Cinia Pacifica Posts

The revolutionaries progressed through the palace floors in haste. The group was largely comprised of the aristocracy that desired the disappearance of the Queen and welcomed reforms—Princess Louise’s efforts had indeed bore its fruits at last. Not all aristocracy wished for the beneficial outcomes of the revolution skewed. Some had joined the fight with their own beliefs in justice in mind, especially for the most oppressed working class population of the country that suffered due to the inequality. The rest that made the group truly overbearing were cold-hearted mercenaries.

It may have been a case of noblesse oblige from the nobles that initially inspired this revolution, but now it was a mixed mould of many ideas and promises by the Royalty conspiring against the Queen. For example, some of those not from the nobility came from the military instead.

This great group of a grand size was mostly packed across the hallways, and of course the battlefield was not friendly enough for them to utilize their force to the maximum. However, Princess Beatrice was confident that they would make their way to the throne room tonight, which was known to be very spacious.

Among the mercenaries resided Michael, Charlotte, and Claudia, the three Representatives tasked with defeating Duchess Frederica. Those traveling with them revered the trio with respect simply because Princess Louise specifically chose them for the task out of all the other people that were quite skilled too.

“Oh? Well, this is unexpected,” Princess Louise nonchalantly remarked, finding Archmage Christopher standing beside Duchess Frederica of Edinburgh.

An army so large would easily be able to overcome the two vanguards in any normal situation, but now they faced an Archmage alongside a Diogene whom they needed to be rid of no matter what.

“Your Royal Highness… why?” Frederica asked in a tone as if she anticipated this outcome. “Even you, Lady Svetlana…” she added, finding Svetlana behind Princess Louise along with her army.

“Because it is necessary,” Princess Louise answered.

“I am sorry. I have my reasons for being here,” Svetlana said as she looked away. She was hoping Duchess Frederica wouldn’t be here.

“Traitors, the lot of you. I had honestly expected better of you, Lady Svetlana.” The Duchess looked over the army that the Princess had gathered with ire. “You have turned on the hand that attempted to give you a peaceful future.”

“I wanted that peaceful future. Until I was told it would be all taken away from us if I did not come.”

Frederica only gave Princess Louise one glance and realised what might’ve taken place, and gave up speaking with Svetlana. She was a lost cause to her now.

“Even if it is Your Royal Highness,” Christopher took up his right fist as he spoke, “I will show no mercy.”

“So be it. We shall press forward regardless.” Princess Louise gave Michael, Charlotte and Claudia—the trio of Representatives—a glance and they stepped forward.

“Archmage or no, Representatives are nothing to be frowned upon,” Princess Beatrice spoke to Louise with telepathy.

The two nodded off to each other.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dThByuApVuU

“You need not kill the Archmage, get the Duchess however you may,” Princess Louise commanded.

“It will be done, Your Highness,” Michael replied, voice garbled from taking on the form of a wraith. He summoned Caladbolg and shifted into a stance.

“At once, Your Highness.” A black blade materialized under the grasp of Charlotte Brontë.

“Understood. Exterminate the Duchess…” Tucking her face into her scarf like usual, Claudia summoned Lachesis’ Fang.

Alek didn’t say a word, stepping forward and summoning his own blade as he took up his stance. No words communicated his intent as well as the sword he held.

He was attired in a mask made of black-painted steel to protect his identity, as well as the finest suit he wore, which he’d had tailored to be as form-fitting as he could without sacrificing flexibility. He’d even had all of the parts of it that didn’t need to move much reinforced with a steel mesh under the outer layer of cloth to act as a very lightweight suit of chainmail. His pants were similarly reinforced and made of the same pitch-black shade of cloth as the suit jacket with the whole thing offset by a blood-red tie.

All in all, he was nearly unrecognisable from his appearance during the planning session. Over his shoulder protruded the handle of Vinea, which was kept in a sheath on his back, with a black leather strap running over his shoulder with shiny silver steel rings on it to prevent it from getting damaged.

For a Duke, you are most pitiful indeed. “I suppose I should have expected this.” Princess Louise shrugged. “Come, we change our course now.” The group turned to the right, taking a different path to reach the throne, leaving the four behind to deal with the two enemies.

With the force of a thousand angry spirits, Claudia summoned the power of her Commandment. Shadows spread throughout the room—more than anyone else could count on their fingers—and gained shape. Claudia’s eyes glimmered bright red as her Infernal dogs came to her side, outnumbering the Duchess and the Archmage.

By her command—which was a single pointed finger—she sent them all in a pack towards the two, destroying everything in the room, and tearing upon their prey’s flesh.

The Infernal beasts of Claudia were howling as they were supposedly continuing to tear their targets up to send their two adversaries to their demise. The clouds of debris rose and filled the air. Moments later, however, Claudia only heard the cry of the Dragon instead of the demons.

On Christopher’s hand was the eyeball of the ghastly creature. It was squashed momentarily as he walked out of the smoke, extremely furious.

“I hope you brats are ready for this.”

The cloud shifted abnormally due to the pressure in the air that was created due to Michael and the Duchess clashing. Even if the Representative was cloaked in his strange shifting form, the Duchess could clearly anticipate his attacks due to her spiritual sensing, albeit for some reason it was very difficult to pick up on his trail.

Michael saw it, every twitch of the Duchess’ muscle as she made a stroke with her oversized sword. He anticipated her every movement, and reacted accordingly but even then, he failed to turn the tides to his favour. He managed to give her shallow cuts here and there, proving that she was having a hard time fighting against his spell. Pure white clanged against blackish silver as their blades crossed paths once more.

The smoke cleared when they clashed fiercely once more, both trying to overpower one another.

It was then that Michael saw something that he would not have noticed if he perceived time at a normal speed: the Duchess’ sword was subtly pulling backwards on her right. He increased his pressure on the Duchess’ sword and pushed harder and harder for her to concentrate on blocking his blade. Suddenly, he stepped back and grabbed Caladbolg by its blade and thrusted to her side as she stumbled forwards. Crimson blood stained the Duchess’ silver dress and dripped onto Michael’s pure white blade, until he pulled it out once more to dodge a retaliatory wild swing from her.

The blue wind blew past the Duchess and before she knew it, the cloaked figure whom she fought but a moment ago had vanished, summoning his speed once more.

While the Archmage was showboating, Alek was quietly chanting, “Ades Iovem imperium rex... fremunt lamina insistit priscosque deos immortales!” His sword crackled to life with electricity as his hand fairly danced along the length. Alek pointed the blade at Duchess Frederica, and chanted another spell, “Exaruit fons vitæ, fons lucis, fons spei!” A shimmer passed through the air, headed towards the Duchess, and barely missed her, instead crashing harmlessly into the wall behind her.

“Claudia?” Alek began. “Focus on the target… I’ll hold the Archmage back long enough for you to focus on our target, okay?”

“Sort of what I was doing already but… alright,” Claudia said, taking a moment to scratch at her scalp.

Alek turned to the Archmage, and shouted at him, “You gonna get over here and fight? Or are you waiting for us to die of old age first?! Because I got a spoiler for you! We’d still win that fight!”

He chanted, “Duplicationem obruere , fucus, deducuntur stulta!” and tried to fool the Archmage’s perception as his image seemed to shift in the time it’d take one to blink. Alek charged forward, sparks trailing in his wake as his sword transcribed an arc in the air, slashing at the older man, determined to protect his allies’ flank at any cost. Christopher vanished just as his blade passed by.

(GM’s Comment: Player was totally off the handle at this point doing whatever incantation he wanted. So, eh, not one to disrupt his little fun I guess, but I haven’t really decided if that was how I wanted incantations to go in general in this world.)

To any ordinary warrior, the reflections off the spell would definitely confuse the senses, but for one who was a true master of the wind and the Dragon, the most subtle shift made it apparent to Christopher where the body of Alek was, especially due to all the rough and heavy chains he wore with him.

“That’s giving yourself away,” the Archmage coldly said, a downward blow striking at the back of Alek’s head as he struck with the side of his hand. To Alek who held the steel of the gauntlet granted to the Archmage by King Solomon, it felt as though the bones of his neck would sever. The Archmage’s knee brushed against his stomach next.

Aleksander wheezed out, “Intuentes in profundo veritatem et lumen animi,” and his original spell activated, allowing him to see strange wirings of mana all over the body of the Archmage that he couldn’t comprehend. He saw the Dragon howl at him when he looked at the Archmage, and his body froze at that moment. A punch on his cheek sent him flying from the hallways and into the wall all the way back.

He tried to rise up. His chainmail having absorbed most of the blow, he still felt relatively fine, albeit his cheek was swollen, and his helmet broke and fell apart from the brutal force of the Archmage’s fists.

On the other hand, Claudia swooped in close to the Duchess with a dash, drawing an arc as she attempted to bisect the her. The blade met against the darker blade of the Duchess with a clang. Sparks flew in every direction before they were carried by the navy-blue wind of Charlotte Brontë’s Commandment.

Michael came down from the air with his blade facing the earth. The Duchess—who was preoccupied—did not notice in time and was stabbed in the back.

As Michael retracted his white sword, Claudia’s scythe dug past Frederica’s flesh, and her blood coated the floor. Charlotte’s black blade seemed to come afterwards and with unimaginable might, she pushed the Duchess away, who rolled across the floor.

“To think you of all people would be doing this…” Frederica stated with a hoarse voice. She picked herself up using her sword like a cane against the floor.

“To save her… I’d do everything.” Michael looked the Duchess in the eye as his wraith form dissipated. He raised his sword once more and charged, aiming to cut the Duchess’ head off. However, he overestimated the damage they had done to the Duchess as she still managed to parry his attack.

Michael tried to follow up with another slash, and it was still evaded.

Claudia’s scythe was about to draw another arc, yet a gauntlet firmly planted itself over her guts, making her gasp for air.

Christopher appeared without any warning, his speed unmatched even to the Representative of vampires. He opened his mouth and in place of air, flames blew out and swathed over the three Representatives, despite the navy-blue wind of Charlotte.

The magic fizzed out of existence as the spiritual energy devoured the spell, but by then the two had vanished.

“Did he just breathe fire on us?” Michael sat down on the floor, taking this moment to rest.

“Seems so,” Claudia replied, carelessly dusting soot from her coat sleeves with a grimace. That much power made the vampire sting all over. “They are more trouble than they are worth.”

Alek picked himself up off the ground with a grin. “I’m going to be sore for a couple of days at least…” He seemed oddly happy given what he’d just said. “A little bit of pain never hurt anyone though… Didn’t we sort of need to kill the Duchess so we’d have a shot at the Queen?” he asked as he jogged over, grasping his stomach gingerly.

“That was the plan, yes. Meaning we need to catch up with her, and fast,” Claudia answered.

“Him.” Michael stood up as he felt like he had rested enough. “Not her. She’s going to bleed to death unless he brings her to someone who can heal her. Unless he can. Then… In any case, we might need to fight him too.”

“Hey… this might not be the right time, man, but I wanted to let you know that I don’t have any hard feelings, alright?” Alek said. “I wouldn’t go as far as saying that you seem like an alright guy, but at the least I can respect your strength. I’m glad to be fighting with you, rather than against you.”

“Huh. Thanks?” Michael replied, surprised by Alek’s sudden apology. He was not sure what he was apologising for, but this was not the time for him to clarify.

“Alright, cool. I was being kind of a bitch earlier, so I’m glad we got it sorted out.”

Michael nodded towards Alek, unsure how to respond.

“The Duchess is gone from this plane,” Charlotte said, her left eye glowing navy-blue. “They escaped into the Void Realm. According to Princess Louise, our mission is complete as long as they are far away from the premises.”

“Do we have a method to make sure they would take some time to go back?” he asked his fellow Representative.

“No, but we need not apply such a thing. The Space Time Act already forbids the Archmage from casting the Astral Venture spell again.”

“Space Time Act—then I suppose we should head to the throne room now?” Michael replied, and then looked at his two other allies. “If we all are ready, that is.” His Wraith shroud reformed around him.

“We should move onwards,” Charlotte added.

Alek nodded. He collected the shattered pieces of his mask and quickly, and roughly, welded them back together with Ignem before using Aquam to cool them. He placed it back on his head, the glass lenses of the mask cracked to the point that he took it back off and just knocked them out with the point of his sword. He placed it back on his head once again, now without the lenses to hide his eyes. The end result being that everything except his pale blue irises were hidden by the black steel. “I am ready when you are, Miss Charlotte.”

(GM’s Comment: Oh shit. I call bullshit.).

Finally extracting the rest of the excess soot from her coat, Claudia nodded to Charlotte and the rest of her team.

“I certainly hope that you lot can keep up, especially you two.” She glanced to Michael and Alek, as if challenging them both—well, Michael in a challenging sense and Alek because she wanted more obstacles to throw at him, since he did opt to join the three after all.

“You know I can.” One could hear the smug tone of Michael’s voice.

“Of course, Claudia, It would take much more than that to put me down for good… That was really more of a pleasant Tuesday evening than anything serious,” Alek said.

“After you then, perverts.”

Alek simply smirked in a cocky manner, knowing it would trigger the sadistic side of his Mistress to take him down a few pegs. “With pleasure, fair lady.”

Michael just smiled to himself as he started walking.

Claudia pursed her lips at Alek, pausing for a moment. Did he just…

(GM’s Comment: Yep, he totally tried to copy Marco, having observed Marco in the past from some alternate dimension. Maybe.)

The black winds formed and rotated. Wisps of flames formed and shrouded the Buckingham Palace. With the tornado in place, the palace was wrapped in an unceremonious curtain of darkness that locked all of its exits on the surface. On the palace grounds, the guards fought against the revolutionaries, the courtyard soon to be littered with the crimson of fellow countrymen.

“So it begins…”

“Yeah…”

Frederica and Christopher braced themselves for the coming battle, only sparing the clouds a glance through the windows.

“So, you have come…”

King Arthur looked down at the main halls which was once the vibrant scene of the previous year’s Queen’s Meeting.

The great evil—as the King would prefer to call it—entered.

“Mordred…”

“Father…”

A shining golden blade formed, and the King of Knights brandished his golden shining relic sword—the Excalibur—while his son took up a black sword.

“To think they managed to bring you back from the dead… Heh, I suppose I should give it to those people. Those prying fools.”

“This time… I will best you, and become the King, Father.”

A resounding clash of steel was heard as three mages prepared to cast magecraft to stop time around King Arthur. The floor surrounding Arthur and Mordred started to lose its colour.

The King of Knights faced Mordred, the Earl of Aberdeen could already feel the presence of a certain assassin, and Duchess Frederica was soon to meet the arsenal of Princess Louise along with Archmage Christopher—Prince Leopold tightened the grasp on the hilt of his sword, tense and alert.

Beyond the throne’s doors was the Queen—Victoria of the Heavens—burning with a just wrath that she was desperately trying to keep under the reins of her sanity. The sacrifices made for the culmination of efforts would pay off tonight in favour of Princess Louise, or she would go down by Her Majesty’s own hands.

Either way, the results would not be pretty.

Kaitlyn followed Earl Aberdeen across the halls of the Buckingham House. The interior of the palace was simply picturesque. There were large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, ornate pillars on each side of every hallway she could see; the intricate designs of the architecture literally dazzled from the Engine lights illuminating their path.

A man in his thirties approached them, showing a fist embraced by a steel gauntlet with a star symbol. His skin was dark, and Kaitlyn noted that he was foreign. He was an exotic man. Beside him was an aristocratic lady with chestnut coloured hair in a rich silver dress.

“He is no intruder,” the lady said, and the fist was taken down promptly.

“One of those Diogenes †˜ya mean?” the older man asked and the lady gave a nod.

Aberdeen seemed to smile at them. “I did not know that you would choose to be a vanguard, Lady Duchess—I wish you luck.” Aberdeen gestured Kaitlyn to follow, and they pressed onwards.

Some time had passed as they crossed the corridors and got to the doors of the throne room. There were several figures guarding it.

Aberdeen gave a graceful bow to the handsome and younger man who stood before the rest.

“May I state before any words of welcome are presented—that it is an honour to know that I shall be fighting alongside Your Royal Highness?”

“I am glad to know that one such as you has made it to this house, Lord Haddo. I would like to claim that words of welcome still hold more priority, would you not think?”

“Surely you jest, Your Highness.”

“May I know about the case of Lady Cavendish Bentinck? I believe my mother had sent you instructions regarding the matter?”

Aramus perked up from behind the Prince at the mention of the Bentinck’s, tilting his head slightly as he regarded the two newcomers.

“Lady Elizabeth Cavendish Bentinck was retrieved from quite the battlefield today… I have placed her in the care of Kaitlyn Mercer,” Aberdeen answered, gesturing towards Kaitlyn behind him. “She rests in her abode now. Hopefully, no danger befalls her for now…”

Kaitlyn bowed. “I’ve let Your Highness down. The Earl would not have needed to intervene had I done my job and kept Lady Cavendish Bentinck safe.”

“With how elusive the Lady Cavendish Bentinck is, I suppose this was simply how it was meant to be,” Prince Leopold stated. “I doubt that you would be standing here to fight for Her Majesty—my mother—if you had attempted to… get her out of what she got into.” He turned back to the Earl and smiled. “I commend your work. Stand proud and firm, both of you—we have work yet to finish.”

“You are too kind.” Aberdeen could only do as told, smiling in defeat. All words of formality fell flat against the Prince.

The Prince’s words rang hollow for Kaitlyn, but he was right. There was work yet to finish. She couldn’t let herself get distracted with what was in the past.

Aramus felt some of the tension leave his shoulders after hearing that Elizabeth was safe, even if she had been bloodied. She did have a knack for getting into trouble, yes indeed. He made a mental note to thank both the Earl and Kaitlyn later, if he survived the upcoming fight of course.

The Duchess of Edinburgh came up to them from behind. With her, a younger lady with violet hair approached them.

“It seems like Miss Violet here was a target for assassination,” Frederica reported. “She also demands to take part in fighting for the Queen… she retains an injury, however. What shall we do, Prince?”

“Lord Aberdeen?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Thank you…” Violet relaxed while the Earl casted a Creo Corpus spell to heal her wounds. There was a clear wound on her chest that was visible through her cleavage revealed from the dress. According to her, a vampire had attempted to assassinate her.

“A vampire holding a large scythe… you would not suppose she is the Representative of the Blood Countess?”

“Pardon my intrusion into the conversation,” Aramus said. “That would be Claudia and she is indeed the Representative of the Countess. We crossed blades not too long ago in Saudi Arabia.”

“It likely is the Claudia we have heard of from the previous Queen’s Meeting,” Frederica said before giving a nod to the rest of the people. “I shall head back to my position now.”

“Watch out for her Commandment, those silly dogs can be a pain to avoid,” Aramus advised.

Kaitlyn turned toward this man. She didn’t know why, but there was something about him that seemed vaguely familiar. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Aramus nodded to Kaitlyn. She had been his senior in the Royal Council as an Enforcer in the past, but he hadn’t actually crossed paths with her on assignment. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time for pleasantries.

“I too, shall take up to the other hallway that link to this place,” Aberdeen claimed after treating Violet’s wound. “The rest of you should remain.”

“Earl, at least take someone with you, or would you claim that they would get in the way?” the Prince said, making a wry smile.

