. Officially, I'm just a servant of Lord Roswaal, so I'll drop the subject with you."

"That would be for the best, though if Miss Emilia trusts you as much as her response suggests, perhaps my caution isn't necessary. Speaking of, what were you two doing before we arrived?"

"Just teaching magic not native to anywhere you can point to on the map. She and Puck were going to teach me some, but I can wait until a better time."

"The way you interacted seemed more than master and servant. Are you close?"

"Here you are asking questions that to some would seem invasive, but I can tell it's not your intent. In truth, I'd like to be more than friends, but she has more important things to focus on than the feelings of a servant with desires that are for all intents and purposes above his station."

"I see, that is a very steep path you're choosing to climb. Yet you restrain yourself for her regardless, I believe her trust is well placed."

"Well, I might profess to her if the opportunity is too good to pass up, but that probably won't be for a while yet."

"I'm back, old man Will. Sorry to make you wait outside, I bet you were bored, huh?" The emissary apologized upon her return.

"Not at all. In fact, I was actually having an interesting conversation with this young man here." 'Will' responded.

"Hmmeow?" Her ears perked up as she got up close to me.

"Okay, first off, what? Second, I must resist the urge to hug this adorable cat!"

She kept meowing as she examined me front to back.

"Miss Emilia spoke highly of you, you're Manus, right?" She asked as she stepped away.

"I am, though I'm at a loss here as I just learned his name, or part of it from you, but I still don't know yours?" I asked her.

"Silly me, it's Felix Argyle, and that's Wilhelm."

"Felix? Pretty sure that's a man's name... I'm just going to put a pin on that for now."

"I'll keep that in mind for when we meet again." I picked up the tray and collected the cup from Wilhelm.

"It won't be long before you see us again. I'm sure we'll meet again in the capital. Bye now!" Felix climbed back in the carriage as Wilhem did the same for the driver seat.

Rem drove the carriage with Emilia and I to the capital for business regarding the election. Though I did also make it known that I had other business here as well. The shop I "acquired" the vials for the bid on the insignia from, checking up with Rom and Felt, and wanting to discuss something with Reinhardt. Though after I passed out, he apparently took Felt away, but didn't explain anything to her. With that said though, we believed we could kill two birds with one stone and go to the guard station.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Emilia? Good to see you again, I hope you've been well since we last met?" A yellow eyed, light purple haired knight bowed as he greeted her.

"Yes, everything's basically the same. You also seem well, Julius." Emilia spoke, as if to a friend.

"The mere fact you remember me is an honor! I must say, you've only grown more beautiful, Miss Emilia." Julius knelt before her and kissed her hand.

"I don't mean to interrupt a reunion between friends, but could you introduce us, Emilia?" I tested the waters a little here. If I needed to act professionally right here, I was certain one would correct me.

"Right, sorry! Manus, I'd like you to meet Julius Euclius. He's a renowned knight, and a spirit arts user like me."

"If he's as well liked by spirits as you are, then I'm sure we'll get along just fine." I reached to shake his hand.

"I see Miss Emilia has a new attendant. I trust she's been a fine master?" He shook my hand.

"Well, I'm employed by Lord Roswaal officially, but yes, you could say that. Though due to recent events, I myself am actually questioning if 'attendant' is the right word."

"'Recent events'? Did something happen in the Mathers' domain?"

"The village was under threat of Mabeasts, and several of the children went missing. Manus ran in with one of the maids and saved them all, lifting the curses from most of them himself." Emilia answered.

"Were you not able to lift them all?"

"Yes and no. If I did, I wouldn't have had enough magic to defend myself. I was able to save three of the initial six we found, my other companion saving two more. Whoever we couldn't save immediately, we had another on her way to the village to save them and protect the village until we returned. While the maid is a capable fighter, I didn't want to add to the danger everyone was already in by leaving myself defenseless, potentially leaving the seventh to their fate." I explained, omitting the trouble after the landslide.

"I see. Anything you could've done in such a dire situation would've been plenty, you went above and beyond your station for the sake of others. Miss Emilia, you have a fine attendant!"

"Thank you. I'm sorry to trouble you, but I actually have business inside and I'd like you to act as our agent?" She requested.

"It's no trouble at all, I actually have business inside myself. Please, follow me to the conference mirrors."

The next day, we rode a carriage to the castle. From what I understand, the royal selection officially begins today. Not long after arriving in the throne room did the Council of Wisemen enter as well. The occupants, comprised of knights and nobles or politicians, separated to opposite sides of the room, the candidates in the front between everyone.

"I knew you would be here, Manus." Reinhard greeted after I got in position on the side with the knights.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. God Mode himself?! I was hoping to talk some more in person."

"I'm sorry, 'God Mode'?" He asked in confusion.

"It's nothing, just that the way you fought back then reminded me of someone back home who's basically our version of the Sword Saint." I clarified.

"Oh! How's it goin'?" Felix greeted in a way that would be adorable for a woman to do so.

"So you're a knight, Felix?" I asked.

"You know him, Manus?" Reinhard asked and in doing so, answered one of my other questions I couldn't ask.

"Finally! I couldn't tell his gender! My previous confusion aside, if I were able to, I would've happily introduced you to someone back home who acts and dresses like you do. She would have loved you!"

"He's actually one of the knights I would've pointed you to if you did join us, though he specializes in healing magic. Another comes now." Reinhard referred to Julius as he stepped in front of us, nodding to me after he saw me. I returned the gesture before turning my attention to the candidates.

"We've actually met already, both of them seem like good people so far." I commented as one of the Head of the Imperial Knights, Marcos, began to direct the proceedings. Shortly after he began though, one of the candidates, a young girl with very light purple hair, dressed as though it were winter, interrupted him with the claim that 'time is money'.

"You're not exactly wrong, but if that matters so much to you, why haven't you dropped out?"

"I couldn't agree more." Another candidate with long, dark green hair, dressed in a what closely resembled a high-ranking military uniform sided with her.

"Miss Crusch, should the Head of the Karsten family say such a thing?" Marcos questioned her conduct.

"I acknowledge it is important to observe formality, but it is also a fact that our time is rather limited. So, it would be wise to immediately inform us why we're here. Naturally however, I do have a general idea." Crusch claimed.

"Am I to understand you already know the purpose of this meeting then?" One of the Council members asked.

"I do, Lord Miklotov, a drinking party. One day-"

"That's two of the candidates so far, and I already don't like what I'm seeing."

"-we will learn about each other."

"No, that is not correct." Miklotov shut down her claim.

"Felix, this isn't what you told me." Crusch turned to him in confusion.

"Oh, come on... All I said was 'maybe it'll be a drinking party.'" Felix said in his defense.

"I see, I jumped to conclusions. Forgive me. Please allow me to retract everything I just said."

"Hey, hey. Even if she backs down, my opinion hasn't changed. No need to explain the royal selection. We already know. Isn't that right?" The first candidate said.

"I still think we should-" Emilia tried to get out.

"I wasn't asking your opinion." She interrupted her.

"Hey, I don't know what's up with the selection, so I'd kinda like to hear the rest." A one-armed man wearing a helmet called out from behind me.

"Miss Priscilla, this man is your knight, yes? Have you not explained the selection to him?" Miklotov asked the girl with orange hair, dressed in red and black.

"Either way, you men will ramble on about it, yes? Continue, Marcos." She spoke as if it were an order.

"At least one of the three I'm not aligned with is reasonable so far."

"Then... We've gathered you here, who are qualified to be the dragon's priestess, because a new prophecy has been engraved in the Dragon Stone. It reads: 'From the five capable of becoming the nation's ruler, choose one priestess to enter into a covenant with the dragon.'"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Sir Marcos, but the Dragon Tablet said 'five candidates', right? If the selection is officially beginning today, aren't we one person short? Can we even start without them?" I called out this time.

"I've already seen to that, Manus." Reinhard informed me.

"Knight Reinhard van Astrea, come forward." Marcos called him to the front.

"Honored members of the Council of Wisemen, I, Reinhard van Astrea, of the Imperial Knights, would like to announce my mission's completion. The dragon's priestess, the fifth and final candidate for the throne, has been located. The one I myself, revere as queen." The doors to the throne room opened again, a familiar face walked in, guided by two younger girls.

"Felt?! Wait, nevermind, it's because the insignia glowed for her, right?"

She approached Reinhard, and for a moment, both looked happy to see each other.

"Is this really the same thief from before?"

She scowled and tried to kick him in the face, but he effortlessly stopped it inches from her target.

"Yup, and yup. She had to have known that wouldn't work, and by the Gods, she's flexible!"

"Reinhard, you bastard! Why the Hell did you drag me to whatever this is with no explanation??!!" She shouted.

"You surprised me. Whatever could have brought on such aggressive behavior?" He asked, concerned he did something wrong.

"Don't just stop my kick and ask me that like nothing happened! I've had it up to here with all your surprises!"

"Do the dress and shoes not suit your tastes? They both look lovely on you." He knelt before her and lowered her leg back to the ground.

"Oh, give me a break! I'm not talking about what I'm wearing!"

"Reinhard, to answer your first question." I made a small board of ash with the reasons all lit up. "And Felt, good to see you again."

"Wait, you're here too?"

"I am alive! Truly, I have seen-..." She kicked me in my side, just below the rib, then clutched her leg. "Yeah, that's not gonna work."

"OW!!! What the Hell are you wearing??!! Armor??!!"

"Technically, yes. I learned my lesson after the last two near death experiences. Ash is so useful! I do so love magic!" I lifted my shirt to show her the ash covering my torso.

"Miss Felt, if you are finished rekindling old friendships, I would ask that you please step over here?" Marcos requested.

"Yeah, fine, whatever. Ow!" She did as requested and Reinhard handed her the insignia, the gem glowed in response to her touch. After witnessing this, Marcos and all the knights lightly bowed to her.

"Even if the Dragon Stone has recognized her, don't you think her selection is a bit problematic?" A noble asked.

"If I may, I must disagree with that. The prophecy specifically said five, and now we have five. Besides, it wasn't just any knight that found her, but the Sword Saint himself. The fact she's even up there in the first place is proof enough she must have the necessary qualities to be the next ruler, but if you want to argue against an inanimate object that is neither alive nor sentient, I won't stop you." I said before things got heated between the knights and the nobles.

"Sir Reinhard, would you explain the steps you took that led to her discovery?" Miklotov asked as the noble was about to turn his ire towards me.

"Of course. I took custody of Miss Felt about a month ago while I was in the slums." He left out the parts about Elsa and Emilia losing her insignia.

"You mean she's a gutter rat?!" The noble said in disbelief.

"Well sorry! You're the ones who dragged me here against my will!" She pointed out.

"All this long-winded and pointless blabber could not be any more tedious. Then again, I suppose it's quite possible you were only making it that way because you could only manage tedious conversation." Priscilla mocked her.

"What?! If you wanna fight, you've got one!" Felt threatened her.

"What insolence. Do have any idea who I am?! You little urchin!" Her dress shifted in a non-existent wind.

"Princess, I don't think that's a-..." Her knight tried to advise against this course of action as embers trailed her fan that she raised above her head.

"Sorry if this reflects badly on you, Emilia."

I used lightning to quickly close the distance, summoned a giant fire snake to coil itself around Felt protectively, and formed an ash shield as I stepped between them.

"My apologies, but child violence isn't something I condone, and I'm unsure that your status as a candidate would protect you if you did as your actions implied you would." I ignored the murmurs around me as I stood my ground.

"Manus, you can stand down." Emilia hid her request by making it sound like an order as she stood in front of Felt in a protective manner.

"Very well." I recalled the snake and stepped away.

"What were you thinking?! In a hallowed place like this?!" Emilia asked in shock.

"Oh please, I was only trying to teach that undisciplined little bitch her place!" Priscilla kept escalating it.

"'Undisciplined'? Coming from the bitch who can't be bothered to try and act respectful to others, and just tried to assault a child! It'll be a cold day in Hell before someone like you ever sits on that throne."

"You're not apologizing for that?!" Emilia asked.

"You're kidding, right? Out of curiosity, would you apologize for being born? You silver-haired half-elf."

"I told you before, I'm not affiliated with the Witch at all." Emilia denied the insinuation.

"That's it, consequences be damned."

I manipulated the shadows under Priscilla to slice through her high heels, causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards.

"What the Hell??!!"

"Are you alright?" Emilia asked out of concern as she offered to help her stand back up.

"I don't need your help!" She smacked away Emilia's hand with her fan before getting back up herself. "Whoever made these will pay dearly for this humiliation!"

"Serves you right for that little remark."

"Well then, are you all quite finished?" Miklotov asked in hope of proceeding.

"Will the royal selection candidates please step forward at this time?" Marcos began listing each one and their guests. Priscilla was called first with Al, the man behind me, and basically demanded absolute servitude. Crusch with Felix, promising to release the Dragon of it's pact, and return the nation to it's people. The until now unnamed candidate, Anastasia with Julius, is basically in it for profit.

"Miss Emilia, the man endorsing her, Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers, and her attendant, Manus." We both stood to her side.

"I have only one wish, equality for everyone. I desire to create a nation where all citizens are equal." She promised.

"Sti~ll, after the very formal and official sounding introduction of all those knights as attendants, I feel terribly out of place here~." Roswaal commented.

"You're dressed like a jester in a throne room occupied entirely by knights, nobles, and politicians. Your rank aside, you were out of place the second you set foot on castle grounds." I commented, struggling to understand the logic behind how he feels.

"Finally, Miss Felt, and her attendant, Knight Reinhard van Astrea." Marcos called them up.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I never said I wanted to be the ruler of this stupid country!" Felt refused.

"Miss Felt, do you actually wish to withdraw from the selection?" He asked for clarification.

"Damn right I do!"

"What a joke! I overlooked this because it was urgent, but to drag it out this long is senseless." The noble from before complained.

"He has a point, the Astrea family offers a gutter rat to rule over us, while Margrave Mathers offers a half-devil?! Utter foolishness!" A Council member criticized.

"Now let's mind our manners, it's not nice to say something so cruel to a half-elf." Roswaal made a half-assed attempt to defend her.

"The silver-haired half devil matches the description of the Witch of Envy as it has been described for many generations now. Why do you not realize even allowing her in the throne room is dreadful? Filthy woman!"

"Fuck it! I'm done trying to be the nice guy!"

"Miss Emilia, I must apologize in advance, for I fear I'm about to step out of line, but I cannot in good conscience ignore such disrespect, especially knowing you've done nothing to deserve it!" I apologized before turning to the Council.

"Manus, it's okay-"

"She's undeniably evil because she shares human and elven blood? Or is it the hair? Like humans, demi-humans, or anyone else in between are any better. Need I remind you that Satella is still sealed away after 400 years? That She didn't discriminate? Which is more than can be said about you right now."

"You would speak Her name?! Are you mad??!!" I ignored the outrage from everyone.

"Fearing a name only grants power to it's bearer. History describes Satella as being not much more than a mindless beast with more than enough power to destroy the world, and of course, power without reason is nothing more than a will for destruction. When you think of Her, you think 'pure evil', but evil is understanding and knowing the difference between right and wrong, and still choosing evil. Also, knowing how Authorities work, it's quite possible She was incompatible with at least one, causing her to go on a rampage, and possibly becoming more unstable after killing the other Witches and taking in their Authorities. But we're getting off topic, at least in Her case, there is legal reason to believe Her guilt is not 100%. In the cases of other races, that's a different story."

"Enough of this! Arrest that man!" He tried to order the knights, but they didn't move.

"He is not breaking any laws, therefore, We cannot." Marcos calmy informed him.

"At least back home, if Satella were to stand trial, she would be found innocent due to insanity, history describes that she couldn't even grasp the most basic concept of morality. Now what about everyone else who has committed the worst atrocities and could tell the difference between right and wrong? I'm sure you can find plenty of instances of slavery, murder, probably at least one attempt at genocide, all done by various races or ordered by the worst tyrants to ever walk the earth. You so conveniently forget that even Miss Emilia's people were victims of Satella, you so conveniently forget all the evils committed by everyone else, and focus on the perceived evil of an innocent girl who not two minutes ago, took a defensive position in front of a child, the so called 'gutter rat' when she was threatened by Miss Priscilla. That fact alone should speak volumes of the woman you would label as a devil when she's proven to be an infinitely better person than you could ever hope to be! So I ask this, who in Superbia's name do you think you are??!!"

"Manus, that's enough." Emilia calmly placed her hand on my shoulder and shook her head.

"My apologies, but I've already said everything I needed to. Do you still want me to stay?" I couldn't bring myself to make eye contact with her.

"Please?"

"Very well." I stepped back as she turned to face the Council.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself to the esteemed Council of Elders. My name is Emilia. I'm accompanied by Puck, a Great Spirit that controls fire, and I'm a silver-haired half-elf. I understand that my lineage and similarities to the Witch subject me to prejudice, but I refuse to let all my potential be plucked out simply for that reason." She said, trying to prove her resolve.

"You show a strong face, but their words are like daggers in your heart, and there are so many."

"I see, and this young man, is he truly just your attendant?" Miklotov asked her.

"He's a hero, one I trust and respect greatly." She spoke firmly.

"I know we have to act professionally, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear what I am to you. Though that might be difficult, living life hated by everyone."

"Is that so? Young man, please come forward." I turned back around and approached at his request.

"Yes? Lord Miklotov?" I addressed him with the respect he hasn't disproved he deserved.

"Who are you? I would know this of you first."

"We're here for the selection, and you're asking about me? I don't understand, but I won't unless I do."

"Miss Emilia, if you want me to stop, now would be the best time." I offered her a chance to get me out if she fears I will make it worse. She shook her head in response.

"I know you won't do anything foolish. Just try not to verbally lash out again, okay?" She gave her blessing.

"Manus, former student, Child of Ash, Crimson Flame, Black Sun, Hand of Tonitrus, Accursed Shadow, and though I doubt it will hold any significance here, former Archmage candidate." I introduced myself as formally as I could with titles other people gave me. They could get creative sometimes, but I think they were trying to make me sound menacing, no idea why.

"Quite the number of titles for one so young, and where are you from?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so let's say my home isn't on the map." I dodged the question.

"Then on to the next question. I must ask, what is Miss Emilia to you?"

"On a professional level, or personal one?" I asked for clarity.

"You would stand by her, knowing full well what both of you would have to endure. I can see it, you may return to her side." He dismissed me.

"Yes, Lord Elder." I wasted no time doing so.

"Though he may be unhinged, you have a fine attendant, Miss Emilia. If nothing else, he has proven our fear is unwarranted."

"Thank you, Lord Miklotov."

"Now hold just a minute!!" The Councilman who insulted Emilia called out in an offended tone.

"Is there a problem?" I asked innocently.

"'Is there a problem?' Of course, there is! Who do you think you were speaking to in such a manner?! The arrogance-"

"Superbia translates to Pride, a name befitting the Archdemon of the respective sin, a trait you displayed when you talked down to my Lady and demonized her over something she has no control over. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, I haven't treated you with any less respect than you've given or proven you're worth the effort of giving. Tell me, did you kiss your mother with that mouth, or was she just as vile as you've proven yourself to be? Trust me when I say this, your image is getting hit harder than mine or my Lady's. Do yourself a favor and start acting like a gentleman, maybe everyone here will forget your little outburst and remember me just defending my Lady in an effective manner. If my Lady must inherit the sins of another long before our time, then it would only be fair for everyone else, you included, to do the same. Unless you have something important to say, I'm talking 'someone is about to die' important, we're done." I brushed him off.

"I talk too much, don't I?"

"That's enough, we've delayed long enough." Miklotov used the time as an excuse to intervene.

"Agreed. Now let us discuss how the royal selection will proceed." Just as Marcos said this, smoke rose from one of the tiles

"Goddamnit."

"What're you doing??!!" Felt cried out. I quickly sent out a giant dark wolf to block the exit and an ash chain to try and stop the kidnapper. Just before I stopped them, Reinhard dispersed the smoke with one swing if his sheathed sword.

"Seriously?! Do you even need that thing??!!"

The kidnapper was Rom, who didn't even get halfway to the door before being stopped by me and surrounded from all sides by knights.

"Old man Rom?"

"Okay, seriously, at what point in time did you think that was going to work?" I thought as he was bound and slammed into the ground with swords held to his throat.

"I don't know who you are, but for stealing into the castle, you must be executed!" Marcos said with authority.

"Stop it! Let him go!" Felt pleaded.

"Unfortunately, I cannot do that. Let me remind you that you have publicly declared you have no interest in participating in the royal selection. Thereby, I am not obligated to obey your orders." He informed her.

"If you want me to save him, it's now or never, Emilia?" I whispered, asking how she wanted to proceed.

"She won't let him be executed." She whispered back, like she knew.

"Fine then! I'll do your stupid selection! You just want me to try to be the next ruler, right? Just let him go, he's family to me."

"Very well. Please escort this man out of the throne room. The rest of what needs to be discussed is only for the nobles and candidates with their knights, should they choose to stay. The rest of you are dismissed."

"You may have made quite a few enemies back there, Manus. Defending the Witch and insulting so many " Reinhard commented on my behavior.

"I acknowledge I over-stepped, but as I said before, I couldn't in good conscience ignore what they said about Emilia. You know as well as I do that it was uncalled for. Besides, it wasn't just to defend Emilia." I responded.

"I can't say I blame you; I would've done the same for Crusch." Felix sided with me.

"So, you're on a first name basis with your candidate as well? She must be a good friend to you." I noticed the informality.

"Oopsie! I let that one slip, didn't I?" He rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone...except her." I joked.

"Meh, she wouldn't care anyway in a private setting." He brushed it off.

"In all seriousness though, in truth, I didn't act just to defend Emilia."

"Is that so?" Julius asked as he stepped into the room. "And what was your intent then?"

"Draw their ire away from her and towards me for one. The second was to remind them of facts they actively overlook when she's involved. The third was to poke holes in recorded history by stating facts and speculations about Satella and Authorities, though four hundred years of fear and hate aren't going away with two minutes of words. Was there something you needed?"

"Only to say you've gotten the knights talking. Some are accusing you of being a Witch Cultist, while others are of like mind with Reinhard and I after that rather strange display of magic." He warned me.

"I'm not worried about the first one. The second though, I'm assuming you're referring to knighthood?"

"Correct. Though many would agree your conduct is unbecoming of a knight,-"

"It's a good thing I'm not a knight then. You know, you people seem to be pretty adamant on my recruitment despite 'not pressing it'. I've been wanting to ask about that anyway. If I were to become a knight, but wished to serve only one person, how would that work?"

"Though knights of Lugunica can pledge themselves to one master, they are still knights of the realm. In your case, Miss Emilia would have to knight you herself if that is what you wish. You would still be a knight of Lugunica, but you wouldn't necessarily be bound by the typical duties of a knight as you would be bound instead to her and her descendants." Felix answered.

"In simple terms, they couldn't call me to war if they wanted to if I'm knighted by Emilia instead?"

"Essentially." Reinhard responded.

"Good to know. Unfortunately, I'll be the first to admit I'm physically lacking, so unless it's acceptable to make up the difference with magic, I'd need that first. Any suggestions?"

"I could ask Miss Crusch about old man Will. He took a liking to you after you two met at the manor." Felix offered.

"He's a swordsman? More importantly, if he's employed by Crusch, would she really be fine with him teaching her opponent's attendant?" I asked, not understanding why such an offer was being made.

"Let's just say you have her intrigued, I'm certain she'll say yes." He answered.

"Okay, I'll bite, go ahead and do what you need to do. Not to sound overconfident, but when we next meet on official business, expect me to look the part as well." I declared.

"Alright then! Once their finished discussing the selection, I'll ask her! You'll just love her, I'm sure!"

"Sorry, but I've already got my sights on someone else. Though on second thought, I why can't I have both?" I joked to see their reactions.

"Both??!! You can't be-..." He looked between Julius, Reinhard, and I, the other two knowing I wasn't being serious.

"In all seriousness though, I should run this by Emilia first. I doubt betrayal will cross her mind, but better safe than sorry."

"I was actually about to suggest that myself. It shouldn't be too long now before they're done, we should be on our way now." Reinhard turned halfway to the door.

"Agreed, Miss Anastasia is patient within reason, but I don't wish to keep her waiting." Julius took a step towards the door.

"I'll be seeing you two around, Felix, let's see what our ladies say. If they both give the go ahead, I'd also be willing try to teach you some healing and protection magic that I'm certain you don't know." I offered.

"You can try, but I'm known as the greatest healer in Lugunica for a reason." He said with pride.

"Oh, so you can heal burns with fire magic? Increase someone's resistance to heat and cold? Use your own vitality to empower your magic? I can't heal wounds with spirit arts like Emilia and I'm assuming you, but I have other methods."

"Spirit arts? I use water magic, silly!"

"Hold up!"

"Water magic?" I looked at him, confused and concerned.

"Yeah? And can you actually do that?" He asked me.

"Water magic? Not light or blood magic?" I ignored his question, asking for clarification.

"Light magic empowers people for the most part, and blood magic? I've never heard of that, though it sounds scary."

"By Locus, what kind of backwards world did I end up in???!!!"

"Manus, are you alright?" Reinhard asked out of concern.

"Did you really not know that about magic?" Felix asked.

"My magic is different. I'll explain more if they both give the okay to train some at the Karsten or Mathers estates. Just a lot to take in." I tried to brush it off for the time being.

"I'll be holding you to that."

We arrived back at the entrance to the throne room just in time to see the candidates walk out, all but Crusch and Emilia leaving immediately with their knights. Once she reached me, Emilia remained silent for a time.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"... Why would you try to defend me like that?" She asked, ignoring my question.

"Because you know as well as I do that you didn't deserve that. I couldn't just ignore them, not after trying to compare you to their definition of evil incarnate."

"But you didn't have to,-"

"But I wanted to. I'm sure I crossed a line, but I'd do it again. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't make an effort to protect and support you?"

"I don't want you to put yourself at risk for my sake, that's twice you almost died, and now you've made an enemy out of so many others!" She tried to explain the effects on me.

"There's not really anything they can do to me; I'm not worried about them. As for the risks I take, I do it for you, yes, but I also do it because your Lugunica is one I'd like to see, I can't do that if they can't look past your hair and ears."

"... I'm sorry. I'm sure you know what you're doing, but that doesn't put me at ease as much as it probably should." She apologized.

"You're fine. Listen, I was just talking to Felix, Reinhard, and Julius on the way here, and I'd like to run something by you before I do anything."

"Um, sure. What is it?"

"So, the short version is I talked to them about becoming a knight, your knight actually, and Felix has offered to talk to Wilhelm about training me with a sword. Felix is actually talking to Crusch about that now, but we all agreed it would be best if you two gave the okay first." I explained.

"'My knight'?" She repeated softly.

"I know you don't like the idea of me putting myself in danger for your sake, but that's one of the reasons why I wanted to run this by you first. I want to keep you safe, and I think becoming stronger will help us both." I looked past her to see Crusch and Felix coming towards us.

"You promise you'll come back?"

"Death can try, but He won't stop me." I promised her. "Here they come now." Emilia turned to see them coming.

"Felix has me convinced to allow this; he needs only your approval to proceed." Crusch kept it short. Emilia looked between us a few times before facing me.

"I trust you, so be sure you come back." She lightly smiled as she approved of this arrangement.

"I will. Until I do, look after Nova for me please? She's family to me and she gets lonely sometimes."

"I can do that. Don't make me wait too long though, alright?" I disregarded any possible consequences and hugged her in response, and she did the same.

"I won't. I'll see you before long, if you need anything, send for me and I'll be there as soon as possible. Once I'm back, we can pick up where we left off. How's that sound?"

"I look forward to it. Bye for now, Manus." She let me go.

"Until next time, Emilia. Puck, if you can hear me, keep her safe. Crusch, Felix, I'm in your hands for the time being."

"Let us be off then." Crusch spoke with authority as she led us out.

"I know what I signed up for, but I hope they're not too hard on me."

Chapter Text

"Your training begins today, master Manus. I trust you've prepared yourself?" Wilhelm asked as he laid out several wooden weapons.

"I know what I signed up for. I assumed we would be training with swords though?" I asked as I looked at the variety of weapons to choose from.

"It would be easier for me to teach the usage of a sword, but not everyone prefers one. Still, I can assist you with a variety of weapons."

"I think we should stick with the sword for the time being. Easier for you, and probably simpler than the other weapons here." He raised his brow after hearing this.

"For the time being'? Do you intend to learn other weapons as well?" He asked for clarification.

"It would probably be better in the long run. I'm sure you can agree that it kind of defeats the purpose of having immediate access to an entire arsenal of close ranged weapons when I don't know how to properly use any of them unless it really is as simple as slashing and stabbing. Besides, skills for one weapon could be adapted to others, I'm sure." I used ash to shape various weapons such as twinblades, spears, and claws to prove a point.

"I see. Indeed, that would be more than I can teach. However, if you wish to learn, then I'm willing to assist you. Now, let's get you in the proper position. Strong leg forward, relax your shoulders, legs and elbows bent. Once you're prepared, come at me." He instructed as if it's not the first time he's done this.

"Would you prefer I not use magic for these sessions?" I asked before starting.

"That would be preferred." And with that, I charged at him, keeping the sword in front of me to quickly switch to defense if needed. He would block every other attack with ease and dodge the rest. After several swings, knocked my sword out of my hand, knocking me back as well. Not knowing whether he would press the attack, I formed an ash shield as I used lightning to quickly reclaim the sword, keeping my attention towards him as I did so.

"I know you said it would be preferred I don't use magic, but it's kind of a reflex at this point. Sorry."

"Don't be, in a real battle, it would mean death otherwise, losing your weapon. Shall we continue?"

"That was the plan!" And with that, our session continued.

(Hours later)

"I believe that's enough for today." He lowered his sword as I fell to my knees, exhausted.

"Want some help carrying all of that back?" I offered, gesturing to the other weapons.

"Just rest for now, besides, master Felix I believe is next, correct?" He pointed out.

"Fair enough. If you see him, tell him I'd like to freshen up first, please?"

"I shall inform him after I put away the equipment." He bowed before continuing with his work.

I practically dragged my way to the bathroom; Rem had already prepared it and a fresh change of clothes for me. Ever since the incident with the mabeasts, she's been happy to say the least. She doesn't hate much less distrust me, and she's almost eager to help when I need it, regardless of whether I ask for it. Putting those thoughts aside, I spent more time than I intended just lying in the water. Eventually deciding I've been in there long enough; I did everything I needed to before trying to find Felix, who was speaking with Crusch at the moment.

"You may come in." Crusch called out as I tried to excuse myself.

"My apologies, I hope I didn't interrupt anything?"

"You may discard the formalities, and you needn't worry, you didn't interrupt anything. I presume you're here for Felix?" She asked.

"That's right, I intend to follow through with my end of the bargain. I'd be willing to try and teach you as well if you're not busy?" I offered.

"I appreciate the offer, but I have other matters to attend to." She declined my offer.

"Well then, looks like it's just us for the time being!" Felix said with more excitement than I'm comfortable with.

"Do you dress and talk like that to screw with people, or is this all you?"

Putting those thoughts to the side, I followed Felix back outside.

"Before we begin, I should note that how I use magic is different from how you people use it."

"What do you mean 'different'? Do you mean like those things you did in the throne room?"

"Yes, case in point being the ash I keep using being part of the fire element. From what I understand with the rest of the world's magic, fire is just heat and cold, water is primarily healing and defense, earth is what I'd expect it to be, same goes for wind. Light and shadow magic are buffs and debuffs for the most part, correct?" I asked to make sure I knew what I was getting into.

"That about sums it all up." He answered.

"Now, the way people use magic back home is the creation and manipulation of those elements with some differences, such as ice actually being a sub-element of water, or shadow magic actually manipulating shadows as part of it. I can't exactly teach you how to use actual water, but you're here to learn blood magic, and that, I can do."

"Question, you said 'people back home', are you not from around here?" He caught on to that part.

"Not even questioning anything else I said?"

"Nope, and for better or worse, it's not anywhere I could point to on a map. On to the lesson. Blood magic is the manipulation of blood around you and using your own life force to enhance your magic."

"Isn't that dangerous?!"

"If used recklessly, yes. Blood manipulation can be used to heal or harm others, but only works on blood exposed to the air. If using your life force, it would be more accurate to say you use your own stamina as the more you use it, the weaker your body becomes until it gets enough rest. If used excessively, you'll suffer either the usual effects of exhaustion or blood loss in all their progressive stages, but that's nothing that can't heal itself." I explained.

"Yeah, I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this." He said, nervously.

"To each their own. It might be for the best, I just figured if you come across people you can't heal with water magic, or if you're short on time, that this would help significantly."

"I didn't say I was backing out."

"In that case, let's begin. You'll want to start by searching in yourself like you did when you first used magic. You'll want to go deeper than that with only two things in your mind, life and blood. You could say you're searching deeper than your soul. You'll recognize it when you see it."

"Easy enough."