“Your Highness catches on fast.”

Into the Buckingham Palace now, Aramus walked past the familiar halls and corridors. They reminded him of the Queen’s Meeting and the various times he had come here to visit. It felt like humour in poor taste now that he was here for something that he had never thought would occur in his lifetime before. It was a strange feeling to come back to England on these terms, and the irony was not lost on him.

Nevertheless, he would perform his duties as a Magic Magister and a loyal subject of his Queen. It mattered not who the opponent was. Even if they were a member of the Royalty, he would not hesitate. Personal feelings did not matter at this point, not when Her Majesty was in a crisis, yet Aramus clenched his gauntlets at having to leave behind Aozora and Mary. Life was not as simple as when he had simply lived for the Crown.

“There are so few guards that it feels eerie…” Christopher commented as they crossed the many cloisters in the Buckingham House. “What is Her Majesty’s intent?”

“As few guards as possible,” the Duchess claimed.

“Why?” Aramus felt strange about the lack of security.

“You of all people should realise, Mister Linfield, judging from Her Majesty’s kind heart…”

“I don’t like it though… this vulnerability.”

“This is Her Majesty’s way of limiting the amount of people sacrificed for this petty revolution, and we all know it. There is no way I will let such a great ruler go down without a fight, though… and if I know what is to come, I actually fear for the rebels.”

“What is to come? Kindness? I know the Queen is kind but maybe now is not that time…” Christopher said with a grimace, still not taking the loss of Duchess Caroline well.

“We will see what Her Majesty has planned for the rebels. Until then, I plan to fight to the last breath,” Aramus growled.

Some members of the Royal Council were found assembled before the throne room as they finally arrived. Aramus surveyed the place, finding many pillars on both sides. The pathway was wide. This place would likely become the battlefield.

“It seems like Her Royal Majesty the Queen is missing from the throne room at the moment…” the guard stated. “I have orders to disallow anyone from entering.”

“The Queen gave such orders…?” the Duchess questioned and looked back to Aramus and Chris.

“Move out of the way, we have to speak with Her Majesty, now,” Christopher said with a tone grim and dark.

“I am sorry, but we cannot do that,” the guard said, adamant.

“Well, this seems like it will not go anywhere,” the Duchess stated.

“If that is Her Majesty’s wish. What remains of those loyal?” Aramus asked.

“We are not aware, perhaps those who were dismissed were…”

“No, Her Majesty must have a different reason…” the Duchess said, not letting the guard finish.

”Is this all that remains of the Royal Council?” Aramus asked in disbelief.

“Unfortunately… this is all of whom who were allowed to stand guard. We do not know why ourselves… with the rumours of rebellion we recommended more guards for Her Majesty and the Prince Consort. So far, those words have fallen on deaf ears.”

“We have no choice but to make do with these numbers,” Aramus said as he put a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “This is even worse than that time with the students…”

“I shall lend my aid too.”

A man dressed in a long black overcoat walked up them. His silver hair was long and similar to that of Aramus, but of a different shade.

“Your Highness Prince Leopold, I would recommend your saf—”

“Now, now, I shall have none of that and you know it, Duchess Frederica. I cannot possibly allow my mother to face all these enemies with so few people,” the Prince immediately interrupted the Duchess, despite it being bad manners to do so, as it was unthinkable for him.

“…Understood.”

“Glad to have another at least,” Christopher added. “It’s good to see you again, kiddo.”

“Ahaha, I am glad to have the opportunity to battle alongside you, Archmage Christopher,” the Prince said. “And of course you too, Mister Magister Aramus Valmark.”

Christopher smiled wryly. “I’m honoured, Your Highness.”

“Your Highness! The honour is all mine,” Aramus said sharply, surprised that Prince Leopold would speak to him at all.

“And I suppose you would be there for us as well,” the Prince stated, turning around.

Particles of blue gathered and thus a man formed, and his appearance was known. Aramus once more met the man who took down Virgo in the end from a year ago. The Director of the Royal Academy.

“Yes, I shall do what I can. I will hold back the great evil that is approaching as we speak.”

“The great evil?”

“I do not know who it is… but I can feel it.”


“I see.”

“A great evil…” the Duchess whispered, looking up to Aramus with worry. “Does this mean…”

“Possibly another one of them,” Aramus responded. “We are all that stands between them and our Queen, Duchess. Failure is not an option… Not anymore.”

“Perhaps Her Majesty anticipated this outcome and had most people out of the way. This means that the lackeys will be up to us once more.”

“As before except no one will be coming to help us this time.”

“No one realises the true good until their passing is witnessed.”

“I will go ahead,” Christopher said. “Gonna hold down the front halls I guess.”

“Perhaps the time has come…” Frederica said with her eyes closed before she faced Aramus. “Take care. I shall join Mister Bradley.”

“Be safe, Duchess Frederica,” Aramus said solemnly.

“I shall stay here,” the Prince resolutely stated, giving the Duchess a nod. “I wish you both well.”

The Director’s form started to break apart. “I will just wait for the great evil and take him on when he arrives. I shall pray well for the Crown.” With those words, King Arthur left.

“I will not let you do as you please, Louise…”

Aramus twitched upon hearing Prince Leopold’s words but otherwise said nothing. It was not his place to meddle in the Royal family’s affairs as a mere Magister. However, if the Royal Princess had indeed instigated this rebellion then it was another matter entirely.

“Ah… Mister Linfield, what brings you here this evening?” the Duchess questioned.

As soon as the Archmage agreed, Aramus and Christopher came over to the Duchess’ bedroom. She was still resting, but according to her maids, her condition was quite literally back to normal, almost.

“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but… Duchess Cavendish Bentwick has fallen,” Aramus said gravely.

“...I suppose it was a matter of time. What of her daughter?”

“Missing. I would like to know her whereabouts as well. My suggestion would be to consolidate whatever we have remaining lest more of us fall to the rebels.”

“I believe there is hardly anyone remaining other than me by now, if the plans are going as I had heard. Regardless, it may be the time that I take action.” The Duchess pulled herself up from her bed. “It would be a shame, though, to leave this abode of mine.”

“We will return to it. I shall have to bring the young ones along as well, that is going to be most troublesome.”

“Where would you want to take your sister? I am not sure whether my mansion is safe anymore. My maids are skilled, but we cannot gauge their forces.”

“That is… a good question indeed. There is no place left in Britain for me but as for them… Do you know any places, Duchess Frederica?”

“I doubt it. They could be found anywher—”

“My lady…” one of the maids spoke up from the doorway.

“Come in.”

“The lady Mister Linfield brought over to the mansion has vanished… we found the gentleman beside her unconscious. What shall we do? There are no visible or magical clues whatsoever.”

Aramus threw his hands in the air. “Of all the bloody times! Excuse my language, Duchess. Argh, I can’t deal with so many problems at once.”

“God damn!” Chris seemed to curse as well alongside Aramus. “What now?! We’re getting more and more thinned out like this.”

“If you are to pursue your sister, Mister Linfield, I believe you should. Family is most important. I shall head for the Buckingham Palace. Unless the enemies wants to raise a ruckus in the streets, I should make it,” Frederica responded.

“But my Lady, it is dangerous at night!” the maid protested, but Frederica shook her head.

“Even so, I have a duty to Her Majesty.”

“Master, what will you do?” Aramus asked as he held his nose between his fingers.

“We cannot thin ourselves out any more than this. I’ll go. This has gone on long enough.”

“Very well. Then the three of us will protect the Queen. I will ask Akihiko about his choice when he wakes up.”

Christopher wasn’t very surprised by his decision, but he couldn’t complain now that they needed all they help they could.







“Urghhh… wher—where is Aozora?!!” Akihiko woke up, immediately calling out.

He woke up about ten minutes after it was announced that Aozora was gone, finding Aramus beside him instead as his vision stabilized and blurriness left. To say the least, he was extremely disappointed to find Aramus there, and didn’t expect to hear any good news.

“Taken,” Aramus said bitterly. “You were found unconscious in the room. What do you last remember?”

“I… I saw some bastards in black cloaks. Dogs of some Organization I’d bet. I need to go find her again…”

“Likely the underlings of either the rebels or The Society. We will be heading to reinforce the Queen in this desperate time. After that matter is finished, I will look for Aozora. What will you do, Akihiko?” Aramus said as he checked himself once over, ensuring there was nothing out of place before departure.

Akihiko gave Aramus a look as if he had went mad, much moire than himself.

“Unfortunately, the Queen’s business doesn’t concern me. For me there’s only one thing to do and that’s to look for Aozora.”

“Where will you look?”

“I don’t know, but I have to go. Even if it’s a blind search, I will go and look for her.”

“You will be killed before anything happens. Is that alright, knowing that your death will not change anything? The Society is not to be trifled with.”

“If I can’t even die for the girl I love, then what good is it for me to even live?! Stop questioning the obvious, Magister. My decision is made.”

“Will you not wait a few days for the rebels to be dealt with?”

“How could you even think that?! It’s your sister, for God’s sake!”

“You think I don’t? I just had to abandon my mother because I’m not strong enough! How do you think I feel? I felt it was safe to bring you two here, and look where that got me. Yes, I’m responsible. Hate me for it but I will not die a meaningless death. I will go back for both of them. It is every man’s dream to die for his woman but then… who will take care of them afterwards? If you think your death can make Aozora happy in the future then go ahead. I have heard your conviction so I will not stop you but… spare a thought for the woman you love. That is also the duty of a man. I bid you good luck.”

“Presumptuous much, mister-wise-guy? She doesn’t know about my feelings and nor do I think she sees me the same way, so I don’t think it really matters in the end.” Akihiko got off the bed, straightening his attire with a sigh, but still holding the look of ire. “If it’s not me then that’s that, she’ll probably find a better man. My will is bent on saving her. If I succeed, then I can think of taking care of her afterwards. Otherwise, I’m sure she’ll find a way, or a better person will come along. Maybe you will by then. As long as I can get her out of the fire for now I am going to be content. Goodbye, and good luck dealing with your country’s problems.”

“Don’t you dare die on me,” Aramus whispered under his breath as Akihiko left the room.

Aramus and Amelia came out of the portal and found the aristocratic abode of Duchess Frederica, appearing before the doors. One of the Battle Maids seemed to sense their presence and cracked the door, taking a peek before opening it in full to let them inside.

The two sat down on the sofas of the parlour some moments later, letting the tension leave their body.

“Hahhhh, I have never felt this tired from a mission before. Not for a long time anyway,” DKD said absentmindedly. “You feeling alright there?”

“Probably will need some medical attention,” Aramus wheezed, struggling with the buttons on the suit. “But nothing hurts more than having to leave her behind again.”

DKD tossed a potion at Aramus.

“We’re gonna need to do something about that, but the time constraints worries me more at the moment.”


“I’ll be good once the potion starts kicking in.” Thumbing the cap off, Aramus drained the potion bottle just as he took off the suit. He searched it for any damage and found none, much to his surprise.

“Hmm, now what do I do…” As Amelia looked straight up to the ceiling in thought, she suddenly looked back at DAD. “Right, you have a rebellion on your hands, and a mommy to save. What are †˜ya gonna do, kiddo?”

“I will deal with the rebellion first. By no means do I want to abandon my mother, but if the coup d'etat succeeds, I might not be able to return to England to save her with the rebels in power. Secure the safety of the Crown and then… I will save her.”

“Alright.” She shrugged. Aramus indeed cared more about the country than family. Seeing him make decisions like these would always remind her of that fact. “I’ll have to be on my way, unfortunately. The reporting to the Administrator of Space Organization will be made and we’ll discuss the matters regarding your mother and the Boundary we discovered soon.”

“I entrust that to you, Amelia. Hopefully we will receive a favourable outcome.”

“Good luck, you know where to go to if all looks south. The bar -should- be a safe zone.”

“Aye. I’ll go there if the stress gets too much but I’ve got kids to look after again. How nostalgic.”

“Bring them along in the worst case scenario, in the case you need to, anyway.”

“That really is the worst case scenario. I don’t think either are really ready for war.”

“Give my regards to Master Christopher and the Duchess.”

Amelia gave a nod and opened the portal, giving the Magister a wave for the last time before she took leave.

The door burst open as soon as the portal closed. Christopher Bradley entered, a grim face mixed with rage.

“Where’s DKD?”

“She just left. What happened, Master?” Aramus asked as he sat up straighter, noting that this was the first time Christopher looked this way.

“It’s Duchess Caroline, son. Dark days now. She has been murdered.”

Aramus opted to punch the sofa instead of the wall, letting out some of the anger. “Damn it! Was she the only one? What about Elizabeth!?”

“No news, she wasn’t even living there apparently… no idea where my niece went at all. I can only think this place could be next very soon.”

“Then we must protect it at all costs. We can’t afford to let the rebels get to Duchess Frederica… or my Sister.”

“I fear for the Queen at the same time. We don’t have enough hands for everything it seems.”

“Do you think they could be aiming for Her Majesty as we speak?” Aramus said fearfully.

“Some of my intel says that it’s gonna happen soon. They’re almost done wrapping up the loyal nobles of the Queen apparently.”

“Should we consult with the Duchess on our next course of action? I think it would be wiser to gather what we have remaining instead of being scattered where they can pick us off.”

“Let’s go. I’m itching to teach those jerks a lesson anyway.”

Aramus and Amelia hopped from roof to roof, making the tiles almost tilt as they did so. They looked down at the streets as they passed. They were relatively empty, devoid of pedestrians breaking the law. Which was rather odd.

The two stopped on a house that seemed to face the river itself. They looked down. The river was long and wide, and its water appeared to be black. Whether it was due to the evening cloudy sky or the wastes that corrupted it, they didn’t know. There were several bridges that seemed to connect to the other side of London. The big Clock Tower came into view as they heard the bells toil loudly across the city.

According to the clock, it was now midnight.

“Least the pedestrians have cleared out. It’s late and I want to go home,” Aramus muttered, stifling a yawn. He blinked again as he tried to activate Aural Vision but ended up rubbing his eye as a speck of dust entered his eye, the spell failing.

“Look at the bridge.”

They two found a sort of light that seemed to move atop the bridge. On close inspection, it turned to be someone, but from their distance they could hardly make it out due to the bright light surrounding her. Regardless, she was nothing mundane from what it seemed like.

“Aye. Plan of action?”

“It seems like we’re not alone here,” Amelia said with her eyes closed, using her Mind’s Eye spell. “There are guards, watch dogs, whatever you call them.”

“You have to teach me that sometime. Well, what do you want to do with them? We can neutralize them, maybe keep one to talk.”

“Hoho, that makes me want to keep it to myself.” She looked down at the bridge again. “Likely guards of The Society. We’ll have to be more careful than that. Hm… I’ll let you investigate her directly. Let me go on cleanup duty for once.”

“Heh, I’ll have to get it by bribing you somehow. Hopefully this’ll take us somewhere, I don’t want to trigger The Society and then leave empty-handed,” Aramus said before vaulting off the roof.

He stepped into the cobblestone streets, looking up to the bridge, and walked up to it. Despite only walking, he was moving much slower than the entity, who was also seemingly walking. It seemed like she possessed unnatural speed.

“Definitely not normal,” Aramus muttered before picking up the pace.

The figure suddenly stopped, as if waiting for Aramus to catch up, the song that seemed to be sung in ancient Latin stopping with it.

“Hmm?” Aramus approached cautiously, wondering why she had stopped. He moved close enough to be in visual range, just for observation until DKD returned. Who knew what this creature was.

“Sad, it is so sad,” the entity spoke with a child-like voice of a girl, turning to Aramus. He found a girl with black hair, looking at him with teary eyes. “I can hear the voice of your heart… you are crying.”

“Sadness is something I am well acquainted with, yes. What of you?” Aramus asked, his brow furrowing slightly. She seemed to be able to read his emotional state, perhaps a passive ability?

The light intensified around her, and she seemed to float up from the bridge. It was slowly taking her away—away from Aramus.

“What… of me? I wonder…”

Aramus leaped after her with Flash Step spell, but it was nowhere near enough and the distance between them kept growing.

Slowly, as DAD pursued the light that seemed to move farther and farther away, the houses on both sides that he passed by started to change in shape and colour. He noted various images of the city warping, going up and down as if being out of balance. He was in the state where equilibrium had not met, located between the two dimensions. The girl had vanished, and now he knew not where he was.

“Now where the hell am I?” Aramus grumbled as he put on the monocle, scanning the area for any peculiar signs. It looked like a Boundary, that was for sure. Just, what in blazes was going on?

With a blink of his eyes, he found himself in a completely different world. The skies were hidden not by the clouds, but darkened by the curtain of the night regardless. He saw only a path straight ahead of him, with houses on both sides. The houses were different than the ones he remembered from London. They had no windows or doors. It was peculiar.

Straight ahead was a large clock tower, something he had seen some time ago, but it was completely black, only the clock itself shined gold. It reminded him of his mother’s golden eye.

Taking a step, he noted the steel floor, something he found reminiscent. Memories came back to him, memories of watching his mother fighting the demon Sasha, and defeating it with ease. At the same time, he remembered the nightmare he saw before going to Tokyo, a vision of his mother’s sufferings.

“Ah… Back again. Let’s see what secrets you hold this time.”

Walking along the path towards the clock tower, Aramus kept watch on the houses for any irregularities or if any of that confounded mist was around. He didn’t fancy turning into a toad again.

He soon started hearing the grating noise of steel. It seemed to come from every direction. A sense of fear arose in his heart, which was unexpected even to him.

The air sparked and crackled around Aramus as he employed the spell Lux Tempora—one of his new spells—in the Boundary space. The mana being spread by the spell granted him an awareness of all that happened within visual range, though it was not the best at detecting anything minute, not yet at least.

He looked up to the glaring eye of the clock tower that was the clock itself, and felt warmth from behind, as if something fell on him. He quickly turned and jumped back, and a loud roar took place, brushing onto him a hot wave of breath.

(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqnHO1L52Ec)

Aramus looked up to a beast that was larger than he could imagine. It stood on the ground with legs made of steel, almost appearing to be something like a spider, however he could make no sense of its body. Red gleaming eyes peered down at him, an eerie roar given away again. It seemed like towers of steel protruded from its face, rather, it was as though they were struck forcibly to its black skin.

Upon careful examination, it seemed like it was a creature with a large head, and a black lizard-like creature mashed on it, which also had eyes, and they repeatedly flickered and rolled about every moment. There were countless arms of steel wringing about too.

With a monstrous voice it spoke, “It smells… smells like… the golden eye!! Give us… the eye…!!”

“Oh no. I hate to disappoint you but I possess no golden eye. You’ve probably mistaken me for the Scholar Mary. May I inquire if you are indeed the †˜Steel Demon’ that is spoken of in these parts?” Aramus said as he looked up at the gargantuan creature.

“Mary… that sacrificial wench. Give her to us…!!”

“I suppose you wouldn’t know anything.”

Before the monster could react, Aramus kicked off against the ground as magical wings sprouted from his ankles, the spell Hermes’ Wings activating. Thorns latched onto his arm as Alptraum was summoned and he raked the underbelly of the creature with a slice, pivoting mid-jump to land on his feet. Black blood showered out on the ground as the monster groaned.