"Afterwards, you'll want to pull it towards your soul, or 'gate' as you call it. This will essentially link them to each other, but you'll still decide when you use one or both. You could think of it as having access to another gate. Once you do that, we'll start blood manipulation, then life force enhancement another time. Now, I said I would teach you, but I can't start until you do this. Have fun!" And with that, I walked towards the steps right outside the doors to the manor. I can't teach him anything else besides maybe rune magic, but that's something I'd like to keep to myself. If I wanted to, I could've easily made a living on that alone here, but few to none would know how to use or make them, so it could be dangerous for anything besides apparel and accessories.

He would go for hours without any progress. I really can't help on this one like I could when teaching Emilia, we can't start unless he can link his life force with his gate. It's possible though that he can't learn it because it's a different type of magic. Combining this world's magic with mine was a long shot, but still could be done. Maybe it can't be done with blood magic for some reason? If that's the case, then my time might be cut short here. If he can't learn-

"I think I got it!!!"

"Perfect!"

"Now we can begin." I made an ash dagger and cut my hand.

"What the-!! Why'd you do that??!!" His hands glowed as he tried to heal my hand, which I healed before he could do so himself. He backed off after seeing the damage was already undone.

"No need. That was just a demonstration of what blood magic can do. I don't need water or light magic to heal, hell, I can technically stop the bleeding by molding with the shadows, just not heal it that way. Now what you are going to do is for lack of a better way to put it, use your gate to manipulate the blood I just spilled. Your life force being part of your gate, it shouldn't be too difficult. After that, we can move on to discussing the uses of blood manipulation." After another hour of trying to teach him, I decided we should call it a day. It took me a day or two longer than him to learn blood magic, though that's because I was doing it wrong back then.

Two more days would pass and while it could just be the gap between Wilhelm and I, I'm not seeing much improvement. Felix however as it turned out was subconsciously holding himself back. He may be a knight, but he's a healer through and through, so I did the most reasonable thing anyone would do; I cut myself deep enough that I needed immediate medical attention, but told him no water magic, otherwise, I'd burn him every time. In truth, I had already healed the life-threatening part of it, just I manipulated the blood to look like it was serious. Once he finally calmed down and healed me long after I would've bled out, he was shall we say, unhappy with me. When he asked why I did this, I gave him perhaps the most cryptic response he will ever hear:

"When death is no longer a consequence, it becomes a currency."

After another round of training with Wilhelm and washing myself before calling it a night, Crusch met me in the hallway, out of her formal attire and into a thin black dress that I'm assuming she'll be sleeping in.

"Manus, would you care to join me for a drink?" She invited me.

"You're not going to put anything funny in my drink, are you?" I tried to joke with her.

"I would never!" And it went right over her head.

"It was an attempt at a joke, I didn't mean to offend you. If the offer is still available, I'll take you up on it."

"'A joke'? My apologies, I hadn't realized. Please, follow me then."

She led us to the balcony of her bedroom. The seats and table were already set up with a candle, drinks, and the view of the city was probably about as good as it would be at the staircase Emilia, Puck, and I introduced ourselves.

"Is the selection already stressing you out so much, or is this for pleasure and company? If you don't mind me asking?" I questioned her intentions.

"Just to enjoy a drink with a guest. I won't be drinking nearly enough to get drunk, and I'm certain you have enough restraint to do the same." She took her seat and poured both of us a glass.

"Not so much restraint, more I don't want to find out what kind of drunk I am. I've seen the aftermath of people drinking like that, I'm still trying to figure out how the guy who couldn't walk managed to get stuck on the chandelier." I rambled more than I meant to. Crusch looked at me curiously.

"There's a story to that, I'm certain, but you don't have it it seems." Crusch took a sip.

"I have others, there's one I'm thinking will be a hit or miss with you." I offered to tell her of one fun night I had.

"By all means." She urged me to tell her.

"So, my school at the time, Chroma Academy, had a celebration to welcome the new year. Where all the supervisors were, I don't know, but I don't care. One of the students got drunk and his home was along the way from where I lived. After getting him home, one of his servants insisted I stayed the night because it had started raining hard. I tried to refuse, but they wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. He was still awake after the servants had retired for the night and I convinced him that we were in the home of another guy neither of us liked, so thinking he was pranking someone else, he stuck all his furniture on the ceiling and locked himself out of his restroom which I hid the toilet paper in. I didn't stick around for the aftermath, but I'm sure the look on his face at school the next day was priceless. The best part? He remembered nothing." Crusch was trying to hold back the laughter, but she couldn't for long.

"That is so childish!!! Hahahahah!!! I never imagined you to be the kind to prank others!!" She tried to reel it in.

"I'm not, it was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Don't tell Emilia, she'll scold me for it, and I won't be able to apologize for it." I didn't really try to defend myself from that.

"I had no intention to. Speaking of, I wanted to commend you for your defense of her back then."

"'Commend me'?" I asked, not understanding what specifically I was being praised for.

"Not many would try to defend one who resembles the Witch, Felix already told me what you told him after you left the throne room. She's fortunate to have an attendant such as you." She praised my actions.

"Discrimination wasn't much of a problem back home, but that was a little extreme. I was honestly tempted to- please excuse my language, wait for that son of a whore outside to strike him with lightning, and make it look like even God wouldn't stand for his shit. But I know all it would've accomplished is tank Emilia's already low chances at best."

"If you believe her chances to be low, why serve her at all?" She rested her head on her hands, leaning in slightly.

"The first reason is because I happen to like her. The second is because my great grandfather sought the same thing she does, but he didn't get to live long enough to see his dream become reality. The third is because I believe her Lugunica would be for the best in the long run." I listed my reasons for supporting her.

"I see... Moving away from that for a moment, how goes training with Wilhelm?" She changed topics.

"About as well as you can expect with a novice and a teacher who I swear has dedicated his life to the sword. Was he a knight at some point?"

"He was, but those days are long behind him now."

"Heh, could've fooled me. Has Felix shown you what he's learned so far? You two seem more like friends than a high ranking noble and her knight." I commented on her relationship with him.

"He has. He's also told me you gave him quite the scare earlier. Could you explain that?" She asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"I had it under control. I basically put him through a trial by fire is all. If I hadn't healed the life-threatening part of my injury, I would've been suffering the first or second set of symptoms of blood loss minutes before he finally did it. He didn't realize he was holding himself back, so I put him in a position where he had to stop. Once he knows what he's doing, he can pass on that knowledge to others, and Lugunica will be that much stronger for it." I tried to justify scaring who she didn't say wasn't a friend.

"Are you not worried that may only benefit me in the selection?" She pointed out a possible flaw in my plans.

"I doubt you'll take all the credit for it though. One of you will ensure the origin of that knowledge is known, and that alone will benefit Emilia. Besides, regardless of who wins, we're all still on the side of Lugunica. Well, you and Emilia, maybe Felt if Reinhard can help her deal with her current goals and mentality." I explained.

"You don't trust the other candidates like that then?"

"Priscilla makes it sound like serving her is its own reward and the reason we exist; I believe she would be classified as a narcissist. It's too early to say much about Felt, especially since we're talking about a girl who for all intents and purposes, 'fell through the cracks' in the system. Her upbringing can be attributed to most of what society might deem wrong about her. And Anastasia, while she might boost the economy, the Hoshin Company may very well dominate the market. Unless she steps down from her position in the company, she basically said so herself that she has no business in the selection. That leaves you and Emilia as the best candidates to rule." I listed off why I don't trust the other candidates.

"I'm the lesser of the evils presented then?"

"I wouldn't say you're anywhere close to bad. I don't know what the deal with the Dragon is or why you want to release it from what Covenant it's bound by, but you haven't given me reason to believe you would be an unjust, selfish, or incompetent ruler. So, while I'd prefer Emilia on the throne, I trust you wouldn't screw it up." I took another sip.

"How do you not know about the Dragon's Covenant?!" She asked in a tone suggesting it's something everyone knows.

"Would you believe me if I told you I'm not from this world?" I asked her. Her eyes shot open, a look of confusion, then intrigue followed after.

"You're not lying... Are you truly from beyond the Great Waterfall?"

"I don't know about that place either. I was in a school one moment, the next, I was in a plaza I don't recognize. The nearest mages capable of that kind of magic were far enough away it would've had to have been a fluke or targeted group spell. Both are so unlikely I would be saying it was Locus, the God of Space, but things I probably shouldn't get into have led me to believe I was pulled here instead. Why, who, or how, I can't give a definitive answer." I ended that line of questioning before it began.

"So that might explain your magic, and your lack of fear and hate regarding the Witch, among other things." She commented.

"We might have just found a different way to use magic, though that probably wouldn't explain how I can use lightning, but no one here can. At least, Felix and Emilia are proof how magic is used in this world is compatible with how I use it, though what else there is to learn, I can't say without teaching others who can use the same magic as me. For example, this world's fire magic is the manipulation of heat to create fire and ice, but I manipulate and create flame, among other things." I demonstrated by creating a small ball of fire, then ash, and smoke after in one hand, and lifting the flame from the candle with the other.

"You can't use ice?"

"Nope, that falls under the water element. Though I might be able to when I get around to learning this world's version of fire. As for what you said about Satella, well, it's kind of hard to fear and hate someone who you never heard of until a month ago. Add in knowing and being able to use curses that can make people insane or violent, then knowledge about Authorities later and how there's a compatibility factor, there's a strong case for defense in an unbiased trial, at least on the circumstantial side of things."

"While I understand your reasoning for your disposition towards the Witch, it would be wise to not say Her name at all. You may not fear it, but the name is essentially a taboo across the world, and many might believe you to be a Cultist for it. If that doesn't become an issue, the Cult may try to recruit you." She warned.

"And I'd torch them all, but I'll bear that in mind. You've been asking all the questions so far, so I think it's time we turn that around. You've been in your office for most, if not the entire time I've been your guest. Has the selection been taking that much of your time, or is it something else?" I finally started asking my own questions.

"It's not just the selection. My family has been gathering people and resources in response to a certain occurrence, and I've been receiving marriage proposals every day since it began." She explained what her time has been spent on.

"Any of those proposals from people you had interest in?"

"None. You know as well as I do what they're after." She shook her head.

"Doesn't help that anything they do will reflect badly on you, Ardente Veritas forbid they're involved in any illegal activities."

"Exactly, and who's that?" She asked, referring to the name I mentioned.

"The God of Truth and Flame, also helps with Judgement when we die. So, what's this about an 'occurrence'? Is it something to worry about?"

"There's a heavy fog along the main route back to the Mathers domain. This kind of fog is from the White Whale, one of the three Great Mabeasts created by the Witch."

"Okay, I'm calling bullshit on Her involvement simply because of how history describes Her, but anything that has lasted for more than a few decades isn't to be trifled with, let alone four centuries. I'm guessing that's part of the reason why you want to release the Dragon from its Covenant?"

"I don't wish for Lugunica to be dependent any longer, whether for protection or worship, on a beast that doesn't fulfill its duty. The fact any of the Great Mabeasts are still roaming the world freely is one such reason." She clenched her hands.

"In that case, I probably shouldn't say this, given the implications, but be careful with the Whale. Any candidate winning the selection would lose its meaning if the competition were eliminated instead of not chosen. Even if you succeed, I doubt its death will go unnoticed by the Cult, I'd bet money you'd run into an Archbishop afterward, killing what may as well be a sacred creature in their 'religion'. I would highly suggest trying to ally yourself with the other candidates for something like this. I'd offer to help, but that would require Emilia to do so first." I suggested extra precautions in her hunt.

"Not to doubt you, but what could you do to help?" She questioned the extent of the damage I could do.

"One of the most powerful spells I know can basically destroy the fire and magic resistances of anything it hits. It's true name is 'Wrath of the Sun', but it has been banned and unbanned so many times it's also known as 'Forbidden Sun'. Any fire spell capable of killing creatures that can live in lava is proof enough of how dangerous it is. Though regardless of if I hit it, I would be out of the fight for a while. Another, Dark Harvest, can absorb souls that I can use later for power."

"... Again, you're not lying." She noted.

"Okay, can you actually tell? Or do I just not have any signs you can pick up on?"

"I can tell when someone is lying. I simply need to read the wind." She said with a straight face.

"So, wait... I have to curse people into telling me the truth, but you can just look at them and know with absolute certainty that they're lying? Well, that's just not fair." I commented on her talent.

"And yet, you could strike someone with lightning and say it was God."

"I can't tell if she's being serious, or if that's a joke."

"Don't tempt me. I've always wanted to do that, but I've never had legal authorization or an opportunity too good to pass up to do it, and shout 'smite' while I'm at it!" I swung my arm down to the side, pointing my finger downward, pretending to actually do it.

"Hmph... I suppose that's enough for tonight. Sleep well, and serve her well, Manus." She reached to shake my hand.

"Same to you. Before I go, I have a request, if you would hear it." I returned the gesture.

"What might that be?"

"If you win, could you at least try to do something about the prejudice, especially against half-elves? Four hundred years is too long for there to still be bad blood, especially when the reason is a single individual as opposed to an entire race."

"I can try, but I can't make that promise."

"That's all I'm asking, and thank you, Crusch. I'm sure you would make a fine ruler." And with that, I left for my room for the night.

The next day started as normal. Training with Wilhelm I feel has helped me improve, but in a straight up fight, I'm sure even Felix would win without much trouble. Lessons with Felix consisted of healing and trying to weaponize blood, though he struggled on the latter, so we shifted to defense with it. I contemplated teaching him rune magic to enhance his healing and defense but decided against it for now as I still need to test if that's compatible with this world's magic.

"Manus!" Rem called out to us with urgency.

"This can't be good. That's enough for now, Felix. Practice at your leisure, I need to see what this is about."

"Actually, Crusch needs me for something as well." He came along as Rem led the way to Crusch's study. It didn't take long for her to address us.

"Has Rem told you what this is about?" Crusch asked as I sat down.

"No, but I can almost hear those alarm bells already. Rem, what's going on?" I asked her, not looking forward to what this is.

"What I felt was something like a presence through the sense I share with my sister. She could've used her clairvoyance to get a clearer picture, but-"

"There was terrible feedback, she abruptly cut off the connection you two share, or it's something else. Regardless, that's not a good sign." I pieced it together.

"We don't have much to go on either. There's been troubling movement in the Mathers domain, around the vicinity of his mansion." Crusch added.

"'Troubling movement' is a rather broad term given the situation. Do you think this has to do with the selection?" I asked her thoughts on the matter.

"I do, we already considered this outcome when the Margrave announced his intent to endorse a half-elf." She answered.

"Though now comes the problem of whether it's people who don't want a half-elf on the throne, or if it's the Cult. If it's the former, then we can't exactly do much to them without proving the masses right, but if it's the Cult, then she'd be blamed for them even if she personally stopped them all before they did anything. The best course of action is to go back and deal with it now, preferably before it becomes a problem, and without alerting anyone. Unfortunately, it may already be too late if I'm right about the connection to Ram." I couldn't help with my mind drifting to worst case scenarios.

"You won't make it in time. With the White Whale currently flying over the fastest route to the Mathers domain, you'd have to take the long way around, which is at least two days." Felix joined in.

"I have a way around that, the Whale isn't the only thing that can fly. If you could give me exact directions, I could get there faster than when we arrived at the capital." Crusch raised a brow at this claim.

"Truly? If that's not a boast, then you're still full of surprises." She commented.

"Before I go, I have a gift, in case I don't come back that is."

"Don't talk like that, Manus!" Felix didn't want to hear what may very well be my final farewell to this version of him.

"I just need time to prepare it. If I don't come back, you're free to do with it as you see fit. And Felix, when death is no longer a consequence, it becomes a currency. Maybe one day, you'll understand."

"A gift? There's no need, we both fulfilled our ends of our contract." Crusch tried to decline.

"It's not up for debate. If I return, then you can burn it. If not, then it should help advance blood, fire, and dark magic. If you're fast enough, you may be able to use it against the Whale. Think of it as me ensuring the country is in good hands if this goes wrong like I'm half expecting it to. For what it's worth, thank you. Rem, do whatever you need to first, I'll still be a while." I left before anyone could say anything.

"With only so much time to pass this knowledge on, forgive me for being unable to actually teach these to anyone else. This is how I use magic, but it is compatible to an extent with this world's methods. First is conjuring your familiars, or 'spirit animals'."

Once I reached the library, I immediately began writing down what I taught Emilia and would continue to write what I would have taught her. From the fundamentals, to what I could of the other elements I can't use. I spent at least an hour in there but didn't have time to pass on the kind of incantation magic I used in the forest before Rem finished everything she needed to do. Still, that alone would've taken hours, trying to translate between two written languages that look nothing alike. After finishing the last page I had time for, I left for Crusch's study to drop it off, but she was still there.