The monster tried to bite on Aramus, moving unnaturally fast, but since his spell was still in effect, he could leap away from it.

Retaliating immediately with a brutal swing, Aramus was shocked to find Alptraum stopped by a multitude of steel hands as they rose up to guard against the blade. Surprisingly, it didn’t cut through, and metal screeched against metal. Aramus tried to push forward but it was in vain. He thought of moving back, but it was too late. The maws of the monster opened and bit into his body, half of it being crushed under the fangs. He bones cracked most audibly, but the fangs couldn’t cut past the fabric of his suit. Thanks to said suit, the fangs slipped away from him and he could fly free off the monster, coughing up some blood.

“God damn it!” Aramus yelled in pain, staggering backwards away from the monster.

That single bite had pulverised more than a few bones and he was worried if there was more internal bleeding or damaged organs. The monster hadn’t done anything significant yet and he was already in this state. It wasn’t something he could defeat by himself. Turning towards the clocktower, Aramus boosted himself with another new spell—Transient Burst—as he made his escape.

The monster pursued Aramus as he dashed with lightning. Despite his speed, he could foresee the thing catching up to him eventually. His mana borrowed from the Realm of Faeries was not infinite and it was particularly harder to draw mana in a Boundary Realm. He stopped at the base of the clocktower and heard a voice.

“Come up!”

The Magister found his partner, Witness DKD, standing on top of the tower before its golden clock.

Aramus scaled the tower easily, but he could feel his energy leaving him as the spell expired. The sudden burst of energy could also not be maintained for long and coupled with his injuries, would probably have slightly deeper repercussions later. However, it was enough for him to finally reach DKD, and he flopped down beside her, groaning in pain.

“Are you okay?” she asked. The two felt the force of the Steel Demon when it crashed against the base of the clock tower.

“I’ll manage. Your suit is the only reason I’m still in one piece.”

“Stop… your sadness. I feel the sadness of your heart.”

Aramus looked down at the young girl from earlier, standing just before the large clock behind DKD. She seemed to be writhing in pain, crying. The light was not with her.

“I don’t know how…” Aramus admitted, feeling broken as well. In a more physical sense at least.

“What is she—” Amelia stopped, her mouth agape as she turned and watched the child, having only noticed her now.

“The… sadness…!!”

The girl started vomiting, black liquid substances falling down from her mouth and onto the floor. Another Steel Monster seemed to come up from the black liquid, as if it was a sea of sorts and the monster was simply rising up from it. The scene was surreal to the two Witnesses.

The new monster had a brown head looking like a mix of a cow and a raven of some sort. It grew, and the size seemed like it would only get bigger.

“We’ll retreat for now!” Amelia responded swiftly with urgency for their life, opening a portal behind that floated in the air. She held Aramus’ hand and pulled him into it before he could even react to the horror he witnessed.

The Magister’s eyes moved up from the little crying girl, or the monster that seemed to come out from the vomitted substance. On the very centre of the clock tower was the Virgin Mary—locked down with chains on what seemed like a mini-black cross. Many blades and spears had marred her body, a sight reminiscent of Jesus Christ from the many depictions he had seen in his life in Churches.

“Mother!” Aramus reached out a hand towards her, a look of anguish on his face as he was forced to leave, swallowed up by the portal.

“Your mother?!” Amelia could hardly catch her breath as the portal behind them closed in the Void Realm. “Whatever the case, that looked very bad. Even I cannot take on two of those.”

“We have to go back with more support. I must free her!” Aramus cried, a look of desperation in his eyes.

“Not now… we do not have the people required for this… operation. Most are still doing other missions. We underestimated that Realm, whoever made it has placed lots of… crazy guard dogs in there.”

“So long as we go back… I can’t leave her there,” Aramus said, doubling over from both physical and mental stress.

The pair of Witnesses from the Space Police Organization—namely, Witness DKD and Witness DAD—worked hard to find traces of the Boundary that was said to cause the disappearance of the mundanes. It was a long term case that had evaded the eyes of the Space Police for about a year now and it wasn’t surprising that it was hard to crack even for DKD, who was famous for getting her work done swiftly.

To Aramus, this was a case very similar to the case the pair had solved back in Tokyo, but it seemed to be of a much larger scale.

The two were often forced to skulk about at night in search of the Boundary. With the curfew of Queen Victoria in effect past eight in the evening, the two were granted a pass to survey the streets of London at night—courtesy of the Queen—to be able to identify the root of the issue. So far, it seemed like many people were violating the Queen’s laws. For reasons personal, civilians would often be found walking the streets of London at night. It wasn’t strange that people were thus disappearing. Who knew what lurked in the depths of the darkness?

Even Aramus was aware of the many rumours that surrounded the darkness of London. The talks of the infamous Steel Demons that haunted the people in the dark corners. Those poor and without shelter were apparently the first to speak of their horrors before it spread all the way to the High Places. However, no proof was ever provided.

Perhaps everything was linked. Perhaps they weren’t.

Even if the two would find wandering people in the streets, however, they weren’t allowed to detain them due to the curfew, as they were the police for handling different matters.

“Hm, this seems like another fruitless night,” Amelia commented with a hint of boredom.

The two Witnesses sat above the tiles of the roof of a house. They kept a good look at the city centre around the area of Thames. Which was reported to be one of the prominent disappearance spots.

“Something will turn up eventually if we keep our eyes peeled. Still, it’s a little irritating for the civilians to just wander around even with the curfew in place. Night after night, we’ve kept watch and they just keep walking around like nobody’s business.”

“It seems like nobody understands the Queen’s concerns nowadays. The timing and the placement of the law… I feel like she intentionally placed it for this case alone.”

“It’s a shame. They do not know the horrors that lurk in the dark like we do and hence, do not heed the warnings. Ignorance is bliss indeed.”

“Horrors that lurk in the dark? You don’t suppose the rumours they speak of are true, do you?”

“Could be. I used to live on the streets and… the rats don’t tell no lies, especially not when it concerns their lives.”

“What do they say?”

“The pack may squabble but we need each other to survive, we all knew each other. Heard down the grapevine it’s a monster of sorts, covered in steel or some kind of similar metal. The killings are particularly brutal as well.”

“Brutal, you say? Any description you’ve heard before?”

“Blood, lots of it. Smaller articles of clothing are left behind but as for the body, it’s gone.”

“That is oddly similar to our case. Do you think they are related?”

“Perhaps. That worm, she mentioned it was the first of many. If we were to say that the cases were related and considering the amount of time the disappearances have been going on in England, I’d surmise there could be millions of those insects crawling around if it were the same. But judging from the description, it could be another type of creature entirely. Just in a similar vein.”

“Hmm… I see, that could make sense but basing on the history of cases we’ve had so far, I feel like it could still be a completely separate situation. This case of Mariam—dubbed as the Mariam case now, by the way—is still relatively new information. Out of the last hundred cases, it seems like at least twenty of them feels familiar to the one we solved in Tokyo.”

“Which is a very bad trend. I can’t say for sure if they’re linked, but it must have been in the planning stages for a long time. They would have hidden their tracks well enough. If we can’t find them, I doubt many others can.”

“Well, whatever the case, tonight we’ll keep watch on this location—”

Amelia stopped and stood up from her sitting position and turned towards the River Thames.

“A song… a song this late at night?” she asked, not particularly expecting an answer.

“Shall we investigate? At this point, I’ll take any leads.”

Alek had already gotten his preparations out of the way and done with, showing that he did have a serious side as well. Once they were away from the other people, Alek asked quietly, “Would you like to drink and recover to a hundred percent before we fight, Mistress?”

Claudia turned on a heel and faced her subordinate after not speaking for quite some time, her expression irritated.

“What I would like for you to do is to keep your mouth shut. Need I stress of how much importance this operation is? For a so-called Duke, you simply have no respect for your own reputation, or the Princess.’”

The man nodded, accepting her rebuke wordlessly. “My opinions of the Princess have no bearing on this operation, you are right, of course.” He simply had no reply for the rest of what she said, or at least none that he was stupid enough to give voice too.

The Representative of vampires found herself sighing. This man is more trouble than he is worth… deliberately fucking up then acknowledging it. “Well, as long as you know of your mistake, I hope for your own well-being that you do not commit it again,” Claudia said. “And since we have come to this subject of me drinking your blood, you will be deprived of that for one week.”

“...” He sighed wearily, knowing that there wasn’t much ground for him to argue from, nor should he. Hey, at least he would get to murder someone within the next few hours, that should at least help vent some of his frustration without causing unnecessary conflict. “As you say, what shall I call you then, if not what you are to me? I don’t feel worthy of calling you anything else…”

“You may still refer to me as Mistress, just not in public, or in front of others we conform to as allies. I would prefer Claudia, if that is fine with you,” Claudia supplemented with a scratch of her scalp.

“I would be happy to, if it would make your life easier. You are of course welcome to call me what you would like to. Please allow me to be of use to you though, it’s not good to starve yourself…” Alek implored of the Vampiress, more concerned for her well-being than he was about missing out on such a fun and pleasurable pastime for a week.

“Trust me, even if I wanted to, I manage to keep myself fed as of late. Are you implying that I am incapable of finding my own food?” Claudia crooked her head to the side and raised a brow.

“I…” Alek realised that was a dangerous question and bowed his head. “Of course I wouldn’t imply such a thing, Mistress. If you have found better food in someone else then I guess you don’t need me any more…” He smiled weakly, and clammed up, feeling decidedly melancholic now.

“Shut up,” Claudia almost snarled. “That kind of talk is unattractive in a person. Of course I will still need you, as you are my subordinate after all.” She plucked Alek in the forehead and scoffed distantly. “Why else did I tell you to sever all connections? So you would not feel this way.”

“Then tell me what your will is, and I will execute it without delay.” His expression was completely blank, if not just a little bit sleepy-seeming, and he seemed incredibly lethargic now.

“Was I not clear the first time?”

“Ahh… you were.” Alek’s sleepy face intensified, leaving his eyes nearly completely shut as he focused on seeing with his other eyes, repeating the exercise Charlotte had instilled upon him as he took advantage of that moment to get some practice in, trying to visualize the Buckingham Palace, and more accurately, being there. His mind was nearly completely passive as he enforced a state of incredible laziness on himself, far too lazy to walk, or do anything to arrive there under his own power. Or at least that’s what he was trying to do.

Slightly frustrated, Claudia rubbed at her temples with a single hand. “Come... we have a big operation ahead of us, and I’ll not have you jeopardize the mission because your feelings were hurt.”

“M-Mistress?” Alek asked, surprised, but not unhappy. “You’d really do that for me?” He successfully fought back tears of happiness and instead favored her with the most genuine smile she’d seen him make yet. He saluted her like one of the guards at the Royal Palace would the Queen.

“Tch…” Claudia bit at her lip for a moment, mind teetering back and forth if she should drop this whole thing, give this man a swift strike in the groin and be done with it. But then again, she would rather not be pestered by him later. Claudia quickly went from feeling sorry for Alek to outright becoming annoyed with him. He was like a puppy. A mentally scarred, emotional puppy.

“Sure, whatever,” she finally said, turning away to walk.

Somewhere in an alternate universe, Alek submerged his head in a toilet bowl and screamed himself hoarse, while dying on the inside. Outwardly, he nodded once. “Thank you for your kindness Mistress…”

George III had granted the Queen’s House to the charity at the beginning of the century. The Royal Naval Asylum was granted to the orphans of seamen as charity by said King. All of this had changed until recently, when Princess Louise had other plans for it.

In the Queen’s House in Greenwich, the revolutionaries were gathered and under the Princess’ banner, there would be a call for dethroning her very own mother.

An entire week had passed since Michael spoke to Rose and Charlotte about their plans to deal with the Church, while Claudia spoke with the Blood Countess, Aleksander found out the grave change in Constance’s personality, and Svetlana convinced Isabelle that all was to be well.

Michael found Charlotte Brontë and Weiss with him.

Claudia found Aleksander with herself.

While Svetlana was simply in a lone corner.

Constance and Gracie seemed to stand together in another corner.

They all faced Princess Louise, who stood before a board with the map of London laid out before her. There was a large piece that seemed to mark the Queen’s spot. There were several other pieces placed atop the spot signifying the Buckingham Palace.

Michael still hadn’t activated his Commandment. He had fought people beyond his capabilities even as Virgo’s Representative, killed people in their beds, even killed some innocents; yet even now that he faced the eve of a revolution, his power hadn’t awoken still. It frustrated him, and at times pushed him to the brink of despair. When he saw that mage who got his partner killed, Svetlana, all he saw was his reckless disregard that almost got them killed. How could he bear a grudge then?

But still, he was here, standing amongst these people. He skirted despair and kept walking, he carried all those deaths he caused among the nobility and the servantry, and he endured sacrifices he did not know he could take. He had been furious, powerless, defeated; but he continued to survive, for he could not falter. Even to the very miniscule part of his being, he would not falter.

Alek stood in silence, mentally preparing himself for the coming fight. Probably the only person that could get him to say more than a few words right now would be Claudia. He went over a series of checklists in his head, hashing out contingency plans based on what he knew of the various people they could expect to fight, which was admittedly far less than he wanted to know.

As he did this, he absentmindedly polished Vinea, taking care of the sword while he waited. He spared a brief glance for Constance and Gracie, but didn’t move to speak with them, since now was clearly not a good time for such frivolous activities. Alek thought on everything that had happened over the last months, from the shock of seeing Constance and Katya performing a ritual after-hours at school, all the way to sparring with Claudia, and finding that even despite his intensive physical conditioning there was still someone better than he was. He pondered how he’d lost a friend or two over the last year from simple growing apart, as well as how he’d met a few new people that he wasn’t sure what to think about. His teacher for Lost Form for example was a surprisingly energetic literature girl, who was able to hand Alek his ass with no problems, but still seemed to be a fairly nice person, all things considered. Eating her pancakes was still one of his fondest recent memories, and she’d treated him pretty well, considering how things would have doubtless went if it were Louise doing the teaching.

(GM’s Comment: Wish he’d ease up with the language in narrative, especially as the writer of a British character raised in Victorian England.)

Which brought to mind the Princess herself, naturally. Alek had precisely no idea what to think about her right now, but he had resolved to see this through, and so he would. Regardless of what happened today, he wasn’t entirely sure that he’d be sticking around England for too much longer. Doubtless there was another country looking for a Magister to teach at their school, and probably some that wouldn’t even mind if he was a rebel in this conflict.

The fantasy that came to mind was relaxing on a tropical beach somewhere with his cute Mistress, enjoying her company, and her swimsuit choice as the waves lazily lapped at the shoreline, where hopefully he’d be able to apply her suntan lotion for her. Like that, he was lost in fantasy, though keeping an ear out for things happening around him.

(GM’s Reaction: insertjonhere)

Claudia looked on as everyone prepared, awaiting the Princess’ word like lobotomized zombies. She could feel the tense energy in the air. At this point, operations were common for her, and she did not worry so much of the outcomes compared to the high-strung and uneasy.

(GM’s Comment: Can you have a more normal and sane choice of words for once? Goddamnit not you too.)

The only thing that managed to unsettle her slightly was Alek, who sputtered and drooled like a fool. What was he thinking about?

Now that they’ve come this far, the Representative began to wonder her place in this revolution. Was there even a place for her to begin with? Was she just a pawn, volunteered by her so-called mother to lay waste to the Queen? Then again, that was her plan, remembering that she was a Descendant as well, after all. Something only told her that this would end up in a similar fashion of what happened to New York—a blood bath, as it were.

Why am I even involved in this? She has plenty of supporters already, Svetlana thought as she looked around. She felt that it was pointless that she was made to be a part of this scheme, but she could not afford to have Isabelle’s life ruined because of her. I just have to hope nothing goes wrong.

(GM’s Comment: I’m sure every good strategist wouldn’t want a collection of strong people to form their army, Svetlana.)

While looking around, Svetlana noticed a woman who seemed oddly familiar to her. She looks like that bratty French girl I fought back in Japan. Before letting it go, she felt some kind of darkness from her. She could not put her finger exactly on it but to her it just felt she would bring trouble to the world.

Another great war, huh? But this time we’re the villains. Weiss sighed. As long as it pays well and the sooner I finish this, the faster I can go and meet my daughter.

“Ladies and gentleman, I commend you all for having come so far with me, in our aim to create a better future for the country,” Princess Louise began. “There are those of you who truly care for the country, and there are those who only seek to make profits from my actions,” she added, giving Michael, Weiss and Claudia a glance. “Whatever the benefits the parties gain, my promises shall remain. If we succeed tonight—a new dawn shall herald the rebirth of the British Empire. The reclamation of the lost glory of the empire shall soon be complete.”

With this speech complete, there was a resounding cheer from the audience.

One of the members from the gathered individuals approached and joined Princess Louise. The silver hair was of a deeper shade, and Svetlana was reminded of the type of hair that Prince Leopold had.

“As some of you may know, this here is my Sister, Princess Beatrice,” Louise introduced. “She shall lend us aid in our mission tonight.”

“†˜Tis the present of the British Indian Western Company, Sister. I shall lend to you revolutionaries the product of the Project Mordred,” Princess Beatrice said.

“As you all may soon learn, Project Mordred’s product—Mordred—will be essential to victory.”

“We can guarantee that Mordred was designed to withstand powers rivaling that of Descendants,” Griswold said with a smile, coming out of the crowd and joining beside Princess Beatrice. Constance made a face full of contempt seeing this.

“Anyway, the plan itself is quite simple,” Princess Louise began. “We will have the palace surrounded at exactly ten tonight. After the palace is surrounded, we shall enter. Make note that not everyone will be fighting the same battle. There are different targets aside from the throne.”

“The Diogenes, yes?” Griswold guessed.

“Many are not aware of who and what the Diogenes are, so allow me to explain,” Princess Beatrice began. “The Diogenes are the four individuals that create a magical protective system for our mother, Queen Victoria. Each of the Diogenes are very powerful mages. However, they are too cautious.”

“Indeed, the Diogenes are too cautious. Send an assassin or two and they would go to safer places, or leave altogether. Duke Lewis Honeysett has left the country, while the Earl of Aberdeen has likely left for the Buckingham Palace, and the Duchess of Edinburgh has gone there too. We have them just where we wanted. The last Diogene will likely not show up… that is fine for our plans.”

“Our objective would be to take down the two appearing Diogenes, then?” Griswold questioned.

“Yes.” Princess Louise nodded. “If two out of four are gone, it would be enough for Beatrice to break the barrier that binds the throne room.”

So that means we must make it our mission to snuff more than the expected amount… the less to protect, the better the result, Claudia noted mentally.

We can’t afford to let a single one escape then… Alek made a small hum.

Two of them were my targets… That explains their individual strengths. Michael wished he had brought wine with him.

“Judgement Sniper,” Princess Louise called out, looking up to Weiss. The nickname drew far more attention than one would think. “Your job will be to take out the Earl of Aberdeen as fast as possible. As long as he loses his conscious from exhaustion or injuries; consider the job done. The Diogenes’ system becomes inoperable when the Diogenes themselves are incapacitated, or take leave.”

“Affirmative, I shall do as best as I can.” Weiss bowed at the Princess.