"Are you certain you want to do this?" She asked as I handed her a stack of papers.

"This isn't something I can ignore; I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try to save them."

"No one would blame-"

"If I were in your position, I would lose all respect I had for the individual, regardless of the circumstances, if they abandoned the one they claimed to be loyal to. The only exception would be if they were ordered to. Such an individual would find themselves unwelcome in my territory."

"... Your resolve is admirable, but foolish. It's a shame she found you first, you would've made a fine addition to any of the candidates."

"Well, I mean, you could always switch sides. Heh, jokes aside, I'm bound to Emilia in more ways than one. This is farewell, Crusch."

"So, it would seem. I offer no support, but I will at least see you off." She headed for the door.

"I wouldn't expect help, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't welcome it. You know, in hindsight, I probably should've tried to use that gift as a bargaining chip instead." I followed her out.

"I wouldn't have accepted it like that. If you were to ask, or even offer that beforehand, I would've done so only if Emilia would back out of the selection."

"Okay, that's pretty cold-hearted. I understand if it is a worst-case scenario like the cult that it's ultimately hers and Roswaal's duty to protect those in their domain, but knowing people are probably going to die and still doing nothing is pretty messed up no matter how you look at it. Besides, if it is an enemy of Lugunica, a victory for them is a victory against you by extension."

"I have nothing to gain by offering assistance to another candidate. Unless you have something significant to offer, or if Emilia backs down, those are my conditions." She said, firmly.

"If it is a worst-case scenario, you have just as much to gain by doing nothing. With all due respect, I know how this game is played." We stepped outside, Rem, Felix, and Wilhelm awaited us by a dragon drawn carriage.

"Would that have to do with your previous position of 'Archmage Candidate'?" She asked as I walked past her.

"Part of it. Now..." I summoned a lightning bird familiar large enough to carry two people. "Let's go home, Rem."

"Yes!" She climbed up and held on to my waste.

"Is this another spirit? Like that fire snake back then?" Crusch asked as Wilhelm handed Rem a bag.

"No, familiars and spirits are nothing alike. Before we go, I have one last thing to say." I delayed our departure another moment.

"What is it?"

"Give the Whale Hell, enlist the help of the other candidates, and as I said before; if you do succeed, there's a fair chance you'll encounter a Sin Archbishop. If you do, run! I'm sure even Reinhard would have trouble with one after killing the Whale, but you wouldn't stand a chance unless you quickly figure out how their Authority works." I warned her.

"Your concern is appreciated, but you have other matters to attend to, do you not?" She said, like I needed a reminder.

"See you around, or not." The familiar flew off, Rem's grip tightened as we ascended.

Chapter Text

It took a few hours to reach Irlam Village. Bodies were scattered all around, only a handful of what I'm assuming were Cultists with their black and red robes were dead. Being short enough on time as is, I decided searching for survivors wasn't an immediate priority, not that I was planning to stay in this loop. On our way to the mansion, I left four shadow snakes to search around and kill any Cultists that might still be on the way to our destination.

Upon landing outside the mansion, we were just in time to see the Cultists raiding our home. Rem wasn't far behind me as I used lightning to dash towards a group of them, slashing them with cursed ash swords before they knew what was going on, inflicting them with death shortly after. Turning my attention towards the east wing of the estate, I electrocuted the rest in front of me as Rem stopped an attack from behind me before I heard crashing and screaming from there.

"You take that side, search for Beatrice and Ram, I'll look for Emilia." I told her. Not waiting for a response, I left three shadow wolves with Rem and ran off with two of my own. I know I told her to focus on finding Beatrice and Ram, but I still opened every door I came across, killing any Cultists I found along the way. Climbing one of the sets of stairs, I narrowly avoided several ice shards and was ready to respond accordingly until I saw it was Emilia who shot in my direction.

"Manus?! What are you-"

"Get down!" I shot a lightning bolt at a Cultist who was about to stab her, then dashed behind her and raised an ash shield to block a fireball coming at her. That Cultist was then cursed by Nova, who's flying out of shadows to kill the rest.

"Thank you! But why are you here?!" She asked.

"Ram and Rem's mental connection leaked there was trouble. Came as soon as we could." I explained as my wolves rushed past us and dispatched the few ahead of me. "Where's Puck?"

"He's not coming out. He's been having difficulty for a while now." She answered.

"Well, that might explain why he was absent back in the throne room."

"We need to regroup, where's Ram?" I asked.

"I don't know."

"Beatrice?"

"I haven't seen her."

"Well, today just keeps getting better and better!" We dealt with all the Cultists in sight before pushing forward.

"Where's Rem?" She asked as I began collecting daggers and carving explosive runes in them.

"Looking for Ram and Beatrice. If Rem's as vicious with Cultists as she was with mabeasts, I'd honestly be more concerned about who's cleaning up the mess. With that said, we need to find Beatrice first, after you call out your familiars." I reminded her she had those.

"R-right!" She shifted from serious to embarrassed and after a few seconds, she was able to summon all of them.

"Good. Do you know where her library is?"

"You know as well as I do that it could be anywhere in the mansion."

"Not necessarily. How spacial magic is working here is that while she could theoretically be reached anywhere, you could force your way in if you know where her library is located. Think of it like how multiple roads will lead to the same destination." She took a few seconds to think about where it might be.

"Well, there is a basement connected to Roswaal's study, it's probably there in that case."

"Then that's where we're going!" I sent the wolves ahead and recalled the snakes, resummoning them to search for the twins elsewhere as we ran towards Roswaal's study. Hearing shouting and crashing, we found Ram giving another group of Cultists Hell.

"I seriously need to see if her horn can be reattached or regrown. She was practically useless in the forest, but I can almost feel the latent power."

"Fula!"

"Sanguis Fulmine!" Crimson lightning shot from my hand, turning the victim into a bloody mess. "Ram, get down! Emilia, shield her!"

"Huh?" Ram looked towards us, wondering what just helped her.

"Sanguis Lancea!" Emilia shielded her as I did the same for both of us with ash. The corpse exploded, sending out a multitude of blood spears to skewer the Cultists near it. With another group coming just as quickly as this one died, I made use of the mess I just made.

"Apostulus de Morte!" A purple light shot out of my hand and struck the bodies of the Cultists I just killed except the one I just weaponized. Their bodies shook violently, catching the attention of the new arrivals. They watched in confusion until one stood up and stabbed the closest living Cultist. Taking advantage of the distraction and the wolves nearing them, I rushed Emilia inside and planted a few knives into the hallway leading to us after carving a proximity rune into them.

"Ansum, what was that?!" Ram asked, shocked at what just happened.

"Necromancy and blood magic." I looked past her to see one of the village children, a young girl with a red bow tied in her orange hair.

"Petra, right? Well, outside the library is probably the second safest place right now."

"Manus? What's going on?! Is everyone okay?!" She asked, her voice reflecting the fear on her face.

"We'll worry about them later."

*boom*

"We have more coming. Ram, Emilia, get that basement door open now!" Nova rejoined Emilia's shadow as I submerged with the ones outside the office and resurfaced behind the few remaining, then bound and crushed their ribs with their own shadows. After planting a few more explosive daggers in the hallway, I ran back in the office and saw a bookcase had been moved, revealing a long staircase down. I planted the last few daggers around the study before going down. At the bottom, there was a tight corridor leading to one single opened door, the library.

"So, Manus told you how to find me then, I suppose?" I heard Beatrice asked the others as I entered.

"Spacial magic was an interest of mine, but I was more focused on others." I answered for them.

"Now, would someone care to explain to Betty why they barged into my library?!"

"Witch Cult is attacking, and Rem is probably in another blood rage. Help please? And door cross to her too?" I requested.

"Rem is out there alone?! Ansum, what could have-"

"We split up to find you two. Now, Beatrice, will you help us?" I interrupted Ram to ask Beatrice.

"Hmph! And why would I do that, I suppose? It's not my concern."

"Because Puck wouldn't be happy with you if you did do that, and they're about to become your-!"

*boom*

*boom, boom*

*boom*

"Yeah, there it is! They're just up the stairs! They're your problem as well now!" I finished explaining. She slammed her book shut and growled for being dragged into this.

"Fine! But don't expect Betty to help you like this again! Minya!" Purple crystals appeared above her and were launched at the coming Cultists, crystallizing them as they were penetrated.

"Well, you just made blood magic and necromancy useless right there. Was that shadow magic?" I asked as I cursed one that managed to avoid her spell.

"Yes, now close the door so I can get us out of here!" She ordered.

"Don't need to tell me twice!"

Just as I was about to slam the door shut, something stopped it inches away from closing, but there was nothing there. Instead, it was forced open hard enough to send it, and me, flying halfway across the library with a dislocated arm.

"Slothful, slothful, truly slothful! The Ordeal is upon us, and this is how Her disciples repay Her love?!" A light green skinned man with sunken skin that looks like he hasn't slept in days rambled as he entered.

"El Minya!" Beatrice fired a larger barrage of crystals at him, but they just stopped in midair. He seemingly ignored this and sniffed the air before turning to me, his head tilted further than should be possible.

"You, who are so drenched in love, love befitting a fellow Sin Archbishop. Tell me, would you happen to be the one known as Pride?" He asked as he bent down to my level.

"FUCK!!!"

He stood back up fast enough several bones should've snapped, then bowed just as quickly with his head close to the ground. "Ah! Forgive me! I seem to have gotten ahead of myself! I am Petelguese Romanée-Conti, Sin Archbishop representing Sloth!"

"'Guese?" Beatrice lowered her arm as she looked at him with a pained expression, then shook her head and steeled herself. "El Min-" she visibly struggled to breathe as she was lifted up by nothing.

"El Fula!"

"El Huma!"

Ram and Emilia were both easily blocked, then pinned, Emilia's familiars being destroyed just as quickly as he kept his attention on me.

"Tell me, why when the Ordeal is upon us, oh believer in love, do you not aid us in our service to our Lady?" He questioned, unblinking as the others were pressed down hard enough that they couldn't barely breathe like Beatrice.

"I'm not one of you." I answered as I thought of how to deal with him now and next time.

"'Not one of us'? Impossible! Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible!!! To be so loved, but not offer ones self to the Witch! My brain! It trembles!!!" He shook his head and scratched at it vigorously.

"Is this him? Or the Authority?"

"Forgive my ignorance, but What is this 'Ordeal'? What does Satella desire?" I asked to buy time in this loop.

"The Ordeal you ask??? And you even speak Her name!!! Truly!!! Contrary to your previous words, you must be Pride!!! However, before I enlighten you, where is your Gospel?" He shifted from crazed lunatic to a calm demeaner as he pulled out a black book.

"Yeah, Insanity personified, that's what you are."

"Why, it's right here, but it's a little different from yours. Aeternam mortem quaero, quae peccatores remissorum criminum exspectat, tibi absolutionem offero. Meo ense abscindam peccati mortalis sordes. Obscura Messis!" I used Dark Harvest and was about to bring the scythe down on him, but something grabbed me by the neck and pinned me to the bookcase behind me, interrupting the spell.

"Behold, the Authority of Sloth: Unseen Hand. I must commend you for your diligence, though why you would deny the Witch Her return is beyond me, but to fail is truly...slothful. Now, now, now, now, now, now, now, I must repay Her love as my task is told in my Gospel! Now, for the half-devil to play her part." He turned his attention away from me.

"Emilia??!!"

"Indeed!!! She should make a most suitable vessel for the Witch's return!! Finally, after 400 years shall Her love be repaid with love! After 400 years shall our diligence be rewarded!!!" He started walking towards her.

"You leave her alone!!!" I swung an ash sword in front of me and felt the pressure on me cease to be. As I was about to strike him with a rigor mortis and mana curse, I was grabbed again by his Authority, each limb pinned to a wall, and a hand on my throat.

"Truly diligent! You know you can't win, but you press on in the name of love. Yes! Love! For the half-devil no less! Yes! Pride!!! But why? Do you not wish to see our Lady return? Why do you reject Her love?! Gggggrrrrr my brain trembles!!!" He bent so far back that he should've lost his balance and fell on his head. "Ah...yes... The half-devil... All for her, yes?" He lifted her towards me as he pressed down harder on the others.

"I'll kill you!!!"

"I can see it...your love for the girl...but love must be repaid with love!! And yet... You are the only one acting diligently, but failure is truly slothful." He rambled as he forced us to look at each other. I tried to use the shadows to stop him, but with no room to move around, I was powerless to do much.

"Damnit Puck, where are you??!!"

"Now watch, Pride, as your sloth kills your love." He slowly tightened his grasp on Emilia.

"Nigra Flamma Praesidium!" I struggled to get out. My body became covered in a protective black flame for a split second, but the spell would remain active for a while yet.

"Eh???" He stopped strangling Emilia, pulling her away for a moment as his head almost completely turned around like an owl's.

"Infernus Intus!" Black and purple flames coated my body, destroying what was holding me.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes!!! Your diligence is truly a sight to behold!" He stretched his arms out and clutched himself just as quickly.

"He can't get me with his Authority now, so now let's see how this goes."

"I'll be sure to kill you first in the next-" Time froze. I had a feeling Satella was going to grasp my heart again, but I wanted an opportunity to catch him off guard with cursed shadow werewolves and for Nova to assist without significant danger. After she did so this time and time resumed, six familliars leaped out of the shadows all at once and began tearing him apart. Nova wasn't needed. But that's not what had my attention, it was that I could see his 'Unseen Hand' now.

"I wasn't expecting this, but thank you Satella!"

"Now that I shouldn't be interrupted, Obscura Messis!" He didn't take too long to fight off my familiars, but now that I can see them, his Authority shouldn't be much trouble even without Hellfire Within. This loop is doomed, but I'll be taking him with me.

"Why? I have been nothing but diligent! Have I-" I silenced him with my scythe piercing his heart.

"I can't tell if this is mercy or justice." I said as his Authority disappeared, allowing the others to breathe again. His soul absorbed into the scythe, but it felt like something else was sucked in as well. I put those thoughts to the side as I quickly ended the spells and rushed over to Emilia, who spent the next several seconds trying to regain control of her breathing.

"You killed an Archbishop." She stared in shock at his body.

"We still need to find Rem. Afterward, we'll need to-"

"-address this with- GODDAMNIT!!! Who killed me??!!" I stopped when I realized I was back in one of Crusch's guest rooms.

"Okay, I'm back at the Karsten estate? I don't have his soul, but what was the other thing that's no longer there either? Questions for later, I suppose."

I gazed out the window to see Wilhelm setting up the weapons like he did on my first day here. I have plenty of time then to prepare for the attack on the mansion, but I can't protect an entire village. I'd also need a means of evacuating them even if I procure help from anyone.

"I need to speak with Crusch."

I exited the guest room and went straight for her study rather than outside with Wilhelm to train. Felix was assisting her with some papers, but seeing me caused them both to stop what they were doing.

"Manus? I thought you would be with Wilhelm right now." Crusch said in surprise as she set her quill down.

"We need to talk, it would be best if he and Rem were here as well." I told her in a serious tone.

"... Alright. Felix, retrieve them for us." She ordered the knight.

"You got it!" He left quickly; we didn't have to wait too long for the others to arrive.

"Now, could you explain what this is about?" Crusch got straight to the point.

"It has come to my attention that the Witch's Cult is going to attack the Mathers domain in three days. I've come to request your assistance in stopping them."

"So, they've made their move?"

"I doubt this was unexpected by any of the candidates. As far as the attack goes, I'm more than capable of killing the Sin Archbishop of Sloth, but defending the villagers, Emilia, and evacuating them all with all the transportation we don't have on such short notice isn't exactly a favorable position to be in." I tried to entice her with a serious blow to the Cult. Her brows rose and she narrowed her eyes just as quickly.

"A bold proclamation, and how can you be certain you can do as you say?"

"His Authority is called 'Unseen Hand', but I can see them, and I know a spell that would destroy those hands as quickly as they make contact with me. I know I can kill him because I fought him before, he's alive right now because I haven't had another chance to kill him." I tried to word this carefully to avoid both her Divine Protection and Satella's silencing hold.

"Let's say I do agree to help you, what's in it for me? Thus far, you haven't explained what I have to gain from helping you. You must know that I'd benefit from this, regardless of our intervention."

"It seems the last Crusch was serious about her would-be price."

"I know you're gathering people and resources. You're going hunting, and not for sport nor food. Luckily for you, I know when and have an idea of where the White Whale is going to appear. I'm also willing to help you kill it." I offered.