“Miss Claudia, Charlotte, and Mister Michael—all of you will be tasked to put an end to Duchess Frederica of Edinburgh, using any means necessary,” Princess Louise added.

“Just us three?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes,” Louise answered.

“Very well, Your Royal Highness.”

“With pleasure, Your Highness.” Claudia nodded.

“It will be done, You Highness,” Michael affirmed, noting that he would now kill someone he fought with a year ago.

“Charlotte’s power should be enough to deal with the Duchess,” Princess Beatrice said. “Theoretically speaking, it should be simple to take her down after she is unable to cast any more magic.”

“Princess Louise, wouldn’t it be better if more of us accompanied the force that will fight Duchess Frederica of Edinburgh?” Alek asked. “The sooner that fight is over, the sooner we can make use of Master Charlotte’s magic-cancelling ability in the throne room. I would like to request to be allowed to fight alongside my Mistress, if it’s not problematic for you…”

“Mistress, you say?” Princess Louise asked.

Alek nodded once. “Yes. I have no doubt she can handle herself, but if it’s all the same, I’d like to lend what help I can.”

“Who are you speaking of, specifically?”

“Miss Farris, Your Highness.”

“If you are aware of who she is, magic cancelling should be enough to seal dozens of tricks that the Duchess holds—it would be a walk in the park for your Mistress when she is aided by Mister Michael.” Princess Louise was clearly not fond of the suggestion. It would only divert a portion of the force where she didn’t need it to be. However, it was just one person, and it was only Alek. The selfish person never changes, even in situations like these. “Well, what do you think, Miss Claudia?”

That idiot, I should have made it clear not to call me that in front of others… Claudia thought.

Alek glared slightly at the thought that he wasn’t good enough to help and had to bite back a sarcastic reply, settling for thinking it instead. Definitely not going to stick around in this shitty kingdom, even if we do win…

Charlotte had the urge to palm her forehead, while Louise only looked back down to the board. Michael’s face, however, enjoyed the comforts of his palm.

Claudia sighed. “I don’t care what he does. As long as he is out of the way, I will be content.”

Alek looked between Louise and then Claudia, and finally just hung his head. “Whatever, I guess I just can’t win. It’s pretty clear that no matter what I do I’m just going to be in the wrong irregardless… Can’t believe I even bothered showing up, I’m sure nobody would have noticed if I hadn’t…”

The people just glared at Alek wondering why he was here to make a fool of himself. Even the lowest of the lowest from the group could tell with common sense why he was only making himself look worse before his would-be comrades of the revolution.

“I do not see the issue. You swore to fight for the corruption that you supposedly did not prefer to see in this country. Mister Aleksander Fane—despite the words of your †˜Mistress’—are you claiming that there could be a better tactical action based on the information we have so far? Mind you, this is not the place for emotional outbursts. Plans are crucial things. If you wish to fight for your Mistress that badly, why not go ahead? Your Mistress apparently does not mind.”

Alek seemed more tired than anything else, no particularly strong emotions present. He just sighed with a shrug. “I will fight to the best of my ability, as I am a man of my word. If you think I am most useful in the throne room, then that’s where I shall be.” He clearly just didn’t care enough any more, tired of her schemes and games, and overall lack of care towards the people under her. Would she really be a better ruler, if she lacked such basic empathy?

After hearing this, Claudia could somehow feel Alek’s emotions. Though they were minimal, the sensation alone practically smacked her in the face. Was this the ability Master Rafflesia possessed? To read minds?

“Causing an outburst like that in front of the Princess—in front of me—in an important meeting. I expected better of my new subordinate,” Claudia chided, whispering as low as she could manage like an irate mother to her child.

Alek looked down at his feet, nodding slightly. “I… yes, Miss Farris.” He matched her volume, if having a meeker tone, and mentally kicked himself for causing trouble for her.

While Alek continued to receive the glares of the men and women gathered, Princess Louise continued.

“Mister Constance, Mister David, and Miss Gracie, the three of you shall perform the spell that you all have practiced for the past year for the fight against the Director of the Royal Academy. The rest shall move onwards to the throne room with my Sister and I. Those who defeat—or lose—their targets should simply make way for the throne, too. It is expected that the biggest battle will be either just outside the throne, or inside it. Likely, some guards and prominent mages may be located there. The faster Miss Charlotte Brontë gets there after the Duchess is dealt with, the better.”

The vampire buried her face into the bottom of her scarf and hummed. She had no more to say, only acknowledgement of her mission. She passed a glance to Charlotte and Michael, internally affirming that they were standing there, for some reason. She still had no means to trust either of them. But for the sake of this operation, she would do anything.

“I have taken measures to temporarily dismantle most of the activities of the Royal Council. There will likely be a few Enforcers and some members of the nobility regardless. The reason why we surround the palace at ten is to make sure that the most loyal of subjects to the Queen will gather in the palace before then. After this, they would be locked inside. We should have the higher number to handle most if not everyone inside. The only remaining concern is my mother… I shall say this once and I hope that it will be enough—if you lack the conviction, you are welcome to run for your life. My mother is more powerful than one can imagine and it would be foolish to underestimate the Queen who is known to be an Archmage.”

“If it had not been obvious enough, the war with Japan would have ended long ago if not for the current Queen prolonging the inevitable,” Princess Beatrice added. “Think of all the people dying due to this conflict that has remained unresolved for long. Currently, the system is corrupted by the ruler and the poor are in need of help the most.”

Alek made a face of disgust, this being precisely what he’d thought for some time.

“The list of issues simply goes on.” Princess Louise looked up from the board, the Buckingham Palace now surrounded pieces, and the piece of the Queen fallen from its place. “That shall be all, ladies and gentlemen. I wish everyone luck. Let us bring good tidings with our own hands tonight. Dismissed.”

They’re even going after Duchess Frederica? Svetlana thought as she continued to feel conflicted. I really hope she is not there. Even then I doubt she would even want anything to do with me if she finds I’m with the rebels. Even if she was doing this for Isabelle, she wondered if her sister would even look at her the same way if she knew what she was doing.

I guess I’ll go and prepare. Weiss snuck away.

“Mistress, huh?” Michael asked Claudia in a hushed whisper. If one were to look at him, he was trying to contain his smirk. Badly.

Alek frowned slightly, but knew it was a bad idea to chime in after so recently disappointing her, and chose to suppress the can of whoop-ass he was sure he could bring upon the silver-haired pervert currently harassing Claudia. He chose instead to make a face of disdain.

“Don’t remind me. He’s some sort of masochist,” Claudia replied, rolling her eyes.

“He did want you as a Mistress. I assumed so.” Michael saw the Royal Princess’ former guard and smiled cheerfully at him.

Alek raised his eyebrows in surprise at being discovered, before they narrowed even more. He wasn’t sure why, but something about this Michael unsettled him. This was the final straw, there was no way he could trust this guy to keep his hands to himself, Louise’s orders be damned.

“I really should have made it a priority for him not to call me that in public. Now the Princess, and her entire army might think that Alek and I have some sort of S-and-M fueled relationship... so much for casting off my former self, huh?”

“Ah. What a good way to start the revolution,” Michael said, his voice filled with enthusiasm. He then stretched his arms out as he looked at Charlotte, whose beautiful face was graced with a small smile.

Shaking her head, Claudia began to depart as well, mumbling something about Charlotte having to put up with that man when he got like that.

Alek followed a measured pace behind her silently, practically broiling with feelings of protectiveness, his training as a bodyguard coming back to him almost sub-consciously, though he was infinitely less talkative this time, choosing instead to wait to be called upon, or for a chance to act on his Mistress’ behalf in protection of her interests.

With passing moments, the rest of the men and women started to leave, already gossiping about Claudia and Alek.

Michael spotted the Royal Princess, who stood out amongst the crowd, and decided to approach her. He bowed his head in front of her as he called for her attention, “Your Highness, there is a matter I would like to raise concerning one of our more… temporary allies.”

“Go on, I am listening,” the Princess responded.

“Could we move to a less… busy location? I would not want to affect our comrade’s morale.”

“No need,” Louise looked up as she replied. The hall was already close to empty.

Charlotte Brontë joined Michael as he brought up the matter, while Princess Beatrice seemed to listen with some extent of interest.

“Ah, Princess Beatrice, Miss Charlotte. I was just informing Princess Louise, about my attempted assassination of Duke Honeywell. Specifically how it seemed the object of persuasion Your Highness is using for Miss Svetlana’s compliance seems not to be working well.” Michael tried his best to be polite, but he felt constrained with the honorifics he had to use.

“Hm… my method is not working, you claim? What did she do? Surely you would not claim that she simply stood there?”

“She did not. But the mission was still compromised by her refusal to commit fully to the assassination. She flaked at the first offer of retreat from the Duke. I would have engaged him alone if he wasn’t stabbing my neck at that moment.”

“Our condolences for the wound he inflicted upon you,” Princess Beatrice said. “We did not quite expect him to go down, but hoped that a Representative would suffice.”

“It was indeed my fault, You Highness. It was my own lack of ability that necessitated her coming along with me in the first place... What makes this a concern in my observation is that there might be a good chance of her turning sides in the most crucial of moments; unless of course, we give her a more solid incentive not to do so.”

“Colour me surprised, this person winces not at the possible loss of her so-called Sister.” Princess Louise took a moment to think and a smirk crept up to her facial features. “That is fine, I would rather keep her Sister than the Duchess herself. In the worst scenario I shall deal with her—in case there is a need to. She would be a good distraction for Prince Leopold.”

“Oh, yes. I have heard that Prince Leopold has taken an odd partiality to the new Duchess of Norfolk,” Princess Beatrice said.

“One would think that the one who fought against my Mistress and possessed a demon would be more useful for a pawn,” Charlotte added. “I suppose not all plans are perfect.”

“Indeed they are not. We never know when fate decides to toss such surprises at us,” Princess Louise said.

“That is all of my concerns, Your Highnesses. My Mistress sent me to aid your revolution, and I will not compromise on these matters. I thank you for your attention for this matter,” Michael said as he bowed once more.

“I thank you for sharing your concerns, Mister Michael.” Princess Louise, likewise gave a lighter bow.

“What about my… apprentice?” Charlotte started. “His heart seems so out of place, Your Royal Highness.”

“Your Highness’ former guard seems to be overly protective of his so-called Mistress, if his staring while I talked to Claudia was any indication,” Michael added.

“His soul gives it all away to us,” Princess Louise said. “I can understand what either of you are trying to claim… he has been problematic since the time he was assigned to me by my mother.”

She could not tell whether the Queen was being particularly mean, sending a person like Alek to her to †˜observe’ her, which he mistook for †˜guarding’ instead. Albeit, the chances were low, her mother was likely ignorant of his terrible attitude. Even Michael, who lacked proper manners was better, much better.

“At the very least, he seemed enthusiastic.” Michael shrugged, surprised Charlotte had taken an apprentice. “I did not know he was your apprentice, though, Miss Charlotte. Not that you are obliged to inform me. I just find it particularly interesting.”

Charlotte placed a finger on her lips. “It was a small deal between the Princess and I. We are both users of a Lost Form.”

“Ah. Just so.” Michael chose not to intrude on that matter. “How was he? It would be a great boost of confidence to know there is another user of Lost Forms in our ranks.” Even if a bit eccentric, that is.

“He is certainly not as talented as a Representative. He at least has something going for him, which is the fact that he was able to walk down on the path, but… I am not sure—there is an important substance simply lacking.”

“I would rather have Duchess Svetlana’s Starlight than another Lost Form that I have mastered,” Louise tersely said.

“Starlight? In any case, I hope that we both find what it is we are lacking, in time to help this revolution succeed. Even with the help of Heavenly Sacraments, I believe being able to use my Commandment would of great help.”

“Well… that aside, Mister Michael,” Princess Louise faced Virgo’s servant properly this time. “We can sense his clear resolve to be rid of you—for his so-called Mistress, I assume—so be prepared to erase him in times of urgency.”

“We helped him back into the court and accepted his participation because he had the background that made it look as if he had a concrete reason to aid our cause. However, we cannot maintain this possible liability indefinitely,” Princess Beatrice added.

“He can try.” Michael smiled softly towards the Princesses. Over his career as an Executioner, this would not be the first time someone bore a grudge toward him. However, at those times it was about revenge, or him being a thorn to their side. He admittedly enjoyed that. “I’d make sure that the disposal would be a matter of discretion. Dukes and Duchesses seems to be dying quite a lot these days.”

“Indeed, we are not exactly looking to be simply rid of them, most simply happens to be in the way now,” Princess Louise replied.

“Well then, shall we be off?” Beatrice suggested.

“I suppose, we do not have much more time left.”

The Princesses walked away and Charlotte patted Michael’s back.

“It seems like we have another assassination target now.”

“Hopefully, she goes down as easy as last time. It worries me, however, that the Queen won’t make it so.” he replied, fixing his cuffs. “That said, I wish to take a little more of your time, Miss Charlotte.”

“The Queen is indeed strong… well, whatever the case, I am here,” Charlotte said with a chuckle, running a finger into the air to make a portal open.

“Ah, well… I figured I should ask some pointers about some spells I have in mind.” He watched with interest as his senior Representative opened a portal.

“I would be happy to help. Anyway, come, this is a shorter path to our destination. We can wait while the others—including my mother—carry themselves slowly. Hoho.”

Michael chuckled, offering an arm to Charlotte as he stood by the portal. After the lady accepted it, they departed and the portal closed.

Alek strolled down the street without a care in the world, actually quite happy right at that moment. He hadn’t seen her in a month, and today was the day he’d be able to see her again. Even thinking about it made his pupils dilate and his heart beat faster with longing. He’d spent an agonizing month with that ruthless slave driver, and now it was time to relax with one of his favourite people. He wasn’t sure how she felt about him, but he supposed he was about to find out.

Alek stepped into the Ritz, breathing in the fine scent of the only hotel good enough for his Mistress, and shot a withering glance at a bellhop who was ogling the young women in the lobby, wondering if he’d done the same to her in turn, and dismissed the idea. Surely nobody was foolish enough to think to be able to get away with such a thing.

Alek walked into the elevator and rode it up to the correct floor, approaching her door with no trepidation evident in his gait, the gruelling month in the Void having made him even more sure of himself than before. If he could survive there, nothing short of a Representative would even give him pause. After a moment’s debate with himself in front of her door, he adjusted his collar one last time before knocking and announced himself by saying with pride, “Room service!”

“Did not order any,” a voice said from within the room.

“Fine, not room service, but can’t I pay an old friend a visit?” he said with a light chuckle.

The lock clicked and the door swung open, revealing the black clad Representative from behind. Unlike her coat from before, she wore a tight long sleeved shirt and shorts, and she was sweating from head to toe. Apparently she was in the middle of exercising before Alek came around.

She silently raised a brow at the man and wanted to say you again, but instead nodded to him. “Mister Fane.”

“Miss Farris.” He returned the nod before dipping into a light bow. “It’s marvelous to see you again. I know normally it’s not the guest that offers, but can I get you something to drink?” he asked with a smirk.

“Is that supposed to be an implicit way of requesting entry, Mister Fane? If so, just ask that. I only wish you would have called in advance, or sent a letter at least.” Claudia moved to the side and gestured the man to enter. “Forgive how jumbled everything is at the moment. I needed the space.”

Alek had the grace to smile by way of apology. “Sorry to intrude…” he said as he walked by her, noticeably lighter on his feet from some slight endurance training he’d gone through to be able to use Vinea for extended periods of time. “It is fine, Miss Farris. I came here with the hopes of visiting with you, I hope that the timing isn’t inconvenient…” he began, giving her a good moment or two to examine him from head to toe if she wished before turning back around.

He was clad in black cargo pants, and a dark blue hoodie, an excellently casual outfit, and not one he’d be caught dead in at a nice dinner party. He remembered how non-formal she was in the carriage and thought she’d appreciate the small touch of him dressing to match her taste for darker clothing as well. He was as clean as a whistle with his hair done up in a short ponytail to keep it out of his face, and keep his neck clear if she wanted to feed at some point. Over the back of the hoodie, he wore a harness of the same color as the hoodie, which held Vinea with only the very handle visible. Even that was covered by the hood of the hoodie once he took it off, one of the primary reasons he chose to wear a hoodie in the first place.

He wore it less like a beginner and more like someone that was still a novice, but steadily becoming more and more experienced as time passed. “I was… away for a month, but I’ve returned now. I didn’t have much of a chance to chat after our mission together… how have you been?” he asked, turning to face her with some interest evident in his voice.

“Fair. Only the usual search and destroy from our last meeting… other than that, I have been doing some of my own training myself, as you noticed.” Claudia walked over to the middle of the living room, stretching. She wiped herself clean with a towel and turned back to Alek. “You mentioned being away for a month? What were you doing?”

“I took some time away from the world’s affairs to handle some business regarding my Lost Form. I’m far from even a novice, as there simply wasn’t enough time, but I feel like I made progress. Would you like a partner to exercise with? I’ve yet to get my daily exercise in, and I’m sure I still have room to improve…” Despite his modesty, Alek was actually rather fit. This became more evident when he took the hoodie off and revealed his shirt to be a royal purple v-neck. He wasn’t ripped, per se, but clearly he’d built up many of the muscles used in swordplay and acrobatics more than most of his peers would have, which naturally lead to a lean physique that was certainly appealing in its own right.

Claudia shrugged and tossed the towel onto the sofa. She did not exactly ogle the man. She was mildly impressed how someone she presumed to be socially harmless could turn out like this.

“Forgetting about that drink you offered me?” she joked. “Be my guest, then.” She moved aside, giving more space for the both of them to move around.

Claudia stretched, flexing lightly before turning back to Alek. “...I was hoping to do this with Cosette, but she is absent at the moment… I suppose you will suffice,” she said, looking Alek over again. “How about a quick spar while we speak, then? Perhaps that may help break the ice better.”

“I would be delighted, Miss Farris. I must admit concern over the continued integrity of your suite however. I daresay it might be dangerous to swing our respective great weapons around… Might I suggest we use bare hands only?”

“Of course. I would rather we not tear my room asunder with our weapons,” Claudia remarked. “Light hits only, too. Even without our arms, we could still cause some damage with our bare hands.”

He looked almost disappointed at that but nodded his agreement. “Very well. I await your signal to begin.”

Claudia took a fighting pose, her cold expression remaining as she threw a quick punch. “So, Mister Fane, what really brings you all the way out here?”

“As I lay dying in a forgotten corner of a lost plane of existence…” Here he took a light hit to the elbow, letting her numb her wrist on the solid bone there if she was punching too hard. “I thought about what I wanted in life. I made some promises to myself to do certain things when I came back, if I came back, and one of them was to see you again, to properly thank you for your help that night, and to see if you had as much fun as I did.” He shot off a series of snap kicks, testing the range of her defense, and how she preferred to defend, while maintaining a distance too great for her arms to reach.

Claudia had taken the first few kicks head on with her forearm and dodged the last few, parrying with an elbow aimed at Alek’s stomach.

“Is that so? Well colour me surprised, Mister Fane, not too many people are eager to see the Representative of the Blood Countess except for my Mistress herself. I’d say you are either stupid, or you somehow took a liking to me, if I didn’t know any better.”