"The White Whale?" Wilhelm said in a low tone, I could almost taste his bloodlust.

"If I could teach you Sin magic, I would. Wrath would definitely be your strong suit."

"Okay, putting that unsettling moment aside, the Whale will actually appear before the Cult attacks, which means I would assist you first. Do we have a deal?" I asked her. She contemplated my offer for a moment before speaking again.

"How exactly did you come across this information? Regarding the Cult, it would be reasonable to believe you to be a member, but the Whale? If you weren't lying, I would've thrown you out of this room already."

"Please, Miss Crusch. Manus is not a Cultist." Rem spoke in my defense on that part.

"I'm not a Cultist, nor am I associated with them. Though admittedly, Sloth does believe me to be the Sin Archbishop of Pride because of how strong my scent is. As for the Whale, I have no confirmation of the exact time or location, but one encounter with mabeasts has given me a solid idea of where it will appear." I'm playing with fire here, but if I die, I'll know what not to say.

"You still have yet to answer my question."

"... Would you believe me if I told you I have a method of not just seeing, but experiencing possible futures, but don't fully know when I'm doing it? In the future I saw, Rem got some troubling signals from her sister with their mental link, which led to an...undesirable outcome."

"Holy shit, that worked."

"'To see the future'..." She trailed off.

"Should you accept, I would highly suggest seeking help from another candidate for good measure. I wouldn't even try Priscilla, Felt and Reinhard are unavailable at the moment I believe, so that leaves Anastasia. Whether we succeed, she'll benefit regardless, but she is a merchant at her core, so there's a fair chance she'll join. If you're worried about incurring a debt to her, send her my way." I haven't died yet, so I'm probably doing something right.

"Let's say you can actually see the future, why tell your enemy? Are you truly a fool? Or do you not expect me to take advantage of that?" She asked, as if speaking to an idiot.

"We both know you're not going to. As much as you'd like me to serve you, there are lines you won't cross to do so. After all, if I were to betray or abandon Emilia, how can you be certain I won't do the same to you, given the right push? If you were willing to do so, you would've already tried with Reinhard." I pointed out the flaw her line of questioning.

"...I just have one more question for you, Manus: Just who are you, really?"

"Not what I expected."

"That's a loaded question, one I believe I answered in the throne room. I am Manus, former Archmage Candidate, enemy of the Cult, attendant to Emilia, and more importantly, her friend, who would honestly like to be closer to her. I will go regardless. I acknowledge wanting to save everyone is quite greedy, but what kind of man would I be if I didn't try when the people who can help me do so are all within relatively close proximity to each other?"

"..." She spent a minute deciding how best to proceed.

"Is my offer insufficient?"

"No. In fact, I think I'll take you up on it, but only if you can secure Anastasia's assistance in the Subjugation of the White Whale." She set a condition on her assistance.

"I intended to do so anyway, but you were already planning to kill it with only the people and resources you could procure. What changed?" I asked out of curiosity.

"If we are going to help you, then it would be best to minimize casualties during the fight with the White Whale if we really are going against the Witch's Cult and a Sin Archbishop." She answered.

"Just the Cult, I will fight Sloth. Your men and whoever Anastasia provides just need to focus on protecting the villagers and Emilia. If we could evacuate everyone instead, that would be better than fighting them in the village. They're crazy people, not warriors. You'd all have to focus on the evacuation as well, but out in the open and forced to divert their attention between enemies and civilians is where they would be most vulnerable."

"All true, but there's something you're not telling me. Do you know why specifically they are attacking?"

"Must have given something away if she's asking a question like that, but what?"

"... As crazy as this might sound, Sloth intends to use Emilia as a vessel for Satella. So,-"

"He what??!!" Felix shouted in surprise.

"So, either he's even more insane than I thought possible, he's found a way to break Her seal, or he's found a way to bypass it. Regardless, I'm not taking chances like that." I continued.

"That is troubling news indeed. Though he would likely have to reach the seal in question, which not even Reinhard could enter the Pleiades Watchtower. Even if he could, he'd still have to get past the Dragon." Crusch shared the same thoughts as me.

"Volcanica guards the seal then? That could be a problem if I'm right about Envy and Satella."

"Moving on, if you can arrange a meeting with Anastasia, we can continue our discussion. Not knowing where she is, it would probably be best to contact Julius, and if you know anyone who can provide enough transportation for Irlam Village, all the better. With that said, I must ask another favor."

"And that is?"

"I need someone to deliver a message before we go Hunting, but I wouldn't put it past the Cult to have a base of sorts in the territory. If whoever delivers the message in advance encounters the Cult, telling them they were sent by Pride may just save their life if they ignore the Scent not being on them. Once we kill the Whale, we can truly begin saving them all." I explained.

"You're asking much of me, but I'll set up the meeting with Anastasia and Russel Fellow. Write your letter, then I'll send a messenger to Emilia." Crusch accepted my request.

"And Rem?" I turned towards her.

"Yes, Manus." She said, joy evident in her tone and expression.

"If by the off chance I can't get their base's location from one, I'll need you to help me find Sloth. I also need you to promise me you won't interfere. You're strong, but Authorities are bullshit. Will you help me?" I asked of her.

"You don't need to ask. I'd be more than happy to." She answered immediately.

"Do you promise not to interfere?" I asked again.

"... I promise." She relented easily.

"Good. Now for the letter."

After sending the letter to Emilia, I asked Wilhelm to hold off on the training and began teaching Felix blood magic again. Knowing what I know now, I can skip most of the troubles he faced in the last loop. I would spend the next several hours walking him through as best I could, then during times he'd have to do something alone, I would practice any of my underused spells that wouldn't draw too much attention. Unfortunately, that meant none of the spells that could do significant damage, not that I would expect Dark Harvest to work on it. Still, I'll take what I can get. Several hours passed and Anastasia arrived with a younger feline demi-human girl in a hooded white cloak.

"Not Julius? Either he's busy, she likes the kid, or she's strong for her age."

"Hiya! Manus, right?" Anastasia greeted.

"You got it in one. Who's this, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Hi! I'm Mimi! Nice ta meet 'cha!" The little one introduced herself.

"I was honestly expecting Julius. Is she just as capable?" I questioned her choice of company.

"Yeah, she's actually second in command of my private army." Anastasia answered.

"'Private army'? Well, we might just need that, though we're expecting one more guest. Everything will be explained then. Crusch is in her study, Felix will lead the way." I gestured to the knight who was still manipulating some blood I provided.

"Huh? And what makes you think you can order me around?" He asked, not in defiance, he was still going to do it anyway.

"Because what I'm offering is too valuable for you to do anything else." As I answered him, another carriage pulled up. A blonde man in a red business suit climbed out to greet us.

"Russell Fellow?" Anastasia said in surprise.

"Indeed, Lady Anastasia. You must be the guest Lady Crusch mentioned, I presume?" He asked me after greeting Anastasia.

"That's me. Crusch is currently waiting inside, we'll actually start talking business then. I'm sure it will benefit us all."

"I see, so you're looking for help to evacuate Irlam Village and protect everyone from the Witch's Cult. What're you puttin' on the table?" Anastasia asked.

"I have a very good idea of when and where the White Whale will appear. The combined efforts of your camps with my assistance, which I can provide a lot of, I'm sure will bring it down. Being a merchant yourself, this can only benefit you regardless of your participation, or as a candidate regarding our success or failure."

"The White Whale?! Why didn't ya say so sooner? With that beast flying around, it's life or death for merchants everywhere. Of course, I'll offer my support, you'll have the Iron Fangs watching your backs!" She agreed to this quite easily.

"As for you Russell, I did you bring the items I asked for in the letter?"

"An empty socketed necklace with a 'few inches of space', and an amethyst. Yes, but might I ask why?" He asked as he handed both to me.

"I know you would need to profit from this somehow, I'm about to introduce you to a new market in exchange for your assistance in the evacuation. What would you say if I told you I can enchant this to make one resistant to, or even immune to dark magic?" I asked. Crusch had a slight look of surprise for a moment, and he was intrigued by the offer.

"I would ask to see it myself before making a decision." He answered.

"I figured. If you'll give me a moment to carve the runes into the necklace." Element: Darkness. Level: 2. Type: Magic resistance. Charge: Mana absorption. Mana source: Surrounding mana.

"Now, there are a few that can technically do the same thing, this is just plain resistance. With your permission, I would like to strike you with a simple rigor mortis curse. It will, for a short duration, completely lock up your skeleton. Then, I'll put this on you, and it will lift the curse." I explained.

"I'm afraid I must pass on that. Like anyone else, I'm not comfortable with such things." He backed away a little.

"Fair enough. Then, Crusch, will you trust me?" I asked her, her ability to tell I'm being truthful being what I'm hoping sways her to do this.

"I'll do it!" Felix volunteered.

"Are you certain?" Crusch asked her knight. Before he could answer, a green light shot out of my hand, and I caught him before he fell over. After putting the necklace on him, he gasped for air as the gem glowed.

"No warning??!!" He yelled as I took the necklace back.

"You volunteered. Now, Russell, I can make more of these. In exchange for your assistance in evacuating the villagers, and 10% of what you make off of selling enchanted jewelry. That is, if anyone you have working on this can learn rune magic. Though anything stronger than this will be 30% and greatly limited as they will come from me personally, something like this would only work against basic curses and shadow magic. We don't need psychos getting their hands on enchanted items that make them immune to an Al Goa, or whatever the strongest fire spell is."

"Pretty sure that title belongs to either Wrath of the Sun or World Aflame."

"I see. Indeed, that could be a problem, and regardless of if others can learn, the metia you just created is still very valuable regardless. We would love to study it." Russell agreed caution would be favorable on this matter.

"So, do I have your support?"

"You'll have all the carriages you'll need." He offered his support.

"Good! Now that I've secured their assistance, our alliance is official, right?" I asked Crusch for confirmation.

"... I honestly didn't expect this so easily. You're an interesting man, Manus. You'll have our support. Now, about the White Whale?" Crusch changed the subject just as quickly.

"It will appear before the Witch Cult attacks, of that I'm certain, more specifically, along the road I took to the capital. Part of this is speculation admittedly, due to a recent experience with Wolgarm, it will likely appear at night, on a route with a lot of traffic. Probably by- I believe it's called Flugel's Tree?"

"Is that all?" Anastasia asked, expecting more.

"It's at the top of the food chain, and it's arriving not just along the shortest route to where the Cult is attacking, but after Reinhard, the biggest threat to it, is nowhere nearby. If that's a coincidence, it's so unlikely that I wouldn't even consider it. Especially after the Wolgarm recently. Unless they were being controlled, they were intelligent enough to use children as bait after they went into the forest, luring or dragging another further in than the others that were all laid in a circle. If Wolgarm are that intelligent, I wouldn't put it past the White Whale to know where to feed to avoid any real danger." I explained my reasoning for this conclusion.

"Wolgarm did that?" Wilhelm asked in confusion.

"Trying to turn a snack from a few children into a village sized feast? Hunters are known for turning one target into four, depending on what their prey is and how it's known to react, but for an animal to do so? The White Whale is over 400 years old, just imagine how much more dangerous it's become since- I know history says Satella made it, but my money's on Gluttony instead. I know it's speculation, but I'd only believe so many coincidences. Besides, given what I've told you about Sloth's intentions, I can't ignore the attack any more than you might want to ignore this without concrete evidence."

"And just what is 'Sloth' planning? Do you mean the Sin Archbishop?" Russell asked in concern.

"What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room. He intends to use Emilia as the vessel for Satella's soul. I can kill Sloth on my own, I just need help saving the village."

"Impossible. The seal is guarded by the Dragon, and the Great Sage, allegedly." Anastasia said in disbelief.

"The Sage too? That just became more complicated."

"Maybe, but as much as I would love to find out if my theory of Satella's incompatibility with Envy is true, I'm not interested in risking the entire world for a simple yes or no answer. Now, are we still going Hunting, or am I about to go do my own thing?" I asked for confirmation.

After the alliance was formed, there wasn't much for me to do besides continue teaching Felix blood magic while everyone else worked on preparations. During one of the lessons where he had to be left to his own devices, I decided to look in Crusch's library for any books for magic. Lightning would be unique to me unless this world would classify it as light or wind magic, but either one would be quite a stretch by my world's standards. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any, but I do have something to work with.

To my understanding, each level of this world's spells is either a stronger version, or an alteration of the magic. Huma for example changes from a barrier to ice spears of varying sizes and quantities, but Goa just seems to just be more fire. After seeing Beatrice cast Minya, I think I'll have a new weapon in my arsenal.

"I wonder if lightning can be adapted if it's not its own element here?"

Pushing those thoughts to the side, I set up a small shooting range with Wilhelm's assistance to see if dark and shadow magic would be compatible. Going on the assumption I'd have to prepare my mana like I do for my own magic, I released it once I "felt" it was enough.

"Minya!" The crystals I created were different from Beatrice'. While her crystals were smooth and a light purple with flames to match, mine were pitch black, had shards pointing out towards the target, and were covered in dark purple flames. Upon reaching close proximity of the target, it exploded outwards, each shard was connected by the flames that would then burst and utterly destroyed the affected area while crystallizing the rest.

"Now THAT is strong!"

"Truly, one would think you to be a Sage with the power you wield." Wilhelm commented on the destruction caused by an altered Minya.

"'Archmage' sounds more prestigious though. Honestly, that was the first spell from this world I've used. Seeing Emilia conjure fire familiars with cold flames made me want to try some out myself, but I haven't really had the chance until now."

"'From this world'? Are you perhaps from beyond the Great Waterfall?" He asked after I let that slip.

"Right, I haven't had this conversation with anyone outside the mansion in this loop."

"That would be the case. I have a few ideas on how I came here, but there's nothing that can be done about any of them except make the most of what I've got. Though, going from Archmage candidate to attendant of a royal candidate was definitely not what I expected when I blinked and found myself in that plaza." I quickly tried to steer away from this.

"I see... I'm afraid I have not been completely honest with you, nor have I expressed my gratitude to you, Manus." He bowed to me as he said this.

"Honest about what exactly? And gratitude?"

"Rather, I never formally introduced myself to you. I am Wilhelm van Astrea, I took the previous Sword Saint, Theresia van Astrea, as my wife, and was granted the lowest seat as a result. Now, you have given me a chance to slay the beast that took my wife, and for that, I offer gratitude equal to what I give to Miss Crusch!" He was still bowing as he said this.

"Something's not right. If she was as strong as Reinhard has hinted in the slums, or the Archon, killing the Whale should've been easy unless it's a literal flying Calamity. And if you all suspected it would arrive soon, why didn't you try to recruit Reinhard before he left? His involvement would tip the selection in Felt's favor, yes, but he would want revenge too for- I'm assuming his grandmother."

"Don't thank me yet, as I may deny you the pleasure of killing it yourself." I could fell his bloodlust again for a moment in response to this.

"... I must ask what you mean by that?"

"I intend to land the killing blow. You see, I possess a spell that can, after weakening something like this enough, rip out its soul for later use. I could use it as a means of ascension to True Lichdom if my God plants that knowledge into me, I could summon its spirit for various purposes such as combat, or I could absorb it into myself and obtain abilities unique to it."

"So, you're in this for yourself more than the rest of us realized?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still in this to save Emilia. In fact, I could even return to the manner faster and avoid the Whale after its arrival if I needed to, but if I didn't need to kill it in order to secure all the help I've been promised and keep her in the selection, I wouldn't even attempt it unless it was in the way or if it was convenient. I need it die as much as you all want it to die, I'm just taking an additional prize is all."

"I see. Please, forgive the insinuation." He stood up straight again.

"I suppose that means you don't mind if I deny you the killing blow, so long as it dies after you've had the chance to release- what? Ten? Fifteen years of pent-up rage?"

"Fourteen, and for the opportunity to bear witness to the demise of that monster, I will not stand in your way."

"Perfect! Now, I've tested what I wanted for right now. Let's head back inside to see how preparations are going."

The next day, I was told to choose a ground dragon to ride along the way. I tried to argue I didn't need one since my wolves and birds can get me anywhere faster, but Felix was insistent on it as a means to save mana and to ensure I stayed with the group. If only as a backup, I did choose a black ground dragon, mainly for Rem. This one, though the breed is supposedly very prideful, quickly took a liking to me. In fact, I'm sure it was the same one Wilhelm and Felix used when we first met. Patrasche, was its name. Not the name I would've chosen, but it'll do its job, I'm sure.

After heading inside, there was a gathering in an emptied-out ballroom, or whatever this room would be with everything but the people. As I was searching for Crusch, a large hand grabbed my head.

"So, you're the one my Lady was talkin' about?" The hand turned me around, it belonged to a large wolf(?) demi-human who was smiling down at me. I noticed he had the Hoshin logo on his only pauldron and took note of he speaks like Anastasia.

"I'm assuming you're with Anastasia's Iron Fangs? Probably a high rank or careless if this is how you greet people. Under any other circumstance, I would've reacted much differently."

"Hehe, sorry little man. The name's Ricardo, I'm actually the head of the Iron Fangs, so you were right on that. And it's nice to meet you too, li'l lady!" He greeted Rem as he shook my head.

"Likewise, Sir Ricardo." She lightly bowed to him.

"So, not that I'm against meeting new people, but can you stop trying to break my neck?" I asked him.

"Hey! My Lady!" He ignored me and went straight towards Anastasia.

"Well, at least I'm not about to be a victim of manslaughter."

"Good, you're here." Crusch found us instead.

"Is this everyone?" I asked her, choosing not to address that she's now dressed in armor.

"No, we're expecting more. From veterans of the previous Hunt, to others in a similar situation to Wilhelm."

"Revenge is a strong motivator, hopefully, that thirst will be quenched soon. Then they can finally move on with their lives." I commented on those individuals.

"They'll never truly move on, but that nightmare will finally be over."

"Will it though? Xelroth has had a few people throughout history who were practically controlled by it. The 'nightmare' and the desire for revenge."

I pushed that thought to the side and ended our conversation. "Well, I won't keep you. You should rally everyone now."

"Indeed. They've waited too long for this opportunity." After she left, I submerged with the shadows and reemerged by the doors. As I was about to leave, Anastasia stopped me.

"You're not gonna stay for her speech?" She asked.

"I could ask the same of you, but you're not a fighter, are you? You have no reason to stay if you're not going in person."

"Not quite. I just wanted to cheer my guys on before they go slay one of the Three Great Mabeasts."

"Speaking of your guys, I don't see your knight anywhere." I noted the absence of Julius.

"He'll be behind you guys, makin' sure other folk don't get in the way while you're fightin' for your lives." She explained why he isn't here.

"Very poor choice of words. Under any other circumstance, I'd be saying you know too much!"

"Well, while I'd prefer the extra firepower, I can't deny the importance of that. Until next time, alright." I tapped her shoulder, but something felt off, like it moved on its own. I channeled a bit of dark magic into my hand and it reacted with her scarf. It would've been no different than if a shadow touched her, but it was like the scarf was avoiding it.

"It's time for me to go now, 'kay." She tried to hurry out.

"That scarf is alive, isn't it? Transmogrification is a pretty advanced form of enchanting, but I didn't expect to see it in this world. No, that's not it, shape-shifting? Maybe some type of illusion?" I asked out of curiosity.

"That's not something to be discussed in the open."

"No, it's like Puck. In fact, the magic even felt similar, yet different. A spirit?" I continued.

"Knowing more than others is kind of my thing."

"Look, I won't pry, but if it could just answer one question, I'll drop it." I said.

"... Alright, but let's get away from here for a moment." Anastasia said after a minute of contemplation. After leading us down the hall, away from everyone else, she opened an empty room.

"I mean, I can think of less subtle locations reveal a secret." I commented on her choice.

"You can come out now, Echidna." Anastasia's scarf sparkled for a moment, a white fox with black eyes materialized by her.

"You're the first besides my contractor to see my true form. In fact, you're the first for as long as I remember to so easily notice me. You can understand my caution, I'm sure?" Echidna asked as she took an aggressive stance. I just threw caution to the wind here and reached down to scratch her behind her ears.

"My lips are sealed. I just want to know one thing, maybe two depending on your first answer; another spirit I know has been having trouble materializing even though mana isn't an issue. Do you know what might be causing it?" I made it quick.

"The only thing that should be able to cause it would be if the terms on their contract have been changed. Though why either would agree to such a thing is beyond me."

"'Should' is as broad as it is specific."

"Then my second question requires a bit of context. Though there were only two recorded cases in the past several hundred years back home, they were able to rewrite magic as early as the spells preparation. Do you think it's possible that same concept could be applied to a spirit contract or another's Gate, even their Od?" I asked my last question of the spirit.

"Such should be impossible! If anyone could do so, it would be most wise to avoid them at all costs." She answered, calming down.

"I mean, in theory, I know how to rewrite spells, but that's my own magic in mid-flight and mid-cast. Technical immortality aside, I'm not crazy, much less suicidal enough to try incoming spells."

"That's all. Protect her, Echidna. Valuable ally aside, any candidate winning will lose its meaning for every one that can't participate for whatever reason." With that, I left them and made my way back to the makeshift shooting range for now.

"So far so good, let's see how this plays out."

Chapter Text

With preparations complete, all that was left was to head towards Flugel's Tree and wait for the Whale. Anastasia and Echidna stayed in the capital while Crusch rode out with us. I continued on the way to teach Felix what I could, but there's only so much we can do with no time for actual lessons, but if he'll be as good with that as he is with water magic, they'll have to create a new title just for him.

"Next chance you get, apply what you've learned to your patients, see the difference between water and blood, then try to combine them." I told him as Ricardo pulled up from behind on one of the wolf-like mounts the Iron Fangs brought.

"You seem pretty calm, all things considered." Ricardo commented on my demeaner throughout the ride.

"I just know how not to panic. In truth, I'm actually kind of excited." I responded, both of them looked at me like I was insane.

"You're about to go fight one of the most dangerous mabeasts to exist, and you're 'excited'?!" Felix asked as if I was insane.

"If I am insane, I'll blame it on the death loops."

"The way I see it, if we kill it, I have the most to gain. If we die, well, death is a currency at this point." I answered cryptically.

"You shouldn't talk about death so lightly, Manus." Rem didn't sound so happy about how I brushed it off.

"Rem, I literally have a blessing from the God of Death, necromancy is as much a right as it can be a trade for me."

"...immortal king." I heard Felix mumble.

"What was that about an 'immortal king'?" I asked him.

"It's nothing!" He answered quickly before riding ahead towards Crusch.

"... Questions for later. So, you just checking how we're doing, or you trying to help boost morale?" I asked Ricardo.

"A bit of both actually. But I see you're all good! I'll catch you later!" He rode ahead towards other troops to do the same for them.

"Are you truly excited to face the White Whale?" Rem asked.

"I am. I get to see what you all describe as a flying Calamity, and when we kill it, I'll become much stronger than I currently am. Besides, if I understand Crusch as well as I think I do, she'll make certain that everyone knows this was only possible thanks to me, and by extension, Emilia. We could die, but we literally have everything to gain from this." I answered.

"... You gave me the will to live again, and I'll happily fight by your side, Manus."

"Hehe, just don't go into another blood rage on me, okay?" She pouted at me for bringing up her little 'episode'.

"That was one time, and I did it for you."

"Rem? Rem?! Same team, Rem!!! Ow!" I joked with her, but she elbowed me hard enough not to hurt, but to send the message.

"And for that, no dinner for you."

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"You are forgiven."

We set ourselves up at the foot of the tree and we're still waiting into the night as I was expecting. While everyone was setting up the equipment and ensuring they were fed for the fight, I took the opportunity to examine Flugel's Tree from multiple angles with familiars while carving some explosive runes into a bunch of swords. It was supposedly planted by a Sage, whatever the significance of that title is here, but that still leaves room for interpretation.

"A tree this size I highly doubt grew naturally. I'm no expert, but even if this was the most fertile soil in the world, there's no way in Hell it could grow this large on its own in a few hundred years. Floramancy is capable of growing something like this, but the magic needed to sustain it would be on a whole other level. I suppose if it was enhanced by blood magic, maybe. Certainly, Divine magic could if a light and dark mage was fortunate for two blessings from Gods associated with their magic, but you're more likely to be struck by a natural lightning bolt and poisoned that same day than to meet someone who knows they're blessed."

"Tell me, Rem, do you still trust me? For all intents and purposes, I may very well be a Sin Archbishop with no Gospel, if Sloth is to be believed." I asked her, ending my inspection.

"I know you would never betray us, that you would never side with those monsters." She said, firmly.

"And what if I have an Authority? Would you still trust me? Knowing that if Beatrice is right, I may lose myself to its influence, its power?"

"There's no one I would trust more with that kind of power than you. I truly believe you would make it your own."

"Faith? That is your answer? Very well."

"I doubt it will be too long now before the Whale shows itself. If there's anything you need to do, do it now." I suggested to her, but she shook her head and smiled lightly.

"I'm right where I need to be, and after we slay the White Whale, I'll be by your side still as we turn our attention to the Witch Cult."

"I know this is filthy rich coming from me, but don't do anything reckless. Revenge isn't worth dying for, not when there are more important things to live for."

"Of course, someone needs to 'watch your back' after all."

"Heh... Listen, I didn't tell anyone else this, but if it gets bad, I'll need you and everyone else far away from me." I warned her.

"Wouldn't that be unwise? Even given your record, that sounds dangerous." She tilted her head.

"I don't remember if you were around to hear me, but my magic is like a muscle, and I have at least two spells that won't just be very costly because of how often I haven't used them, both will essentially turn me into an environmental hazard. If all goes well though, Wrath of the Sun should cripple the Whale enough that everyone else will be able to ground and kill it. I'd rather not use World Aflame or Blackened Heavens if I don't need to, the risk of friendly fire is too high." I explained to her.

"Are those really that powerful?"

"Not so much 'powerful', more like I'd become a 'map hazard' as another guy I knew would put it."

"I'll bear that in mind. What about you though? Are you prepared for this?"

"Just about. All that's really left is to hand all these swords to Wilhelm and have him plant each one deep into the Whale, then detonate them all once he's done. We're all about as ready as we can be. I guess we just need to brush up on the plan with Crusch and the Iron Fangs. First, Wilhelm since he's the closest."

"How can you know that?"

"Each familiar is an extra set of eyes for when I need them, similar to Ram's clairvoyance. He's by a flower bed just around the corner. I'll go to see Crusch with Ricardo and Felix, could you deliver these to Wilhelm and ask him to meet us?"

"I'll be back with him shortly." Rem took the swords off my hands and left to find him. I easily shortened the search for Crusch with familiars and hadn't even reached her, Felix, and Ricardo yet before Rem returned with Wilhelm.

"I doubt it will be too long now before the Whale appears, now's the best time for a once over and any final adjustments." I stated as we approached.

"Indeed. Have you thought of anything?" Crusch asked in agreement.

"Well, Rem just gave Wilhelm a bunch of swords that I can remotely detonate after they've all been stabbed into it. So, let's see, after I prime it with Wrath of the Sun, we'll want every fire mage to aim for the impact point, fire, not ice, for best results. I doubt it will ground it, but our fighters getting up close should focus on severing its fins."

"Not vital areas?" Felix questioned.

"Think of it like a knight in full plated armor and how if you can't get around it, your only options are usually to knock them off balance or to remove the armor from the equation. Magic is most definitely what's keeping it airborne but removing the fins will hopefully reduce its speed and maneuverability. Not only that, but blood loss is to also be considered. As for the fog, we'll want to see about either preventing it from creating the fog, or we'll need every wind mage on standby to deal with it."

"They might be able to clear out a small area, but that's all our wind mages might be able to do." Crusch shot down that part of the plan.

"Figures. I suppose I could try to keep its attention by taking advantage of my Scent, but that could make a harder target, and I'd have a harder time replenishing my mana with that thing on my ass, leaving me out of the fight longer." I proposed.

"You would be insane to try, but we might need that."

"If I'm close enough, I could use its own blood as a weapon, and if I have the time needed to adjust it all, I could use that to paint several runes on it... No, scratch that. I wouldn't be able to keep such a close distance and perform so many tasks at once. If I need to, I'll distract it, but I'd need help in doing so to replenish my mana."

"I'm sure Wil an' I can do that for ya. We can help ya buy time for everyone for your next big spell." Ricardo offered to assist.

"Anything to see that abomination come to an end." Wilhelm added.

"Let's see... Do we know if other mabeasts will be an issue?" I needed to be sure it would be our only threat.

"Nope! Even other mabeasts are fair game for the Whale." Felix answered.

"So, I'll open up and our fire mages will hit it with everything they've got. Afterward, Wilhelm will plant my swords into it, preferably in the same place I hit it or in sensitive areas while tearing it to shreds with the Iron Fang and any other close quarters fighters. Once they back off, I'll detonate the swords. If it hasn't already, it will probably start fogging up the battlefield, so any water or fire mages will shine here if they can freeze or burn those out."

"That may not work, its skin is covered in mana dispersing hairs. If your initial spell does do any real damage, I suspect the other mages will only be able to contain the fog near where yours hit." Crusch pointed out a potential flaw in the plan.

"In that case, I won't aim for the face or the bottom of it. I'll aim on the side or top of one of the fins. Actually, back to the blood runes, what if while Wilhelm and the others are tearing it apart, they tried to- no, that's not going to be a viable- actually, it could be. Are the hairs on it magical in nature, or just some form of magic suppression?" I asked for clarification on its defense against my best offense.

"That, we don't know. Information on previous Subjugation attempts is poor and inconsistent at best." She answered.

"'Inconsistent'? How?" I asked her to clarify.

"How far up on the damn food chain is this thing if it can adapt like she's implied?"

"There are records of people not even remembering why they were there, and records of people no one could remember."

"Some kind of memory wiping ability? Okay, that makes things more complicated. It would be no wonder it lasted this long. It's probably quite strong on its own, but if I'm right on that, there may very well have been near successful hunts that no one remembers. Dead men tell no tales, so it's not that the information is poor and inconsistent per se, it's that no one with valuable information lived to tell anyone about it or lost that information." I theorized on the implications behind what she just said.

"There's no magic capable of such." Felix claimed.

"My presence says otherwise. Besides, while my money is still on the Witch of Gluttony, your history says it was Satella who created the Great Mabeasts. Who's to say She used magic when she, if a friend of mine is right on how they're obtained, supposedly had all the Authorities from the other Witches of Sin that she allegedly killed?" I countered his claim.

"She did do all that though, it's been written that way for 400 years!"

"The Authority of Envy allowed Her to engulf over half the world in shadows and overpower the other Witches. I have an idea of what Pride can do now. And I know the Authority of Sloth allows its Sin Archbishop to create an indeterminate number of invisible hands. That makes at least three Authorities I know the power of, and if I am right about the origins of the Great Mabeasts, then I'll have an idea on what Gluttony can do. If Satella really did have all the Authorities, this world wouldn't exist anymore. Assuming she wasn't exaggerating, the strongest Divine Protections would have no hope against even the weakest Authority, now what about having seven pieces of what is for all intents and purposes Absolute Power?"

"Can we please continue with planning for the Whale?!" Crusch shifted us back to our original discussion.

"There's not much more I can think of. Your night-banishers will start, I'll prime it, your mages will aim for the impact point, Wilhelm will lead the charge for close quarters, aiming for the fins and vital areas, and I'll detonate the swords he plants. If it hasn't already, our other mages will try to block where it expels fog. We'll scatter when necessary, then once it's near death, I'll steal its soul."

"'Steal its soul'?" She questioned what I meant.

"I'll kill it with my own hands. Now get ready, I doubt it'll be long before it arrives, and I want to torch its ass first!"

We still had to wait several hours. We heard it, but no one spotted it yet. Taking the initiative, I rode out with Rem on Patrasche ahead of everyone after one of the troops called out that it was above us.

"Arva iacent cineres me expectant semitas contritio. Fiat voluntas tua nulla salus invenitur in eis in Oculis ad Caelum. Solis Saevire!" The heat radiating from the inferno I held in my hand could be felt by everyone behind me.

"This is 'Forbidden Sun'??!!" Rem asked in alarm as we rode to the side of the Whale.

"That's not all." The orange flame turned crimson as I poured blood magic into it. Once we were in position, I added a curse of fire to it for good measure.

"The real fight begins now." I launched it towards the Whale and the explosion shook it, making it cry out in pain as it was badly scorched from just behind the left fin to just barely missing its eye. Flames lingered for several seconds after the explosion.

"He's yours! I need a few minutes to get back into it!" I rode back as their night-banisher lit up the sky like a sun, giving a better view of the damage I caused. It gave the troops the morale needed to believe it could be killed here and now. Crusch followed up with a powerful wind slash from her sword before it was blasted by mana cannons and a barrage of Al Goas, aimed for the impact point as planned. The Whale recoiled heavily from each before turning its attention towards the dispersing troops.

"Perfect! No wonder why even Elder Dragons fear that spell!"