“Many words could be used to describe me. I doubt that stupid is one of them, Miss Farris. I don’t imagine you paid overmuch attention to me. In fact, I’m sure you were surprised the Princess sent someone so seemingly ordinary…” He subtly fished for her opinions of him then and now even as he realised there was no way to dodge her elbow since it came out of nowhere. He retaliated with a blistering series of punches and a kick to her shoulder that with any kind of strength would numb the arm for a good minute or two.

Grunting from that attack, Claudia instinctively released a flurry of kicks in return. She broke a renewed sweat as she switched from foot to foot, aiming towards Alek’s ribs on each side in a varying speed.

“I did not expect ahead, Mister Fane. I seldom make assumptions about people before I actually meet them firsthand,” Claudia replied. “If anything, I only hoped that you would deliver on the assassination, and to my expectations, you did. That’s all.”

“I see, I see…” Alek was visibly sweating now from the effort of pushing his speed to the limit to flow from attack to defense seamlessly, his execution less than perfect which allowed a kick to slip through his defense and catch him in the chest, which she could feel were surprisingly solid for such a slim build, causing him to hiss lightly through his teeth before grinning.

“You’re teasing me, aren’t you?” Alek asked. “I could barely feel that one, Mistress.” He anticipated one of the latter kicks and did his best to strike her knee with his closed hand, attempting to disable it.

“Again with that?” Claudia scoffed at that strike. She bit her lip to shrug off the pain from within, despite her not appearing phased by it. “You literally came out of nowhere, calling me Mistress so suddenly. Is that a part of your masochism as well?”

“Yes, it is. Do you not wish for me to refer to you as such? If possible, I’d very much like for you to be that important to me… You’re the first to understand how I feel, let alone feel the opposite in a way that so perfectly compliments it. I understand if I’m not to your standard…” He stood ready for her to continue her assault, recognising that she may need a moment.

“No, no. I was taken aback by it the first time around, I will admit. All in all, you can call me whatever you like,” Claudia answered. “To be completely honest with you, I actually liked it. A title like that was something I strived for back then… it is a little disheartening to get it once I stopped caring about such things.”

“I will be truthful as well, I’m… not sure what to say to that. I think that means that you want me to continue?”

“We are having a conversation aren’t we? It’s rude to stop in the middle of a sentence,” Claudia said with a shrug.

“Continue calling you as that, I mean. Do you promise that you’ll use me for your own satisfaction, however that might occur? I won’t resist too much…”

“...Is that truly what you want?”

“Yes it is. I want to walk beside you with pride someday, but I recognise that I must crawl before I can walk, and walk before I can run…”

“Indeed. Rome wasn't built in a day, as Master Rafflesia once told me. In that case...” Claudia suddenly swept Alek’s legs, sending him crashing into the floor. Before he could get up, she planted a foot onto the man’s stomach. “It may be some time before you ever become comparable to my ability alone. You are already on the right track, learning a Lost Form, but it may be years before you master as much. Now, crawl.” Claudia moved her foot just enough for Alek to move, appearing slightly amused by this with a vague grin.

Alek turned over so his face was pressed into the ground, before mustering all of his strength to lift himself up however slightly, and crawled towards her with the happiest smile he’d made in probably most of a year. As he finally got close enough, he affectionately rubbed his face against the smooth leg still on the floor, enjoying the warmth of her skin for a brief moment.

Claudia kicked him again, this time in the forehead with her bare foot.

“I don’t seem to recall giving you permission to touch me, swine. You do not get that privilege, yet.”

Alek’s head jerked back as much as it could, hindered by his neck’s range of motion as he shivered slightly from the slightly painful contact, receiving far more pleasure from it. “Y-Yes Mistress, forgive this one for its transgression…”

The Representative knelt down to the man, flicking his forehead in a toying manner. No doubt Claudia was amused. She had a man simple enough to be placed under her thumb, just from a simple bite in the neck. He was like putty in Claudia’s hands, and she could finally let loose behind the safety of these closed doors. It wasn’t like Alek was going to brag about this to anyone like Princess Louise, was he?

“Good spar by the way, Alek.”

She even dropped using honorifics altogether in that instant. Of course, it was exclusively for this man alone.

Alek gave off a slight sub-vocal purr that she could feel through her foot on his back. “T-Thank you Mistress. That means so much to me… would you like that drink now?”

“Very much so.” Claudia edged closer to Alek and bore her fangs. She hummed with contained excitement as she drank the blood from the man’s neck. Crimson dripped as the liquid overflowed from her lips.

Alek hugged the dark-haired Representative, confused about what they were now, but resolving to enjoy this moment for what it was as he let her drink as deeply as she wanted, unwilling to refuse her.

Withdrawing, Claudia huffed a satisfied sigh and rose to her feet, stretching from the awkward position she had to reduce herself to just to drink from her new toy like a fountain.

“Rise, Alek.”

Alek stood, with a slight grin. “Thank you Mistress…” he ventured, noting the suddenly business-like tone of her voice.

The Representative took the same towel she had been using and wiped her mouth clean of Alek’s blood. She faced the man with her trademark rigid look, regaining her composure that instant.

“On that note, considering what you said was sincere, you are to follow me to the bitter end; until your very body gives out. Your body, mind and soul all belong to me. Your decisions are my decisions—nay, you no longer have decisions. Whatever affection you have for any woman you previously had ties with? Sever them. You are mine, and mine alone.”

“Understood, Mistress… Will you do the same for me?” he asked after a moment’s hesitation, but only for asking the return question, his acceptance of her request was instantaneous.

The Countess came to mind at the drop of a hat. “No… no, I will not… understand you are a mere toy until you prove to me that you are worthy of my true affection. Until then, the Countess shall remain in my sights for the times to come.” Claudia looked away, a distant expression plastered on her face.

“Who is this Countess you speak of, Mistress?”

“My Mistress. The one who made me into what I am today,” Claudia answered. “...Since you are now in my possession, I will have to introduce you one of these days.”

“I would like that, if you want to introduce me. I will endeavor to be respectful, and not let you down, Mistress.” He nodded as if affirming the validity of his statement, his eyes finally slipping however briefly to finally get a decent look at what she was wearing when she answered the door, before they snapped back up to her face. Ahh… she really is beautiful… Did she notice?

Claudia nodded, patting Alek on the head. “Good.”

Alek smiled happily. “Ahh… Mistress really is the best…” he complimented her without hesitation, enjoying the head pat.

“And just so you get the message that you’re mine…”

Claudia grabbed the man on both sides of his face and closed the distance between him and her as she planted a rough-hewn kiss on his lips. She didn’t give the man the chance to react before pushing him onto the ground without even using a quarter of her strength.

This seemed like something Claudia would do in her crazed, axe murdering state rather than now. Perhaps it was repressed long ago.

Alek hummed slightly in surprise. “M-Mistress?”

“That’s what you desired, yes? Some sort of gratitude for this new development? There you go. It is not my body, but it should suffice until then.”

“Ahh… yes, thank you for your kindness, Mistress…” he colored slightly, breathing a little more raggedly, “I will treasure this moment forever… “

The vampire turned on a heel and yawned. “I think that will be enough for now. My body aches,” she said. “Feel free to visit again. We will speak more until then.”

Alek rubbed at his neck lightly. “Mistress’ mark… it’s mine…” He smiled softly. “I’ll see you again for sure, count on it!” He picked up the towel that was on the couch and used it to wipe his own sweat off as well, making sure to get all of it before he put his hoodie back on, and made sure to conceal Vinea once more.

Claudia hummed, waving to the man. “Farewell.”

“Good afternoon, Mistress. May our next meeting be as pleasant.” He smiled happily, pleased with how well it had gone. With his farewells made, he stepped outside of her room and skipped down the hallway, drawing a few odd looks from other hotel patrons.

It was around six in the morning when Alek arrived back to his estate. The birds were singing, and the old scent of smoke was heavy in the air compared to the outskirts that he had the luxury to experience a good day ago. If one were to say, the Void Realm had the cleanest of air, but also the most uncharacteristic atmosphere as it lacked the distinct refreshing vibe that, for instance, a garden could provide for a man.

There were the gardeners greeting him as he arrived, and of course, there was Katya. As his hat and coat was being taken off, she greeted him.

“Good morning, my Lord. Welcome back. Has your trip proved to bear fruit?”

“Not as much as I had hoped, but I don’t think it was reasonable to expect to get it all done in only a month. How have things been going here, specifically with the new generation of foals?”

“They have been rather energetic. The spell was too potent and some of them would break past the walls…”

“Mmm… It might be helpful to begin training them early then, to help channel some of that energy in a positive direction. See that the stables are stocked with high-grade oats, I want them in tip-top shape to begin training. How have things been with the rest of the household?”

“Understood. As for the household, it has been fairly peaceful, save for the gossip and rumours like usual.”

“I suppose that’s to be expected, but I am glad that things have been smooth while I was gone. How have you been?”

The final question may as well have been unnecessary, as she faced the glares of others from behind Alek. Katya sighed internally.

“I had been doing well, my Lord.”

“That is good to hear. Can you draft a letter for me? I need to send one to Constance and let him know I’m back in town. Perhaps he can spare a moment to chat with me, or failing that I suppose I’ll see him at the Academy.”

“Yes, my Lord. But would you not be meeting him at the Academy in about an hour or two?”

“That is a good point, it wouldn’t do to miss any more classes than I have to. Could you see that my jacket and pants are pressed and ready? I would like to take a bath, and perhaps eat some food before I leave. The road was rather long.”

“Understood, we shall see to them being prepared.”

“Thank you. You are dismissed,” Alek said, moving to his rooms to begin readying to take a bath and get ready for school.







In the Academy now, Aleksander and Constance met each other. The classes for the day had ended, and he could only find time to speak with Constance after all these hours.

Many rumours had been abound the Royal Academy, the death of the family of Lady Violet, and with the lady herself missing, people were all gossiping about the missing Magic Magister. Xenia was apparently missing and not coming to the Academy anymore. Gracie was present, but she seemed more distant than usual. Indeed, the same was with Constance at first.

He hadn’t seen Katya at all, but he had witnessed Charlotte Brontë’s visage once. Albeit, before he could call out to her, she was already out of sight, walking away with Griswold. Such was his mysterious Master.

“Good afternoon, Constance.” Alek greeted his friend. “Haven’t had a chance to catch up with you in a while, how have things been going for you?” He smiled and warmly shook the other young man’s hand, glad to see him after so long.

“Good afternoon, Alek. All has been going well, what about you?” Constance asked back as the two’s hands parted.

“Splendid. I certainly don’t think I wasted the last month, at the very least. Whatever happened to Miss Xenia, and some of our other friends? We all used to be so close, and with everything that’s happening, you’d think that we’d stay closer together, not drift farther apart.”

“Close? Do you really think so?” Constance’s gaze seemed distant as he looked up to the cloudy sky. The two were currently sitting on the bench on the courtyard. “No idea about Miss Xenia. I have not heard much of her recently.”

“Are you doing alright? I worry about you sometimes, Constance. You seem… distant, to say the least. Same thing with Gracie, now that I think about it. I mean, normally we’d at least eat together, and discuss the happenings of each day, but lately you’ve been pretty out of it. Is there something I can help you with…?”

“I do not think it is anything out of the ordinary.” Constance turned to Alek, making a devilish smile that Alek was not familiar with. “After all, you had been delving in the type of work I am involved with, yes?”

“And what type of work is that?” Alek asked, playing dumb for now. “Raising and racing horses?”

“We are going to meet before the Princess regardless, is there any point to hiding behind the bush now?”

“Well, I’m glad that you’re being truthful at the very least. Katya was significantly less so at first. I hope that your efforts have been going well?”

Speak for yourself, would you? “Yes, they have been going well indeed. We are very close now. We are sworn to secrecy so I understand Miss Katya’s resolve.”

“Good, is anyone getting too close to the truth that shouldn’t be?” Alek asked the other man calmly, as if it were a normal conversation. “It wouldn’t do to lose control at this stage of the operation.”

“If there was such a person, I cannot say that I know of them. Princess Louise’s grip on her men are quite tight, if I say so myself.”

“Ehh? Did you set your sights on a new target, or do my ears deceive me?” Alek asked with a grin.

“Sights on a new target, you say?”

Alek gave Constance a deadpan look. “I know you know what I meant.”

“I am not interested in such things.”

“Hmm… if you say so, then I suppose I’ll take you at your word. Anything interesting happen in your classes?”

“I do not have the time for fishing up interesting notes. Do you still take interest in rumours nowadays?”

“With everything that’s going on of late, and so many of our compatriots dropping like flies? It would be downright foolish not to keep an ear to the ground. Are you asking because you have something interesting you heard?”

“Are you alright in the head today, Alek? Why would I ask when I had already expressed my disinterest in such trivialities?”

Alek glared at Constance. “Hardly trivialities. There are things happening around us every day that most people couldn’t even begin to imagine. It pays to pay attention to the goings on of the world around you, lest you find yourself embroiled in something you weren’t even aware of. You should know that as well as I do, at the very least.”

“Rumours are but the most pointless of things for one to pay note to.” Constance did not return the glare. “I am through those pastimes. I would rather keep my eyes on the truth rather than what the people say blindly. There are things going on, but the speculators hardly know any of it.” He turned to Alek and smiled. It was a dark smile. “If I am part of the side that causes these world-changing occurrences, what need is there for further awarenesses? Perhaps you are interested in being cautious. In that case, it is fine for you to invest your time in it. However, do not try to persuade me in your mundane interests. I have grown out of them.”

“Is that so? Well, no matter, I suppose. Shall we talk about something else then, since this is apparently a sore subject?”

“No, it is fine.” He got up. “I shall take my leave now.”

“I suppose that’s fine too. Have a good day?”

He only saw Constance give a wave as he walked away from him.

(GM’s Comment: And so the player was mad because seemingly—Constance changed for “no reason.” Of course, that’s just not true.)

Svetlana returned to her estate, the New Anmer after her days of assassination ended. Princess Louise gave her a break after the work she had done, albeit the last two targets she went after the last time turned out to be killed by Michael. Regardless, she was back home, and she didn’t really care that she couldn’t kill, anyway. As the job had been forced onto her, she wasn’t very motivated, despite the fact that Isabelle could die if she didn’t do her damndest to work.

“Mistress, where have you been to recently?” Nancy enquired when Svetlana was approaching her room. “For some days, you seemed to be leaving alone without letting anyone know at all.”

“Sorry about that, I have been taking care of some personal training you see.”

“Even then, it is my task to be with you at all times, Mistress. Be it good or bad, be it harmful or safe… I hope you understand my concern.”

Svetlana opened the door to her room and suddenly pulled Nancy inside as she closed the door.

“I am sorry Nancy, I know that is your job, but what I am currently doing is best done alone. I know it is your job to support me, but currently I will feel more comfortable if you stayed home.”

“Why…? Mistress, what are you doing? Clearly it does not sound good when you put it that way. With the assassinations… you cannot be.”

“Can you please put a ward on my room for a bit Nancy?”

Nancy looked at Svetlana with a sad look before she complied, placing a hand of the door, some magical inscriptions formed on the door.

“It is done, Mistress.”

Svetlana burst into tears, hugging her.

“I do not know what to do anymore. I do not want to keep doing this anymore. But if I stop, something horrible might happen to Isabelle.”

“W-What is going on… then? Has someone threatened you, Mistress? Clearly it can be taken care of, seeing as you are in a position of political power as a Duchess!”

“I wish, but this person has the power to take all that away. If it were just me I could care less, but I do not know what they would do to Isabelle.”

“I… I, who is this person? The title of a Duchess is next to the four Royal Dukes or—the Royalty…”

Svetlana simply nodded her head. “I do not know if it is safe to tell you who. As I do not want harm to come to you as well because of this. I would rather keep all this trouble to myself. I do not want anyone else from this house involved.”

“I… I understand what you mean, but please let me help you. If there is anything I may do…”

“Just make sure Isabelle is kept safe. I know you are to keep me safe, but please keep her safe. If anything were to happen to her, I do not know how I would live on.”

“Be safe yourself, Mistress. With all that is going on I would wager that more danger would befall you than Lady Isabelle now.”







On the same day, Svetlana received some more documents, sealed inside a parcel. The parcel from Princess Louise made it obvious what was contained inside so she didn’t open them upon delivery from the hands of a maid who received the packages. Most of the packages aside from the parcel consisted of the daily supplies required for preparing food among other necessities.

When Svetlana was about to go back to her room, she found Isabelle before her, staring daggers at her practically.

“What does that parcel contain, Sister?” Isabelle asked, clearly suspicious of Svetlana, it seemed like Nancy wasn’t the only one concerned.

“It is from the Princess, it should just be about some advise I asked her about when I went and visited Her Royal Highness the other day.”

“Is that the reason why you have been missing for several days?” Isabelle’s stare shifted from her face to the parcel.

“Sorry about that, she had asked me to meet someone I fought along with agaisnt Virgo. It seemed that they had some questions for me though they brought up too many things.”

“And why would they need to ask questions after… all this time?” Isabelle asked, stepping closer.

“Well I was away for an entire year, and he could not get access to me while I was in Saudi Arabia. Anyway Isa—”

Before she could finish, Isabelle snatched the parcel and ran off. “I will be the judge of that excuse!”

“Wait a minute!” Svetlana said. She was too late to react to Isabelle.

It was a game of cat and mouse with Svetlana and Isabelle running all over the mansion’s corridors, startling the maids and the few footmen they hired from a year ago. The servants watched in awe as the two ladies completely dropped their manner and conduct required for the Victorian life they led as they sprinted into action.

“You cannot catch me with that snail’s pace, Sister!” Isabelle taunted.

This was one of those moments for Svetlana where she was reminded that the young children were truly energetic when they needed to be.

“So much for being a proper lady! Those papers are not for you to see. They are meant for adults only.”

“That is precisely why you are suspicious, and you would better speak such criticisms after you are a proper lady yourself!”

“Please Isabelle, give those papers back.” Svetlana said in a more worried tone as Isabelle was the last person she wanted to be able to see them.

Isabelle finally stopped. She looked down to confirm the Princess’ name on the parcel, which clearly wrote that the parcel was addressed to Svetlana.

“You are not doing something shady behind our backs… right, Sister?”

“I am just doing what the Princess is telling me to do. Seems there were conditions on me keeping the title of Duchess for our family. If I do not comply, it seems we will lose everything again.”

Isabelle’s expression seemed to ease up. “Really?” That just cannot be, I am more informed about these things than my Sister…

“Yes. It is why I been gone for a few days. Meeting some old companions was one of the conditions apparently.”

“I… see.” Despite her inner turmoils, it was time to stop being a child—even if she still was physically—and become her responsible-self once more. She handed the letter back to Svetlana obediently. “I am sorry, Sister.”

“Do not worry about it, Isabelle,” Svetlana said as she took the papers and then hugged her. I will not let any harm come to you.

“By the way, Isabelle. I was thinking of investing into some kind of alarm for the mansion in case we ever get intruders which has been happening lately. I am worried someone might sneak in at night while we are all asleep.”

“Mn…” Isabelle only nodded. “I suppose… it has been dangerous for the nobles recently after all.”

“If you know of a good system, let us get that. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

“Yeah…” Isabelle murmured absentmindedly.

With the collaborations with Claudia over, Michael was now back to Charlotte’s estate in London. The last two days seemed to last longer than he thought they would. After these busy days had passed, it felt odd that it was peaceful here for some reason.

At the moment, it seemed like Charlotte was resting while Weiss was out of the house. The maid was doing her work as usual. It was odd how the maid would feel worried about Charlotte resting. It seemed like she had fear about Charlotte herself sleeping.

The doorbell rang and the maid left to check. It seemed like a maid had appeared with a lady, and a footman accompanied her as she came out of the carriage, and to the estate momentarily.

The maid herself seemed confused.

“Miss, I must ask if there is someone you are here to meet? I was not informed of your arrival, otherwise I would have been prepared.” She wondered if Charlotte simply forgot to inform about a guest yet again. This was becoming quite the trend lately, the most recent being Michael’s arrival.

“Pardon for the sudden visit. I came to see Michael, is he here?”

The maid turned and found Michael, reading a novel on a sofa, very relaxed. She made a mental note to send him to the family’s parlour next time.

“Yes, he is over there, Miss,” the maid tersely answered, gesturing towards the entrance hall. She walked up towards Michael as she lead the guest inside. “Mister Kallweit, this lady here has come to meet you.”

“Thank you, you’re dismissed.”

The maid gave a bow and walked away. At the same time the lady’s servants seemed to disappear as they retreated to the exit too.

Michael looked at their new comrade and saw a woman with blonde locks, standing almost as tall as he was. She wore a blue dress that accentuated her curves, and her expression enhanced how enticing the dress looked on her. She almost—almost caught him off-guard, but at this point, he was mostly used to seeing beautiful women in front of him. He lived with Dana after all.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Good morning, Michael.” Svetlana took a look at Michael who she felt she had seen before. He had white hair which the front was longer than normal. He simply wore a white shirt with a black vest on and a pair of trousers. “Were you not Lily’s companion?

“Lil—how do you know her, and me?” Michael leaned towards the lady, who still hadn’t introduced herself. Somehow, she knew both him and Lily, his deceased partner.

“I am Duchess Svetlana Astakhov Alicia. Lily was my friend from Russia, and I met you when she and you came together to Japan and interrupted one of my classes.”

“That can’t be possible. Miss Svetlana was small.” He once again looked at the lady in front of him, and he didn’t even need to look past her chest. This wasn’t Svetlana. He abruptly returned his gaze to her face. “Small.”

“If you do not mind, please keep your gaze at my face. You stared at my chest for a good minute there. As hard as it might seem to believe, I am that same Svetlana, just that I grew up in a year.”

“Hit a growth spurt, huh? In any case, I apologise but I had to check for sure.” Michael smiled at her, finally remembering about the tiny—or at least she used to be—teacher. “Did you bring Miss Isabelle with you? Has she abandoned her search for revenge?”

“My Sister is here in London with me, safe. No, I doubt she will. Which is why I will handle it myself.”

“While we all mourn Miss Alicia’s death, she should not waste her future on revenge. She is unlike us, still untainted.” Michael sighed. “So you would be my partner for this job? I wonder why you have sided against the Queen.”

“You can blame that wretched Princess who decided that blackmailing was the best way to go with. How about yourself? Or did you simply join of your own free will?”

“It is of my own free will.” If only she knew he served Virgo now.

“Then I do not need to care if something happens to you. When should we start the mission? I just want to get this over and done with as soon as possible.”

“Well, you should contain your excitement, Duchess. We will at nighttime. Unless you want the whole of London to descend upon you, that is.”

“Not that it matters to me, I only care for my Sister’s safety. Do not think this brings excitement to me. I simply wish to go back to my normal life with my Sister, whatever is left of it at this point.”

(GM’s Comment: Sister’s safety, she says.)

Michael took up the new set of documents that arrived. There were three targets this time. Unlike the time with Claudia when they had five targets to cover, this either meant that there were simply fewer people to take out, or that they were given the toughest of the bunch while the rest worked on the small fries. “Well, take your pick.”

Svetlana checked the documents herself now.

The first target seemed to show a very handsome man wearing a black suit. He had golden eyes and long black hair tied in a ponytail. His name was Lewis Honeysett. He seemed young but he was apparently a Duke who was a parliamentarian, and was a very important figure. In his background information, there was a mention of him getting thousands of people killed via a spell of plague that he was experimenting with and accidentally released on Sussex. He seemed to go on trips very often and only recently came back to Sussex.

Their second target was Irene Jameson. A professor at the Royal Academy who was also a Countess. The picture showed a plain-looking short woman in clothes that made her look like a scholar indeed. She seemed to have various connections that would be a thorn to Princess Louise’s path. The woman was also a famous scholar who created some Supreme Spells as a child. Typically, she was currently a Magic Magister even now.

The final target was a Marquess who was close to the Queen. He seemed to be promoted as the Royal Sculptor and was a rising star in the Royal Court. Apparently, a Royal Sculptor had more implications in the Magic World than to the mundanes, not that the two was aware, they simply knew their job. He seemed to be the easiest of the targets.

“I’ll let you handle what we do. I will just see if you know what you are doing.”

“How would you even—” He decided against arguing with her, lest she’d attack him when he was vulnerable later. “Let’s do with the Duke Honeysett, he seems like a likable sort,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.







Michael and Svetlana faced a small cottage in Sussex, the historic county in the south east region of England.

It was rather unbelievable that a Duke was living in such a place. There were only lush green fields painted dark by the cloudy night sky all across the area. Let alone guards, there was hardly a solid wall to stand in their way.

“Is this really the right place?” Svetlana said as she wore a shorter black dress than usual. It showed more of her legs and one could see more of her cleavage.

“It should be, we should remain vigilant. He should be ready for enemies, despite this defenseless cottage. This may be a trap, for all we know.”

“Then I shall let you take the lead. I will support you from behind.”

“Can’t we blow this cottage up, instead? Do you have a spell like that?”

“It would be obvious it was me, idiot. I really doubt many have a spell like that.”

“What? You think the Queen doesn’t know you’re helping the rebels?” Michael sighed, as he prepared to enter the cottage.

“If she knows why is she not stopping this then?”

“Who knows? She let me go even if I was going to assist with the rebellion. I am afraid that I might still be working within her schemes.”

Michael used his eye and knowledge in trap making in order to spot the possible areas where someone would put surprises for unwanted visitors. He noticed there were prisms hidden from plain sight, signifying a barrier that protected the cottage.

“You might want to stay back,” Michael said.

Small particles of light converged onto his hand and started forming a silver ornate bow. He drew the bow and swiftly shot all the prisms in succession, in one fluid motion. Satisfied with his work, he slowly and carefully approached the cottage, crouching beneath the window sill as he peeked inside. Their target seemed to be inside it, sitting in a chair, looking down at a trombone that he held. It looked fairly simple inside, with ordinary furniture like a table and some chairs and a bed, nothing fancy like a noble. At least the picture of the target matched.

“Well, is it safe to approach?”

“He’s there. I’ll shoot him from here. You do know you would still have to use your magic if we’re going to fight him, right?”

Michael drew his bow once again, aiming at where his target sat. He released the arrow, which promptly destroyed a good part of the cottage’s wall. However, it seemed that the same could not be said for his target, as the Duke remained safe, albeit surprised.

Upon seeing the Duke, Svetlana readied her Flame Spear spell, which she fired at the Duke, but it hit a wall instead, setting the house aflame in the process.

“At least we managed to destroy his fortress,” Michael joked.

“Now, that was rude.” Duke Lewis Honeysett seemed to look at his cottage with melancholy but was otherwise unperturbed.

“Well, the doorbell did not work,” Michael replied.

The Duke shrugged with a wry smile, still holding the trombone.

“I command for the curtains of the night to fall.”

A black dome formed around the three, locking them in the space. Golden swords seemed to form on the black walls in every direction the assassins looked.

“Come at me with whatever you have. I am not going anywhere.”

Michael took the time as the dome formed to chant another spell from the Heavenly Sacrament Lost Form, which cleansed his mind from various influences. This improved his focus as his sigil remained shining around him. He took up his bow and aimed straight at the Duke, a blinding light forming at the tip of his fingers as he nocked. The projectiles shot out with a deafening screech, clashing against Lewis and exploding.

Svetlana’s Blazing Wind spell was active a moment later, sending a wave of scorching flames at the Duke too, mixing with the light of the holy arrows of Michael.

The soothing song of the trombone was heard, the flames were extinguished, and the silver arrows seemed to be stuck in front of Lewis.

“A Lost Form… interesting,” the Duke expressed, touching the bulb of light that was Michael’s arrow with his gloved hand. “You still have a long way to go.”

“Ah, well. I have time.” Michael shrugged, as he nocked another arrow.

“Tch, guess this one will not be as easy,” Svetlana said.

The arrow made a hole on the Duke’s left shoulder. He didn’t seem to care about the pain he felt, still holding a melancholic smile.

Taking up the trombone, the music instrument changed into a baton. The golden swords from the black wall all flew up behind him, each turning into golden fairies holding musical instruments as an entire orchestra formed. With a wave of his baton, a powerful song was orchestrated, sending Michael and Svetlana to the black wall. There was no pain as their backs collided, simply an invisible wall of air stopping them in place. Before they could pull themselves back together, another beat of music pressed against them, noises of cracking bones ringing out.

“If you have other targets to assassinate, I would recommend going after them instead,” Lewis said calmly. “It would be in your best interests to not waste any of our time here fighting someone who is on par with the Archmages.”

“If it’s all the same to you,” Michael stood up, his earlier spell mitigating a good deal of damage from the Duke’s attack, “I would take you up on that offer, but I fear that my Mistress wouldn’t accept me retreating.”

“I would just let him go, it is obvious we will not leave this fight without serious injuries,” Svetlana said holding her arm.

“You do know at this point, it’s him that is letting us go. But any case… I apologise, but we need to take more of your time.”

“I thank you for your understanding,” Lewis said, giving a courteous bow. As Michael fell to the ground, the baton pressed past the back of his neck, with its tip exiting from the front of it.

“Be my guest if you want to die, I will not help you.”

“Great. Fight an opponent beyond my abilities and they gave me the most useless partner in London.” Michael cursed as he got angry at the ground for no reason. “Well, you might as well kill me now.”

“I am not gonna waste my energy on a fight I did not even want to be part of. If he is offering to just leave, that is fine with me. I will only go all out if he continues.”

“No wonder my partner died,” he spat towards her.

A purple flame formed around Svetlana’s palm as she aimed her fist straight at Michael’s stomach. “Do you really think I held back then?!!” Svetlana shouted in anger.

The flames shaped in the form of a fist was soon extinguished before it reached Michael, as he absorbed the mana Svetlana had gathered with the spell known as Spellbreaker, a silver glow emanating from his hand.

The Duke took the baton out of Michael’s neck after the little bout was over, some more blood spurting out as he did so. The black dome seemed to fade away momentarily, bringing back the original surroundings. The orchestra too, vanished.

“Now, now, I think fighting each other would be the least of the Princess’ wishes.”

A portal to blackness opened before the Duke. A portal to the Void Realm.

“Farewell.”

“Whatever, I will handle the other two myself,” Svetlana said as began to walk away.

“Oh sure, better retreat when they look at you funny too. That would be hilarious.”

Michael pressed a handkerchief to his neck to minimize the blood flow. He then left on his own, not wanting to bother with her. He lost all semblance of respect for the girl, who was unlike Lily, who had the resolve to finish what she started.

(OOC: Forgot about this bit totally too kek. This happens a little earlier as well.)

Alek was now back at the house of Charlotte from the Void Realm. He was finally allowed to take his sleep mask off when he was having breakfast. There were bacons, eggs, and some pancakes drizzled with honey on the table some moments ago. It was strange, but Charlotte never once allowed Alek to come out of the Realm, and brought over the food to the Realm for him instead. He’d eat blind too.

Unfortunately, Alek had never once managed to accomplish what he was supposed to do. Learning to travel in the Void Realm was surprisingly very challenging.

Now that he was back, he found out that his servants were extremely worried. He was unsure if they were worried about him or their jobs. Regardless, they seemed relieved to see him return.

Alek felt pretty terrible about his worthless amount of progress, to say the least. He’d tried as hard as he could, all month long and had precisely zilch to show for it. It was clear that Charlotte had done everything she could to teach him, and he’d done everything he could to learn properly, but in the end it just wasn’t enough time to really make any headway. He looked up to Charlotte after they had both finished eating.

“When will you be able to spare more time to teach me?”

“After the revolution is over. I may have to leave the country after some time, but I shall make some time for you regardless, do not worry.”

“It bugs me that I wasn’t able to make more progress on it, like I let you down… I’m sorry Master.”

“That is fine.” Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. “I took half a year to get it down myself.”

“I see. Well, I suppose I should show my face at the Academy again before too much longer, to keep up appearances…” He stood. “Was there anything else I can do for you before I excuse myself?”

“No, I shall be taking leave myself soon. Have a safe journey.”

“Very well, thank you for taking the time to teach me, Master. I appreciate your hard work.”

When the feast was over, Weiss left the table to take a nap. Charlotte had many things to say about doing things unladylike, but her mother only had one excuse: “That’s why you’re a child,” and it only served to make her wonder who was truly the child among the pair.

The three were still around the dining table with the chandelier burning brightly now. The maid was dismissed.

Charlotte and Rose seemed to be enjoying wine. Charlotte tried to crack some small talk but it was rather hard to get along with Rose, who liked to dodge most topics.

“I suppose if Miss Rose isn’t one for small talk, then we go straight to business?” Michael held the wine by the bottle, completely looking uncouth. A small tinge of pink just hinted on how much he had drunk already.

“Go on,” Rose replied tersely.

“As we have established, it is to all of our best interests if we can separate my Fa—Father… from Mary. Now, there was that thing… now this is just from what I’ve heard, but Mary has feelings for him. Or stays with him.” Michael took another swig of the bottle. It was one of the few times he could enjoy wine, and enjoy it he did. “Now, considering that she also is his Representative… there’s only one course of action that we can take.”

“Kill your father, you mean?”

“Exactly. Now the snag in this plan of ours is that small thing with the Descendants… and how they tend to not die. At all.”

“Unfortunately, unless a Descendant battles him, I cannot see us winning in any way,” Charlotte stated. “Either convince our Mistress or have a Duke or a Duchess use their special spell.”

Michael snapped his fingers as Charlotte finished talking, completely forgetting about his manners as he got into the mood. “Exactly. Unless we take a Descendant to his doorstep, we can’t do much about it. But considering the power of the Church, I doubt we could convince anyone to do so. So might I suggest, we take him to a Descendant’s doorstep, instead?”

“We could wait for the war,” Charlotte said. “I believe I have read a statement in the news where the †˜Pope’ claimed that he would help his loyal followers in the war against the Japanese. If this means that he would step onto the battlefield, or even close to it, we may as well have him battle the Japanese Descendants.”

“What fortuitous news! If that is so, we need to make sure of three things. His attendance on the battlefield, his engagement with the Japanese Descendant… and him having all the disadvantage that we could give him. This is where you come in, Miss Rose.” Michael looked at her, a smile plastered on his face still. “We need to keep an eye on the Church. We can assume that he’d start to mobilize the Organization if he’s planning something. We need to be able to be in the know, and intervene if necessary. While me and Miss Charlotte are doing jobs for Virgo, we’d need you to keep the information coming.”

“It is not something that will be easy, especially if it is the Church,” Rose replied, her tone cold. “There are many trained to sense Infernal creatures in the Church and the only way to be in the know reliably is to become a spy in the Organization.”

“Well, you’re looking at one. And that’s true, if you encounter an Executor, your chances will be slim. But we don’t have a good way to acquire a mole in that Organization at the moment; unless you ladies have an idea. No, what I propose is we look at what they are hitting. The Church is his muscle, and the Executors his sword. We need to see what they are targetting, see if we can come up with a pattern.” He replaced the now empty bottle on the table. “And if we come across a disabled Executor, we’d have our mole.”

“So, you want me to bait the Executors and find a disabled one?”

“You don’t even need to be the bait. Find out who their recent targets are and I’d know their deployment pattern. Let’s use your knowledge of the Countess’ Organization to lead them to suitable targets and let them clash; let’s take the spoils after. What do you guys think?”

“Finding out their targets is not easy…” Rose murmured, going into deep thinking. “If I can lead anyone to suitable targets, though… it could work out. Slim chances, though.”

“We likely do not need to find out their deployment patterns if Miss Rose can simply manipulate them by spilling just the right amount of information,” Charlotte added. “Her knowledge would definitely be essential.”

“Yes… That’s right. But do not worry, Miss Rose. If you find an Executor, or even a squad, I can help you lead them on. We just need to bait them into something they cannot handle.” He recalled attacking the auction with Emilia. That’s where he first met White Lotus—Flora.

“How do you plan to lead them on, exactly? Everyone thinks that you died in the Church, just so you know. The Pope sure tried to sound sad when he claimed that the Countess killed you in the shard of the moon.”

“Not exactly me—do you recall the spell I was using beforehand?”

“So, you would use it to make them think you are an Infernal?”

“Exactly,” Michael replied as he shook a bottle that was near his person. Seeing that it had a gulp or two left, he immediately guzzled its contents. “Won’t be that hard to make them think I was an Infernal.”

Rose shrugged. “Whatever works.”

Michael nodded at what he believed was Rose’s way of saying †˜yes’, and turned his gaze to Charlotte.

“Hm?”

“We really are going to do this. We’re going to save her and drag her back with us, if we have to.” No matter the cost, which he left unsaid.

“I am aware. On that note, I shall keep an eye out for the Boundary that I think she is held in right now,” Charlotte replied.

“Does she remain in suspended animation?”

“As far as I know, yes. Until she is freed she will be in that state.”

“Hmn. I don’t suppose she gets freed if we kill him? What about her injuries? She was badly injured when he took her.”

“I do not know. There is a chance that killing him may free her from his bind. Considering the possibility that she becomes the next Descendant under his Zodiac Sign.”

“Wait, do you two really believe that the Pope is a Descendant, though?” Rose questioned.

“He is. Trust me.” Michael bore a completely serious expression; she could even sense some fear in him.

“He is… the Libra,” Charlotte revealed. “I have had three confrontations with him before.”

“I assume they didn’t end well.” He uncorked another bottle.

“The Libra…” Rose pondered for some moments. “Libra should have died about four centuries ago. The Fortune Teller, remember?”

“That was simply a ruse created by Jesus Christ, the ancient Descendant of Libra,” Charlotte stated. “She was one of his Representatives, sacrificed to mask his presence in the Magic World. She was also the previous Virgin Mary—mother of Mary… but yes, none of my confrontations ended well, in fact, he used them to terrorise Mary’s mental state.”

“I know. Even when her memories aren’t exactly there in its entirety… you were used by him to motivate her.”

“Not exactly… Jesus Christ made me a lab rat for some time and created a clone. He trained Mary by having her murder clones of myself. He used many other strange methods to enslave her. I was not freed until Mistress came along, or rather, her clone did.”

Michael’s grip on the bottle suddenly tightened, crushing the bottle in this hand. The shards pierced through his skin and bled, but his face only showed fury, the same fury he had managed to keep hidden for quite a while now. “...I’m going to get something to clean this mess,” he spoke after a while, excusing himself.