"We're circling around, Rem. I want to collect that blood that spilled from Crusch's attack." I directed Patrasche towards the drop point as it closed in on... Wilhelm?

"I expected him to do literally anything else besides stand there and- he's going to jump at the last second, isn't he?"

I collected as much as I could and shaped them into spears before putting curses on each one, so they'll increase the effectiveness of magic in the areas they pierce. While I was waiting for an opportunity, Wilhelm did what I thought he was going to and jumped on top of it, tearing into it and shaking it up as he carved his way along the top and the side where my first spell hit.

"His swordplay alone, it's no wonder he's known as the Sword Demon, and the fact he can hurt it as much as he can with what are basically toothpicks compared to its size, just what could Reinhard do?"

He remembered to stab every sword he could into it before inflicting one final slash on its fin on his way off, probably halfway from severing it from the body. Immediately afterward, Ricardo and his Iron Fang switched in and struck it with what looked like wind magic followed by swords piercing it. They jumped away just as quickly and Crusch followed up again with another powerful wind slash before another barrage of Al Goas were fired at it. Seeing an opportunity on the now weakened mabeast for myself, I launched the cursed blood spears at and around the burn wound just before the Al Goas hit it, leading up to the eye, then detonated the swords Wilhelm planted at the same time the barrage hit it.

"If that doesn't even ground it, then it will be official that it would be an Archon problem. The fact it even survived Forbidden Sun is proof enough."

Once we could see the Whale again, it looked to be visibly struggling to maintain altitude. I did notice one thing off though, its eyes turned from yellow to red.

"That can't be good."

Several openings appeared around its body as it let out a scream loud enough halt everything in earshot. Near the end of the scream, it expelled fog across the battlefield, but the density wasn't as thick as it would've been had we not unknowingly destroyed most of those dispensers on one side initially. As we regrouped with Crusch, we heard screams from all around us, of our troops being killed. After regrouping, they took a census of how many were lost, but despite knowing the numbers, they didn't know who was lost. After Wilhelm and Ricardo rejoined us, we learned at least an entire platoon was lost.

"Was I wrong then about the memory manipulation? Or do they not remember how many they actually had? Regardless, staying together like this would be unwise, and since we failed to prevent the fog from becoming a problem, we likely won't know where it'll strike from until it's too late. I can't just send familiars out to scout either, I don't want to risk another Wolgarm incident."

Before I could decide on the best course of action, the Whale screamed again, but it was different. It was louder and all around us. It was screaming at different volumes and pitches, something I don't think is normal. Regardless of what was actually going on, it was causing discomfort and worse for everyone here. Some were unaffected for the most part, but others ranged from severe headaches to varying degrees of self-harm.

"What even is this? I've never heard of anything like this!" I yelled out through my own headache as I placed paralysis curses on the ones hurting themselves.

"It's similar to mana poisoning, but worse!" Rem answered as she was affected by it as well.

"Mana poisoning? You people have clearly never seen it!"

"I'm still refilling my mana, but I can at least buy you all time! Rem, help the affected here!" I summoned a bird familiar to fly around on and turn its attention away from everything on the ground, then invoked Satella before I left them.

I could hear it behind me, so I flew straight up and out of the fog. What almost shocked me enough to leave me open was that the Whale was above me despite hearing it behind me before flying up. I looked down to see another Whale flying straight up towards me, and I heard another one to my side. I immediately did a U-turn and narrowly avoided one to bait the other into ramming it, quickly taking some blood along the way. I took this moment to examine exactly what I was dealing with as I made a giant spear from it all and launched it towards them as they collided.

"They have the same exact injuries as the one we were just killing, even the same exact blood stains. Not only that, but the spear did considerable damage as well, making it lose control of its own flight even more than Wilhelm or that barrage did. That one up there is still watching too. I think I get it now, but I need to confirm it."

I flew close to the one I hit with the blood spear and summoned a few werewolf familiars to see how quickly they could remove one of its undamaged fins. It didn't take too long for them to do so, in fact, the Whale was having difficulty shaking them off. Deciding that was enough, I dismissed them and flew close to one to use its blood to destroy the fog dispensers on them. While I was occupied with them, the fog below eventually cleared up enough that I could see all the troops below. After baiting the two into ramming each other again, I flew down and landed near Crusch before dismissing the familiar.

"There are three of them?"

"We're done for..."

All the troops looked up at the sky, saying similar things, fear and hopelessness evident on their faces. Even Crusch looked like she was ready to give up, if only for a moment. The only ones who still looked ready to fight besides me were Wilhelm, Rem, and the leaders of the Iron Fang.

"Same injuries, same blood stains, maybe slower, but definitely weaker. I could probably kill one, maybe two with ease at this rate. That one above is still flying around and letting the other two do all the work. Now, which is it? Solid illusions? Did it divide itself? Call for help? No, the world would've known if there was more than one. Solid illusions are too complex for even experienced mages, much less a ravenous beast to maintain for long, certainly not on this scale or from this far, and the fog shouldn't have been possible with everything else going on, especially since most was probably created by the illusions. Illusions of illusions, that's just not possible. It would be wasteful of illusion magic to make them exactly resemble the original too if it can hide in fog, it would make more sense to fool everyone into thinking it healed. The only logical conclusion is it divided or made weak copies of itself."

"Hehehe...hehehehahaha...HAHA...HAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!! You're actually buying this??!! Do you not know that all warfare is based on deception??!!" I asked them all as many looked at me like I was insane.

"What?... What could possibly be so funny to you??!!" One walked up to me and shouted in my face. I ignored him and turned my attention towards the Whale highest above us.

"I see, so that is your answer to hope. Then hear this, beast, my answer to despair!" I resummoned a bird and flew back up after regaining enough mana for two more high level spells. I ignored the other two and went straight for the highest one. It took a dive for me, but I swerved down and to the side before latching on to its fin.

"If you can do it, then by all means! Bring me Death once again! O Pater Abyssi, quaeso, ut Nox Astralibus Tenebris majora proferas. Pateat Umbra tua sine fine, ut inimici mei in Eternum pereant Gurgite. Denigrata sunt Coeli!" The sky became even darker over the area than it was before we used the night-banishers. Shadows fell from the sky encasing us, reaching out to restrain and constrict the Whale, trying to pull it into the shadows above. It won't be strong enough to hold it for long, but I don't need it to do so. I placed several curse runes to further enhance my dark magic before hitting it with a few Minyas to make breaking off a then crystalized fin easier and bring it that much closer to death for good measure.

"Obscura Messis!" Many scythes were formed thanks to Blackened Heavens, cutting right through the Whale, pulling its soul out as well. I could feel a surge of sorts as I fell down with the body. What to do with the soul, I'll figure that out later.

"I didn't think the impact through... Hopefully, they'll use the tree as cover as they'll be getting free flying lessons otherwise."

I ditched the corpse and flew away, leaving it to cause a heavy crash on the ground below, knocking down several troops and blowing others back with the shockwave. Once the dust settled, I flew down to meet with everyone as dawn finally arrived.

"Well, I got half of what I came for, what about you guys?" I asked after dismissing the familiar, then was greeted by Rem and Patrasche.

"Manus!" She jumped off the dragon and pinned me to the ground with a hug as said dragon nuzzled my cheek.

"You actually did it...?" Crusch looked at the corpse in disbelief.

"The other Whales are gone too. How?" Felix asked in a similar tone.

"The other two were just significantly weaker copies of the original that kept its distance high above. I quickly came to the conclusion it wasn't a pack of sorts nor an illusion. It either divided and weakened itself at the same time, or it simply made weak copies of itself. Once the original died, I had no doubt the others would die as well. If not, well, I'm sure you all could've killed the other two." I explained as Crusch moved past me to address the troops.

"The White Whale is no more! On this day, let the world know that it was Manus who slayed one of the Great Mabeasts that have terrorized the world for four hundred years!" She declared our victory to everyone, who wasted no time in celebrating its defeat.

"Crusch, I need to speak with you in private." I nudged Rem, who moved off of me so I could move away from the group.

"Hm? Very well." She led us away where no one should be able to hear us.

"I hope you realize this victory may very well turn sour before you return to the capital to deliver the news." I opened up with a warning.

"Is this from your foresight?" She asked.

"No, just something I believe to be likely. Wilhelm did say he noticed a pattern between Witch Cult attacks and White Whale appearances, right?" I asked to confirm what I'm thinking.

"Though it's nothing solid, it is there, but you already speculated that yourself when you proposed the alliance." She answered.

"In that case, while I would expect to be the target because I killed the Whale, I cannot stress this enough: There's a fair chance the Witch Cult may retaliate due to its death. They might target me because I killed it." I got straight to the point.

"Are you requesting more help with the Witch Cult and Irlam Village?"

"No, I'm warning you that if you encounter an Archbishop instead, which is possible as a result of you leading the Subjugation, to run. There's no doubt in my mind that you would die if you tried to fight. Go around them, Hell, turn around, but do. Not. Engage. Even if you do kill one, doing so may result in their Authority attaching to you, and unless you're compatible with it, you may die or become like Satella in the absolute worst-case scenario, on top of make you a potential target for those who can smell the Witch's Scent. I don't care if it brings shame to House Karsten, or if it destroys your chances in the Selection. There's no version of that scenario where you'll come out on top." I warned her.

"What makes you so certain of an attack as a result of our victory here?"

"If the Whale was created by Satella, you could say it's high up on that religious ladder, as high, if not higher than Archbishops. I doubt they'd take kindly to the death of what may as well be Her child."

"Your concern is appreciated, but I believe you have more important things to attend to, do you not? Namely, saving Emilia and the village from the Witch Cult. Though I do have to ask, if you kill Sloth and obtain his Authority as you've said will likely happen as a result, do you not fear you may also become mad or perish yourself?"

"I might have said this before, but I already have a natural resistance to curses, which Authorities would probably classify as due to their nature. Provided I'm compatible, I should be fine. Otherwise, I'd need to not use it to buy myself time until I can figure out what to do about it." I brushed off her concern.

"I hope you know what you're doing then if everything is about to come crashing down as you believe."

"Meh. Death is a currency at this point. I'll be fine." I repeated what I've said multiple times now.

"What do you even mean by that? I don't need my Divine Protection to know it has a different meaning than you keep giving?"

"It would be best to keep it that way. Don't ask questions you can't get answers to, nor would you like the answer. Moving on, now that the Whale is dead, we should all rest until Julius arrives with backup for the next half of what needs to be done."

"Then I'll ask this instead: Is it related to your Scent?" She asked in a tone that promised consequences for lying.

"Now you're asking the right questions! Yes, but I promise you, I am no enemy to Lugunica, I'm no ally to the Cult, as I'm sure I've said before."

"... I'll hold you to that then." She dropped it there.

"That was close."

"So, quick question, how strong do you think a weapon made from the Whale's horn would be?" I changed the subject.

"The horn? I imagine even if it wouldn't make a strong weapon that it would still be quite valuable. Do you have something in mind?"

"I'm thinking of a fitting weapon, yes."

"At this point, I think I've earned the right to wield a replica of the Archon's sword. I'll just need a couple gems socketed into it and part of it hollowed out for my own personal touch."

Chapter Text

After the little chat with Crusch, the only thing we could really do was rest until Julius would arrive with reinforcements. Felix and Rem were hard at work healing the injured as Crusch, Wilhelm, and Ricardo added up the body counts. Wanting to take it easy while I can, I joined them on assessing the damage. It was as I thought, they believed we had fewer troops than we actually did as none of them remembered several of the fallen. I confirmed this by asking everyone this applied to if there was any relation to others with the same family name. Not one of them said yes to the unaccounted people with the same family names, but agreed to at least check their family history, then write back to the Emilia camp on their findings.

"If I'm right, I'll know the extent of Gluttony's power, just not how it's used. Truly, a terrifying power, to essentially be able to erase any living person from history. Assuming the different Authorities have different effects on the mind, Sloth can turn someone into a raving lunatic, though I fail to see the relation, and I'm not looking forward to Gluttony or Wrath. Greed is hopefully just extremely protective of anything they deem is theirs, and Lust is hopefully just a horny mess or obsessive with their desires. Wrath, I would expect to be violence incarnate. Gluttony will probably always be starving or a compulsive eater. Envy should be contained if it doesn't have an Archbishop, and Pride is likely within me, but if each Authority is related to the Sins, is it seven or nine in this case? Ten if you count the original sin of- some argue Disobedience, while others argue Treachery."

"Manus!" Rem raised her voice right next to me.

"Huh! I'm sorry, I was lost in thought." I apologized for ignoring her. She let out a breath of relief and shook her head.

"It's fine, it's just that Julius has arrived with reinforcements now." She informed me.

"Have they now?" I looked past her to see him arrive with more of the Iron Fangs and I moved to greet them.

"Perfect."

"I trust everything went smoothly on your end?" I asked him.

"More smoothly than what happened here, I'm sure. To think any of us would live to see it ourselves though..." Julius trailed off after seeing the corpse.

"Once this is over, we should all celebrate harder than ever, but let's save that for until after the other half of what we need to do."

"Indeed. It is to my understanding that we're to assist you in evacuating Irlam Village, correct?"

"Not just that, but a Sin Archbishop will be present as well. I can deal with him myself, but I can't save the village at the same time." I warned him of the next big threat.

"A Sin Archbishop?! Are you certain?!" He asked with no small amount of alarm in his voice.

"Specifically, Sloth. His Authority isn't really a threat when I can see it and negate it. The real trouble will be the village. We should have plenty of transportation, but even if Emilia got my warning, the village is likely to disregard her, perhaps even blame her for the attack because of her resemblance to the Witch, and I doubt Ram will fare much better." I explained the situation further to him.

"That's troubling indeed. Rest assured; no harm shall come to any of them, my friend." He swore to do what I can't at this time.

"Not that I'm expecting it much, but if they give you or Emilia trouble, they should be more cooperative if the 'Finest Knight' says he's here to assist everyone on my behalf while I try to pre-emptively deal with the Cultists, or their leader at least. If you can, also give a subtle reminder that Emilia is on our side."

"Unfortunately, I cannot grant your first request as it would be frowned upon for a knight to associate with mercenaries. I am here as Juli, a simple wanderer." He claimed to deny his involvement with half our troops due to his status.

"... Okay, the fucking Sword Demon, Felix, Crusch, the aspiring knight to another candidate speaking right now, and even Anastasia, all just associated with said mercenaries. Mercenaries I might add, are almost, if not exclusively on your Lady, Anastasia's payroll, and they aren't even in it for the money. I can't be the only one to see that as absolute nonsense." I pointed out the flaws in his logic.

"HAHAHA!!! He's got ya there, Julius!" Ricardo laughed, agreeing with me.

"... I honestly have nothing for that." Julius was at a loss for words.

"Aside from that, my only order right now is to not die. Kill the cultists, save the village, protect Emilia, leave Sloth for me."

It took several hours to reach Roswaal's territory. I wanted to rush ahead with Rem, but I didn't want to risk accelerating the Witch Cult's plans when backup would've been so far behind. Instead, we kept moving until Rem picked up their scent, then we separated from the main group to follow the scent deep into the forest. Once the scent became sufficiently strong, Rem alerted me to the presence of Cultists who came to greet us. Seeing an opportunity to test my "Sin Archbishop" status, I couldn't pass it up.

"All of you may do as you were ordered to, except you. I have a most important task for you." I pointed to a random cultist and the rest left us to avoid arousing suspicion from whoever they were moving towards.

"What is your bidding?" He bowed upon asking this.

"It's very important, I assure you. I need you to die." I stabbed him in the abdomen with an ash dagger, then kept branching out inside him. He fell over dead, and I took his Gospel.

"Manus, what are you doing with that?" Rem asked cautiously.

"Information on your enemy should never be discarded. Besides, if these count as proof of identity, then it's potentially a ticket to destroy them from the inside." I opened it and just as quickly as I recognized the language, the words on it disappeared.

"Well, there goes that plan, though why was it in the language of the Ancients? Questions for later."

"You shouldn't read that! It's said you'll go mad if you do!" She tried to stop me from reading it.

"A little late on that, Rem."

"I'll be fine. Trust me, madness is the least of my worries. Now, Sloth is waiting, but I'd rather fight him alone. He's in that direction, right?" I asked for confirmation.

"Yes." She looked down to the ground.

"Alright, no time to waste." As soon as I turned around, she latched on to me, hugging me from behind.

"I've lost enough to them already. Please, come back?!"

"Trust me when I say not even death will hold me back. Besides, what kind of adoptive brother would I be if I left my little sisters alone?" She tightened her hold on me.

"You remember that? You meant it?" Her voice cracked halfway through her questions.

"I'm not sure how Ram feels about me, but yes. Now go, another familiar face should help things go smoothly with the village."

"Right!" With that, she left to regroup with the others.

"Now for round two."

I continued in the direction Rem said the scent was strongest to eventually find a cave in the cliff side that judging by the stairs, was likely created by them. A few cultists were standing at the entrance, but Petelgeuse was at the bottom of the stairs, ready to greet me.

"Welcome, believer in love! In the Witch's Cult, I am a Sin Archbishop, representing Sloth, Petelguese Romaneé-Conti. I welcome you, beloved child, blessed child. How wonderful! Wonderful!" He's swaying a little to the sides with his hands on his cheeks.

"Seriously, how does Sloth translate to insanity and the exact opposite of the sin?"

"Greetings, I'm new to this 'love' thing, but I think I get it." I played along, intent on gaining any information I could while he believes I'm with him.

"Oh, it starts so suddenly. Everyone, on a certain day, realizes they are indeed loved. Yes! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love!" He clutched his shoulders and swayed to the sides again with each repetition.

"I cannot tell if killing you is mercy or justice, I'm honestly more confused about the morality than I am disturbed by this."

"You wouldn't happen to be Pride, would you? Of the six Archbishops, Pride is the only empty seat. You have received the Gospel, haven't you?" He scooted closer.

"Of course, I have, dear brother." I answered.

"Then present Proof of Love!" He pulled his Gospel from his robe and began flipping through the pages, reading them faster than should have been possible. He reached the end in seconds, looking up at me with suspicion.

"Looks like I need to step up my game."

"There is no mention of you in my Gospel."

"Foolish brother, have you forgotten who has graced you with his presence? Of course, I wouldn't be in it. Not only am I quite unpredictable, but it is because you would become a hindrance to my goals here during the Ordeal." I quickly pulled out my Gospel and opened to the first page, this time, it was in my native language.

"You will meet with Sloth, kill him and his Fingers." It instructed.

"That's it?" I thought as I hid my confusion.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Proof of Love! You are indeed Pride! Oh, we are truly blessed! For Her loyal servants to become whole on the day of the Ordeal." He almost looked like he was dancing in place out of joy.

"Yes, sorry to cut this short, but Obscura Messis." The scythe formed and I slashed through him just as quickly, but it felt off immediately.

"It killed him, but where'd his soul and Authority go?!"

I looked up and was immediately met with Unseen Hands coming my way from another Cultist. I narrowly avoided them, casting Black Flame Protection and Hellfire Within in the act.

"Traitor! Murderer! Whatever could your Gospel have told you, Pride?!" He kept reaching for me with his Authority, but the Hands were destroyed just as quickly as they came into contact with me.

"Is that him? Are his Fingers vessels for his soul and Authority? This just became more complicated. Fingers... Five to ten total probably."

"As I told you, it would be a hinderance to me if you knew, so for the sake of our Lady, I need you to die, preferably permanently. El Minya!" I aimed for the other Cultists in sight and made a point to actively destroy his Unseen Hands before they touched me when possible. He became as shocked as he was enraged that I proved his Authority was useless against me.

"Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! How can this be? That you can see my Unseen Hand?! My brain trembles!" He furiously scratched at his head before biting his fingers hard enough to break bones.

"Maybe the Witch loves me more than you? Sanguis Fulmine!" Crimson lightning struck him, causing him to bleed out from every orifice in his body and then some.

"Assuming the first counted as a Finger, that means there should be three to eight more if none of the others here are among them, but I can't just use Dark Harvest on all of them. Despite being a small-scale spell, it's one of my most costly." I thought as I entered their base to kill any members inside. Finding a few more, it was nothing a few shadow spikes couldn't deal with. After clearing it out, I destroyed the entrance and set out to regroup with everyone.

"I should've asked Rem to warn them about 'my' Gospel, I really don't need them trying to kill me just for carrying a book."

I met back up with the others, who all had the carriages parked in a wide enough section of the road back to the village. Rem was keeping watch from on top of one of the carriages while Felix, Julius, Wilhelm, and Ricardo looked to be discussing our next course of action while one of the twins was messing with the other. Rem became alarmed upon my arrival, but calmed just as quickly as she saw me, alerting the others with her initial reaction.

"You truly defeated a Sin Archbishop?!" Julius asked as I approached.

"Ha! I told ya he could do it!" Ricardo praised what he believed was a successful attack.

"Not really. I killed him, yes, but apparently there are people in his part of the Cult called 'Fingers' who basically act as backups for his current body. In other words, he just became that much more dangerous since we'll have to kill him three to eight more times. With that said, Rem and anyone who can smell the Witch's Scent will need to be on high alert." I informed them of this development.

"Damn, better we learn now." He commented on 

"He can possess other people's bodies? That would explain how Sloth has survived all these years. Luckily, we already killed two Fingers while you were gone." He noted as I turned to Rem.

"Good, one to six more then. Rem, if you have a second, I need you to use your connection to Ram and explain the situation. I can use my familiars to scout out the area, but an extra set of eyes will help significantly if she can do so from her location." I did exactly that as I explained my reasoning for involving her sooner.

"I already did, but she's out of range for her clairvoyance to assist us." She responded.

"Shit! In that case, remain on high alert, and be ready to start slashing the air. If we have any mages capable of creating mist or short rain showers, they'll be incredibly valuable if his Unseen Hand is actually like the camouflage spells some illusionists practice." I suggested.

"They're here!" Rem jumped down from the carriage and faced the trees to our side. Unseen Hands shot out and grabbed me, quickly pulling me away from the group and tying me on a tree. Immediately after seeing the Finger, I summoned a werewolf familiar to tear them to shreds. I was released in seconds with Rem and Wilhelm not far behind.

"I'm fine, just a little sore from the impact."

"That's good, and if your assessment is correct, that's two to seven more Fingers." Wilhelm said as he sheathed his sword.

"Big 'if' though, don't quote me on that. It's time we move, it shouldn't be too long before we encounter more if a Finger was that close so soon."

We reached the village with no interruptions, to our surprise. There were already enough carriages to transport probably half the village. I initially expected them to depart sooner, but that was immediately thrown out when the thought of the Cult catching on sooner was a possibility. The villagers were uneasy, and neither Emilia nor Ram were to be found immediately.

"That's not a good sign."

"Julius, could you search for Emilia while I address the village." I requested, knowing they're more familiar with me than any others present.

"I won't be long." He left in the direction of the mansion.

"Has anyone been filled in as to what's going on?" I asked the villagers.

"No, why are there so many knights and carriages?" One answered with a question.

"Isn't it obvious? It's the Witch's Cult!" Another answered before I could.

"What? But why would they attack here?!"

"Why else? It's because of that damned half-elf."

"We both know that's complete bullshit, the fact the Cult attacks people who have nothing to do with half-elves is proof enough." I said to prevent this from becoming a riot.

"How can you say that? Even the children know this happens when you associate with half-elves."

"By that logic, they would only target residents of the mansion since you all obviously ignored the warnings I sent to the so called 'half-devil'." I know arguing isn't in the best interest here, but I figure the sooner the better.

"Warning? We didn't get a warning!"

"You're wrong!" I recognized that voice, Petra stepped out from the crowd, disregarding her mother's attempts to stop her.

"Could you please elaborate on that?" I knelt down to her level to ensure she knew I would listen.

"The lady from the mansion came down a few days ago to ensure the forest was still blocked off from mabeasts, and urged everyone to take refuge in the mansion for the time being!" She explained loud enough for everyone to hear her.

"So, she didn't warn you about the Cult to avoid a panic and avoid what I'm certain would've been...undesirable reactions for everyone involved, but she still tried to offer you protection and a subtle warning, which you ignored? It's good to know you care more about her race than you do your own lives. If you don't want to be saved, or if you're that picky about who your savior is, you're free to stay. You'll only have a Cult of murderers and a nigh-immortal Sin Archbishop who I've killed three times now to worry about, but I'm sure you'll manage!" I explained the gravity of the situation to them with a tone that implied I won't try to save them if they choose to stay. I know they might go into a panic, but fear is probably the motivator they need.

"A Sin Archbishop, here?!" Fear was evident in another villager's voice.

"Yes, now you understand! I'd wager it won't be long before they attack, take what you need and load up those carriages! And for future reference, that half-elf would still risk her own life to save any one of you, consider that the next time you want to blame her for shit, like being born into a world that hates her very existence. She a much better person than any of us, that's for damn sure." I left them to their own devices and began moving to the edge of town to not be disturbed for a minute so I could pull out the Gospel to see if it had anything new.

"Three Fingers remain, beware trapped carriages."

"Fuck!" I sent out bird familiars to find the others and quickly returned to the village, trying to look normal while searching the first carriage I saw. Felix though had already beaten me to it, a man laid on his back with Felix kneeling over him.

"You caught on too, right?" He asked upon seeing me.

"Not soon enough, some of the carriages might be rigged. Get what you can from him, then start searching them all." I shifted my consciousness to my birds to see if they found everyone else, seeing they were successful in all but Julius, I warned them.

"This..." The man began to speak, catching our attention.

"Tell me what I want to know, or the next few seconds will feel like minutes of Hell." I began carving runes into his limbs, but he just smiled like a madman.

"...is the beginning of the end!" Light filled the carriage, I wasted no time encasing all of us in ash with an extra layer of shadow, all reinforced with blood magic. The explosion would've likely destroyed a few buildings with us if I hadn't contained it, but so much at once took quite a bit out of me and I fell to my knees as a result. Felix was immediately on me as yelling and screaming broke out around us.

"You're fine, it was just too much at once. Can you stand?" He stood up, offering his hand if I needed it.

"I can fight, luckily, that looks like the only one with explosives. Start evacuating everyone, I'll join you after I kill Sloth- I'm thinking three more times." Just as I said that, something started wreaking havoc in what I believe to be Wilhelm's direction. Not wanting to risk losing such a man, I climbed on a wolf familiar and rushed over there. To my surprise, he was actually holding his own against Sloth, using the dust in the air from all the carnage to see the Hands. It didn't take long for him to run his sword through the Archbishop, but seeing he was still alive, and not wanting another suicide bomber, I shot a blood spike through his head.

"How many are left?" Wilhelm asked as I approached.

"There should be two more. I'm sure you can kill him on your own, but if you find him before I do, lure him to me." After I gave the order, a voice began shouting from the side, it was another Finger, accompanied by several other cultists.

"How? How? How? How? How? How?! How are you constantly thwarting all my plans?!" The Finger viciously bit the ends of her digits.

"Because I know what I'm doing. Infernus Tempestas!" All of them were engulfed in a pillar of black flames, dying instantly.

"One should be left then. I'll handle things here, you should go see to Lady Emilia, considering she is their primary target after all." Wilhelm suggested.

"If you insist, though I'm sure she'll just tell me to focus on everyone else's safety. Still, you're not wrong. Go back up the others, we'll meet up again later." I summoned several birds to locate Emilia faster before departing on a wolf. It took several minutes, but I did find her, Puck, and Julius fighting the last Finger. Unfortunately, I didn't reach them in time to kill Petelgeuse with Dark Harvest and he died to Nova, who inflicted a death curse when she dove down on him from above.

Seconds later, everything just felt wrong, like I was losing control of myself. Laughter escaped my lips and my body began moving against my will.

"Manus?" Emilia ran towards me

"Lia, no!!!" Puck called out, likely having already suspected something was wrong, but it was already too late. Just as she approached, Unseen Hands shot out from my back and grabbed her, holding her tightly in the air.

"Manus, what are you doing?!" Julius pointed his sword at me.

"Manus? No, I am a Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult representing Sloth, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti. Yes!!!" I was still conscious as my body acted against my will, and I could feel my neck almost snap due to how quickly he tilted it.

"Manus, I know you're still in there, fight this! Please, my friend, don't make me kill you?!" Julius pleaded, hoping I heard him.

"He's already long gone. In truth, I didn't even suspect he could be one of my Fingers, but I am so very glad to have such a fantastic vessel, and on the day of the Ordeal no less! Truly, my diligence has been rewarded, it's been so many decades since I've had such a perfect f-hrg..." I struggled to regain control, the grip on Emilia I saw became loose, but still had her tight enough that she couldn't do anything.

"Manus, Petelgeuse, whoever you are, let Lia go now." Puck demanded in a deadly tone.

"Why, I shall do no such thing, it was your slothfulness that allowed me to claim the Witch's vessel, and you will see her dead if you try to-hrg..."

"Manus, stop this! Whatever is happening to you, fight it!" Emilia pleaded as well.

"I-I can't...if this were a curse, it would be different, but-"

"It's no use, it won't be long before his body is under my subconscious control. I must commend his diligence however, to come so close, and to cling to life for this long can be nothing but pure diligence! But...he failed at the end, and that. Is. Slothful." The Hands tightened their grip on Emilia once more.

"... Manus..." Puck conjured several large ice spikes as he trailed off. I struggled to regain control again.

"Puck, do you-hng- remember what I said?" I asked him, referring to when I told him to kill me if Emilia died.

"... I do. Is there truly no other option? My friend, don't make me hurt my daughter."

"Manus, what is he talking about??" Emilia demanded from me.

"If you kill me, you kill him, and if you move to kill me, I kill her! Yes! This is the result of your slothfulness! Oh, there will be death, for if I can't have the vessel, neither shall you!" Petelgeuse shouted through me. Puck stayed his hand, not wanting to risk killing Emilia. I looked to Nova, she knew what had to be done, despite being an animal, phoenixes are highly intelligent. Perhaps knowing she couldn't kill me fast enough, she flew towards us and attacked as a regular bird would. Seeing the opportunity, Puck shot us with his ice spikes, but I couldn't stop Petelgeuse from seeing this and killing Emilia as a result.

"Lady Emilia... Manus... I'm sorry." Julius spoke remorsefully. I was slowly taking back control, perhaps Sloth moved on, or he lost consciousness in some form. Neither of them saw me look between Emilia and Nova, who was now dropping tears on my wounds in what I believed to have a good chance of saving me. I used some blood magic to speed up the process, I intended to die, but I needed to speak to Puck about something first.

"Lia... I will fulfill our contract, this world will end." Puck said not with rage or sadness, he sounded empty for lack of a better word.

"Great Spirit?" Julius turned to him questioningly.

"I will show this world why I am known as the Beast of The End. A world without her is meaningless." Puck said to no one in the same tone. A blizzard quickly followed his declaration and Julius was frozen solid in seconds, there was nothing he or his spirits could do against the Great Spirit of Fire.

"Hello, Archon level threat, where have you been hiding?" I thought as my wounds were almost done healing. I urged Nova to fly away as fast as it could, its black flames protecting it from the cold. I stood up and used various flame cloaks to protect myself against the cold as Puck's form changed from a small cat to a giant at least twenty meters high. He looked down to me once he took notice.

"Manus, how?" He demanded an answer as I neared Emilia's corpse.

"I'm sorry, I did everything I could think of in this loop, and still failed in more ways than one." I positioned her body as one would for a funeral, quickly drawing runes around her that Grave Servants typically use to restore bodies back to the conditions before death for proper services.

"Phoenix tears combined with blood magic make for a strong method of healing. I don't feel Petelgeuse anymore, so I want to take this opportunity." He narrowed his eyes at me in response.

"'Opportunity'? Lia is dead, and you're still alive despite asking me to kill you if she dies. What 'opportunity' could you possibly be referring to?!" He demanded an answer with a slam of his paw as our surroundings continued to freeze.

"Puck, I can save her, perhaps even you next time if I can deal with Sloth's possession. I will let you kill me as we agreed so I can, but I have a question, and a request." His eyes widened after hearing this.

"So, you're the one I have to kill... Ask your question, but just know I'm not in a very generous mood right now." He lowered his head to my level.

"You've been having difficulty materializing lately, right? Is something or someone affecting your contract or your Od? I might have an idea on how to fix that in the next run." I asked him and briefly gave context for it.

"I have, though how such a thing is possible is unknown to me." He answered.

"I see, as for my request, I ask you let me have this chance to see how I compare to a Great Spirit." He stood back up.

"The fact that you're still stand in this cold is proof enough you might stand a chance. Though, the number of individuals who can, or are able to kill me fast enough are few and far between." A large number of ice spikes bigger than myself formed above us.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry. Of all the people I've met, Emilia deserved none of this. Solis Saevire. Mundi Incendium." As I held Forbidden Sun in my hand, World Aflame began to counter Puck's blizzard and was slowly melting the ice above us, matching the cold with heat.

"Don't fail next time, prove you're worthy of standing by her side."