“So, he completely has a grasp on her mind… what do we do if she sternly refuses?” Rose enquired.

“As Michael said, we will bring her back no matter what. I shall break her bones even if I have to before she is dragged out alive,” Charlotte answered resolutely.

Michael was whisking egg yolks in Charlotte’s kitchen as he waited for the pot of cream to boil. She arbitrarily decided to have a party for Rose’s arrival and granted Michael the privilege to use the kitchen to help. That being said, Charlotte decided to bake a cake and the maid insisted on cooking a duck and the side dishes, so he was stuck with the dessert.

He had infused the cream with zest from an orange and some crushed cardamom seeds, which filled the cream with a unique savoury aroma. He sieved the cream onto the whisked egg yolks, before filling ramekins with the mixture. He then placed the ramekins onto a roasting tin, pouring hot water around it before he placed it in the oven. After the cream baked, all that was left was to let the cream to set and to caramelize the top and his creme brulee would be ready, just in time for dinner.

It was past afternoon by the time Rose woke up to find that the house was busy with a party’s preparations. Vampires were often used to sleeping in the day so it made sense why she was active more at night, enough to find Claudia prowling at her home to murder her sister.

She came out wearing a plain-looking white dress but even then it looked like she came to party, as usual, and it fit the theme for once.

“So… what is all this about? Where are the guests? Surely this is a feast not for just us,” Rose questioned, looking down at the table, and already worrying herself about her getup.

“Well, not for us. But for you.” Michael loosened his apron, with †˜Kiss the Chef’ stitched onto it glaringly off-center. He held a spoon towards Rose which contained some sort of cream, or pudding perhaps as he offered her to taste it. “Tell me if it’s too sweet, I tried to change the recipe a bit.”

“It is fine even if I do not taste it. I shall pay my due respect for the efforts.”

Michael just pouted and tasted the spoonful of cream himself. “Don’t complain that it’s too sweet later.”

“Is that supposed to be an issue? I am having enough exercises as it is already.”

“And I was just about to have a taste,” Weiss said as she appeared from the floor wearing nothing but a shirt and short denim pants.

“Mother, would you please get dressed? You are too shameful!” Charlotte chided her mother before she could speak to Rose.

“What? We’re at home, no? It’s not like there’s someone else other than young Michael and you here, my dear child.” Weiss didn’t realise that behind her was Rose.

“Our latest guest aside, there is a man! Have some sense for once! If it were other households you would instantly get labeled a deviant.”

“I suppose I should check on the duck. Excuse me.” Michael finally thought of a reason to excuse himself from Weiss and Charlotte. Somehow, Weiss didn’t think much about his presence in terms of dressing appropriately.

“Tsk tsk tsk, this is why you are still a child, Charlotte.” Weiss giggled. “Oh I’m sorry.” Weiss realised that Rose was standing behind her. Weiss bowed. “Hello there! I’m Weiss Ackerman. Nice to meet you!”

“This is not about being a child, mother.” Charlotte insisted as if she was the mother of Weiss. “It is simple decency… this is not Russia. I have lived almost as long as you if that serves to clarify,” Charlotte added with vehemence, pointing with her knife to exaggerate her point, not realising that it looked rather dangerous.

“Oh fine, I’ll wear some jeans.” Weiss, defeated, descended back into the ground.

“Nice to… meet you?” Rose could barely speak between the argument of mother and child. It was rather eerie to see a Descendant in a place like this, using her Commandment without a care in the world. What a careless Descendant…

“I’ve returned—where’s Miss Weiss? I brought more creme.” He held in his hand four ramekins, one for each of them. Hopefully, the head maid didn’t realise he’d taken them from the ones for the party.

Charlotte cleared her throat, having never the opportunity to explain. “I believe the proper term would be †˜Lady’ or †˜missus’. Anyway, I sent her away to get dressed… at least I hope my mother does.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” Michael said as he gave Charlotte and Rose the dessert, along with a spoon. “You look confused, Rose. Is something amiss?”

“I am simply wondering why there is a party at all,” Rose plainly said, still taken aback.

“I told you, it’s for you. Miss Charlotte decided to hold a welcoming party for you.” He’d ask her to not look so glum, but considering the recent deaths in her family, it would just come off as insensitive—especially considering the part where he was the one who killed the Marchioness.

“That is beside the point…”

“Now, now, let us not sweat the details, shall we?” Charlotte said with a cheerful voice. “Come, let us begin before my mother returns, huhuhu.”

“What do you mean before I return?” Weiss walked into the room normally, wearing tight jeans and the same shirt as before.

“Nothing, nothing at all, mother,” Charlotte said with an innocent face.

Michael just popped a spoonful of creme in his mouth as he watched the mother-daughter pair banter with each other.

“Very suspicious.” Weiss glared at Charlotte who was clearly hiding something. “Anyway, welcome to the group. Uhh, what’s your name again?” Weiss looked at Rose.

“My name is Rose Nevill, I am the daughter of the… deceased Marquess of Abergavenny,” Rose spoke the last part particularly sarcastically to Weiss as she gave a curtsy.

“Ah. That was my fault, not Miss Charlotte or Missus Weiss.” Michael stopped eating and raised his hand. “I killed your mother.”

“She meant her father, though,” Charlotte supplemented.

“So that means.” Weiss remembered the last assassination that she did. “Oh no.” Weiss looked at Charlotte with a concerned look.

Charlotte shrugged. “Such is life.”

Rose shrugged too. “Nothing a lady may not get over.”

“And you’re okay with this, Rose?” Weiss asked.

“I could’ve put a bit more sugar.” Michael started eating Weiss’ share of the dessert.

“And who is an assassin to ask me that?” Rose asked back.

“Ugh,” Weiss looked down. “I guess that’s the sin of Assassins.”

“Do not worry. I understand that you were hired and you had a job to do. I was never one for playing family, anyway.”

“Miss Rose is here to help us save Mary, as we help her seek the cure for her vampirism.” Michael pointed towards himself with a spoon. “I will serve as her blood bag in the meantime.”

“Wait a minute.” Weiss looked at Rose closely. “You can walk upside down yes? I think we’ve met before.”

“All vampires can. What about it?” Rose replied, giving a stoic look.

“Way back, I was infiltrating a house, Buckingham House as far as I can remember, and I think I saw you breaking prisms when I was there. Of course I avoided you since I thought you were a guard there but yeah, I clearly saw you walking upside down destroying prism traps.”

“You know… how could I be a guard if I was breaking prisms?” Rose said with a disappointed look.

“My mother does not understand what the Magic Prisms are for,” Charlotte said with a shrug. “She is ignorantly cute that way. Huhu.”

“The only magic that I know is people swinging wands at other people while chanting random words that don’t make sense. Call me old but that’s the only magic that I know and heard on radio shows.” Weiss shrugged and looked at her empty plate. ...Michael!

“Were there such radio shows?” Charlotte questioned.

“That would make you young, rather than old,” Rose replied.

“Back in my days as a human with your father. We often listened to the radio since there was no TV. Hell, you even needed to stand still for hours to have your picture taken.”

“Yes, I believe we still get those moments with the pictures,” Charlotte said. “Albeit, with steam technology things are improving. I mean, the fact that we can have hot water to bathe with is already one of its many graces.”

Michael listened with curiosity, lacking any knowledge but the bare minimum about modern technology. Even when he served Flora, apart from the appliances used to cook, he preferred training and books. He noticed Weiss looking at him weird, but had no clue as to why.

Weiss let out a big smile at Michael. “What happened to my dessert, Michael?”

“There’s more in the kitchen,” he replied as he licked the spoon clean.

Weiss narrowed her eyes. “Ohoo…” She kept glaring at Michael.

“Mhmm.”

Weiss sighed and gave up. She stood up and walked to the kitchen.

“So, I have a vague idea what a radio is… but what’s a TV?” Michael asked the remaining two women.

“It is the device that provides illustrations to various plays… I think. If you have been to the Mistress’ place you may have seen it before,” Charlotte answered.

“I should ask her after this job. I’ll keep that in mind.” Michael reached for his pocket out of habit, finding no journal there. “Are you sure you guys don’t want to eat a bit?”

“I cannot seem to find a good moment to relax and sit down.” Rose looked at Michael and his getup, then reminded herself how Weiss was dressed. Is this even a legitimate party? What a farce. She shrugged, finally deciding to play along and taking a seat.

“Hm? Something on your mind, Rose?” Michael noticed Rose as she eyed him; perhaps she was hungry again? That would cause him problems if she was. His plan for her wouldn’t work if she needed a large amount of blood to remain sane.

“No, nothing.”

“I wasn’t lying when I said you can trust me, that you can put your hopes on me. We will save Mary,” he reassured her, as the smell of roasted duck slowly wafted through the room. “We can talk about our plans later with Miss Charlotte. But for now let’s take this moment to relax, or at least rest.”

“No need to get so heated in the afternoon.” Rose rolled her eyes as she heard those words repeated.

“No. I still have no idea what you are thinking, to be honest. I don’t suppose we can be intimate soon, considering the circumstances, too.” He replaced the ramekin on the table as he looked at her eye-to-eye. “But even then, I wish for us to be.”

“I believe people will get the wrong idea if you put it that way.”

“Huhu, so that is how it is…” Charlotte said. “But I am only speaking in jest.”

“Eh?” Michael tilted his head in confusion. “Did I say something weird?”

“We only work with each other for our own benefits… there is no need for intimacy,” Rose continued, ignoring Charlotte. “Do not speak unnecessary words.”

“Alright, that’s a start. No need to force the issue for no particular reason.” Michael shrugged, but Rose hadn’t changed his mind at all. “Be wary, though. I am a man of unnecessary words.”

You are the one who started it… Rose remained silent, ignoring his last set of words too.

“Since my mother is taking too long… I suppose we may start,” Charlotte suggested, taking a seat. They couldn’t let the roasted duck get cold because a certain someone was busy with the desserts—something one dealt with after the main course.

Weiss peeked from the kitchen, Have fun you three. Weiss sank down into the floor and went to her room through the walls.

“What an inconsiderate mother—to leave her daughter who is hosting the party like that…” the maid of Charlotte remarked from the kitchen, watching Weiss go off. “The least she could do was make an excuse to them.”

Claudia eventually returned to her room in the Ritz Hotel. Another failed assassination was under her belt, and she had no one else to blame but herself.

She stumbled in and clapped a hand to her forehead in shame. Her first thought was to unbutton her coat, toss it callously onto the floor and plop exhaustedly onto the couch. The thoughts of Rose’s betrayal and the target’s escape, especially when her death was inevitable, flowed into her mind. She was right there! And the foolish vampire decided to interrupt. As always, the operation did not go as Claudia had hoped.

Such was her life.

“No… I must calm myself…”

She sat crossed legged on her couch and closed her eyes. The anger and repressed emotions somewhat clearing from her mind. With a single, relieved sigh, she had forgotten all about tonight’s events and returned to her stoic disposition right then and there.

“My Lady…” Cosette said with a faint voice. She was also battered from Rose’s explosion spell. “The Mistress has sent word. You are to meet with her as soon as possible.”

“...Very well,” Claudia said.

“I suppose we should get changed.”

Humming, Claudia stood from the couch and walked into her room, yearning for something that wasn’t tattered from a failed assignment. Her coat was out of commision at the moment, so a simple white button-up shirt, black skirt and thigh highs would suffice. She allowed Cosette to change her attire from the neck-up, then they immediately departed.







Claudia entered the room of the Blood Countess that was some rooms away from her own in the Ritz Hotel. It wasn’t usual that she could intrude and converse with the Countess now. She seemed to have her own agenda as usual, hidden from most, and certainly from Claudia. Either the Countess felt no need to speak of her other activities or she simply didn’t like to speak of them. Whatever the case, Claudia never quite questioned her Countess before.

Thus, Claudia could only come if she was called. Otherwise, the Countess may be missing, and it’d simply be rude. Especially to the current Claudia who had been taught to respect others’ privacy unless required.

Claudia came to a complete halt and bowed.

“Pardon me Mother, but you have need of me?”

“I wanted to know how the work was going. Come, join me for a drink.”

Claudia hummed. “Certainly, fair Mother.”

The Representative approached, and sat next to the Countess, taking up a glass and being the first to start drinking. The burn from the alcohol was not much, but a good enough substitute for punishment for her recent failure, knowing the Countess would not do it herself.

Letting loose, Claudia sighed.

“I’m afraid work is… bleak as per usual.”

“Well, not that it’s a big deal,” Catherine said. “The Princess still gets her rebellion at the end of the day.”

“I am unsure if that makes me feel any better,” Claudia said, scratching her scalp with a melancholic smile. “Would leaving one of the nobles alive hinder her plans at least a little?”

“She needs the nobles alive. However, she needs some of them gone. This is a plan to weaken the Diogenes. I’m sure you’ve heard of them at least once?”

“I’ve heard some word of them, yes. But nothing concise enough to make assumptions.”

“The Diogenes are the truly powerful maguses solidifying the rule of the Queen. They are very smart and cunning people, and they have many supporters as well. The Princess wanted to weaken the links of the Queen’s protection. The Princess would not face much of a threat until at least… the two of them are gone. Even then, I doubt Victoria will understand fear until the event reaches its climax.”

“And from what I know, at least one or two have already been eliminated,” Claudia added. “Above all, it will be my pleasure to assist in instilling that fear into Victoria, my dear Mother.”

“I hope you can. Currently I cannot go face Victoria.”

“For what reason, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“I have a promise with her. I will not fight her till she is at her full strength.”

“So at the moment, Victoria is not suited for battle, and without this promise binding you, you could kill her right this second?” Claudia appeared amused by this as her lips slightly curved.

“Not quite, there could be other things up her sleeve. She can still summon the Sun with the Diogenes in place. However… well, let’s just say that this is not the real Victoria that I want to savour killing.”

“I see… so like you, she also possesses a form that reveals her true power.”

“It’s a little different from my case. Bear with me, I cannot talk about this matter openly myself.”

“Understood. Forgive me, Mother.”

“It’s fine, you’ll know when the time comes. This information is extremely important so I have to be careful…” the Countess said, giving the walls a short look. “You’re forgiven, of course. I don’t exactly mind curiosity.”

Claudia hummed and gave her Countess a nod. “By the by, I meant to speak to you about a matter of Rose…” The Representative’s fist clenched in between the glass she held as the previously cast aside foul thoughts returned to her psyche. “Rose, she… she is a traitor. As I yearned to eliminate Violet—one of our targets—she jumped in my path.”

“Hm? So Rose finally gave in? About time, I see.”

“You have forseen this?”

“Of course. Why would I not?”

“Most people do not take too well to betrayal… I assumed you were no different, especially if it is one of your Representatives.”

“One of my Representatives you claim?”

“...Was Rose not a Representative?”

“Now why would you think that?”

Claudia blinked a few times. She was no doubt confused.

“This entire time, with her, Marco, Ansel, and George sided with us—myself included—I thought we all were Representatives to be working so closely to you. Perhaps I misunderstood….”

“A year of misunderstanding I see. You were the only Representative, my dear.”

The one and only Representative instinctively poured herself another glass of alcohol and chugged it all down in one go, hoping the momentary burn in her throat would help with this. She felt stupid for one—or in anyone else’s case, stupider—and felt like slapping herself right there.

“Forgive me, Mother. I promised myself that I would be more intuitive this time around, but I cannot do even that...”

“Now, now, it’s fine. You can calm down and relax.” Catherine laughed, holding her stomach, like usual. “Hm, but seeing that Rose knows quite a lot of internal detail, I suppose it may be best to be rid of her.”

Claudia sighed, forgetting that this wasn’t Crimson Rafflesia she was talking to. “Excellent. I had no initial intentions to spare her.”

“Make her low on the priority list, but if you find a chance, show no hesitation—show her what it means to betray BloodLuSt.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Oh and have this.” Catherine handed a letter. “A gathering is to be hosted by Princess Louise.”

“A gathering? For the revolution?” Claudia took the letter in both hands and peered at it.

“For the big fireworks, you need quite the assortment, yes?”

“Fireworks?”

“Of course. They are going to blast the doors open for this.”

“I see…” Claudia said in an intrigued tone. “What shall I wear to this gathering, I wonder?”

“A fabulous dress to celebrate the fall of the Queen, what else?”

“Indeed,” Claudia said. “I cannot shake the feeling that something may go wrong, however. Perhaps that is personal experience talking.“

“That is the running trend for us, apparently. Hopefully not with Princess Louise in direct control of her operation. She is a fox for sure, a cunning one at that.”

“Cunning? From my first time meeting her, she hardly seemed like the type to act as such… but then again, no daughter would hold a revolution against their mother.”

“Someone who had taken measures to send the Diogenes to the Buckingham Palace by having assassins assault them. It was a rather ingenious tactic. She has been playing chess, this entire time, for sure.”

“That is true. So far, I am impressed by how far this plan has gotten us. May it succeed in the end… I would rather avoid another catastrophe.” Claudia asked politely before she began to smoke from the hookah the Countess was using. “But enough of grim matters for now. How have you fared recently?”

“I had been faring fine, my dear. I have been trying to track down Aries. He is a rather eluding fellow.”

“Blayze?” Claudia had to be sure that name still wasn’t dead on her compared to all else. The woman nearly choked on her smoke when he came up again. “He is still running amok and causing trouble?”

“As always. He is one free-spirited child who cannot get tired of his mischief.”

“As expected. I fail to see why I was so interested to fight him alone back then.”

“Ahahaha… no one knows that except your old self.”

Claudia almost snorted, but held herself back with all her might. “Wherever she is…” She hummed, as if a lightbulb had popped over her head. Since her old self and Blayze was mentioned, Claudia unconsciously remembered a promise she made long ago. “By the way, Mother, you wouldn’t happen to know anything about Marco’s sister?”

“Marco’s sister…? Ah, her. What about her?”

“I made a promise to Marco, long ago, that I would find and watch over her. Now that he is gone, I think sooner or later would be the best of moments to search for her.”

“Mn… she should be in the home of Marco that was burnt down. She was supposedly roaming there. That is all I had last heard.”

“Once this is over, that will be the first place I search, then.”

“You can have fun in America, I suppose.”

“I will. Thank you, Mother.”

Michael, Claudia, Charlotte and Cosette snuck into the mansion of the Marchioness of Abergavenny. Unsurprisingly, they could not depend on the maids. Turned out that the current staffing consisted of humans, which was unexpected for Claudia. She could only smell one vampire and she wasn’t sure where it was.

“Somehow I had a feeling that it would not be so easy,” Charlotte began. “But these servants are likely going to sleep soon. They are mundanes from what it seems and are untrained in the way of magecraft, according to my eye.”

“Mundanes, you say?” Michael asked as he readied his shroud spell. He hadn’t tested it against mundanes so far, and didn’t really plan to until this opportunity presented itself.

“They are irrelevant, then. We must find the Duchess, quickly,” Claudia said, burying her face into her scarf.

“Well, it’s not like she’d leave the estate suddenly. Did your connections tell us where her room is?” His voice became garbled in the middle of his sentence as a silver shroud surrounded him once again, making him indistinguishable once more.

“The documents had the blueprints. There are only three bedrooms that are notably large compared to the ones for the guests. Only one of them would be vacant as the Countess is missing from this place,” Charlotte responded, observing the wraith that was Michael with a bit of interest. “We should split up as we enter. One of the bedrooms resides on the right, while the other two are on the left according to what I had seen of the third floor.”

“Well first thing’s first; Mister Kallweit should go with Charlotte on the right, while Cosette and I shall comb the left,” Claudia suggested, briefly acting as a leader for once in her life.

“We’ll have Lady Violet down in no time, she is still a relatively new Magic Magister,” Cosette stated with a nod.

“Alright then, shall we?” he said cheerfully. He offered his arm to Charlotte as if they were about to dance in a ballroom and not attempt an assassination. Charlotte accepted his offer, as he put an arm around her waist, shrouding her too with the wraith’s form. They both became unidentifiable with the wraith constantly shifting forms, but now it appeared more massive. One second, it appeared like a mass of tentacles shaped like a massive man, the other it appeared like a tattered piece of cloth vaguely shaped like a fat woman with silver mist coming out from the bottom.

Claudia only shook her head, watching as the two made their way to their objective. As usual, she summoned her scythe, held it over her shoulder and beckoned her maid to follow.

“Come.”

“Yes.”







Michael and Charlotte’s adventure to the bedroom of the Marchioness was very uneventful, which was a saving grace for them. A maidservant patrolled in the dark corridor just once holding a lamp, a tiny Engine light that was likely designed to replace a candle. The wraith was unnoticed as they passed by.

“This room should be the room of the Marchioness,” Charlotte said faintly, standing before the doors of the bedroom.

“You know the last time I did this, after stabbing the Earl in his bed, he dropped a lake on top of us,” Michael said casually as he half turned the doorknob. “Ready?”

“No need to fear magic with me in the vicinity. Let us proceed.”

He nodded and opened the door. That’s when he saw that the Marchioness was sleeping at her bed. He felt a sense of déjà vu, but he decided against a repeat of what happened with the Earl as he immediately casted Chrono Phantasma. With a flicker of silver light, he appeared beside the sleeping noble and stabbed her in the heart.

His white blade was stained by the noble’s crimson blood as it spouted from the wound, making him think that the noble has already fallen. However, in her last few moments, the Marchioness suddenly struggled, as if to cast one last spell. Charlotte held the hand the Marchioness raised to cast and her spell was stopped. She wailed and writhed in pain as blue electricity fried her innards afterwards.

“That was easy,” Michael told Charlotte, pulling his sword out when the blood stopped spouting from the wound he inflicted. Even in his Wraith form, his partner could see that he was completely covered in blood.

“A job well done. Shall we visit Claudia’s side to see if it is done now?”

“We might as well, hopefully they are also done,” he replied as his relic dispersed.







Claudia and Cosette progressed through the hallways, keeping vigil for anyone coming their way. So far the Engine lights were off and the servants were asleep.

“It seems like the security here is indeed lax,” Cosette commented with a whisper. “Not a soul on the walk.”

“How careless. There are assassins running amok in London and they haven’t the common sense to steel themselves for an attack. Foolish.” Claudia’s eyes narrowed in disgust. Watching the dust blow through the halls, the Representative was disappointed in the Countess’ so-called mother for the lack of guard detail.

Hearing some footsteps soon enough after she spoke, Claudia held Cosette in her hands and jumped up, her feet landing on the ceiling. Vampires were able to stick with the ceiling after all. However, Cosette scoffed. She could do the same herself, but her vampiric qualities were often ignored as she was a dhampir.

A maid holding what appeared to be a lamp passed by the otherwise dark corridor.

The two waited as she soon left and got back down.

“If that was the janitor then the way should be open now, for real this time.”

“Then now is our chance to move on.”

Some moments had passed before they approached an intersection in their pathway. There was a light, presumably from an Engine light and a shadow approaching again, which was completely unexpected too.

“For the lack of security, there are an awful lot of people passing by here,” Claudia said, jumping up to the ceiling again.

“I do not remember being part of the security detail, Claudia dear.”

Claudia looked down, finding no one on the floor. On the same ceiling where she stood, her eyes fell upon a very familiar figure, an old friend she hadn’t met for a year. Unlike the last time, she wore a chemise instead of a dress for a party.

“Rose…” Claudia was astonishment, mind half telling her to greet the woman, if it weren’t for the wonder of why she was there of all places prodding at her. “What are you doing here?”

“Why else? It is my home. Why are you here?”

“To assassinate the Marchioness of this home,” Claudia answered simply. She raised her scythe as emphasis to this. “Under strict orders from the Countess.”

“The Countess or the Princess?”

“What does it matter?”

“It does not indeed.” Rose seemed uninterested herself. “…Whatever, I can lead you to my sister’s room… that’s who you want, right?” she said with a scowl, looking away.

“That is all we desire… then we will leave. Forgive us for the intrusion.”

Rose said nothing in return before she dropped down on the floor, Claudia and Cosette doing the same in turn. They walked some distance and a bedroom’s door was in front of them. Rose stepped aside for Claudia to proceed.

Claudia gave a silent nod to her friend and was the first to enter, scythe raised, hoping to find the lady of the house. Her eyes widened in realisation when she looked down at the room. The bed was empty. Cosette shielded her lady when a rapier was blocked.

Lady Violet struck with battle-fervor—having anticipated an assassination attempt—while Rose caring to the situation that unfolded; only providing a glance. With a fireball forming, Cosette was removed from the way and her fencing sword clashed with Claudia’s scythe. The Representative demonstrated her strength, pushing Violet back immediately. She looked down at Violet, who wore a purple dress and had purple long hair. Her name truly was befitting of her. If it was a year ago she’d definitely call her †˜hot’.

“Sister, do not just stand there!” Violet told Rose, who seemed to cringe but face away.

Claudia’s expression was full of ire, practically burning a hole in the back of Rose’s and Violet’s heads. She immediately struck at her target, anger flaring up.

“Silence; eyes forward. Your opponent is right in front of you.”

Violet blocked the strikes as any swordsman would skillfully, but with Claudia’s strength and the weight of the scythe combined it was nearly impossible. Claudia pushed her a few paces back. Cosette shot out shards of ice, which distracted her. It was followed by another swing of Lachesis’ Fang and Violet was disarmed with the sword falling on the floor.

“Sister!” Violet called out with a louder voice, facing Claudia’s blade. Tears flowed down from Violet’s face—she resigned to her fate.

“Fall,” was all Claudia said as her blade let loose.

Violet opened her eyes, surprised that her head was not yet severed, for Rose’s rose-tipped wand collided with the brunt of Claudia’s slash, holding off the scythe due to her act of betrayal.

“I apologise, but perhaps my committance had indeed met its end,” Rose claimed, her face lacking the usual expression of amusement, and full of gloom.

“Your attachment to earthly sentiments such as family will prove as your downfall, traitor.”

“How ironic as ever. Is the Countess not an earthly attachment too?”

Claudia thrusted her scythe forward. “Hold your tongue about the Countess, wretch…you no longer have the right to even speak her name.”

“I never did, I suppose. Unlike you, I never had a choice to get into this mess…”

Claudia swung her scythe and Rose’s wand blocked once more. With a flurry launched, the two fought tooth and nail while Violet retreated and Cosette gave chase. Claudia attempted to pursue, exiting the room into the hallways, but Rose managed to deter her once more.

Rose cast a spell with her other free hand and an explosion made the floor cave in and Cosette fell down to a floor below. Claudia thought she gained an opportunity and struck at Rose, but it only served to create some distance between them.

The two walked in differing directions, bidding for their time to make an attack.

“Even to this day I cannot understand how a woman can choose to become a terrorist out of their own will like that. You disgust me.”

“And so the true emotions are finally released after so long,” Claudia said lethargically. “My reasons for joining BLoodLuST are none of your concern.”

The two heard rapid footsteps coming towards them, as Michael who was still in his wraith form, ran towards the two. He was holding his relic in his hand, stopping just before he got in the middle of the two. “What’s happening here? Why is Miss Rose… Why did you reveal yourself?” Michael specifically faced towards Rose with his last question. Not that she’d know he was facing her as he was still a Wraith.

“Perhaps you require a teaching regarding the appropriate times and places for things, bloody newcomer.” Rose faced her wand at Michael too, not knowing who he was thanks to appearing as a Wraith. “Reveal myself? How about you reveal yourself first?”

“It’s me. Michael,” he said as the shroud slowly flaked off into pieces, looking like it burnt under an invisible flame.

Rose held her mouth with her other hand and cringed once more with a look of disgust, seeing Michael drenched in blood, and taking in its fresh scent, the desire to drink blood welling up inside her. She somehow summoned her courage to fend off her instinctive desires.

“No point keeping it any longer anyway. Miss Mary is gone. I might as well be too.”

“I will save her. I will… I will save you too. You are Flora’s friend!” Michael said as he slowly walked towards her, releasing the grip on his relic. “Don’t throw your life away in despair.”

Rose started to step back, shaking her head with a defiant look.

“No… no, I do not need your help.”

Claudia scoffed. “Do not go and feel sorry for yourself now… perhaps it is too late for you indeed, Rose.”

“You might as well feel sorry for yourself.” Rose too, scoffed.

“Is our target dead?”

Michael, who continued to stand between the two with Charlotte, asked with his back still facing Claudia.

“No. The foolhardy vampire took it upon herself to step in my path.”

“This is your chance to find her. I shall deal with Miss Rose.”

“...I sense you, by chance know Rose as well. If I find out you betrayed me as well, I–”

“The more you dally here, the farther the target gets. So go!” Michael raised his voice.

Claudia pursed her lips and proceeded to bite them. With a snarl, she turned tail and sprinted towards Violet, retreating. Before she could pass by Rose, her wand gave away the familiar glint and an explosion occurred just before Claudia, sending her flying backwards. When Claudia looked up, Rose was already gone.

“Go. Find your target!” Michael said as he chased Rose.







Michael got out of the mansion with Charlotte. It seemed like there was a commotion when they left, the servants waking up to the tragedy that had taken place thanks to the assassins.

“Are you sure that we should be going after her?” Charlotte asked from behind the former priest. “She could very well do better being left alone now that Claudia is off her back… I believe.”

“I will need her help if I am to save Mary.”

“And here I thought you genuinely cared,” Charlotte said with a chuckle, “but I suppose I shall help if that is true.”

“I do care, she was Flora’s friend, and she helped us against Dana back in America. She seemed to be genuinely wanting to lose her vampirism, but her urges will take over her if she just starves herself. I believe I have a solution to both our problems if Mary is saved,” he explained as he tried to track where Rose went. “If I need to feed her my own blood for sustenance, I won’t mind. I need her help and her freedom of movement now that she’s left the Countess.”

“Very well, I shall lend my aid, Mister Michael.” Charlotte looked forward, her left eye burning navy-blue. “I see the mana in her body… Miss Rose is hiding behind that house dead ahead. Behind the ends of its chimney.”

“Let me talk to her alone. Be ready… just in case,” he said as he used a piece of cloth he nabbed from the estate to wipe the blood from his face. He headed towards where Rose was hiding with no intent of hiding his presence.

“Rose... It’s me again. Can I come over?” he asked, when he knew he was near enough that she would hear him even if he spoke not too loudly.

He waited for a while, but he heard neither a reply nor any sound of movement. There was only deathly silence. He decided that he had waited enough. He continued until he saw her; she was sitting in a fatal position with tears in her eyes, fidgeting, and was biting her finger. She was starving.

“Come. I need you to be rational,” he spoke as he once again loosened his blood-soaked shirt, exposing his neck for the vampire to see.

“No!!” The vampire moved back, her voice high-pitched. It was as if she was being told to go and get herself killed, that was the kind of terror that wrought the facial features of the one he had known as Rose.

Michael wordlessly summoned his relic, and sliced a wound open on his wrist. He walked towards the weakened vampire and forced her head into his wounded wrist. “Drink.”

The eyes of Rose burned crimson at the sight of fresh blood so close. Her logic and reasoning broke as the winner of the fight in her head was instinct. Opening her mouth, her fangs were revealed, and she bit on the offered wrist, relishing the taste of blood, drinking a copious amount of it ravenously. Some seconds with Rose gulping passed, and she threw the arm aside, coming to her senses once more, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

“Are you awake?” Michael started wrapping a piece of cloth around his wound.

“...More or less.”

“What do you plan on doing now? The Countess would see to it that you are killed, and Claudia would not hesitate to do it.”

“Just kill me now. End me while I am still sane.”

“No. I need you alive. If you truly want to be cured of that condition of yours, and Mary has the way to a cure… then our goals intertwine. If you choose death, still, then live for my sake. If you crave blood, I’d give it. If you seek a cure, then I will find it. And if you find yourself wallowing in despair, then I shall become your final hope.”

It took some time for her to process these words, Rose staying silent.

“Is it alright to…” Rose’s eyes turned normal again as she finally spoke. Indeed, there was hope when she needed it the most. “Trust you?”

“Did I talk about your treachery? I need you alive. All I am offering is a mutually beneficial relationship,” Michael replied as he offered her his hand to shake.

Hesitantly, Rose’s hand reached Michael’s hand, finally grasping it. It felt cold and was fidgeting.

Michael immediately pulled the vampire closer to him, and pushed her nearer with an arm to her back. “How many times must you drink blood? Do you have a place you can hide from the Countess?” he whispered, his voice lacking hint of any emotions in his tone.

“Once in awhile is fine… No place to hide.”

“I will ask Miss Charlotte if she can give you a place to sleep. But be wary, she cares a lot about Mary, perhaps far too much,” he said as he released her. “We will need you to get information for us, since we won’t have time to do so if we’re working for Dana… Virgo. Now, come.”

He walked out the back of the shed, with Rose in tow, as he pulled her by the hand.

“She has agreed to work with us in saving Mary, Miss Charlotte. But she is currently unsure where she could reside. Might I suggest that we bring her along with us? I promise to be the one responsible for her.”

“It is fine, I may provide shelter in my estate. The more the merrier,” Charlotte said with a welcoming smile. As long as she could get a step closer to freeing Mary, anyone—anything would be welcome.

“That’s very good, then!” Michael mimicked Charlotte’s smile. It was as if the man who talked to Rose earlier and the one who held her now were different persons. “See, I told you she’d agree to it, Rose!”

Rose looked with a scowl and disbelief at Michael before she looked back at Charlotte.

“Thank you.”

“Should we go home? We finished our side of the job, got a new ally, and I think the blood is starting to smell,” Michael said as he gestured towards the the state of his clothes. It seemed like he didn’t mind Rose scowling at him.

“Yes. Come, come, I cannot wait to let mother know about you. It shall get livier at home… for once.”

The next morning Michael came back to Claudia’s hotel room, but this time he had Charlotte Brontë along with him. After explaining what had transpired the night before, she agreed to lend aid to the two. On the way, Michael discussed various mundane things with Charlotte and found out that she also cooked. Now, they sat on the sofa as they started to plan their assault on the palace.

“I don’t suppose there would be emergency exits built in the palace that we know?” he asked.

“If there were such exits I imagine only the nobles working there would be privy to such details,” Charlotte answered.

“This seems bleak. If not the Earl, we would need to pick another target, and that looks to be the most sensible move we can do for now. What do you think?” Michael looked at Claudia.

Claudia, who was now in an even worse mood than last night looked to her former enemies with a huff. “Not like we can get close to the Earl anyways. For now, I say we find someone else.” The Representative called Cosette to bring her a stack of papers, the same ones that relinquished information on the Nobles of London.

The maid of Claudia, Cosette, laid the documents out on the table in front of the two and rolled up her sleeves. “Here are what’s left...”

“I’d defer to your choices. Hopefully, someone who stays dead when stabbed.” Michael decided against picking a target, considering the last time he just basically picked at random. Now that target was safe inside a palace wall.

“Allow me to take a look,” Charlotte said, taking up the documents. She seemed to take only one moment before she stopped. “Why not just go after Caroline Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone? This should be easy for you as you know her, Claudia.”

“Do I?”

“Is she not the Countess’ official †˜mother’ at the moment, the Marchioness of Abergavenny?

Claudia pursed her lips as the name and face joined together. “Right… that Caroline.” She scratched at her scalp and sighed. “Why not? At least I’m sure that she won’t shrug off a stab in the back. I doubt that Moth—Countess, I mean, will mind at this point.”

“If these papers of her made it here then I doubt it matters either. If what they say about the methods of the Countess is true, it would be easier to get past their securities.”

“Meaning the workers there being turned into vampires? I have visited the Duchess’ estate only once, and could see vividly they were no longer human. Considering they would be loyal to the Countess, I assume they would be the same to a Representative.”

“Then it seems like she’d be the easiest and best target for us now, considering the groundwork has already been taken care of.” These were methods he would outright reject if he still worked at the Church, but he already found out how that Organization really operated. In the end, it was just results that mattered now. “I suggest we strike at dusk, before they can fully prepare for a siege. Well, more so now that an Earl was recently attacked.”

Charlotte gave a nod. “If the Countess’ influence is still there this should be a walk in the park. Let us be cautious regardless, though. We never know what will happen.”

“We would take the necessary precautions, of course. But should we be optimistic and prepare another target in case this assassination works well?” he asked, still hoping to make up for their earlier failure.

“I suppose we could.” Charlotte looked down at the papers again. “There is this Violet listed here. A newly appointed Magic Magister from the Royal Academy who is still in her final year. She is somewhat low on the list of priority—oh, she is the daughter of our current target.”

“Where is her residence?”

“The Viscountess currently resides in the same location as we are going to apparently… I suppose this is a two-in-one situation.”

“Even better. We’d have to face them both probably, but at least we can finish two jobs at once. If we have the servants’ support, I suggest we attack them in the dead of the night while they sleep.”

“Yes, of course. We have three Representatives so we should have a good opportunity. We may even be able to split up.”

“I shall be depending on you too then, Miss Charlotte. And once again with you, Claudia and Miss Cosette.”

Claudia silently nodded to Michael. “Here’s to a successful assassination, I suppose.”

Charlotte continued in response, “In the event that we split up, I suggest that I go with whoever wants to assassinate Miss Caroline, since it says here that she may exercise strong Aurum spells. I am able to nullify magic altogether.”

“What do you mean nullify magic?”

“When my Commandment is active all magic is nullified, at the same time no one may cast for some time. If Virgo had granted you a relic it should be good enough for the task.”

“That she did, she lent me Caladbolg to use. I suppose I can’t use Sain—Miss Saint’s spells while it’s active. Maybe I might find pointers on how to use a Commandment while we’re at it, too.”

“Ahaha… I see you have not learned to use it yet. It depends on your instincts more than skills to use it.”

Claudia nodded in agreement. “The way I see it, you have to feel the instinct come to you. No matter what, you cannot think about it, just do it,” she said. It didn’t really sound like that good of an advice as she had hoped, but perhaps that was how she generally performed her Commandment.

“So I was correct in that I have lost my edge.” Michael’s cheerfulness diminished as he realised how easy it was for him for his instincts to dull by just being away from battle for a year. At the very least, he retained the techniques and experiences he had. “Well, unless I fight a table, that is. I mastered killing furniture the past year.”